New and Renewed National Board Certifications
Four GCS educators have earned National Board Certification for the first time, and 22 GCS educators have earned National Board Certification renewals. Greenville County Schools has 314 National Board Certified teachers, one of the teaching profession’s most respected achievements. South Carolina ranks fourth in the nation, with 9,424 National Board Certified Teachers.
New National Board Certificate Holders
- Karla Cannon – Riverside HS – World Languages/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
- Cory Fain – Lakeview MS – Physical Education/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
- Eric Guth – Gateway ES – Physical Education/Early and Middle Childhood
- Apryl Walsh – East North Street Academy – Exceptional Needs Specialist/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
National Board Renewals
- Carol Adams – Ellen Woodside ES – Music/Early Adolescence through Young Adult
- Patrice Elmore – Virtual Program – English Language Arts/Early Adolescence
- Adelaide Fackler – Greenville Senior High Academy – School Counseling/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
- Carol Godfrey – Skyland ES – Music/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
- Ginger Greer – Northwest MS – Music/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
- Christina Guth – Sterling School – Generalist/Middle Childhood
- Amanda Harris – Monarch ES – Generalist/Early Childhood
- Laura Hull Griner – Armstrong ES – Science/Early Adolescence
- Gwen Hyer – Mauldin HS – School Counseling/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
- Janell Jensen Pitman – Virtual Program – Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood
- Angela Larsen – Brushy Creek ES – Generalist/Middle Childhood
- Clare Laye – East North Street Academy – Generalist/Middle Childhood
- Kristie Leonard – Bell's Crossing ES – Generalist/Middle Childhood
- Lacey Lyons – Woodmont MS – Physical Education/Early and Middle Childhood
- James Marra – Blue Ridge HS – Social Studies-History/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
- Heather Long – Greer HS – Exceptional Needs Specialist/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
- Brian Morgan – Duncan Chapel ES – Art/Early and Middle Childhood
- Jeffrey Murdock – Woodmont HS – Career and Technical Education/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
- Anna Nieto – Sevier MS – World Languages/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
- Casey Noble – Riverside HS – School Counseling/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
- Hannah Morrison – Stone Academy – Generalist/Middle Childhood
- Kristie Smith – Rudolph Gordon ES – Generalist/Early Childhood
- Gina Yount – Plain ES – Generalist/Middle Childhood
The National Board Certification program is coordinated by The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement. CERRA’s mission is to recruit, retain and advance South Carolina educators.
Teachers seeking National Board Certification undertake a four-part process that takes from one to three years to complete. The process requires candidates to analyze information about students in order to design and implement instructional choices that leads to advanced student growth and achievement. Teachers reflect on their classroom practices, assess their understanding of subject material and examine their preparation techniques.
In addition to preparing a portfolio with videotapes of classroom teaching, unit lesson plans, student work samples and reflective essays about the classroom environment and teaching interactions, teachers must complete assessment center exercises based on content knowledge that prove they have mastered the subjects they teach and also possess the pedagogical practices for teaching the content area.
Candidates consistently report that collaboration with other NBCTs and candidates eases the burden of the process. To this end, CERRA created an infrastructure of support that includes a district liaison in each of the state’s 85 school districts and a National Board Toolkit comprised of PowerPoints, handouts and activities to assist candidates as they move through the certification process. GCS is pleased to partner with CERRA in implementing an applicant cohort program for district teachers to participate in once a month as they work through the application process together over a three-year period.
CERRA also collaborates with other state agencies including the State Department of Education, The South Carolina Education Association, and Palmetto State Teachers Association to provide workshops and awareness sessions for candidates.
Teachers interested in pursuing the certification for the 2024-25 National Board cycle can contact Stacy Forrester at 355-3174 or find further information on the CERRA Website.