White River School Board members recognized five teachers who were recently honored as National Board Certified by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction at its Dec. 10 regular meeting.
Kim Adams of White River Middle School, Tim Fleming, White River High School, Jill Jirava, Elk Ridge Elementary School, and Eva Dietz, Foothills Elementary School, were honored for 2008, and Kristen Montieth, Foothills Elementary School, was honored for 2007.
“It’s a tremendous amount of work that these folks have to go through,” Superintendent Tom Lockyer said. He said the teachers, students and district each benefit from the experience.
National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to identify, recognize and reward teachers who meet rigorous standards based on what they should know and be able to do. Each recipient also receives a $5,000 bonus each year.
Those recently certified join White River teachers LeeAnn Alfano, Janel Ross, Holly Stilnovich, Becky Hathaway and Christi Ellenwood, who is now Elk Ridge Elementary School’s principal.
In other business, the board:
• re-elected Denise Vogel as president. Joe Dieringer will serve as the board’s vice president. Jean Lacy will become the board’s legislative representative and John McArtor will remain its Washington Interscholastic Activity Association representative.
• reaffirmed its district policies, board operating principles, regular meeting days and times, and authorized the superintendent to sign all federal and state grant applications.
• announced winter break, which began Monday, will run through Jan. 2.
• set its next regular meeting for 6 p.m. Jan. 14 in the district conference room.
• heard from Glacier Middle School Principal Andy McGrath, who along with teacher Sue Shoe and several students, presented a demonstration of the school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) tutorial course. The 30 eighth-grade students, who are in algebra, meet four days a week with tutors who help them with classwork. A similar group of students has formed at White River Middle School. The two groups will feed into White River High School as freshman ready for advanced placement and honors classes, McGrath explained. The intent is to push these students toward post-secondary education or for those who had already selected that route to better prepare them.
• approved out-of-state travel for White River High teacher and DECA adviser Randy Wilson and DECA students to attend the International Career Develpment Conference in Anaheim, Calif., in April and White River High Assistant Principal and district AVID director Greg Borgerding to attend AVID training in Mesa, Ariz., in February.
• accepted resignations from district secretary Julie Bevaart and district teacher Connie Medeiros.
• hired Robert Howie as an AVID tutor, Shelby Johnson as a White River Middle School instructional paraeducator, Noel Donna Rasmussen as a bus driver and Nancy Stangland as a long-term substitute teacher at Elk Ridge Elementary.
Reach Brenda Sexton at bsexton@courierherald.com or 360-802-8206.
