Pictured from left: John Rafanelli, Paula Holmgren, Sean Parkin, Tony Ho, Bernardo Rodriguez, Stephanie Klein, Mark Phelan, Katie Lewis, Kurt Schmidt, Jessica Hensick, Steven Jones, Raquel Lahti, Isaiah Wyckoff and Jessica McCurdy. Not pictured: Courtney Clark, Amanda Clow, Stephanie Seibel-Barrow and Annie Spiegelberg.

Educators from around the district recently achieved National Board certification in 2020 to formalize that they have met the highest standards in their profession. Obtaining certification requires up to 400 hours of additional work, including passing a content knowledge exam, submitting for review samples of student work and the candidate’s feedback, filming lessons for evaluation and compiling a portfolio of self-reflection pieces. Congratulations to VPS’ class of 2020 National Board–certified educators!

Elementary

  • Courtney Clark, Ogden Elementary, music/early and middle childhood
  • Amanda Clow, Minnehaha Elementary, generalist/middle childhood
  • Jessica Hensick, King Elementary, English as a new language/early and middle childhood
  • Stephanie Klein, Truman Elementary, library media/early childhood through young adulthood
  • Raquel Lahti, King Elementary, literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood
  • Katie Lewis, Ogden Elementary, literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood
  • Jessica McCurdy, Roosevelt Elementary, generalist/middle childhood
  • Bernardo Rodriguez, Harney Elementary, generalist/middle childhood
  • Annie Spiegelberg, Harney Elementary, literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood

Secondary

  • Sean Parkin, Discovery Middle School, social studies-history/early adolescence
  • Mark Phelan, Discovery Middle School, social studies-history/early adolescence
  • John Rafanelli, Alki Middle School, mathematics/early adolescence
  • Stephanie Seibel-Barrow, Jason Lee Middle School, exceptional needs specialist/early childhood through young adulthood
  • Tony Ho, Hudson’s Bay High School, mathematics/adolescence and young adulthood
  • Steven Jones, Hudson’s Bay High School, science/early adolescence
  • Kurt Schmidt, Skyview High School, science/adolescence and young adulthood
  • Paula Holmgren, Vancouver iTech Preparatory, mathematics/early adolescence
  • Isaiah Wyckoff, Vancouver iTech Preparatory, art/early adolescence through young adulthood

In addition to these 18 educators, 130 more VPS educators also are National Board–certified. Fifteen have earned recertification as well. Schools with the highest numbers of National Board–certified educators are Hudson’s Bay High School, King Elementary, Fort Vancouver High School Center for International Studies, Skyview High School, Gaiser Middle School, Discovery Middle School and Vancouver iTech Preparatory.