Posted: Friday, January 24, 2025

Three GCS educators have earned National Board Certification for the first time, and 19 GCS educators have earned National Board Certification renewals. Greenville County Schools has 333 National Board Certified teachers, one of the teaching profession’s most respected achievements. South Carolina ranks fourth in the nation, with 9,515 National Board Certified Teachers.

New National Board Certificate Holders

  • Mary Beth Adams - Riverside HS - Science/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
  • Anne Fagala - Blue Ridge MS - Mathematics/Early Adolescence
  • Joanna Sanson - Wade Hampton HS - English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood

National Board Renewals

  • Beth Beard - Sterling School - Career and Technical Education/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
  • Alli Brown - Woodmont HS - School Counseling/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
  • Katherine Caldwell -  Woodmont HS - School Counseling/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
  • Linda Dara - Cherrydale ES - Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood
  • Catalina Drinkhahn - Monarch ES - Generalist/Middle Childhood
  • Merle Faulk - Riverside MS - English Language Arts/Early Adolescence
  • Andrea Isengard - J.L. Mann Academy - Science/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
  • Nancy Jennings Jones - Westcliffe ES - Generalist/Early Childhood
  • Carrie Johnson - Sara Collins ES - Generalist/Middle Childhood
  • Jennifer Kammer - Bryson MS - English Language Arts/Early Adolescence
  • Kristina Lawrence - Brushy Creek ES - Generalist/Early Childhood
  • Sara Newell - Sterling School - Generalist/Middle Childhood
  • Melva Norris - Westcliffe ES - Generalist/Middle Childhood
  • Brian Owens -  Mauldin HS - Science/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
  • Pamela Reece - Simpsonville ES - Generalist/Middle Childhood
  • Betsy Shuler - Alexander ES - Generalist/Middle Childhood
  • William Snipes - Blue Ridge MS - English Language Arts/Early Adolescence
  • Linda Wade - Brook Glenn ES - Generalist/Middle Childhood
  • Kelly Weekes - Mitchell Road ES - Generalist/Middle Childhood

The National Board Certification program is coordinated by The Center for Educator Recruitment, & Advancement (CERRA). 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 2025-26 National Board cycle can contact Stacy Forrester at 355-3174 or find further information on the CERRA Website.


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