7 Peninsula School District teachers earn national certification

Several teachers, as well as members of Minter Creek Elementary’s Special Education Team, were recognized Jan. 21 during the Peninsula School District Board of Directors meeting.

Teachers Sheryl Clark, Kristina Johnston, Joyce Kilner, Carisa Peterson, Staci Webb and Dustin Wiyrick were recognized for receiving new National Board Teacher certification.

National Board Certification is a highly respected certification for professional educators that provides benefits to teachers, students and schools.

Four components are included in certification: a written assessment of content knowledge, a reflection on student work samples, analysis and video of teaching practices and the documented accomplishments and impact of the individual as a teaching professional.

There are currently 80 National Board Certified Teachers working within Peninsula School District.

The board also presented the Mary Lee Squires Award to the Minter Creek Special Education Team in recognition of members’ teamwork and dedication to students.

The members of the team are Jan Yerex, Michelle Holt, Becky Maffei, Bev Hopper, Rose Peterson and Julie Poole.

Superintendent Chuck Cuzzetto presented the award to the team along with Minter Creek Elementary Principal Ty Robuck.

“One of the best things about my job is going around recommending staff,” Cuzzetto said. “This team approaches every situation with compassion and care ... their dedication is admirable.”

The Mary Lee Squires Award is a district award given to teams based on peer recommendations. In order to be nominated, a minimum of three recommendations through the year must be received by the district, then a committee gets together to decide on the award recipient.

According to Robuck, the six-member team consists of two resource teachers, a school psychologist, an occupational therapist, a speech and language pathologist and a counselor.

Several of the team members work as schools other than Minter Creek, yet the still manage to coordinate weekly meetings with each other and meet the sometimes overwhelming expectations from the state.

“I can’t say enough great things about them,” Robuck said. “They’re really looking about how to meet kids needs … they’re not only working with the student, but as a team, with teachers and parents. One of their most amazing strengths is making sure the parents understand (the plan) and feel comfortable through the process.”

Robuck said that, despite new staff additions over the past couple of years, the mentality and philosophy of the team has not changed and remains focused on student success.

“I really feel that it’s part of our culture that each kid is special,” he said. “It’s really inspiring to watch (the team) in their element.”

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 9:21 AM with the headline "7 Peninsula School District teachers earn national certification."