Elementary National Board Certified Teachers
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Shaunda Bare
EC Teacher
2006 NBCT; Renewed in 2016
"The National Boards certification process was a very rewarding experience both professionally and personally. By going through the certification, I was able to obtain a deeper understanding and true meaning of the role I play in the lives of each of my students and their educational growth."
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Dr. Deanna Berrier
4th/5th Grade Teacher
Traphill Elementary School
2012 NBCT
"I am a more reflective practitioner within my classroom. After each lesson I try to note areas of strength and weakness in order to improve my teaching."
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Martha Brame
1st Grade Teacher
North Wilkesboro Elementary School
2005 NBCT; Renewed in 2015
"National Board Certification provided me with the opportunity to look deeply at my teaching practice and to continue my professional development. The process allowed me to collaborate with colleagues, reflect on my present teaching, and improve and refine my skills. In turn, I have been able to use these improved and refined skills for the benefit of my students and their learning, and to better contribute to our school's Professional Learning Community."
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Charlotte Brooks
1st Grade Teacher
Roaring River Elementary School
2010 NBCT
"By achieving National Boards I feel I am better prepared to teach my diverse students. As education changes at a rapid pace, I feel better qualified to meet these challenges."
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Amber Bryant
1st Grade Teacher
Ronda Clingman Elementary
2006 NBCT; Renewed in 2016
"Achieving National Board Certification has helped me in being more intentional and reflective as I strive to meet student needs and to support teachers. The certification process has taught me what accomplished teaching is and the importance of on-going professional development."
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Paula Bryant
1st Grade Teacher
Millers Creek Elementary School
2005 NBCT; Renewed in 2015
"Pursuing National Board Certification was one of the best professional decisions that I have ever made. I started the certification process at the beginning of my tenth year of teaching. I can honestly say that I grew more as a teacher during the yearlong certification journey than I had during my first nine years of teaching. The National Board Certification process taught me to look at myself and my profession in ways that I had never thought of. I felt such a sense of accomplishment when I completed the process that I immediately enrolled in an Elementary Education Master’s program. Three months into the program I learned that I had achieved National Board Certification. Completing the remainder of the Master's program was a breeze thanks to everything I learned while pursing certification which prepared me for most any challenge I might face as a teacher."
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Shanna Bumgarner
1st Grade Teacher
Millers Creek Elementary School
2013 NBCT
"I wanted to further my career as a teaching professional, but my original idea of obtaining a Master’s degree quickly shifted into pursuing National Board Certification. I knew I didn’t want to leave the classroom, but I was seeking a way to grow in my career. The journey to National Board Certification provided me many opportunities to dig deep in examining my teaching practices and reflecting upon how to improve those practices for the benefit of any student in my classroom. I grew in my perspectives and practices. Upon certification, I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I had achieved more than a certificate, I had achieved knowledge, skill, dedication and pride. I still hold fast to these and to the experience."
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Jennifer Cardwell
2nd Grade Teacher
Wilkesboro Elementary School
2011 NBCT
"A feeling of accomplishment."
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Sherry Caudill
3rd Grade Teacher
Millers Creek Elementary School
2011 NBCT
"The NB process reiterated for me the need to reflect on my teaching practices (make changes where needed) and also to evaluate students daily, weekly, and monthly to see growth and patterns in learning. This helps me to recognize where I may enhance their learning. It is all about the students and helping them achieve to their full potential."
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Angie Church
School Counselor
Roaring River Elementary School
2005 NBCT; Renewed in 2015
"Achieving National Board Certification in School Counseling has helped me to gain knowledge and apply it to my school counseling program."
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Jennifer Cockrell
Kindergarten Teacher
Millers Creek Elementary School
2010 NBCT
"I feel that going through the national board process helped me to reflect on my teaching practices and what my students are actually learning. I think it has made me more willing to take the time to step back not only once in a while, but weekly and daily to analyze what I can do better to help my students succeed."
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Beth Cook
Media Specialist
Mountain View Elementary School
2009 NBCT
"I entered the National Board process as a seasoned teacher; if a lesson was really “good,” I filed the same lesson away to use again. Now, I do not teach a lesson without reflecting upon that lesson, what impact it had on student achievement, and what I could do differently to improve it."
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Clarissa Darnell
Pre-K Teacher; Generalist/Early Childhood
Mountain View Elementary School
2019 NBCT
"Pursuing National Board Certification helped me to be a more intentional and reflective teacher, as I have learned how to dig deeper within myself and my teaching practices. Each child has various needs and learning styles, so as I have grown as practitioner, I feel that I am better equipped to identify and serve each need. Having now completed the process, I feel that I am more cognizant of my role within the classroom, the school, and the community. I feel very humbled and proud to have achieved National Board Certification."
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Renee Gentry
Media Specialist
Roaring River Elementary School
2004 NBCT; Renewed in 2014
"Achieving National Board Certification was a challenging process for me. As I worked on the initial certification and the renewal, I was able to reflect on my teaching practices and improve. It was diffidently worth the time and effort I spent to achieve this goal."
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Megan Gorski
1st Grade Teacher; Generalist/Early Childhood
Mulberry Elementary School
2019 NBCT
"Pursuing the National Board process was the most rigorous and beneficial professional development I have experienced. It allowed me to look deeply into my practice and reflect on how I could grow to benefit my students and my school. I feel that I am a more effective teacher because it has broadened my knowledge of students, instructional strategies, and the content I teach."
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Madge Gregory
4th Grade Teacher
Mountain View Elementary School
2011 NBCT
"I definitely benefited from the National Board Certification process; but more importantly, my students benefit from the changes I made and continue to make as a result of participating in the certification process. This process encouraged me to think critically and reflect on my procedures and techniques and then make decisions about my teaching practices. Because of the intense reflection, I developed a deeper understanding about my students, the curriculum that I am required to teach and the strategies that I use to teach the curriculum."
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Kari Harrington
1st/2nd Grade Teacher
North Wilkesboro Elementary School
2006 NBCT; Renewed in 2016
"Going through the National Board Certification process has helped me to reflect more on my teaching practices. Education is ever changing, and I have learned the importance of continuing education in order for me to be the best educator for my students and ensure their success and achievement in the classroom."
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Britt Harris
PE Teacher/Coach
Millers Creek Elementary School
2011 NBCT
"Going through the NBCT process has pushed me in my teaching career. It has improved my teaching and made me more aware of my students' needs. I feel that I am now better equipped to reach each student that enters my classroom."
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Kimberly Hayes
Kindergarten Teacher
Wilkesboro Elementary School
2004 NBCT; Renewed in 2014
"As with anything worthwhile, attaining my National Board Certification was hard work. But, I utilize the processes of analysis and reflection in my daily teaching practice. These practices were so ingrained in my teaching, that renewal was a seamless process. I'm proud to be a National Board Certified Teacher and daily use what I've learned to provide my students with the best education that I can to help them reach their highest potential."
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Dannette Hincher
Instructional Specialist
Wilkesboro Elementary School
2004 NBCT; Renewed in 2014
"National Board Certification allowed me to demonstrate my dedication to student achievement through a rigorous, reflective process. Throughout my initial certification and the renewal process I have grown as an educator, reflecting and analyzing my work in order to achieve best practice."
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Whitney Holbrook
2nd Grade Teacher
Mt. Pleasant Elementary School
2017 NBCT
"Obtaining my National Boards provided me an opportunity to seek professional learning with an intense focus on my students and myself. The process involves thinking your way through the decisions you make in your classroom and the benefits of learning everything you can about each of your students. I approached this process one step at a time. Starting the process I did not know how I was going to get there, but as with anything meaningful - I expected to be successful and knew I had to step out of my comfort zone to achieve that goal."
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Kim Holleman
2nd Grade Teacher
Mount Pleasant Elementary School
2011 NBCT
"Out of all the professional development activities and classes that I have completed during my teaching career, becoming a National Board Certified Teacher was the one of the most powerful, rewarding, and informative. Even though achieving National Board Certification was a challenging and incredibly time consuming process, I would recommend pursuing it to all educators. It was an incredible journey for me and one that I believe will help you become a stronger, more reflective, and more effective teacher."
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Carol Huffman
Music Teacher
Millers Creek Elementary School
2014 NBCT
"Going through the National Board process allowed me to take a closer look at how my students learn and what my role is in that process. It has taught me to genuinely reflect on all aspects of teaching and the impact on students."
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Christy Jolly
1st Grade Teacher
Moravian Falls Elementary School
2005 NBCT; Renewed in 2014
"Pursuing National Board Certification was one of the best professional decisions I have ever made. The initial process and my renewal has helped me be more purposeful and reflective in my daily planning and teaching."
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Rebecca Kilpatrick
5th Grade Teacher
Ronda Clingman Elementary School
2009 NBCT
"National Board Certification is one of the highest honors and achievements in my career. It was a challenging, but rewarding experience. Throughout the process, I grew as an educator. I learned to be more reflective in everything that I did in the classroom. Without reflection, teachers will not know the true impact of their teaching strategies and how much their students are learning. With the intensity of the National Board Certification Process, I learned to reflect on my lessons, my instructional methods, and my students' data. This process made me into the educator that I am today. I am proud to be a National Board Certified Teacher."
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Kimberly Lang
4th Grade Teacher
Mulberry Elementary School
2011 NBCT
"For me the National Board certification process is a humbling experience. I don’t know that I ever have felt truly “accomplished” since receiving certification. It is more of a feeling of sheer relief. There are many deserving candidates who come up short and my heart goes out to them. As far as the impact certification has on my classroom I think it would have to be student engagement. The process of analyzing my instruction heightened my awareness of student engagement. The videos force you to see all students through a different lens. Now, I feel that I do a much better job of keeping all students on task. Unless you have been through the process you really cannot fathom the amount of time and sacrifice each candidate makes. I am so thankful to my family, friends, coaches and administrators who helped me achieve National Board certification."
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Keven Langston
4th Grade Teacher
Wilkesboro Elementary School
2007 NBCT; Renewed in 2017
"Becoming a NBCT transformed my teaching practice. As I plan standards based lessons, now my focus is to engage my students in purposeful learning that meets their developmental needs and interests. National Board Certification challenges me to continue to seek the best practices in teaching and grow as a professional."
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Diana Mathis
Pre-K Teacher
Mulberry Elementary School
2003 NBCT; Renewed in 2013
"Reflection is important to always be aware of successful strategies that work. Doing a better job reflecting on my teaching methods has helped me to modify and enhance educational practice for the good of each individual child."
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Takiyah McCathern
Assistant Principal
Millers Creek Elementary and Wilkesboro Elementary Schools
2009 NBCT
"National Board Certification has afforded me and my family extra resources, but even more important than that I have had the opportunity to meet and network with people all over the state and country. I have learned to be a much more reflective practitioner. The experience makes me proud and excited for the future."
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Traci McManus
3rd Grade Teacher
Wilkesboro Elementary School
2006 NBCT; Renewed in 2016
"I feel that going through the National Board process shows my dedication to the teaching profession and my willingness to reflect on my practices. The rigorous process proved to be a powerful way to impact what was going on in my classroom. The knowledge that I gained going through this professional growth experience has influenced my teaching and benefited the students that I have had in my classroom."
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Jessie Parker
Kindergarten Teacher
Ronda Clingman Elementary School
2015 NBCT
"My National Board journey was a deep reflection into the content area that I teach. The NB process encouraged me to look at each child individually. I now take more time to differentiate learning experiences and plan meaningful next steps. This process gave me the opportunity to meet and work with many other educators in the county. This experience really showed me the importance of seeking out other opinions and suggestions. I could not have made it through this experience without the support of my family, friends, and coworkers who encouraged me. After getting the news that I was Nationally Board Certified, I was so proud of myself and more confident as an educator."
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Hannah Peacock
Instructional Specialist
Moravian Falls Elementary School
2010 NBCT
"Going through the National Board process allowed me to become a more reflective practitioner within my classroom and professional developments that I offer other teachers. I have been able to reflect on my teaching, strategies, data, and offerings of professional development to make changes to better meet the needs of students and other teachers. The National Board process aided me in digging deeper into data and the planning process."
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Kim Redding
Kindergarten Teacher
Roaring River Elementary School
2011 NBCT
"Obtaining my National Board certification provided me the opportunity to grow professionally, have a positive impact on student learning, and improved my ability to teach reflectively."
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Tina Shephard
Kindergarten Teacher
Millers Creek Elementary School
2003 NBCT; Renewed in 2013
"Being a Nationally Board Certified Teacher has helped me become a more effective educator. I constantly reflect on my teaching practice and strive to create a developmentally appropriate environment. I value what my students bring to the classroom and appreciate the diversity."
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Jennifer Smithey
EC Teacher
Mulberry Elementary School
2012 NBCT
"National Board was a learning process. Through the process I learned more deeply about the area of teaching I was focused in (Early Childhood Generalist). The key word is "process". It wasn't something to get done, it was a process to go through. That's where the learning happens."
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Sharon Speaks
4th Grade Teacher
Ronda Clingman Elementary School
2004 NBCT; Renewed in 2015
"The National Board process has helped me to define my teaching practices. The process of initial certification and renewal was labor intensive but worth the time and energy. I am blessed and humbled to have achieved initial certification, as well as renewal."
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Beckie Spears
Assistant Principal
Mulberry Elementary School
2006 NBCT; Renewed in 2016
"Earning National Board certification helped me become a more thoughtful, reflective teacher. While working on my certification, I read books and articles, talked with other teachers, and watched videos of myself in action. These experiences, in the context of the standards, challenged me to analyze and identify ways to improve my practice. Those behaviors became new habits, and I will always be grateful for how those experiences taught me to be a better teacher and learner."
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Sherri Tribble
2nd Grade Teacher
Mulberry Elementary School
2010 NBCT
"Gaining my National Boards taught me to be a more reflective teacher. With each lesson that I teach, each decision that I make, and each moment that I spend with these students, I spend time reflecting on what I can do differently and better the next time. I think it is that "always willing to do better" attitude that I strive to be able to pass on to the students in my classroom year after year."
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Jennifer Vannoy
Pre-K Teacher
Millers Creek Elementary School
2011 NBCT
"National Boards has made me become more reflective in my teaching practice."
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Ashley Walker
1st Grade Teacher
Mountain View Elementary School
2010 NBCT
"Going through the National Board process taught me to be more intentional and reflective in everything I teach."
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Shannon Walker
Pre-K Teacher
Mulberry Elementary School
2008 NBCT
"The National Board certification process has provided an avenue for me to continually reflect upon my teaching practice and therefore better ensure the success of my students."
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Carol Walsh
School Counselor
Millers Creek Elementary School
2004 NBCT; Renewed in 2013
"National Board helped instill the professional practice of regularly "Reflecting" on my work with students."
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Rebecca Ward
1st Grade Teacher
Mulberry Elementary School
2007 NBCT; Renewed in 2017
"It has led me to find ways to impact my students' lives in the most meaningful ways while reflecting on my practices and philosophies of teaching. It has also allowed me to strengthen my leadership roles in the profession."
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Summer Ward
4th Grade Teacher
Wilkesboro Elementary School
2008 NBCT
"The rigorous process of getting my National Boards helped me to be a much more reflective teacher, which has improved my instruction."
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Heather Williams
Kindergarten Teacher
Mount Pleasant Elementary School
2007 NBCT; Renewed in 2016
"I have already been through the National Board twice. I learned that you never truly know the kind of teacher you are until you see yourself on video. I have also learned that I always want to be a part of a community of learners who are willing to share ideas about the teaching profession to continue making leaning fun."
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