Two Carson City teachers earn National Board certification

The Carson City School District is celebrating two new National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

The teachers are Patricia Ababio, Graphic Arts teacher in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at Carson High School, and Rhonda Holloway, English teacher at Carson Middle School.

NBCT is widely considered to be the highest professional recognition for educators and includes a 5% pay increase in acknowledgement of accomplished teaching.

These teachers join 15 other board certified teachers in the district: Christina Bourne, music teacher at Mark Twain Elementary School; Lacey Carey, literacy specialist ELA at Fritsch Elementary School; Jenny Chandler, Advanced Placement Government/AP Art History teacher and Social Studies department chair at Carson High; Rachel Croft, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics coach at Bordewich Bray Elementary; Debra Crozier, second grade teacher at Mark Twain Elementary School; Jessica Daniels, principal of Carson Montessori School; Luonne Gerow, third grade Gifted and Talented Education teacher at Fremont Elementary; Jeff Hendricks, special education teacher with Student Support Services; Leah Hampton, math teacher at Carson High; Amy Jensen, fifth grade teacher and GATE coordinator at Bordewich Bray Elementary; Nicolas Jacques, music and band teacher at Carson High; Joanna Kaiser, GATE implementation specialist; Molly Martin, first grade teacher at Mark Twain Elementary; Nicole Medeiros, second grade teacher at Bordewich Bray Elementary and Pamela Shank, fourth/fifth-grade teacher at Fremont Elementary.

Certification is a one- to five-year process that includes taking an assessment and assembling three portfolios. According to the NBPTS, each of these educators earned the profession’s highest mark of achievement through a rigorous, performance-based, peer-review process, demonstrating their proven impact on student learning and achievement. Completing the certification shows that each teacher knows and practices “the definitive standards of accomplished teaching.”

The Carson City teachers are among 906 National Board Certified educators in Nevada, and nationwide, there are 122,000.

Carson City teachers interested in pursuing board certification are invited to contact Jaci McCune, jmccune@carson.k12.nv.us, 775-283-1796, or Candidate Service Providers Rachel Croft, rcroft@carson.k12.nv.us, and Jenny Chandler, jchandler@carson.k12.nv.us.