Area Teachers Achieve National Certification

Hawaii’s public schoolteachers are rising in their profession through national certification – an achievement that shows rigorous, peer-reviewed performance.

“We’re thrilled to celebrate the achievement of our new NBCTs (National Board Certified Teachers),” said DOE superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “Their achievement is not only testament to their hard work, determination and impact on their students’ learning, it is a reflection of Hawaii’s strong commitment to supporting all teachers in their pursuit of certification.”

DOE officials also note that Hawaii “leads the nation in growth of NBCTs over the past three years.”

Contributing to that distinction are 13 area teachers: Laura Brown of Pearl Ridge Elementary, Tracey Idica of Aiea High, Kimberly Tadaki and Kara Yasui of Holomua Elementary, Nicholas Barry of Iroquois Point Elementary, Dacy Belmonte of August Ahrens Elementary, Nicole Blomberg of Pohakea Elementary, Mila Bradley of Nanaikapono Elementary, Eleyne Fia of Campbell High, Susan Gonsalves and Jodi Tanae-Hanzawa of Aiea High, Jami Higashi Lee of Pearl City High and Andrew Michaels of Waipahu High.

In all, 59 Hawaii teachers achieved certification in 2013, which equips them to prepare their students for success in the 21st century.