November 27, 2002  

Poway Unified Teachers Achieve National Board Certification 

Fourteen Poway Unified School District teachers earned National Board Certification for 2001-2002 based on extensive year-long assessments. The assessments test not only the knowledge teachers possess, but the actual use of their skills and the ability to demonstrate highly accomplished teaching in the classroom as they work to improve student learning.  These teachers join others who received recognition from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in previous years, bringing the total to 75 in PUSD who have earned this distinction.

The Poway Unified teachers are:

Laura Bruvold, Special Education, Chaparral Elementary School

Helice Callier, Art, Rancho Bernardo High School

Lisa Casey-O’Brien, Science, Poway High School

Dan Commons, 6th grade Basic Education, Bernardo Heights                                      Middle School   

Peggy Diemer, Kindergarten, Adobe Bluffs Elementary School

Allen Dimacali, Mathematics, Westview High School

Mary Pat Fisk, English, Rancho Bernardo High School

Lynne Floto, English, Rancho Bernardo High School

Karen Garrett, Grade 5, Sundance Elementary  School

Deborah Hibbs, Grades 1-2,  Creekside Elementary School

Paul Kankowski, Grade 7 Mathematics, Bernardo Heights
                                        Middle School

Karen Kravchak, English, Rancho Bernardo High School

Kim Lundgren Pigorsch,  Elementary Music Teacher at                                                     Westwood, Adobe Bluffs, and Rolling                                                     Hills elementary schools

Cecile Nasland, Grades 4-5, Valley Elementary School

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, based in Arlington, Va., began certifying teachers in 1995.  Since 1995 there have been 1,960 in California who have received certification (California has a total of 300,000 public school teachers).  California certified 651 teachers this year, the fourth highest number in the country.