Eleven Teachers Earn Professional Certification at WSU Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. — Eleven teachers will give presentations Monday evening to complete their professional certification process through Washington State University Tri-Cities.
 
All teachers in the state of Washington, upon completing their teacher preparation program and fulfilling other requirements for their licenses, receive the “residency” teacher certificate. The next step is the “professional” teacher certificate. The WSU Tri-Cities Professional Certificate Program has graduated teachers twice a year since 2002.
 
“This allows teachers to be ‘highly qualified’ to teach in public schools,” said Professor Marisol Rodriguez-Price, coordinator of the professional certification program in the WSU Tri-Cities Department of Teaching and Learning. “It takes a lot of time and effort to earn this certification.”
 
The recognition program and presentations are open to the public. The event is from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3, at WSU Tri-Cities in the West Building Atrium, 2710 University Drive, Richland.
 
The candidates will have poster board displays or Powerpoint presentations showcasing their special interest areas and the training they received during the certification process. Their professional teaching portfolios will be available for review by the public.
 
The 11 teachers earning their professional certificates are:
– Sandra Letitia Bryan, Calvary Christian Elementary School, Kennewick, fifth/sixth grade combination class.
– Deborah Ann Ellefson, Enterprise Middle School, West Richland, master’s degree in science and language arts.
– Angela Marie Gaston, Isaac Stevens Middle School, Pasco, history for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.
– Charlotte Louise Grams, Kingspoint Christian School, Pasco, fourth-grade self-contained class.
– Suzanne Rachel Kirchner, Ellen Ochoa Middle School, Pasco, math.
– Jennifer Meléndrez, Longfellow Elementary School, Pasco, fourth-grade self-contained class.
– Lindsay Dawn Mequet, Pasco High School, Pasco, English as a Second Language for ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.
– Courtney J. Moss, Children’s Developmental Center, Richland, early childhood life skills.
– Wes C. Richins, Warden High School, Warden, history.
– Amir Mansour Sheibany-Taheri, Horse Heaven Hills Middle School, Kennewick, life skills.
– Jennifer Rose Tiegs, Isaac Stevens Middle School, Pasco, eighth-grade language arts.