Contact: Camille Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss –The World Class Teaching Program at Mississippi State is celebrating new board-certified teachers who were honored recently at a spring pinning ceremony.

MSU’s World Class Teaching Program began in 1996 to support and guide teachers as they work toward National Board Certification.

The university-based initiative recruits and mentors teachers seeking advanced certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process. Teachers who earn board certification show exemplary teaching in their respective subjects.

The process sets uniform standards nationwide and offers professional and personal growth for teachers looking to positively impact students’ learning. Mississippi is ranked fourth in the nation in the 2018 state rankings by percentage of board-certified teachers at 12.95 percent and seventh in the nation for the total number of teachers with National Board Certification. MSU has supported two of the five schools that had four or more teachers to certify this year.

Those certifying in 2018 (by school district) include:

Choctaw Tribal Schools—Eula Sullivan, certified in literacy.

Kemper County School District—Rajkumari Jukkula, certified in science/early adolescent.

Lauderdale County School District—Kelly Johnson, certified in literacy (certification renewal); Britney Pippin, certified in literacy; Lori Taylor, certified in exceptional needs (certification renewal).

Lowndes County School District—Sarah Caldwell, certified in exceptional needs; Melanie Counts, certified in English language arts/AYA; Meagan Spencer, certified in math/early adolescent; Mary Rebecca Studdard, certified in math/AYA; Teresa Wittke, certified in exceptional needs; Ashley Wyers, certified in exceptional needs.

Neshoba County School District—Kaitland Copeland, certified in exceptional needs; Mindy Hutchison, certified in literacy; Wendy Ishee, certified in exceptional needs; Tanya Mosher, certified in exceptional needs; Jessica Stroud, certified in exceptional needs.

Pascagoula School District—Kelsey Hardy, certified in early childhood generalist.

Pontotoc City School District—Anne McGregor, certified in math/early adolescent.

Starkville Oktibbeha School District—Sharon Bonner, certified in middle childhood generalist (certification renewal);  Mallory Carlisle, certified in social studies/early adolescent (certification renewal); Jennie Mason, certified in math/early adolescent; Amy McReynolds, certified in early childhood generalist (certification renewal); Dane Peagler, certified in science/AYA; Carrie Word, certified in literacy (certification renewal).

For more about the World Class Teaching program, including Summer Standards Workshops, visit www.wctp.msstate.edu.

Established in 1903, MSU’s College of Education is home to six academic departments, one research unit and numerous service units. For more about the college, visit www.educ.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.