On January 19th, Ms. Spence, along with Ms. Ignaszewski from the F.B. Gwynn Education Center, received certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers with this certification have a standard or advanced professional certificate, have completed at least three years of successful teaching, and are eligible for a stipend added to their salary.

Ms. Spence was awarded with this certification due to her extensive education and experience in her field of work. She has received a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education from Thiel College, and furthered her education by pursuing and gaining a master’s degree in counseling from Youngstown State University. Spence has been teaching with CCPS since 2008 and currently teaches English II and III. One of her English III students, Ana Benitez (’17) explained why Ms. Spence stands out among other teachers: “Ms. Spence puts effort into making everything that she teaches interesting. She also listens to student input and when we don’t understand, she goes over the information countless times.”

Ms. Spence has worked hard for her certification and continues to successfully teach students each year.