18 additional School District Five teachers earn National Board Certification

For Immediate Release – February 5, 2026

18 additional School District Five teachers earn National Board Certification

IRMO – An additional eighteen Lexington-Richland School District Five teachers have earned the prestigious National Board Certification (NBCTs) this year, and 12 teachers in School District Five renewed their national certifications.

School District Five ranks among the top for National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in the state, now touting 250 educators with this prestigious designation.

“National Board Certified teachers in the district play an essential role in improving teaching and learning,” said Dr. Tamara Turner, School District Five Chief of Human Resources. “Many of the district's NBCTs pursue professional learning opportunities and seek to improve their practice well beyond the National Board-certification journey. We support these educators by providing platforms for them to be active voices in education policy, inspire and coach colleagues, and pursue leadership roles.” 

National Board certification is a voluntary, advanced teaching credential that includes an extensive series of performance-based assessments. Educators pursuing the certification must undergo a rigorous process that includes teaching portfolios, student work samples, videotapes and thorough analyses of the candidates’ classroom teaching and student learning. Teachers must also complete written exercises to gauge the depth of their subject-matter knowledge, as well as their effectiveness in teaching those subjects to their students.

School District Five teachers becoming National Board-certified this year include: Waretha Butler (Irmo High), Kimberly Carroll (Chapin Middle), Robyn Constable (Seven Oaks Elementary), Heather Dawkins (Chapin Middle), Erica Emmerling (Chapin Elementary), Heather Greene (Chapin Elementary), Holland Hathaway (H. E. Corley Elementary), Hollister Heming (Piney Woods Elementary), Lydia Hubbard (Spring Hill High), Julie Klemz (Harbison West Elementary), Amanda May (Chapin Elementary), Kirsten McClam (Chapin Elementary), Caroline McKlveen (Dutch Fork Middle), Jamila Phillips (Harbison West Elementary), Erika Sanchez (Spring Hill High), Heather Sansbury (River Springs Elementary), Amber Tolar (Piney Woods Elementary), and Evan Wise (River Springs Elementary).

Renewing certification are the following School District Five teachers: Chaka Coffey (H. E. Corley Elementary), Sandra Cole (Spring Hill High), Katherine Cribb (Ballentine Elementary), Danielle Hance (River Springs Elementary), Kelly Hawkins (Chapin Middle), Tarnissiya Jefferson (Oak Pointe Elementary), Colleen Marcou (Irmo High), Casey Parker (Piney Woods Elementary), Bethany Reilly (Harbison West Elementary), Glenna Shealy (Dutch Fork Elementary), Shatara Stephens (Chapin Middle), and Deedee Taylor (Chapin Elementary).

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