Twenty Chatham teachers earn Masters degrees from UNC Greensboro

Posted Thursday, July 16, 2009

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Pittsboro, NC - Twenty teachers from various schools in Chatham County Schools graduated this spring from UNC Greensboro as part of a Masters degree cohort in the area of literacy.

Dr. Tina Hester, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, noted the value of professional alliances formed over the course of the program, particularly when there are multiple teachers from the same school pursuing a graduate degree. She also noted several of the teachers have been inspired to pursue National Board Certification as a result of this experience.

This and similar cohorts were formed through partnerships between the school district and area universities. The cohorts have allowed teachers in the district to earn graduate degrees with tuition paid by Chatham County Schools in exchange for the teachers committing to continue teaching in the district for two years after earning their degrees. The effort began in 2001 as a teacher retention effort. Regretfully, the program has been suspended for the 2009-10 school year due to budget constraints.

Bennett:
Amy Dowdy- Kindergarten

Bonlee:
Sherry Elmore- Middle school language arts
Dana Hill- English as a Second Language (ESL)
Nina Jones-1st grade
Christina Justice- Exceptional Children
Janelle Tally-2nd grade
Sherry Thurman- Exceptional Children

Moncure:
Jennifer Shand- 1st & 2nd grades

Perry Harrison:
Donna Stevenson- Kindergarten

Pittsboro Elementary:
Tonya Bianco- 3rd grade

Silk Hope:
Lisa Dark- 1st grade
Christa Morgan- 2nd grade

Siler City Elementary:
April Holt- 1st grade
Susan Hunnicutt- Media Specialist
Brittany Lasater-3rd grade
Carla Murray- Curriculum Coach
Jenny Regulski- 2nd grade
Carmen Soltren- 3rd grade/Dual Language Program
Tracey Troxler- 3rd grade/ Dual Language Program

Other:
Helen Atkins- Lead teacher, English as a Second Language (ESL)