ÐÓ°É

 February 9, 2023

JPS is proud to announce five outstanding JPS educators who recently became National Board-Certified Teachers (NBCTs). They are Michell Brown, Alexandria Drake, Cathy Dunstan, Dawn Husband and Rhonda Murphy-Johnson. We congratulate these outstanding educators who exemplify the highest standards of professional teaching.

Michelle Brown is a 7th grade inclusion teacher at Chastain Middle School. With five years of dedicated service at the school, she is certified to teach mild/moderate disabilities for grades K-12. Ms. Brown brings extensive professional experience in catering to students across grade levels, ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade. She earned her master’s degree in special education from Delta State University in 2011, further solidifying her academic background and expertise in the field of special education. Her continuous pursuit of professional development highlights her commitment to providing quality education to her students. Achieving National Board Certification in Special Education underscores her commitment to excellence in teaching. This certification reflects her dedication to meeting the highest standards in the field.

Alexandria Drake has been teaching secondary social studies in ÐÓ°É Public Schools for eight years. Ms. Drake holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Science Education from ÐÓ°É State University and a Master of Arts in African and African Diaspora Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.  She started her career as an educator at Murrah High School (2016-2019) and currently teaches at the JPS-Tougaloo Early College High School. Her National Board journey began in the fall of 2021, and she certified last December in Social Studies-History/Adolescence and Young Adulthood. It has always been a dream of hers to become a National Board Certified Educator, and she considers it to be the highest honor that a classroom educator can achieve.

Dr. Cathy Dunstan is currently in her seventh year of teaching English Language Learners (ELL) at Sykes Elementary, marking her 40th year in the teaching profession. After dedicating 30 years to teaching music at all levels, she transitioned to teaching ELL. Although fluent only in English, she possesses basic conversational skills in Spanish, Russian, and German. Her educational background includes a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Music Education, a Master of Arts degree in Vocal Performance, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. Her National Board Certifications are in English as a New Language and Early Middle Childhood.

 Dawn Husband has 20-plus years of teaching experience in exceptional education both in and out of the district.  She has taught all grades from pre-K to a GED program in a self-contained mental health classroom. After returning to the district 12 years ago, she currently enjoys teaching in the exceptional education pre-K classroom where she loves helping scholars develop a strong foundation in the classroom. She completed her 2023 National Board Certification in Special Education.

Rhonda Murphy-Johnson, affectionally known as Mrs. MJ, has a passion for education that spans 14 years. Mrs. MJ holds a Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in Reading/English. She honed her expertise with a National Board Certification in English Language Arts-Adolescence and Young Adulthood. Throughout her career, she has served as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and educational specialist. She is currently sharing her love and master teaching skills in the field of education as the Educator Preparation Teacher in the Advanced Program at ÐÓ°É Middle College. She continues to pursue professional development opportunities to stay at the forefront of educational trends and pedagogical innovations.

In December 2023, Mississippi gained 131 new NBCTs which brings our state total to 4,818.

The National Board Certification process for teachers is an extensive series of performance-based assessments, including teaching portfolios, student work samples, videotapes, and thorough analysis of the candidates' classroom teaching and students' learning. Teachers also complete a series of written exercises that probe the depth of their subject-matter knowledge and their understanding of how to teach those subjects to their students.