School employees honored

Marlboro MARLBORO — Donna Tanfara, school nurse at the Robertsville Elementary School, recently received national board certification as a school nurse.

The exam, which takes approximately four hours to complete, consists of 250 objective multiple choice

questions about all areas of

school nursing. The National Association of School Nurses is

affiliated with the National

Board for Certification

of School Nurses. Certification represents

a national standard

of preparation, knowledge and practice. Recertification is required every five years, according to a press release from the Marlboro K-8 School District.

Nationwide, there are only 2,300 nurses who are nationally certified, 30 of whom work in New Jersey.

Tanfara began her sixth year in the district as Robertsville School’s nurse. She received her associate of applied science. degree in nursing from Ocean County College, Toms River, a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Monmouth University, West Long Branch, and her school nurse certification from The College of New Jersey, Ewing.

Said Tanfara, “I prepared for months to take this exam. I am delighted and proud to be able to use the credential NCSN [National Certified School Nurse] after my name.”

In other news, Ganna Maymind, a first-grade teacher at the Asher Holmes Elementary School, recently was awarded the Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing, given by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Established in 2001 by Donald H. Graves, this award annually recognizes a teacher in grades one through six who demonstrates an understanding of student improvement in the teaching of writing. The award is presented at the NCTE annual convention, during the Elementary Section Get-Together, this year being held in Pittsburgh on Nov. 17. Maymind will be recognized at that time and receive an honorarium of $2,000.

Applicants for the award must submit a reflective essay of 2,000 words that addresses their thoughts about writing and teaching writing, as well as discussing what they see as significant improvements in children’s texts and insight into the reasons for those improvements. In addition, three portfolios of student writing, each of which contain three to five selections showing change from earlier to later in the year, must be included. For each student, applicants must include a 250-word commentary on the specific growth of the student’s work over time, predictions of where the student might go from there, and what further instruction they could provide.

Maymind has taught first grade at Asher Holmes since January 2002. She received her bachelor of science degree in elementary education from The College of New Jersey, Ewing.