People We Know

• Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Marya J. Schmidt graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Schmidt is the daughter of David Schmidt of Tote Road and granddaughter of Roberty Ursprung, both of Wasilla. She is a 2009 graduate of Mat-Su Central School.

• Michelle Stratton of Palmer was named to the dean's list at Presentation College, Aberdeen, S.D., for the fall 2011 semester. Stratton is studying business and sports administration.

• Janna Fujimoto of Wasilla is spending the spring 2012 semester studying off-campus in Greece with the Lake Forest Greece Program. She is a student at Lake Forest College in Chicago, Ill., and a graduate of Colony High School in Palmer.

• Dakota Wainwright of Palmer was named to the dean's list for the fall 2011 semester at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Mont.

• Max Rothley of Willow was named to the dean's list for the fall 2011 semester at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Mont.

• Nicole Levinson of Wasilla was named to dean's list for the fall 2011 semester at Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

10 earn certification

Mat-Su Borough School District had 10 educators in the newest 6,200-member class of board-certified teachers announced in December.

Local educators attaining National Board certification were Suzanne Bounds, Katherine Cappa, Annette Durbin, Vanessa Grahn Powell, Laura Guest, Amanda Harris, Margaret Helle, Cynthia Jacobs, Constance Lutz and Robert Williams.

Williams said attaining certification is a lengthy process that requires between 200 and 400 hours of work to complete. He teaches at Colony High School, is president of the Alaska Council of Teachers of Mathematics, a new National Board-certified teacher and the 2009 Alaska Teacher of the Year.

National Board of Professional Teaching Standards is recognized as the source for the highest standards and practices that lead to improved teaching, leading and learning.

For more information, visit nbpts.org/2011NBCTs.

To submit items for People We Know, send email to news@frontiersman.com or contact Heather A. Resz at 352-2268.