2024 NCCE Board Nominations

Tammie Schrader

I travel all over the world to present keynotes and workshops. I am also on the state committee to roll out AI in Washington State. I am steeped in integrating computer science not only in the Northwest but also nationally and internationally.

View Tammie’s video: https://flip.com/s/LAWKr3zuAknS

John Zingale

Hello, my name is John Zingale from Vancouver, Washington, the home of the Chinook and Klickitat nations. I am extremely excited to be speaking to you today with the prospect of continuing on the NCCE board as the Middle School Teacher Representative.

I have been teaching what I call HiPstory or Hands-on, individualised, Project-based History at Vancouver iTech Preparatory. For the past 11 years I’ve been teaching, laughing with, and learning from my 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in Southwest Washington.

At iTech I have the tremendous pleasure of designing my own projects and curriculum. This allows me to create a learning environment that engages students in historical inquiry so that they learn the skills necessary to analyze information and think critically. We need our students to master these important skills, because it’s this type of thinking they will need to do in the world when they leave my classroom. Over the years we’ve become official partners with the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site as we created a virtual reality tour for them and 3D scanned artifacts to create a virtual and augmented reality exhibit, written letters to Congress, created board and video games, developed apps, and more.

NCCE changed my life and my teaching in 2015 when I walked in on a session about making documentaries. While I had done something similar in my class that year, I learned about the National History Day program and how one teacher was having his students create films for that program/contest. The next year, I had some of my students enter the regional competition with their documentary about Mount St. Helens. We made it to state, and the kids did well. Most importantly we had fun and I learned more about the program. Now nine years later, NHD is a sport at our school with over 70 students participating and we are the hosts of the Southwest Washington Regional competition. Our students, and school, are competitive in history every year not just at the local and state level, but also at Nationals, with students earning their way four of the last five years and becoming some of the top historians in the country. Most importantly, it is teaching my students the research, writing, History, design, communication, and technology skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

I will forever be grateful for walking into that session in 2015, and want to make sure that I can give back to the organization that has impacted my teaching and life so tremendously. I believe that we can help show other core subject teachers that integrating in technology, whether it be video, coding, or virtual/augmented reality doesn’t have to be scary and that they don’t need to happen solely in a technology class. All teachers, and especially students, can benefit from bringing these tools and concepts into all classrooms. I hope to earn your vote so that I can continue to serve this incredible community.

View John’s video: https://flip.com/s/y49qoFpriupy

Kate Peterson (Running Unopposed)

NCCE has been a significant part of my professional growth as an educator for years by pushing me to try new things and develop new relationships that will have a positive impact on my teaching and interaction with students. In the past three years, I have gained a deeper understanding of the overall mission and tremendous impact that NCCE has around the world. I feel lucky to have worked with such a thoughtful and innovative group and look forward to supporting the NCCE staff in what is to come in the next three years.

View Kate’s video: https://flip.com/s/DK5m28C4xJoj

Jenny Hough Sampson (Running Unopposed)

Jenny Hough Sampson brings over two decades of education experience, initially as an elementary teacher in the Bethel School District before transitioning to a Digital Learning/Technology TOSA role. Passionate about leveraging technology to enhance learning, she pioneered iPad integration in her first-grade classroom. This helped her become dedicated to advocating for purposeful and equitable technology use in education. A lifelong Washingtonian, Jenny currently resides in Yelm with her husband, three dogs, and one cat. Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys photography, gaming (both video and board games), reading, and indulging in movies.

View Jenny’s video: https://flip.com/s/v5XRS22kFeG6