Welcome to the PNCFL Website!

Congratulations Laurel Derksen: Newly-elected Vice President/President Elect

Laurel is an active member of AFLA (Alaskans for Language Acquisition) and served as a state representative for PNCFL from 2005 - 2008. She belongs to ACTFL, where she has presented at seven national conferences and was selected to be a member of the Teacher of the Year selection committee. As a member of NADSFL, Laurel was on the selection committee for the Foreign Language District Supervisor of the Year Award. Laurel currently works as the World Language Resource Teacher with the Anchorage School District Curriculum Department. In this position, she supports all WL teachers and immersion programs. She helped design and implement the first two-way immersion program for K-12 students in Alaska, and continues to expand these programs. Laurel says, “"There is so much happening now in the field of world languages education. I would love to serve and support all the teachers in the Pacific Northwest region in their professional growth and by sharing new ideas, instructional strategies, and technologies in our field.”

The Cemanahuac Study Grant Winner!

Congratulations to Jennifer Paulsen of Brush Prairie, WA for winning the first Cemanahuac PNCFL Study Grant.  Jennifer studied Elementary Education at Western Oregon University and went on to receive her master’s in Curriculum Design and Instruction from Walden University in 2008.  She currently teaches Spanish I and II at Battle Ground High School.  Jennifer specializes in teaching lessons that use Multiple Intelligence Theory to ensure that all her students are actively engaged.  She also utilizes a variety of other resources to enrich students’ language experience such as technology, cultural awareness activities, and periodicals.  This approach exposes her students to a wealth of information and further enhances the learning process. In addition to her regular teaching duties, Jennifer volunteers at local Elementary schools.  With her experience teaching grades K-12, her current focus on Language Acquisition, and the outstanding recommendations given by her administrators, Jennifer is an excellent candidate for this summer’s Cemanahuac Program in Cuernacava, Mexico.  We wish her well on her trip.