Jean Hanson inaugural recipient of new Northern Education Award

The Rainbow District School Board’s Director of Education, Jean Hanson, received The Leadership in Northern Education Award presented by The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre of Excellence at Huntington University on Thursday, May 6th, 2010. The inaugural award is part of The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre’s strategy to promote excellence and innovation in education.

Jeanne Warwick Conroy, left,  a friend of Huntington University, and Dr. Edward James Conroy, Chancellor of Huntington University, congratulate Rainbow District School Board Director of Education Jean Hanson, the inaugural recipient of The Leadership in Northern Education Award presented by The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre of Excellence at Huntington University on Thursday, May 6th, 2010. The inaugural award is part of The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre’s strategy to promote excellence and innovation in education.

2010 has been a year filled with milestones for local educator Jean Hanson. Earlier this year, she announced her retirement following 40 years of distinguished service in public education. This week, the Rainbow District School Board’s Director of Education is being honoured with The Leadership in Northern Education Award presented by The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre of Excellence at Huntington University. The inaugural award is part of The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre’s strategy to promote excellence and innovation in education.

The award will be presented to Jean Hanson on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 5 pm in the Huntington University Social Centre. The presentation of The Leadership in Northern Education Award will mark the culmination of Huntington’s academic conference, titled Lectures and Landscapes: Diversity in Northern Higher Education, which will bring together a range of participants engaged in teaching and learning in elementary, secondary and higher educational settings in the north.

Jean Hanson is being recognized by Huntington University for her exceptional lifetime leadership and dedication to creating strategies to enhance teaching and learning experiences across Rainbow Schools and throughout the north.

Dr. Kevin McCormick, President and Vice-Chancellor of Huntington University commends Jean Hanson for her timeless and tireless commitment to the advancement of educational programs and the quality of teaching and learning in the north. “With more than 40 years of leadership in education, a role she has served with pride and distinction, Director Hanson is not only a champion for education, she is also a local hero who has dedicated much energy and effort to enhancing both curricula and community.”

“In addition to her very visible leadership role in education, Jean Hanson has consistently toiled in the trenches of northern education so that pedagogical programs and possibilities can be realized,” says Professor Lorraine Mercer, Director of The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre of Excellence at Huntington University. She adds:  “This is the kind of leadership that we especially appreciate and honour. Director Hanson is to be commended for her exceptional service and congratulated for receiving this much deserved recognition.”

“I am absolutely delighted to be the first recipient of this prestigious award and applaud Huntington University for recognizing the importance of public education,” said Jean Hanson. “Public education is the very foundation of a just, humane, democratic and respectful society. Through teaching and learning, we enable each individual to reach his or her potential and we make our world a better place to be.”

In honouring Jean Hanson’s legacy to student success, a deserving student in a Rainbow School has been selected as the recipient of The Student Leadership in Northern Education Award, which will be presented by The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre of Excellence at Huntington University at a later date.

The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre of Excellence at Huntington University is building a community of collaboration, joining scholars, students and the public at large through integrative initiatives and opportunities for critical dialogue. In its inception, the Centre has two goals: to host a conference on teaching and learning and to honour an individual for his/her leadership in education.

For more information on The Lougheed Teaching and Learning Centre of Excellence, the inaugural conference or this award, please visit the Huntington University website at: www.huntingtonu.ca

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Media Contacts:

Nicole Charette

Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning

Rainbow District School Board

705-674-3171, ext. 7217

[email protected]

Kristeen McKee

Coordinator, Corporate Communications,

Huntington University

705-673-4126, ext. 217

[email protected]