Chris Hanna

UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School alumnus Christopher Hanna was honored Nov. 14 at A Salute to Teachers 2015, presented by Cox Communications and the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO).

Hanna, a teacher at Ellwood School in Goleta, was nominated by his peers and named a Distinguished New Educator by the SBCEO. He received a B.A. in liberal studies from CSU Channel Islands and a M.Ed. and a multiple subject teaching credential from UC Santa Barbara’s Teacher Education Program.

Hanna has been commended for his use of technology in the classroom, specifically using the videogame Minecraft as a platform through which students can model the historic California Missions in a new way. He uses iPads in the classroom, funded through technology grants like the QAD TeachNet Grant.