Ossining Schools' Technology Director to Receive Leadership Award

The Lower Hudson Regional Information Center is honoring Mike Hanna, the Ossining School District’s Director of Technology, with an award for his leadership and outstanding approach to technology integration.

Mr. Hanna will receive a 2021 TELL (Transforming Education through Leading and Learning) Outstanding Leader Award during a virtual celebration March 16. He is one of three administrators in the region who is being recognized as an outstanding leader. The LHRIC is also giving TELL awards to three outstanding teachers and a school district.

Mr. Hanna said he is honored to receive the TELL award. “If it wasn’t for my entire team, none of this would be possible,” he said. “Ossining is an amazing place with incredible teachers and a supportive team of administrators. We have such hardworking students and I am thrilled to be a part of their successes.”

Anne M. Dorner Middle School Principal Kate Mathews nominated Mr. Hanna for the award. He has been the district’s technology director since February 2016.

“Mike Hanna transitioned our district quickly and efficiently to a 1:1 Chromebook program to meet the needs of remote and hybrid students,” she said. “He works hard to ensure our faculty, students and families have the tools and the training they need by creating resources for teachers with videos and information to help them use technology to enhance education.”

He has also prioritized working with students and families, setting up a comprehensive parent technology website and developing and facilitating evening sessions for parents to learn about their children’s devices and applications.

“Mike is a true instructional leader, and he understands that technology can help students access information, as well as develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills,” Superintendent Raymond Sanchez said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Hanna has made sure all students have access to high-quality devices and strong internet service, Ms. Mathews wrote. Using data, he pinpointed geographic areas where usage was not as high and provided hot spots to increase connectivity. The district had been planning a 1:1 device program, but the pandemic required an accelerated process. In addition to the learning sessions, the Office of Technology was responsible for logistical considerations for device distribution, maintenance and collection.

“He began the work by using surveys, technology use data, and socioeconomic data to identify families most at need for devices in order to participate in online learning,” according to Ms. Mathews. “He created resource material in English and Spanish to help families know how to access WiFi and use the device. He also created a Family Help Desk where parents could email or call to get tech support. He worked with teachers, teaching assistants and parents to volunteer their time to distribute Chromebooks to families.”

Principal Mathews said seeing teams of Ossining personnel in front of schools distributing devices was inspiring, and families were grateful. The district gave out more than 500 devices in March and April 2020.

Last summer, Mr. Hanna shifted his focus to supporting the district in its 1:1 program. This involved working with vendors to ensure there were enough devices, taking inventory of new and older devices and outlining a distribution plan. He worked with core staff to create content for the district’s technology page, such as a site with videos for staff professional development and a family page with a help desk and troubleshooting information. The Office of Technology has provided in-person and remote parent/community training sessions, in Spanish as well as English.

Ms. Mathews said Mr. Hanna has boosted elementary school libraries and STREAM programs.

“Mr. Hanna has worked hard to ensure our STREAM programs are innovative and exciting for our students,” she wrote. “He worked to transform our traditional libraries to Library Media Centers. He supported all of our elementary librarians to create rich STREAM content within their curriculum. Our Library Media Centers and our elementary library programs are significantly different and much improved from the recent past.”