July 23, 2020

The past few months were full of achievements for Medicine Hat College (MHC) graduate Kent Hanna, and he’s got more to look forward to after earning an opportunity to meet the honourable Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.

Along with earning his Bachelor of Education at MHC, a program offered in collaboration with Mount Royal University (MRU), Hanna was recognized on a provincial level for his passion for teaching and history, being selected as the successful recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Social Studies Education Student Award.

MHC is among seven Alberta institutions to participate in the initiative since its inception four years ago.

“We are very privileged at Medicine Hat College to offer the Lieutenant Governor’s Social Studies Education Student Award to our graduates. We are thankful to Her Honour for recognizing the value of Alberta’s history and social studies in our communities,” says Lorelei Boschman, education coordinator and instructor at MHC.

Participating graduates are first required to submit an essay to their professor answering questions they are provided. The faculty then select a list of finalists to prepare a presentation on a topic of their choosing related to Albertan or Canadian history.

Hanna explains that the presentations were done online this year due to COVID-19, however the judges still had the opportunity to ask questions about why he chose the topic and the person he did.

“I based my presentation on George Stanley. He is the designer of the Canadian flag and was born in Alberta. An important piece of the presentation was to address how you could use this in the classroom, and I tied it into the Grade 5 curriculum.”

One student from each participating school is selected to receive the award each year. Finalists are given a medallion, and the overall winners are presented with a crystal owl in-person by the Lieutenant Governor herself, an experience Hanna says he is looking forward to.

Boschman acknowledges Hanna as a deserving recipient of the recognition.

“Kent’s interest and passion for social studies and educating students in this is commendable. His hard work, engagement and presentation skills have earned him this prestigious award. All of us at MHC are proud of him.”

Originally from Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Medicine Hat’s small community and class sizes were main contributing factors as to why he chose MHC to pursue his education.

“I wanted to attend a post-secondary where I would know and could build relationships with all of my colleagues. With smaller class sizes, you have the opportunity to get to know and have conversations with your professors one-on-one. I felt like they cared about me and that I could relate to them,” says Hanna.

“At MHC, you move through your program as a cohort, with the same group of people for all four years, so you’re able to build great friendships with your peers as you go through the program together. It was impactful and a positive experience for me.”

Hanna credits the early and on-going hands on experience he received during the program as one of the highlights of his time at MHC.

“In the education program, we get into the classrooms in our first year. Having that experience proved to me early on that teaching was what I wanted to do. Another main focus of the program is reflecting back on what you’ve done in the classroom, so there was lot’s of opportunity for growth through that reflection.”

Hanna will bring his passion for teaching and learning to Maple Creek Composite School in the fall, where he has secured a position teaching Grades 8 and 9 English, health, and social studies. In the future, he plans to earn his masters in educational leadership.

“I want to thank the education program faculty and the mentor teachers I had the opportunity to work with throughout the past four years for all that they’ve done for me,” adds Hanna.

---

Learn more about MHC’s Bachelor of Education program.