Originally called Musalacon High School, Johanna Echols-Hansen Continuation High School – JEH for short – is located at 322 N. Washington St. It was renamed about 1981 in memory of the beloved former teacher.
Born Dec. 14, 1942 in Los Angeles, Johanna graduated from Cal State Chico with a BA in English and an MA in Psychology.
In 1972, she was chosen from a field of 63 applicants to become the only teacher at Musalacon, while also serving as principal of the Cloverdale Adult School where she taught a course in basic English skills.
She married Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Hansen on June 29,1979 and settled in Ukiah. They had only been married 14 months when she was killed in a head on collision just north of Hopland on Aug. 28, 1980.
Johanna’s death had a profound effect on her students. They successfully petitioned the school board to change the school’s name as they sang her praises with statements like “You could talk to her about anything,” and “She was interested in us as people, as well as students,” and “She gave people confidence to go on.”
Former colleague, Marc Mager, commented that “Johanna was a teacher who didn’t instruct. She respected everyone’s right to use their education to understand about themselves, to learn to set goals and to gain skills necessary to reach them.”
Not only was she an inspirational teacher, she was relatable in other ways, too.
One former student remembers, “She had freckles tattooed on her face, and huge diamond studs in her multiple ear piercings, one for each momentous occasion in her life. She had a flower tattooed on her finger to resemble a ring.”
Another said he might have dropped out of school altogether without her support.
Johanna’s framed photograph on the classroom wall has a tribute that reads –
A Unique Treasure
She skillfully taught toward
independence, caring, and
responsibility for decisions in and outside the classroom. These
continue to be our goals.
