DARREN MASSA

Darren is the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for the Glenn County Office of Education based in Orland, CA. He is also a proud Google Certified Innovator and former Board President for North State CUE. Darren previously worked at Chico Country Day School, Paradise Intermediate School, Santa Barbara Junior High, and Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica. As a science teacher and technology coordinator at Lincoln, Darren was honored as a Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year nominee. He is also a devoted husband and father of two boys, ages 14 and 18.

An advocate for scientific literacy, Darren worked hard to encourage students to become critical thinkers and responsible decision-makers. Darren is constantly rethinking his practice and has a determined focus on increasing student motivation. At CCDS, Darren was part of an innovative team of middle school teachers who used project-based learning to provide an engaging learning environment for all students.

Darren is passionate about educational technology and is always looking for the next great idea. He is an avid consumer and curator on social media and is often found reading up on current trends in the world of education. At Chico Country Day, Darren worked to bring Google Apps for Education to the school, completely changing how students and staff worked, shared, and collaborated.

Darren is also a former sketch comedian, performing with the sketch troupe Ten West. He is well-versed in several genres of comedy including improv, commedia dell'arte, and vaudeville. He used his skills to teach improv classes at CCDS and was responsible for the school's Faculty Follies show, a comedy/variety show for students and their families hosted at the El Rey Theatre in Chico each spring. Nearly 1000 people enjoyed Faculty Follies annually!

Additionally, Darren enjoys presenting at conferences, large and small, and for site-specific professional development sessions. He is also available for informal consultation on a wide variety of STEM and educational technology topics.

He does NOT, however, know how to play the guitar...