New Directions For Our 9th Grade English Teacher

Next year, The Cambridge community will be missing one of our well known English teachers.  The well known Mr. Mason will be leaving at the end of this year to become the assistant principal at Maplewood High School.  Even though Mr. Mason has been pursuing English as a career for around 13 years, his main goal has always been to become a principal.  But even leaders have to start somewhere.�

“About four years I decided that I would like to be a principal because I love what I do but wanted a bigger hand in making school wide decisions.”  Mr. Mason attended Edinboro University for a masters degree in Educational Leadership and completed a course in that two years ago.  Since then he has attended three interviews outside of PENNCREST School District, partly for the job, but mainly for gaining experience in a principal interview.  The interviews properly prepared Mr. Mason for the Maplewood interview.

When asked why he decided to take on a new job as an assistant principal, he replied, “I have been working to become a school administrator  for five years. When the opportunity presented itself, I was ready to make the jump to principle.”  However one other reason that led him to take this opportunity was that he would remain in the PENNDREST District.  “I want everyone to know that I didn’t take this job to leave CSHS, it was purely a chance to challenge myself in new ways and put all my hard work over the [past] five years to use.

Though this will be a new experience, he is adequately prepared.  “I have taught here at Cambridge for seven years. While at CSHS I was the head wresting coach for six years and learned what it was like to be in charge of a program. I worked closely with parents, coaches, and administrators from other schools.”  He also taught seventh and eighth grade at Meadville for seven years, and before that, he spent time at a major university and lived in Washington D.C. for two years.  “I feel that I am very capable of preparing students from this local area for life after high school.”

Despite the difference in environments, Mr. Mason doesn’t expect much to be different.  “As a school they will have their own separate identity, different from Saegertown, Cambridge Springs, and Meadville. It’s been my experience that kids are basically the same no matter where one travels to.”  He feels that “Every school has the same basic sub group of students, some just have more people in them than others.”

He is already beginning the transition stage for next fall.  When asked what will he do in preparation, Mr. Mason replied, “the first week of summer I am headed to Harrisburg for a conference on School Wide Positive Behavior Supports.” He also plans to make regular visits to Maplewood to better acquaint himself with the “various procedures and staff that separate Maplewood from  the Spa.”  He has already spent 2 school days out there getting to know the faculty and students and even chaperoned a dance there one night in May.

Although English is what he known for, he says, “It is very unlikely that I will return to the classroom. I have been looking forward to this move for a long time. I am ready to take on a new set of challenges, as I have been in the classroom for 13 years. Every couple of years I change most of the things that I do in class. In fact no two years have ever been totally the same. I think that I have reached the limit of my ability to that. I am anxious to begin helping an entire school meets it needs as well as grow into a  population of responsible community members.”  Whatever happens next year, Cambridge Springs will miss Mr. Mason, and hopefully Maplewood will embrace him.  We here at CSHS wish him the best of luck.