Published: August 19, 2008 09:47 pm            

New North principal hopes to broaden students’ horizons

TERRE HAUTE — Education is all in the family for Stacy Mason, the new principal at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.

Her dad, Charles Seitz, is a North social studies teacher; her mom, Elaine Seitz, is a retired teacher; her twin sister, Susan Cobb, is assistant principal at West Vigo High School; and her husband, Travis, is a physical education teacher at Chauncey Rose Middle School.

She has aunts, uncles and cousins who are educators as well.

“It’s what we do in our family,” said Mason, 35. “I really wasn’t exposed to much else besides education. I really didn’t even consider anything else.”

As the new North principal, she is following in the footsteps of Mick Newport, who is now the school district’s executive director of secondary education.

“Mr. Newport has laid a great foundation,” she said. “We want to carry on and keep moving forward.”

Mason has been employed at North since 1997-98, when she started as a special education teacher. She also was a dean for three years and an assistant principal for one year.

She takes pride in the school from which she graduated in 1991. She’s spent so many years of her career at North, serving as principal seems like a natural progression.

“It feels like it fits,” she said. “I have a big place in my heart for what happens at North Vigo High School. I want it to always be successful. I want the students to be successful. I want the staff to love coming to work every day.”

She’s confident she has the support of the North staff, “and that means a lot to me,” she said.

Mason will be working with two new assistant principals, Greg Gauer and Robin Smith, although neither one is new to the school. Gauer was most recently a dean there, and Smith was a business teacher. The school also will have two new deans.

One of Mason’s goals is to meet as many North parents as possible, and she extends an open invitation for parents to introduce themselves to her.

“That’s a little bit frustrating in a big school because you want to know everybody, and I don’t,” she said.

Another goal is to encourage students of all ability levels to broaden their horizons and take classes that are more challenging. “Let’s set some goals for them and try to move them forward academically,” she said.

Another priority is to improve graduation rates and decrease dropout rates.

“You have to get out there and do those home visits. That’s something we have been doing at North and something we’ll continue to do,” she said.

She also recognizes that if students dropped out, they did so for a reason and something wasn’t working for them.

“We can’t just bring them back. We’ve got to find out what wasn’t working and make a change … or it’s not going to do us any good to bring them back,” she said.

A majority of the time when kids drop out, there wasn’t a connection, Mason said.

“They didn’t make a connection with a teacher or another student. A lot of times, if we can find them a connection, someone that they can relate to and are comfortable with, it works,” she said.

Sometimes, a student might need other options to continue their education. Perhaps returning to the same high school won’t work.

“If that is the case, we have to be the ones to help them follow through” and find the option that will work for them, Mason said.

Mason and her husband have three children, ages 7, 5 and 2.

She said her husband has been very supportive as she has taken on new positions with added responsibilities. “I have a wonderful husband,” she said. “He pretty much takes care of our household. We call him Mr. Mom, and he’s okay with that.”

Her parents and in-laws also provide support, she said.

The North administrative team will continue working closely together to ensure that members can attend important family events. “We’re all in that same boat,” she said. “I don’t think that will be too much of an adjustment.”

As far as being her dad’s new boss, “He thinks it’s great. He loves education, so he’s happy I have chosen that path.”

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.