Allie Keim | The Chronicle
Many people, whether they are families that I have taken on high school tours through SIBS or my neighbors, have asked me, “Do you really like going to Mason?” And I have unequivocally answered yes.
Like many of my classmates, I have spent my whole life in Mason, Ohio. While that can sound uninteresting or like the story of a typical suburban family, my coming of age has been anything but ordinary because of the people and the place that has impacted me most.
Some of my earliest memories have been made on the playgrounds, libraries and lunchrooms of Mason Early Childhood Center (MECC). As a Cheetah in Mrs. Curtis’ first-grade class, I learned for the first time what “girl drama” was. I took my first tests, learning that spelling would never be my superpower. 11 years later, I am still close friends with the people I met in that class.
Elementary school class parties for Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving and Winter Break were the best times to compete and eat all the sugar that you wanted. I remember Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) days, squeakily playing the recorder, rowdy four-square games and making a pig in art class.
Each time I am about to give a presentation, I think back to my third-grade project on Yellowstone National Park. I laugh to myself, thinking about the time I put into that presentation, just to add lime green Arial font in front of a picture of a glacier.
I had the best time at Camp Joy, where my teachers taught us to line dance under the stars. Following such good memories, my sixth-grade experience ended with picking up my materials from my teachers in the parking lot and bidding farewell to Mason Intermediate due to COVID. This quick exchange was emotional; it represented the love my four teachers had for their students.
My point in all this nostalgia is that, while each graduate is ready to move on, we must remember the “Mason Moments” and the people who got us here. Each teacher, administrator, janitor and cafeteria worker has brought my peers and me to this pivotal moment in my life. A Mason education is most definitely unmatched.
As Editor-in-Chief of The Chronicle this year, I visited many fifth and sixth-grade classes to teach students the fundamentals of journalism and media literacy. This process meant returning to multiple of my past classrooms and teachers. As I presented and engaged with the students, I pictured myself sitting cross-legged next to my friends and thought of how much I loved having a guest speaker. My experience throughout the Mason school district has allowed me to learn from the leadership of others and implement those principles in each activity I do.
Others might have their doubts about a large school district, but I would not change my educational upbringing for the world. I have been able to lead a staff of writers to produce a monthly newspaper, where else can you do that?
I am a very skeptical person, and as a journalist, I like to question everything. But in analyzing my time in Mason City Schools, I can confidently tell you that the past 12 years have meant so much to me. I have met so many people along the way who I value and whose morals I will carry with me into college and beyond
To teachers like Mrs. Nagel, Mrs. Rader, Mrs. Hartsock, Mrs. DiPuccio and Mrs. Brittingham, thank you for all that you do, and for allowing me to grow up with amazing mentorship. Thank you for shaping me into the empath, leader and young woman I am today.
