Retiring teachers bid farewell to MHS after decades of dedication
Allie Keim | The Chronicle | Ruhi Kaneria | The Chronicle
For Rod Stewart, this 2024-2025 graduation will mark the end of the school year and the end of his career. After teaching 32 years of Spanish, Stewart will be retiring from Mason and from teaching altogether. The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS)’s retirement eligibility policy change pushed his original plan to retire next year up by one, making the closing of the year an even more vast change.
“My retirement was a surprise,” Stewart said. “This is still mind-blowing for me, and I have not reflected a ton yet.”
Before coming to Mason in 1999, Stewart spent six years teaching Spanish at a middle school in Newark, Ohio. Since moving, he has seen the transformation of the community firsthand.
“I was here during the whole boom of Mason,” Stewart said. “I first came here when we didn’t have this building, and the high school was at the middle school and nothing across the street was there.”
Though he is retiring, Stewart’s legacy as an educator will continue on. His daughter has been hired as a new eighth-grade ephysical science teacher at Mason for next year. He said that good advice for new teachers is to get know your students to truly understand what they need.
“The biggest thing is just trying to be yourself, connecting with your students and not putting yourself on a different level than them,” Stewart said. “Just try to connect with them and treat them with respect and be understanding that we all have our own story, and you don’t always know what is going on with the student.”
When looking back on his career, Stewart knows exactly what he will miss when school starts back up in August.
“I am going to miss my colleagues,” Stewart said. “A lot of these teachers have been here for 20 to 25 years, and I’ve known them for a long time. I’m fortunate to be retiring with some of my closest friends.”
While Stewart may be leaving, his memories from advising the Spanish National Honor Society to participating in the Lip Dub will be part of Mason that he takes into retirement.
“I’ll always have Mason, the students and the staff as a big part of who I am,” Stewart said. “I’ve just been so blessed to be in this district.”
Carol Lehman
Carol Lehman, a backbone in Mason High Schools (MHS) structure, will be saying goodbye to her beloved school she taught at for 36 years. As a teacher of both Honors Anatomy and Physiology and Zoology, Lehman has always made her students the priority in everything she does. With many changes in education and technology throughout her career, Lehman has always had the goal of keeping students attentive and engaged in what she is teaching.
“The changes that I have seen in [education] throughout my career are very dramatic,” Lehman said. “When I started we literally used chalkboards and didn’t have phones or computers. The technology of that time was a film strip.”
Lehman interacted with students in the classroom and on the court, having been both a tennis and basketball coach in years prior. Although she has not taught every MHS student, her connective attitude has made her widely known around the school for her friendly demeanor and helpful attitude. Reflecting on some of her first years teaching, Lehman gives some words of wisdom she wishes she knew sooner.
“It goes by faster than you think.” Lehman said. “In my opinion, [MHS students] are attending one of the best high schools in the United States. So take advantage of it and find something that suits you. Don’t just do stuff to make your resume look good, do what you love.”
Similar to many of the graduating seniors that Lehman teaches, she feels a bit timid to leave MHS, but excited for what will come next in retirement. With a sense of nostalgia, Lehman said she encourages herself and her peers to look back on their Mason experience and learn from their pasts.
“I am really enjoying this last month I have as a teacher,” Lehman said. “I’m excited about retiring, but it’s also very bittersweet. I am [trying to] live in the moment and not always just wait for the next thing.”
Some of Lehman’s favorite memories from being at MHS were times when she could give back to the community. This included her contributions to the Stuff the Bus hurricane relief drive and prior Kids Counts fundraisers. Lehman’s science teaching will not be the only legacy she leaves behind, her years of investment in the students and staff of MHS will never be forgotten.
“I always worked really hard on getting to know my students and what made them tick so I could teach them science,” Lehman said. “I thought it was much more important to teach kids [about life] and then teach kids about science.”
Amy Forsythe
As a math teacher for 34 years, Amy Forsythe is coming full circle as she reflects on her 27 years at Mason. She reflects on her career full of both challenges and change.
“I love technology and experimenting with the different things you can do with it,” Forsythe said. “ I’ve always liked to try new things, especially when I taught online after COVID. That was my year of trying everything, but I wanted to do it with a purpose.”
Throughout her time at Mason, Forsythe has seen the shift from bubbling in Scantrons to managing online gradebooks and everything in between. Her passion for teaching math to her students, however, has stayed strong. Beyond the curriculum, Forsythe has noticed a shift in the students themselves.
“Now, students and their interests have changed, and what they struggle with [has changed a] little bit too,” Forsythe said. “I love how my current students are more open and okay with other people and the differences that other people have.”
Between all the teachers retiring, MHS will be losing around 500 years of combined teaching. From these years that dated back to when the high school was what is now Mason Middle School, each teacher has gained years of knowledge and an understanding of students behavior.
“I have students who are very high achieving, but don’t always take the time to do the enjoyable things, so I think that [makes the work feel difficult],” Forsythe said. “Try to balance being brave and taking difficult courses and learning as much as you can with having fun and enjoying your experience.”
Steve Prescott
What is your favorite aspect of MHS?
“What I most value [at MHS] is the diversity in classes, clubs, students and sports. There are so many opportunities here for students who are from a variety of backgrounds. This also goes for the staff who have had many experiences before they even taught here, which has helped enrich my life and students.”
Mike Jordan
What are you going to miss most about MHS?
“[I am going to miss] my fellow teachers who have become my friends, talking with them daily and hearing about their families. I will also miss my daily interactions with students in chemistry class and seeing how much academic growth they show throughout the year.”
Karan Witham-Walsh
Do you have any advice for seniors?
“Grab any chance you can to learn new things, and keep [being] actively creative. Whether it’s through taking a glass blowing class, a blacksmithing workshop or a pottery class, find your creative outlet to keep you evenly balanced in life.”
Sally Clark
What do you believe is the legacy you are leaving behind?
“My hope is that I was able to make a difference in someone’s life and that they remember that very moment. It is the small things that can change a person’s day or view of life.”
Bob Reynolds
What is your favorite Mason moment?
“At Mason, I was proud to be a part of a group of students that competed in the Mathcounts program and finished among the top in the state, with one student going to the national competition. I taught these students from the Covid years when they were in 5th grade to 8th grade.”