Birds of a feather flock together, or so it seems with Mason staff. With over 12 Mason faculty and staff members moving on to new positions, the 2016-2017 school year has brought a wave of new staff into the building.
Last May, former Principal Tyrone Byrd announced his resignation from GM in order to take a job as the Director of Secondary Education in Arlington Public Schools.
“I evaluated my life and I realized I can’t get my dissertation done.. I wasn’t getting home until late,” said Byrd on his main reason for leaving. “The constant prioritization [of other people’s needs and opinions] really starts to weigh on you. I needed a different perspective.”
Mr. Byrd’s legacy at Mason will live on and his genuine care and appreciation for all students was evident among the Falls Church community.
“If I was going to [be principal of GMHS] I was going to do it one way: I wanted to be present and support [the Mason community],” said Byrd on his dedication to his job as principal.
Following his announcement, there were a series of seemingly coincidental resignations, job transfers and replacements from other Mason faculty.
Filling in the shoes of former math teacher and Dean of Students, Erik Healey, is the new Dean of Students Shana Curtis. She took on this position for leadership experiences as part of her principal preparation program through Virginia Tech.
“I taught special education and co-taught English [for my past two years at Mason] but [becoming Dean of Students] would be a great opportunity to get to know more of the student body outside of classes,” said Curtis.
Mason teachers Chris Carrico and Jenny York replaced former ESR (Educational Support Room) teachers Alison Johnson and Ryan Larcamp, who moved to Florida and Arlington respectively.
“Neither one of us are new teachers to Mason; we just shifted our roles so we are part-time classroom and part-time in the ESR,” said York.
Former Thomas Jefferson Elementary School principal Bob Palermo replaced college and career counselor Jennifer Fletcher, who had been at Mason for the last semester of the 2015-2016 school year. Palermo is Mason’s third college counselor in two years. Although he has worked for FCCPS for 27 years, this is his first time working with high school students.
“I was looking for a change of pace and both [of my] children have gone through the [college] process. [My daughter] is a junior and [my] son is a freshman,” said Palermo in response to his experience with college.
Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones also recently announced her resignation from the FCCPS school system and acceptance of a superintendent position in Fairfield, Connecticut.
“My husband and I spent many years living near the water, and we can’t wait to return to a coastal lifestyle just a short commute from New York and all of the activities and entertainment available there,” said Jones when asked about her reasons for leaving.
In addition, Mr. Daniel Coast replaced former IB coordinator Ms. Kelly Brown, who now works in the central offices of Fairfax County Public Schools. This is Mason’s third IB coordinator in three years.
“Last year I was the School Testing Coordinator at T.C. Williams High School, but [I decided] to come back because [I] really missed working with the students and faculty in an IB school,” said Coast on why he decided to apply to Mason.
Students and parents alike have been questioning why so many Mason staff have been leaving and taking positions outside of FCCPS, but Curtis dismissed these rumors.
“Sometimes people make decisions for other reasons, such as changing their career path, but [the turnover rate] is not a commentary on the quality of the school,” said Curtis.
Despite the large staff turnover this year, Mason has been off to a smooth start, setting a precedent for a successful rest of the school year.
