Warrior Watch’s Staff Member of February is Chris Mason. With 21 years of teaching at West Branch, Mr. Mason has proven his dedication to the community.
Mr. Mason is an alumnus of West Branch, where he has participated in several extracurriculars throughout high school. Although football was his favorite, Mr. Mason was also a member of the NHS, Science, Tennis, Power, and Varsity clubs. Even before high school, Mr. Mason was inspired to become a math teacher by his passionate and caring 8th-grade teacher, Mr. Livergood. His performance in math and his tendency to help others were underlying factors for his career choice as well. In pursuit of teaching, Mr. Mason went to attend Lock Haven University.
Directly after graduation from LHU, Mr. Mason began teaching at West Branch in 2001. He is a leading mathematics teacher and Math Department Chairperson. Both titles require knowledge in math concepts, not to mention patience and flexibility. Over the years, Mr. Mason has faced many changes, challenges, and highlights. As several other staff members can agree, technology has been one of the greatest differences to adjust with. With learning new technological advancements, Mr. Mason is sometimes challenged by unmotivated students who have negative connotations towards math. Despite these obstacles, he feels accomplished once students finally understand a concept after practicing for so long. He also enjoys watching former WB students achieve success after graduation. Mr. Mason says, “Those are the moments of accomplishment that make teaching worth all the hard work.”
Outside of the classroom, Mr. Mason spends most of his time coaching football, basketball, or baseball. When he’s not in a school setting, he also enjoys fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, and boating– all things outdoors. At home, Mr. Mason is accompanied by his wife, Chera, his two sons, Camden and Brady, and his dog, Riley. Chera is also a teacher, working at Philipsburg-Osceola with the fourth grade.
Luckily for the West Branch community, Mr. Mason has quite a few more years of teaching. Warrior Watch sends tremendous thanks and appreciation to him for all of his hard work and commitment to our school and math department. Congratulations to the Staff Member of February, Mr. Chris Mason!
