Mason Independent School District students returned to their campuses last week as the district sees an increase in enrollment compared to last school year.
“By the end of the first day of classes, we had a total of 732 students enrolled,” said MISD Superintendent Stan Whittle, on Aug. 19. “Enrollment numbers are up by 17 students from where we ended the school year last year and we’re anticipating that number to increase slightly in the coming days.”
It seems that parents and children alike had Aug. 18 circled on their calendars.
“As I walked the halls, it was so great to see all of the smiles on the faces of our students and staff members,” Whittle said. “There was a tremendous amount of joy on display and excitement to be back in school.”
Of course, a good start of school does not magically happen.
“The faculty has been back at work for several weeks, and we’ve been looking forward to seeing our kids back at school in person,” said Melany Canfield, Mason High School counselor. “We had a great first day at high school and students and teachers alike are in excellent spirits. We missed each other!”
The District’s COVID-19 Protocols
COVID-19 continues to be an unwanted and ever-present guest.
The level of community transmission is classified as “substantial” in Mason County, according to the COVID-19 data tracker from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every bordering county, and most of Texas, has a “high” level of community transmission.
Mason County has logged 250 total confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Whittle said the district is following the governor’s executive orders.
“GA-36 states that school systems cannot require students or staff to wear masks,” he said. “While we cannot require it, we’re encouraging those who want to wear a mask to do so. We had a handful of students wearing a mask on the first day of school. That was encouraging to see.”
A few small school districts elsewhere in the state have either postponed their first day of classes or closed due to COVID-19, but that is not the case in Mason County.
“We’ve heard that several schools have already announced shutdowns and a return to online learning, and we would like to avoid that at all costs,” Canfield said.
A School Year Preview
Students can look forward to going on field trips again.
“We know these types of educational opportunities allow our students to gain a deeper understanding of the material and we’re excited to be able to offer that,” Whittle said. “We also look forward to hosting pep rallies in the high school gym again. It’s a place where all of our students can be a part of that experience and show their school pride.”
Encouraging that Puncher spirit is one of the superintendent’s priorities this year.
“I want to continue to enhance the Mason culture of ‘Puncher Pride,’” Whittle said. “Mason ISD will continue to foster community unity through leadership, school spirit, pride, character and a tradition of excellence. I’m most looking forward to watching our students continue to grow and excel in their academics and extracurricular activities. Our goal is to have all of our students participate in some sort of activity, so they’re plugged in and engaged with the educational community.”
At the high school level, it’s often the student council that sets the tone of the school community.
“Our student council elections will be next week, and the officers will begin planning ‘Start With Hello Week,’” Canfield said. “It’s an anti-bullying and inclusion promotion program that’s lots of fun and the kids really enjoy.”
She said that other activities that had to be curtailed or canceled last year are in the works for this school year, including the school-wide swap meet and Blue-Ribbon Service Day.
