She steps out of her car in the morning and takes the short walk into Revere High School. Ascending the stairs, she prepares herself to make a difference in the way that her students understand complex mathematical equations. Walking into her room, she makes her way to her desk, taking in the positive atmosphere in her room.

Stephanie Mason is a math teacher at Revere High School (RHS) and has been in her position for thirty-five years, teaching a variety of math classes without plans to stop any time soon. 

“My colleagues keep asking me [if I will retire]. 
No, I like it; I’m not ready to. I don’t dread anything about teaching. I love being with kids, and I love the people I work with. I come in in the morning, excited to do math problems with kids and try to make it so they understand difficult concepts,” Mason said. 

Outside of her passion for teaching students, Mason holds a deep yearning for leading and assisting her peers. For the past twenty years, Mason has been the chair of the math department. She takes on a special set of tasks and works closely with RHS Principal Doug Faris to make everything math-related at RHS go smoothly. 

“I go to special meetings . . . with the other department chairs and Mr. Faris. It’s a lot about communicating with my department, sharing information from Mr. Faris and trying to represent my department at the meetings to make sure that everyone’s view is heard on different issues,” Mason said. 

Mason’s fellow math teacher Jenna Repp spoke about the impact that Mason has on her peers. Repp is not looking forward to Mason’s retirement by. 

“We need to keep her. She’s not allowed to leave,” Repp said. 

Outside of her academic commitments at RHS, Mason became the adviser for Project Love after Susan Sanders, the previous adviser, retired. Mason was not expecting to become the adviser, but the opportunity appeared, and she took it. 

“I knew it was available, and I thought that seemed like a perfect fit for what I like to do. I like to do a lot of volunteering in community service and working with a group of kids that want to do nice things for other people sounded amazing. So, I applied for it, and Mr. Faris told me I could do it, and it has been so fun. We did a book drive recently and we ended up just shy of 1,700 books,” Mason said. 

Bekah Breckner is co-President of the club with her peers Lekha Mendpara and Drew Muehlfeld. The trio works closely with Mason to ensure the club makes an impact on the community. 

“Project Love is a student-led organization at Revere High School. Our goal is to make a difference both locally and globally. From school initiatives to city-wide impact, we’re building a better community together,” Breckner said. 

Outside of Project Love, Breckner is one of Mason’s math students. Mason’s teaching style is much appreciated by her students. 

“Mrs. Mason is one of the best teachers I have had. Her teaching style is exceptional, and she consistently ensures that all students fully understand the material. Whenever I struggle with a concept, she takes the time to explain it clearly and thoroughly, demonstrating both patience and dedication. Concerning Project Love, she shows genuine enthusiasm in her role as group adviser. She actively encourages participation and is always eager to welcome new members. Her commitment to supporting the group and helping it grow is reflected in her actions, as she continually goes above and beyond to be as helpful and involved as possible,” Breckner said. 

Although Mason holds a deep appreciation for her job, she did not know that she wanted to be a teacher when she began her college career. Mason began her career in Columbus, then continued it at Ellet Middle School in the Akron area. Mason taught there for three years, then switched to a position at RHS and has been a part of the community ever since.  

“I started with two years at [The] Ohio State [University], then I went to Otterbein [University] for two years, and then I [completed] grad school at Kent [State University]. . . . I got a math degree; I didn’t even go for teaching. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the math degree; I just liked math a lot. I started volunteer tutoring in the inner city in Columbus, and I really liked working with kids down there. I went back to school and got my teaching certificate and started teaching in intercity Columbus,” Mason said. 

Outside of the activities that she does at RHS, Mason enjoys spending time with her husband and kids, sailing on her boat, traveling, gardening, cooking vegan food and hiking. Mason has been involved with sailing since she was a child and continues to partake in the sport. 

“My parents would take me on these crazy sailing trips when I was younger. One year, we crossed Lake Erie, went up the Detroit River, crossed Lake St. Clair, went up the St. Clair River, crossed Lake Huron, and went way up into the Georgian Bay in Canada. . . . We were gone for sure, a solid three weeks,” Mason said. 

These types of experiences led her to continue traveling on the water and created memories that impact her to this day. Mason and her family spend a large portion of their aquatic travels preparing for the journey. 

“We built these bumper boards, kind of like spring boards and covered them with the carpet to protect the boat as the water was coming in [the lochs] because your boat will kind of bounce off the wall. . . . You have to plan out your food well. . . . Some of the time, we would just be out on an anchor, and we wouldn’t have a grocery store or anything. We would just have to plan our meals and take plenty of water,” Mason said. 

Mason began eating a vegan diet in 2011 and enjoys educating people about the substitutions that consumers can make while still enjoying a good meal. Outside of the cuisine, Mason enjoys educating people about animal rights and the benefits of a diet free from animal products. 

“It was health-related, environment-related and for animal welfare. 
Some of it’s just cooking food and letting other people see that food can be good and it doesn’t have to involve animals. 
Sometimes they are a little bit more inclined to start trying some new things that maybe they wouldn’t have tried,” Mason said. 

Mason plans to continue making an impact on the RHS student body and team of staff members while ensuring that she makes time to relax. Mason will continue to sail with her family and travel all across the waters of the U.S.A.