100 years of ABCs for Mason School
Eight-year-old Britney Rosa loves practicing African dance. As her foot-long braids flail around her head, she calls out ''five, six, seven, eight," pausing to explain the intricate movement and expressions choreographed for each count.
Rosa and her classmates at Samuel W. Mason Elementary School will perform Tuesday at an anniversary celebration.
''We just thought about the fact that for a 100 years, children have been in the Mason school learning," says principal Janet Palmer-Owens. ''There was no time when there was an interruption of academics going on in this building. Many times buildings close for a year and they reopen. But this school was consistent from 1905."
Twenty years ago, it might have been hard to imagine the school would last. Then-principal Mary Russo faced the daunting task of revitalizing a school plagued by administrative woes, test scores that were among the lowest in the school system, and a building that hadn't been repainted in almost two decades, with light fixtures as old as the building itself dangling from ceilings.
''Basically the school had nothing that would attract parents," Russo says.
Now principal at the Richard J. Murphy K-8 school in Dorchester, Russo says it is going to be ''quite a thrill" to be present at the school's anniversary celebration.
''It's sort of like your first child. You love and adore all your children, but there's something very special about the first," she says.
Today Mason is a model of active participation among parents, strong corporate partnerships, and an increase in afterschool programs. It has become one of the highest-scoring elementary schools in Boston, outperforming many other Massachusetts schools with similar demographics.
Eight-year-old Armando Fernandez bounces down the front stairs to help a teacher bring in some materials donated for the Masontennial. He proudly points to his star, among a small galaxy of the student awards in the stairwell. The second-grader was named student of the week.
But no one appears more proud than Palmer-Owens.
The students' excitement comes from ''just pride of knowing that this school is one of the best in Boston in an area that has a lot of issues and violence," she says.
Walking down a school corridor, Palmer-Owens checks on the progress of students performing a dance. The children bounce and twirl during breaks in practice.
''It's going to be fun. There's going to be real ponies here!" Britney Rosa says.