WTHS Teacher Brittany Mason Named Gloucester County Teacher of the Year
Washington Township High School social studies teacher and 2018-19 District Teacher of the Year Brittany Mason has been selected as the 2019-20 Gloucester County Teacher of the Year, making her eligible for New Jersey State Teacher of the Year consideration. Mason has spent 10 years in education, all of them at Washington Township High School. Mason will begin her reign as County Teacher of the Year on September 1, 2019
“We had many outstanding applicants for this honor,” said Gloucester County Superintendent Avé Altersitz, who delivered the surprise announcement on April 30th. “Your application was exceptional. This award recognizes all the outstanding work and innovation that was emerged from your classroom. We are so proud to honor you with this recognition.”
Mason is the fifth Washington Township educator to be recognized as the Gloucester County Teacher of the Year since the recognition was launched in 1998-99. Birches Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Mary Byatt (2003-04), Washington Township High School librarian Ann Hill (2008-09), Chestnut Ridge Middle School humanities teacher Lori Bathurst (2010-11) and Wedgwood Elementary School basic skills math teacher Domenick Renzi (2017-18) also have been honored..
“We are exceptionally proud that Brittany has been named the Gloucester County Teacher of the Year,” Superintendent of Schools Joe Bollendorf said. “From the moment she stepped into the halls of Washington Township High School, she has strived to make a difference and to be an impactful teacher. Not only is she inspirational, she is also innovative as the first teacher in the district to teach ‘Tomorrow’s Teachers.’ Brittany has written and teaches a new course at the high school called ‘Social and Contemporary Issues in American Society,’ while also being a long-time co-advisor of our Student Council. She is truly student-centered and devotes her time and energies to the students at WTHS. It is also extra special that Brittany is a product of the Washington Township School District and a 2004 graduate of Washington Township High School. She was a leader as a high school student, so it comes as no surprise that she continues to lead as an educator.”
“Brittany’s impact on our school and community spreads so far beyond her classroom as she touches so many lives through her tireless efforts and selfless contributions,” WTHS principal Jonathan Strout said. “Each day, Brittany helps students become active learners and service-oriented young men and women who are motivated by the example Brittany models for them to go out and change the world. Brittany is a transformational educator who builds lifelong bonds with so many of her students. She is a champion for children and young adults. Humble, almost to a fault, Brittany always deflects the spotlight she deserves to her students; but today, especially, we celebrate Brittany Mason as the Gloucester County Teacher of the Year. We are so incredibly proud of all she is and all she continues to accomplish as both a graduate and teacher leader at Washington Township High School.”
At WTHS, Mason has taught honors and college prep-level courses in U.S. History, Tomorrow’s Teacher, Sociology and Contemporary Issues, Social Justice and Humanitarian Studies, Online Financial Literacy, and American Government, serving as a curriculum developer for the first three courses. She worked extensively to realign all WTHS social studies courses with the Common Core National Standards and NJ Social Studies Standards. Mason has worked as a professional development instructor for the LATIC classroom model, for OnCourse lesson planning and on mindfulness training, and has served as a technology instructor for PowerSchool’s Unified Classroom, Flipped Classroom Instruction and technology-based assessments, among other District initiatives. Her lesson on genocide and community outreach earned recognition from former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Mason has served as the advisor for the school’s Student Council since 2010 and has lent her expertise to the school improvement committee since 2014. She also contributes as a member of the No Place for Hate staff committee and the District Equity committee. Mason is a member of the educational technology advisory committee at the school and District level and is a practicum advisor for student teachers from Rowan University, Rutgers University, and Rowan College at Gloucester County. She is a part of the school’s SMART schedule leadership committee.
“Every day I attempt to create an environment in my classroom where students know that their circumstances are not definite, and they have an opportunity to do better,” Mason said. “My classroom has become a safe environment for many, a comfortable space where students come to share ideas, have conversations about life, and learn why social studies matters. Every lesson I teach, every resource I provide, and every interaction I have with my students is designed to provide them with meaningful opportunities to think outside the box, outside their community, even outside our nation and into the global arena. This is why I created the catch phrase ‘#BeMoreHuman.’ It is a tagline that I now use to highlight social justice lessons and acts of kindness and to remind my students that human interaction is the fundamental of life.”
Mason holds a bachelor of science degree in history with a minor in sociology from Rutgers University (2008), when she also was named Student Teacher of the Year. She earned a master’s in educational leadership from Saint Joseph’s University (2014), where she posted a 4.0 grade point average as a member of the Alpha Epsilon Lambda National Honor Society. Mason holds social studies, principal and supervisor certifications.
Washington Township High School teacher and Gloucester County Teacher of the Year Brittany Mason poses with Superintendent of Schools Joe Bollendorf (left) and WTHS principal Jonathan Strout (right) following her recognition by the New Jersey Department of Education.