Passion and Warmth Meet Experience: Kay Mason Joins SSFS as Lower School Head

From the moment Vanderbilt-educated communications major Kay Mason stepped into a first-grade classroom as a student teacher, she knew she’d found her calling. Over three decades later, that same passion for sparking curiosity, cultivating interdisciplinary connections, and fostering a strong sense of belonging in young learners continues to guide her. As she joins Sandy Spring Friends as Head of Lower School, she brings with her a deep well of teaching and administrative experience, a commitment to listening and learning, a powerful alignment with Quaker ideals, and an unwavering belief in the power of education to shape not just minds, but hearts.

In the following excerpts from our recent conversation, Kay shares takeaways from her career thus far, what excites her most about joining the SSFS community, and even a few fun facts.

What drew you to a career in education—and specifically, to elementary education?

Lower School kids were my focus from the start. After I graduated from Vanderbilt, I was living in Columbus and working at a bank, considering a career in producing children’s television. Then I heard about this master’s program [in elementary education] at Ohio State. As soon as I started taking classes in math methods and children’s literature, I never looked back. My first student teaching class was first grade, and I was completely hooked. It might sound cliché, but seeing those lightbulb moments when a child makes a connection and ‘gets it’ is truly magical. It gives me so much joy! It’s been over 30 years now, and I’ve loved every minute.

What do you feel are the most important characteristics of a successful Lower School program, and what takeaways from your 30-year career will you draw upon in your new role at SSFS?

Between working in various schools, being a part of accreditation teams for other schools, and having discussions with other heads of school, I’ve thought about this a lot. I feel it’s important for a lower school to be a nurturing, joyful place that inspires curiosity. A strong sense of safety and belonging supported by opportunities to learn social and self-regulation skills is key. And, of course, passionate, dedicated teachers who are fully supported in implementing a robust curriculum with intentional differentiation of instruction to keep kids engaged at every level.

When I think about my 19 years in the classroom, I remember developing class plays from children’s books. I loved it because you would get to see new talents and interests in students and collaborate with the music and art teachers. Later, I was part of a social studies program review which integrated social studies with language arts. This focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and intentional, project-based opportunities for students to share their learning is something that I’ve carried forward.

During my time as an administrator, I remember discussions with lower school teachers who taught extracurricular classes. At the time they were called “specialists,” and it made them feel like second-class citizens. I introduced a term I was aware was used elsewhere—“co-curricular teachers”—and they loved it, because it made them feel their curriculum was as important as other subjects. It seemed like a little thing, but it made a big difference. Language matters.

When I became Head of Lower School at Columbus Academy, we had a campus that was over 200 acres, which we were significantly under-utilizing. We had one outdoor week a year—that was all. One of the teachers asked if she could visit a nature school on the West Coast and bring back what she learned to our school. I said, “Absolutely!” From that, we developed “Forest Fridays” to provide outdoor programming every week. I was really excited to see that SSFS is already focusing on outdoor education and understands the importance of learning through play.

Another highlight for me was helping Columbus Academy transition from a PK-Grade 4 to a PK-Grade 5 school. There weren’t many leadership opportunities for students in the lower school, and when the 5th Graders first joined the lower school, some of them expressed interest in building a gaga pit. I had never heard of a gaga pit before, but I asked them to do some research on cost and construction, and we partnered with the facilities team to construct one by the end of that year. Young children have great ideas, and it’s important to listen to them, include their voices, and give them some ownership in the decision-making process. This is something that has characterized my leadership of lower schools. 

As someone who has been a head of school, I understand the importance of balancing the school’s budget and fundraising. When I first became a head, I had no experience in fundraising. I soon realized that fundraising isn’t hard when you believe in the school and can share authentic stories of what’s going on in the classroom. So even as an administrator, I try my best to make time to do some teaching, occasionally running a center in the Kindergarten classroom or doing math manipulatives with students. When I was a Head of School, I created and taught a 5th-grade elective seminar on the Constitution; it was a non-graded class once a week, but it allowed me to get to know the students on a different level, and I loved it.

What led you to apply for this position at SSFS, and what aspects of the School were particularly compelling as you learned more about the community through the search process?

I’ve been drawn to Friends schools for a long time—their core philosophy resonates with who I am and what I believe. SSFS felt like the perfect size and location, and I was excited by the opportunity to work on an all-school administrative team, having people in different divisions and departments as thought partners and seeing how the Lower School supports the vision of the School as a whole. Then I dug deeper into the SPICES and thought, This is literally everything my whole life as an educator has been about. Driving onto campus for the first time, I saw the big purple “peace” sign (purple is my favorite color), and I just felt like exhaling. 

The students and parents I met were wonderful and asked great questions. There are so many layers of intentionality in the School’s programs and traditions. I loved hearing about the School’s student leadership opportunities and the language used for those groups: Spark in the Lower School, Flame in the Middle School, and Torch in the Upper School—who thought of that; it’s brilliant! SSFS checks every box of what I’m looking for at this stage in my career, especially the sense of belonging I’ve already felt on campus.

Speaking of belonging, what strategies will you use to support those in your care and foster a culture of belonging at SSFS?

Authentic, genuine interest in getting to know each person in the community is key. Being present and speaking candidly—not just giving a pat answer—builds trust. I like to take notice of little things, and I remember details about conversations and people, so people know that I really care.

I’ll be at carpool right away to start meeting families! It’s important that families know I have an open door, and I will offer an open invitation for scheduled one-on-ones. I am responsive to emails, and I want to get to know the PA reps.

Young children have big emotions, and they don’t always have the language to express them. I’m always “kid-watching,” looking to catch the moment before a blow-up and have the opportunity to de-escalate the situation. During times when the situation is already full-blown, I first just listen—I have fidgets and tissues in my office. After students calm down, we may do some deep breaths until they’re ready to talk and listen. Afterward, I connect with counselors, teachers, and parents/guardians. I always want the parents to be aware of any issues, and I want to find out if there’s something going on outside of school that may be affecting the student. I’m really excited to work with Joel [Gunzburg P ’29, ’27, Assistant Head of Lower School], especially given his close connections to students. It takes a village, for sure!

For faculty, at the beginning of the school year, I always schedule 30-minute meetings with every faculty member. I call it our “hopes and dreams” meeting, where we talk about what each teacher’s hopes and dreams are for the year and how we can collaborate to find a path towards that goal. Throughout the year, I do a lot of informal follow-up with questions, support, and professional development opportunities.

Any final thoughts?

I can’t wait to get to know the students, faculty, and families at SSFS, and I’ll immediately focus my attention on building authentic relationships, trust, and communication. 

Fun Facts 

Hobbies

• Genealogy | It’s my passion. I started with my own family, which I’ve been tracing for about 20 years. On my maternal side, I’ve traced back ancestors from before the Civil War from North Carolina to Ohio to emancipation and the manumission by a Quaker in North Carolina. I’ve helped other people find ancestors, too—I love the thrill of the hunt.
• Reading | I love history, and I love to read. So I read a lot of historical fiction!
• Walking | My husband and I are preparing for our second walking 10K. I love walking in different places and going on nature trails. I’m a bit at odds with myself because I love nature, but I have a strong aversion to snakes and spiders!
• Travel. 
• Watching track meets and football games | I’m from Columbus, Ohio, so I am a bit of a Buckeye fanatic.

Best piece of advice you've been given

• From my grandmother | Education is important and can never be taken from you. That has been my foundation for being a lifelong learner. 
• From my dad | Live life with integrity and don’t compromise your principles, and always listen to all sides with an open mind so that you can make the most informed decision possible and stand by your choices.

Favorite children’s book

• The Harry Potter series | I’m ridiculously attached—I’ve read all the books and seen all the movies multiple times, and I have a wand. It’s almost embarrassing.
• Any picture book by Patricia Polacco | I love the messages in her books and have gotten to meet her. When I was a teacher, we did a couple of lower school plays based on her stories.

Favorite adult book 

• Personal | Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone books, a historical fiction/mystery series
• Professional | Chip Woods’ Yardsticks from the Responsive Classroom library; it describes children’s academic and social behavior at various stages from a developmental lens. I re-read it every year to help build a culture of respect, belonging, and safety by setting developmentally appropriate behavior expectations.

Family (including any pets)

• Husband | He’s a retired engineer and project manager and also an actor and Civil War reenactor. He had a part in the movie Glory. During the pandemic, he started painting with acrylics and now he’s absolutely passionate about painting!
• Two daughters | Mycah is a 3rd-grade teacher in Cleveland; she’s getting married this summer. Gabby is a staff attorney for a family court judge in Lexington, Kentucky; she’ll take the bar this summer.
• No pets | We recently lost our dogs—Rebok and Nikey—who lived to be 17 and 16 years old, respectively. My older daughter is keeping the shoe tradition alive with her dog named Adidas!

Favorite elementary school teacher

• Dorothy Sehring | My 4th-grade teacher was a model for creating a sense of belonging and safety. She made Shakespeare fun; she made learning fun! She noticed when I had a bad day and asked me, ‘What’s going on?’ Then she asked if I would give the Thanksgiving speech in front of the whole school and parents. I was terrified to speak in front of people, but she coached me through it. Along the way, she asked me what I was grateful for and encouraged me to be thankful that I am Black, which meant a lot to me because there were almost no other Black students and no Black teachers at the school. In a developmentally appropriate way, she encouraged me to be who I was, as I was. She helped lead me to where I am today, and I was blessed to share that story at her retirement event.
   

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