When Dr. Kristopher Mason speaks about education, he does so with the comprehensive perspective of someone who has experienced nearly every role in the educational system. A 1998 graduate of Herrin High School, Mason now serves as both superintendent and principal of Giant City Consolidated School District, where he oversees approximately 250 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Mason's journey through the Herrin school system began in eighth grade after his family relocated from Carbondale. Though he had attended Carbondale schools through seventh grade, the transition to Herrin Middle School proved formative for his future career path.

"I leaned toward academics, with math teams, Scholar Bowl, Spanish Club," Mason recalls. "For me, who has no athletic skill to speak of, it was fun—the challenge. I have a competitive side, and being able to foster that was important."

It was at Herrin High School where Mason found the mentors who would shape his career trajectory. He credits several mathematics teachers, particularly Jean Nagrodski, for inspiring his future career in education.

"The teaching tree that developed from Jean Nagrodski is pretty awesome to behold," Mason notes, referring to the numerous student teachers and future educators influenced by his former math teacher.

After graduating from Herrin High School, Mason attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics with a concentration in secondary education in 2002. Following graduation, he returned to Herrin while his future wife, Caroline, completed her education.

His homecoming proved fortuitous when a sixth-grade mathematics and science position opened at Herrin Middle School. Bert Gordon, then principal, along with Helen Hamilton and Jean Nagrodski, interviewed Mason for the position, which became his first professional teaching role.

"I was blessed to learn from professionals," Mason says of his first four years teaching alongside veteran sixth-grade teachers, including Ruby Mallow, Rita Pearce, Jane Moore, Kendra Ferrari, Sallie Suprenant, and Jean McNeil. "They taught me what goes into being a teacher and how to conduct myself."

Mason's career at Herrin continued to advance as he moved to eighth-grade advanced mathematics and science for nine years. During this time, he pursued a master's degree in educational administration from Southern Illinois University. Later, he would earn a specialist degree through Eastern Illinois University and ultimately a doctorate in educational administration from SIU.

After 13 years at the middle school, Mason taught geometry at Herrin High School for one year before being appointed assistant principal at the high school. In this role, he worked alongside Principal Jeff Johnson, focusing on student discipline while developing his administrative skills.

"The relationships I have with kids from the high school—some of the knuckleheads, using that as a term of endearment—those kids that were frequent visitors to my office are probably the ones that I have the best relationships with to this day," Mason reflects.

Now entering his fourth year as superintendent and principal at Giant City School, Mason finds himself coming full circle as he prepares to welcome a former Herrin student, Bailey Hudgens, to his teaching staff. This connection exemplifies what Mason values most about education—the enduring relationships that shape both students and educators.

Mason credits his success to the teachers who mentored him through his educational journey. "I think for every teacher that I had, that relationship that existed with them and how they made me feel at the time—it's weird how the feelings are those things that are embedded and long-lasting," he explains. "Every teacher that I had going through high school shaped a part of the person that I've become as a professional, as a person."

Today, Mason resides in Carterville with his wife, Caroline, a reading specialist at Tri-C Elementary School, and their two sons, Owen, a freshman at Carterville High School, and Eli, a sixth-grader at Giant City. He maintains close friendships with several of his Herrin High School classmates who have gone on to successful careers as an actuary, doctor, and lawyer.

For Mason, education is fundamentally about relationships—a lesson he first learned as a student at Herrin and now implements daily as an educational leader.