I want to welcome families to New Directions Academy. My name is Rhiannon Mason. I grew up in Cross Plains, TN. From an early age, my family repeated education was the ticket to anything and everything. I knew early on I wanted to be a teacher, however I could not figure out what it was I wanted to teach. I graduated from East Robertson High School in 1996. It was after my Freshman year of college, I decided I wanted to be a history teacher. I graduated from APSU in 2000 with a degree in history, but I had changed my mind and worked instead at an investment company in Nashville. After the birth of my oldest son Seth, I got a phone call for a job teaching history at Springfield High School. I taught for seven years and loved it. Around 2005, I furthered my education and earned my master's degree in administration. In 2007, my youngest son Fisher was born. The next year, I was named Assistant Principal at Springfield High School. After three years in that role, my family moved to Dickson, TN. I worked at Stuart Burns Elementary School for two years. Then I had the opportunity to work on the Hill at Dickson County High School as an Assistant Principal for four years. During that time, I earned my Ed.D in Educational Leadership.  I transferred to NDA in 2017. It has been a wonderful experience and I have learned a lot. There is never a dull moment and it is a great opportunity to make positive changes .