Mason Whidden for Highlands County School Board District Three

This is the last of my 5 part platform informing you of who I am and what I stand for as your candidate for Highlands County School Board.
Service Above Self
I have devoted my entire adult life to the service of others. I have served as a deputy at the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, a soldier in the United States Army, and a teacher and coach for 40 years in the Highlands County School System working with thousands of both students and parents. If elected, I promise to continue the service I have demonstrated my entire adult life to the citizens of Highlands County.

Partnering with Parents, Educators, Students and Community Members.
This is the fourth of five parts to my platform as your candidate for the Highlands County School Board.

Partnering with Parents, Educators, Students and Community Members.
I have deep roots in this community. I am proud to be a fifth generation Floridian who graduated from Sebring High School, went to college at University of Central Florida, and chose to come back home to teach and coach. Partnering with parents, educators, students, and community members is not a new concept to me. My plan is to continue to build on those relationships and extend my presence in the community.

I wore several uniforms in my life, but one that invokes a lot of school pride is the uniform that I wore as a Sebring Blue Streak. Sports taught me so many things in life such as perseverance, dedication, and pride in your school. I hope to see you this Saturday morning at 10:00 at the Lakeshore Mall in Sebring for Media Day, as we recognize our local student athletes as they begin their Spring Sports Season. Sandi and I hope to see you there.

This is the third of a five-part series of my platform as your candidate for the Highlands County School Board District Three. Please share with those who do not know me.

Traditional Family Values:
As many of you may know, Sandi and I have been happily married for 43 years. We raised two very exceptional children who have blessed our lives. My personal family values define who I am. Those values include respect, responsibility, kindness, compassion, loyalty, trustworthiness, honesty, and most importantly love. As a teacher, I modeled those values daily. Over these 43 years of marriage and 40 years as a classroom teacher, I have seen a change in the family unit. We now have many types of families which include single parent households, grandparents raising their grandchildren, foster homes just to name a few. Even though I have seen these changes in the types of families, one thing must remain constant, love. As a teacher, I saw many types of students and parents, but one thing always held true. I treated them all with respect and kindness. As a board member, I promise to continue to treat all our students, parents, and citizens with the utmost respect and dignity.

This is the second in a five part series explaining to the voters of our county what I stand for as your candidate for Highlands County School Board. Please share with those you might not know me. Next week I will talk about traditional family values.

Common Sense Policies
My father once told me that “Common sense is not that common!” One of the major purposes of the Highlands County School Board is to study and implement policy for the Schools of Highlands County. I want to insure everybody that what will be first and foremost in my mind will be, “Is this policy in the best interests of our children?” I promise you that I will use this as a litmus test for the approval or denial of board policy. I have been attending School Board meetings for over a year now, and I have studied, researched, and learned a lot. If elected, I vow to always put the needs of students first.

Getting back to my roots. Thank you Mrs. Lowe for inviting me back to your classroom today. I spent 40 years in the classroom and like riding a bike, you never forget. I really miss the interaction and the enthusiasm that goes on in the classroom. My next big adventure is at Avon Park Middle School. I taught there for 12 years. The principal, Mrs. Kim Riley, asked me to return to help prepare civics students for the State Exam. I agreed to teach 6 sessions beginning in March. Once a teacher ALWAYS a teacher!

Our new mobile campaign signs have arrived! A big shout out to Stacy Smehyl who took care of all the details to create a fantastic way to get the message out about my campaign. If you see us around in your area, please honk or wave. I also would like to thank my campaign donors who helped make this possible. Without your help, I would not be able to run an effective campaign. Yard signs will be ordered soon, with our plan to have them in yards by April 1st. For those who would like to donate to my campaign, please send a check payable to Mason Whidden Campaign and address it to 519Taseschee Drive Sebring, Fl. 33870. Any amount would be greatly appreciated.

As promised, this is week one of my political platform on Fiscally Conservative Budgeting. I want you to come away with a better understanding of who I am as your candidate for School Board District 3. Stay tuned for next week's topic: Common Sense Policies.

Fiscally Conservative Budgeting:
In 1981, my lovely bride Sandi and I moved into a house that I had helped build while I was in my senior year of college. The prime interest rate was at an all time high of 21% and inflation was running rampant. We received an amazing offer from a local friend who was willing to finance the house for a paltry rate of 15%. My wife and I were in our second year of teaching and we had a combined annual income of $20,000. We survived from paycheck to paycheck and learned to do without. With sacrifice and discipline, we paid off the mortgage in 15 years, and we live debt free! Those times still stick with me today. I still live in that same modest home (the one I purchased 43 years ago). I preach, to whomever will listen, that one should not spend more than one makes. The bottom line is simple, “If someone cannot afford it, don’t buy it.” It’s my own personal philosophy and the mantra we live by. I truly understand the value of what our taxpayers pay every year. Just like my own family budget, I will make sure every dollar that is spent is spent wisely.

This is what I stand and believe in as your candidate for School Board District 3. Each week I will share a little more in depth with you regarding each piece of my platform. Please share with those who do not know me. I will accept any invitations to speak with groups no matter how small or large because every vote counts!

I attended the Community and Service Fair today. Imagine being a high school student stepping through the doors of the Convention Center today and seeing your future unfold before your eyes! This is what hundreds of Highlands County students experienced today thanks to many of the organizations that gave our students a glimpse into their future. Students, the future is yours, so embrace it and make your community proud of the citizens you have become.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_29943BiNnEKk9aAQKs26DeWisyjAis9/view?usp=sharing

Please click on the above link to show the Leadership and Experience Resume that I have put together for my 40+ years of service to my nation and community.

I'm using Christmas break to catch up with teachers to gain their advice and insight. One of these, I coached and was my former third baseman and current teacher at Cracker Trail Elementary. I enjoyed my conversation and trip down memory lane with Tim Bowers.

I remember the excitement of the last day before Christmas break. 40 different years of watching our kids' enjoy and celebrate the upcoming season. As, for me, it was a time to recharge and get prepared for the new year. Have a wonderful Christmas break!

As many of you know, we have a "special" daughter Kristin. Each year Sandi and I sponsor her school's annual Christmas party. This year, it was held at Dee's Restaurant and the Carousel of Lights Puppet Show. A shout out to community members Jeremy Daugherty, Jon Spiegel, CJ and Dee for supporting individuals with special needs. They made Christmas a very special time for them this holiday season. We hope you enjoy the pictures.

Make sure to check out today's print edition of the Highlands News-Sun for the beautiful color special section celebrating this year's 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗧 𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗 honorees! Thank you to the News-Sun for all the work that goes into this annual edition!

I recently had the honor of escorting two of the nominees for the Highlands County Teacher and School Support employees of the year. This very moving ceremony is given once a year and honors not only the Teacher and Support person of each school, but the Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year as well. I remember having the honor myself 5 times in my 40-year career. In 2017, I was humbled to receive the District Teacher of the Year. I cannot give enough praise to these wonderful people who spend countless hours to the students of our district. Congratulations to all of you for a job well done.

I really enjoy my time as a volunteer for this year's Ag Venture

I had the opportunity to work the past three days as a volunteer for this year's Ag-Venture event at the Highlands County Fairgrounds. 1200 third graders from public and private schools had the opportunity to discover where their food and agricultural products come from. It was a unique hands on opportunity for our students. Over a 150 volunteers came out to help, and I was honored to be one of them. Hope you look at the pictures! Check out Ag-Ventures website for more information.
http://highlandscountyag-venture.com/

Most of my adult life has been in service to my nation, my community, and my family. My proudest moments have been in service to the Armed Forces of the United States. During these times, my wife stood by me at home while I was away.

I had the chance to come to the Options and Opportunities Tour held at Hill-Gustat Middle School this evening. What a treat to visit 23 different stations and find out about all of the opportunities available to our students in this district. Everything from robotics to culinary arts are offered at our various locations. There are some very exciting things going on for our students.

40 Years in the classroom and I still miss being there. You know teachers have such a powerful influence on our students and that is the part I miss. Today, I was invited to speak to Mrs. Kara Williams AVID classes on "Making a Difference." I really enjoy the chance to mingle and hopefully make a difference in our student's lives.

Talk about a long distance campaign contribution! Sean Sonni, one of my former students in the Gifted Program, lives in Tokyo, Japan as an investment banker. That's a long way from his hometown here in Sebring, Florida. Sean sent a very generous contribution to my political campaign for School Board. He represents one of the thousands of reasons why I went into education.

When one of your former homeroom students asks you to come down and help judge young entrepreneurs, how can you say no! Kelly Dressel has done a magnificent job as Executive Director of the Children's Museum of Highlands County. These young boys and girls put together a fantastic array of booths where they marketed and sold their various products from Llama Bomb bath soaps to Paracord key chains. It was very difficult coming up with a winner from all of these outstanding projects.

I am humbled to have former Superintendent of Schools Richard Farmer endorse me for Highlands County School Board. Mr. Farmer joins another former Superintendent, Mrs. Ruth Handley who also endorsed me earlier for the position of Board Member.

Next weekend!!! Sunday Oct 15th 12-4pm

Recently, I was asked to give a presentation at Sebring Middle School for Mrs. Julie Lowe's Leadership Class. Some of my topics were to "Have an Attitude of Gratitude" and "Manners are your Grease of Success." I was really overwhelmed by how well they understood the concept that I presented. Below are the many thank you notes I received.

Sandi and I had the honor of attending the Champion for Children Gala last night.

Today, I had the honor to be invited to speak at Sebring Middle School in Julie Lowe’s Leadership classes. This book, The Butterfly Effect was given to me by a former student and now a special friend. I used the book to illustrate about how every life is important and how the smallest actions that we take can have enormous results. It was a fantastic day with our greatest treasures, our students! Thank you for having me!

A low-tech, low budget announcement from the Whidden Campaign ( See Sign Below) A milestone has been achieved today. Thanks to those who signed the petitions and those who went out in the community and collected signatures on my behalf in less than 6 weeks! "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!" Close to 700 petitions were signed and verified by the Supervisor of Elections Office.