Mesa special education teacher honored for life-changing work with students

MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — We love recognizing the hard work that our local teachers do in the classroom.

This week, Arizona’s Family anchor Colton Shone went to Superstition High School in Mesa to honor special education teacher Gary Mason with a Silver Apple Award.

Mr. Mason’s calm demeanor helps students who are going through difficult times. His dedication to his students’ well-being and success really shows.

“He’s just a phenomenal teacher,” said Vicky Wood, who nominated Mr. Mason for a Silver Apple.

It’s a powerful statement for an equally powerful teacher. Mr. Mason’s classes are small, which allows him to give students the attention they need, including Wood’s granddaughter, Bella.

“She’s a special needs kid, and she’s had a crappy life,” Wood said. “He has brought her from literally a second to third-grade reading level to fifth and sixth in less than half a year. Her whole demeanor has transferred to where she’s a pleasant child now instead of this angry, vicious young lady that she was.”

Bella is a sophomore in her first year at the school. She has autism and is currently going through the process to be adopted by her grandmother.

Wood said Bella is going through a difficult time right now, and Mr. Mason’s approach has been essential for her improvement.

“He understands; he gets to the kids’ levels to where they can relate,” she said. “He has a calming effect. He’s just an awesome teacher.”

That’s why Colton and Arizona’s Family paid Mr. Mason a visit this week, presenting him with a Silver Apple award. He said there’s one main reason he got into special education.

“Honestly, my daughter,” he said. “I have an autistic daughter. She’s seven years old.”

His daughter lives in Alabama right now, and he says living several states away is difficult.

“I‘m hoping the world treats her the same way as I treat Bella,” he said.

In partnership with Desert Financial Credit Union, Colton also presented Mr. Mason with a $1,000 gift.

As for Bella, her grandmother said she used to hate going to school. But thanks to Mr. Mason, something has changed.

“Now that he’s been there for me, I‘ve been going to school as happy as can be,” she said.

Bella hopes to one day be a teacher for special education students just like Mr. Mason.

To nominate a teacher for a Silver Apple Award, click or tap here.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.