De Soto High School Associate Principal Chuck Mahon has worked 18 years in education and will leave it all behind this Friday, Sept. 7. Mahon has decided to make a career change as an Applications Engineer with a chemical company in North Dakota.
The new job opportunity arose this last July when Mahon was contacted by a friend in the business. Since then, the career change has been in the works.
“I have no background in the industry whatsoever, but it just seemed like it was time for a change. Most people go through two or three major career changes in their life,” Mahon said.
Mahon will be working in the oil fields analyzing soil and water samples to determine the best chemical for oil extraction. DHS Principal Mark Meyer, although new to De Soto, has known Mahon for years and understands why Mahon has chosen this career change.
“Mr. Mahon is definitely going to be a difficult person to replace, not just in the immediate future but long term,” said Meyer. “I’m very supportive of his decision. I think it’s a good opportunity for his future and I want the best for him. He knows that this [DHS] will always be a home for him, even for just a visit.”
Currently, the District Human Resource department, Dr. Doug Sumner and Meyer are working on finding a suitable and well-qualified replacement for Mahon. No replacement has been found yet but already there have been several applications.
Although Mahon is excited to take this next step in his life, he is upset about leaving behind DHS, especially the relationships he has created since being here.
“I love the student body, it’s probably the toughest part [about leaving],” Mahon said. “I’ve built several relationships… Recently, I’ve had a couple kids I haven’t seen in years contact me in various ways over the last few weeks and not because they heard I was leaving, just by random chance. It just reassures me this is the right decision because I will still have those relationships even though I don’t see them everyday.”