MASON — When she walked into the staff meeting on Oct. 29, Mason High School Assistant Principal Tara Becker-Utess thought it was just that, a staff meeting.
Mason High School Principal Myriah Lillie puts a celebration slide at the start of her presentation at every meeting. But this time, there was a special celebration slide at the end, too.
As the final slide turned, Becker-Utess’ husband, daughter, parents and friends came from a back room ready to surprise her, along with representatives from the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals ready to share good news: She was named 2026 High School Assistant Principal of the Year.
“It’s humbling for sure,” Becker-Utess said. “There are so many people that work in this building — teachers, aides, food service, so many different people that all work to make Mason High School the amazing place that it is. … It feels like this should be a building award because I get to work with great people, and if I wasn’t working with such great people and such great kids, I couldn’t do any of the work I’m doing.”
Becker-Utess is in her fifth year serving as assistant principal at Mason High School. In her time at the school, she helped introduce a student support team, which flags students who need extra help, whether it be attendance, academics or behavior.
She said that at the four-week and eight-week periods of a trimester, the school’s student support team meets and goes over early warning signs that may show which students need extra help. She said the team looks over collected data to figure out what intervention option is needed for each student.
Sometimes it’s setting aside extra time in the day to do makeup work. Other times it’s sending messages home to parents, or providing the support they need before the end of the trimester so students can earn their class credit.
Lillie said Becker-Utess’ support doesn’t end when the interventions are put in place: She celebrates the students when they get back on track, too.
“Tara has a whole other level of work ethic and precision in her work than anybody else I’ve ever worked with,” Lillie said. “She’s truly passionate about what she does, and the students notice, the staff notices, and she also has data that backs that up.”
Lillie said she helped put the nomination packet together, and within just a few months of working with her, she knew how valuable Becker-Utess was to the team.
“She’s just passionate, she’s a work horse too,” Lillie said about Becker-Utess. “She’s one of the most intelligent people I think I’ve ever met, on top of that, she’s has tremendous work ethic. A lot of times, she’s here early, she stays late, she never says no, and she’s always willing to help.”
An assistant principal is often working behind the scenes, meaning she’s isn’t necessarily the person taking the microphone at school assemblies. Instead, she works with staff to find additional help for struggling students or celebrates examples of success.
Becker-Utess said the award is a nice acknowledgement that her work and efforts in the school haven’t gone unnoticed.
“It’s hard work,” Becker-Utess said. “Any person who works in a school, I mean, it’s hard work — you don’t often know when people appreciate your work.”
Becker-Utess said that before she started working at Mason, she worked with the Ingham Intermediate School District, bouncing around from different buildings. At Mason, she said, she’s been able to develop stronger relationships with the veteran teaching staff, all who bring experience, but also want to get better.
She started her career as a math and social studies teacher in Charlotte before moving to the Ingham Intermediate School District as a county math consultant.
Becker-Utess is also a part of the Michigan’s Leadership for Equity and Transformation Fellowship, run by the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals.
“I feel like we’re so lucky in Mason,” she said. “To come from the ISD level, there are a lot of really great schools in Ingham County, but I think Mason has such a gift that we have veteran teachers who have wanted to stay here, we have families who support our community and we have kids who show up each day and want to learn.”
The Mason Board of Education will host a reception for Becker-Utess at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at Mason City Hall.
As the Michigan Assistant Principal of the Year, Becker-Utess will be the state’s representative for the National Association of Secondary School Principals High School Assistant Principal of the Year award. The winner will be awarded at the National Education Leadership Awards in April 2026 in Washington, D.C.
— Contact Karly Graham at kgraham@lsj.com. Follow her on X at @KarlyGrahamJrn.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Mason’s Tara Becker-Utess named Michigan’s top high school assistant principal
Reporting by Karly Graham, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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