Mason Thomas has been studying music for 14 years. Most recently, he has received his Bachelor’s in String Performance at Utah State University. During this time, he taught Elementary Orchestra through Mountain West String Academy. He also had the opportunity to play in a myriad of different settings including pit orchestras, symphony orchestras, big bands, and various chamber ensembles.

Outside of academia, Mason maintains a private studio and plays locally as a freelance musician. He had the chance to play with many well known artists including the Warren Brothers, Corey Christiansen, and Danny Gotlieb. Alongside his ensemble work, Mason has developed a solo repertoire for educational and performative use.

​​From a young girl I have always been passionate about the arts. I received a BFA from SUNY Purchase in 2001 and migrated from the east coast to SLC a year later. I began my teaching career in 2006 at UMOCA, co-teaching the KidsmART and ARTbytes programs. These programs brought students from the SLC school district, as well as children from at-risk situations such as The Road Home, to the museum to look at, talk about, and make art. In 2007 I started teaching at Bad Dog Arts, a non-profit arts organization, and eventually moved into the role of Programs Coordinator. In this position I focused on bringing arts programming into Title I schools as well as offering various art opportunities for all ages in our community. I was fortunate to be hired on as the Secondary Art Teacher at Elizabeth Academy in 2022. 

I believe in the importance of art education to foster creativity, self awareness, and perseverance as well as to help develop critical thinking, confidence and creative problem solving skills. I strive to inspire my students to find their individual art language and nurture their creative journey along the way.

Stacy has a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Utah, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Montana in Missoula, and an Associate’s Special Education teaching license through the Utah State Board of Education. She is completing courses to complete full licensure as a Special Educator, and this is in her third year of teaching.

Prior to joining the team at Elizabeth Academy, Stacy worked for Granite School District as a Special Educator. She also lived and worked in different countries throughout Africa for 7 years (2011-2018) and has worked in refugee resettlement in the Salt Lake area. She loves spending time with people from all different cultures, learning styles, and perspectives. One of Stacy’s greatest passions is Performance Art; she loves attending community theater performances, singing along to Broadway musical soundtracks, and is looking forward to teaching theater classes in addition to running the post-secondary program at Elizabeth Academy this year.  In her spare time, Stacy enjoys traveling and engaging in outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, and fishing.