A Steady Presence: Xavier Visage’s Journey at MAS Charter School Comes Full Circle

For more than five and a half school years, Xavier Visage moved through classrooms, administrative offices, compliance meetings, and supply rooms at Mission Achievement and Success (MAS) Charter School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, helping shape the organization from multiple vantage points. 

That chapter of his life will close on Friday, Feb. 27, when Mr. Visage departs MAS to open his own school, following years marked by a steady presence and a willingness to serve wherever he was needed.

His time at MAS has unfolded in phases, each building on the last. Mr. Visage has taught across several grade levels, supported students in moments that required patience and clarity, and later stepped into one of the school’s most operationally complex roles. Along the way, colleagues came to rely on his precision and presence. As you’ll see, the story of his tenure is tied to the consistency with which he approached each one.

Many Roles, One Commitment

Mr. Visage joined the team at MAS Charter School  in July 2017 as a second-grade writing teacher. Within the same school year, he transitioned to sixth-grade reading. The following year, he taught music to students in kindergarten through third grade. After a period away, he returned in the spring semester of the 2022-2023 school year to teach third-grade science before stepping into the role of purchasing specialist, a position he has held through the present school year.

Those who have worked closely with him say Mr. Visage’s impact has always extended beyond a job description.

“When I think of Xavier,” said Kathy McClendon, director of program completion and compliance at MAS, “I’m reminded of something Dr. Viktor Frankl once said: ‘Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.’ Xavier chooses his attitude in any situation, and he isn’t afraid to choose his own best path. That’s why we admire and love him.”

The Work Behind the Systems

In his current role as purchasing specialist, Mr. Visage’s responsibilities sit at the center of the school’s operational framework. He oversees purchasing, conducts research on vendors, negotiates pricing, and makes sure that orders are approved, tracked, and delivered accurately. He also manages returns, tracks fixed assets, and matches packing slips with purchase requisitions and invoices before submitting documentation for payment.

At the heart of his current role is paying close attention to data integrity. Mr. Visage helps maintain the school’s PowerSchool database, enters master schedules, and supports teachers with academic data entry for student report cards. He also works with the team that processes transcript and student record requests and assists school leaders on document reviews. In collaboration with colleagues, he assists with state reporting requirements and also helps coordinate many of the behind-the-scenes activities that take place before and during activities like the high school prom and more.

Service in The Details

The scale of that work is often visible at the start of each semester. Mr. Visage joins a team of staff members to organize classroom materials and prepare supplies for nearly 2,000 students. Along the way, he’s credited with digitizing years of required documentation to meet compliance standards, and reorganizing thousands of books in an academic bookroom. He catalogued new titles, marked Lexile levels (a scientific metric used to measure both a student’s reading ability and a text’s difficulty), and trained others to maintain the system.

Colleagues describe him as both meticulous and approachable. He is known for pausing his own tasks to help others solve problems and for connecting with students in ways that are restorative and productive. His demeanor, they say, remains positive across routine days and demanding ones.

Mr. Visage said he is most proud of the ways he stepped into different roles to support students, teachers and school operations. He worked to establish relationships with new vendors, collaborated to strengthen procedures and supported professional development events and after-school responsibilities as assigned.

A Return to Career Education

Between his two tenures at MAS, Mr. Visage expanded his experience in career-focused education. He served as director of admissions at a cosmetology academy in Albuquerque, managing enrollment processes, interviewing prospective students and organizing outreach events. He later worked as a learning leader at another beauty education institution, preparing students for the theoretical and practical components of the New Mexico state licensing examination. In that role, he monitored student progress, adjusted instructional strategies, and completed continuing education to maintain his instructor credentials.

Mr. Visage was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As a child, he envisioned a future that would allow him to express creativity and increase the value he could offer others. He said education provided the most meaningful pathway toward that goal.

Building What Comes Next

That path now leads him to a new endeavor. Mr. Visage is preparing to open The Visage Institute of Beauty & Excellence in Albuquerque, a private post-secondary trade school dedicated to careers in cosmetology, esthiology, makeup artistry and instructor training. The institute will focus on hands-on education, mentorship, and professional preparation designed to equip students with the skills and industry insight required for long-term success.

“He has made a profound impact on our school community, and we are deeply saddened to see him leave,” said Jennifer Felix, managing director of operations at MAS. “We are also excited about what lies ahead for him. We know he will continue to accomplish meaningful work.”

Asked what he will miss most about MAS, Mr. Visage pointed to the people. He said he will miss working alongside colleagues who are committed to excellence and continuous improvement. He also reflected on lessons learned about operational systems, consistency and clear communication, and how those elements shape student success and school culture.

As his final days at MAS Charter School approach, the systems he helped build and strengthen remain in place. Orders are tracked, reports are filed, and under the watchful eye of the rest of the school’s operations team members, classrooms are prepared for the weeks ahead.

Mr. Visage’s journey at MAS reflects years of steady growth and service. He arrived as a teacher, returned as an operational leader, and now departs to build an educationally-focused organization of his own.