Spotlight on: Madison Heuser
February 2026 High School Teacher of the Month
The Student Council decides monthly student and teacher awards with a specific category each month. The category for February 2026 was “winter athlete” for students and “involvement in the musical” for teachers.
The Senior Student of the Month awards go to two seniors per month who are nominated and voted on by Student Council members in grades 9-11.
The High School Teacher of the Month award goes to one teacher per month who is nominated and voted on by Student Council members in grades 9-12. All Teachers of the Month become eligible to become Teacher of the Year in June.
The February 2026 Senior Students of the Month are Isabella Maass and Shane Maxon, and the February 2026 High School Teacher of the Month is Madison Heuser.
Below is a Q&A with Madison Heuser:
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Q. Please share your name, the subject(s) you teach and the grade levels you work with?
A. My name is Maddie Heuser. I teach 6-12 vocal music. I direct the high school choir, the seventh and eighth grade choir and the sixth grade choir. I also teach a musical theater course to juniors and seniors as well as vocal lessons.
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Q. What inspired you to get involved in the school musical?
A. I have always enjoyed being in musical theater productions and listening/watching musical theater. I have also watched my mom direct several musicals at her school and have always enjoyed sitting in on her rehearsals. So when I got hired at Herkimer, I was very excited to get involved in the school musicals.
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Q. What is your role in this year’s production?
A. I was the director of this year’s production of “Bye Bye Birdie.”
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Q. How do you balance your classroom responsibilities with rehearsals and production commitments?
A. It is definitely challenging to manage all of the responsibilities that come with these roles, but I try to be as organized as possible. I do a lot of prep work at home to get ready for rehearsals and to put together things like the program and tickets. I also have an excellent support system both at school and at home that helps me stay organized and complete tasks.
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Q. What do you enjoy most about being part of the musical?
A. I enjoy working with the students in a different capacity than being in the classroom. The cast and crew really become like a family during our time working on the musical. I really enjoy building relationships with the students and watching them build relationships with one another.
I also love to watch the students improve over the course of the production. They come in knowing little to nothing about the show, and then they put on an amazing performance at the end of the production.
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Q. Can you share a memorable moment from working on a past or current production?
A. I can’t think of one instance in particular that is especially memorable. One thing that sits with me, especially after this year, is how welcoming and helpful the cast, crew and other adults are when my son is at rehearsals. It can be challenging to chase a toddler around a huge auditorium while also directing a show, but the students are always flexible and willing to help.
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Q. How do you build positive relationships with students through the musical experience?
A. I think just spending so much time with the students throughout the production helps to build positive relationships. I always try to talk to the students about their interests outside of school and the musical to get to know them a little bit better. We all naturally get to know each other better because we spend so much time together throughout the production.
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Q. What skills or values do you hope students gain from participating in the musical?
A. Overall, I want the students to have fun while they are involved in the musical. I also try to help the students learn valuable time management skills and communication skills. So many of the students in the musical are also athletes, work a part-time job, are on honor roll in school, etc. I hope that by being a part of the musical and balancing multiple commitments, they are learning life skills that will help them after they graduate.
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Q. How has being involved in the musical influenced your teaching or connections with students?
A. Being involved in the musical has allowed me to get to know the students better and in a different capacity than in the classroom. It definitely makes me a more confident teacher. It also helps having a lot of the same students in class and in the musical. I know the strengths and weaknesses of the students, and I can use that to influence my teaching and my directing style.
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Q. What are your hopes or goals for your continued involvement in the future?
A. I hope that students continue to be involved in the musical and have a good time. I always hope that someone sitting in the audience one year will be inspired to join the musical the next year, whether it be on stage or behind the scenes. I also hope students continue to feel that the musical is a safe space for them to be themselves and do something that they really enjoy.