Spotlight on: Shane Maxon
February 2026 Senior Student 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 Shane Maxon:
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Q. What winter athletic activity are you involved in?
A. Indoor track.
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Q. How do you manage your schoolwork alongside practices and competitions?
A. I do my work when I am given time, so I don’t really have to worry about it, but if I do need extra time, I always make sure I set aside a few minutes for work.
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Q. What initially sparked your interest in competing in this winter sport?
A. I competed in outdoor track in ninth grade, and I figured indoor would be just as fun, so I signed up the next school year.
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Q. What has been your highlight moment from this season so far?
A. Winning sectionals again this year and making the boys indoor track team back-to-back sectional champions.
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Q. Is there an athlete or mentor you admire? What makes them a role model to you?
A. My hurdle coach Jesse is someone I admire. Jesse has been a great role model for me because he shows up every day excited and ready to coach. He has the type of energy every athlete wants to be around and is always pushing myself and others to improve.
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Q. What character traits do you think are essential for success in athletics?
A. If you want to be a successful athlete, you need to have a desire to win and a positive attitude towards everything you do. You also need to know that you can always improve and that there is always something new that can be learned. Also just be humble because nobody likes a person that thinks they are better than everyone at everything.
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Q. What is one important takeaway from your sport that carries over into your everyday life?
A. My drive to succeed and the fact that I want to put 100% into everything that I do whether that be in the classroom, at work or in my sports is a huge aspect that carries over into my daily life from sports.
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Q. What are your plans after graduation? Do you hope to continue playing sports?
A. I am planning on attending college at Herkimer first and then transferring to a four-year school after. I would like to possibly kick for the football team of whatever four-year school I attend.
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Q. Would you like to recognize anyone who has played an important role in supporting your success?
A. I am lucky to be able to say that I have had so many supportive people throughout my high school journey. My parents have been very supportive and have attended many of my sporting events to cheer me on, and they have always made sure that I have had everything I needed for each sport, so I could perform at my best. My girlfriend Jilly Polus and her whole family have supported me throughout every single sporting event and accomplishment that I have had over the past few years. Finally, I would like to recognize all the coaches who have pushed me to become a better athlete and all of my friends who have been very supportive of the past few years.