All-in: How one Mountain Crest teacher supports students inside and outside the classroom
Dani Hervey’s enthusiasm energizes her classroom. With her broad, confident smile and quick sense of humor, Hervey is beloved by students and colleagues alike. Now, six years into her teaching career, Mountain Crest’s 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year has taken Mustang life by the reins.
For Hervey, her husband, and their two children, the school is more than a workplace — it’s a hub of community and connection.
“My family lives close to the school, and my husband is a coach here,” Hervey explained, “so the four of us chase the baseball team around. But I also just like my students, so even if there’s a sport I don’t understand, I like watching them participate, and I bring my kids. My four-year-old is a celebrity around here. When we’re looking for something to do, we often end up here!”
Mrs. Hervey’s deep connection to the school extends far beyond the classroom and has inspired praise from her colleagues.
“Dani really is amazing,” Principal Denise Mouritsen said. “She runs the whole show. She helps us with graduation, she announces and runs the scoreboard at our sporting events, and she’s chasing her two-year-old around while she does it!”
Hervey’s engagement in the broader school community is rooted in her connection with the students she teaches.
“Dani’s students love her,” Mouritsen said. “She is not afraid to do what it takes to get the kids to pass her class and really learn the material. I wish I could have 100 teachers like Dani.”
Hervey teaches chemistry and medical anatomy — subjects she views as opportunities to help students connect with the curriculum, with each other, and with her as their teacher.
“I love how impactful medical anatomy is,” she said. “It matters. Everybody can learn something about how the body works, and it helps them connect to others’ experiences. I also like helping my students do hard things. Teaching chemistry, I know that there are some of them who are absolutely dreading this, but I tell them on day one that I’m going to help them through it, and they’re going to come out stronger and smarter on the other side. It’s awesome.”