HERC Fellowship program

Maria Prust is a Special Education Teacher in her 15th year at D.C. Everest, serving as a Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher.  She is dual certified in Special Education and Broadfield Social Studies and currently co-teaches English 10 and American Studies, a combined 20th Century History and English 11 course. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Maria serves as a Varsity Assistant Softball and Head 7th grade Volleyball Coach. 

She has served as the CESA 9 Holocaust Education Fellow since 2025, where she has continued her commitment to meaningful, inclusive Holocaust education.  In the past she helped organize a multi-school Holocaust speaker event at the Grand Theater in Wausau.

In her spare time, Maria enjoys spending time at her cabin with her husband Steve, fishing, playing slowpitch softball, and watching the Brewers.

Rebecca Huseman has been a Social Studies and Spanish teacher at Cassville High School for 14 years. She currenntly teaches all of the high school social studies courses, both required and elective. In her tenure in Cassville, she has expanded elective offerings, creating a dedicated Holocaust and Genocide Studies course, as well as others. She also helped to create a Wall of Honor at her school, honoring our alumni veterans. One of Rebecca’s educational passions is travel, and she has attended numerous professional development opportunities both domestically and internationally. One of Rebecca’s favorite experiences was the opportunity to study at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel, which was a formative experience for her teaching. In addition, Rebecca is passionate about providing students with unique experiences and has led student trips to Mexico, Costa Rica, and Washington, DC.

Kaela Swanson is a middle school social studies teacher in Ashland, Wisconsin, where she is passionate about creating meaningful and engaging learning experiences for students. She is committed to helping students develop historical thinking skills and understand how the past continues to shape the world today.

Kaela is actively involved in social studies education beyond her classroom. She serves on the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies Board and has worked with organizations including Population Education and RetroReport as a teacher advisor. She is also pursuing graduate studies in School Supervision and Instructional Leadership at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls.

As a HERC Fellow, Kaela is excited to support educators across Wisconsin in strengthening Holocaust and genocide education and helping students engage thoughtfully with difficult history. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys coaching, traveling, exploring history, and spending time with family and friends.

Zack Olson has a high school social studies teacher at Denmark High School for 7 years.  He has taught many classes, including: AP US Government and Politics, AP US History, Civics, Geography, Global Studies, Current Issues, and US History.  Holocaust education is important to him because it allows his students to confront historical evils and injustices in an appropriate setting, given the proper context.  Zack serves as an advisor for DHS’s Link Crew program and Civics Club, while previously coaching baseball.  He also serves as a member of the National Constitution Center’s Teacher Advisory Council.  

He graduated from UW-Green Bay with a political science degree, then returned to obtain his Broadfield Social Studies certification.  He is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Education (Educational Administration) at UW-Superior and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2027.

In his spare time, Zack enjoys spending time with my wife, Brittani, and son, Kitt.  He also enjoys fishing, hunting, hiking, canoeing, camping, reading, and watching Wisconsin sports!