Hello--I am Mr. Heriza. I teach fifth grade in room 406 at Rattlesnake Elementary. This is my second year at Rattlesnake and my first was amazing, so I am looking forward to an even better year. This is my 5th year teaching grade 5. I have also taught third and fourth as well as middle and high school. I have a Masters in English with a teaching emphasis from the University of Montana. I have been working in education for over 30 years. 

What I love about being in the classroom is that I am always learning, working with young people is awesome, working with other educators is great, and each year is different. I am never bored. 

I am married with two children. My daughter, Sylvie, will finish this year at the University of Montana and my son, Henry, will be a junior at Hellgate HS. 

I will celebrate my 26th wedding anniversary on the second day of school this year. My partner, Kelly, is an attorney and writer. The other member of our family is our dog, Willa, who is a golden Labrador retriever. We live on the west side of Missoula near Lowell elementary.

I enjoy living in Missoula very much. I think it is the best city in Montana. I enjoy the many things Montana has to offer--beautiful rivers, mountains, and not too many people. I love to fly fish, hunt, hike, and gather berries and mushrooms. I also like to ski and soak in hot springs in the winter. I also officiate basketball games during the basketball season. 

I am looking forward to another terrific school year.