Watson “Mike” Heilala has been a School Counselor in the district since 2006 when he started at the high school. In 2012, Mr. Heilala transitioned to Lacey Township Middle School.  Prior to coming to Lacey,

Mr. Heilala was in the Lakewood Township School for seven years as a School Counselor in the high school and English Teacher in their alternative school program.   Mr. Heilala graduated from Queens College with a Bachelor of Arts English Literature.  In addition, he has a Master’s Degrees in Administration and School Counseling from Georgian Court University.  In addition, Mr. Heilala has been in the United States Army Reserves and is a commissioned Captain.

Mr. Heilala’s passion is developing life skills in young people through coaching.  He has coached football and wrestling for many years.  These experiences are rewarding to him because teaching young people to develop mental fortitude empowers them to work through life’s adversity in order to succeed.  Mr. Heilala is a resident of Lacey Township and he is also a father of seven children.  He also considers himself blessed to be able to live in the same town where he works as an educator.  This has allowed him the opportunity to assist the community by assisting parents through the challenges of raising healthy children.

Mrs. Loren Heuschkel is one of two Lacey Township Middle School professional school counselors.  She has been with the district since January 1995, starting at the high school teaching English.  In 2003, she was named the high school’s Teacher of the Year.  It was in 2005, she transitioned to a high school professional school counselor, serving her students for eleven years.  During her tenure at the high school, Mrs. Heuschkel was the Senior Class Advisor for thirteen years, helping to raise over $100,000 for the senior class treasury, Newspaper Advisor for two years, and brought the chapter of Future Teachers of America to the high school, serving as advisor for five years.  For the past fourteen years and due to her continued love of teaching, she has been an instructor for an online school outside of her work day.  In order to apply her knowledge of student high school life, she transferred to the middle school where she presently serves both 7th and 8th graders.  There she also serves as our Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying specialist, along with being a member of the I&RS team.

Prior to entering the field of education, Mrs. Heuschkel worked in the world of finance in Manhattan, Red Bank, Atlanta, and London.  She earned her Series 7, becoming a licensed stockbroker in 1985.  Her favorite project was being a part of the financial team who helped finance the English Channel Tunnel.  Mrs. Heuschkel holds a bachelor’s degree from Marymount Manhattan College in Business Administration, a Master of Arts from Nova Southeastern University majoring in Teaching and Learning, and certificates for Student Personnel Services, Supervisor, and Director of Guidance.  Her teaching certificates include Teacher of English, Teacher of Business, and Elementary School Teacher.  She is also an active member of the Ocean County Personnel and Guidance Association, a member of Lacey’s Parent/Teacher Organization, and the American Society of Notaries.

In her personal time, Mrs. Heuschkel enjoys time with her husband and growing family as well as time with friends.  She enjoys a good book on the beach, movies, and traveling.  However, her focus during the school year is to help her 7th and 8th graders transition into young adulthood and prepare for a successful and memorable high school life, all while being supported by an amazing staff and outstanding administration!