WHITING – It’s all in the family for the new principal at St. John the Baptist School.
“When I saw the position open up, I saw it as a sign that I have to come back home,” said Michelle Biel Ondas, born and raised in Whiting and a 1992 graduate of St. John the Baptist. “I received all my sacraments at this parish, from baptism through matrimony.”
Her connection to the parish and school goes back even farther, since her mother, Mary Lou Biel, taught fourth grade and middle school at SJB. “She liked teaching math, I know, and she talked about the team of teachers being like a family. It was a community school where everyone knew each other,” said Ondas.
There’s no doubt education is in her blood, since Ondas’ late father, Mark Biel, served as principal at Franklin Middle School in Whiting. “My parents met in the Marian Theatre Guild (which shares a building with SJB) and attended Calumet College of St. Joseph,” Ondas added.
While Ondas has an impressive pedigree, her own professional accomplishments speak for themselves.
She graduated from Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond in 1996 and headed to Purdue University, where she earned a bachelor of science in Elementary Education in 2000 and a master’s in Educational Administration in 2006. She added an Education Specialist degree in Superintendency this year from Indiana State University.
Meanwhile, Ondas began her career at Clark Middle School in Hammond, teaching English for six years. After earning her master’s, she moved to Gavit High School in Hammond as assistant principal for four years and principal for 10 years.
Responsible for 1,600 students, Ondas raised Gavit’s grade from a ‘D’ to the No. 1 Title I school for closing the achievement gap in the State of Indiana, earning Ondas a trip to Long Beach, Calif. to represent Indiana at the national level.
“We created a culture of love where the teachers felt supported and in turn, the students felt supported,” Ondas said of her success. “I tried to create a culture of caring and hope and opportunity. Some people said I ran Gavit like a Catholic school” – without the religion classes.
Individually, Ondas was honored in 2019 by the NWI Influential Women Association with its Up and Coming Women in Education award, which led to her sweeping all career categories and being named overall Up and Coming Woman of Northwest Indiana.
In 2021, Ondas became Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) coordinator for the entire Hammond school district, coordinating academic and behavioral support systems for eight elementary, two middle and two high schools.
A year ago, she moved to the School City of East Chicago as director of Secondary Education, where she found a somewhat different and challenging atmosphere that led her “back home” to Whiting.
Hired in mid-July, Ondas spent the rest of the month meeting individually with all SJB teachers, and interviewing for openings in music, middle school language arts and fourth grade – where Mary Lou Biel has already been invited to return as a substitute teacher. “We hosted a Meet and Greet Ice Cream Social for parents and students on July 31 and I was so touched that parents actually stood in line to meet me,” noted Ondas. Youngsters also got the chance to try out the school’s new playground.
Ondas and her husband, Hammond firefighter Chris Ondas, attended Bishop Noll together but dating only after high school. Married for 15 years, they live in Munster with daughter Mallorie, 13, an eighth grader at Wilbur Wright Middle School, and are parishioners at St. Maria Goretti in Dyer.
Ondas said she has no hobbies beyond attending her daughter’s softball games and cross country meets and spending time with her family, which includes her mother as well as twin sister Margie, a pharmacist who lives in Porter and attends St. Patrick in Chesterton, and older brothers Richard and Brian, both accountants who live in Munster and attend St. Maria Goretti.
“We just returned from a family vacation in Lake Tahoe, which is really pretty,” she said, admitting that all of her other interests are school-related. “My husband says I can’t turn it off.”
Ondas said she is “really excited” to serve in the Diocese of Gary school system where she hopes to model “the great principal I had at SJB, Thomas Puplava. My public school experience taught me diverse ways of meeting student needs, and that gives me an opportunity to bring those methods to SJB. I’m also excited about working with our parents and getting them more involved in the educational experience.”
“I believe in all kids, that they will succeed, and I want to deepen their faith and help them realize how special their relationship with God can be,” Ondas said.
At her previous posts, Ondas used inspirational quotes to motivate her students, but she’s happy to lead morning prayer now that she is in a Catholic school. “We will thank the Lord for what he has given us each day, and I’m looking forward to the school Mass every Tuesday and periods of reflection for our students,” she said.
Building on a Social and Emotional Learning program, SJB students will focus on a different character trait each month and tie it into how Jesus modeled that trait. “We’ll start with Respect in September, and work our way through Responsibility, Gratitude, Empathy, Growth Mindset, Kindness, Self-discipline, Honesty and Responsible Decision-making, with parents given information each month on how to reinforce the trait at home,” Ondas explained.
She also hopes to foster a family atmosphere among her staff. “I want them to feel loved and supported and know they are disciples of God in the work they do each and every day,” Ondas stressed. “They make a huge difference in the lives of our children. Without them as role models, our kids would not feel successful, happy and safe.”
Caption: Michelle Biel Ondas is the new principal at her alma mater, St. John the Baptist School in Whiting, the community where she grew up. After 23 years in public education, she is excited to offer her students the opportunity to deepen their Catholic faith through prayer, reflection and lessons centered on Christ. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)