CHESTERTON – “Live by faith, grow in grace, accept others’ differences and be a symbol of Christ for others,” is the philosophy Sue Hadenfelt tries to live by, and she looks forward to instilling those same principles in the students at St. Patrick School as their new principal.
While this is Hadenfelt’s first time as the head administrator, she has been at home at St. Patrick’s for the past 26 years as a teacher. She spent a few years shepherding second, third and fourth grade. She has been leading first grade for the past 20 years, meaning she has taught all but the youngest pupils she now guides.
“It was time for a change,” she said of her new position. “I thought about administration a few years back, but I waited for the right time.”
After sharing assistant principal duties last year with Laura Thorstad, “I saw a need and felt it should be an active parishioner who had a vested interest in our school taking the position, so I applied,” Hadenfelt explained. Thorstad will continue as assistant principal.
Hadenfelt grew up in Michigan City and attended St. Stanislaus Kostka School and Michigan City Rogers High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and later a master’s from Indiana University-South Bend. Her administrative license comes from Ball State University.
“I feel like I’ve seen lots of changes in education, some that worked and some that didn’t, and I have the experience (to lead),” added Hadenfelt. “I know what a teacher feels and I have a strong connection with parents.” With one classroom per grade level, preschool through eighth grade, St. Patrick boasts an enrollment of 303, about the same as last year.
“The CHOICE program has made it possible for many families to choose a faith-based education,” she noted. “Everything we do is based on the Catholic faith and its values. We are Christ-centered.”
St. Patrick has welcomed four new instructors this year, including full-timers Seth Birgills in fourth grade, Mia Bertino, who took over first grade during the past year, and Kimberly Gonzalez in physical education, while Alexis Bratsakis is the part-time music teacher.
Math is Hadenfelt’s favorite subject, she said, “because it has real world applications. You use it everywhere – when you buy groceries, drive a car and play soccer.”
Hadenfelt’s teaching philosophy is “to guide students to grow and learn to become successful learners able to make positive contributions academically, morally and spiritually … to give back to their community and parish and become all-around good adults.”
Hadenfelt’s own family includes her husband George, an operations manager for steel mill subcontractor K.T. Grant in Hammond, and three daughters, Molly, 20, attending pharmacy school at Purdue University, Megan, 18, a senior at Chesterton High School, and Maeve, 13, a seventh grader at St. Patrick.
“I had a pretty busy life as a teacher with an active family, and that will only continue as a principal, but at least I didn’t have to get name tags, because while I have a fresh start, it is at a familiar place that makes for an easier transition. I know the students, parents and staff.
Hadenfelt is already looking forward to one of her favorite school events, Grandparents Day on Oct. 11. “It is always special, and it involves all of the classes,” she said. “Some of the grandparents were parents when I taught, and it strengthens that generational bond.”
Caption: Gabriella Vales, a third-grader at St. Patrick School in Chesterton, stops by the principal's office to congratulate Sue Hadenfelt, her former first-grade teacher, on becoming the new principal. Since Hadenfelt taught first grade for the past 20 years, she has guided all but the youngest students now under her care. (Provided photo)