(‘25)

Anyone who has ever stopped by ITC for assistance has most likely had the opportunity to meet Ms. Michels, the administrative assistant at Indian Hills. Everytime students or staff see Mrs. Michels she has a smile on her face, consistently striving to assist students with any and all technological issues. She has been a vital part in the Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff District (FlOW) since 1999, forming many connections with the local community. In the Fall of 2022, she also announced she will become the new head women’s golf coach after Ms. Braun retired this past spring. Drumbeats conducted an interview with Mrs. Michels to learn more about her. 

Her experience at Indian Hills has been “absolutely fantastic.” During the interview, Mrs. Michels mentioned how much she loves the atmosphere at Indian Hills, and all the fantastic connections she has made with students and faculty at the school. 

Her advice for students as a mom of 2 sons who graduated high school was “always make sure you have balance by focusing on academics, athletics, and clubs by managing your time wisely. I also believe students should take advantage of everything the school has to offer.”

Her advice for students applying to college was,“I believe students should take advantage of good grades to get a head start on college because a majority of college scholarships are academic.”

She chose to become a high school golf coach because, “I love athletics, the school system, and coaching which gets me back into the game of golf which I love and started after college. Coach Braun and Van Kampen also told me about the fantastic group of golfers within the varsity and junior varsity program which makes it a super easy transition.” Her past teaching experience was at Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff as a science teacher.  She also stated, “I coached basketball there as well as the freshman volleyball team at Indian Hills.”

She also stated,“I chose to go into the technology field because I work part in video production for professional sports teams such as the New York Jets, New York Giants, and the New Jersey Devils. I’ve also had the opportunity to partner with 3 hockey teams during the stanley cup as a part of their video production team.  I also started video production in college with my science degree.”     

Mrs. Michels does a lot of the behind the scenes work to keep our school technologically running, and Indian Hills is very lucky to have her. Her husband Mr. Michels is also a science teacher at Indian Hills who coaches the bowling team. All in all, The Indian Hills Girls Varsity Golf Team is super excited to welcome Mrs. Michels this season.