Indian Hills’ beloved Mr. Michels believes that it is finally time to hang it up here at IHHS after a whopping 25-and-a-half years of teaching. As students approach the final days of school before the holiday break, the IHHS community is preparing to say goodbye to Mr. Michels as he concludes his remarkable teaching career at the end of December. Fear not, though, as he still plans to continue to teach in Florida to cure his boredom. Mr. Michaels has wanted to do this for a very long time. Why? Well, the answer can easily be summed up to “Warmth. Warmth. Warmth,” as he puts it gently. Despite this drastic shift in scenery, one question remains unanswered, will he stick to the Cleveland Browns or move on to the Jacksonville Jaguars? Tough choice. 

Who is Mr. Michels?

Mr. Michels originally had no aspiration of becoming a teacher. He studied plant life at Rutgers University, where his professor directly told him and his classmates that there were barely any jobs in his specific field, but one of them was being a teacher. Officially, Mr. Michels’ degree allows him to teach grades 6-12 Biology, Biology-related electives, and horticulture. This year he is not teaching horticulture, but instead forensic science, a class that uses science to solve crimes. In previous years at IHHS, Mr. Michels was the advisor of the Photography Club and the Greenhouse Club, which was a club for students who couldn’t fit horticulture class into their schedule but still wanted to grow plants. Although nowadays the Photography Club is mostly digital, back when he ran it, there was a dark room in the Biology hallway where they would develop film and print pictures for the club.

Most Memorable Moments

Throughout his 25-and-a-half-year teaching career, there must have been some memorable moments, right? Well, for Mr. Michels, there have been too many of them to count. From his extremely successful Bowling program to his adjacent staff surrounding him, each year he’s been here has been a memorable one.

For 24 years Mr. Michels coached a successful girls and boys bowling team, putting up multiple banners on the gymnasium wall. On his pathway to success, he had to learn how to attract new students and have them become passionate about this unconventional sport, which is always changing, adapting, and going with the flow.

Another memorable moment was when the vegetable garden was implemented with the help of the PTSO. The garden was created for both students and teachers to be able to grow vegetables and take them home for their families. Along with the still-standing vegetable garden was a sprinkler system that helped students grow their plants with ease.  

On Friday mornings during the 2000s, a multitude of teachers and students, including Mr. Heusser and Coach Hill came together for a competitive student vs. teacher flag football game—or a basketball game, depending on whether the weather conditions were adequate. Mr. Michels comments, “It was great…it was a lot of fun on Friday mornings with Coach Hill being captain of the team.” Each game was at 6 in the morning before school, so having students wake up extremely early for a simple game against the teachers meant a lot to him, showing the dedication of students and staff alike.

For Mr. Michels, the support and camaraderie of his coworkers have been a cornerstone of his experience at IHHS. Reflecting on the people who have made his days so memorable, he shared, “The people at my level, the other people I know, the IT level, and the custodians, they are the people doing everything behind the scenes—a lot of good people over the years.” Michels spoke greatly about the people that have made each and every day memorable, and credited them with gratitude.

2024 Educator of the Year 

For the first time in Mr. Michels career, he was named the Educator of the Year for Indian Hills in 2024. His loyalty, enthusiasm, and competent impact have been shown throughout his 25-and-a-half years of work at Indian Hills. An award like this is a remarkable achievement that Mr. Michels can carry with him on his way to Florida and more. “When I came here being a youngster, you started here and you retired here. Everyone was older and everyone stayed, it’s like the evolution of the profession has been challenging; I’m glad I stuck it out,” said Mr. Michels, reflecting on his successes and experiences here at IHHS, “I will miss the students, the staff and the spirit that Indian Hills has always had!”

“Mr. Michels was a mentor to me in raising my two daughters, he was my partner in crime and unpaid therapist here at school, and still is my best friend.” – Mr. Heusser, Faculty

“Mr. Michels and his class have greatly affected how I view learning and what approach I have when I take on new assignments” – Truman Lorenz, Senior

“Mr. Michels was super easy to talk to and would always check up on our class and would do anything to make us laugh. He knew how to light up the room and encourage us to follow our passions.” – Paige Hadshinow, Junior

“Personally, I have never had Mr. Michels as a teacher, and I officially met him during a conversation. Although he hasn’t been a teacher of mine, I still ended up voting for him for teacher of the year, being that I have heard so many good things about him, and how he was retiring this year. I felt that it was the right thing to do. Stunned, Mr. Michels responded with, ‘It’s humbling to know that someone like you would vote for me even when I haven’t had you as a student.’” – Matt Pra, Junior