Having been with Munster for 19 years, Principal Mike Wells is leaving to become a Midwest Regional Director for Cognia, overseeing thousands of schools across the globe. Though he is more than excited for this opportunity to further his career in education, it was a difficult decision to make. 

“I’m most looking forward to learning and growing. It’s a great opportunity for me to grow as an educator,” Mr. Wells said. “It was extremely tough because most of my career has been here–19 of my 27 years. I even did my student teaching at Wilbur Wright. I sponsored Student Government for years. I taught, I was an assistant principal for six years and then principal for nine. The relationships that I’ve established with former students that I still keep in contact with today, seeing the accomplishments of all of our students—that’s the best part of this job.”

The new career will involve Mr. Wells overseeing 36,000 schools, an opportunity that will allow him to grow as an educator. But as he prepares to leave, Mr. Wells does not plan on saying goodbye to Munster completely—he plans to come back for events, for the team that he has dedicated so much of his life towards. Setting the mantle off to Mr. Nolan, Mr. Wells has high hopes for the future of MHS. 

“I hope (Munster) continues with the excellence in the traditions that we’ve established over the years,” Mr. Wells said. “I look forward to coming back to events. I hope that I’ll be able to come back and see those speeches that the alum and faculty give. I’m going to miss the relationships that I have on a day-to-day basis—that’s the saddest thing. I always looked at schools like a family. I even started off all my emails to staff, ‘Mustang family or team.’ So the saddest thing is missing those relationships that I’ve had with students and staff members over the years.”