Westmont Junior High community rallies around principal who lost a daughter in DUI crash

WESTMONT – The Westmont Junior High School community is rallying to support four of its own after tragedy struck over the weekend.

Westmont Junior High School Principal John Jonak and his family are in mourning after a car driven by Jonak’s wife Tonia was struck by a drunken driver at 9:10 p.m. Oct. 7, killing their 9-year-old daughter Katie and injuring two of Katie’s friends on the way home from a church function, according to the Aurora Police Department.

The other two children were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, while Tonia refused medical treatment.

Marie Charlton, Community Unit School District 201 board president, said the whole district was in shock after hearing about the incident.

“Our principal is one of the most compassionate and most caring people you’d want to meet, and he was always putting his junior high kids in the forefront of his mind,” she said. “But you also knew very much that his family ... had his heart and soul every day. He was always talking about them.”

Instead of sending condolences and awaiting his return to work, people across the district and beyond came together to show the Jonaks were cared for.

“We wanted him to know we care about him,” said Westmont eighth-grader Kayla Sleeper, the student council president.

Kayla said her principal spoke about his children “every other sentence,” and she said it’s important for her and other current and former students to show the Jonak family they are supported.

Kayla, her mother, Parent Teacher Organization treasurer Melanie Sleeper, and others from the district rallied quickly. The PTO launched an online fundraiser about 9 p.m. Oct. 8 with a goal of raising $3,000 to help cover funeral costs.

As of noon Oct. 11, the YouCaring campaign already had surpassed $20,000, with five days remaining.

Additionally, on Oct. 9 an estimated 700-plus people attended a vigil at the junior high, showing support for the family and helping its students process the loss, Charlton said.

“It’s times like these that people want to do something,” she said. “John teaches junior high kids, and they wanted to show him they loved him and be around everybody and be together.”

Posters, flowers, candles and more filled the hands of mourners as several people stood up to express support for the family. All ribbons around the school are teal, celebrating Katie’s favorite color.

Sleeper said she was amazed at how many people came to the vigil but said John Jonak’s work and compassion cemented him in the hearts of those who lived in the area.

“He’s been such a big influence on our community for the past few years,” she said. “His connection to our kids really impacted our wanting to show him support.”

Kayla also organized a school movement Oct. 11 in which several students wore red T-shirts, a color that is used by some groups to raise awareness against drunken driving.

“We’re a small district, and it’s a very tight community,” Charlton said. “All the teachers know all the kids, and they all pitch in. ... It made me extremely proud to live in a community where people would come together like this.”

To learn more about the crash, visit mysuburbanlife.com, and to donate to the YouCaring drive, visit youcaring.com/john-and-tonia-jonak-family-666291.