SUPERINTENDENT

Previous experience: Dennis worked in Law Enforcement as a Police Officer with the City of Port Huron for over 13 years and spent six of those years as a School Resource Officer with the Port Huron Area School District. “I assisted with keeping the school secure, building positive relationships with students/staff, completing site assessments for security concerns, and bringing new technology and safety programs to the school district,” Dennis said. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Grand Valley State University and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati.

1. The Supervisor of Safety and Security is a newly created position. What are some of your responsibilities and how are those responsibilities different from our two school resource officers?

“As the Supervisor of Safety and Security, my responsibility is to oversee the numerous safety and security programs that Novi Community School District has in place,” Dennis said. “I am also responsible for ensuring that NCSD is following best practices in the world of school safety and security, and keeping up with changing laws that may impact the day-to-day operations at NCSD. The Supervisor of Safety and Security is also responsible for staff and student training, so if there is ever an incident, the NCSD community is prepared.

“During my time as an SRO, I found it difficult to balance being a law enforcement officer and overseeing the safety and security programs for an entire district. By having a Supervisor of Safety and Security, our fantastic SROs from the Novi Police Department can focus on keeping our schools safe and building strong relationships with our students. My job is to support them daily to help keep our schools safe.”

2. You were a school resource officer, so you understand the importance of those partnerships between the city and the school district. How do you see the district strengthening the relationship we have with the Novi Police Department over time?

“The School Resource Officer position is the best role in a police department,” Dennis said. “It is even better when the school district and police department have a strong relationship. NCSD and NPD have a very good relationship with each other, and that strong relationship makes our schools as safe as possible.

In my short time at NCSD, I have seen many officers walking our hallways and checking in on kids. I can definitely see that a strong bond has formed between the school district and the police department. This strong relationship also helps when an incident does occur, and because of that relationship, action is taken immediately, and things tend to operate more smoothly. The relationship between the school district and the police department will grow with the open conversations/meetings between the two and the support of the SRO program.”

3. What are some of your short-term and long-term goals?

“I am fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to work with a very forward-thinking school district regarding school safety,” Dennis said. “NCSD has implemented many programs I have dreamed of being a part of when I was an SRO, that have been proven to make schools safer. Because of NCSD’s commitment to school safety, the Administration and Board of Education are always looking for ways to make NCSD even safer.

“Some of my short-term goals are organizing and updating emergency plans for the district and each individual school. These plans are mandated by state law and need to be updated regularly. I also hope to meet with staff, students, and parents to discover their concerns regarding school safety. These conversations will help me navigate what programs and training would be appropriate for NCSD.

“My long-term goal is to make NCSD the leader and model school district for safety and security in the State of Michigan. I would love for other school districts to contact NCSD for guidance on making their schools safe. With the continued ongoing support to promote safe schools from NCSD’s Administration and Board of Education, I see this goal being easily achieved.”

4. What influenced you to choose your career path?

“My career path never quite went how I intended it to, and I would not change a thing because I am exactly where I belong,” Dennis said. “I originally went to college to become an engineer, and after one ride along with a local police department, I did a 180-degree turn and pursued a career in law enforcement.

“I never saw myself working with students, as a police officer, until I became an Adjunct Instructor at St. Clair County Community College. I found myself really enjoying helping students and found out that kids were not all that bad. Shortly after becoming an instructor at the college, the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland, Fla., happened. This is when my police department decided to start an SRO program.

After working with kids at the college level, I knew this was for me. I loved every minute of being an SRO, and one of my favorite things to do was research school safety programs and site assessments of school buildings. I was able to make physical security decisions for the school district based on my training and best practices.

I brought new equipment and technology to the school district and developed numerous trainings for staff and students. I was passionate about making the school district safe and secure for everyone. My career path and training helped bring me to NCSD, and I would not change it for the world. I have loved every minute of being here and working with some of the best people in education.

The biggest influence on my career path is the students, letting them go about their day learning and being with friends, and doing everything I can so that they do not have to worry about their safety every minute they are at school. I had a student after graduation tell me that after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, everyone at the high school was scared and not able to focus on school work. He said that when I was brought into the school, nerves started to calm, and students began returning to being innocent kids. That conversation has always been my drive to do everything I can to keep kids safe.”

5. What kind of conversations should parents have with their children regarding school safety?

“The number one thing that parents should be telling their kids is to come forward with information when they see something concerning,” Dennis said.

“It may seem obvious that it would be easy to come forward when a student sees a threat or something illegal posted on social media. The problem is that many of our youth today do not take these posts seriously and think the person is joking. They may also be scared of being labeled a ‘snitch.’ Law enforcement and school officials take all threats of violence seriously and investigate every incident the same. I would like parents to talk to their kids about taking each social media post seriously as well, and letting an adult know, so the appropriate actions can be taken. I would hate for one of our students to see something that was concerning and not bring it forward to an adult and have to live with that burden the rest of their lives if something ended up happening. There are numerous safe and trustworthy people at the schools that students can go to and there are also programs like OK2Say in place so students can let law enforcement and school officials know of a concerning incident anonymously.”

Novi High senior Saniya Reddy was recently recognized as one of 27 students to earn every possible point on the Advanced Placement Seminar exam. The feat is pretty tough. Those 27 account for 0.04 percent of the total number of test takers.

“It’s definitely a very time consuming and rigorous course,” Saniya said of AP Seminar. “I spent so many late nighters and hours preparing for my portfolio. I was excited when I found out that I got a 5 on the exam because it’s pretty hard to do, but I think being one of the 27 people worldwide to get every possible point on the exam is just so cool to think about. The rubrics are tough and ultra-specific, so I didn’t expect it, but I was really proud. It’s definitely a testament to Mrs. Maguire and Ms. Bratney, who have gone out of their way to make sure we had every resource at our disposal.”

Maguire was Saniya’s AP Seminar teacher last year and Bratney is Novi High’s Library Media Specialist.

“The skills you learn in AP Seminar, like critical and holistic thinking, evaluation of perspectives, and defending evidence-based arguments – all under a time crunch – are very beneficial going into college,” Saniya said. “It’s a set of skills that we are exposed to early in the year and are constantly practicing, but ones that have well-equipped us for the future. When I read articles and research now, I’m humbled by the amount of information I don’t know and am eager to learn more, and in Seminar, we were able to hone in on that.”

Saniya is pursuing the AP Diploma and plans to major in either biology or exercise science.

What others said about Saniya’s accomplishment:

Bethany Bratney, National Board Certified Teacher Librarian at Novi High: “Providing quality resources and equitable access is an essential function of our school library. Saniya is a beautiful example of a student who used all of the tools and resources available to her to reach an informed perspective. I am so proud of Saniya's efforts as a thinker and researcher!”

Michael Ziegler, Saniya’s current AP Research teacher at Novi High: “I enjoyed watching my entire class come in and congratulate her excitedly before I could even make the announcement to them – they'd already heard because this is such a wild achievement that you can't keep it a secret. I'm still getting to know her as a researcher but this certainly confirms my early impressions that her work ethic and approach are going to be a model her peers will benefit from!”

Hattie Maguire, National Board Certified Teacher and Saniya’s AP Seminar teacher at Novi High last year: “When I got the email, I gasped out loud and my family said ‘what's wrong?’. I probably shouldn't have been so surprised, though, because Saniya was everything I look for in an AP Seminar student. She's legitimately curious about the world around her, she's a careful, thoughtful researcher, and she's an incredibly hard worker.”

Congratulations to the 33 Novi High School students who earned the distinction of being named 2024 National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists! Each of our students will be featured on the Novi High School website later this month. They have also been invited to be recognized at the October 19th Board of Education meeting. These amazing 33 semifinalists are:

• Shreyansh Agiwal

• Aishani Bajpai

• Judy Chung

• Vivian George

• Abhinav Gunturi

• Xuanlang Guo

• Shua Hahm

• Rachel Han

• Abhay Kakarla

• Aditya Kanginaya Madhuchandra

• Valeria Kantejeva

• Kyle Kemmerer

• Ethan Ko

• Joshua La

• Andrew Li

• Eric Ma

• Jaanvi Muchanthla Reddy

• Srikar Nelakuditi

• Ruichen Pan

• Yashwant Pantra

• Preya Patel

• Shivaji Raj

• Aarav Raju

• Aryaman Ranjan

• Navneeth Rao

• Preston Soisaleumsack

• Fuga Takahashi

• Sriya Tangutur

• Milan Thurman

• Sanjith Udupa

• Grace Wou

• Elvis Xiang

• Jacob Yoon

The Novi Holiday Arts & Crafts Show is a juried show offering the finest in handmade arts and crafts. Artwork, jewelry, accessories, metal work, home décor, garden, embroidery, quilting, paintings, clothing, wood crafts, candles, bath and body products, pet accessories, children’s clothes and toys, doll clothing and delicious food will be on sale. Admission is $5 (children ages 5 and under are free).

NO STROLLERS PLEASE. This show is organized by the Novi Athletic Boosters, a 501(c)3 organization. Novi student-athletes assist crafters in the set up and tear down of the event and our athletic teams benefit from this highly anticipated show.

"We look forward to seeing you at the Novi Athletic Boosters' annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Show!" said NAB President Amy Matas. "Continuously rated one of the best craft shows in southeast Michigan, you will not want to miss this great event. There will be over 200 booths displaying arts and crafts from local artisans - there is something for everyone! Your attendance will not only support Novi High School's and Novi Middle School's athletic teams, but also local small business owners. Come check us out!"