SUPERINTENDENT

January 1, 2023

From the Desk of the Superintendent

NCSD Families,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had an amazing holiday season and are getting ready to tackle this new year with excitement and hope. I think every January, people all over the world commit to new resolutions to help improve a particular area of their lives. While you may not be big on New Year's Resolutions, I think there is a natural opportunity this time of year to step back and think about what is ahead in a meaningful way. This past week, I had some wonderful time with my family and also took the time to reflect on the year ahead. There is much to come for the next year, but even over the next few months there will be a flurry of activity. I wanted to update you on a few district-wide projects that you may be interested in:

District Master Planning - Over the past several years, since the passage of the 2019 bond, the district has been working to improve the facilities and enhance them for our students and community. One of the top priorities related to our current work is to ensure that the projects we are working on are well planned, intentional, and meet the needs of our district into the future. As a result of this, the district is going to be embarking on a 6-month Facilities Master Planning initiative. The goal is to make sure that we are matching our future construction endeavors to the needs of our programming for students and the community. We do not want to be constructing things in isolation and without considering the holistic nature of all our programs. Practically, we will be working with our design and construction partners to engage community groups, students, parents, staff, and all stakeholders on how we can meet the needs of the entire NCSD community with future construction.
District Podcast - Originally, we planned to launch our Podcast series in November, but due to supply chain issues and shipping delays, we had to postpone until this month. I will send more information when our episodes launch, but look for them this month. While more detail will be shared at our launch, the focus for the podcast will be to discuss topics with talented students and people in society that will be engaging to our families. They will be short 20-30 minute episodes that should pique your interest and be fun.
Safety and Security Enhancements - Over the winter break, our contractors have been installing a whole new slate of security cameras to upgrade our current infrastructure. In addition, we have been working on a project in consultation with the Novi Police Department to produce critical incident maps for our entire district. These maps will make it much easier for emergency responders to locate and find someone in the event of a critical incident. These are just small parts of our ongoing safety and security work, but I wanted to keep you aware that we are constantly investing and upgrading our safety resources and facilities.

I hope that all of you have an enjoyable Winter Break and I look forward to seeing many of you this month!

Go Wildcats!

Ben Mainka, Superintendent
Novi Community School District

Welcome Devin Kling, Assistant Superintendent of Business & Operations

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“There has always been something about working with schools that excited me. My dad coached his five kids in school sports and my grandpa is in the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame. My mom was a daycare director.

“I grew up in a small town, and being a part of, and building, a strong community has always been very important to me. Schools are such a central part of a community’s fabric.

“I completed my bachelor's degree in Finance & Accounting from Walsh College and started out working in a brokerage firm. I soon realized I could combine my interest in strengthening communities through its schools by working in school finance. I then got my Masters in Educational Leadership from Michigan State University and have enjoyed working in the field ever since!”

Why working in schools is important to him: “I love working for schools. You get a sense of teamwork and community you can't find in the private sector. You work for kids and parents, not the price of a company's stock. I love homecoming and cheering on the sports teams after work. That's an experience you can't get anywhere else.”

On how his past experience has prepared him to work for NCSD: “I have worked in school finance for school districts in both Oakland and Wayne County, in positions ranging from an accountant to Chief Financial Officer. In addition to my work experience, I have a large network of mentors and colleges to help me navigate the ever changing school funding climate.”

Why he was interested in joining NCSD: “Novi has a reputation across the state and nation for being an excellent school district. It's large enough to compete at the highest level and small enough to feel like a tight-knit community. It has the best of both worlds. I am very excited to join the Wildcat Administrative team!”

Novi High Earns Esports State Title

Five Novi students confirmed their Legend status by earning a state title. William Diaz, Nihal Dongari, Robert Foros, (captain) Conner Kirkman and Julia Lin earned the winter championship in League of Legends at the Michigan High School Esports League state finals on December 10 at Oakland University.

League of Legends pits five-player teams against each other. “Your goal as a team is to destroy all the other teams’ turrets and then eventually” destroy the other team’s nexus, said Floros, a junior.

ESports are growing quickly among participation in high schools. A year ago, Novi students volunteered to play esports as an offshoot of the more established Games Club. They played against students from other schools, but were playing esports from their individual homes.

Interest soared and Esports was elevated to a competitive club this year, separate from Games Club.

The Novi Esports team members wore black, green, and white t-shirts decorated with the familiar Wildcat logo above a video game controller. They practiced and prioritized Esports over other extracurricular activities.

Novi's League of Legends team went into the state tournament undefeated and confident.

“Our chemistry is better than most teams,” said Floros. “I think we’re all really close friends or kind of like a mini family…. All of us as friends, it takes the nerves off and I think that helps us all perform better.”

Lin, a junior, said the team also has “synergy” from all of their practice time together. “When things aren’t working out, we have to find a solution,” she said. “Overall, we’re just really good together.”

Lin, who started playing during the pandemic, said she’s glad she can show that females can excel in Esports.

“I think it’s just the stereotype, that only guys play,” Lin said. “Do what you like. Never let someone stop you from doing whatever you want.”

Kirkman, the senior captain, said the hours the team spent communicating and problem-solving paid off. And they will continue to pay dividends in the future, as those problem-solving and listening skills translate in the real world when they work on projects with coworkers.

“For me, I feel like I’ve really learned how to lead a team and keep everyone together,” he said. “We’re really good at making sure one person is listened to at a time, and giving everyone time to speak their mind.”

Kirkman said having Oakland University hosting the state championships gave the competition a bigger feel. “Last year, it definitely didn’t feel as complete as it did this year,” he said. “I feel like this year, our team got closer together, after going to events together. We had much more scheduled practices. Last year, people wouldn’t change their schedules for practices.”

Kirkman said he plans to major in computer science at the University of Michigan and continue to compete in ESports there.

“I want people to know it is a real thing that people put effort and time into,” Kirkman said. “It’s not just a game. People actually try hard. They spent time reviewing their game play. They watch videos, spend tons of hours making sure they can perform at these events.”

The spring Esports season will begin in mid-January, which means there will be tryouts again for the League of Legends team. With more than 2,000 students in Novi High, it’s possible other students will become interested in esports after seeing their peers have such success.

“Nihal and I also did it last year, and this was just this side thing for fun,” said Floros. “And now within a year – talking about how fast this is growing – just instantly boom – (championship) trophy."

Trio Shine at Michigan Thespian Festival

Novi High theatre students Jessi Harrison, Carolina Mercado and Nicole Watts each earned Excellent Awards at the Michigan Thespian Festival in Lansing in early December.

Theater director Heather McKaig and Novi High students from Awkward Pause ran a workshop during the Festival.

Harrison earned an Excellent Award for monologue. Mercado earned an Excellent Award for make-up design and Watts was recognized for monologue and stage management.

Watts was also awarded one of the ten Thespian Scholarships, the highest honor a theatre student can achieve in the state of Michigan.

“For the Thespian Scholarship, it was a presentation on all of my work I’ve done for the past four years in theatre,” Watts said. “It was really exciting to be able to get that honor and know that all my hard work paid off.

“You go to (the festival) and you see all this amazing talent and you’re like ‘wow, this makes me wonder if I even stand a chance.’ It just feels amazing. I’ve been part of theatre for the past four years. I don’t think I’ve ever committed towards something like theatre before, so it’s just exciting to know all my contributions towards theatre has been recognized.”

Watts said she joined as a freshmen because her friends were interested.

“I’ve made so many really great friends,” Watts said. “I’ve learned so many skills… construction and design work and being a leader.”

Watts said she plans to pursue a minor in theatre and continue to do stage management in college. She is waiting to find out about other offers but was recently accepted to Oakland University for Business Administration.

Mercado said her Excellent Award was based on her hair and makeup design for “Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind” by Greg Allen. “Originally I was very nervous because I didn’t really do complicated stage makeup,” Mercado said. “My intention was to do very simple stage makeup. The dialogue was the main focus of the show, not the makeup

“The (judges) really liked it.”

Mercado acted in shows and musicals in Middle School and initially joined the High School Theatre construction crew. She said being elevated to Student Director for Hair and Makeup as a senior has made her a better leader. She plans to major in fine arts in college, with a minor in psychology.

Harrison, in addition to her excellence award, was also awarded a total of $283,000 in scholarship offers from Northern Michigan University, Rochester University, Detroit Mercy and Wittenberg University.

“I got accepted into a bunch of different theatre programs that I didn’t even audition for,” Harrison said.

Has she made up her mind? “Oh, absolutely not,” she said. “There’s too many.

“I plan on majoring in theater and performance and minoring in graphic design. I do plan on spending the rest of my life performing in theatre.”

Unity in the Community Opportunities

Unity in the Community is a project that the Novi High School International Baccalaureate Diploma Candidates are working to expand on a Unity in the Community project that began last year in a modified format due to pandemic concerns.

“Unity in the Community is a great opportunity to bring activism and volunteerism alive in Novi High School,” said Christopher Capuano, IB 20th Century World History teacher.

IB Diploma Candidates Guanlin (Bill) Li, Sofia Garnica Aguilar Alvarez and Meghna Reddy discussed planning for the project, volunteer opportunities and the significance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

“MLK Day is an extremely important day because it is a day that represents what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for,” said Sofia Garnica Aguilar Alvarez. “He stood for unison in his community and beyond, something that we are trying to bring to Novi and its surroundings. It is important to, as a community, stand together in moments of hardship and help each other. “People need to know that their community has their back. In the end, Martin Luther King Jr. stood up in alliance with his community and was able to achieve outstanding things.”

Meghna Reddy said the IB Cohort has arranged for a variety of opportunities to volunteer with different organizations, including Fleece and Thank You, Manoogian Manor Senior Living, Almost Home Animal Shelter, Capuchin Soup Kitchen, and more .

“We currently have eight organizations working with us and slots for about 115 volunteers,” she said. “Since the goal of our project is promoting unity in our community, volunteers at each location will be helping out with whatever they can. Last year, at Manoogian Manor, we led an MLK Trivia activity for the senior citizens, and we plan to do something similar this year too. Overall, we want to spread Dr. King’s vision, and we believe the best way to do so is bringing our students and local organizations together.”

Guanlin (Bill) Li said building off last year, the IB Cohort began contacting organizations in October to confirm and increase volunteer options.

“We had way more organizations to work with this year, so after we got a few confirmations we started figuring out how to actually get volunteers to sign up,” he said. “We made a SignUpGenius and the flyers and we did a couple of takes of the clip we were going to air on the Cats Eye News during Advisory,... We decided to post the flyers to social media too and we’re still coming up with more ways to promote the project to get enough volunteers before the big day.

“Overall, I think it's a learning experience for all of us in how to actually organize a project of this scale. Even though we face challenges sometimes, it's a lot of fun.”

In addition to the volunteer efforts of the IB Cohort, the Novi Public Library will host a breakfast event filled with inspiration and unity from 10 a.m. to Noon on January 16. The event will include music, speakers, and other presentations that represent how we all do better when we are united. Children ages 5-10 will meet in the Youth Activity Room for pancakes, make unity crafts and learn about MLK and others who made great contributions to our country. Students from the Novi Community School District will be volunteering and participating in this event.

"This community event is one of the best representations of our motto: Inform. Inspire. Include,” said Gail Anderson. Programming Director for NPL.

Multi-Cultural Festivals at Two Elementary Schools

Deerfield Elementary will host its Multicultural Festival on Jan. 24 and Novi Woods will host a similar event on Jan. 26.

“On behalf of Novi Woods, we are thrilled to be able to hold our PTO Multi-Cultural Night in person again this year,” said Novi Woods Principal David Ascher. “Novi and Novi Woods have a long history of celebrating and honoring the many backgrounds and traditions in our district.

“Learning from each other in this joyous event and through many other intentional acts and lessons all year long inspires our students to reach further and build an even stronger community.”

New Deerfield Principal Ryan Francis is excited for the January 24th event.

“This is a great opportunity for our families to not only showcase their own culture, but for all of us to learn from each other,” he said. “Personally, I'm looking forward to learning more about our families, so I can better understand the traditions and backgrounds of our students.

“We are incredibly lucky to have such a diverse school community and this event helps draw attention and celebrate how special Deerfield truly is.”

Wrestling Coach Joel Smith Honored

Novi High Wrestling Coach Joel Smith was honored by the All-American Athletic Association at the Oakland County wrestling meet on Dec. 17.

Here is a copy of the presentation:

“Every year the wrestling officials from the All-American Athletic Association nominate an Oakland County wrestling coach who we feel has demonstrated outstanding characteristics and stands out in our sport. Our honoree was a national freestyle champ as a freshman in high school. He then became a three-time high school state champion.

He went on to wrestle at Eastern Michigan University, where he was a four-time letter winner, three time captain, a two-time Mid-American Conference champion and placed 5th at the Nationals, earning All-American status in 1989. He was inducted into the Eastern Michigan University Hall of Fame in 2003.

He has been coaching high school wrestling since 1996. His first stop coaching was at his Alma Mater Warren/Detroit Bethesda, then he coached at Livonia Stevenson, Northville, and Brighton High School before his present job. He has coached 30 state place winners and five state champions. One of his greatest joys has been having the opportunity to coach his own sons and to receive letters from some of his former wrestlers thanking him for the lessons they learned from him.

One of his most memorable experiences he has had as a coach was when his oldest son Cooper, was runner up at the Oakland County Tournament his senior year in 2015. May we have the honor to present the 2022 award to Joel Smith from Novi High School.”

Late Night Exam Cram HAS BEEN CANCELED

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UPDATE: THIS EVENT WAS CANCELED on JANUARY 17.

-- The Novi Public Library will provide a study space for 200 students in grades 9-12 who are preparing for end of semester tests. The Late Night Exam Cram will run from 6-10 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22. The cafe will also be open during that time. Student ID and registration is required. Visit novilibrary.org or email administration@novilibrary.org to register.

All State Band & Orchestra Honors

Several Novi High and Novi Middle School students earned All State Band and Orchestra honors and will be invited to perform with their All State Ensemble at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids this month. Over 2,300 students auditioned to be a part of the All State Honors Ensembles this year, and around 400 students were selected from around the state. Students had two months to prepare a difficult audition consisting of 1-2 prepared pieces of music, multiple scales, and sight reading.

“We are incredibly proud of all of the students who went through this difficult audition process and are excited for those students who will get to perform,” said Novi Middle School Band Director Adam Ronning.

Novi High All State Band/Orchestra:

Alto sax: Aakash Sinha.

Bass clarinet: Joshua La.

Bassoon: Pranay Yellapantula.

Clarinet: Emily Choi, Ethan Ko, Eric Ma, Elvis Xiang.

Flute: Judy Chung, Catherine Hu, Sana Mohammed, Kaitlyn Sheng.

Trumpet: Chris Jung, Arnav Patri, Ashley Rennells

Viola: Sophia Chacko.

Violin: Ryan Choi.

Honorable Mention:

Clarinet: Daniel Han.

Percussion: Aaron Zhao.