SUPERINTENDENT

Left-handed junior pitcher Gavin Przybyla threw a no-hitter in a 3-0 win over Brighton on April 16. Przybyla pitched a complete game and struck out 10 with two walks. We spoke to Gavin about his no-hitter and goals for the remainder of the season.

On his first no-hitter: “For sure the last inning was the toughest, just thinking about (the no-hit bid) the most. I just didn’t want to think about it too much. The last inning was definitely the hardest – but it felt pretty good to get that.

“In baseball, it’s like an unwritten rule. If you talk about a no-hitter, something bad is going to happen. The feeling though when you get it, is a feeling of accomplishment. Especially against a good team like Brighton.”

On what he was using in his pitching arsenal that day: “What was working well was my fastball and my slider. I got a handful of batters (to strike out) on my slider. And I tried to throw a change-up – I was trying to mix it up there, but actually the first time I threw it I spiked it and hit a kid in the arm. It kind of looked like a cricket game. So I stuck to my fastball.”

On joining varsity for a team that won the state title last year: “We lost three seniors that were huge in our program but we still have a lot of good chemistry. A lot of these kids, we’ve been playing against each other our whole lives. I was able to get pulled up last year and hang out with the team. It’s a really cool environment. It was a really cool experience. Everyone is so nice. We have a really good coaching staff.”

On who he looked up to growing up: “Honestly, it’s been my teammate Uli (Fernsler). We played together on a travel team in Novi. We’re not playing travel together anymore. But what he did on the (Novi) championship run, it’s just amazing to see. That’s something as I player that I look up to. Being my friend and him being as good as he is, it’s just someone easy to look up to.”

Senior Brandon Burns designed the winning Novi High School Select Art Show Poster. The Novi HIgh School Select Art Show, presented by Novi Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, will be held at the Novi Civic Center from May 8-31. The opening reception is from 6-7 p.m. on May 9. Burns said he is hoping to attend Michigan State University and then transfer to the Savannah College of Art and Design. We spoke to Brandon about his winning poster and his art goals.

On creating the winning poster: “This poster was inspired by some of the music I listen to. This poster was built off another poster I made earlier in the year promoting the band King Crimson. If you’re older, you might know them. They are from the ‘60s, ‘70s. They played up through the ‘90s. I think they are still together now. The poster was made to promote their song ‘In the Court of the Crimson King.’ …. I took that design and reworked it for this Select Art Show. I did that because I really love the poster. It’s won some awards in Scholastics.”

On winning the contest: “It’s a very big honor to be chosen, to have my poster put up. I’ve been in many art shows. I’ve won a couple awards. But I’d say this is probably the most significant thing to me because it’s really in my life. It’s a lot closer to everything else I’ve been featured in. In many ways, this is what I’m leaving behind for the high school. I’ll have my name up in the music hall because I’ve been in choir for four years, but that’s a very small name tag. Whereas this gets put up forever – maybe not forever but… I never thought (I’d win). There’s a lot of really good artists here in Novi…. If it has a pencil or a paintbrush, I’ve been in (the class)... I’m always trying to become better at everything I do. That process of getting better usually involves trial and error, failure and learning…. To make better artwork.”

On why he didn’t use a pencil or paintbrush for this entry: “This was made in Adobe Illustrator entirely. This was all new skills to me that I’ve learned this year…. I could have done this in Photoshop. I chose not to because I wanted to test myself and see how good I can make this using just what I’ve learned this year. And perhaps parts of color theory that I’ve learned from other classes, but the actual hard skills to make this piece of artwork I learned this year. And really one of my goals was to challenge myself to make something with what I’ve learned this year versus pulling together all of my strengths. I wanted to challenge myself and I’m actually very glad I did. I think it gave this poster a different look than if I had done it in Photoshop.”

On how Novi helps students who are passionate about art: “Art is a skill. And what Novi’s really done for me is it’s taught me to hone that skill, especially here in high school, where I’ve had the freedom to choose the types of art I want to pursue. We’ve got really good teachers… shoutout to Miss Edmunds, Miss Schnurstein, Mr. Erskine, Miss Harbar, everybody.”

On his long-term goals: “I’d like to go into game design with some of my friends. We’d like to start a studio here in Michigan. Since there’s not as much game design work around here, we’d like to make some and maybe bring a new industry to Michigan.”

Quinn Blanchard and his peers have enjoyed a lot of success this year. Quinn was the recipient of the Oakland Schools CTE student of the year, managed the first place team in a seven-week Ferris State/Auto-Owners Insurance Challenge, finished third in advanced accounting at the Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference and discovered an error the Rochester University Enterprise Accounting Case Study competition.

On helping team win the Auto-Owners/Ferris event: “After beta testing the simulation last year, winning the insurance challenge was no huge surprise. With the previous experience I was able to guide our trio as we worked each week to analyze different variables and its effects on scoring and attempted to model our “company” after real insurance providers. This proved well as we held first place for six of seven rounds. Helping younger and newer members learn more about math modeling and financial statement analysis was a great experience.”

On discovering an error in the Rochester University Case Study: “While modeling an amortization table of a note payable in Excel, the numbers showed my partner and I an error in the case study balances. We communicated this to the university and collaborated with them to release a correction to aid all competitors. At first we didn’t think too much of it, as many simulations aren’t 100% perfect. However, we realized the changes had completely altered the income statements and footing of our balance sheet. The reflection of the error on these statements changed our conclusions completely. The most surprising part was upon submission we found that the second Novi team was the only other group to discover and work around these issues. It was great to know our work impacted the future of the case study and helped the betterment of latter years participants. Rochester University was very receptive to our feedback and great to work with through the process.”

On plans after graduation: “I'll be heading to Grand Valley this coming fall pursuing a Masters in Accounting. I chose Grand Valley because it allows me to attain a BBA while simultaneously getting my Bachelors in Accounting. I love Grand Rapids, plus a lot of the Big 4 and middle-market firms recruit from the schoo,l so it's a great fit.”

On what he enjoyed about the business classes and participation in BPA: “Novi has an extensive business course offering. My goal from freshman year was to take advantage of that. I loved the simulation style of learning and the real world application of material. The CTE program taught me hard skills like financial modeling and analysis but also many soft skills like communication and presentation skills. What I loved most about BPA was the real world connections. Meeting with businesses, exploring careers, competing in competitions, and project managing endeavors taught valuable lessons and excelled my leadership skills. After taking the student manager role my sophomore year we have grown our leadership team to make BPA entirely student-led. Our goal is that in the following years the club is able to grow another 20% in membership, and break the threshold of 10 qualifiers for the national conference. I would recommend any business oriented individual who wants to develop career ready skills and interact with professionals to join, as well as those looking to project manage events.”

Five Novi High students earned All-State honors in Esports, including Ravit Chandra, who was named the state’s player of the year in Valorant.

We asked Esports coach Christopher White about each of the All-Star players.

Ravit Chandra, Valorant: ”Ravit is the best Esports captain and in-game leader I've ever seen. No one is more dedicated and more prepared, and no one motivates his team more than Ravit. His style may seem unrelenting, but he treats his teammates like family and always wants the best for each one of them. He drives those around him to be the best versions of themselves that they can be.”

Luke Guiboux, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: “Luke is a three-year Novi Esports veteran and a natural at any video game he touches. In Smash, he has been a role model for our players this year and approaches the game with a care-free and positive attitude. I can't imagine Novi Smash without him.”

Drake Johnson, Mario Kart 8: “Drake is who pushed me to add a Mario Kart 8 roster this year, and I'm glad we did. He's kind, a great leader and mentor to his team, and always has enthusiasm for the game. Without him we'd have never made it to the playoffs.”

Nimona McKone, Splatoon 3: “Nimona is probably our most dedicated Splatoon 3 player and makes many important in-game calls and plays. She emanates confidence and kindness at all times and helps us strategize and prepare for our games.”

Elbert Zhang, Overwatch 2: “Elbert is a new member of Novi Esports this year and had big shoes to fill, playing as our tank and in-game leader. He has done an absolutely tremendous job at this and I couldn't be more proud. I'm excited to see him grow over the next two years!”

Novi High School’s Youth in Government Program stood out among the approximately 600 other high school students at the state capitol in April.

Ishaan Thurman won a statewide election for Speaker of the House for next year.

Four of the 12 students serving as presiding officers at this year’s conference were from Novi High – Ishaan, Preya Patel, Saanvi Mullapudi and Gursimar Arora.

Additionally, Thea Fortin and Ava Martynenko served on the Governor’s Cabinet. Several of the 22 students from Novi who attended served as Committee Chairs, Clerks or got bills signed into Michigan youth law.

Novi Dance Program is thrilled to extend an open invitation to an exhilarating evening of art and movement at their upcoming dance concert, "Intertwined" on May 9 at the NHS Auditorium. The concert begins promptly at 7 p.m. This special event promises to be a celebration of dance that spans a variety of styles, and ages, showcasing the remarkable talent and dedication of our performers. Tickets are $12 and can be bought online via Go Fan or in person.

Auditions

Step into the spotlight and showcase your talent! The Novii Dance Company has an open call for dancers to audition. Whether you specialize in ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, or any other dance form, NDC invites you to bring your passion and prowess to the team.

Auditions will be held on May 22 for Middle School and May 24 for High School in room 152 at the High School. Dancers are asked to arrive early to check in and warm up. Please arrive prepared with your signed contract and proper dance attire.

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This is an incredible opportunity to be a part of a dynamic team, work with guest choreographers, and perform at multiple venues. NDC is looking for individuals who are not only technically skilled, but also bring creativity and energy to every performance.

For further details and to register for your audition, please visit your school's Peachjar flyer board or email ashley.zardus@novik12.org.

Graduating Seniors are cordially invited to participate in a "Full Circle" walk on Tuesday, May 28th. Seniors will return to their elementary schools to participate in a clap out. Elementary students will line the hallways and clap out the Class of 2024.

Seniors are encouraged to write a note of gratitude to give to their favorite elementary teacher that they can deliver during the walk. All seniors are welcome to participate in this event. Even if you did not attend the district in elementary school, they are encouraged to participate in a walk at their neighborhood elementary school. Parents are welcome to be take photos outside of the school building as seniors begin their walk. A high school administrator will lead the walk at each school building.