Novi High School
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| Novi High School | |
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A Commitment to Excellence
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| Location | |
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| 24062 Taft Rd. Novi, Michigan, 48374 USA |
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| Information | |
| School district | Novi Community School District |
| Principal | John Lawrence |
| Enrollment |
1,947 |
| Faculty | 189 |
| Student:teacher ratio | 10.3 |
| School type | Public high school |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Campus size | 500,000 sq. ft. |
| Mascot | Wildcat  |
| Color(s) | Green and white |
| Established | 1963 |
| Information | 248-449-1500 |
| Homepage | [1] |
Novi High School (commonly Novi or NHS) is a public secondary school in Novi, Michigan, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. It is operated by Novi Community School District and was a Blue Ribbon School in 2000. However, the school has continually failed to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress of the No Child Left Behind Act, partly due to the low numbers of some minority groups and the already high performances of its students. Novi currently enrolls about 2,000 students and 200 faculty.
In addition to its primary purpose, Novi High School also houses adult education and various community recreational events, such as open swim in the swimming pool and basketball games in the gym and fieldhouse. The high school has been the venue for numerous competitions including state band festival and regional football, tennis, soccer, and volleyball matches.
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[edit] History
Novi High School was first opened in 1963 and graduated its first class, consisting of 360 students, in 1969. The high school started out in a rural community that served as a railway crossroads which eventually spurred the growth of Novi, and subsequently, the growth of the school. The massive influx of students from the 1980s to today caused several renovations of the high school.
The first renovation occurred from 1993 to 1996, boosting the building capacity by 40%. More importantly, this renovation brought in then-state-of-the-art technology, including a telecommunications system, science labs, and a fine arts complex, effectively transitioning the school to a modern education institution. Coinciding with the renovation, the community also increased funding for education, resulting in a significant migration into the city.
The rapid increase of students quickly filled the renovated high school to capacity in a mere 5 years, creating debate among board members, employees, and residents regarding future action. Ultimately, a sixty-member committee in 2001 voted in favor of a second renovation over plans to build a second high school in Novi.
These renovations took three years and added a new wing of classrooms, media center, black box theater, wireless technology, sports complex, three art rooms, music wing with a dance studio, and most notably, the glass atrium between the classrooms and the old cafeteria. The renovations also improved the swimming pool, football stadium, baseball field, broadcasting equipment, auditorium, gym, classrooms, restrooms, and parking lot. The second renovation increased the area of the school by another 35%, making the school among the largest buildings in the area.
[edit] Academics
Novi operates on a 7:15 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. schedule, which includes four blocks and a break for lunch, divided into three sessions. Although there are four available blocks, students may opt to take some courses, such as Jazz Band or Physical Education, after fourth block if demand if high enough. Furthermore, the school provides students with the opportunity of taking courses not offered at Novi High School at institutions that do, such as Schoolcraft College and the University of Michigan. Novi uses semester scheduling, providing students flexibility and a broader range of course options.
Novi offers 15 Advanced Placement courses and is considering adding International Baccalaureate courses in the upcoming future. The school also offers many vocational courses including the option to take some of them at the nearby Oakland Community College.
Novi traditionally sends a vast majority of its students to colleges and universities, with large numbers attending Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and Grand Valley State University. Students also score among the highest average in the state in both the SAT and the ACT. Many Novi students also received National Merit Scholarship accolades in the recent past.
[edit] Extracurricular activities
The extracurricular activities offered at Novi High School are many and varied due to the school's large size. There are chapters of national organizations, such as the National Honor Society, and clubs founded by Novi students, such as chess club. The majority of clubs have a primarily social or recreational purpose, but some are academically-inclined, such as quiz bowl and math club. The usual range of athletic and music organizations are there for students to join, in addition to Novi's other clubs. The school also organizes an annual school play and musical.
Novi High School teams currently compete in Division I, the division designated for the largest schools. Originally founded in 1963, Novi became a member of the Southeastern Conference in 1980. In 1982, Novi joined the Kensington Valley Conference. Starting in 2008, Novi will participate in the newly formed Kensington Lakes Athletic Association, a merger of the current KVC and Western Lakes Athletic Association along with some other schools, in the majority of interscholastic sports and activities although some, notably the robotics, drumline, and quiz bowl teams compete either independently or in other leagues.
[edit] Athletics
Novi athletics have placed among the top schools in the region in almost all competing disciplines, and some teams have gone on to capture state championships, including girls' soccer and boys' golf. Novi also consistently produces numerous academic all-conference and all-state athletes.
Unlike most schools in the region, Novi fully funds the majority of varsity and junior varsity sports, but some, such as equestrian, gymnastics, and figure skating, require students to privately pay for uniforms, equipment, competition fees, coaches, and other aspects of their sport. The athletic department devotes the largest percentage of its funding to the football program.
[edit] Football
While a member of the SEC, Novi's football team captured league championships in 1972, 1973, and 1976, with the previous two finishing undefeated. As a member of the KVC, Novi won outright league titles in 1981, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2003, and 2004, and shared a league title with Howell in 2007.
Novi also reached the state semifinals twice, losing both times: in 1988, while competing in Division I, to eventual state champion Traverse City Central 12-13 and in 2003, competing in Division II, to eventual runner-up Birmingham Brother Rice 28-31 in double overtime.
The team has won four district titles and also boasts the highest conference winning percentage amongst KVC teams at .618. The team also has a .642 all-time SEC/KVC winning percentage.
[edit] Other Sports
Novi's varsity girls soccer team won three consecutive MHSAA championships between 2005 and 2007 with players from those squads going on to play in Division I NCAA universities, including the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University.
The boy's cross country team won the MHSAA championship in 1998 and 1999 and finishing as runners-up in 2000 and 2006. The team has finished in the top 10 at the state meet for 9 years in a row. In 2001, Tim Moore was the national champion and continued on to Notre Dame University.
Novi wrestling was MHSAA runner-up in 2000 and have produced seven individual state champions since 1996.
The gymnastics team combined with Northville High School to win state championships in 1998 and 2001, while finishing as runners-up in 2002.
The ice hockey team won three consecutive KVC titles from 2000 to 2002 and were regional champions in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007.
Both the boys' and girls' tennis teams traditionally perform well, consistently winning the KVC and placing in the top 5 in the state.
[edit] Other Extracurriculars
In 2005, the FIRST robotics team won the FIRST Robotics World Championship. The team also won the Great Lakes Regional in 2007 and 2008 and many other regional competitions as well.
The quiz bowl team has attended the national competition each year since 2005. The team finished third in the 2007 Michigan state championships and won in 2008.
Novi's fine arts department offers band, dance, choir, and drama programs, all of which have won awards. Novi Drumline recently participated in the WGI World Championships in Dayton, OH. The drumline competes in Percussion Scholastic Open class, and qualified for the finals in 2006 and 2007, finishing twelfth both times.
[edit] Notable Alumni and Faculty
- Dr. Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN[2]
- Mitch Maier, baseball player for MLB's Kansas City Royals[3]
- Emily Samuelson, junior level ice dancing international medalist[4]
- James McIntosh, Olympic medalist in rowing
