Northville High students, staff and athletes honored at board recognition night

Northville High School administrators, students and coaches presented a program of academic, extracurricular and athletic recognition at the Jan. 10 Northville Public Schools Board of Education meeting.

Principal Tony Koski said the evening was intended to showcase recent accomplishments across academics, arts, clubs and athletics. “Who does have it better than us? Nobody,” Koski said, repeating a line he used earlier in the year to frame the school’s efforts to “get better every day.”

The presentations covered several schoolwide efforts. Staff described Mustang Mentors, a yearlong program that pairs 10th–12th grade students with small groups of ninth graders from the same seminar (homeroom) to provide social and academic support. Sophie Walker, introduced in the meeting as a senior and a mentor, said the small-group “circles” give ninth graders space to speak and build relationships: “It kinda really helps us … and everyone can hear each other.” Student mentor Ben Zaremba told the board mentors help freshmen with concrete concerns such as finals week and provide ongoing support for students who may not have family members with local high-school experience.

School staff said Mustang Mentors launched this year with training based on restorative practices and received seed funding from a Northville Education Foundation (NEF) grant and a PTSA grant. The program leaders told the board the initiative created roughly 60 new student leadership positions and includes quarterly small-group meetings and larger, interstitial events such as a freshman-only study session and movie night.

Administrators also presented academic recognitions. The school reported 65 National Merit commended students and semifinalists; a rotating group of those students introduced themselves and said where they hope to study. The board heard that Northville’s recent graduation-rate figures and AP/IB participation remain strong: school staff said last year’s graduation rate was 99.6 percent and that the school offered dozens of AP and IB sections, dual-enrollment options and career-technical pathways.

Teachers and students showcased the International Baccalaureate (IB) personal projects completed by middle-years students. Staff member Sherry Slater introduced students who described independent projects ranging from podcasts and video games to fundraisers and community service; one student said a fundraiser raised “over $20,000” for humanitarian aid.

The Aerospace Club described its work toward qualifying for NASA’s Student Launch Initiative, including completing three of five required technical reports and a subscale rocket launch that reached about 2,000 feet and 250 miles per hour. Teacher-adviser Trish Krebs credited student leadership and outside support from NEF and school staff.

Athletics drew a long series of recognitions. The district highlighted multiple conference, regional and state honors across fall sports, with specific teams and coaches appearing to accept recognition onstage: boys cross country earned a third straight MHSAA state title with multiple All-State finishers; girls volleyball won the school’s first MHSAA state volleyball championship; girls golf and girls swim and dive posted state-level finishes; several teams and coaches received conference and regional awards; and the athletic program reported a collective student‑athlete GPA for fall teams of 3.54. Regional athletic director Mr. Samalski, who addressed the board, said the sustained success and community support make “it a privilege” to work with the student-athletes and coaches.

Board members used the recognition segment to thank administrators, coaches, teachers, PTSA volunteers and the NEF for support that staff said helped launch and sustain the programs discussed. Koski and other administrators invited the board to engage further with students—one student, David Roden, said the principal’s cabinet stands ready to present student perspectives at a future meeting.

The recognition segment occupied the majority of the meeting’s first half and concluded before the board moved to business items later in the agenda.