Freshman Seminar
Gets a Makeover
New Program Includes Character
Training, Inspirational Speeches
December 2006
My first year at Novi High
School, Freshman Seminar was in its infancy. Our Seminar (a
one hour section of school every Tuesday and Thursday where
students are allowed to travel to their classes or do
homework) consisted of an activity for the first 30 minutes
every time we met- usually an activity teaching us something
about our new school. These activities were led by
“mentors”: Juniors and Seniors that applied for the job.
Fast forward four years
later, and I find myself in the shoes of a mentor. Freshman
seminar has undergone a massive re-haul, its fourth in as
many years. This time the focus has shifted, from a how-to
course on being successful at Novi High School, to a program
called “Character is Everything”. The program, sponsored by
Telecom Credit Union and the Novi Rotary Club, is based
mostly on the Character Counts’ six pillars of character:
trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring,
and citizenship.
Numerous guest speakers
have visited Novi to express the importance of these values.
The first week saw Rob Casalou, President of St. John’s
Providence Hospital, speaking about the importance of
integrity. Next up was Michael Angelo Caruso, who gave
everyone, including myself, a confidence boost with his
catchphrase “you’re the most important person in the world”
which fit right into his theme of positive self worth.
Dr. Lee Meadows from Walsh
College talked about my generation’s greatest strength:
diversity. David Malloy, Police Chief of Novi, spoke on
professionalism and Gerry Jackson, Rotary District Governor,
visited NHS as well to speak with Freshmen.
NHS has even brought in Jim
Dreyer, the distance swimmer who has swum across all five of
the Great Lakes. I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what
a man who has persevered so much talked about.
The program has been met
with mixed reviews, as every Freshman Seminar has.
Complaints about time constraints are at the top of the
heap, and there have been some kinks in starting up such a
new and broad program.
Under the leadership of Lee
Bonner, a NHS teacher, and Todd Lockhart, the Novi Rotary
President, the program has reacted quickly to any and all
issues. Already, things are running smoother, though the
time issue can’t be rectified.
The results of this program
won’t be seen for years, perhaps never as the program
searches to mold one of the most intangible elements of a
person’s being: character. As a mentor in the program, I
have to say many of the lessons preached in these talks are
appropriate for this generation, at this age. If the kids
are listening at least half the time, they’ll have a much
much different view of character.
