Novi High School - History

History

Novi High School was first opened in 1968 and graduated its first class in 1969. Prior to 1968, high school students from the Novi district attended Northville schools. The high school started out in a rural community that saw a tremendous amount of growth between the late 1960s to the late 2000s, and subsequently, the growth of the school. The massive influx of students from the 1980s to today led to several renovations and expansions of the high school.

The first high school was located in the current Novi Meadows school at Taft and 11 Mile Roads which was built in 1968 and opened to students that fall. Explosive growth began in Novi during the 1970s and the district quickly outgrew the old high school, forcing the district to build the current high school which opened in the Fall of 1977. The current school was built on a portion of the Fuerst family farm. The Fuerst sisters sold the property to the school district, spurning residential developers who were seeking the prime piece of property located in the heart of Novi. At the time it was sold, the property was located in the Northville School District. The Fuerst property and several surrounding properties to the east, west and north were annexed from the Northville School District into the Novi School District. The Fuerst sisters were honored with the naming of the school auditorium after them. Over the years, much of the proceeds from the sale were returned to the school district through gifts to the school district by the sisters, who continued to live on the homestead until their deaths.

The first renovation of the high school 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.

Around 2005 Advanced Placement classes became increasingly popular among students at Novi High School. In 2010, Novi High School announced that it would become an IB Accredited school. The first graduates of the high school with IB Diplomas will graduate in 2012.