Ms. Novak is a person who touches the lives of everyone that she meets. She is an English Teacher and a Speech and Debate coach, but more than that she is an inspiration, and I am incredibly grateful for her.

As an English teacher, she is a revelation. She conducts her classes in a manner that reveals to her students the nuances of each work that they cover. She ensures that everyone in her classes is prepared for upper level courses and makes sure that in her quest for progress that no one is left behind. She creates classes of professional quote embedders and textual analyzers by pushing students to step outside rote memorization and think for themselves. Her class discussions and activities are the highlight of many of her students’ days. She truly sets everyone in her classes up for success and makes sure that they are prepared for AP English if they choose to take it. She provides a bedrock foundation of English skills which her students can fall back on.

Speech and Debate is the largest academic team at Arcadia High School, but Ms. Novak is able to take the time to get to know each person on the team even if just in passing. She expresses genuine interest and empathy towards the people whom she is around. Public speaking is daunting for almost everyone in the beginning, but she arms her students with resources that make the prospect more palatable. Even more so she is a master delegator, as she knows she can rely on her Varsity members to support the novices and help them improve their skills. Ms. Novak knows that there are moments that are best left to independent study and allows her students to have the time to find their path. Arcadia Speech and Debate has a history of excellence which can 100% be attributed to Ms. Novak. At tournaments, she is constantly skating around on her scooter solving problems as they come up. Even at online events she does the best she can to make the experience enjoyable for her students. She is a hypercompetent leader and coordinator.

I know that I am one of hundreds of students who has passed through her class, but I still feel privileged to have gotten to know Ms. Novak as a coach and teacher. Countless lives have been shaped by those who go out of their way to support the passions and ambitions of their students. She celebrates our triumphs with us, and when we fail she is there to help us evolve and find our missteps.