Middlebury Community Schools

Retired Northridge High School principal Mr. Drew Wood was honored at the school board meeting last night. Dr. Snyder had this to say about Mr. Wood: We are excited tonight to thank Drew Wood for the many years he spent as the building leader at Northridge High School. Drew positively impacted so many people in our community while serving as Principal at NHS for nearly a decade. I think the phrase I hear most when others talk about Drew is “kid advocate” and it’s certainly true that he always went out of his way to support our students. For health reasons, Drew needed to retire last summer, but there’s no doubt he will always be a Raider. We are honored to have Drew and his wife Heidi here tonight, and we’d like to say thank you for all you’ve done over the years for NHS and the entire Middlebury community. We appreciate you! Thank you for your dedication to students and staff, Mr. Wood. You are a true class act!

We are pleased to announce that the Middlebury Community Schools Board of Trustees has approved naming rights agreements with Jayco and Robert Weed Corporation. The Northridge High School baseball and softball fields will be renamed Jayco Fields. Jayco, based in Middlebury, has agreed to a five-year financial partnership with Middlebury Community Schools beginning in 2024. Jayco President & CEO Ken Walters stated, "Jayco has been a part of the Middlebury community for 50+ years. We are extremely committed to our long-term partnership with Northridge High School and Middlebury Community Schools and their vital role in our community. So many in our Jayco family have kids in the school and are proud alumni. We’re proud to continue to show our support with our new partnership on Jayco Fields for the baseball and softball programs. Go Raiders!" While the Northridge High School varsity soccer field will continue to be known as Todd Woodworth Field, the entire soccer facility, which includes two competition fields, a concession and locker room building, press box, and practice field, will now be the Robert Weed Soccer Complex. Robert Weed Corporation, based in Bristol, has agreed to a five-year financial partnership with Middlebury Community Schools beginning in 2024. Robert Weed CEO and Northridge graduate Will Weed stated, "Robert Weed Corp is pleased and excited to support the Northridge High School soccer program and associated facilities. Our team members and family members have been heavily engaged with the program spanning roughly three decades and are proud to have the opportunity to support in this way. We are excited for this partnership and what is ahead for the Northridge soccer program. Go Raiders!" MCS Superintendent Dr. Jayson Snyder said, "We are excited to partner with Jayco and with Robert Weed. These two local organizations employee numerous people in our area and they are both regularly looking for ways to give back and invest in the future of our community. Jayco and Robert Weed have both committed to making an annual contribution for the next five years for these specific naming rights agreements. This money will supplement our operations fund and be used for the maintenance and upkeep of our beautiful facilities. We appreciate the leaders at Jayco and Robert Weed for their willingness to support our students, athletes, staff, and the entire MCS community." Northridge High School Athletic Director Ryan Bales added, "I continue to be amazed at how our local businesses and community support Northridge Athletics. We are appreciative of Jayco and Robert Weed for their investment in our athletic program and our student-athletes."

Officer Jeremy Shotts is retiring later this month. Middlebury Community Schools would like to thank him for all that he has done for the school system. Officer Shotts helped start our police department and has done a wonderful job of developing relationships with students that help our schools be a safe place to learn. Thank you Officer Shotts! We wish you nothing but the best in your retirement!

York Elementary School celebrated grandparent's day last week. We love this opportunity to bring our grandparents into the schools to interact with our students. Thank you grandparents!

Students in Mr. Redinger's math class are busy learning about inverse of functions. Keep it up Raiders!!

York Elementary students and staff in action.

Scenes from Jefferson Elementary School.

Congratulations to the Northridge High School Science Olympiad team who took home the win today at their competition at Whiting! 💚💛

Happy Friday from York Elementary!!

Students at Northridge High School participated in mock interviews today. Thank you to our community members who volunteered their time to help our students sharpen their skills!

Students at Northridge High School are actively engaged in their learning! Go Raiders!!

Mrs. Welker from Heritage Intermediate presented at the school board meeting last night. She shared with the board all of the things that her students are doing to learn new skills, such as providing meals for staff. Students then are able to take what they earn preparing meals and experience fun activities and donate to different organizations in our community. Our students are learning wonderful skills in Mrs. Welker's classroom!

Tonight, the Middlebury Community Schools Board of Trustees approved Mr. Adrian Pettis as the new MCS Police Chief. Adrian Pettis has nearly twenty years of law enforcement experience and is currently serving as a police officer at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to his time at Notre Dame, Officer Pettis spent 12 years working for the Indianapolis Metropolitan School District of Warren Township. While at MSD of Warren Township, Officer Pettis served as the Assistant Chief for two years followed by more than six years as the school district's Chief of Police. While serving as the Chief of Police, he led a department of 10 full-time officers, managed investigations, led and supported both department and school district initiatives, monitored for regulatory compliance, and coordinated the department's professional development programs. He worked closely with school administrators and staff to ensure the safety of 19 buildings while also working to create positive relationships with all stakeholders in the school community. Officer Pettis developed a field training operations program used by the State of Indiana to train officers in the development of positive relationships that best serve the community and promote school safety. Officer Pettis studied Criminal Justice at Martin University and graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. He is a Certified Instructor and an Advanced Field Training Officer. Additionally, he is a Standard Response Protocol Instructor and trained in Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response. Those who have worked closely with Adrian Pettis describe him as a proven leader who can manage complex scenarios while also developing and maintaining positive relationships. Officer Pettis grew up in the area and graduated from Jimtown High School, and he's happy to be back home in Elkhart County. Officer Pettis is married and has five children. During the interview process he talked about the importance of family in his life, and we are thrilled to welcome Chief Pettis to our MCS family.

Don't forget that Middlebury Community Schools has an app that you can download. Our app provides information for each school as well as giving you the ability to receive important notifications!

We are thankful for our MCS community!

Please enjoy your Thanksgiving break!

The Middlebury Activity Center continues to make great progress. This past week we saw the installation of large trusses. This facility will provide many opportunities for our students and community!

Happy Monday! We are thankful for our students who are excited to learn every day!

The Northridge Theater Troupe won 1st place at the Mishawaka Regional and will advance to the Indiana State Finals competition in January!

This past Saturday, the Northridge High School and Northridge Middle School Science Olympiad Teams traveled to Belleville, Wisconsin for the annual Belleville Invitational. The team had a good day with the High School finishing 3rd out of 46 teams. The team will next be traveling to Whiting High School on December 2nd for the Whiting Invitational. Way to go!!