Devoted teen with Down syndrome graduates with honors
Posted Thursday, June 03, 2004
By Burt Constable
Lots of teenagers leave high school with diplomas but no clue about who they really are, or what they are capable of doing with their lives.
Michael Novy knows who he is and what he can do. He's the Libertyville High School kid with Down syndrome and an IQ of 52 who will graduate Friday as a National Honor Society member with a lofty grade point average of 3.586 out of 4.
"I am proud of myself, and I'm proud of my parents who helped me understand what is going on," says a beaming Michael. With his mother's unrelenting support, the 19-year-old used "full inclusion" policies to attend regular public school classes from kindergarten through senior year with the help of an aide.
Sitting on the couch, surrounded by his family, Michael explains how got where he is.
"I have lots of problems, that's what I want to say," the sensitive Michael begins. "The class I like the most is psychology. I find that interesting because I have Down syndrome, and that's interesting."
He is the first Libertyville student with that disability to be elected to the National Honor Society, an organization open only to students who make top grades and also meet criteria for leadership, service and character. He earned the honor in spite of his disability, not because of it, says Michele Talley, the society's adviser.
"He has made a significant contribution to the school," Talley says. "Michael has done amazing things, considering the challenges he has faced in life. He's very sociable and well-liked."
Some of the academics are over his head, but that means that he worked longer and harder to learn it, says Stacey Stutzman, Michael's mother and greatest advocate. She adds that when it came to homework, "I did it with him. I didn't do it for him."
Michael had the option of taking special education classes, but he stubbornly insisted on the regular classes.
"Aides would say, 'I can't believe he learned this stuff,'æ" his mom says. "I'd like to know more about how he does it myself."
For four years, Michael has been an energetic production assistant for the school's CAT-TV programs under the supervision of teacher Don Johnson.
"He comes prepared, and I'm not just saying that," notes Johnson. "It would shock you."
Whether on the set or in the classroom, Michael "is really focused on getting things done," Johnson says. When a contest sought TV documentaries with a theme of "overcoming obstacles," Michael surprised everyone at the planning meeting.
"That sounds like my whole life," Michael quipped. "We should do it on me."
The class did, and won honors for the effort.
Michael also has piled up plenty of public service projects - from moving a soup kitchen to helping with an AIDS event. Teachers have called him "a joy" who brings his "unique insights" into class.
The letter informing Michael of his honor society membership validated 19 years of passionate and difficult work.
"You know what was cool about the day we got that letter?" asks Michael's mother. "He (Michael) read that whole letter."
Reading and his other classroom accomplishments are the result of countless, sometimes grueling, hours of work at his mother's side.
"It starts with flashcards at breakfast, and it's every Saturday and after school," says Steven Novy, Michael's dad and a lawyer. "It's all Stacey."
"No, it's all Michael," Stacey counters. "Michael blazed the trail."
Cutting back her law career to be with her kids, Stacey often was out in front, removing obstacles and clearing the way for Michael's education. More important, she always was behind him, prodding, supporting and urging Michael to become more than most people thought he could be.
"I was Attila the Mom," admits Stacey, an expert in the field and a hearing officer for special education cases. But she wore kid gloves whether she was working with Michael or a reluctant school official.
"I wasn't going to fight with them. I'd just find another way to do it," Stacey says.
"See what I mean?" Michael says, moaning about the work his mom made him do. Then he adds, "Mom, I still love you."
He says he loves his sisters, his mom and his dad, who has taken him on fun, unguided, remote hunting and fishing trips with his grandfather.
"There is nothing Michael can't do," Steven says of his son on those trips. "Every expectation there has been met."
Michael surpasses expectations. He boasts awards for tae kwon do, and medals (most of them gold) for his Special Olympics triumphs in everything from weightlifting to bocce ball.
"He's just normal to me. I've never noticed any difference because that's what I'm used to," says his twin sister Molly, who was on the dean's list for her just-completed freshman year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Michael's other sister, Sara, 20, is a top sophomore at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
After graduation, Michael will begin a transition program that will teach him life skills as he works at a local grocery. "I like to stay with my parents, but if I want to move out, I will," Michael insists.
"I'd like to know that everything's in place for him," says Stacey, pondering a possible future of Michael with a job and living on his own. "Is it going to take work and training? Absolutely."
Like other graduates, his goals for the future are a work in progress. But he's certain of one thing. Says Michael, "I never, never, ever give up, ever."
for you. I am sorry you had to read that.
