Lakeview takes on a new athletic director, Mark Novotny. Novotny took over Ron Dejulios’ spot in our athletic department, starting the school year of 2023. Novotny was a Lakeview math teacher for ten years and even coached the boys’ basketball team. Not being new to sports, Novotny has a refreshing new look at our athletics. While the process was difficult, Novotny seems to have made great strides.
Athletic Director Mark Novotny said, “There are a lot of things I thought I knew that I ended up not. Right now, with the two positions, I’m learning something new every day, and finding something else out that I didn’t know I had to. To me, this is the exciting part of the job. As a teacher, I knew exactly what my plan was, and in this job, you don’t necessarily know what’s going to happen. Mr.Dejulio, however, has been a great help to my transition. Anytime I need something, he always answers my call and helps out. The whole administration team has greatly helped me throughout this new experience.”
The Lakeview Middle School principal Ron Dejulio said, “Mr. Novotny shadowed me as the athletic director this spring and summer. The one thing that I always believed is that you have to make every job your own. You have to figure some things out yourself because you aren’t always going to do things the same way as the last person. I was the athletic director for 7 years. The hardest part of the job was all the time that you had to put in. Most days an athletic director arrives at school between 8:30 and 9 a.m. and on game nights doesn’t go home until 9-10 p.m. The easiest part of the job was going to all the sporting events because I love sports and competition.”
Novotny brings some exciting new perspectives to our athletics, by not only focusing on the athletes but the whole community.
Novotny also said, “This was a good opportunity for me to have a different impact on students and the community that I couldn’t provide as a teacher. For me, this was an exciting opportunity to further my influence and help out in different ways. I built a connection with the players and the staff while as a teacher. I feel like this is where I earned the high regard of both teachers and students. I plan on doing everything I can to make the experience better for our athletes, coaches, community, and everybody involved. Friday football games are not for the high school, it’s a community event. These are the types of connections we need to improve our community relationships and make the overall experience better for everybody.”
That is one thing everyone can seem to agree on is the community’s respect for Novotny
Lakeview’s Principal Lawrence Herrholtz said, “Mr. Novotny’s involvement with the student body was a standout factor. The students hold him in high regard and react well to him. This was one of the biggest things we took into account. This change was easy because Novotny fits in with the administration team quite easily.”
The community respects Novotny, but he is also the perfect candidate for the job.
Herrholtz said, “Mr. Novotny was interviewed by several people, including board members, superintendent, and several administrators. We searched for the perfect candidate and went through several people to find someone we felt was perfect for the job. Among the many applicants, Mr. Novotny’s experience as a teacher and coach made him stand out for the job. Novotny showed responsibility with budgeting. He already had experience with running the program, which matters in the job. He has also been in charge of other adults, which I think is an important aspect as well. Many teachers are not in charge of adults and are unsure of what to do when they become in charge. Overall, Novotny is an honest human being. We need honesty and communication, otherwise known as soft skills, here at Lakeview. He knows how to converse with others and is not timid.”
We wish Novotny good luck as he continues to improve our athletic department!