Novak becomes Gray's second leader

Congratulations to Todd Novak for being named the principal at Gray MS.  We will miss you at Ryle but look forward to working with you at Gray.

By Justin Duke

UNION — For the first time in its history, Gray Middle School is under new leadership.

Todd Novak takes over as the school’s second principal.

Coming to Gray, Novak’s commute doesn’t change much because he’s coming from Ryle High School where he spent seven years as assistant principal.

Novak has been on the job for a little over a month, and he’s already working on getting used to changes.

“Coming from high school to middle school is quite a transition,” Novak said.

Coming from Ryle, Novak has the advantage of already being a familiar face in the community and many students coming through Gray are from families Novak already knows from Ryle.

“It’s a huge asset,” Novak said.

Spending so much time at Ryle, Novak already knows the Union community really rallies around its schools, and he expects that to continue during his tenure at Gray.

“We’ve got a lot of support,” he said.

In his first few weeks on the job, Novak has been getting to know the school and his staff.

“I’ve met with quite a few teachers,” Novak said.

Gray has a history of high performance, and Novak knows his staff is up to the challenge of continuing the tradition.

“I’m just eager to facilitate continuous growth in an already successful school,” Novak said.

Novak credits Gray’s past success largely to the school’s founding principal Tom Hummel, who held the post for 18 years.

“There are big shoes to fill because he established a successful school,” Novak said.

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