Noah Fink, 13, is being held out of school as his parents litigate with Warren Hills. But it means he will get to explore jobs with his favorite team.
Noah Fink dreamed of being a hockey player. But he knows that won't happen.
Noah Fink, an eighth-grader in the Warren Hills Regional School District, is a lifelong New Jersey Devils fan. Hanging on his bedroom wall is a goalie stick signed by Martin Brodeur. (Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com)Multiple surgeries to address a genetic disorder meant that the 13-year-old from Washington Township, Warren County, couldn't participate in athletic activities last year. He spent gym classes on the sidelines in his wheelchair, watching others play sports while he kept score or counted laps.
But his favorite team aims to show him there's more to hockey than what happens on the ice. The New Jersey Devils are offering Noah a chance to explore and shadow staff in every office at Newark's Prudential Center.
It's a unique learning opportunity, one that comes amid uncertainty about Noah's eighth-grade year.
His parents, Amy and Steve, are holding him out of classes as they pursue legal action against the Warren Hills Regional School District. They claim the district is imperiling Noah's safety by refusing to meet their requests to accommodate him.
Dispute with the district
Noah has Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects connective tissue all over the body. He has had surgeries on his knees, ankles and one eye, but the wheelchair was needed after an operation last year, he and his family said.
The parents said the district has worked with them in the past, but that the situation has grown to the point of litigation with new administrators this year.
Among the issues they have discussed are Noah's scheduled classes on the middle's school second floor. With the wheelchair, Noah can only use the elevator to get between floors. In an emergency, the elevator would be shut down and Noah would have to wait for authorities to get to him, his parents said.
They said their request to have some of his classes moved to the first floor was denied.
"What damage could be done to the school by moving four classes that is greater than the harm that could come to Noah in an emergency?" Amy Fink said.
Interim Superintendent Gary Bowen did not return calls for comment.
It's a difficult topic for Noah to talk about. He gave short answers and became tearful when asked about his experiences at school, particularly sitting out gym class.
The family is trying to get approval from the district to home-school Noah this year (the single-floor high school won't be a problem next school year, Amy said).
In the meantime, they are giving him reading assignments and other projects to work on and looking for activities to do.
One of his projects is researching and keeping a journal on the Devils.
Harnessing a passion
"What a great kid," Jim Leonard remarked upon hearing Noah's name.
Leonard is the Devils' senior vice president of community investment and set up what will be a number of visits to the team's offices.
Noah Fink added his signature to a banner in his bedroom signed by three New Jersey Devils players. (Steve Novak | For lehighvalleylive.com)A conversation with Amy in which she described Noah's condition and love of hockey sparked the idea, which will help fill some of the void left by the school situation, he said.
Many kids aspire to be professional athletes, Leonard said, but very few will reach that level.
"It doesn't mean they can't take that passion for sport ... and use it to get involved in a whole host of activities," he said.
Students hearing talks from department heads is not unusual. But Noah's experience will be unique. He will, in essence, become an eighth-grade intern. His first visit will be with the event staff on opening night, Oct. 8, Leonard said.
Over several visits, he will learn about every job -- from sharpening skates to ice maintenance -- and see what inspires him, Leonard said. Finding ways to get him involved in staff activities will follow.
"He's a very special individual who could find a lot of reasons to be depressed ... and he hasn't taken that route, and that's a blessing," he said.
Noah is a lifelong Devils fan. The family has season tickets, and he has an impressive collection of memorabilia including a one of Martin Brodeur's sticks, signed by the goalie himself. A banner in his bedroom is signed by three players, with Noah's own signature added in the corner.
Getting to research the office staff is a new experience, and one that he said has him excited. When he volunteered at a recent team charity event, stuffing backpacks with school supplies for Newark students, he said he already knew many of the people there.
It's a silver lining for Noah, his parents said. And most importantly, he's becoming part of a team.
"He learned more in two hours with the Devils than he would have in a year of gym class," his mom said.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
