Lynn Singh

Steven Pravica

North prides itself on offering a variety of elective options to fit the interests of any high school student. From drama to business to engineering, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Steven Pravica joined North’s staff three years after the school opened, and after 22 years of teaching Autos, he will be retiring at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

For over two decades, Pravica has taught the three levels of Autos. Autos I: Introduction to Maintenance is a semester-long course in which students are introduced to working with cars by practicing maintenance and repairs. Autos II: Systems and Services builds off of this by teaching students how to operate the different systems and exploring system failures. Autos III: Advanced Auto Service allows students to apply what they have learned in the previous two classes in the real world through diagnosis, troubleshooting and live work.

Pravica enjoyed teaching Autos at North for many reasons, but his favorite part of working at the school is the opportunity it gives him to foster relationships with high school students. These connections have created some of Pravica’s favorite memories at the school.

“[My] favorite part of my time is when we used to run auto shows. We’re not having one this year, but we used to have an auto show just before the pandemic [where] students would bring their cars,” said Pravica. “I would say that [those were] probably some of my favorite times because I would have previous students come as well, so it’s kind of a big gathering of all of my students from the maps.”

For Pravica, it seems unreal how quickly 22 years have flown by, especially looking back to how he felt at the beginning of his teaching career.

“I used to think about some of the guys that I started teaching with when they were older, and they were like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve been teaching 25 years,’ and I’m like, ‘That’s a lot, how did you get there?’” said Pravica. “And here I am.”

Over the years, one of Pravica’s passions outside of the classroom has been music, which he plans to spend more time pursuing post-retirement. His band is currently in the process of recording music that is a mix of different styles.

“I was into music when I was younger, so recording music and playing live,” said Pravica. “I play guitar, piano and I sing.”

Pravica has left a significant impact on North through his passion for teaching Autos and the relationships he has formed with students. Though he is disappointed to leave North after 22 years, Pravica is excited to see his students’ accomplishments in the future.

“I hope that [North’s students] work hard and succeed in whatever career path that they choose, and I look forward to their successes,” said Pravica. “I’m [going to] miss everybody.”