Editor’s Note: This article is part of our series of highlighted exemplar recognitions. See our introduction post for all the details, or view all the posts in this series. This article was written by Boston Area Rep Elliot Raff.

Mike Noss is a Level 2 Judge from Springfield, New Jersey. His recognitions this wave mostly focus on one event where he helped administer an unconventional judge exam:

There is no question you deserve this recognition. Your unwavering commitment to assist me with testing Anthony even to the point of spending a serious amount time and effort during the exam process, staying with me the entire time (and that was not the only instance where you and I worked together to try and bump Anthony up). It was way above and beyond anything most others would have done for someone else, and an exemplar recognition is the least that can be given back to you for what you have given to the community, time and time again. – Nicola DiPasquale

Mike, what you and Nicola did for a judge you tested recently was awesome. You two went above and beyond in your roles as mentors, by finding an alternative presentation of a standard judge exam – to help that judge past their difficulties with the standard test format, while still ensuring that they meet the requirements of the test itself. People learn (and demonstrate what they’ve learned) in many different ways, and you recognized a place where the system needed to flex a bit to accommodate a clearly qualified person. That took initiative and cleverness to execute. You did something very awesome for that judge (and the community at large), and you & Nicola did it in a very cool new way. It needs to be recognized. Well done. – Mani Cavalieri

At SCG New Jersey over Thanksgiving, I watched Mike make a plan to help Krug test for L2. He and Nicola DiPasquale found all the physical cards on an L2 test, and gave the test to Krug via physical cards and asking him questions rather than having him answer on paper. Mike drove a lot of this, and was so invested in Krug that he and Nicola snapped at each other about who was going to be telling him…then had tears in his eyes when Krug got the news. Mike, I was thoroughly impressed. – Rob McKenzie

Here’s what Elliot Raff had to say about these recommendations:

Hello friends! For Day Two of our Exemplar Highlights, I have the honor of sharing a little bit about Mike Noss. Mike received recognition for a range of skills in this Wave – mentoring of newer judges and scorekeeping excellence among them. However, the majority of judges chose to recognize him for something that will be repeated in judge stories for years to come. Mike, along with Nicola DiPasquale, found an ingenious way to help a judge past his testing problems and anxiety. These two judges physically found every single card that popped up on a Level Two exam, and sat down and gave this candidate his test verbally. How did they correct for the candidate’s anxiety? Well, he never knew he was taking the actual exam until he had already passed it.

This is simply the most recent example, but Mike has a long history of excellence and giving back to the program. We’re very lucky to have him.