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JANUARY 28, 2026 • Vol. 23, No. 2
0048-2605
Deputy chief retires after 3 decades serving West Bloomfield BY GENA JOHNSON gjohnson@candgnews.com
‘Ugly sweater’ pays off big for Farmington High student BY GENA JOHNSON
gjohnson@candgnews.com
C
arter O’Driscoll, 16, a junior at Farmington High School, recently turned a class assignment into a $10,000 licensing deal with YouTube. “I was surprised and excited,” he said. The Ugly Sweater Project is an annual part of Nina Merget’s marketing class at Farmington High School.
Students design an “ugly sweater” for the holiday and incorporate the logo of a major brand that resonates with them. Students researched who to contact at the company, emailed them, shared why they selected their brand, and included their design. O’Driscoll, a sophomore at the time, was a member of the Marketing I class. He has always liked YouTube and designed a sweater with its logo. “Make it more ugly,” he said Merget instructed him.
Initially, he reached out to the head of marketing at Google, which owns YouTube. When he didn’t get a response, he contacted marketing executives at YouTube. According to his teacher, she had already given him the grade, but he wanted to pursue it for a response. “He showed initiative and resilience,” Merget said. It took YouTube representatives awhile to respond, but when they did,
See SWEATER on page 16A
ABOVE: Carter O’Driscoll, in the middle of the second row, and his marketing classmates at Farmington High School show off the “ugly sweater” he designed with the YouTube logo. YouTube used it to celebrate its anniversary and compensated O’Driscoll with a $10,000 licensing deal. Photo provided by Farmington Public Schools
WEST BLOOMFIELD — After 31 years of service, Deputy Police Chief Scott Mong, 57, retired from the West Bloomfield Police Department Jan. 13. Mong started as a 26-year-old cadet in February 1995 and was hired as a police officer in October 1995 where he began his career in the patrol unit. He then joined the special response team, served in the detective bureau, and worked as a field training officer with the patrol unit where he was promoted to sergeant. He rejoined the detective unit and was promoted to lieuDeputy Chief Scott tenant in May 2024. He was Mong has retired then promoted to deputy chief from the West in January 2025, after the prior Bloomfield Police Department after 31 deputy chief, Dale Young, was years of service. His promoted to police chief followcolleagues used the ing the retirement of Chief Michael Patton. word “integrity” to Now, Brian Tash will be the describe his career. new deputy chief for the West Photo provided by Scott Mong Bloomfield Police Department. “I thank the Lord — I’ve been blessed. I’ve had a great career and enjoyed it immensely,” Mong said. “I could not have asked for a better one.” Among the many roles Mong enjoyed at the West See RETIRE on page 8A
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