New students arriving at Northwood School for the opening of school experienced various types of emotions. They were nervous, worried, and excited for the next chapter in their life away from home.
A typical orientation at a high school is simply going to school, getting your schedule, and then leaving. But at Northwood, students go through a lot more. First, they attend registration, collecting stamps on their checklists after talking to the Dean of Academic Affairs, the Director of Athletics, the Director of Technology, the school nurse, and so on. Then, they move into their dorm rooms. This means that the time for them to say goodbye to their parents is getting closer, which can be exciting, since they will be on their own, but also sad since they won’t be able to see their family for a long time.
Students participate in Northwood orientation activities in the fieldhouse (Photo: Northwood School Facebook)
As new students settled into their new home, the warm and welcoming community at Northwood gave comfort to many of them. Jack Schlifke ‘20 said, “I really liked how tightly knit the school was.” Marie-Jeanne Prince ‘22 said, “I felt welcomed, like a part of a community.”
Mixed emotions carried on throughout the rest of the orientation. “My parents have done everything that they could do for me my whole life, and it was definitely a little weird seeing them go home after orientation,” Schlifke said. Waking up to the ringing of your alarm clock instead of the yelling of your parents — “You’re gonna be late. Get up!” — may seem daunting at first, but learning to become more independent is one of the many advantages of going to a boarding school.
To help new students fit in, Northwood organized several days of activities for orientation. By the end of the week, the new students felt more comfortable since they were able to meet a lot of new people.
