In 1905, the doors of Northwood School officially opened, and everything within has been growing ever since. Each year brings change — new people come and others leave. But whether they’ve been here for a year or four years, all Northwood students experience Northwood’s original traditions.
Olivia Skriloff ’18 on stage completing the Name Game in the fall of 2017.
Throughout the school year, students have abundant opportunities to take part in the school’s traditions. Last Monday at school meeting, Ms. Mavis Agnew, Director of Residential Life, announced the first opportunity of the year: the Name Game.
When Mr. Thomas Broderick, Associate Head of School, first came to Northwood, he initiated the Name Game tradition. Since then, every year, during school meeting, a handful of students stand up and recite every student’s name and where he or she is from.
Though the task may seem pointless, it has profound significance to all members of the Northwood community. “The Name Game helps everyone at Northwood understand that although sometimes it seems like there are lots of people in our community, our community is tight-knit, ” Ms. Agnew said. She continued, “Doing the Name Game in the first month or two of school demonstrates that it’s not hard at all to get to know everyone in the whole school. It encourages people to reach out to others who they may not have had the chance to talk to.”
This year, Northwood has 192 students from 19 states and 24 countries. The student body is more diverse than ever.
Chelsea Smith ‘19 was the winner of the 2018 Name Game. Olivia Skriloff ’18 has the school record, naming everyone just one week into the school year.
Who will be brave enough to tackle the daunting task and follow in their footsteps?
