2022 March – The Mirror

Humans Of Northwood: Ruby Lewin ‘22

March 27, 2022 by Angelica Gonzalez

I am originally from Blue Mountain Lake. It is about an hour and a half south of here and has a total of 150 year-round residents.

I first attended Northwood in the fall of 2020, the start of my junior year. I came to Northwood for the first year of the dance program, in collaboration with The Dance Sanctuary, and for an enhanced academic experience. I was excited when I first heard about this new program. I had never heard of this school until the head of admissions came to our dance studio and told us about this collaboration.

Including dance into my academic schedule was an intriguing idea, and I am glad to have this opportunity. My favorite part about the dance program is meeting people from a variety of places and diverse backgrounds, and we can come together and share the same passion. This studio has such a sense of community and welcomes everyone with open arms. I have loved having a “second family” and creating amazing pieces with some wonderful people.

Northwood does a respectable job of supporting the dancer students. I am hoping that as the program grows and progresses, there can be a formal practice space on campus. The dance students have dance classes at night, typically starting around 6:30/6:45 and lasting for two hours. For dancers next year (and years after), I would love to see better communication with the kitchen to confirm full meals for all the dancers rushing to catch transport to dance.

As told to Angelica Gonzalez ’22. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

New Investment Club Generating Interest

March 27, 2022 by Colter Cheney-Seymour

Clubs are an important part of life at Northwood School. They help students diversify from their commitment to sports and academics. A popular new club this year is the Investment Club founded by two seniors and advised by Mr. Kelvin Martinez.

The idea for the investment club came from Slater Loffredo ‘22 and Berhanu Stevens ‘22. Club advisor Mr. Martinez wears many hats at school: in addition to advising student investors, he is also the boys U17 soccer coach, Spanish instructor, and Dean of Multicultural Affairs.

“Berhanu and I are really interested in trading and stocks,” Loffredo said. “We found out that Mr. Martinez knows a lot about the topic, so we asked if he would be willing to share some investment and stock tips with students.”

Now over a year later, the investment club has a regular attendance of around 12 students at each meeting.

“During the meetings we all get our computers out and login to our TD Ameritrade paper trading accounts,” Loffredo continued. “These accounts are set up so we are not using actual money and we can practice the basics of investing without any risk of financial loss.”

Mr. Aaron Garvey P’25 speaking to the investment club at the Innovation Hub in February 2022 (photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge).

The accounts use real time data and act as any other account funded with real money would. This allows the students and Mr. Martinez to have open discussions on different investing strategies as well as spotting investing trends.

Last month, the club welcomed guest speaker Mr. Aaron Garvey P’25 to the Innovation Hub. Mr. Garvey, a parent of a current student, has had a long and successful career in finance. Garvey mentored students on the psychology of a successful investor. Each attendee had an opportunity to create an individualized investing plan and receive feedback.

Students interested in the Investment Club should reach out to Mr. Martinez, Slater Loffredo or Berhanu Stevens.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Vegas Dispatch: Off-Pitch Activities Provide Bonding and Fun for Soccer Team

March 26, 2022 by Colter Cheney-Seymour

The team enjoying some free time in Las Vegas (Photo: BRFC).

Northwood’s soccer team recently traveled across the country to Las Vegas to compete in the Players’ College Showcase. Both teams had four games over the weekend, competing in front of some of the best colleges in the country.

After a long day of traveling, the Huskies arrived in Nevada late Tuesday night and had a team meeting covering the goals for the trip. For both teams, the goal for the showcase was to go 4-0.

Wednesday morning kicked off the preparations for the weekend with a hike that overlooked all of Las Vegas. The players spent the morning enjoying the sun before training that evening. Training included lots of passing and possessions drills to help the players focus after a long travel day. After dinner, the team went out to get some local Mexican food and enjoyed the hotel’s outdoor heated pool, which would later be used for recovery.

Thursday marked the final day before the games began Friday morning. Players woke up early for a tactical training session. The weather was very windy, which cut the training short, but nevertheless the team was ready for the upcoming matches.

The games would be 80 minutes long and take place on grass fields in the heart of Las Vegas. College coaches from all over would attend, including Stanford and UCLA, making this a huge occasional for Northwood’s uncommitted players.

Filed Under: Sports

Humans of Northwood: Komar Martinez-Paiz

March 25, 2022 by Pablo Obrador

Komar Martinez-Paiz (Photo by Pablo Obrador ’22)

A new face joined the Northwood community a few months ago. Mr. Komar Martinez-Paiz hopes to contribute to the community, especially the Black Rock soccer program.

Coach Komar told The Mirror he feels very happy with this new position and he also says he feels very productive with the responsibilities he has had both in the Black Rock program and for the greater Northwood community. This time has been vital for Coach Komar to find balance in his life, wake up each morning with a reason and find happiness in his work.

Within Black Rock, his job is to support Coach Moodey with the organization of championships and the U19 team, as well as helping young athletes to enhance their quality on and off the pitch, by giving advice and helping each of the athletes to be better athletes people every day.

During his free time, Coach Komar likes to read, do yoga, meditate and exercise to stay in shape. Lately he has found a new passion for investing and is exploring this with the new Investment Club that Mr. Kelvin Martinez advises.

Coach Komar wants to continue working to support each of the athletes and move forward with his personal goals, working day by day to achieve his goals.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Three Students Honored by Tech Organization

March 25, 2022 by Mitchell Baker

Iva-Amanda Nelson ‘23, Christie-Ann Nelson ‘23, and Adria Tebo ’23 were recently honored with National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Awards for Aspirations in Computing. The NCWIT works to increase the meaningful participation of girls and women in computing.

Amanda won the Regional Aspirations in Computing Award, which is extremely difficult to win. Her sister Christie achieved a Regional Honorable Mention for the same award, and Tebo was named Regional Rising Star. They were recognized for their work in CAD Design, 3D Printing and Robotics courses, which are part of Northwood’s Innovation, Engineering, & Entrepreneurship Department and offered at Northwood’s Innovation Hub.

The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing honors female, genderqueer, or non-binary students in 9th-12th grade for their computing-related achievements and interests. The award also encourages them to pursue their passion.

“I am inspired by my achievement. Since a young age I have always been into STEM-related activities,” Amanda Nelson said. “This award means a lot to me. Since coming to Northwood, I have been open to so many new opportunities and am extremely grateful for the opportunity to win this award,” she added.

The Northwood community is extremely proud of Amanda, Christie, and Adria. Northwood encourages more students to challenge themselves and participate in STEM-related opportunities at school.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Northwood’s Playlist: March 2022

March 25, 2022 by Lily Spiegel

Original Illustration by Julia Turner ’23. More by Julia on Instagram @blixd_eyed.

According to psychologists from psychology-spot.com, “…we listen to certain songs again and again because they generate a kind of addiction. When we like a song or link it to some positive experience, it activates the reward system in our brain by releasing dopamine. Since that song makes us feel good and generates a pleasant feeling of comfort, it is normal that we want to listen to it again and again.”

The Mirror wanted to know what songs students were listening to that make them happy. This playlist (Apple Music | Spotify) represents Northwood students when they are most happy. We spoke with fifteen students, and this is what they told us.

Peppi DelliQuadri ‘22	”The song Homecoming makes me happy because the beat is uplifting and pumps me up.”
Sam Lyne ’24	“This song gets me motivated to get things done. The message of the song is to live your life to the fullest and to not listen to people who tell you can’t do something.”
Nori Fitzsimmons ‘24	“It makes me feel full of serotonin and euphoric, and it reminds me of the time I started listening to it: car rides with my friends.”
Abigail Sinclair ‘23	“It reminds me of my childhood. The lyric, ‘and the butterflies fly away’ remind me to not be as nervous.”
Brady Hildreth ‘22	“This song calms me down and takes away the stress of school work and anything else that is going on in life.”
Gus Garvey ‘25	“This song a reminder of going on long road trips with my family. I remember that song playing when we arrived in Old Forge. I associate it with a sense of optimism and anticipation.”
Katie Demers ‘24	”They lyric, “Don’t wanna think about her, or wear a ring without her” makes me feel that everyone has a person, and it might always not be the person you expect it to be and at the beginning it’s hard to realize this. The lyric, “And see the world through whiskey glasses, and I need a better view, where I don’t drink to you” makes me feel that moving on is hard, but without moving on you’re just going to keep reliving the same events.”
Matt Brady ‘22	”Trademark USA makes me happy because I associate it with good memories.”
Maisie Crane ‘23	“The song is really good, and I like the artist. It is my current favorite song from Tame Impala.”
Jackson Smith ‘23	“I enjoy Pursuit of Happiness because it reminds me of summer nights driving around with the boys and not a care in the world.”
Leah DeFilippo ‘22	“This is a good song to work out to. I find the lyrics funny.”
Cilla Nee ‘22	“I really like this song because I associate it with positive memories, and it is by far my favorite band.”
Caroline Purcell ’24	“This song makes me think of summer and the memories I made, makes me feel happy and puts me in a good mood.”
Hillary Larsen ‘22	“This song reminds me of my childhood and I like the guitar.”
Kate Broderick ‘22	“My sister and I listen to this song a lot when we’re driving together, and it’s always been fun to sing along to.”

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People, Top Story

U19 Undefeated in Black Rock FC Invitational Showcase

March 23, 2022 by Pablo Obrador

This Saturday, Northwood’s soccer team, operating under the Black Rock FC banner, organized a showcase in which teams from around the Northeast and Canada came to a BRFC-hosted showcase in Albany to compete at a high level.

Soccer players in recent match (photo: Black Rock FC).

Coming off very good results in the Las Vegas Players’ Showcase, the U19 squad continued on the right track, drawing the first match and finding victory in the second and third contests.

On the other hand, the young U17 Huskies had trouble finding victory and concluded the weekend with three defeats.

Regardless of the result, both teams are once again working to achieve a good performance in the NEFC tournament in Boston and hope to conclude the event with the Black Rock FC name on top.

Filed Under: Sports

Season Recap: Girls’ Hockey Takes League Championship

March 23, 2022 by Angelica Gonzalez

On March 13, 2022, Northwood’s girls’ hockey team traveled to Union College in Schenectady, NY to take on Gilmour Academy for the league championship. Assistant captain Kennedy Wilson ’22 and captain Ella Fessette ’22, known together as the team’s glue, helped guide their team to the North American Prep Hockey Association (NAPHA) championship.

The Girls’ Hockey team after defeating Gilmour in the h American Prep Hockey Association (NAPHA) championship game (photo: Instagram).

Head Coach Trevor “Gilly” Gilligan has been coaching for 14 years. 11 of those years at Northwood steered his team to a record of 39-24-2. Gilligan is proud of the 2021-22 squad.

“We have many players that stand out in my eyes, for different reasons, but the backbone of our team and hockey program is Ella Fesette. Ella has been at Northwood and on the hockey team for five years and is directly responsible for helping create the culture we have today,” Gilligan said. “She is a natural leader and will forever be remembered for helping lay the foundation for the future of our program.”

Gilligan went on to say that this year’s team understood that they needed consistency in their work ethic, and the players were not afraid to call others out and push each other to succeed.

The team will lose Kennedy, Fessette and six other seniors to graduation, but Gilligan thinks he has a good foundation to build on the success of this year’s team.

“I am excited about next year’s group as we return with 14 players who all know the expectations from myself and what it takes to be a part of our culture. Culture fuels itself internally and although we will miss our senior leaders, we have returning upperclassman that will fill into leadership roles.”

As seniors graduate, the torch gets passed to the rising class in hopes for another successful Northwood girls’ hockey season.

Filed Under: Sports

Soccer Teams Compete at Gillette Stadium

March 18, 2022 by Colter Cheney-Seymour

Early in March, the boys’ soccer program traveled to Foxboro, Massachusetts to play a friendly match at Gillette Stadium against the New England Revolution Academy.

The U19 Team at Gillette Stadium, March 2022 (Photo: Black Rock Football Club)

A shoutout to the soccer team at Gillette Stadium (photo: Colter Cheney-Seymour ’22)

The U17 Team at Gillette Stadium, March 2022 (Photo: Black Rock Football Club)

First the boys watch an MLS game between the N.E. Revolution and F.C. Dallas. This was a heavily awaited matchup as the MLS was just started back up after a short off season. The match ended 1-0 in favor of the Revolution, much to the delight of the home fans. Black Rock players enjoyed the match and saw it as a wonderful opportunity to see the top level of football in the United States.

Both the U17 and U19s played on Sunday against the Revolution’s Academy U17s and U19s. This match was greatly anticipated, not only due to the high-level competition but also because it was played at Gillette Stadium, home of the N.E. Revolution and the New England Patriots of the NFL. This is an experience that most players will never forget and will motivate them in their journey.

The matches started with the U17s playing at 11 a.m. against the U17 Revs. This game was a challenge for the young huskies as they have many first-year students and sophomores on the squad. The match ended 5-0 in favor of the Revolution, but it was seen as an important learning experience prior to traveling to Las Vegas and Dallas later in the spring.

As for the older Huskies, it was a battle from the staring whistle. The first half ended with the revolution, up 3-0, but the boys were persistent in fighting in the second half. Early in the second half Northwood senior Liam Doyle put the first goal past the Revolution. However, this was followed by another opposition goal leaving the score at 4-2. The match ended 4-2 after Lex Dadmun ‘22 netted the second goal for the Huskies late in the second half.

Although both teams took a loss in Gillett stadium it was a particularly important wakeup call prior to some major tournaments this spring season.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports

Undefeated U19 Team Wins Group at Vegas Showcase

March 16, 2022 by Pablo Obrador

The U19 soccer team at the 2022 Players Showcase in Las Vegas (Photo: Black Rock Football Club).

Both Black Rock teams traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the famous “Players Showcase” that took place on March 11-13, in which both teams played 4 games.

The U19 team shone and achieved 3 wins and 1 draw, being number one in their group after a very good group performance.

The U17 team fared less well but showed great promise while losing two games and drawing in two.

Both teams will look to continue fighting this weekend at that Black Rock-hosted Showcase in Albany. The teams are working to achieve good results in this showcase.