On the 28th of April, Northwood held its annual Mountain Day, which had been postponed from the usual start of the year due to horrendous weather. Students were disappointed about the event’s postponement but were thrilled to get the opportunity to participate.
Mountain Day has been an annual event at Northwood for over 45 years. Retired teacher and outing club director Don Mellor, an expert in outdoor activities, started Mountain Day and is responsible for this remarkable event. The event allows the Northwood community to engage in the Adirondack experience as students climb and hike through the beautiful mountain range surrounding the school.
Bobby O’Connor is the current head of the Northwood Outing Club (NOC) at Northwood and was in charge of Mountain Day this year. “This year’s Mountain Day was a modified version. It involved smaller mountains because of the timing. The trail conditions in the spring limited us to peaks below 500 feet. All in all, it was a really good day, and all the kids were able to get out and enjoy the peaks,” O’Connor said.
Mountain Day was also a good opportunity for kids to experience the NOC program. NOC is growing at Northwood and has been embraced by many students over the years. “Mountain Day is definitely one of the staples of the NOC program and is something we look forward to every year. It originated with Don Mellor, who is now retired from the school, but had such a strong presence here and his influence has really made Mountain Day huge for us. It is like the Super Bowl for the NOC program,” O’Connor said.
Several students were impressed with the experience and are looking to join the NOC program post-Mountain Day. Cedric Lemaire ’24 remarked, “It is hard to participate in NOC activities because of the rigorous soccer season, but now that the season is coming to an end, I am looking forward to potentially participating in NOC.”
Mountain Day is a great opportunity to experience the Adirondacks and a unique opportunity to get to know different people. It is usually at the start of the year, so it helps new kids settle in. A criticism of Northwood is different teams don’t often mix with each other, and it is a real problem. The athletic diversity in friendship groups is poor, as most athletes hang out with teammates from their own sport, which doesn’t create a family vibe within the school. On Mountain Day, the groups are randomized so people from all backgrounds and sports are forced to talk to each other. This was apparent this year.
“I usually don’t talk to many of the soccer kids on the U17 team, but I was in a group with two players on Mountain Day and I loved it,” Sam Rudy ’23 said. “I got to learn more about the hockey program and the people in it. I enjoyed the mixed groups and look forward to next year’s event,” Hamish Riddel ’26 said.
Mountain Day was a huge success this year. It is important to recognize all the hard work Bobby O’Connor and the other staff members put into the organization of the day. The Northwood community loved it and can’t wait for the next one!
