Upon arriving at Northwood this school year, many notable campus changes become evident. Just in front of the school’s main building, the 90-year-old pine trees that once threatened the new soccer pitch have been cut down and replaced with young maple trees. The old carpet has been torn up inside the main building, and the original hardwood floors underneath have been restored and decorated with new furniture and tasteful rugs.
Mike Maher, Northwood’s Head of School, said that “the board of trustees has passed a number of different capital projects that began this summer and will take place over the course of twelve months.” The board began with the entryway trees since they posed the largest threat to student safety and the longevity of the soccer pitch. The next project aimed to refurbish and restore the Northwood living room to its original hardwood floors. This change preserves the school’s Adirondack aesthetic while modernizing the entrance and living room, both of which have the most activity during the day. Mr. Maher summarized the school’s vision well. “The campus, as you know, is really unique among boarding schools. It is truly a historical Adirondack property that is rare to find, and we believe that we have the responsibility to protect it and restore it,” Maher said.
The changes aren’t finished; plans to relocate both the school store and the art studio are already in motion. The space that used to house the School Store will now function as a year-round gallery to view and admire students’ artwork, while the former student center space will be the art studio.
Mr. Maher described the reasoning behind the change. “Students weren’t using the student center in big numbers. We can debate [the student center] because kids may have different points of view; what’s not debatable is that we have not had an adequate space for the arts.”
Along with the current changes, plans to remove the School Life office, currently occupied by Mr. Spear, and the business office between the entranceway and the cafeteria are also underway. These plans were made to open up and connect the two major school spaces. In addition, a café named “Reno’s Café” will be opened, serving Mountain Dew and grilled cheeses in honor of the incredible teacher Steve Reed.
However, many current students are concerned at the removal of the student center, an important space in many students’ experiences at Northwood. Without confirming anything, however, Mike Maher alluded to a potential solution, saying: “The cafeteria could be turned into a multi-use space with things for kids to do.” However, with many changes occurring in the Northwood community, we must all remember that the physical differences that may occur in the school space do not define what Northwood means because as change occurs around us, the members of the Northwood community keep us together.
