Northwood switched to the winter schedule on Monday, November 4. Classes now start at 12:40 p.m. and end at 5:05 p.m. This is so the sports teams can train in the morning before classes. The ski team benefits from this because the local mountain, Whiteface, operates from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The soccer team gets to spend their mornings in the gym or on the indoor turf, and the hockey team spends their time on the ice or in the gym. NAS (Northwood Adventure Sports) does many different things every day in the mornings. Most of NAS does recreational skiing in the winter, but some join the robotics team full-time or dance. The NAS crew likes to ice climb in the winter as well, and they offer everyone an opportunity to join them if people want to.
The Winter Schedule view for 11th and 12th graders and PGs.
Clay Fuller ‘25 likes that there’s less downtime because it helps him stay busy. Unlike the fall and spring schedule, we have classes from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., with study hall starting at 8:00 p.m. “The days feel a lot longer,” Clay says. Once ski season starts, the winter schedule is great, in his opinion, because he gets to start his day doing what he loves most: Freestyle Skiing. There is a downside to the early morning ski time for Freestyle skiers. In the morning, the snow is hard and icy, and sometimes Freestylers fall hard. If the skiing was later in the day when the snow is softer, the crashes would be more “tolerable.” The sun also warms up the snow, making it a little slushy, which is valuable for Freestyle skiing.
Machai Davis ‘25, likes the winter schedule because he gets to play soccer in the morning when he has the most energy. The training sessions are also longer. He likes to not have to rush after school to go to practice. This also helps his academics because there are more flex periods. “It is pretty cool to look out the window during my last class and it’s dark outside. That is an experience you do not get at most other high schools,” Davis said.
Harry Vant, ‘26, likes the winter schedule because he gets on the ice in the morning and has his training over before school. He also likes the ramped-up flex periods because they give him time to go to different class flexes. Harry has more energy in the morning, which is great for his training, but he feels tired in the last class and after school because it is already dark when classes end at 5:05 p.m.
