Being a Head of School is no easy job. Overseeing everything that occurs on campus and figuring out what is best for the Northwood community is the top priority. Current Headmaster Michael Maher has announced that he will be retiring at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. After the countless things Maher has brought to Northwood, it is sad to say that his time is coming to an end. Since that announcement, Northwood has been searching for a new Head.

The search committee is a group of highly regarded members of the Northwood staff and board of trustees that have been selected to play the main role in looking for the next leader of the school. The committee has been hard at work since the announcement was made in early June of this year. As they sorted through the list of candidates that had applied for the job, they narrowed it down to the top three choices. This past week, the final three candidates were brought to campus for the first time and got to meet with members of the search committee and students.

“Having the candidates visit campus was an absolute necessity in the process for both the candidates and the Northwood community,” said Mrs. Wint, who is a member of the search committee. “It gave each of the finalists and their partners the opportunity to see our campus and experience first-hand the vibe and culture of our school community and the Village of Lake Placid. They needed to ensure that living in Lake Placid and leading Northwood School was definitely the right fit for them. The on-campus visits also gave the faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to get to know the candidates so they could offer their feedback as part of the formal search process,” added Wint.

The candidates had a full day exploring the beautiful campus and seeing the possibility of what their new job could look like. “Each candidate’s approximate two-day visit to Northwood was busy and structured and began with a complete tour of the campus,” Wint said. “They spent the bulk of their time in meetings getting acquainted with Northwood faculty and staff in open forums and in one one-on-one or small group sessions with current Head of School Mike Maher, administrative staff members, the Executive Assistant to the Head of School, athletic coaches, students, the Chief Financial Officer, the search committee, and the board of trustees,” Wint added. The focus of these meetings was for both the Northwood community members and the candidates to get to know each other by asking and answering questions. “The candidates also ate some meals in the dining hall and enjoyed the living room and fireplace. They all tried to spend some time talking to students and depending on the days of their visits, they attended an all-school seminar or an athletic practice. While the candidates were in meetings, their spouses enjoyed some fun time getting to know Lake Placid and the area better, and one adventurous spouse went ice climbing and cross-country skiing,” Wint said.

It was a great opportunity for all the candidates and for the future of the school!