Alec Herman

When the class of 2018 gathered for the first time on “Move-In Day,” something was different. The group was smaller than previous senior classes and there were fewer new faces.

This year’s twelfth graders have entered Northwood as the smallest graduating class in decades. With only 43 students, this class is much smaller than the class of 2017, which had 60. The overall population of the school is nearly identical to last year. Other classes are larger; only the senior class has shrunk.

Students are asking: why such a small class?

Mr. Evan Nielsen, Associate Director of Admission & Director of Financial Aid and Mr. Brad D’Arco, Director of Admissions shared the inside scoop on why the senior class is smaller than usual.

Mr. Evan Nielsen, Associate Director of Admission & Director of Financial Aid. Photo: Alec Herman

“There’s no set goal [for senior class size] in the admission office,” Mr. Nielsen said. “We like a smaller senior class. Historically ,when we looked at the sizes Northwood classes, we felt that they were skewed a little too large in the 11th and 12th grade.”

The admission office wanted to bring a little bit more equilibrium between the classes. Historically,k it’s been common to have senior classes three times as large as the ninth grade, and that’s not healthy or sustainable from an enrollment management perspective.

Northwood has also gotten significantly more selective. The acceptance rate has dropped to 38%, nearly half of what it was just two years ago. The admissions office is making sure they are admitting and enrolling students that contribute the school community.

Mr. Nielsen also noted that Northwood was not admitting a large amount of post-graduate students. “This year, when you look at the senior class,” he said, “I think we have three postgraduate students and a couple of new seniors, which is significantly smaller than in our past.”

“The PG year or the one-year senior can be a useful option for some students, but we don’t want that number of one year seniors/PG’s to be too large.”

Mr. Brad D’Arco, Director of Admissions. Photo: Alec Herman

“Northwood used to consistently have 10-15 new members of the senior class between 12th graders and post graduates,” Mr. D’Arco added. Now, since the school has added some new programs, we wanted to try and balance the overall makeup of the school and create a strong and sizeable ninth grade class.”

D’Arco noted that “typically freshman classes were somewhere in between 15-18 students and we had 12-15 postgraduates. We just took those 12-15 PGs we normally enrolled, and moved those students into the ninth grade class. So that led us to have three or four postgraduates. That’s why the [senior] class is smaller.”

The admission office plans to grow the student body to close to 180 students in the next few years. Mr. D’Arco concludes that, “in the future, we are going to have a more consistent size of our senior class, as much as we can control. Some of it is beyond our control,” he added cautiously.

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Here at Northwood, ninth graders write letters to their senior selves in English class the last week of school. Shortly before graduation, the English teacher delivers the letter to her former students.

Sabryna Strack ’17 reads her letter in her St. Lawrence dorm room.

Now a first-year student at St. Lawrence University, Sabryna Strack 17’, received a letter addressed to herself in familiar hand writing from her 15 year old self.

Strack said she is a goal-oriented student who is always planning ahead, looking for the next thing in her life. “I am mostly spontaneous,” she said, “and prefer to surround myself with encouraging and supportive people.”

She reflected on the letter written by her 9th grade self:

“The letter I wrote to myself freshman year contained lots of advice and motivation for my future self. It says things like “Take time for yourself,” “travel the world,” “fall in love,” and “don’t worry about your destination, just enjoy the ride.”

Ever since freshman year and facing some adversity, Sabryna has come a long way. “I can definitely see changes from ninth grade until now. I can tell that I have more confidence and a stronger outlook on life. I accomplished a lot of what the letter said: I made lots of lasting memories with my classmates and peers, I fell in love, and made it into an academically-challenging school like I hoped to do!”

The letter Sabryna Strack ’17 wrote to her 12th grade self as a ninth grader.

“I don’t exactly know why I wrote what I wrote,” said Sabryna. “I probably put most of the things in the letter because I hoped that they would come true because in my freshman mind, those were things that I believed would make me the happiest.”

Lexi Barile ’17 reads her letter in her St. Lawrence dorm room.

Just as Sabryna reflected on the letter she wrote to her future self, Lexi Barile, also a first-year at St. Lawrence University, grew into someone she never knew she could become.

She used to be the one who would give a presentation in class or give a speech nervously, but says she has more confidence now.

“Everyday I am experiencing new things, new views and ideas, that challenge the way I learned and know things,” she said. “I am not the person I use to be.” Plus, she added, “music is another passion of mine, as many people at Northwood know.” She says she found a piano on campus and plays almost every day. Her experience at Northwood allowed her to develop into the person she is today. She will continue to grow and change everyday.

She reflected on being this little ninth grade girl with braces on, too shy to give a simple “hello.” She’s currently shooting for the stars and achieving her goals in college.

“My ninth grade self, although insecure, mouth filled with braces, did have some truth behind her words. I am currently sitting outside the Student Center at St.Lawrence University and I am beyond happy. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of some random memory from my days at Northwood. It will always be home – something many students don’t say about their high school. Northwood allowed me to grow into the person I wanted to become. Someone I’m proud to be as the next four years of my life begin.”

In Lexi’s letter, she wrote some thought-provoking ideas that should be on every Northwood students’ mind. She wrote, “Seeing that you’ve made it this far, I don’t think you need a “good luck” or a “keep going” motivational speech. Go be who you want, go do what you want – as long as you’re happy. And don’t forget all you’ve learned and accomplished these past four years. I already know you’re going to walk away from this place with some of the happiest memories you’ll ever have. Now hold onto those memories, and go make some more, wherever you go.”

The letter Lexi Barile ’17 wrote to herself in 9th grade.

As Lexi reflected on her letter, she has passed on a message for present and future Northwood students. “I knew that if I could make it through high school and come out a better person on the other side, I could do anything – and I did. Sure, there were some pretty big bumps along the way, but I managed to overcome them one step at a time. To any student reading this, make the most of every minute that you’re at Northwood. How fast the time flew by is something I will never understand. It feels like yesterday I came to Northwood as a young, thirteen year old freshman. Five years later, here I am, an eighteen year old freshman sitting on a college campus.”

“Appreciate the moments when you and your friends are all laughing at some silly joke someone made,” she continued. “Or when you’re all complaining in the middle of January about how cold Lake Placid is. Take the time to stop, look around, and appreciate your time at this special place. I know I did.”

Lexi says she is thriving and still accomplishing her goals in life. “I feel that I am still accomplishing things in my letter,” she said. “Although happy and content, I continue to grow as a person everyday. College experiences force you to do that. You have to decide which path you’re going to take. Having been at SLU for a few weeks now, I can tell I’ve already made lifelong friends as well as new memories. I work everyday to be the person I knew I could become when I was a freshman.”

Ed note: English teacher Erin Tinti (née Farmer) was Sabryna and Lexi’s ninth grade English teacher, and she assigned this “Letter to my 12th grade self” activity. Tinti now teaches English in Vermont.