Aude-Marie Alex

Exit Interview: Ms. Andrea Kilbourne-Hill

June 1, 2016 by Aude-Marie Alex

Ms. Andrea Kilbourne-Hill ’98

This article is part of a series of interviews of departing faculty conducted by Aude Marie Ackebo ‘ 18.

When did you start working at Northwood and how long have you been here for?

I started in the Fall of 2008 so I have been here for eight years.

What different jobs have you done/ classes have you taught?

I started as the hockey coach and admissions. Then I worked in study skills, algebra 2, added college guidance. For the bulk of my time, I have coached hockey, as well as, worked in admissions and college guidance.

Why did you decide to leave your Northwood job?

The balance of my personal-family life and work life was getting too skewed. While I love hockey, I was ready for hockey to move away from my primary focus. In a perfect world, if there was a perfect balance when working at a place like Northwood, I would stay but I’m not sure if I want to be a hockey coach in ten years. Basically, the combination of all these things are the reason why I am leaving.

Do you have a best story/fondest memory/funniest happening that you could tell?

I would say the time when the girls did the senior prank and left the shopping cart in my office was funny. That was last year I believe. Some of our road trips left great memories behind. Three or four years ago, someone would do a toast at every team meal. One time, we were in Syracuse and every single person made a toast. Even Bridget Sullivan’s brother who was really shy made one. That was a great memory; to see people get out of their comfort zone and be a family. Our captain, Eva Marquez, gave the first toast that night and created a great memory for all of us. I have a lot of great memories with my colleagues, the other faculty members. We always bike or run at the end of the year together and that’s always fun. We’ve done team bonding with each other and I know I am going to miss them.

Did you have a favorite year? Favorite part, class or team?

The team I was talking about earlier that gave the toasts was probably my favorite. Part of why we were so good together is because we had so many tragedies bringing us together that year. Eva’s dad died that summer, Grace Durham’s mom also passed away right before school started. The combination of those things brought everyone together. We have talked about gratitude this year but that year, we really felt it.

What did your years here teach you?

A lot. Mellor always says “ If you see every problem as a nail then your only tool is a hammer.” When working with kids, that is definitely a great mantra to have. Not every problem can be fixed by bangigng it out; sometimes you have to be a little more finesse with helping a kid find his way. I will always remember that. Something else I have learned is patience with the process because I have seen many kids come in as punky freshmen or sophomores who don’t get it and turn out to be great kids so you’ve just got to be patient with them because they are going to grow at their own pace. They’ll eventually get it. I have also developed a tougher skin because this job is all encompassing and I am a softy even though I don’t appear to be one. My feelings obviously get hurt too so in the recruiting world, the first time someone said no, they are not coming to you, it hurts. You feel bad like you just got broken up with or something because you thought you were having a great relationship and they were coming but they choose not to. It could be really tough to take all these things personally.

What are your future plans? Where are you going?

I don’t really know where I see myself in a few years, which is really exciting. I’m still going to be in Saranac lake, I’m going to take some time off completely. I might sub at the local elementary schools because that’s my real passion in terms of education. I will do that for a little, then see if I want to get back in the classroom right away or want to go into a different part of education. I might try to get some action faculty work, see if I like the college realm and play around with what feels right for me, for the next step. I’m lucky that I don’t have to rush into it because we have a nice and comfortable life right now. I won’t have to take the first thing that comes so I will go slow and pick carefully.

Coach:

Kira Collins ’17 (left) with Coach Kilbourne-Hill
During my first year of hockey here there was one phrase you always seemed to yell during our games; “IT’S IN!” and every time you yelled it I got all excited thinking the puck was actually in the net, but in reality, the puck was nowhere near it. I finally started to realize that the puck was never in the net when you yelled “IT’S IN!”. Even though this yelling usually amounted to nothing goal wise, it was important to me. Your yelling showed me a competitiveness I aspired to have and a determination to compete.

Throughout my two short years knowing you, I was enthralled by your character on and off the ice. You always put the team first and was dedicated to improving our skills on and off the ice. Even though you won’t be with us next year, your contributions and love for the game will never be forgotten!

Kira Collins ’17

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Exit Interview: Mr. Josh LeRoy

June 1, 2016 by Aude-Marie Alex

Mr. Josh LeRoy

This article is part of a series of interviews of departing faculty conducted by Aude Marie Ackebo ‘ 18.

When did you start working at Northwood and how long have you been here for?

I started working here in 2005 and this is my eleventh year here.

What different jobs have you done/ classes have you taught?

Besides being the athletic director for the past eight years, I have taught calculus, statistics, algebra three, geology my first year and pre-calculus. I have coached conditioning and basically all of the hockey teams. I have also coached tennis for a year.

Why did you decide to leave your Northwood job?

An opportunity came up from the school I used to work at twelve years ago. It is in New Hampshire and my best friend works there. He called me saying that the position of director of student life opened up so I would be the dean of students, head of residential life, and head of their leadership program. It is an all boy’s school, 6 through 9, so having two young boys going to third grade and kindergarten, it’s an ideal spot for them to eventually go to school. Also, being able to work with my best friend who I went to college with is something I have been looking forward to and hoping to do one day. It’s really difficult to leave Northwood but we’re keeping our house here and living here in the summer so it’s a better opportunity for my family and for me not to travel as much for hockey. I’m going to be doing something I really want to and be around my family a lot more.

Do you have a best story/fondest memory/funniest happening that you could tell?

Every year, there are new great memories happening and that’s probably the most difficult part: to leave all these memories. From the first time coaching here 11 years ago, where the top boys team won the cover tournament to when I was the head coach of the junior team and we won the Northwood tournament. Even this year, I had a lot of fun with kids in my statistics class. I have really enjoyed a lot of it. I still talk to people from 11 years years ago that I first taught or coached and that is a really unique piece about Northwood: how close you stay with the kids. It’s hard to pick one thing but it has been a really enjoyable time here.

Did you have a favorite year? Favorite part, class or team?

The midget hockey team from this year was more fun than I ever could have imagined. I laughed a lot, and it was great because the kids listened and we had fun. We didn’t have the best record but it was a great season. It’s tough to say because I’ve had a lot of fun and great memories. I still remember the geology class that I thought and I might have not been a geology guy but working with them and getting through it was a lot of fun. There are so many I can’t pinpoint one.

What did your years here teach you?

To be honest, to work as hard as you can but still enjoy yourself, and to be happy. I got along with everyone here and our school is not a very preppy prep school but a blue color down-to-earth kind of school where we all appreciate each other. I don’t think there are many schools like this. We are so small, it’s like a big family. The family like atmosphere is probably the biggest thing on this take away because it’s like taking my family and making it bigger by 175 kids.

What are your future plans? Where are you going?

I’m going to Cardigan Mountain School in New Hampshire. I’m going to be the director and student life and I will be working with my wife there as well. My boys will go to elementary school in the town, we will take it year by year and spend more time together. We will enjoy our time in Lake Placid every summer and vacation because we’ll only be 3 hours away. In a year? Who knows. We are trying to take it a year at a time but I know that I don’t want my kids’ childhood to fly by without hanging out with them.

Leroy:

Kaden Pickering ’17 (left) with Mr. LeRoy

The Northwood students would like to congratulate you on your new position at Cardigan Mountain School and wish you good luck in the upcoming tasks that you’re new position throws at you. I speak on behalf of the entire school that your playful grin, slight accent, and love for sports, especially the game of hockey, will truly be missed. It can not be expressed in words how crucial you have been to so many students’ development over the years you have been with us at Northwood. We wish you and your family the best as you move on to new things and experiences, but we know you will do great. You will always be in the minds and hearts of those at Northwood who were fortunate enough to have you as a teacher, mentor, coach, and or friend.

Best wishes,

Kaden Pickering

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Dual Citizenship

March 30, 2016 by Aude-Marie Alex

Aude-Marie Ackebo ’18

Where I’m from, being religious is common. Most people in the Ivory Coast are Christians or Muslims. I only know a few atheists, but in the United States it seems that the amount of my peers who align themselves as being non-religious has significantly grown. I have had countless debates with my gay friends about Catholics and their view on homosexuality. I am a proud Christian Catholic; my religious beliefs made me who I am but not everyone has to share them.

My first year at Northwood, someone affirmed they heard me say that I didn’t like lesbians because I am Catholic. I do remember talking about my religion but there was no way I said that I didn’t like homosexuals. Why? Because one of my best friends at the time was gay and the other bisexual. Quickly, the rumor about me being homophobic spread around the small school. The fact that I had malaria at the beginning of the year and got to school six months late already made it hard for me to make friends. Add adrenaline-filled high-schoolers to the mix and the result is a friendless new kid.

The misconceptions on religion are immense. I’ve heard people say that women can’t give mass, that all Christians are homophobic, that the bible says gays should be stoned to death, etc. All of these are false but the homophobic part is what hurts me the most. Most of my family is Christian and homophobic. Most of my family is also at least twenty years old. All of my family members from the same generation as me are perplexed by homosexuality but have nothing against it; it’s about understanding and accepting. The average African teenager doesn’t know anyone gay (or at least publicly) and therefore, they don’t have anyone explaining it to them. Since our generation is lazy, most of my Ivorian friends take what’s told to them as truth instead of looking up fact; This is where they usually get brainwashed by a homophobic adult.

The PEW research center did a study on the subject and shows that 62 percent of Catholics in America think homosexuality should be accepted. 53 percent of Catholics are also strongly in favor of same sex marriage. Catholic homophobia stereotypes are based off the minority of the population.

The majority of Christians have a peer or are themselves a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Over the last few years the Pope, Francis 1, has encouraged the Catholic Church to welcome LGBTQ+ members. Two years ago, Pope Francis uttered these words, contrasting his predecessors: “If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Months earlier, Pope Benedict XVI affirmed that gay marriage was a threat to global peace. The effect that the new pope’s opinion had on the church was seen right away. The summer of 2014 was a remarkable period during which a number of high-ranking Catholic leaders signaled that Pope Francis’ progressive stance had spread throughout the Catholic world. In May, a top-ranking Italian bishop said that the church should listen to same-sex marriage arguments. A few weeks later, Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, said he “didn’t know” whether Jesus would oppose gay marriage. In early September, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan approved the St. Patrick Day Parade Committee’s decision to allow a gay group to march in the 2015 parade under their own banner. In the first months of 2015, Pope Francis had several meetings with LGBTQ+ individuals and groups, like a transgender man from Spain who was excluded from his parish community, and gay and transgender prisoners in Naples. The Vatican also gave the VIP treatment to a pro-LGBTQ+ American Catholic group visiting Rome and the Pope met with a gay Paraguayan activist during his recent trip to South America. This proves that the evolution of the Catholic Church is not only happening on a small level – the entire community is slowly changing.

Considering the amount of prejudices the LGBTQ+ community faces, I thought they would be the last ones to judge religious people. However, I do understand that they have been oppressed by religious extremists and other judgemental people. We shouldn’t generalize stereotypes to all Catholics. Homophobia is not the only misconception Catholics are vulnerable to, there are also other things like being against abortion and contraception, sex before marriage, women’s rights, etc. We might all believe in a God but we are all different human beings, with individual brains that we use to form our own opinions.

I am a Christian Catholic but I am also an ally. I go to Sunday mass before going to the pride parade. I don’t have to choose. My relationship with God has nothing to do with my support to the LGBTQ+ community. I can be both, I choose to be both.

Filed Under: Opinion, Real World

The Food Chain

February 12, 2016 by Aude-Marie Alex

For as long as I can remember studying biology, I have been taught that humans were at the top of the food chain. When I told my primary school teacher that I disagreed, she answered that I didn’t have to agree. I just had to remember it and write it on my test when I was asked.

Image: Matthew C. Perry of the USGS via Wikipedia

I still believe that we are not at the top of the food chain. My main reasoning is simply: if you think there is nothing that can eat you, go up to a starving lion, without any weapons, and let’s see if you won’t be eaten. No lions in your area? Fine, go up to a starving bear then. Still no? How about a starving wolf?

We have put ourselves on such a pedestal that we believe that in a chain where everything is connected we are somehow the top link. We might have the intelligence to build houses and make guns to protect our place in the chain, but that skill doesn’t mean we aren’t in it. Even without all these protections, when we die, insects and bacteria feed off us.

Let’s look at the sea: It’s a world where we don’t live in but one that we destroy. We are all taught to be considerate of our peers, so why are we not as considerate of other species? Perhaps it is due to our illusory belief that we are superior and invincible. We are affecting other environments on our planet just as much as they are affecting us. The food chain is all about eating and being eaten. Along the way we managed to significantly lower our chances of being eaten, but that doesn’t give us a right to call ourselves the top of the food chain.

I believe in equality, not just between dark and light skin but also between all species. I believe that my purpose in this world isn’t more important than the purpose of a spider. I believe that police dogs might even accomplish more in their short lifetime than I ever will in mine.

If we lowered ourselves a bit and acted like those “inferior” to us, this peace in the world that we are desperately looking for, could be found. I understand that because we might be scared of other species and killing them might seem like the most appealing thing to do. If we killed those we feared in our own species, there would probably be no one left. So why do it to other species? That whale in the water didn’t do anything to me. In fact, by going on the sea, I am on its territory.

I believe in equality between all species. I believe that we are all at the top of the food chain.

Aude-Marie Ackebo

Filed Under: Opinion

Student Organizations Update

December 15, 2015 by Aude-Marie Alex

Northwood’s student organization remain action. Staff writer Aude-Marie Ackebo filed this update:

The Student Council plans to work with the Headmaster’s Council to address the issue of upperclassmen privileges. The Headmaster’s Council recently presented the school’s first honor code to the administrative board and will be presenting it to the student body upon return from winter vacation. They will then move on to their next project

Sustainability got the school blue recycling bags for the hall closets so that the trash and recycling don’t get mixed up. They are also working on a proposal to get electric hand dryers to replace the paper towels in the bathrooms. Hand driers would be more efficient since our electricity is so cheap and they offer better sanitization. Blender Bottles are also coming on the 3rd of January. Meanwhile, they are still working on an in-depth garden proposal.

CARE is in the midst of another food drive. Already they have collected more than 6 boxes of food for the Ecumenical Food Pantry. They have delivered boxes and will do a final delivery next Wednesday when

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Shoebox Gift

the school closes for the holidays with the goal of collecting another 6 boxes. They also worked on the shoebox project which was spearheaded by the Junior Class with the guidance of the Class Dean, Mrs Kilbourne Hill.

Each advisor and their advisees created a shoebox full of presents for the child they sponsored