Angelica Gonzalez

Humans Of Northwood: Ruby Lewin ‘22

March 27, 2022 by Angelica Gonzalez

I am originally from Blue Mountain Lake. It is about an hour and a half south of here and has a total of 150 year-round residents.

I first attended Northwood in the fall of 2020, the start of my junior year. I came to Northwood for the first year of the dance program, in collaboration with The Dance Sanctuary, and for an enhanced academic experience. I was excited when I first heard about this new program. I had never heard of this school until the head of admissions came to our dance studio and told us about this collaboration.

Including dance into my academic schedule was an intriguing idea, and I am glad to have this opportunity. My favorite part about the dance program is meeting people from a variety of places and diverse backgrounds, and we can come together and share the same passion. This studio has such a sense of community and welcomes everyone with open arms. I have loved having a “second family” and creating amazing pieces with some wonderful people.

Northwood does a respectable job of supporting the dancer students. I am hoping that as the program grows and progresses, there can be a formal practice space on campus. The dance students have dance classes at night, typically starting around 6:30/6:45 and lasting for two hours. For dancers next year (and years after), I would love to see better communication with the kitchen to confirm full meals for all the dancers rushing to catch transport to dance.

As told to Angelica Gonzalez ’22. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Season Recap: Girls’ Hockey Takes League Championship

March 23, 2022 by Angelica Gonzalez

On March 13, 2022, Northwood’s girls’ hockey team traveled to Union College in Schenectady, NY to take on Gilmour Academy for the league championship. Assistant captain Kennedy Wilson ’22 and captain Ella Fessette ’22, known together as the team’s glue, helped guide their team to the North American Prep Hockey Association (NAPHA) championship.

The Girls’ Hockey team after defeating Gilmour in the h American Prep Hockey Association (NAPHA) championship game (photo: Instagram).

Head Coach Trevor “Gilly” Gilligan has been coaching for 14 years. 11 of those years at Northwood steered his team to a record of 39-24-2. Gilligan is proud of the 2021-22 squad.

“We have many players that stand out in my eyes, for different reasons, but the backbone of our team and hockey program is Ella Fesette. Ella has been at Northwood and on the hockey team for five years and is directly responsible for helping create the culture we have today,” Gilligan said. “She is a natural leader and will forever be remembered for helping lay the foundation for the future of our program.”

Gilligan went on to say that this year’s team understood that they needed consistency in their work ethic, and the players were not afraid to call others out and push each other to succeed.

The team will lose Kennedy, Fessette and six other seniors to graduation, but Gilligan thinks he has a good foundation to build on the success of this year’s team.

“I am excited about next year’s group as we return with 14 players who all know the expectations from myself and what it takes to be a part of our culture. Culture fuels itself internally and although we will miss our senior leaders, we have returning upperclassman that will fill into leadership roles.”

As seniors graduate, the torch gets passed to the rising class in hopes for another successful Northwood girls’ hockey season.

Filed Under: Sports

Why is Everyone is Watching Euphoria?

March 11, 2022 by Angelica Gonzalez

If you listen closely, you’ll hear what students are talking about on campus. “What’s going to happen in the next Euphoria episode?” It seems like nearly everyone is watching the show on HBOMax.

The cast of Euphoria features Sydney Sweeney as Cassie Howard, Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn, Zendaya as Rue Bennett, Maude Apatow as Lexi Howard, and Jacob Elordi as Nate Jacobs. (Photo: IMDB)

Euphoria follows a group of high school students as they try to navigate teenage life while dealing with drug addiction, physical and emotional abuse, sex, gender identity, and body insecurities.

It’s a favorite of Northwood students, but why? Maisie Crane ’23 likes the show because it depicts real-life issues high school students face but in a fantasized way. “Younger viewers connect with the show because it’s a fantasized version of the modern-day high school life. Some of the scenarios the writers thought up, happen to multiple teenagers on a day-to-day basis,” Crane said.

The show depicts teenage life through the variety of characters developed by Sam Levinson, the show’s creator. The issues that are shown in the television series are the same ones that your classmates could be dealing with and you wouldn’t have any idea.

The show being rated TV-MA (Mature Audience) makes some parents nervous, and if the rating doesn’t raise concerns, the warning at the beginning of the most episodes will: “This episode contains depictions of drug abuse, very strong language, some strong violence, scenes of a sexual nature and strong images of nudity from the start.” The idea of a fifteen-year-old watching a show based on the horrors within high school is unsettling for most parents.

Students understand parents’ concerns, but they still the think they should be allowed to watch. “Some adults don’t realize that although we are still in high school and learning, we know right from wrong, and we can choose to be persuaded or not,” said Bryan Jones ‘22 a Euphoria viewer.

Season Two of Euphoria just concluded and is available to stream. HBOMax recently announced plans for season three.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Real World, Top Story

Humans of Northwood: Karleigh Hollister ’22

March 1, 2022 by Angelica Gonzalez

“I’m originally from Old Forge, New York, but I live in Lake Placid during the academic year. I came to Northwood to ski race and to better my education from my prior school. I live in Lake Placid and it’s easy to commute, even on snowy days. It’s not too unsafe or too far to drive. I love the friendships we all have on the ski team, and the traveling to all these beautiful places like Austria and Colorado along with our races in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Skiing is an individual sport, so it gives each skier great opportunities to develop skills. We also get to ski in Colorado in November when we’re still waiting for the first snow in the East. I love traveling for the experience of seeing another country and just to have some great training. My plans include going to college, possibly at Castleton University. I plan to major in business as well and racing for the ski team.”

As told to Angelica Gonzalez ’22. Photo by Michael Aldridge