When the fire alarm sounded shortly after lunch on January 5th, most students assumed it was a drill or a false alarm, but the sight of smoke and the acrid smell of burning plastic quickly set a serious tone as the school gathered to take attendance near the snow-covered fields. This was not a drill. A remote control car had caught fire outside the robotics room and the school would respond with new policies designed to prevent future fires.

It is not surprising that a Northwood School, housed in a hundred-year-old wooden structure, has a tight fire protocols. We have at least ten fire drills each year. A sensitive fire monitoring system means every student must be cautions when in their rooms where spraying Febreeze or even deodorant can set off an alarm that results in a campus-wide evacuation until the Lake Placid Fire Department can inspect the building and reset the alarm.

Last year, a couple of students started RC Club, devoted to building and operating remote control cars, drones and other vehicles. There was no harm done to the school except for a little annoyance when members occasionally raced their cars through the dorm halls. The RC club had no incidents or accidents until that cold afternoon on January 5, when Aiden Smith’s ‘19  RC car battery melted as he was driving it outside the robotics room. “It was most likely caused by an overdischarge of the lipo [lithium polymer] battery” said Smith. The fire was quickly extinguished and the foul odor was gone the next day.

School administrators quickly responded with a new policy. Dean of Students Mr.Gino Riffle’s sent the following email to the school community:

All,

I am writing to inform you that due the potential fire safety from this point forward no student is allowed to be in possession of remote control vehicle in his or her room or inside a building.  If you have one in your possession bring it to my office today and we will find a secure location to store it.  You will be allowed to use these outside with the permission of a faculty member.  The faculty has been instructed to confiscate any car they see in your room or the building.  You have until dinner on Friday to turn these over your advisor.  If you are found to be in possession of this type of toy after dinner on Friday you will be in violation of a major school rule.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Mr. Riffle

Aiden Smith was not happy with the new policy “I think that Mr.Riffle’s response to the incident was a bit excessive. This is because the lipo batteries are the most dangerous part of the vehicle, which is why after every use I unplug the battery and store it in a safe place. Also, lipo batteries are most dangerous while in use and being charged. This is why I have a battery charger that prevents me from overcharging the battery and I almost always use my RC vehicles outside. Richard and I proposed to Mr.Rifle that instead of taking everything away from us, he could just hold onto the batteries because that is what is the most dangerous.”

Mr. Riffle said the school’s new policy is consistent with policies at other schools and he noted that the school needs to take an abundance of caution when responding to fire hazards.

Robotics is one of Northwood School’s new classes where students build remote-controlled vehicles for state and regional competitions. Some students have questioned why robotics can operate while other RC devices were restricted. “Robotics is under…adult supervision who has been properly trained in case of a fire. The proper alarm systems and fire safety needs are in close proximity of the robotics room.  Also, the robotics room is located in an area away from lots of foot traffic and dorm rooms.  The room is not filled with materials that burn quickly” answered Mr.Riffle.

The leadership team of CARE with advisor Ms. Edwards. (Photo: Jesper Peltonen ’17)

At Northwood, it is important to students that we help the community around us. CARE is a program at Northwood that is in charge of organizing community service projects and fundraisers that connect Northwood to the surrounding community. CARE is how Northwood School students give to our community. Ms.Annie Edwards is the faculty advisor, and the student chairs are Lexi Barile ‘17, Palmer Feinberg ‘17, Tristan Baldauf ‘17, Morgan Broderick ‘18, Sara Donatello ‘18, and Nick Ormon ‘17. CARE hosts events like Pink the Rink to raise money for breast cancer research.

This year, CARE has already done a fundraiser for a New York State Trooper killed in the line of duty  (September), volunteered to rake leaves for area elderly (October), and hosted Lee Denim Day (raises money for breast cancer research) (October). This school year CARE plans to hold twenty-five fundraisers.

Northwood’s student handbook describes CARE as a team of student leaders who give back in three ways: locally, globally, and to the Northwood community.  The primary goal is to involve everyone at Northwood in community service projects. Projects continue to center around students thinking about others and donating, not only money, but more importantly their time and no-longer used items. Student-designed projects include service performed by classes, by halls, by athletic teams, and by those who have time and energy to give throughout the school year. Signature projects include: Lee Denim Day in October (which raises money for breast cancer research), the Shoebox Project in December (which supports area youth and is led by the junior class), Northwood School Spirit Day in November (which raises money for The Families First Project), Pink the Rink in March (which is a cancer awareness project), and a school-wide Service Day in May (which involves more than 20 service projects in the village of Lake Placid). Mrs. Edwards, Director of Community Service, works closely with students to help them design service projects based on their own innovations and passions.

CARE does a lot work to help Northwood School help others. It is one of the best characteristics of Northwood. It makes you feel happy that you can help a little boy or girl by buying them a Christmas gift or help cancer patients who are fighting for their lives.

This is a partial list of the fundraisers CARE does over this school year.

• Halloween goodie bags-9th and 10th class project (October)
• Shoebox project at Christmas (all advisee groups participate, the 11th class project (November and December)
• North Elba Christmas Fund (December)
• Northwood School Spirit Day (raises money for Families First Project (November)
• Blankets for Nursing Center residents (December)
• Jeans for Homeless teens (January)
• Pink the Rink (March)
• Polar Bear Plunge (May)
• Clothing and Shoe Drives (May)
• Textbook drive (May)

“CARE means a lot to me. I think that it is very important to do help out the others around you that may be suffering or in need of help…CARE makes Northwood look very good to the surrounding community. The students’ willingness to help the community and be involved with community events reflects well on the school.” – Sara Donatello ’18

“CARE bestows a set of values that push me to give back to the community which is an essential set of values to be an important member of society…CARE motivates the students and faculty to get involved in community service projects so that they get a sense of helping someone less fortunate than themselves.” – Palmer Feinberg ’17

At Northwood, there’s a special trust between the faculty and the students so that students have the privilege to go into the village of Lake Placid during the weekends. There are few prep schools out there that let their students go get dinner or catch a movie by themselves. We have a really good system to know which students are at school and which students are in town. Northwood school uses regular check ins, where all students must go and cross off their names from a list of students and write next to their names where they are going, so the teachers know where they are in the event of an emergency. The check in times are at 10:30 am, 5:45 pm, and 9:30pm.

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