Jordan Shullenberger

Humans of Northwood: Shayna Deutsch ‘24

February 28, 2024 by Jordan Shullenberger

I’m from New Jersey, and I live with my parents, my twin brother, my older sister, and our two dogs. I came to Northwood because one of my coaches went to the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid, and she had connections to the coaches here. She recommended to me that I should come here. I did a tour, and I loved it – and I still do.

I’m passionate about the World Cup (the soccer game) and making my friends laugh. I like having fun and making other people have fun, too.

Something I want people to know about me is that although I am a jokester, I like having meaningful conversations with my friends, and I really want to know the people around me.

As told to Jordan Shullenberger ’24. Photo by Jordan Shullenberger ’24.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Recommendations of the Week: Colton Cushman ’25

February 25, 2024 by Jordan Shullenberger

Colton Cushman ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Sometimes, life gets boring when you listen to the same music on repeat. Do you also feel like you struggle to find a show or movie to watch when you’re bored? I feel this way, too. This is why I’ve started a new series called “Recommendation of the Week,” where I will share three entertainment recommendations from a Northwood student. This week’s inaugural recommender is Colton Cushman ‘24.

Colton is a junior in the Northwood Outing Club (NOC). I asked him to share a song, TV show, and movie, and here’s what he had to say:

Joy, by for KING & COUNTRY (Song)

“I really like this song,” he said. “A family member showed it to me, and I’m glad they did because I’ve been listening to it a lot, and because of that, it makes me think of home,” Cushman said.

Eureka (2006) (TV show)

“This is my favorite TV show because it’s sci-fi and interesting to me. I really like the sci-fi/fantasy genre because you’re put into a universe that’s not your own, and it’s just exciting,” he said.

Eureka is about a town post-WWII where all the world’s geniuses get relocated to a small town in the Pacific Northwest. The protagonist is a U.S. Marshal, and it’s up to him to save the day when the geniuses unleash a scientific creation on the world.

Lord of the Rings (2001) (movie)

“I like this movie a lot because it’s based on my favorite book, and it takes after the book well, which some movies don’t do well,” he explained.

The Lord of the Rings is an epic fiction trilogy and is one of the most famous books and film series of all time.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People, Top Story Tagged With: ThreeRecommendations

Humans of Northwood: Ilia Zhandov ‘24

January 31, 2024 by Jordan Shullenberger

I’m a senior, and I play prep hockey. I’m from Yekaturinburg, Russia, but I grew up in a small village in the North of Russia. I live with my mom, dad, and two younger sisters at home. Before coming to Northwood, I played hockey for a U16 AAA team in Pennsylvania. I wanted to find a new school for a better education and a better hockey experience, and I found Northwood by looking at the national hockey high school rankings, so I applied and got in. The website gave me a lot of cool information about the school, and I was very interested.

Two things I’m passionate about besides hockey are guitar and DJing, and I want my future DJ name to be Kitty. I’m very obsessed with music. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 7 years old, and I’ve just started to learn how to DJ.

Something I want people to know about me is that I may seem like a tough guy who doesn’t talk, or I can be perceived as mean, but that’s not how I am at all. I’m a very friendly guy and I like talking and getting to know people, and if you need help, I’m always willing.

As told to Jordan Shullenberger ‘24. Photo by Jordan Shullenberger ’24.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Longtime Bruins Trainer Visits Class to Speak About Concussions

January 30, 2024 by Jordan Shullenberger

Former Boston Bruins’ trainer Don Del Negro helped Kevin Miller off the ice in 2019. AP Photo: Hannah Foslien

Bourque, Neely, Chara, Bergeron, Pastrnak, Marchand. These are some of the best Boston Bruins players of all time, and Don Del Negro has worked with all of them. For 29 years, Del Negro was the athletic trainer for the Boston Bruins, and on January 16, he was the guest speaker for the Psychology of Performance. Northwood’s athletic trainer, Andy Donatello, also visited the class.

The two Donnies attended the same graduate school, Indiana State. Mr. Del Negro also was the head of athletic training at Williams College while Mr. Spear was a student-athlete. My father, Luke, was also a student-athlete at Williams during that time. Mr. Del Negro has had a long-lasting connection with Northwood.

The Donnies visited class at a perfect time: the concussion unit. Mr. Del Negro talked about the status of concussion protocol in the NHL and how “it’s like a swinging pendulum.” In his first couple of years at the Bruins, concussions weren’t taken as seriously as they are today.

“Concussions were based on if you were knocked unconscious or not, and the severity of the concussion was based on how long you were out for,” he said about his early days as an athletic trainer.

“There’s still a grey area with concussions. Before, you could only have one if you were knocked unconscious, and now you have one if you bump your head and there’s no in-between,” he said.

The NHL changed how it handled concussions when the players’ union felt that the players’ health and condition were being taken advantage of for monetary gains.

“It’s bad for money when a star player is out injured; not as many people will watch the games.”

The NHL has administered stricter rules about concussions to help players with their long-term health. “There’s a direct correlation with former athletes who are middle-aged and have depression, too if they were 19 and had an undiagnosed concussion,” he said.

The NFL has also taken this stance. Mr. Del Negro said that Soccer is a little bit behind, and he proposed a rule change restricting headers in the middle of the pitch, which soccer players in the room didn’t support.

Most sports have implemented the ImPACT test, a cognitive function baseline assessment athletes take at the beginning of their season. When an athlete sustains a potential concussion, they re-take the test to see if their cognitive function matches from before. This is just one of the ways that the game is evolving to protect player health and safety.

Don Del Negro and Andy Donatello have been in the game for a while, and they are glad to see it changing to benefit the players.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports

Northwood Alum Surviving in War-Torn Ukraine

January 25, 2024 by Jordan Shullenberger

Oleksandr Mykolenko ’07. From the 2007 Epitome.

The war in Ukraine rages on. I’ve been given the Ukrainian perspective from Northwood graduate Oleksandr Mykolenko ’07, who lives in Kharkiv, in the Eastern part of Ukraine, about 30 miles from the Russian border. I had a chance to interview Mykolenko about the conflict. The media doesn’t seem to cover the severity of the issues, and the conflict is eye-opening from Oleksandr’s point of view.

Oleksandr’s daily life is full of fear and devastation. Not a day goes by without an explosion in the city.

“The current situation in Ukraine is terrifying for any normal person. I never thought this could happen in my country in the 21st century. My hometown Kharkiv (which is located about 30 miles away from the Russian border) is under missile attacks every single day, very often at night as well. We have air raid alarms every couple of hours, and no one knows where the next missile will hit. It could be a supermarket, building, hospital, hotel or bus stop, etc,” Mykolenko said.

Photo by Oleksandr Mykolenko.

Photos of Oleksandr Mykolenko’s ’07 apartment building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Damage from missile strikes is clearly visible. Photos by Oleksandr Mykolenko.

“Also, the borders are closed for all men ages 25-61 because we count as a military reserve, so I can’t get out of the country even if I want to,” Oleksandr said when asked about the current situation in Ukraine.

The invasion started on February 24, 2022, and the situation hasn’t improved since. “For the past two years, every day is almost the same as the previous one: we wake up very early. Often, we don’t sleep at night because of the sounds of the missiles landing somewhere in the city; the sound is terrifying. We keep our cell phones very close to monitor the air raid alarms, often going down to a bomb shelter located in the nearest subway station; most of the time, we spend in the apartment trying not to move around the town too much. It sounds like a movie, but that’s how it is for real, almost in the heart of Europe,” he concluded.

Mykolenko’s senior page in the 2007 Epitome.

Being in the middle of a war zone is very stressful, terrifying, and saddening. There’s no way to know what it’s like unless you’re in it. It’s an unbelievably scary thought for even me writing this article, and I had to wonder what kind of mental toll this takes on a person.

“My parents, for a long time, could not believe that it was happening because my mom has relatives across the border [in Russia], and now, she doesn’t know if she will ever see them again. In the beginning, we got them out of the city for some time (because of the very intense bombing), so they lost their jobs. The overall mood of everyone is devastation and obscurity about tomorrow’s day,” he said when asked how his family and community are affected.

“In between the attacks, food stores and public transportation are working, and many people are trying to use the subway because it’s safer. About 1/3 of the city’s buildings are damaged by missiles. Often, after the attacks, we don’t have electricity, water, heat, and mobile connection for a couple of days,” he added.

On top of the damage to their well-being, Oleksandr’s apartment and his parents’ apartment have been leveled.

“In the first two months of the invasion, my parent’s apartment (at the time when we got them out of the city) was destroyed to the ground by a fire from a missile hitting their building. My apartment was partially damaged in the same way, so we are temporarily staying at my friend’s place. He left the country with his family at the very beginning,” he said when asked about the condition of his home.

I had no idea the situation was this bad from the media I’ve been consuming. They’re stuck in an actively bombed city. They have no way to escape, and they’re constantly fearing for their lives. With all the bad, I had to ask if there was any good – any hope that they felt. This is what he had to say:

“You know, these two years were very tough, to say the least, mentally, physically, and financially. All the family savings were gone a long time ago, and there are no job opportunities in the city, which is 30 miles away from the border and is under attack almost every single day. We are trying to cheer up each other, of course, but it’s hard to stay positive when you don’t know what’s going to happen today, tonight, tomorrow, just waiting not to hear an air raid alarm again… As for hope, we hope and pray every day. I have a hope for people outside of Ukraine and overseas, anyone who values human life and its democracies; I hope to reach out to the people who knew me, who remember me, people who don’t know me but who care and might help. And I hope that one day I can come back to the U.S. and shake everyone’s hand to say, ‘thank you’ personally,” he concluded.

I hope this raised more awareness about the situation in Ukraine and the situation of Oleksandr and his family. As a Northwood alum, he is connected to all of us, and our thoughts and prayers are with him.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Real World, Top Story

U19s Take Second in Prep Premier League

December 13, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

Paulo de Tarso Marcilio ’25 in action at Northwood, fall 2023. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

The Prep Premier League regular season campaign concluded last month with the Northwood U19s finishing in second place while the U17s played a pair of friendlies. The league matches have taken place over five weekends, and now the top four teams will be heading into a playoff.

Northwood U19s 2-3 Woodstock

It was a very back-and-forth match on Saturday. Northwood grabbed the first goal on a corner when Mitchell Baker (25’) outreached the goalkeeper for the ball like a giraffe reaching for a leaf, and he touched the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal. Woodstock didn’t take too long to equalize when the ball was trickling away from Northwood’s 18, when Woodstock’s defensive midfielder hit a powerful, but very lucky riser through the crowd just inside the left post. Woodstock gained the lead just before the half off a corner. The first header was won by a Northwood defender, but the ball deflected to Woodstock’s forward who hit a shot that was parried by Elm Pentinat (24’), and the rebound was put in. In the second half Northwood dominated possession and chances as well. The equalizer came from another set-piece and Camilo Pereda (25’) found himself the recipient of a flicked-on header. He took the volley first time on his left and buried it bottom right to knot the game at 2 all. The final goal came from a Woodstock counterattack. The ball was played in behind on the right wing and crossed into the center to finish off the move.

Northwood U19s 3-2 High Mowing

For the past couple of years this fixture has been the Black Rock derby, and once again was an energetic and emotional match. Northwood broke the deadlock early in the first half after Jordan Shullenberger (24’) finished a cross inside the penalty area. High Mowing equalized 10 minutes later on a free kick that was flicked to the back post where a player was waiting to finish the play. Northwood regained the lead when Said El Eyssami (26’) drew a penalty, took it and scored. High Mowing equalized again when the ball was controversially won in the penalty area, and the attacker scored from close range. The second half was controlled by Northwood as well, but the game became chippy. The poor field conditions made the pitch slide-tackler’s heaven. A lot of late challenges were committed, and the game was tied until 5 minutes remaining when Mitchell Baker received a through ball and tucked it past the goalkeeper to end the match.

The win over High Mowing clinched Northwood’s bid in the playoffs.

In the inaugural season, the 19s finished second with a 5-2 record and 15 points. The table is as follows:

Woodstock
Northwood
Kiski
Phelps
Hoosac
High Mowing
Immaculate Heart
Western Reserve

The top four teams will be playing in a playoff two weekends from now. The 1st seed Woodstock will play the 4th seed Phelps, and the 2nd seed Northwood will play the 3rd seed Kiski in a much-wanted rematch.

I had a chance to talk to a few players and the assistant coach about the Kiski match:

Q: How fired up are you to play Kiski in a rematch

“On a scale from 1 to 10, 13.5,” said Koah Paye ’25

“I’m hype man,” said Sachiel Ming ’24

“Oh my god, I want to beat that team, man. We won’t make the same mistake of underestimating them this time,” said Coach Kelvin Martinez.

The consensus was that everyone is looking forward to this match.

Northwood U17s 2-2 Vermont Academy U19s:

The first friendly of the weekend came against an older Vermont Academy team. Hamish Riddell ’26 scored both goals in the draw.

Northwood U17s 5-1 Putnam Science:

Goals from Jace Donawa ’25 (2), Trey Franz ’25, Diego Green ’25 and Diogo Charraz ’25.

Filed Under: Sports

Humans of Northwood: Teagan Wentzel ‘24

November 16, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

I grew up in Gqeberha, South Africa, but in 2018, my family moved to Lake Placid. I live with my parents, and I have an older sister in college. We moved to Lake Placid because we had been visiting during the winter for my sister’s hockey and my figure skating, and we decided that Northwood would be a good place for both of us.

I’m very passionate about activities that express my emotions like dancing, figure skating, and music. When I express myself through dance, I feel free and happy, and overall, it’s a lot of fun for me. I’m also passionate about hard work. I will work hard and try my best for something that I want. There are a lot of things you can’t control in life, but effort is definitely something you can control.

Something I’d like people to know about me is that I am friendly, and I like talking to people. I really like hearing people’s life stories because it shows who they are as people, and why they are the way they are.

As told to Jordan Shullenberger ’24. Photo by Jordan Shullenberger ’24.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Humans of Northwood: Renaud Lalancette ‘24

November 16, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

I’m a senior here at Northwood. I’m from the North Shore of Montreal. I have an older brother and a younger sister whom I’m very close with. I came to Northwood because I wanted to go to prep school for hockey, and I found out about Northwood from some friends who went here and some people who were affiliated with the school.

I’m very passionate about hockey, and I’ve been playing since I was 4 years old. It’s a life-long passion and I’ve dedicated my life to it. I want to play in college and maybe pro. I’m also very passionate about personal development. I’m very interested in health, nutrition, mindset stuff (meditation and spirituality), and overall personal development. My life-long goal is to achieve my maximum potential as a human.

Something that I want people to know about me is that I might come off as rude, but that’s not me at all. Sometimes my resting face or the way I respond to questions can make me seem a little bit intense, but that’s just me being focused or thinking about something. I’m very friendly, and I like talking to new people. I don’t take myself too seriously and I like having a laugh and enjoying myself.

As told to Jordan Shullenberger ’24. Photo: Jordan Shullenberger ’24.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Soccer Undefeated in Six Games

November 3, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

Leon Brody ’24 in goal in fall 2023 action. Photo provided.

The Northwood soccer program has been stacking up wins like prime Liverpool in what is shaping up to be a good Prep Premier League campaign. The past two weekends, the U19s and the U17s have gone a combined 5-1-0 (in soccer, draws go in between the wins and losses so the 1 in between the 5 and the 0 is a draw). This is going to shape up well for both teams going into playoffs.

Northwood U19s 4-3 vs Hoosac:

In late October, the U19s had a thrilling win over Hoosac. The boys started off very poorly in the first 20 minutes by conceding a penalty and then another follow-up goal. The lead was halved when Sachiel Ming ‘24 scored a penalty, but Hoosac’s lead was doubled shortly after on a break-away. Northwood came out better in the second half and controlled the whole half, getting chance after chance. With 20 minutes remaining, Mitch Baker ‘25 scored off a corner, and shortly after, Jace Donawa ‘25 scored a close-range goal off a headed cross. Baker got the winner from a penalty with a little less than 10 minutes remaining, and Northwood was able to close out the game.

After the match, I talked to the 19’s starting center back Cedric Lamaire ‘25:

The Mirror: What do you think the positives were from the game?

Lemaire: “It showed that our team has very high character and that we are a team that is able to come back from being behind. It also shows that we can play through some adversity with all the things that happened leading up to the game.”

What do you think needs to happen vs. Woodstock this Saturday for a better performance?

“We should not be affected by adversity, and we should just play the way we do. I also think we should never start a game like that and go down multiple goals because it’s never a good position to put yourself in, especially against a team that we know we can score a lot of goals against. We took them for granted because we beat them last time.”

The weekend prior in Ohio, the 19s were able to get a pair of wins as well.

Northwood 19s 1-0 vs Immaculate Heart

Northwood dominated the whole game but couldn’t find a goal until the 88^th minute on a Said El Eyssami ‘26 winner.

Northwood U19s 3-1 vs Western Reserve

Once again, Northwood controlled the game. Western Reserve got a penalty early in the first half, but the Huskies equalized through Mitch Baker ‘25. The second half was all Northwood, and both William Bujold ‘26 and Paulo Marcilio ‘25 scored their first Northwood goals.

Northwood U17s 2-0 vs Hoosac

Northwood once again controlled the game versus Hoosac. Northwood dominated possession and knocked on the door the whole game. The first goal came from a Tziyon Morris ‘25 goal off a corner for the center back’s first Northwood goal. The game continued into the second half with Northwood dominating the ball, but no goal came until the last 5 minutes when Trey Frantz ‘25 scored a looping header at the back post.

Northwood U17s 10-2 vs Kiski JV

The 17s played the Kiski JV team and whooped them.

Northwood U17s 1-1 vs Immaculate Heart

It was a back-and-forth game. Both teams had chances, and IHC broke the deadlock in the first half. The game was knotted at 1 when Noah Moodey ‘25 scored off a free kick. The game stayed 1-1 for the rest of the match even though both teams had good scoring chances.

Filed Under: Sports

Cobble Trail Receives Major Upgrade

November 1, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

The Cobble Hill trail has become more popular with the public. Last year, it was estimated that around 10,000 people hiked Cobble. With the increasing abundance of hikers, a new trail is being created to keep the hikers off the Northwood property and other private property, boost the Northwood profile, and create a trail that is more hiker-friendly while also being more nature-friendly.

The view from the top of Cobble (Photo: Jordan Shullenberger ’24).

The upgraded Cobble Hill trail (Photo: Jordan Shullenberger ’24).

A trail marker on the updated Cobble Hill Trail, October 2023. Photo by Mr. John Spear.

Cobble is a small rock-faced hill on the Northwood campus. Driving up to the school entrance, Cobble lies to the right of the school, and behind the grass lawn. It’s a short 20-minute hike with a nice view. Websites and nature journals posting about Cobble have increased the popularity of the trail. A new trail is being created to make it easier for people from the public to climb the hill without them being on school property and private property and damaging the existing trail. The school owns the property that the trail is on, and the goal is to close parking access next to the classroom building and push visitors to the wooded area of the campus.

I had a chance to talk about the trail with Mr. Thomas Broderick, Northwood’s Associate Head of School for External Affairs. He has overseen the production. We had a good conversation, and he showed me the old blueprints of the school property and explained the decision-making.

Cobble Hill trails saw a spike in traffic a few years ago. “The world changed. The most-hiked small hike in the Adirondacks got a new owner, and they closed it down,” Broderick said. That trail was predominantly used by young families. So, we saw an increase in people coming [to Cobble], and it started to swell, and by unofficial estimates, we get close to 10,000 visitors a year.”

At the same time, school safety started to become an issue nationwide.

“The school board, led by the safety committee, started to question why we were inviting 10,000 visitors on campus,” Broderick said. “If you live in Berg, you see people parking in that lot and walking into the woods. When the pandemic hit, we closed public access to our campus. Those signs are down, and we still say there’s no parking, but until we rectify the access at the bottom of the road, people continue,” he continued,” Broderick added.

There were several incidents this summer of people wandering around on school property. Over the summer, a woman walked into Mr. Spear’s apartment in the Bergamini dorm looking for a bathroom. Also, just recently, a couple parked their car on the Northwood front loop, and wandered their way to the pavilion looking for the trailhead, following directions on a out-of-date website.

“During the pandemic, we also closed off the access to the Cobble trails across from the Berg parking lot,” Broderick remembered. “The problem was that with so many visitors, the trail started to get wider and deteriorate. So, about two years ago, I spoke to the Adirondack Land Trust, who was concerned when we closed it down during COVID. They wanted the trail open again and said, ‘we need to redesign this trail,’” recounted Broderick.

“So, the Cobble Hill Trail Organization, consisting of the school, which is the lead because we own the property, neighbors, BETA, and invested partners have all gotten together to ask what we can do to make the trail better,” said Broderick. “The Adirondack Land Trust has raised $500,000 to renovate the trails,” he added.

The trail renovation has 4 phases to completion. 2 of the phases have already been completed, and Mr. Broderick estimates that all 4 phases will be completed in the next year.

Broderick says he hopes the trail can also be used as an outdoor learning space that also promotes the school to visitors of the trail.