Jordan Shullenberger

The Anniversary of Harwood 5: A Story from My Community

November 1, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

Jordan Shullenberger ’24 is a Vermont resident who attended Harwood Union High School before Northwood.

Holding a candle aloft at the vigil. Photo: Stefan Hard/Seven Days.

Autumn is a wonderful season for New Englanders, but for the community of the Mad River Valley in Vermont, the Autumn of 2016 was sorrowful. Sunday, October 8 marked the seventh anniversary of the Harwood 5 tragedy. It shocked the state of Vermont, and every year after, it’s a reminder to love and appreciate the people around us and demonstrates the strength of a rural community.

On October 8, 2016, four students from Harwood Union High School, and one student from Kimball Union Academy were driving back home from a concert in Burlington, Vermont. They were on the interstate when a car going in the wrong direction collided head-on into their car. All five high schoolers lost their lives that night. Eli Brookens (Waterbury), Janie Cozzi (Fayston), Liam Hale (Fayston), Mary Harris (Moretown), and Cyrus Zschau (Moretown). The separate towns all lost a kid, and Harwood Union lost 4 students and 1 former student. The tragedy had a lasting impact on my friends, my neighbors, my school, and my community.

On October 8, 2016, I was at an art show in town with a few of my friends, one of them being Xavier Brookens. I remember waking up the next morning to find out that Xavier had lost his older brother. The following weeks were depressing, but the reaction from the community was something I had never seen before.

After the accident, the efforts shown by the communities were amazing. The colors of black and gold were strewn across the town (the school colors of Harwood) in the form of bows, strings, and ropes. They were wrapped around every tree, and every lamp post in town, and pictures of the five students were hung up everywhere. A couple of years later, a commemorative gazebo was built on the Harwood school property, as well as a pavilion at Mad River Park. I remember one day in class; every single student wrote Xavier a personal card. People made meals for them every night. The Harwood boys’ soccer team adopted a new pregame tradition where we all knelt in a circle before the game and chanted “brothers” to honor Eli and Cyrus who played on the team. The girls’ soccer team holds a “Love Like Mary” youth clinic every year on October 8 to remember Mary, who played on the team. Everything that was done showed that the community cared, and it was the type of reaction you only get for a small community.

When I went home this weekend, I had a chance to catch up with Xavier and ask him some questions:

Q: What does October 8 mean to you?

“October 8 is always a challenging and emotional day for me. It’s a reminder that Eli is gone, and it doesn’t get easier as each year passes. Even after 7 years, I am still reminded of the strong support of my family, community, and friends as I receive messages on the anniversary from countless people each year.”

Q: What was the response from the community? How did it make you feel?

“The community came together in an amazing way after the accident, and that support helped me get through a lot of hard days. Eli, Cyrus, Mary, Janie, and Liam touched a lot of people’s lives, and their loss was felt by many, so I know I’m not in this alone, and that helps me to continue to push forward and be strong.”

October 8^th isn’t just a day of sadness, it’s a day that brings our community together and reminds us of the ones we lost, and to have love for the people around us. From my community to yours, remember that there will always be people by your side to support you, and remember to love your people extra hard.

Filed Under: Real World

Four Courses Earn College Credit

October 11, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

Northwood School is making advancements in the curriculum. This school year, four courses are dual-enrollment courses that earn college credit through Paul Smith’s College. These new opportunities are going to give students more of an advantage when they graduate high school and enter college. Students who pay the modest fee and pass the class will earn college credit.

The four dual credit courses are Advanced Psychology of Sports Performance, Advanced Biology, Advanced STEM Research, and Advanced Humanities Research. These courses have existed in previous years, but only this year have they been enhanced with the college credit option. This exciting advancement for Northwood may help students stand out in the college application process.

Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs Ms. Noel Carmichael says the college-credit courses will boost Northwood’s academic profile.

“Dual credit courses allow us to focus on offering the classes designed by our own teachers rather than an external body. The syllabi are created by Northwood faculty and then undergo a review process with Paul Smith’s College to get approval. This allows us to offer more unique courses than the standard AP fare,” Carmichael said. “They also allow us to recognize students who do our research-intensive courses with college credit for their work. I think the ability to enter college with some credits already squared away is very attractive to families, both from a cost perspective and ensuring more academic rigor,” she added.

Balancing college work for collegiate athletes is a challenging task. During their season, student-athletes often try to lighten their load and stack their load in the off-season. Thus, being able to knock off credits in high school can go a long way. Getting those extra credits in high school may mean that students might not have such a tough time balancing academics in the future.

Students are excited about the opportunity to earn college credits while at Northwood.

“I think it’s a cool opportunity. If it is implemented more in the future that would be cool,” said Wyatt Wardlaw ’24, who is taking both Advanced Humanities and Advanced Biology.

Emma Hathaway ’24 is taking Advanced Psychology. “I think it’s good because it will be easier to do in high school than in college,” Hathaway said.

“I think it’s very beneficial because I want to pursue STEM in college and it’s good to get the credit out of the way,” said Jenny Tran ’25, who is taking Advanced Biology and Advanced STEM.

Teachers are also excited about the partnership with Paul Smith’s College.

“I think the dual credit courses are a great opportunity for students. It allows them to take a college-level class while still in high school. Hopefully, it’ll allow students to stand out in the college application process,” Advanced Psychology teacher Mr. John Spear said.

Ms. Jill Walker taught AP Biology for years. She also started the Advanced STEM research program at Northwood, so she’s familiar with challenging students with rigorous course offerings in high school. She said the dual-credit courses are “something that students can use while applying to college. Even seniors can use it because AP exams do not come out until later. For me personally, instead of teaching AP Biology, I get to teach the topics that I think are more important instead of teaching to the AP exam,” Walker said. “A large portion of taking an AP course is learning how to take the test,” she added.

Walker also appreciates independence from the College Board and AP. “It gives me more freedom to teach and engage in more productive learning. The bonus is that the kids automatically get college credit and a GPA boost. Not all schools are going to accept the credit, but some schools will. It is also important how it appears on a student’s transcript because it shows like an AP course does,” Walker said.

The consensus is this is a good opportunity for students. Everybody is excited about it and looking forward to the new school year.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Season Preview: U19 and U17 Soccer

October 3, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

After two successful weekends for the Northwood soccer program, the near future is looking bright. Since day one of preseason, Coach Jon Moodey has seen something different about this group than in past years.

U19 Team. Photo provided.

U17 Team. Photo provided.

“This team has spent more time considering the concept of what makes a strong team culture and how it can be implemented and sustained,” Moodey said. “In addition, we have spent more time considering the notion of leadership and how each player can find meaningful and positive ways to play a leading role in our program.” He added. Most importantly, this group is committed to continually working on positive culture creation and maintenance going forward and working toward ways in which all players understand the ways in which they can lead and play a key role in making this program as strong as possible on and off the field,” Moodey said.

Team bonding is essential for the long-term success of the team this year, and the anticipation has a lot of people excited for what’s to come.

It is also worth noting that before the season even began, three players committed to their respective colleges: Leon Brody ’24 to Middlebury (NCAA Division 3), Sachiel Ming ’24 to Syracuse University (NCAA Division 1), and Mitchell Baker ’25 to Georgetown (NCAA division 1).

Filed Under: Sports

Soccer Teams Have Solid Showing at NXT LVL Showcase

September 29, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

Sam Knauf ’24 in action at home last season. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

The Northwood program traveled to Albany in September, NY to compete in the NXT LVL Showcase which saw an attendance of over 80 college coaches. The U19 squad lost to Combine Academy and defeated Northfield Mt. Herman. The U17 side topped Hoosac School and drew with Millbrook School.

Northwood U19s 0-1 Combine Academy.

Northwood U19’s weekend opener was a rough one. The first 30 minutes of the match were back and forth with possession on both sides, but no concrete scoring chances. This changed with about 15 minutes left in the half when Combine scored off a failed defensive clearance. For the remainder of the game, Combine sat in a 5-3-2 low-block and conceded 80% possession, but it proved to be what was needed as the game finished 1-0. Northwood kept trying to force the ball down the middle, and there wasn’t enough activity in the wide spaces. Neither team had good scoring chances in the second half, and the game ended in a tight defeat.

Northwood U19s 3-0 Northfield Mount Herman

It was a great game for the U19s, coming after a disappointing loss. Both teams were energetic from the whistle, and it was a cagey first 20 minutes in a classic New England prep school derby. The first goal came from a counterattack. The ball found Sam Knauf’s ’24 foot just inside the area and as the goalkeeper rushed from his line, the ball rocketed perfectly into the top right triangle of the net. There were more chances at both ends, and with 5 minutes remaining in the half, the striker for NHM beat the last defender and had a good look on goal but Leon Brody ‘24 was quick off his line to smother the ball. Northwood led 1-0 going into the break. The second half was entirely dominated by Northwood. The second goal came from a penalty. Sachiel Ming ’24 took it and placed it bottom left. The scoring was capped when Knauf drove from the baseline and finished cross-goal with his left foot. He celebrated by hitting a knee-slide to the corner flag to cap what was a brilliant individual and team performance.

Knauf was happy with his performance. “I thought I played well, and the biggest contributing factor was scoring two goals. I think the reason I played well was because I got some good assists from my teammates,” Knauf said.

Coach Jon Moodey summed up the success against NMH with five words: “Belief, trust, confidence, patience, execution.”

Northwood U17s 5-4 Hoosac U17s

In the first game for the U17s, it was yet again another high-scoring thriller. Northwood and Hoosac have had a long-standing rivalry, and this time, Northwood came away with the three points. Once again, Northwood came out to an early 3-0 lead with a double from Said El Eyssami ‘26, and one from Jace Donowa ‘25. The shutout didn’t hold until halftime as Hoosac scrapped a goal just before the break. Right after the restart, Hoosac scored another goal to make it 3-2, and another a couple minutes later to knot the game at 3. The game was far from over, and El Eyssami scored his third goal of the match to regain the Northwood lead. Shortly after, Hoosac responded with another goal and tied the game again. Everybody thought the game had finished but Donawa came to the rescue for the second game in a row by scoring the winner in the last 5 minutes.

Northwood U17s 3-3 Millbrook

The second and final game of the weekend for the 17s saw another high-scoring match. Donawa scored the first goal by driving centrally and finishing to the bottom left from just outside the box. Five minutes later, the lead was doubled when El Eyssami received the ball at the top of the box, took two players on, and finished with his left foot near the post. Millbrook scored a few minutes later off a counterattack, and the half was closed out by El Eyssami scoring again from a loose set-piece rebound. This lead lasted into the break, but the second half was different. Millbrook earned a penalty early on, but Gavin Kruger ‘26 made an excellent save. Shortly after, another penalty was awarded to Millbrook. This time, however, it was converted, and the lead slipped to 1 again. With two minutes remaining, Millbrook scored an equalizer and the game ended in a stalemate.

After the game, Head Coach Jose Coss was asked how the team can keep up it’s scoring pace while reducing goals conceded. “I think by working on team unity, mental strength and sense of belonging. That way, everyone will push 100% of the game, starters and non-starters,” Coss said. “We’ve proven we are able to score a lot, and now we have to prove to ourselves that we can give the same effort and sacrifice to defend as well. It’s not easy. It takes a lot of maturity and hopefully, we can build on the fact that we are still undefeated,” Coss added.

This weekend, both teams take on Hoosac School at home.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports

Soccer Teams Undefeated in Early Matches

September 20, 2023 by Jordan Shullenberger

The U19 soccer team poses at a pre-season match. Photo provided.

This past weekend, both Northwood soccer sides traveled to Exton, PA. The U19 and the U17 teams played the weekend prior and won against Saint Andrews College – a prep school in Ontario – where the U19s enjoyed a 3-1 win and the U17s enjoyed a 2-1 win.

The U17s played first on Saturday and drew 1-1 with Woodstock Academy. An early goal from Diego Green ’25 wasn’t enough to hold onto the win. Woodstock threatened for the last 15 minutes of the first half and into the second. Woodstock scored midway through the second half. Northwood controlled the rest of the half and had some scoring chances but couldn’t find the net.

“We played a really good first half. A lot of concepts that we’ve been training were applied. We have to figure out how to manage second halves. It’s a combo of personnel, mental concentration, and stamina. That was our first competitive 90-minute game,” said Coach Jose Coss after the match on Saturday.

The second game was a 7-goal thriller. The Northwood U17s faced the Haverford Academy Varsity team. The boys took an early 3-0 lead with goals from Diogo Charraz ‘25, Said El Eyssami ‘26, and Noah Moodey ‘25. Just before the half ended, Haverford got a goal back off an error by the goalkeeper. A couple of minutes into the second half, Haverford scored another goal off a free kick. There were chances at both ends, but Haverford knotted the match up at three off a counterattack. The game was not complete, and with 10 minutes remaining, Jace Donawa ‘25 scored the winner to cap the scoring at 4-3 by beating his man and finishing cross-goal with his left foot.

“I think that we proved that we can score a lot of goals. We must manage games better and develop a more mature attitude when we are leading. We haven’t trailed a single game this season so far, and that will likely not change but yeah, those are the things to work on, and I’m looking forward to Albany,” said Coach Coss after Sunday’s match.

The first game for the U19s was not what you would call a barn burner. Against Spire Academy of Maryland, the boys thumped them 8-1 with goals from Mitch Baker ‘25 (5), Nico Cedeno ‘24 (2), and Koah Paye ‘25. The lone goal conceded was a penalty.

The second game the U19s faced Landon School. The entire game was a grind, and Northwood had 70% possession and a lot more quality chances, but the deadlock was never broken. The boys had a lot of chances inside the opposing box but couldn’t convert. The game ended 0-0 in what was a dominant Northwood performance.

“I’m happy with the team’s progress over the whole weekend in key areas of our team’s play. We moved the ball better as a team and improved our collective defensive efforts. The players showed strong character throughout the weekend, competing well throughout both matches. It’s good progress,” Coach Jon Moodey said.

Next weekend, both teams will travel to Albany for the NXT LVL Showcase.