Lily Spiegel

Many Ski Racers Find Success at State and National Championships

April 7, 2022 by Lily Spiegel

This year’s ski season was filled with many accomplishments and lots of hard work. The Mirror recently caught up with Alpine Program Director Tommy Biesemeyer to get the highlights.

At the U16 level, Lincoln Norfolk ‘24 won overall New York State Champion at Bristol Mountain, while Cara Dempsey ’25 also podiumed (was among the top-three finishers) at States. Bodhi Boschen ‘24 became known as the “dark horse,” Biesemeyer said, because he had the ability to come from behind. Boschen started way back at 49th place in the Super G race at Regionals at Burke Mountain, but finished in 3^rd place. That performance qualified him for U16 National Championships at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. All racers in the U16 age group had a podium finish at the regional or state level.

The U18 FIS women were led by Elizabeth Creighton ‘24 who had multiple podiums at the FIS level, which lowered her points, leading her to be one of the top Canadian first year FIS athletes this season. This resulted in her getting invited to a prestigious training camp in Sweden.

The FIS boys were led by Dominick DeGuardia ‘24 who placed sixth at U18 National Championships in Vail, Colorado. DeGuardia was just three-tenths of a second off the podium. Kieran Delay ‘23 also showed a lot of promise and good results. Delay, along with Rowan Norfolk ‘22 Macie Eisenhart ‘23 and Pedro Gonzalez ‘23 all qualified for U18 Nationals.

Biesemeyer was impressed with the FIS racers this year. “When you start FIS-level racing, it’s a really difficult start because you are racing against guys that are in college,” Beisemeyer noted.

The Nordic program was led by Bella Wissler ’23 and Sophia Kelting ‘23 who both qualified for Nationals. Bella recently placed 3rd overall in her age group at Biathlon Nationals in Lake Placid.

The 2021-2022 Northwood Ski Team

Most of 2021-22 ski racers (Photo: Facebook).

Bodhi Boschen ‘24 (U16)

Kate Broderick ’22 (FIS)

Maegan Byrne ’24 (FIS)

Savanna Coppler ’22 (FIS)

Elizabeth Creighton ‘24 (FIS)

Leah DeFilippo ’22 (FIS)

Dom DeGuardia ’24 (FIS)

Kieran Delay ’23 (FIS)

Cara Dempsey ’25 (U16)

Edoardo Eigenmann ‘22 (FIS)

Macie Eisenhart ’23 (FIS)

Clayton Fuller ’25 (U16)

Pedro Gonzalez ’23 (FIS)

Karleigh Hollister ’22 (FIS)

Sophia Kelting ’23 (Nordic)

Sebastian La Roche ’23 (FIS)

Hillary Larsen ’22 (FIS)

Cilla Nee ’22 (FIS)

Lincoln Norfolk ’24 (FIS)

Rowen Norfolk ’22 (FIS)

MJ Prince ’22 (FIS)

Caroline Purcell ‘24 (U16)

Sophia Schupp ‘24 (FIS)

Denny Sebek ‘25 (U16)

Cole Van Etten ’25 (U16)

Teegan Wardlaw ’25 (U16)

Zach Wargo ’25 (U16)

Bella Wissler ‘23 (Nordic)

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports

Wissler 2nd in Biathlon Nationals

April 7, 2022 by Lily Spiegel

Bella Wissler ‘23 at the biathlon range in Lake Placid (photo provided).

Bella Wissler ’23 recently placed 2nd in her age group at the Biathlon National Championships in Lake Placid. Biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.

In a biathlon competition, athletes are required to Nordic ski a loop then go into a range to shoot 30 targets as quickly as they can using a .22 caliber long rifle. There are larger targets about the size of a dinner plate and smaller targets the size of a ping pong ball. When you shoot at the larger targets you are standing and when you shoot at the smaller ones you are in prone position, laying on your stomach. Each shot you miss you must ski a penalty lap, adds time to your race.

Wissler started as a biathlete from a young age going to kids programs her grandparents brought her to. From there she began going to Dewey Mountain Ski League in Saranac Lake, where she learned skate skiing and racing. She then had the opportunity to train at a biathlon camp at the Olympic Training Center, which led her to further pursuing the sport and eventually training full time.

Bella trains six days a week, usually resting on Monday. During the summer her training is most intense and during the winter the training is less intense as she prepares for competitions.

Going forward Bella is hoping to continue training with her coach in Vermont who is an Olympic gold medalist. For her next goal she states, “My soon goal is to go to junior worlds over in Europe, I would qualify for that in December.” After worlds, she hopes to join the International Biathlon Union World Cup, which has season-long competitions and is the highest level of competition for biathlons, even bigger than the Olympics.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports

Ring The Bell for Northwood Raises Record Donations

April 1, 2022 by Lily Spiegel

Mr. Tom Broderick, Associate Head of School and director of Northwood’s Annual Fund (Photo: Mr. John Spear).

On March 3rd Northwood School celebrated Ring the Bell, the annual day of giving that raises money for many different aspects of school, including scholarships, sports, winter carnival and many other activities.

The goal for Northwood’s annual fund is $1.6 million. Last year from the singular day of Ring the Bell, just under $300,000 was raised. This year, Northwood set a new record for the amount raised on the day of Ring the Bell. Associate Head of School Mr. Tom Broderick oversees the annual fund, and he is certain the school has passed the previous record of about $300,000 from last year, although the exact amount of this year’s donations is still being calculated.

“Our strategy with Ring the Bell is always to try and generate enthusiasm, and the enthusiasm is there,” Broderick said.

Mr. Broderick hosted a variety of student and teacher guests at the Hub and held a live video throughout the entire day of Ring the Bell. They discussed many different topics including the dance program, independent studies, the advanced STEM research program and much more. This helped create enthusiasm and demonstrate the different school programs supported by the money raised during Ring the Bell. Broderick also said that educating students, getting more sustaining gifts, and holding a phone-athon to get students more involved helps encourage people to donate.

The Northwood community is extremely grateful for every donation we have received this year. Each gift will help benefit the school in many different ways.

“People who give are basically becoming caretakers of the school,” Mr. Broderick stated.

Filed Under: Northwood Life

Northwood’s Playlist: March 2022

March 25, 2022 by Lily Spiegel

Original Illustration by Julia Turner ’23. More by Julia on Instagram @blixd_eyed.

According to psychologists from psychology-spot.com, “…we listen to certain songs again and again because they generate a kind of addiction. When we like a song or link it to some positive experience, it activates the reward system in our brain by releasing dopamine. Since that song makes us feel good and generates a pleasant feeling of comfort, it is normal that we want to listen to it again and again.”

The Mirror wanted to know what songs students were listening to that make them happy. This playlist (Apple Music | Spotify) represents Northwood students when they are most happy. We spoke with fifteen students, and this is what they told us.

Peppi DelliQuadri ‘22	”The song Homecoming makes me happy because the beat is uplifting and pumps me up.”
Sam Lyne ’24	“This song gets me motivated to get things done. The message of the song is to live your life to the fullest and to not listen to people who tell you can’t do something.”
Nori Fitzsimmons ‘24	“It makes me feel full of serotonin and euphoric, and it reminds me of the time I started listening to it: car rides with my friends.”
Abigail Sinclair ‘23	“It reminds me of my childhood. The lyric, ‘and the butterflies fly away’ remind me to not be as nervous.”
Brady Hildreth ‘22	“This song calms me down and takes away the stress of school work and anything else that is going on in life.”
Gus Garvey ‘25	“This song a reminder of going on long road trips with my family. I remember that song playing when we arrived in Old Forge. I associate it with a sense of optimism and anticipation.”
Katie Demers ‘24	”They lyric, “Don’t wanna think about her, or wear a ring without her” makes me feel that everyone has a person, and it might always not be the person you expect it to be and at the beginning it’s hard to realize this. The lyric, “And see the world through whiskey glasses, and I need a better view, where I don’t drink to you” makes me feel that moving on is hard, but without moving on you’re just going to keep reliving the same events.”
Matt Brady ‘22	”Trademark USA makes me happy because I associate it with good memories.”
Maisie Crane ‘23	“The song is really good, and I like the artist. It is my current favorite song from Tame Impala.”
Jackson Smith ‘23	“I enjoy Pursuit of Happiness because it reminds me of summer nights driving around with the boys and not a care in the world.”
Leah DeFilippo ‘22	“This is a good song to work out to. I find the lyrics funny.”
Cilla Nee ‘22	“I really like this song because I associate it with positive memories, and it is by far my favorite band.”
Caroline Purcell ’24	“This song makes me think of summer and the memories I made, makes me feel happy and puts me in a good mood.”
Hillary Larsen ‘22	“This song reminds me of my childhood and I like the guitar.”
Kate Broderick ‘22	“My sister and I listen to this song a lot when we’re driving together, and it’s always been fun to sing along to.”

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People, Top Story

Celebrating Northwood’s Girls on International Women’s Day

March 8, 2022 by Lily Spiegel

On this International Women’s Day, The Mirror is celebrating the Northwood School students who identify as women/girls. We are recognizing each one of their accomplishments and hard work.

Did you know that each International Women’s Day has a theme? This year’s theme is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.” According to UN Women, “The year 2022 is pivotal for achieving gender equality in the context of climate change, and environmental and disaster risk reduction, which are some of the greatest global challenges of the twenty-first century. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach.”

: Georgia B. ’23

: Kate B. ’22

: Maegan B. ’24

: Kaitlyn C. ’23

: Jillian C. ’23

: Kira C. ’23

: Savanna C ’22

: Elisabeth C. ’24

: Leah D. ’22

: Katie D. ’24

: Macie E. ’23

: Ella F. ’22

: Nora F. ’24

: Angelica G. ’22

: Ashley G. ’24

: Caroline H. ’22

: Karleigh H. ’22

: Brooke K. ’23

: Sophia K. ’23

: Kristen K. ’24

: Hillary L. ’22

: Ruby L. ’22

: Jazlyn L. ’22

: Ruby M. ’22

: Sadie Martin ’25

: Paige M. ’22

: Halle P. ’24

: Cilla N. ’22

: Christie-Ann N. ’23

: Iva-Amanda N. ’23

: Kami O. ’23

: Anna P. ’23

: Airika P. ’22

: Mollie P. ’24

: Marie-Jean P. ’22

: Ella P. ’24

: Caroline Purcell ’24

: Sophia S. ’24

: Evelina S. ’22

: Sophia S. ’25

: Abigail S. ’23

: Morgan S. ’24

: Iliana S. ’22

: Lily S. ’22

: Adria T. ’23

: Piper T. ’25

: Mariema T. ’23

: Julia T. ’23

: Teegan W. ’25

: Kara W. ’22

: Teagan W. ’25

: Celia W. 23

: Kennedy W. ’22

: Bella W. ’23

: Maya W. ’25

: Natalie Z. ’22

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People, Real World, Top Story

Northwood Marks Women’s History Month

March 1, 2022 by Lily Spiegel

March 1st marks the start of Women’s History Month. For many years the hard work of many brave and brilliant women went unnoticed. So, to shine a light on our accomplishments Women’s History Month was created.

Womens History Month is used to celebrate women and support them on the path to equal rights. It began as a small celebration, Women’s History Week, in Santa Rosa, California. Eventually the small celebration spread throughout America and reached the president at the time.

According to the National Women’s History Museum, “In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th, 1980 as National Women’s History Week.” This was the first official recognition of women’s history by a president. The preceding presidents followed in Carter’s footsteps until 1987 when Womens History Week was officially changed to Women’s History Month.

To celebrate the women of Northwood School, a few students volunteer to do a presentation at our school meeting. They inform our community of the importance of Women’s History Month and highlight key events of women’s suffrage which are usually explained along with quotes from important and influential women.

2022 also marks 50 years of coeducation at Northwood. Previously, Northwood had been an all-male school for 66 years before women began attending in 1971. The incorporation of women into Northwood school was an impactful step in the school’s history.