Gothics Repeats as Winter Carnival Champion in Fun Day

Last Wednesday was Winter Carnival, a fun annual event where students can showcase their talents and competitive spirit in various activities. The students were divided into four peaks, equivalent to houses at British schools, and composed of teams for each event. The captains of each peak selected their team members through a draft system. These diverse peaks allow students from various sports teams and cultures to bond over the goal of winning the Carnival. The Winter Carnival offers students a chance to take a break from their hectic academic and sporting schedules and socialize with a different crowd to have fun and ultimately win the traditional event.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This year’s Carnival was undoubtedly entertaining. The stiff competition made every event crucial for each peak, and the captains did an exceptional job selecting the teams, because all four teams had a chance to win.

Skylight was the 4th place peak in the 2023 Winter Carnival and didn’t perform as well as predicted but they put up a good fight. In third place was Big Slide, who made a valiant effort to win but fell short. The peak that came second by just a single point was Wolfjaws. After strong performances in the talent show and echo pond snow race, Wolfjaws fell just short of winning. This leaves Gothics as the 2023 Winter Carnival Champions. Gothics was consistent in all events and deserved to clinch victory in the Carnival.

The diversity of the activities meant that every student was strong in at least one event. There were 14 exciting events, including Dodgeball, Talent Show, Tug of War, Curling, Broomball, Baking, Wordle, Snow Football, Northwood Trivia, Heads Up, Echo Pond Snowshoe Race, Dog-Sled Race, and the Obstacle Course.

The most popular event was Dodgeball, and every member of each peak participated in the heated tournament with the desire to defeat their opponents. Big Slide emerged victorious, with star player Noah Leddell ’24 leading the team. He expressed, “Dodgeball was the highlight of Winter Carnival for me. Big Slide was dominant, going 3-0 and sweeping the competition. It was also fun to compete alongside the hockey players, which I rarely get to do.”

As expected, the Talent Show surprised and entertained everyone. Members of each peak were selected to participate, and some surprising talents amazed the audience. Kiet Do ’24 had a stellar performance singing “Sway” by Michael Bublé. Sam Rudy ’23, a member of Wolfjaws, proclaimed, “That was one of the most impressive performances I’ve seen in ages. I respect the confidence he had to bring out those fancy dance moves on stage.” Many other talented and humorous performances made the Talent Show unforgettable.

The Winter Carnival was a tremendous success this year, and students could step out of their comfort zones to socialize with new people and compete in new events. Northwood is incredibly grateful for all the staff who played a role in preparing for the tournament. Without their help, it would not have been possible. Gothics emerged as the 2023 champions of the Winter Carnival with an impressive win. Who will win next year?

“Northwood Confessions 2.0” Shut Down After Four Days

Northwood Confessions 2.0, an anonymous Instagram account, recently made an impactful return and has been the center of attention for students on campus. The original Northwood Confessions started last year and survived for over a month. At its peak, the account reached a point where students were non-stop checking it for updates. It seemed like everyone was a fan until they were exposed. And then, suddenly, the account was shut down.

Northwood Confessions 2.0, like its predecessor, was an entertaining but harmful account that appeared out of nowhere and gained popularity quickly and dangerously. The student responsible for the account is still unknown, but the Northwood faculty has done a much better job of stopping the account compared to last year. The account spread several rumors, and numerous people were offended.

The return of the account left many interested but skeptical. Maegan Bryne ’24 stated, “I thought it was funny at some points, but it also went a little too far and hurt some people. A lot of false information was spread, so it was important to get rid of the account.” Several students debated the way in which the school handled the situation. Maegan believes, “The school handled it well but did kind of make a big scene of it. In my opinion, they made it out to be a lot worse than it was.”

New students were confused about the account and didn’t know how the account was run or what it was about. Hamish Riddell ’26 said, “I was really confused about the account, but similar accounts were apparent at my previous schools. I heard previous rumors about Northwood Confessions, but they were mostly positive. After the first few posts, I thought the account was really entertaining. Eventually, I saw a fake post about me. I found it funny, but I could see how it would affect others, so in the end, it was probably better that the account was banned.”

The vast amount of mixed reactions amongst students made this account significant yet dangerous.

After the issues last year, Northwood knew how to prevent the account going viral. Student leaders were informed of the account and played an active role in reporting and banning it, given that it breached the school community’s expectations and was facilitating harassment.

Lohkoah Paye ’24 expressed, “I found the account quite entertaining, but I knew it was wrong, and I knew it was my duty as a student leader to act upon this.”

Northwood Confessions 2.0 was handled far better this year, and the school prevented a potential disaster. Sachiel Ming, a second-year junior, said, “The account had far fewer posts this year so fewer people were offended. The school got rid of the account very quickly before the account grew exponentially. It was reported and banned on Instagram, meaning it only lasted four days and the school managed to limit the damage effectively.

Northwood Confessions 2.0 appeared and then disappeared mysteriously. The account is officially banned and is now not affecting anyone. The school has handled this well and is constantly learning how to make Northwood safer.

Who knows if or when Northwood Confessions 3.0 will come out?

Bailey Captains Team Quebec at Canada Games

Georgia Bailey ’23 in action with Team Quebec at the 2023 Canada Games. Photo provided.

Northwood Girls Hockey alternate-captain, Georgia Bailey ’23, has been selected to represent her province as captain of the Team Quebec Girls U18 team at the Canada Games. All Canadian Provinces compete in these prestigious games every four years, with this year’s competition on Prince Edward Island. The games started on the 18th of February and ended on March 5th. Winter and Summer Games consist of various sports, making these Games similar to the Olympics. Team Quebec is historically the most successful province, winning 2,906 medals since the event commenced in 1967.

This astonishing achievement is an elevating step for Georgia and Northwood Girls Hockey. “Georgia truly deserves this achievement, she is a consistent leader at Northwood, her hard work and leadership has inspired others and has enhanced her game to the next level,” Coach Trevor Gilligan, her coach at Northwood, said. “I am extremely proud—she has definitely earned it. Being selected as the captain for Team Quebec is a terrific honor for her, which makes us extremely happy and proud. Her positivity has without a doubt positively impacted the Girls Hockey team at Northwood,” Gilligan added. “On our team she is our heart and soul at times. She is a go getter, and she plays a very aggressive style of hockey. She constantly pushes the team to achieve more in practice and games. She is always smiling, and her positivity is contagious. Georgia is a striving leader at Northwood who leads students on and off the field. She leads by example; she is up every morning doing extra training. No one is telling her to do those things. When you have those sorts of habits individually it becomes contagious amongst her teammates.”

The achievement is huge for Georgia. “Making Team Quebec means everything to me. Not only am I representing my province, but I am representing the hard work I put in every day. Having the chance to go to the Canada Games is an experience of a lifetime and I am honored to get to wear the Quebec jersey.”
Bailey credited Northwood for her success. “Northwood has helped me physically and mentally prepare for the Canada Games tournament. Northwood is my family; I have created special bonds with the girls on my team and I am grateful to be here. The Northwood Girls Hockey program is growing rapidly with effective new players and experienced coaches. The program is preparing the players for successful college or pro careers.”

Team Quebec dominated the Canada Games, winning 151 medals, 43 more than the closest competitor, Team Ontario. Georgia Bailey’s women’s hockey team finished the Games in fourth place, just out of medal contention.

Dance Program to End After Three Years

In January 2020, Northwood School announced a new dance program for the 2020-2021 academic year. The program was planned and executed in partnership with The Dance Sanctuary, a dance studio in Saranac Lake. The program was unique in that it incorporated both performance-based and academic components and allowed beginners and elite dancers with high aspirations to follow their passions. Much like the Hockey, Skiing and Soccer programs, the Dance program showcased Northwood School’s initiative as it attempted to provide a unique offering within the Adirondack region and allowed students to combine a passion with academics. Sadly, Northwood will discontinue the Dance program, as numbers were inadequate to justify its continuation.

Iva-Amanda Nelson is a senior in the dance program. “It is really heartbreaking. Although I won’t be there to experience not having a dance program, I have been involved since the start as a sophomore. It is still such a young program, and I feel like so much can still be done with it. It is sad to see what’s happening. I think there will still be classes offered at The Dance Sanctuary and hopefully Northwood can provide transportation for dance students, but I guess they will have to find another co-curricular. It will be really hard for the girls because all of them are so passionate about dance.”

As expected, there has been a lot of discussion amongst the dancers. Many are upset and feel that the school should have waited 5 years to allow more time for the partnership to succeed. Seeing the dancers perform at the LPCA is something Northwood students looked forward to, as well as the participating dancers themselves. Dance has changed many young women at Northwood for the better. The dance program has provided the girls with an opportunity to express themselves confidently and has allowed them to find meaning and passion.

“Dance has made a large impact on my life. It has empowered me, and I’ve been surrounded by such strong, caring and supportive people in my life who I have met through dance. I have built life-long relationships with people I never would’ve thought I would be friends with. I just feel that without dance at Northwood, my experience wouldn’t have been as good as it was,” Nelson laments.

Why did the dance program close? According to the Head of School Michael Maher, “The dance program continues to be important and is just going to be reclassified in a co-curricular format. The reason for that is that in a small school with limited resources, we have to direct those resources to some of our marquee athletic programs that need nourishment. At the same time, because we think so much of the instructors, the company, and most importantly, the experience the kids have had, we want to retain it as an offering.”

Mr. Maher felt bittersweet about the decision. “I wouldn’t use the word closing because we are still offering it to students. We are just offering it on a different basis. I recognized that this ultimately means fewer kids participate in it. On that level, the decision comes with a hint of sadness.”

When asked what other new programs are being discussed, Mr. Maher said, “We are committed to expanding the NOC [Northwood Outing Club] program and feel we have a unique natural environment to support that program. Secondly, we are committed to improving the school’s gender balance and we feel our best opportunity to do that is in a number of areas, but our primary priority would be to increase our alpine girls’ skiing program. We have the staff in place and a world-class mountain to support that. It is a good decision financially and a good decision culturally.”

Will the end of the dance program affect the gender gap? “I think it will be minimal,” said Maher. “My understanding from talking to Mr. Riffle, the Director of Admissions, is that a good number, if not a very high percentage, call it 90% of the girls who participate in the dance program developed that interest after they arrived at Northwood. We continue to be enthusiastic about both the people running the program and the program itself, and we want to maximize it as a co-curricular experience,” Maher replied.

Members of the Hockey, Ski and Soccer teams had benefitted from dance classes, as dance develops flexibility, agility, and core strength in athletes.

After receiving the news about discontinuing the dance program, Northwood students were left wondering how the school will improve the male-female ratio after removing a full girls’ dance team. Lohkoah Paye ‘24 says, “It is quite sad that they’re getting rid of the program, and I think it will affect the girl-to-boy ratio negatively. I have heard rumors of a potential girls’ soccer team incoming, which I think would be great for Northwood.” The boy-to-girl ratio is 13 to 7 in favor of boys; this has been a recurring issue since the school went co-ed more than 50 years ago. As a result, students have constantly been gossiping about how the school could potentially even out the uneven ratio.

A girls soccer team seems to be the most popular idea in the Northwood community. The boys’ soccer program at Northwood has been an utmost success and is continuing to grow and improve. Adding a girl’s program would only enhance this reputation and benefit the school.

According to Gino Riffle, Head of Admissions, girls’ soccer is a possibility. “We are considering it and think it’s a great option as we’re always trying to grow the female population. However, it’s a long process to do a full assessment, and as we haven’t started a formal process yet, it’s not an immediate option.”

Unfortunately, some good things must end, and whilst the official dance program will soon be no more, the Mirror hopes to see the talents of Northwood students as they continue to perform on stage at future school events.

 

Introducing “Aussie Rules Football,” the Greatest Game on Earth

Photo: Darrian Traynor/AFL Media, via Getty Images

Being from Melbourne, Australia, I feel that it is my duty to introduce you to the best football game on earth—not American football (NFL), not rugby, not soccer but Australian rules football (AFL). It is the best game on the planet! Colloquially known as “Aussie rules” or “footy” and professionally played only in Australia, Aussie rules is the No. 1 football code in most states of Australia (New South Wales and Queensland play Rugby). It is a winter contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field with an oval ball. The objective is to score more points than the other team. The goals consist of 4 vertical posts at each end of the ground. If you kick the ball between the middle posts, it’s a goal (worth 6 points) and if you hit a post or kick the ball between the central and outer posts it’s a behind (1 point). Players can kick or handball the footy but can be tackled from all directions by the opposing team. The game consists of four 20-minute quarters and is highly entertaining.

Aussie rules football has the highest attendance and viewership of all the sports in Australia and the Australian Football League (AFL) is the sport’s fully professional competition. Its origins trace back to 1858 as a game invented to keep cricketers fit during the off-season. The first Aussie rules match was played in 1858 between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College.

Photo of GMHBA Stadium in South Geelong, Australia from exxentric.com

The most popular team in the AFL is the Collingwood Magpies (Black and white stripes). Collingwood actually has an American player, Mason Cox from Texas on its team.

As kicking the ball (or “punting”) is a big part of the game there are currently ex-AFL players now playing in the in the NFL as punters. Michael Dickson plays for the Seattle Seahawks, Arryn Siposs for the Philadelphia Eagles and Mitch Wishnowsky plays for the San Francisco 49ers. The most successful AFL player in the NFL was Darren Bennett who played AFL professionally before moving to the NFL and signing with the San Diego Chargers. As a former Aussie rules player, and considerably larger than most specialist kickers in American football (6’5″/1.96 m, 235 lbs./106.5 kg), he did not shy away from physical contact on special teams. This willingness to hit, rare among kickers, was never more evident than when he knocked an opposing punt returner out cold in his rookie season. Bennett was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in 2012.

Photo: an Australian Rules Football (sportsmatik.com)

Aussie Rules is more than a sport Downunder. It’s an obsession and ingrained in the Victorian culture alongside Vegemite and good coffee. Media follow and discuss players’ form; people do footy tipping and play Supercoach (Fantasy teams) and discuss games in great detail. Grand Final day is even a public holiday in Victoria!

I grew up with a strong passion for Australian football and I strongly believe if Americans watched the game with an optimistic mindset, they would find it the best sport ever created. Unlike the NFL, players are on the field for all plays and can run up to 10 miles per game.  The game features numerous physical contests, spectacular catches (marks) and hard running, sprinting and possession chains to produce an entertaining, high scoring sporting match. Nothing beats being at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with 90,000 fans cheering for their teams. The atmosphere is electric.

Do yourself a favor and watch a match of AFL with an Aussie who can explain the rules. The season starts next month. Once you know what’s going on, you’ll love it!

Promising New Athletes Help Grow Nordic Ski Team

While the Northwood Soccer and Hockey teams have been getting a lot of attention, the Northwood Ski program has also been building and accomplishing great feats. After all, our school is in Lake Placid, home of two Winter Olympics!

Led by the Director of Skiing, Tommy Biesemeyer, Northwood’s ski team of 26 students comprises 11 girls and 10 boys in the Alpine and 5 students in the Nordic ski teams.

Nordic skiers Daven Linck ’25, Sophia Kelting ’23, Bella Wissler ’23, and Abigail Van Dorn ’25. (Photo: Northwood NYSEF/Instagram).

Alpine skiing is the standard type of skiing with steep slopes, skis with metal edges to cut and carve into the slopes and the rigid boots fully locked into the ski. Nordic skiing is often referred to as cross-country skiing, where the terrain is not as steep, the skis are narrow, and the bindings allow the heel to remain free.

Coach Biesemeyer (or “BZ”) joined Northwood, having been a professional racer for 12 years and represented the USA at the 2018 Olympics. Northwood School also has a longstanding relationship with the New York Ski Education Foundation (NYSEF), and all the student-athletes are members of this body. NYSEF is the only Gold Certified club in New York State and provides support and opportunities for athletes to further their snow sports careers. The Northwood Ski program has grown since its origin in 1950, and the latest crop of talent has added greater depth to the team. In particular, the Nordic team welcomed 3 new students this year—Daven Linck, Abigail (Abby) Van Dorn and Jack Kroll, all sophomores.

“The Nordic program here at Northwood is growing; it has changed over the past 2 years. Last year it was just Sophia Kelting and me, and we were kind of forerunning how the program would look for a bigger team. Now that the team is growing, it is running smoothly and helping us to be stronger skiers,” says Bella Wissler ‘23. “With Daven, we now have a male skier on the Northwood Nordic team. He is a strong skier and has been doing extremely well this year. Abby joining the team this year added depth and she is a biathlete (skis and shoots) which is pretty cool! So, we have two biathletes which is the most Northwood has ever had,” Wissler notes with passion.

Kelting adds, “We are also hoping to kind of advertise and get some interest for more kids to join the program here and the team at Junior Nationals this year in Alaska. We are hoping for some good results this year to help promote the school. We have been skiing with Daven and Abby for a very long time. They are also from Lake Placid and Saranac Lake so it’s not a huge change for us. It’s been very good having them here.”

The team’s strength was on show at the recent Empire State Winter Games, held in the region on 2-5th February. It is the largest Olympic-style winter event in the Northeast and Northwood School was ably represented in the Nordic events by Sophia Kelting, Abby Van Dorn, Daven Linck and Bella Wissler. Over 3 days, athletes of all ages competed in 23 winter sports, including sliding sports, figure skating, sled hockey, winter biking, Alpine and Nordic skiing.

The cross-country skiing was held at Mt. Van Hoevenberg and the Nordic team competed in 2 events. Again, for the non-skiers, there are two methods used in cross-country skiing. The first is the classic method, a technique in which the athlete’s skies move back and forth in a parallel motion inside parallel grooves of snow. The freestyle technique is the fastest of the two methods, where the skier moves their feet from side to side in a manner resembling ice skating more so than classic-style cross-country skiing.

In the 10km Freestyle mass start (everyone starts at the same time) event, Kelting won the U20 Women’s comfortably in a time of 32:41 minutes. Van Dorn placed 3rd in the U18 Women’s and Linck placed 4th in the U18 Men’s event.

In the 7.5km Classic Pursuit (skiers start according to results in previous races), Kelting won the U20 Women’s, Van Dorn placed 2nd in the U18, a mere 4 seconds from Gold, and Linck placed 3rd in the U18 Men’s event.

Many would say that cross-country skiing is more difficult than Alpine skiing because moving forward on level terrain or up steep-hill ski trails needs considerably more power, endurance, and speed, making this one of the most grueling cardio events invented. The team trains extremely hard!

“This Nordic season has been pretty good; we have completed all of our mid-Atlantic National qualifying races for the season. We have one more New England Eastern Cup left before we leave for Nationals in Firbank, Alaska. The season has been going very well!” exclaims Wissler.

Kelting states “I’d have to agree, we have a pretty strong team, NYSEF and Northwood are in a great place. The program is definitely growing and is a lot stronger than last year due to our newcomers.

Junior Nationals is the next big thing for the Nordic program at Northwood. We leave March 10th and then after that we are done for the season. Hopefully next year, after Sophia and I graduate, there are more Nordic skiers at Northwood. There has been some talk about more ski jumpers coming to the Nordic Northwood team.”

The Northwood Nordic team is excited about the future and Sophia and Bella should be proud of the legacy they will leave. The Mirror looks forward to watching this team at the Nationals and wishes them the best of luck!

FISU Games an Opportunity for Northwood to Give Back

Last month, Lake Placid hosted the FISU Winter World University Games. FISU, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire or the International University Sports Federation, is responsible for organizing and governance of worldwide sports competitions for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 25). The Winter World University Games is the largest multi-sport winter event outside the Winter Olympic Games. The games combined high-level competitive sports with educational and cultural events in Lake Placid and nearby towns.

The first World University Games were held in 1923, and the USA had previously hosted the event only twice, the Winter Games in Lake Placid in 1972 and the Summer Games in Buffalo in 1993. The January 2023 Winter World University Games was Lake Placid’s largest winter sports event since the 1980 Winter Olympics. Lake Placid hosted a smaller Winter Goodwill Games in 2000.

The event brought life to Lake Placid. The Lake Placid community was genuinely entertained by the competition in over 85 medal events. Over 1,400 athletes representing more than 50 countries competed, creating an atmosphere of diversity and excitement. Over 11 days, crowds cheered, and Main Street was full of festivity, including fire dancers, ice sculptures, medal ceremonies, concerts, and more. Fifty countries came together as the spirit of the games rang through.

Northwood School was honored to host the FISU athletes, allowing them to utilize our entire campus, including dormitories, dining room, and athletic facilities. The FISU takeover of Northwood’s campus resulted in a later start to the second semester. Instead of Northwood students returning to campus in early January, students returned to school on the 30th of January—an additional month of break. Was it worth it?

Northwood School benefited a lot from the FISU Games, both financially and reputationally, as the school was able to build social capital within the community, thus enhancing its stature throughout the region. Athletes worldwide were impressed with Northwood’s facilities and genuinely amazed by the opportunities and resources Northwood students could access.

Mr. Tom Broderick, Associate Head of School for External Affairs and Director of the Annual Fund, was Northwood’s liaison to the FISU Games. He said closing the campus for the Games was well worth the inconvenience. “Northwood benefited in several different ways,” Broderick said. “We were able to form relationships with athletes and organizations from around the world. We were also able to connect with WPTZ. News Channel 5. We allowed them to use the Innovation Hub for various interviews. WPTZ broadcasted Northwood commercials in its programming, providing publicity across the nation. FISU and Northwood negotiated an accommodating deal that benefited both parties.”

But what about the students? Parents and students were concerned about the month off, particularly given the school fees. After all, this was the first time the school altered its schedule like this since the 1980 Olympics. During the extended break, students had opportunities to experience new things. Northwood offered several LEAP programs, including an expedition to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and a trip to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Athletic programs used this time to participate in off-campus training camps or tournaments.

The soccer team experienced diverse culture in Puerto Rico. “I was so glad we were able to travel to Puerto Rico. I experienced a new culture and got to escape the devastating cold. Lake Placid would have been dull during this time because Main Street would have been closed. There would be nothing to do in Lake Placid, so I am really glad the school allowed the FISU athletes to stay on campus,” said Trey Frantz ’25, a day student on the soccer team.

The extensive student offerings during the January break were affordable or free to students’ families. “The deal covered the costs for the activities and trips we made with the FISU.”

Boderick noted that operating the school as usual during the Games wasn’t an option. “It would have been a logistical nightmare if the students were to stay in Lake Placid. The closure of Main Street would render the Innovation Hub inaccessible, and the FISU athletes would have used the Ice Hockey Rink. The Northwood hockey teams would have had to travel 1 hour to Plattsburgh every day to train, which was not a valid option,” Broderick noted.

Having the FISU athletes stay at Northwood School was crucial to the success of the games, which in turn was essential to the economy of Lake Placid. The New York Government gave $500 million to the town to upgrade its winter sports facilities, in addition to $125 million to upgrade area hotels and infrastructure. This investment in local facilities and infrastructure was critical for the evolution of Lake Placid and, of course, benefits our school.

There is some talk that Lake Placid could collaborate with Montreal or even New York City for the 2030 Winter Olympics, but Japan is the frontrunner at this stage. The town, however, plans to bid for the Youth Winter Olympics.

Hosting the FISU games was indeed worth it. The money was never the motivating factor, but rather the opportunity to give back to a community that has provided Northwood School with so much. It was our duty to give back and contribute to the event as best we could. Northwood is proud to be a part of such a caring, vibrant, and beautiful town and region. The growth of Lake Placid and its people benefits us all. We are proud to help Lake Placid host a successful event and shine on the global stage.

Much Activity Planned for Students During Extended Break

A group of students will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania during a January LEAP Course. (Photo: © Sergey Pesterev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

The first Semester will be over in less than two weeks, and we will commence the holiday break. During this period, the F.I.S.U. World University Winter Games will be held in Lake Placid from 12-22 January 2023. There will be more than 2,500 participants from over 50 countries. As a result, Northwood students and faculty will take a longer break and return to campus at the end of January.

The extended break allows international students to return home after a busy year. From mid-January, special off-campus programming and L.E.A.P opportunities are planned, and several sporting teams are traveling to various locations for competition. Students are so excited to participate in these activities.

The U17 and U19 Soccer teams are traveling to Puerto Rico to compete in the Next Level Winter Invitational Cup. Teams from all over South and North America will come to participate in this high-level competition. The team will stay in Puerto Rico from January 23rd to the 29th. The team will tour Puerto Rico for the first few days and participate in several cultural activities before the competition starts. Christopher Green, a sophomore at Northwood, said, “I am really looking forward to going home and spending quality time with my family over Christmas. I am also looking forward to the Puerto Rico trip because I can’t wait to embrace Puerto Rican culture.”

“I’ve never been to Puerto Rico, so I am super excited to visit a new place in the world as well as catch up with my teammates after a long break,” said Hamish Riddell ‘26.

The Hockey teams also have exciting schedules and will look to add to their stellar performances so far this season. The Prep team will start their journey at Merrimack College for the True Cup challenge during the first weekend of January. The boys will meet back up in Buffalo for a training camp before heading to Detroit, MI for a PHC League event, followed by the MacPherson Tournament hosted by St. Andrews College in Aurora, ON.

The Varsity team will report to Salem, NH on January 12th as that will be their home base for an eight-day period where they’ll play games against Bridgton Academy, The Holderness School, The New Hampshire Monarchs, Avon Old Farms, and Salisbury. Then they return to Lake Placid for a slate of home games during the last weekend of January.

The Girls Hockey team will begin their January in Wellesley, MA for a showcase league event, followed by a short stint in Chazy, NY, a few games at St. Lawrence University before making their way to Philadelphia and Minnesota for the final two weekends in January. All teams are excited about what’s shaping up to be a great experience!

The L.E.A.P program offers a variety of courses. There will be 4 L.E.A.P programs, including an exhibition to hike Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, an exotic adventure to Saint Lucia, an art intensive in New York City, and voluntary work for the exciting F.I.S.U. Games. Mrs. Fagan, the coordinator of L.E.A.P, stated, “These L.E.A.P courses are for students who are not competing with their sport. All the courses are exciting, and the students will have an amazing experience.” An extremely exciting course offered this winter break is the Kilimanjaro adventure. This will be the first time in Northwood history that students will stand on top of one of the seven summits. The summit of Kilimanjaro is just below 20,000 feet (about the length of 60 city blocks)!

The overwhelming feeling is that the Semester and flown by so fast, and everyone is looking forward to the holiday break to reunite with family and friends. Happy holidays

Update on Northwood Soccer Alumni in College

With the College Soccer season over after Syracuse defeated Indiana in a tight penalty shoot-out to win its first College Cup, we thought it was worthwhile to review the seasons of Northwood alumni plying their athletic talents on the College stage.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Class of 2022 

Kendin Basden – Kenyon College (Div. 3)

Kendin appeared in 12 games for a total of 150 minutes this season with the Owls finishing the season with a 19-2-1 record.

 

Colter Cheney-Seymour – SUNY Plattsburg (Div. 3)

Played 13 games, recording 274 minutes of action. Made his collegiate debut versus Castleton on Sept. 7 and scored his first career goal against the Spartans. Played a season-high 51 minutes versus St. Lawrence on Oct. 25.

 

Connor DeAngelis – Lafayette (Div. 1)

Connor is yet to see game time with the Leopards.

 

Liam Doyle – Stanford (Div. 1)

Appeared in 20 games, including five starts for a total of 750 mins with five goals and two assists. Stanford came second in the Pac-12 behind Washington and lost to UNC Greensboro on penalties in the round of 16 in the College Cup. Doyle scored some cracking goals this season with his trademark bend.

 

Sebastian Green – Notre Dame (Div. 1)

He played in all 17 games as a defender and midfielder in his first season with the Fighting Irish, who finished the season with an 8-7-2 record overall and 3-4-1 in the ACC conference.

 

Aristide Gry – UNC – Chapel Hill (Div. 1)

Did not see any action this season.

 

Slater Loffredo – Brandeis University (Div. 3)

Played 11 games, including three conference games, with the Judges finishing the season 6-8-2 and 1-6 in the conference to finish 8th.

 

Pablo Obrador – Coastal Carolina (Div. 1)

Played 69 mins over six matches off the bench as the Chanticleers finished the season 5-5-6 overall and 2-1-5 in the conference finishing in 5th place.

 

Iu Pentinat – Coastal Carolina (Div. 1)

The Spanish GK played 16 mins in 1 match for the season.

 

Tomas Restrepo – Omaha Nebraska (Div. 1)

Tomas played in 5 games for a total of 76 mins with 1 goal as the Mavericks finished the season 8-6-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the conference to finish in 3rd position.

 

Calem Tommy – North Carolina State (Div. 1)

Tommy featured in 17 games, including nine starts for the Wolfpack for a total of 885 minutes and two goals and three assists. The Wolfpack finished the season as the wooden spooners in the strong ACC.

 

CLASS OF 2021

 

Arnezha Astwood – Omaha Nebraska (Div. 1)

Appeared in 12 games for a total of 517 mins this year as a Sophomore, having played in 14 games for a total of 782 mins in his Freshman year.

 

Jalen Commissiong – University of Connecticut (Div. 1)

Featured in 3 games for the Huskies, including two starts for a total of 137 mins this season.

 

Alvaro Garcia-Pascual – Coastal Carolina (Div. 1) / Marshall

Garcia-Pascual was named first-team All-Sun Belt after finishing the regular season as one of the top scorers in the conference. His ten goals are tops in the conference, as are his points per game (1.47) and goals per game (0.67) averages. Alvaro appeared in all 16 games, playing 1068 minutes. After an impressive season, Alvaro has signed with Marshall for 2023.

 

Andrew Mazza – Bucknell (Div. 1)

Played 59 mins over four games in the 2021 season.

 

Kenji Mboma Dem – Omaha Nebraska (Div. 1)

After being named to the All-Summit First team in 2021, Kenji started 16 games for 1198 minutes with six goals and eight assists this season.

 

Luc Mikula – Coastal Carolina (Div. 1)

Started and played 90 mins in 14 games plus two from the bench for a total of 1338 minutes for the season.

 

Calil Neme Filho – St Lawrence (Div. 3)

Did not make an appearance in 2021 and was not on the roster this season.

 

Luke Smith – Omaha Nebraska (Div. 1)

Featured in 14 games, including 12 starts for a total of 995 mins with one assist.

 

Marc Wharfe – Rider (Div. 1)

Marc transferred to Rider and played in 7 games for 207 minutes this season.

 

CLASS OF 2020

 

Ryan Combe – University of Vermont (Div. 1)

Transferred from Akron to play 12 games and 399 mins this season.

 

Lucas Rodriguez – Colgate University (Div. 1)

Played a total of 32 mins in 3 games.

 

Mateo Rodriguez – Cornell University (Div. 1)

After a promising freshman season with 739 mins in 12 games, Mateo played 90 minutes in one game this season. Cornell had a great season, making it to the 3rd round of the College Cup before losing to a late Syracuse goal. Cornell finished 2nd in the Ivy League to Penn.

 

Eitan Rosen – Boston University (Div. 1)

After making the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, Eitan played in 18 matches, including 14 starts for 1090 minutes.

 

Bernados Simoes – Trinity College (Div. 3)

Starting GK in all 15 games for 1307 minutes.

 

Jonathan Sinclair – UNC Chapel Hill (Div. 1)

Did not see any action this season.

 

Marcelo Suarez – Hobart & William Smith (Div. 3)

Transferred from UC San Diego and played in 15 games this year for the Statesmen, starting in 5 for a total of 574 mins.

 

CLASS OF 2019

 

Christos Athanasiadis – Azusa Pacific (Div. 2)

Transferred from Saint Mary’s College of California and featured in 2 games for 43 minutes.

 

Cory Booth – Hope International (NAIA)

Did not see any action and is not on the roster.

 

Vicente Castro – Northwestern (Div. 1)

Castro featured in 9 games for 563 minutes, including one goal and three assists for the season.

 

Diego Dutilh – Creighton (Div. 1)

Diego managed 281 mins coming off the bench in 14 matches as Creighton continued its stellar year, reaching the semi-final of the College Cup, losing in a close match to the eventual winners Syracuse.

 

Mark Keiffer – Colgate (Div. 1)

Did not see any action in his first three years and was not on the 2022 roster.

 

Prince Loney-Bailey – James Madison (Div. 1)

The Dukes missed winning the Sun Belt Championship, beaten by National #2 ranked Kentucky 0-2. Prince appeared in 11 games, including 5 starts this season for 515 minutes.

 

Pedro Paggi – Luther College (Div. 3)

Played in 20 matches for a total of 461 mins in 2019 for the Norse but is no longer on the roster.

 

Inaki Rodriguez – Michigan (Div. 1)

Saw action in 15 matches with 13 starts this season, with two goals and one assist in 947 mins of playing time. Two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2020, 2021).

 

Alex Schalkwyk – Darthmouth (Div 1)

Featured in 14 games, including ten starts for a total of 464 mins with three goals for the Big Greens. Dartmouth finished 4th in the Ivy League with a 3-4 tally in the conference.

From Cairo to Placid – Student’s First Snow 

Ahmed smiles as he experiences his first snow outside the school’s main entrance (photo provided).

Ahmed El Ganainy, a junior from Cairo, Egypt, started at Northwood School this year. Having lived in Cairo his entire life, Ahmed had never seen snow before this week. Cairo stays mild or hot most of the year, with temperatures often hitting 92 degrees F in summer and 65 degrees F in winter. Wind and sandstorms are common, and pollution contributes to uncomfortable afternoons in the city. Now, nearly 8,000 miles away, Ahmed is in Lake Placid and experiencing tremendous amounts of snow. 

Coming to Lake Placid was an eye-opener for Ahmed, with the Adirondack region featuring nature at its best. Sparsely populated, extremely quiet except for wildlife and trees everywhere was the opposite of traffic jams and horns in a crowded major world capital.  

Last week, Ahmed saw snow for the first time. The last time it snowed in Egypt was on the 10th of January 1855 in the mountainous southern region of Sinai.  

He was walking between buildings and saw white flakes falling from the sky. “At first, I didn’t really know what it was,” Ahmed exclaimed. “I had to ask people if it was snow. It was such a surreal moment. Magical, actually.” 

Ahmed said, “It was a truly incredible moment seeing snow for the first time. I wanted to tell my family. I spent half an hour playing in the snow with my roommate Sam. I felt like a kid. I was so excited and immersed in the moment that I didn’t even feel the sub-zero [Celsius] cold. The pure joy I experienced from the snow will never be forgotten!” 

Before coming to Northwood, Ahmed didn’t know what to expect. It was a brave move for him. However, he’s enjoyed life at Northwood, and the fact that the school has become more diverse every year makes moments like these so special.  

So, look out for Ahmed on the slopes at Whiteface this ski season! 

The Mirror was established in 1927
© 2015-2022 by the Staff of The Mirror
The Mirror's Policy Manual and Style Guide.
The Mirror is funded by gifts to the Northwood Fund. Thank you.

%d bloggers like this: