Su Hae Jang

Northwood’s Rich Olympic History

February 6, 2026 by Su Hae Jang

The XXIII Winter Olympic Games begin today and Opening Ceremonies are tomorrow in PyeongChang, South Korea. Athletes from around the world have arrived in the Olympic Village ready for the upcoming competitions. In the Winter Games, these top-level athletes will compete for 259 medals in 15 sports, including alpine skiing, ice hockey, ski jumping, and bobsleigh. The 2018 United States Olympic Team is comprised of 244 athletes — 135 men, 109 women, the largest Winter Olympic team for any nation in history.In this 16-day winter sports celebration featuring athleticism and life-changing accomplishment, five Northwood alumni have been named to Olympic teams. As athletes (Andrew Weibrecht ’03, Mike Testwuide ’05, Kevin Drury ’06, Will Rhoads ’13) and a coach (Tony Granato ’83), these alumni will join an exclusive club of twenty-three former Northwood students who participated in the Winter Olympic Games over the past seven decades. The history of Northwood School alumni who made it to the world stage to represent their respective countries goes back to the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway.

On the occasion of the opening of the Twenty-Third Winter Olympic Games, here’s a look at Northwood’s Olympic Alumni. We are grateful for the research and writing of Phil Frommholz ‘65, who has previously written about Northwood’s Olympic tradition. We are in debt to his work.

John Francis “Jack” Mulhern ’47

John Francis “Jack” Mulhern (Photo: Epitome)

Jack Mulhurn ’47 (photo: Boston College)

“Jack Mulhern deserves special recognition as the first Northwood athlete to step up on the Olympic Podium after winning a Silver medal in 1952 on the Men’s Hockey Team,” wrote Phil Frommholz in his personal blog, “The Northwood Blogger.” Mulhern was also one of the founding members of a club with nineteen Northwood Olympians as its members.

Annibale John “Ni” Orsi, Jr. ’64

Ni Orsi ’64 (Stockton Hall of Fame)

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Annibale John “Ni” Orsi, Jr. ’64 (Photo: Sports Illustrated)

“The decade of the 60s brought notice to Northwood School, for not only an outstanding hockey program, but also for its nationally-known ski program,” mentioned Mr. Frommholz. Californian Ni Orsi had just graduated from Northwood when he competed in the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. At 19 years of age, he ranked 14th as the first American finisher in the Men’s Downhill in alpine skiing.

Ulf Kvendbo ’68

Ulf Kvendbo (Photo: Epitome)

Ulf Kvendbo at the 1968 Games in Grenoble, France. (Photo: Canadian Ski Hall of Fame)

Ulf Kvendbo from Stockholm, Sweden was a ski jumper from the Team Canada who competed in two Winter Olympic Games: in 1968 and 1972. In 1968, he finished 53rd in Men’s Normal Hill, Individual and 55th in Men’s Large Hill, Individual. 4 years later, in Sapporo, Japan, he ranked 44th and 45th, respectively, in the events.

Thomas Robert Mellor ’68

Tom Mellor (Photo: Epitome)

Tom Mellor with the Red Wings, following his participation in the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. (Photo: legendsofhockey.net)

While a student-athlete at Boston College, hockey player Tom Mellor, the older brother of current English teacher Donald Mellor, competed for the United States in the 1972 Winter Olympics and took home a silver medal. Another highlight of Mellor’s hockey career was when he joined NHL’s Detroit Red Wings in 1973-74. He spent most of his time with its minor league club, the Virginia Wings.

Jay J. Rand, II ’68

Jay Rand (Photo: Epitome)

A European press clipping featuring Jay Rand (Photo: USA Nordic Story Project)

As a world-class ski jumper who competed nationally and internationally with the U.S. Ski Jumping Team from 1966 to 1977, Jay Rand represented the United States in the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. He placed 42nd in Men’s Normal Hill, Individual and 35th in Men’s Large Hill, Individual. He later became manager of the Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex. After several years in that position, he was made the manager of the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area and then executive director of New York Ski Educational Foundation, also known as NYSEF. Today Rand coaches ski jumping for NYSEF and is a North Elba town councilman. Three-time Olympian Andrew Weibrecht is Rand’s son-in-law.

Brent Rushlaw ’70

Brent Rushlaw (Photo: Epitome)

Brent Rushlaw driving the USA sled at an international competition. (Photo: bunksplace.com)

Brent “Stuntman” Rushlaw, from nearby Saranac Lake, NY, is the only Olympic Bobsledder among Northwood School alumni. He established himself as the No. 1 bobsledder in the U.S., winning the national championship five times and 18 of the 26 two-man races he had entered in the U.S. (Matthew Roy, a science teacher at Northwood was the second-most decorated US bobsledder). Rushlaw competed in four Winter Olympic Games, more than any other bobsledder: 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria; 1980 in Lake Placid, 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, and 1988 in Calgary, competing in Men’s Two and Men’s Four races. Despite just missing out on an Olympic medal in the ’80 and ’88 Olympics, placing 6th and 4th, respectively, Rushlaw earned the title as one of the best bobsled drivers in the world.

Joseph V. Lamb III ’73

Joe Lamb (Photo: Epitome)

Joe Lamb jumping in Lake Placid in preparation for the 1972 Games in Sapporo, Japan. (Photo: USA Nordic)

Joe Lamb ’73 is one of the youngest ski jumping and Nordic combined competitors in the history of the Olympic Games. At the age of 16, Lamb took a leave of absence from Northwood to compete in the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Since then, he has attended seven Winter Olympic Games as a coach, a commentator, a technical advisor, and official for ski jumping, skiing, and Nordic combined. Starting in 1991, Lamb served as a U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association representative to the International Ski Federation (FIS). In 1995 he received the Bud and Mary Little Award to honor his significant contribution to skiing interest in the United States through a long-term involvement in the FIS and Olympic communities, earning U.S. Skiing recognition. From 2014 to 2016, Lamb was named to the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority board as one of the town of North Elba’s representatives. His grandson is a member of the class of 2019.

Anthony Lewis “Tony” Granato ’83

Tony Granato (Photo: Epitome)

Tony Granato (Photo: University of Wisconsin)

Tony Granato came to Northwood from Illinois and was an impact player on a team that included legendary goalie Mike Richter. Before his senior year, he was drafted by the New York Rangers and went on to play at hockey power University of Wisconsin. After Wisconsin he represented the United States in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Granato was second in scoring for the U.S. at the 1988 Winter Olympics with eight points on a team that finished seventh. After the Olympics, he went on to have a successful career in the NHL. Upon retirement as a player, Granato has been a successful NHL coach. Since 2016 he has been the head coach of the Wisconsin men’s hockey team. Three decades after the Calgary Games, Tony Granato will be making his Olympic head coaching debut with the 2018 U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey Team in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Michael Thomas Richter ’85

Mike Richter (Photo: Epitome)

Mike Richter in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake. (Photo: Library and Archives Canada)

Pennsylvania native Mike Richter is widely-regarded as the best American goaltender in NHL history. Richter played with Tony Granato at the 1988 Olympic Games to represent the United States before making his NHL debut in the 1989 playoffs. Despite a series of knee injuries, Richter was selected as the top goaltender for Team USA in the 1998 games in Nagano, Japan and in the 2002 games in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. Olympics, winning a silver medal in the 2002 Games. He was named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008 for his contribution during his 14-year NHL career.

David A. Tretowicz ’87

David Tretowicz (Photo: Epitome)

David Tretowicz at the 1992 Games in Albertville. (Photo: Clarkson University)

While at Northwood, Liverpool, NY native Dave Tretowicz was one of the most highly-recruited defensemen by college coaches. He ended up at Clarkson, and represented the United States in the 1992 games in Albertville, where the U.S. lost to the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game. Drafted by the Calgary Flames, Tretowicz played professionally in the International Hockey League from 1991 to 1994.

Kent Salfi ’89

Kent Salfi (Photo: Epitome)

Kent Salfi playing profesionally in Austria. (Photo: http://www.meinbezirk.at)

Kent was the third Salfi boy to attend and play hockey for Northwood. After graduation, he attended University of Maine, where he was part of the the 1993 NCAA National Championship team. After college, he played professionally in Europe and eventually settled in Austria, where he became a naturalised citizen. He represented Austria in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake, where his team finished in 12th place.

James Tower “Jim” Campbell ’91

Jim Campbell (Photo: The Epitome)

Jim Campbell at the Lillehammer Games in 1994. (Photo: Trading Card Database)

Massachusetts native Jim Campbell was drafted 28th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1991. After Northwood, he went on to Lawrence Academy and then chose the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League over college. He played for the United States in 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway where his team placed eighth. He had a sixteen-year career that included stints in the NHL, AHL, IHL and Europe.

Craig Michael Conroy ’90

Craig Conroy (Photo: Epitome)

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Craig Conroy at the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy. (Photo: Alamy)

A native of Potsdam, NY, Craig Conroy was one of the best players in college hockey, playing for his hometown school, Clarkson University. His NHL career spanned seventeen years and more than 1,000 games for the Canadiens, Blues, Flames and Kings. Internationally, he played in the 2006 Turin, Italy Winter Olympic Games, where the United States placed eighth. Today, Conroy is the assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League.

Christopher Bowie Therien ’90

Christopher Therien (Photo: Epitome)

Chris Therien at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. (Photo: Library and Archives Canada)

Therien spent his first of three years at Northwood on the JV team, but quickly became a force on the varsity squad his junior year. After Northwood he attended Providence College for three years, leaving to join the Canadian Olympic Team to compete in the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, where he won a silver medal. Therien played 12 National Hockey League seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars. He is currently a color commentator for the Flyers on Comcast SportsNet and occasionally provides commentary on NBC Sports.

Thomas Vonn ’94

Thomas Vonn (Photo: Epitome)

US Thomas Vonn during the men's giant slalom 1st r

Thomas Vonn during the men’s giant slalom in Salt Lake. (Photo: Oliver Morin/Getty Images)

Thomas Vonn was late to develop into one of the best ski racers in his age group. He did two PG years at Northwood before training with the US Ski Team’s C squad and then attending St. Lawrence University. Primarily a giant slalom racer, Thomas Vonn’s best finish in international competition was in the Men’s Super G at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, where he placed ninth. He was 19th in the Men’s Giant Slalom event in those games.

Adam McLeish ’97

Adam McLeish (Photo: Epitome)

Adam McLeish at an international competition. (Photo: Team GB)

Adam McLeish was selected to represent Team Great Britain in Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom at the 2010 Vancouver, Canada Olympic Winter Games, in which he finished 24th. McLeish was a ski racer at Northwood, and only took on snowboarding when he was 20. McLeish is the only alpine snowboarder from Northwood School to appear in an Olympics so far.

Andrea Kilbourne-Hill ’98

Andrea Kilbourne-Hill (Photo: Epitome)

Andrea Kilbourne-Hill at the games in Salt Lake. (Photo: Adirondack Daily Enterprise)

Andrea Kilbourne-Hill (née Kilbourne) grew up in Saranac Lake playing hockey around the North Country with boys. She played hockey at Northwood before the school had a girls team and was named captain of her team. After Northwood, she went on to Princeton, where she was twice a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the top female college ice hockey player in the United States. At the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake, Andrea Kilbourne scored one goal and one assist, helping the United States Women’s Ice Hockey Team take the silver medal. After her playing career, Kilbourne played a critical role in helping establish a strong girls’ hockey program at Northwood School as head coach of girls’ hockey from 2008-2016. Kilbourne-Hill stepped down from her post in 2016. She currently lives in her hometown of Saranac Lake, NY where she teaches fourth grade.

Kei Takahashi ’99

Kei Takahashi (Photo: Epitome)

Kei Takahashi at the Salt Lake Games. (Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images)

The only Olympic luge racer to attend Northwood, Kei Takahashi represented Japan in two Winter Olympics: the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan and the 2002 Games in Salt Lake. He finished 14th in the Mixed (Men’s) Doubles event in 1998.

Andrew Weibrecht ’03

Andrew Weibrecht (Photo: Epitome)

Andrew Weibrecht at the Sochi Games.. (Photo: Alexander Hassenstein / Today)

Andrew Weibrecht, also known as the “War Horse” or “The Wombat,” is a two-time Olympic medalist from Lake Placid who attended Northwood for grades 9-11. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, he was one of the biggest surprises, claiming the bronze medal in Men’s Super G and finishing 21st and 11th in Men’s Downhill and Combined, respectively. Four years later, in Sochi, Russia, Weibrecht won the silver medal in the Super G race. In doing so, he became one of just five U.S. men to win multiple Olympic medals in alpine skiing. In this Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, the “War Horse” is looking to add to his growing list of Olympic medals. He will turn 32 on Feb 10, the first Saturday of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Fun fact: his father-in-law is Olympic ski jumper and Northwood grad Jay Rand

Mike Testwuide ’05

Mike Testwuide (Photo: Epitome)

Mike Testwuide playing for Team Korea. (Photo: ESPN)

Colorado native Mike Testwuide is getting ready to play on the world’s biggest stage with a South Korean flag stitched to his jersey for this upcoming 2018 Winter Games. He played for Colorado College from 2005 to 2010 and for four seasons in the AHL before taking his game to Seoul. He has played professionally Korea since 2013, receiving dual citizenship in 2015.

Kevin Drury ’06

Kevin Drury (Photo: Epitome)

Kevin Drury at a recent ski cross event. (Photo: Canadian Olympic Committee)

While at Northwood, Kevin Drury was an alpine ski racer, but he will be representing Team Canada in PyeongChang as a ski cross racer. In 2011, while attending the University of Vermont, he was the runner-up in the Giant Slalom at the NCAA national championships and was a First Team All-American in the Slalom. Drury also earned NCAA All-American Second Team honors for Slalom and Giant Slalom in 2014. After a successful NCAA career, Kevin Drury qualified for the Canada Ski Cross Team after an incredible 2015-16 season highlighted by a fourth place finish in Bokwang, South Korea, the site of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Update in 2026 (by Jack Kroll ’26):

In 2019-20, Drury won the Crystal Globe for the overall World Cup.

At the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, Drury finished fourth in the final, narrowly missing the podium. He then had consecutive injury-affected seasons, leading up to 2024`-25 when he returned to top form, claiming five World Cup podiums and ending a three-year drought. He returned to the top step of the podium in December 2024 for the first time since February 2020.

Drury will be attending his third Olympics at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

“I’m incredibly honored to represent Canada in a third Olympics,” Drury said in a statement released by Team Canada. “Really excited to finish my career with the opportunity to win a medal. For first-time Olympians, my advice is to take it all in, have fun, and enjoy the experience. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment, though I guess in my case it’s three in a lifetime, which I still can’t believe.”

Will Rhoads ’13

Will Rhoads (Photo: Epitome)

Will Rhoads jumping in a recent international event. (Photo: Park Record)

New Hampshire native Will Rhoads is an American ski jumper making his Olympic debut in PyeongChang. He was at Northwood for his junior year, before his family moved to Utah. At just 22 years old, he already has three national titles to his name. His career took off when he graduated to the senior ranks in 2015 after competing in four consecutive Junior World Championships. Rhoads immediately found success, taking home two national championships in 2015 and 2016 on the large hill and another title on the normal hill in 2016.

Also of note:

Martin Jong-bum Hyun ’99 is a second-generation Korean immigrant in Germany who attended Northwood School in his senior year to further his education and pursue his hockey career at the same time. Upon graduation, Hyun played NCAA Division II hockey for St. Michael’s college, winning the ECAC Division II Northeast Championship in 2002. When he returned to Germany in 2004, he became the first Asian in the history of German hockey to make it to the nation’s highest professional league, Deutsche Eishockey Liga, signing with the Krefeld Pinguine. Although he has not competed in any Winter Olympic Games, in 2015, Hyun was appointed technical coordinator for the 2018 Winter Olympics by the PyeongChang Organizing Committee in the field of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey.

Martin Jong-bum Hyun (Photo: Epitome)

Martin Hyun in Germany. (Photo: EIS Hockey)

Tate Frantz ‘23

Lake Placid native Tate Frantz is attending his first Olympics at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games. Frantz attended Northwood for a year in 2020-21. He then took the leap, moving to Norway to hone his skills. Then, 2 years later, he returned to Lake Placid in 2023 to make his World Cup debut. Frantz has since established himself on the World Cup circuit, racking up three Top 10s and a 14th-place finish at the World Championships in 2025. He also took home three medals in the 2025 Junior World Championships. LINK IF YOU THINK WE SHOULD

In an interview with the Mirror, Frantz said, “Since my first time on skis at the age of two, I’ve dreamt of having the honor to take part in the holy grail of sports. I’m so beyond excited and proud of the work and years behind it.”

Tate Frantz’s yearbook photo. The Epitome.

Tate Frantz is airborne to a 16th-place finish at the Ski Jump World Cup men’s competition held in February 2025 in Lake Placid. Photo by Nancie Battaglia.

The legacy of 24 Northwood Olympians reflects the rich tradition of Northwood School, as students excel through a balance of rigorous academics and unique athletic opportunities. These Olympians share their experience, strength, and hope with all who follow them.

Northwood School is proud of our Northwood alumni! We will be watching the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang from our own Olympic Village of Lake Placid.

Read about the Northwood alumni in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Su Hae Jang was a sophomore at Northwood School when this article was originally published in 2018. She lives in Seoul, South Korea. Read other articles by Su Hae Jang.

This article was updated in February 2026 by Jack Kroll ’26.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports, Top Story

Humans of Northwood: Imani Hawman ‘20

May 23, 2020 by Su Hae Jang

My hometown is Newton, CT, but I’m so grateful to have called Lake Placid my home for four years.

I originally chose Northwood just for the ski program. But throughout my years at the school, I realized that Northwood has so much more to offer! While at Northwood, I was able to meet new people and explore and expand my new passions.

My favorite thing about Northwood is all the great and vastly unique people there. I met friends that I’ll love and remember for the rest of my life. My very small friend group is truly like family to me, and they tremendously helped me grow as an individual. (Thanks guys!) I hope to visit Lake Placid often as it’s one of my favorite places in the world.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Dispatch from South Korea: Su Hae “Jessica” Jang ‘20

May 10, 2020 by Su Hae Jang

Note: The Mirror’s editor-in-chief Su Hae “Jessica” Jang ‘20 has been home in South Korea since the pandemic led to all students departing campus in March. She shares her personal experience f the pandemic in this essay.

JESSICA (SU HAE) JANG ’20

Both South Korea and the United States confirmed their first cases of COVID-19 on the same day, January 20, 2020. Now, three months later, the U.S. has the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths in the world, whereas Korea has seen a sharp decline in the number of cases reported daily since its peak in late February. On April 19, Korea announced a single-digit number of new cases. How did Korea manage to flatten its curve?

On March 11, WHO, the World Health Organization, declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Later that day, Northwood ceased all on-campus programming and transitioned all instruction online. I had been expecting the news from some time before, as I had already witnessed my home country Korea experience the worst of the outbreak when the number of daily infections reached close to a thousand. Nevertheless, I was stunned and overwhelmed. As of March 12, Korea had about 8,000 total confirmed cases, while the States had less than a thousand. Does it make sense to leave a safer country to go back home where the virus poses a serious threat to public health? Should I pack everything in my dorm room just in case? Is it even possible to do so in less than two days without anyone’s help? What will happen to my family in Korea if I catch the virus at the airport on my way back home? Will I be able to handle online learning at home? (Korea is 13 hours ahead of the States.) What if I can’t come back for graduation? What about college? But I was most scared to find the answer to this: Will I ever see my friends and teachers at Northwood again?

Despite the numerous questions floating around in my head, I still believed, or at least hoped, that I would return to Northwood to celebrate the end of my high school career with my family and friends. So when I left Northwood, not knowing that I wouldn’t be able to set foot on campus for the next three months, I said neither “Goodbye” or “See you later” to my friends. Instead, I told them, “Have a nice spring break!”

But by the time I safely arrived home, the tables had turned. Americans watched the exponential growth in their number of new COVID-19 cases with growing alarm. Meanwhile, Korea, which has been a country with the second-highest infections after China, noticed its curve beginning to plateau. All of a sudden, Maybe I won’t be able to go back to the U.S. became I probably shouldn’t go back to the U.S.

Although Korea extended its social distancing measures until May 5, it has recently eased restrictions on shops, restaurants, religious services, and other facilities to allow local economies to recover from the pandemic. Yet I haven’t witnessed drastic changes in people’s lifestyles. We continue to wear masks at all times. Emergency text alerts continue to inform the routes of patients who have tested positive in the area we live in. (The patients remain anonymous.) All students, from elementary school to college, continue to take online classes at home.

What surprised me most about Korea’s response to the pandemic was the absence of any lockdowns. From lessons learned from the MERS outbreak in 2015, Korea was able to quickly contain the virus without restricting the movement of people. By tracking locations of phones, records of credit card transactions, and footages of surveillance cameras, health officials identified and tested people the patients had been in contact with. Once tested positive, the patients were promptly treated. This method of contact tracing, which is used only during disease outbreaks, along with the widespread availability of test kits, which were developed and distributed early on, and drive-through and walk-in testing centers allowed the testing of up to 140,000 samples a week. As of April 27, 601,660 tests have been performed.

Another striking aspect was the absence of hoarding. As I read “Week in Pictures: Pandemic Leads to Suspension of Campus Activities and Moves Classes Online” on The Mirror, I realized that Koreans, including myself, did not stockpile toilet paper, hand sanitizers, face masks, or any type of daily necessities. Before leaving the States, I had heard from my family and friends that they had to line up at pharmacies to buy masks and were allowed to purchase two per week. Now, I can buy up to three masks a week and check the number of available masks at nearby pharmacies with an app. Without panic buying, the public has managed to remain calm.

South Korea, my home country, has been maintaining a comparatively low fatality rate of 2.26%. As of April 27, there has been a total of 10,738 confirmed cases—8,764 have been released from quarantine, 1,731 are still isolated, and 243 have died. Only 10 new cases were added to the data on the 27th. Yet the United States, where I study and where my friends and teachers live, is experiencing a surge in new cases with 999,237 accumulated cases—137,243 have recovered, 56,173 have died.

As health officials around the world warn the possibility of a new wave of coronavirus outbreaks if vaccines are not developed soon, I hope everyone stays safe and healthy. I eagerly anticipate seeing my friends and teachers at Lake Placid sometime in the near future.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Opinion, Real World

Second Trimester Honor Rolls Announced

March 12, 2020 by Su Hae Jang

March 11, 2020 — Dr. Laura Finnerty Paul, Northwood School’s Dean of Academic Affairs, today announced the Honor Rolls for the second trimester of the 2019-20 school year, which concluded on Thursday, February 13.

DEAN’S LIST
Upperclassmen (Gr. 11 & 12): Minimum weighted GPA of 4.00 with no grade below B+
Underclassmen (Gr. 9 & 10): Minimum weighted GPA of 3.70 with no grade below B+

Rintaro Akasaka ‘20
Amelia Brady ‘21
Katherine Broderick ‘22
Angelia Castillo ‘21
Ryan Cielo ‘21
Ellie Colby ‘21
Kira Cook ‘23
Nora Dawood ‘23
Ava Day ‘21
Peppi DelliQuadri ‘22
Norah Dempsey ‘21
Haley Donatello ‘21
Patrick Doyle ‘20
Zachary Ellsworth ‘20
Magdalena Erbenova ‘20
Courtney Fairchild ‘20
Aiden Ziyad Fakhuri ‘20
Ella Fesette ‘22
Lucas French ‘20
Caroline Harrison ‘22
Erin “Lexi” Hooper ‘20
Su Hae “Jessica” Jang ‘20
Jadenlin Klebba ‘21
Madison Kostoss ‘21
Jazlyn Lluberes ‘23
Anja Martin ‘22
Santiago Matheu ‘20
Andrew Mazza ‘21
Keith Mutunga ‘21
Christie-Ann Nelson ‘23
Iva-Amanda Nelson ‘23
Quy-An NguyenLe ‘21
Rowen Norfolk ‘22
Maximilian Oechsner ‘21
Mateo Rodriguez Cortina ‘20
Abigail Sinclair ‘23
Adria Tebo ‘23
Emilie Venne ‘20
Kara Wentzel ‘22
Zachary Zientko ‘21

HIGH HONOR ROLL
Upperclassmen (Gr. 11 & 12): Minimum weighted GPA of 3.70 with no grade below B
Underclassmen (Gr. 9 & 10): Minimum weighted GPA of 3.30 with no grade below B

Kendin Basden ‘22
Matthew Brady ‘22
Adelia Castillo ‘21
Gabby Cote ‘21
Maisie Crane ‘23
Cisco DelliQuadri ‘20
William Donato ‘21
Macie Eisenhart ‘23
Alvaro Galan Ortega ‘20
Christophe Garon ‘20
Kathryn Hagness ‘21
Carson Hall ‘22
Audrey Higgins-Lopez ‘21
Jacob Jaslow ‘23
Nathan Kirschenbaum ‘21
Lars Kroes ‘21
Hillary Larsen ‘22
Aidan Lasky ‘22
Junyeop Lee ‘23
Slater Loffredo ‘22
Ashlyn McGrath ‘21
Luc Mikula ‘21
Thebe Mosehathebe ‘23
Chase Ormiston ‘21
Santiago Perez Diosdado ‘22
Noah Pittman ‘21
Imani Rodriguez ‘20
William Rosen ‘20
Bernardo Simoes ‘20
Lily Spiegel ‘22
Marcelo Suarez Rojas ‘20
Braelyn Tebo ‘20
Mariema Thioubou ‘23
Johann Tremblay-Kau ‘22
Joey Winthrop ‘23
Hin Sum Wong ‘20

HONOR ROLL
Upperclassmen (Gr. 11 & 12): Minimum GPA of 3.30 with no grade below B-
Underclassmen (Gr. 9 & 10): Minimum GPA of 3.00 with no grade below B-

Marina Alvarez ‘21
Brian Bette ‘22
Tyler Boudreau ‘22
Matthew Burns ‘22
John Cielo ‘21
Cody Cleaveland ‘23
Daniel Colabufo ‘20
Connor DeAngelis ‘22
Benjamin DeGirolamo ‘21
Eli Jean-Francois ‘21
Jordan Harris ‘21
Aimee Headland ‘20
Rachel Hinkley ‘21
Olivia McLean ‘21
Brendan Merriman ‘21
Mark Monaco ‘21
Christopher “Kip” Morgan ‘20
Benjamin Norton ‘22
Madison Novotny ‘20
Ryan Panico ‘22
Marie-Jeanne Prince ‘22
Charles Purcell ‘21
Robert Renner ‘21
Tomas Restrepo Gaviria ‘20
Lucas Rodriguez Cortina ‘20
Eitan Rosen ‘20
Margot Rouquette ‘20
Jack Schlifke ‘20
Iliana Smith ‘22
Luke Smith ‘21
Hadley Swedlund ‘20
Chuer “Chloe” Zhang ‘21

EFFORT HONOR ROLL
Attained at least three “excellent” grades, with no effort grades below “good.”

Rintaro Akasaka ‘20
Amelia Brady ‘21
Matthew Brady ‘22
Katherine Broderick ‘22
Adelia Castillo ‘21
Angelia Castillo ‘21
John Cielo ‘21
Ryan Cielo ‘21
Daniel Colabufo ‘20
Ellie Colby ‘21
Kira Cook ‘23
Gabby Cote ‘21
Nora Dawood ‘23
Ava Day ‘21
Cisco DelliQuadri ‘20
Peppi DelliQuadri ‘22
Norah Dempsey ‘21
Haley Donatello ‘21
William Donato ‘21
Patrick Doyle ‘20
Macie Eisenhart ‘23
Zachary Ellsworth ‘20
Magdalena Erbenova ‘20
Courtney Fairchild ‘20
Aiden Ziyad Fakhuri ‘20
Ella Fesette ‘22
Lucas French ‘20
Alvaro Galan Ortega ‘20
Kathryn Hagness ‘21
Carson Hall ‘22
Caroline Harrison ‘22
Audrey Higgins-Lopez ‘21
Erin “Lexi” Hooper ‘20
Su Hae “Jessica” Jang ‘20
Jacob Jaslow ‘23
Eli Jean-Francois ‘21
Jadenlin Klebba ‘21
Madison Kostoss ‘21
Lars Kroes ‘21
Hilary Larsen ‘22
Aidan Lasky ‘22
Junyeop Lee ‘23
Michael Leone ‘21
Jazlyn Lluberes ‘23
Elise Loescher ‘21
Slater Loffredo ‘22
Anja Martin ‘22
Santiago Matheu ‘20
Andrew Mazza ‘21
Olivia McLean ‘21
Brendan Merriman ‘21
Luc Mikula ‘21
Christopher “Kip” Morgan ‘20
Thebe Mosehathebe ‘23
Keith Mutunga ‘21
Christie-Ann Nelson ‘23
Iva-Amanda Nelson ‘23
Quy NguyenLe ‘21
Rowen Norfolk ‘22
Chase Ormiston ‘21
Santiago Perez Diosdado ‘22
Noah Pittman ‘21
Robert Renner ‘21
Imani Rodriguez ‘20
Lucas Rodriguez Cortina ‘20
Mateo Rodriguez Cortina ‘20
William Rosen ‘20
Margot Rouquette ‘20
Bernardo Simoes ‘20
Abigail Sinclair ‘23
Lily Spiegel ‘22
Marcelo Suarez Rojas ‘20
Hadley Swedlund ‘20
Braelyn Tebo ‘20
Mariema Thioubou ‘23
Johann Tremblay-Kau ‘22
Andrew Van Slyke ‘20
Emilie Venne ‘20
Kara Wentzel ‘22
Hin Sum Wong ‘20
Zachary Zientko ‘21
Jingyi Zuo ‘23

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Huskies Have Strong Showing in Vex Robotics

February 13, 2020 by Su Hae Jang

Last year in November, four beginners joined Northwood’s Robotics team. After two and a half months of designing and programming robots, they participated in the VEX Robotics Competition at Queensbury, NY. James Zuo ’23 and Tiago Pinto ’21 (Team #12946Y) finished 15th among 60 teams. Anja Martin ’22 and Quy-An “Q” NguyenLe ’23 (Team #12946Z) came in 7th overall. Northwood also placed 16th in the driver/programming skills challenge.

Scenes from the robotics lab in February, 2020 (Photo: Su Hae Jang ’20)

“We have well-designed robots for both teams. James recently added an innovative sliding system to lift his robot higher, and he is still building. Q and Anja just redesigned their claw. So the robots will keep getting better and better in between competitions,” said Mr. Jeff Martin, Department Chair of Innovation, Engineering, and Entrepreneurship (IEE). “James takes Computer Programming class and did most of the programming for both robots,” added Mr. Martin. His teammates were in co-curricular Robotics and worked on the robots twice a week.

Brain Bette ’22 coached both teams at the competition. He took Robotics class and competed at the VEX Robotics competition last year. This year, he not only helped everyone in his team cooperate but also encouraged his teammates to work with teams from other schools. “The coach’s job is to talk to the driver so that the driver doesn’t get tunnel vision and to find out other teams’ strategies, strengths, and weaknesses,” Mr. Martin said. “And Brian did just that.”

Although waitlisted for now, Northwood’s Robotics hopes to compete in state championships—perhaps even in world championships. Mr. Martin said, “I think we have enough accumulative points to make it to state championships.” And if they win state championships, they will head to Louisville, Kentucky for a global competition. Last year, Bette and Paul Han ’19 came in 8th place in states. Mr. Martin believes that with practice and commitment, the team can break last year’s record.

With the opening of the Innovation Hub fast-approaching, the team looks forward to the expansion of the Robotics program. “Robotics is open to anybody. Anybody who loves robots can come hang out at the Hub,” said Mr. Martin. He added, “Robotics is cool.”

If they make it to state championships, Northwood’s Robotics team will travel to Syracuse, NY on February 29th.

Filed Under: Northwood Life

Alumni Exchange Gives Sneak Peak Into Innovation Hub

January 29, 2020 by Su Hae Jang

Are you a Northwood alum who wants updates on the school but can’t visit campus? If so, here’s a simple way to connect with your alma mater: click on a link and log in with your webcam to interact with Head of School Mr. Maher and other alumni.

Mirror editor-in-chief Su Hae Jang ’20 reporting on the first Alumni Exchange with Mr. Michael Maher in October 2019 (Photo: Northwood School).

Launched by the Alumni Council on October 2nd, 2019, the Alumni Exchange is an opportunity for Northwood’s 3,200 alums to exchange ideas and ask questions about the school. All alumni are invited via email, and anyone willing to participate may also use the link posted on Northwood’s Facebook page. “We haven’t done an alumni magazine in a number of years, so it’s a creative way for the school to communicate and share news from campus with our alumni,” said Ms. Stephanie Colby, Assistant Director of Development.

Tonight at 7:30 PM, Associate Head of School Mr. Tom Broderick will host a virtual town-hall-style meeting at the Innovation Hub. The Advancement Office expects to hold another Alumni Exchange in the spring.

To get an exclusive preview of the Innovation Hub tonight, use this link to join the Alumni Exchange: https://bit.ly/2RxaNUq

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Main Street Innovation Hub Now Set to Open in February

January 16, 2020 by Su Hae Jang

The opening of Northwood’s new downtown Lake Placid location, the Innovation Hub at Northwood School, is now set to open after Winter Break. The new academic center, originally scheduled to open in the fall (and then after Christmas break), has had its grand opening date changed due to normal construction delays. As the construction team adds final touches to the new facility, all classes will remain at Northwood’s main campus until classes resume after break on February 24.

This rendering shows what the first floor of the Innovation Hub, slated to include a “maker space” for students, may look like. (Provided photo — Northwood School)

This rendering shows what the Innovation Hub’s porch overlooking Mirror Lake may look like. (Provided photo — Northwood School)

This rendering shows what the upper level of Northwood School’s Main Street Innovation Hub may look like. (Provided photo — Northwood School)

This rendering shows what the first floor of Northwood School’s Main Street Innovation Hub may look like. (Provided photo — Northwood School)

As an extension to the main campus, the Innovation Hub will expand Northwood’s interdisciplinary approach to learning to downtown Lake Placid and beyond. The Innovation Hub will host a variety of programs to foster collaboration within the Northwood community. Student Exchange will encourage Northwood students to share their talents in events including but not limited to poetry slams, open mic nights, and music concerts. Through Alumni Exchange, the alumni will also have chances to further connect with their alma mater. Head of School, Mr. Michael Maher, and the Alumni Council will regularly present virtual town-hall-style conferences to discuss the visions of Northwood.

The Innovation Hub will be an opportunity to open Northwood’s doors to the local community as well. Community Exchange events, such as lecture series, mentorship meetings, and educational workshops, will promote both the student body and the regional community members to share their knowledge and experiences. Hub Talks is another program to look forward to. These events will host top-level speakers and will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Information on summer camps and auxiliary programs will follow.

A Community Open House at the Innovation Hub is planned for Monday, February 24 from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Members of the Northwood and Lake Placid communities are welcome to stop by and explore the new space.

Members of the Northwood community with ideas and questions should send a message to innovationhub@northwoodschool.com.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Get to Know Mr. Keanu Hilaire

September 30, 2019 by Su Hae Jang

Keanu Hilaire joins Northwood as an instructor in the Math Department and will be helping with the robotics program. He will also work as an Assistant Coach for the Boys’ Prep Hockey team. Keanu grew up in Montreal and attended Kent School for three years. He graduated from Williams College where he double majored in Computer Science and French and was the Captain of the Varsity Men’s Hockey Team.

That was the brief description of new teacher Mr. Keanu Hilaire on Northwood’s home page. The Mirror‘s editor-in-chief Su Hae Jang ’20 tried to get to know him a little better and filed this report.

Mr. Keanu Hilair (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge).

Tell me a little about yourself.

I’m from Montreal, Canada. I currently live on Second East on campus.

I teach Pre-Calculus and Robotics at Northwood. Both of these are interesting fields of study for me because I studied Computer Science in college. I see Pre-Calc as the beginning of the harder type of math. A lot of students decide whether they like math or not in this course, so I think it’s a really important class to teach. But it’s also a lot of fun because math gets more interesting in Pre-Calc.

Northwood is a familiar environment for me. As a high schooler, I went to a prep school in Connecticut called Kent School. My college was also a very small college with only about 2,200 students. I love tight-knit communities because I feel like what I do matters. After graduation, a lot of my friends went to work for big companies, but I think that those places can sometimes make you feel like a small fish in a big pond. In a place like Northwood, I see the direct impact of what I’m doing. I think that’s important.

How did you first learn about Northwood? Why did you decide to come here?

Every time I drove down to school from Montreal, I saw the sign for Lake Placid. I visited Lake Placid a couple of times because it’s a beautiful and historic place. I was a hockey player in college, so I learned about Northwood from a couple of my friends who had played hockey here. I also had some alumni connections with the school from my college.

When you first got here, what was your first impression of Northwood? Has it changed?

During my orientation, which was before students got to campus, I thought Northwood as a nice, little, quiet, secluded place. Now I know that Northwood is actually a vibrant and exciting place. Everybody is here, and our whole community is together.

How is Northwood similar or different from the schools you attended?

Northwood is a little bit more secluded than schools in big cities, and we have the beautiful outdoors. We can see the stars at night. These aspects of a small community were similar in other places I’ve been to.

However, Northwood is also a little bit different from my elementary school and where I went to for my first four years of high school. I was in Montreal, which is more of a big city with lots of people. Cities have their own type of energy, but sometimes living in one can be a little overwhelming.

How do you expect to expand your hockey career here at Northwood? Are there any differences between being a player and being a coach?

It’s difficult being a coach when you’ve played for so long. You miss that rush you feel when you’re playing on the ice. But I think what’s going to push me forward in my hockey career right now is passing on the knowledge and experience to students who want to get further in hockey and have the same passion in the sport as I do.

What was your favorite day at Northwood so far? What challenges have you faced at Northwood so far?

I also liked Mountain Day, but my favorite day was definitely the first day of classes. Orientation kicked off my career at Northwood, but the first day of classes was what told me that I could do well this year.

I think the biggest challenge for me has been managing my time and workload. I need to make sure that I get work back to my students, go to practice on time, and so on. I don’t think you can get ready for everything that gets thrown at you in a place like this. And I think we all face the same challenges in terms of schedule. We all try to be on time, but the management of both time and work has been difficult. But we’re getting there.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Northwood Expands Composting Program

September 19, 2019 by Su Hae Jang

Su Hae (Jessica) Jang ‘20 and Imani Hawman ‘20 with a bucket of kitchen waste headed to the composter (Photo: Mr. Tyler Eaton).

Two years ago, two freshmen began transforming food waste from the school kitchen into natural fertilizer for the garden on campus. Collaborating with the kitchen staff, the girls composted two five-gallon buckets of food scraps per week using a small compost tumbler adjacent to the school greenhouse. By their second year at Northwood, they had built an outdoor three-bin composting system behind the Friedlander science building and were composting about 70 to 80 gallons of organic waste every week.

As they begin their senior year, Su Hae (Jessica) Jang ‘20 and Imani Hawman ‘20 look forward to expanding the composting program at Northwood through the giant drum composter behind the Shipman Youth Center here in Lake Placid. “Northwood produces about 40 to 180 pounds of organic waste a day. The three-bin composting system didn’t have the capacity to handle all of that” said Jang, the President of Northwood’s Sustainability Committee. “Now that we have a new composter in town, we’ll be able to compost all of the food waste from the school kitchen and the dining hall, including bones, meat, oils, veggies, what have you,” she added.

The new composting machine is one of the three replicas of a model composter that was built at North Country School three years ago. Funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Cleaner, Greener Communities (CGC) Program, North Country School installed three additional composters this summer–one of each at Lake Placid Central School, Hermon De-Kalb Central School in St. Lawrence County, and The Wild Center, a natural history museum in Tupper Lake. Each composter can handle an input of 300 pounds of food waste each day, year-round.

Northwood was the first to partner with Lake Placid High School. Last Friday, on September 13th, Mr. Tyler Eaton, the faculty advisor of the Sustainability Committee, added the first buckets of food waste along with wood pellets to the composting facility. “The cost is $0.10 per pound of waste, the same cost for waste at the Town of North Elba Transfer Station,” Mr. Eaton said. “Since the Committee will be diverting all food waste from the back of the school kitchen, composting two to three times per week, Northwood’s trash dumpster size and pick-up schedule should decrease.”

As the teacher of Environmental Science at Northwood, Mr. Eaton thinks that students can further the composting efforts on campus by designing an independent study focusing on the impact of composting on sustainability. “It seems feasible that we create a course for composting. We could use half of that course time for actual composting, and use the other half to do some independent research, whether it might be research into the economic side, the environmental carbon footprint side, or the social aspect side of composting. A designated period for the course would be nice to get our compost transported multiple times a week,” said Mr. Eaton. He continued, “The course could be cool, interactive, and hands-on learning, and, at the same time, count toward hours of independent study.”

The problem remaining for the Sustainability Committee and the Northwood community is the lack of student volunteers to transport kitchen compost to the drum composter in town. “We need to find a way to involve more students. Right now, we need at least three volunteers who are willing to transport our food waste to the composter in one of their free periods,” Jang said. “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to compost organic waste locally, engage students, partner with the local community, all while decreasing the school’s carbon footprint. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me,” said Jang.

Filed Under: Northwood Life

New Play Explores “One of the Most Relevant Issues of Our Time”

February 8, 2019 by Su Hae Jang

NOTE: dues to a coming snowstorm, performances dates and times have changed. Showtimes are now Wednesday, February 13 at 7 pm and Thursday, February 14 at 10 am.

On Wednesday, February 13th, Northwood Drama presents Naomi Iizuka’s Anon(ymous) at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. As a modern retelling of Homer’s “The Odyssey,” the play tells the story a young refugee called Anon is separated from his mother and journeys through the United States, encountering a wide variety of people — some kind, some dangerous and cruel — as he searches for his family. From a sinister one-eyed butcher to beguiling barflies to a sweatshop, Anon must navigate through a chaotic, ever-changing landscape in this entrancing adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey. [Read more…]