Sydney Kuder

Four Women Commit to Ski at Division I Colleges

May 7, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

In the past month, 4 FIS skiers have committed to ski D1 in college. These skiers include Cara Dempsey ‘25, Arielle Haccoun-Chaquette ‘25, Sydney Kuder ‘25, and Julianne Brochu ‘25. Having 4 D1 commits, this year has the most commits in recent Northwood ski team history. This success is a tribute to the hard work of these four athletes, but also to the director of skiing, Thomas Beisemeyer, for raising the bar for the level of success on the team during his time as director. This is Beisemeyer’s last year as Director of Skiing at Northwood, and in his four years, he has created a team that strives for excellence.

Cara Dempsey ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Cara Dempsey ‘25, is committed to skiing at Boston College next year. “From the minute I stepped onto campus, I knew BC was my top choice. I’m grateful for the opportunity to ski at Boston College. Tommy has been very supportive of me in my college process, but he’s also supported me in the four years he’s worked at Northwood. He has pushed me to achieve my goals, and now I have made my dream to ski in college come true.”

Arielle Haccoun-Choquette ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Arielle Haccoun-Chaquette ‘25, is committed to ski at St. Lawrence University. “I knew I wanted to ski in college and SLU seemed like the best fit for me. The coach offered me a spot around February this year, and I committed in early April. I’m excited for this opportunity, and I already know some of the upperclassmen on the team, who are great girls.”

Sydney Kuder ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael

Sydney Kuder ‘25 is committed to ski at Bates College. “Bates was never really on my radar until the last second. For most of my senior year, I wanted to ski at Williams College. By March, I was 95% committed to ski at St. Lawrence University, but I decided to talk to Bates since I had gotten in regular decision. I loved the school after visiting, and when the coach offered me a spot on the team, I accepted it. Although Bates was never my top choice in the beginning, I’m happy with my college process outcome and am super excited for next year!”

Julianne Brochu ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael

Julianne Brochu ‘25 is committed to ski at Saint Michael’s College. “Sophomore year I visited Saint Mike’s with my brother since he was visiting. He wasn’t that interested, but I really liked it. I visited the school again during my junior year and talked to the coach. The coach was really interested in me and offered me a spot on the ski team in December of this year. I really appreciate this opportunity to ski on a great team but also go to college right after high school.”

Filed Under: People, Sports

Senior Privileges Return for Class of 2025

April 15, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

This past Friday, the senior class privileges began, and the seniors at Northwood had special privileges awarded for their good behavior throughout the year. The Head’s Council wrote up a proposal for these privileges, and all of them were approved by the faculty. The privileges are as follows:

All seniors in academic and disciplinary good standing are assigned to Self-Directed Study Hall
Seniors are not required to check in at 9:30 p.m.
Seniors can sign out to town during Study Hall on school nights, and must return to campus by 9:30 p.m.
Seniors can use the fitness center from 8-9:30 p.m. during study hall.
Seniors can sign out to visit other Seniors’ rooms of the opposite gender.

These privileges resemble a typical college’s rules, which is why they were awarded to the Northwood Seniors. “Since we can go to the gym later at night, we can do our homework before and go to bed sooner instead of after Study Hall at 9:30. I like this privilege a lot because I like going to bed as soon as possible,” said Elleanore Pelletier ‘25.

“I like having no 9:30 check-in on the weekend, so I can go to town later and spend a longer time there. Also, I like being in the self-directed study hall,” added Ty Simonet ‘25.

All in all, the Northwood Senior class is very grateful for the privileges they have earned. I’m sure they will take advantage of these new freedoms in the last few weeks of the school year.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Skiers Race at the Next Level

March 20, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

Julianne Brochu ’25, one of the racers skiing at the NorAm. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Next week, a handful of FIS women will compete in the NorAm Cup Finals at Burke Mountain. NorAm races are one level below a World Cup, making them highly competitive. As NorAm Finals, these races are especially intense. The FIS women participating are Sydney Kuder ‘25, Arielle Haccoun-Choquette ‘25, Leanne Aubut-Laurin ‘26, and Julianne Brochu ’25.

Racing in NorAms is a pivotal step in a skier’s career. They provide exposure to a higher level of racing, offer low points to score, and winning a season’s NorAm Cup guarantees a World Cup start for the following season. All of these are reasons the FIS girls are super excited to race at Burke!

“I’m super excited to race with good competitors that I don’t usually race against. I’m also excited for the experience of racing at that level,” said Leanne Aubut-Laurin ‘26.

“I’m going there to have fun and experience a new type of race. I’m really excited for this next level of competition,” adds Arielle Haccoun-Choquette ‘25.

Though racing at NorAms is a great experience, they don’t come without challenges. First off, because of the high level of competition, starting positions are usually high. Unless your FIS points are in the 20s or 30s, which none of the FIS women at Northwood have, you should expect your start to be in the 50s and 60s. This brings challenges with course deterioration. Also, at the NorAm level, only the top 60 finishers in the first run are afforded a second run. Meaning, if you finish first run outside of the top 60, you have to sit in the lodge or go home. This is challenging because having two runs in a race offers practice racing, even if you don’t have the best results. Although there are challenges to NorAm racing, the Northwood FIS women are very excited to race at the NorAms at Burke. Tune into the FIS app and live timing to watch their results!

Filed Under: Sports

Catching up with Lea Lambert ‘25

March 3, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

Lea Lambert ’24. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Lea Lambert ‘24 is a recent graduate (class of 2024) of Northwood School, and this year, she is skiing on the Québec ski team. This accomplishment has always been a goal for her, which makes it that much more fulfilling. She wanted to join the Québec team because she of the honor it is to represent her province. “It’s an honor to represent the color of Québec. It’s always been my dream, and it’s the best team I can be on right now. I hope it will project me into something bigger and better.” The Québec team has also given Lea the confidence, talent, and physical strength to become a better skier.

So far, Lea has had a great experience on the Québec team. However, there have been many ups and downs. “It’s been very challenging being in an environment where we ski a lot and do hard races. However, I’ve learned to love skiing even on the days where I don’t perform at my best; I always feel excited in the starting gate.” Lea didn’t have the best start to her season; however, things have taken a turn for the better. Recently, she won her first Fis race, a GS, and scored a personal best of 38.59. Also, she has consistently scored in the 40s in Slalom, which is a significant accomplishment. “This year has been the hardest but best year of my life in terms of skiing.”

Lea took many things away from Northwood that she enforced on the Québec team. “I learned that hard work is going to get me way farther than talent. I knew this before Northwood, but Northwood made me realize this is super important. I got good at skiing at Northwood because I loved the hard-working part.” Lea misses the community at Northwood a lot. “I miss talking to people in the halls at school. I do online school now, so I don’t have a big social circle. I miss it a lot and the teachers that cared about me too.”

Regarding her future, Lea plans to ski on the Québec team for another year or two. She aims to compete at World Juniors one day and have a spot on the D team. “I know it’s going to take a lot, but I believe in myself and my hard work.”

A typical day for Lea on the Québec team is this: she wakes up around 6 for training, then has breakfast consisting of eggs, oatmeal, and a cup of coffee. Then she leaves for training and does a good warmup at the hill with bands and jumping jacks, among other exercises. Afterward, she takes a warmup run on skis and then starts training. Usually, she’ll take around seven runs in the course, and after training, she does dryland. She likes to go for a run or bike and foam roll. Also, the Québec team has a supply of Normatec recovery devices that she loves to use after skiing. Finally, she’ll watch videos, eat dinner, and head to bed around 8 p.m.

Lea is a fantastic athlete who is determined to achieve her goals. Although we miss her at Northwood, she will inevitably do great things in and out of skiing.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People, Sports

Humans of Northwood: Alessandro Lacchi ‘25

March 3, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

“I am from Rome, Italy, and I traveled around Northern Italy to ski before coming to Northwood. I decided to go to Northwood to learn English and have the opportunity to train a lot in skiing. So far, my favorite parts of Northwood have been the ski team, the training, and the people I have met.

“The school has been great at helping the skiers since we miss a lot of school. I feel very supported by my teachers, and they want to see me succeed. So far, at Northwood, my English has improved a lot. I am grateful for this opportunity to learn English as it is a very useful language to know. I like going to the gym and playing chess. My rating is around 600 right now, which is pretty good. I also like resting and taking time for myself: reading books, watching series, etc.”

“A piece of advice I would give to an incoming Northwood student is enjoy your time here and don’t take any of it for granted.”

As told to Sydney Kuder ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Humans of Northwood: Arielle Haccoun Choquette ‘25

February 28, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

“I love pickles, olives, and anything that’s sour. I have an interesting taste in food, for sure.

“I came to Northwood for skiing and to be in a competitive environment where I could pursue skiing in college. Thus far, my favorite part of Northwood has been the connections I have made and the friends I’ve found. I also love the environment of Lake Placid and the nature we’re surrounded by.

“My ski team before Northwood had fewer opportunities to ski in college because it was in Canada, which made Northwood more appealing to me. At Northwood, I have learned to be open-minded and enjoy my time here. My biggest takeaway has been to talk to new people and capitalize on all the opportunities in front of me.

“Besides skiing, I enjoy painting and playing soccer. I like art, drawing, and sewing too.

“A piece of advice I would give an incoming Northwood student would be to stay open-minded and be yourself. The environment here is very enriching and allows you to grow as a person.”

As told to Sydney Kuder ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Skiers Race with Old Teammates

February 25, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

Earlier this month, Whiteface Mountain is hosting a Canadian race series, including one GS race and two Super G races. Canadian series are races that are meant for Canadians to race in, with only 10-15 spots reserved for American skiers. Three members of the women’s Quebec ski team drove down to race in this series. Two of these skiers were Lea Lambert and Olivia Levesque, both members of Northwood’s class of 2024.

Lea Lambert ’24. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Many skiers who are on the team this year skied with Lea and Olivia last year, so it was great to not only see them after so long apart but also have the opportunity to race with them again, just like old times. “It was great to be back racing with my old teammates. I felt very inspired to race with them because they’ve gone on to the next level in ski racing since their time at Northwood, the Quebec team,” said Julianne Brochu ‘25.

Olivia Levesque ’24. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Besides just racing with the girls, the skiers also had the chance to catch up with them at Northwood this week. In the evenings, Lea and Olivia came over to Northwood, which felt just like last year as they ate in the dining hall and socialized in the living room. “It was super fun to race with Lea and Olivia again. They were very supportive of me last year, and I really missed racing with them. Hanging out with them at school made me miss them more, but I was still super glad to see them after so long apart,” said Cara Dempsey ‘25.

Overall, racing with old teammates is always fun, especially when your old teammates are Olivia Levesque and Lea Lambert. Both are supportive and inspiring young women who will continue to succeed in their skiing careers and in their lives after Northwood.

Filed Under: People, Sports

Humans of Northwood: Charles Leduc ‘25

February 11, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

“I came to Northwood to further my ski career and get a good education. Doing both these things was no longer possible at my old school, so I decided to come to Northwood. My favorite part has been the people I’ve met. I’ve also appreciated the hard-working environment at Northwood. Everyone here is chasing a dream, which motivates me in school and skiing. When I leave, I will miss my friends the most.

“After Northwood, I plan to go to college, hopefully at Queens University. I won’t be skiing there; instead, I will cycle. A fun fact about me is that I am very good at cycling and won a provincial championship when I was 15.

“Northwood has been a great experience for me, and I will miss it a lot when I graduate. I am grateful for all the lessons it has taught me and all the memories I have made here.”

As told to Sydney Kuder ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Getting to Know Tendo Zikusoka ‘28

February 3, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

Tendo Zikusoka ’28. Photo by Mr. John Spear.

Tendo Zikusoka ’28 is a student who recently joined Northwood School. He is a freshman here and on the soccer team. His brother, Ndhego, came for the second half of last year, and was a senior. Ndhego and Tendo’s father came to Northwood in 1991 and graduated in 1993, and at last year’s commencement, he awarded Ndhego his diploma.

Tendo felt that this year was his time to come to Northwood. With two members of his family attending Northwood, it was natural he would eventually join them. He’s been at Northwood for a few weeks now and said that he enjoys the soccer program at Northwood more than back home. “The program here is more detailed; the coaches focus more on the player’s development. The training amount is about the same, though,” Zikusoka said.

Tendo is from Busoga, Uganda, which is in Jinja, Uganda. He said the weather back home is very dry. There is some rain where he lives, but he is used to mostly hot, dry weather. He is still adjusting to the climate of Lake Placid, where the norm is freezing temperatures and lots of snow. Back home, Tendo likes to go to the national park for fun.

So far, at Northwood, Tendo has been settling in well. He likes his roommate, Jonathan Fischer ‘27, and is still acclimating to his new classes. He likes all his classes so far.

Tendo is a great addition to the Northwood community and to the soccer program at Northwood. He will fit into the culture at Northwood well.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

School Spirt Shows at Hockey Tournament

January 26, 2025 by Sydney Kuder

The Prep team celebrates their championship win at the 2025 Northwood Invitational Hockey Tournament. The Girls’ team also won the championship. Photo provided.

This past weekend, Northwood hosted its 45^th annual Northwood hockey invitational, and the students were eager to come out and show their support for their classmates. With more than 50 soccer players gone to Costa Rica, the ski team and independent students stepped up, making sure to attend as many games as possible.

One way Northwood students cheered on at the games was with cowbells they bought to support the victims of California wildfires. Leading up to and during the tournament, CARE and generous teachers sold these cowbells, and the students made good use of them. Whenever a goal was scored or a Northwood goalie managed an impressive save, the clanging sound of the bells could be heard throughout the rink. Marie-Jean Cazes ‘25 said, “I loved ringing my cowbell at the games, and it gave me a chance to support the hockey teams to the best of my ability.”

Another way the independents and ski teams supported the hockey teams was by making posters for every senior on each team: Prep, Varsity, and Girls. The night before the tournament began, students created 40 posters and hung them in the rinks the morning of the first game. Michael Peluso ‘25, captain of the Prep hockey team, thought it was great to know the school supported his team. “It made it a lot easier and more meaningful to play knowing my classmates were cheering me on,” he said.

Overall, both players and fans had a great time at the Northwood tournament this past weekend and already can’t wait for next year’s.