Welcome to the room of Mitchell Baker ‘25, of Australia, and Cedric Lemaire ‘24, of Massachusetts. These students are part of the Soccer team, with Cedric, who goes by the name of Ceddy, being on the U19 team and Mitchell, who goes by Mitch, being on the U17 team. Their dorm is located on the second floor of Bergamini dormitory.

Cedric Lemaire ’25 enjoys some tea in his dorm room during a recent study hall (Photo: Mr. John Spear).

Their room has an interesting mix of personalities, with Mitch having a more simplistic design and Ceddy having a more creative style. Ceddy’s side consists of records on the wall with posters and fairy lights that he thrifted. Ceddy’s desk consists of a rock lamp, an hourglass, and a monitor with his Xbox connected, which he uses to wind down in his free time. On the desk, you can see that Ceddy likes to enjoy Yerba Mate, something that he says has now become a hobby for him.

Ceddy’s desk (Photo: AJ Etumnu ’25)

On Mitch’s side is a giant Australian flag. “The flag means a lot to me because it was a big move for me to move from Australia to here, and every day waking up and looking at the flag is like free motivation and reminds me of where I come from and why I am here at Northwood. It also gives me that home feeling whenever I feel a little homesick.

An Australian flag hangs above Mitch’s bed (Photo: AJ Etumnu ’25).

Ceddy also has a special something on the wall, a handmade bag from his brother, who is a designer in New York. He says the bag holds a lot of sentimental value.

Ceddy’s brother made this bag (Photo: AJ Etumnu ’25).

Northwood students recently embarked on a cultural trip to St. Lucia as part of their LEAP course. Five students and two teachers were part of the group that visited St. Lucia from January 18th to 26th. They were hosted by the Nelson family, whose two daughters, Chrissy and Amanda Nelson, are seniors at Northwood.

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LEAP is Northwood’s experiential learning and travel program. It stands for Learn, Engage, Apply, and Perform. Every student in grades 9-11 participates in a LEAP course.

Yosef Spear ’26 had a great time on the trip and found the St. Lucian culture very welcoming. “We arrived at around 6 pm, and the climate was warm, which was a welcome change from the Lake Placid weather. On the first day in St. Lucia, we went zip-lining, which was fun. The following days, we went jet skiing, tubing, and hiked Gros Piton, which I believe was three miles up and three miles down. My favorite experience was the waterfall walk and the swim in the waterfall oasis.”

Jenny Tran ’25 had a different perspective on the trip. Instead of focusing on specific activities, she spoke about how the trip allowed her to engage with and learn about other students she wouldn’t normally interact with in her day-to-day environment. At the same time, she was able to connect with the local people of the Caribbean island and learn about their culture.

Ms. Odell, one of the teachers overseeing the LEAP course, had a unique experience. “Since we stayed with the Nelsons, we were able to experience St. Lucian hospitality firsthand. We also had an incredible life experience when we kayaked to a subsistence farmer’s residence. There was no electricity, and he survived off what he grew, so it was interesting to see his lifestyle,” Odell said.

Overall, the trip to St. Lucia allowed Northwood students to immerse themselves in a new culture, connect with people they wouldn’t normally interact with, and experience new adventures.

A sheep at the apple orchard (photo provided).

Northwood weekend activities are a student-wide favorite. Every weekend, students have a variety of outings, activities, and trips available for their amusement. These activities give opportunities to students not occupied with a sport or other commitment to do a fun activity.

Ms. Carrie Donatello takes the lead in organizing weekend activities. She recently explained how the offering of weekend activities is created. “There is an activities committee that throws out ideas for weekends. Then Mrs. Riffle and I look around the area to see if there are any fun events happening that might be of interest,” Donatello said. She says they are mindful of which sports teams are away. “We also take into account how many students are on campus for the weekend and what the weather looks like. I pull a schedule together and pass it along to the duty team leaders to see if anyone on duty has a special idea,” she added. This type of in-depth planning allows Northwood students to enjoy activities like paintball, shopping trips, and apple picking.

Students appreciate weekend activities. Jenny Tran’25 says she enjoyed apple picking and shopping trip and also the almost weekly fire pits on Northwood’s property. She appreciates that there are a lot of options that she can choose from. Luca Campagnani ‘23 said he enjoyed going paintballing with his friends.

Students interested in helping plan weekend activities are encouraged to send a message to Ms. Donatello.

The first formal dinner of the school year was scheduled for September, but a small COVID outbreak led to that being postponed, so on Tuesday, October 18, the very first formal dinner of the year took place. In the hour before dinner started, the halls of Northwood were bustling with students showering and changing into their formal attire. Some boys roamed the halls panicking about not knowing how to tie a tie or where their shoes or pants were. 

At 6:00 p.m., formal dinner officially started with students and faculty finding their assigned seats. Mr. John Spear explained the formal dinner tradition and how the dinner was going to go. Mr. Stephen Reed then gave a wonderful blessing on the theme of gratitude. Executive Chef Adam Fischer then explained the menu which included: 

• Margarita Chicken and Orzo 
• Slow Roasted Grass Fed Beef Brisket with Mushroom Demi-Glace 
• Cioppino: Italian Seafood Stew 
• Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce 
• Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes 
• Roasted Root Vegetable Salad 
• Asparagus 
• Garden Salad 
• Fresh Baked Bread 
• Pumpkin Crisp  

One by one, each table made its way up to get food. The beef brisket was highly acclaimed by students and faculty alike. The dining room was full of chatter with students interacting with new people.  

Mitchell Baker ‘25 enjoyed the dinner. The food was good. It’s pretty good meeting new people and I am looking forward to the line dancing.”  

The dinner ended, and a brief intermission occurred where students took photos with their friends and informal team photos.  

A fun program of line dancing, led by Ms. Mandi Maiore, the director of Northwood’s dance program, ended the festivities. The students and faculty danced to multiple music genres including, Country, Hip-Hop, and Pop, with the Husky also making an appearance

Quin Roth ’25 was also there, and he said, “it was pretty awkward at first, but it was also very fun.”

Sounds like high school. The next formal dinner is scheduled for Wednesday, November 16 with a Thanksgiving theme.

Scenes from the line dance activity, October 18, 2020. Photos by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Scenes from the line dance activity, October 18, 2020. Photos by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Scenes from the line dance activity, October 18, 2020. Photos by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Scenes from the line dance activity, October 18, 2020. Photos by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Scenes from the line dance activity, October 18, 2020. Photos by Mr. Michael Aldridge.