Uma Laguna Curtis ’26 is a 4th-year senior at Northwood who has participated in many activities here, including rock climbing, hiking, freestyle skiing, and dance. She has done trips to places like Red Rocks, Japan, and more. Last week, Uma had her final high school dance recital at Saranac Lake High School, which many people attended. Here’s what she has to say about how dance has influenced her life so far.

Uman Laguna-Curtis ’26 (second from left) in her final dance performance. Photo provided.

“Ballet has taught me a lot of discipline,” she said. “It has also taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to. Having started so late, I was doing ballet for three and a half hours a day my sophomore year, so I could improve enough to take it maybe professionally one day. I no longer have interest in taking it professionally; however, it still brought me so many skills I will continue to use for the rest of my life,” she added.

Ballet isn’t a very noticed sport here at Northwood. However, it is just as important and strenuous as any other, so Uma’s experience has been somewhat personal and unique to the Northwood community.

Uman Laguna-Curtis ’26 (standing, at right) in her final dance performance. Photo provided.

“I think taking ballet while at Northwood has had its ups and downs. I have had a handful of people tell me it is an unathletic activity.” Laguna-Curtis said. “That is frustrating to hear, considering how strenuous ballet is on your body. It is not only mental but very physical. I have also had a fun time sharing this thing I love doing with my peers. It is cool to have people who have never seen a dance show come to watch,” she added.

“My current ballet studio has been so welcoming and supportive and has been a place I look forward to going to. I have been constantly inspired by the girls around me, and every day I dance, I create new memories of happiness and joy,” she said.

Uma has learned that as a ballerina, you are heavily influenced by your studio. This is what she had to say about that, “I think within ballet culture you may find a harsh competitive nature, and I had to experience that in my past studio. I think it is a great way to develop yourself as an athlete and person, but I also think the joy of it is contingent on the studio itself. If you have a mean teacher or the people around you are less supportive, it makes it a difficult thing to enjoy.”

Uman Laguna-Curtis ’26 in her final dance performance. Photo provided.

Her last recital was a mix of emotions and made her consider pursuing ballet after high school. “I don’t think I have fully processed the fact that that was my last recital. I know it made many of the people I dance with very emotional, but many of them have done it their whole lives. I love ballet, and I will never forget when I found it. It has helped me through really hard times, but at times it has put me through some hard times. Though I don’t want to do it as a career anymore, I will definitely keep it up in the future through clubs in college and drop-in classes. I hope dance stays in my life forever,” she said.

Everyone in the crowd who knew Uma knew it was her final high school recital. They had their eyes on her as she performed her last dances of high school. I think everyone who knew her also felt cheerful for her during her recital.

Theodore Ghanimé ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Spring break just came to an end, and Northwood is entering the final stretch of the school year. With four weeks left in classes and seniors realizing it may be their final weeks with their closest friends, people wanted to use their spring break to relax and spend time with friends. Lots of students went on trips together over spring break or visited their friends in different parts of the world. Theodore Ghanime ’26 had an adventurous and interesting break. Here’s more on how his break went.

Theo spent the first half of his break back home in Canada, about 90 minutes south of Montreal. He spent his time with his girlfriend, in the gym, and with his family and friends.

“Being home was nice because I was able to relax a lot and spend a lot of time with my girlfriend,” he said. I also love the gym I go to when I’m home, so it was good to go there and use the nice facilities. I knew I was going to be doing a lot when I went to New York City during the second half of break, so I tried to relax as much as I could,” he added.

From second from left: Nate, Yosef and Theo in New York City during spring break. Photo provided.

During the second half of break, Theo went to New York City with Nate Benjamin ’26 and Yosef Spear ’26. They spent their time shopping around Soho, Brooklyn, and other parts of Manhattan. They also explored different parts of the city, such as Queens, and ate at unique restaurants. Theo said, “It was cool to be able to be in the city with just my friends, and I hadn’t been there since I was six, so I didn’t remember much about it. The shopping was fun because I’m used to shopping in malls, but Soho was just a whole part of the city dedicated to stores, like a more interactive version of a mall. My friends and I went to a restaurant called Cipriani, which a friend recommended. The food and experience were great, and we ended up going again the next night before we left. Getting around the subways was also fun and interesting, navigating ourselves around the city.”

Theo said his takeaways from his break were, “When I was in the city with my friends from Northwood, I realized this could be one of the final moments I have with these people. This made me take everything in and be grateful for having so many great friends from Northwood. I think I’ll probably see them again, but who knows how long it will be until I do after we all graduate. During these last few weeks of high school, I’m going to enjoy my time with all my friends here at Northwood and make sure I don’t spend my time doomscrolling.”

“Hi, my name is Nate Banjamin, and I am from Millstone, New Jersey. I lived in New Jersey until I was 15, then I moved to Westport, New York. My family moved to Westport so they would be closer to me while I attended Northwood. This is my 4^th year here, so I am in my senior year. I have been skiing all my life and love freestyle, so I decided to join the freestyle team during my junior year here at Northwood.

“My favorite color is red, and I like to fish, play guitar, hike, rock climb, etc. I was part of NAS here during my first and second years, so that is when I developed my love for hiking and rock climbing. Something people would not know about me is that I used to play hockey. I played hockey for 2 years during middle school, but stopped when I got to Northwood.

“After 2 years of being a boarding student, my parents bought a house next to Northwood so I could become a day student. During my free time and on weekends, I like to go into town with friends, ski, work out, and relax. I think my favorite thing to do in Lake Placid is get food in town with friends, preferably Fresh Tracks or Soulshine.

“After I graduate from Northwood, I will go to college for computer engineering because I want to be a coder/programmer later. Something else I want to do is explore new countries and start a business.

“Looking back on my four years here, I have become more confident, better at school, been on many adventures around the world, met a lot of new people, enjoyed becoming a day student, and become more independent. I have learned to be myself always.”

As told to Yosef Spear ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Drew Tulloch ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Drew Tulloch ’26 is a third-year senior at Northwood and is on the Varsity Hockey team. This year, he has been learning how to cook a wide variety of foods for his Peak Pathway project. He has been watching hours of video on technique and diverse ways to cook. He is working alongside his parents in the kitchen.

According to Northwood’s website, “The Peak Pathways Program at Northwood is a flagship academic offering that provides students with a transformative, year-long independent study experience. This customizable program empowers students to take ownership of their education by pursuing in-depth projects on topics they are passionate about, fostering personal growth, and preparing them for success in high school, college, and beyond.”

Tulloch’s interest in cooking is personal. “I grew up eating a lot of Italian food and other types of food from around the world because my family likes to travel a lot. I feel like I have a pretty wide palate and a good taste for food with all the diverse types of cuisine I have had,” said Drew.

Drews has cooked many new dishes and experimented with different spices, herbs, and sauces. He has served dishes such as steak with peppercorn sauce, fettuccine alfredo, lemon chicken, salmon lasagna, and more. He said, “I think I’ve protected my craft, but there’s more to learn.”

Above: some of the dishes that Tulloch has made during his Peak Pathway. Photos provided. 

Drew’s parents have always made great chicken cutlets (his father) and lasagna (his mom). They also cook exceptionally good meals every day, staying creative. Drew said, “Growing up with my parents being good cooks, I feel like I always took well-cooked food for granted. So, this year I wanted to learn the skill of cooking so I could feed myself in college, repay my parents for all the meals they have cooked me, and have the skill to be a good cook in general.”

“This is my third year at Northwood. I am from Ottawa, Ontario, which is the capital of Canada. I am a goalkeeper for the U19 soccer team. I actually didn’t hear about Northwood from anybody, but I found it through my goalkeeper coach, who recommended that my parents and I look at prep schools in the US. He had sent some of his other keepers to the US in the past and said it would be a great opportunity that would open new possibilities. So, my family and I started looking at schools, and Northwood stood out as a great fit. We then emailed Mr. Riffle – who was head of admissions at the time – to see if there was an opportunity for me to come in for my sophomore year. We got a response in less than an hour; he explained that the U17s [soccer] team needed a keeper, and things moved pretty quickly.

“I like to play golf in Lake Placid during the off weekends in fall and spring at the Lake Placid Club. I picked up the sport recently and spent a lot of my free time playing to get better during the season. During my winter weekends off, I like to relax, do homework, and go into town with my friends.

“Something people would not know about me is that I am surprisingly good at solving Rubik’s cubes. I really got into it during COVID and lockdown, so it kind of became my thing, and I became really good at it.

“My dream job is to be a writer or reporter for Fox News, ESPN, or one of the major sports broadcasts. I love sports, specifically the NFL and the Premier League, and I consume content, look at stats, watch games, and all that. So, I see myself becoming a writer or analyst for some sports broadcasting or media outlets.

“The way I want to be remembered is as someone who worked really hard and didn’t take shortcuts. Effort and hard work are keys to giving your life meaning. Without effort and a work ethic, you lose a sense of direction, and time will end up passing you by.”

As told to Yosef Spear ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldrige.