Yosef Spear

The Mountain Day Tradition Continues

September 17, 2025 by Yosef Spear

This is Northwood School’s 49^th consecutive year of Mountain Day. On Mountain Day, the school takes a day away from classes to get out in nature. This day is special because every student here at Northwood gets to hike a peak in the Adirondack wilderness and enjoy the environment that we live in during the school year.

Because Northwood is putting 200 or so kids into the backcountry, there are lots of moving parts and logistics, including travel logistics, food, groups, leadership, weather, and emergency communication. Everyone is expected to follow the “Leave no trace” rule and pick up trash.

A few photos from previous Mountain Days:

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The entire faculty plays a part in making this day possible. Some of the faculty who play big roles on this day are Nurse Marge, Ms. Walker, and especially Northwood Adventure Sports Program Director Mr. O’Connor. NYSEF also lends a hand with vans for transportation and volunteer leaders like Northwood NYSEF Freestyle coach Jackson Deeny and Jen Dempsy, a parent of three alumni ski racers.

Northwood is coming up on fifty years of this tradition, which is very impressive. Count the miles: if each student hikes, say, eight miles, that means our school collectively walks a distance equal to a trip from Lake Placid to Florida. Doing this 47 times would add up to the earth’s equator (25,000 miles), and we’ve already surpassed that x2! Lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, along with lots of “How much further?”

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Springtime Means Golf at Northwood

May 7, 2025 by Yosef Spear

Northwood students at the driving range. Photo: Lea Lambert ’24.

The golf co-curricular activity has been a major success this year. Kids have been flooding the course every day. The range has been packed, and there are lots of young, talented golfers out there. There are also a lot of beginners this year. So far, the weather has been great for golf, and it is only getting warmer. The Lake Placid Club is happy to see the course filled with Northwood kids each afternoon. It is great exercise and time outdoors.

“I feel like the vibes on the course this season have been great. Every time my friends and I go out, we end up finding some other groups from Northwood and playing with them. Everyone is so nice, and it is fun to teach the newcomers. I feel like golf brings everyone together,” junior Luke Smith said.

Victor Ghanimé ’27 joined the golf co-co this spring. Victor joined because there is a golf course next to his home. He says it is very beautiful and ranks it as his third-best golf course he has played. He also plays with other new people so he can teach them. Additionally, he thinks it is a great hobby because of the outdoor time you get and because driving the golf cart is fun.

Justin MacLeod ‘26 mentions a great point. “There are three major sports at this school, and golf brings everyone from each sport,” MacLeod said. He says golf is a fantastic way to relax and blow off steam after a rough school day or finals week.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports

Elementary Students Visit Northwood

April 12, 2025 by Yosef Spear

Northwood has been going over to St. Agnes School throughout the year and working on fun projects with the students there. St. Agnes serves kids aged 3 to grade 3. The hockey teams have been going throughout the school year to help kids with work, do fun activities, and have lunch with the kids. The St. Agnes students love to do something new like this and they look forward to these visits as if they were holidays.

Last Friday, Northwood invited the St. Agnes students to visit us. There were multiple stations set up around the school with Northwood students set up at each one: art, dodgeball, reading, coloring, inflatable obstacle course, and even athletic trainers in training with Donny.

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Photos by Mr. Michael Aldridge

With the help of students and teachers, the young St. Agnes students had lots of fun and enjoyed every moment.

“It was fun because there was not one kid who did not have a big smile on their face. It seemed like they all had one of the best days of their lives here,” said Parker Thompson ‘26.

“I felt like these kids’ days were made, and that feels great. Seeing these kids light up and create their own art was amazing,” added Yosef Spear ’26.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Peak Pathway Profile: Gym Influencer

April 8, 2025 by Yosef Spear

Clayton Fuller ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Clayton Fuller ‘25 has been working on a gym influencing Peak Pathway project through his Instagram page. He just scored a big sponsorship with Crusaders Fitness, which has hundreds of thousands of followers. The work he has been putting in throughout the year has started to really pay off. His first sponsorship was considerably smaller than Crusaders.

Clay is working towards his goal of competing over the summer in powerlifting. His goal for the summer includes these lifts: 280 kg deadlift, 114kg for bench, and 185kg for squat. Lifting has been a passion of Clay’s for a long time. He has been a bodybuilder and power lifter for four years now.

Clay has learned that he needs to rigorously plan his meals to support his muscle growth. He has been bulking since November and plans to cut in April. He has gained 25 pounds since November, and it is only March. This is his third time doing this process.

Clay says, “My best days in the gym are the ones when I absolutely do not want to go. My legs will be sore; I’ll be physically and mentally drained from school and skiing. But I’ll still push through because those are the days that separate those who are good from others.”

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Ferrillo and Fuller Fare Well at Skier Cross Event

March 20, 2025 by Yosef Spear

Athletes compete in skier cross, one of Aston Ferrillo’s ’26 Clay Fuller’s ’25 specialty events. Photo: USASA.

Over the weekend, Clayton Fuller ‘25 and Aston Ferrillo ‘26 competed in their qualifying skier cross competitions. These competitions determined whether they would advance to nationals or not.

They both did a fantastic job and came home with medals. Skier cross works where there is a time trial, and then you pick your spot in the heat. Then, you race against the others in your heat.

Aston ended up getting second place, which places him for nationals. “It was fun, and the weather was nice. I would do it again because I find skier cross to be very enjoyable. There were 97 competitors with only 3 in my heat. I am happy with how I did, as it is one of my first cross events,” said Aston.

Clayton was incredibly happy with his results. He came in first and beat the national champion. This weekend gave him much hope for winning nationals this season and becoming the national champion. His goal for the season is to win nationals, so he is now a few steps closer.

Filed Under: Sports

The Mental Side of Skiing

March 5, 2025 by Yosef Spear

Jack Kroll ‘25 on the HS128, Photo by Nancie Battaglia.

At Northwood, ski team members train almost every day of the week. That said, they are not skiing without a purpose. Tuesdays through Fridays are training days, and the weekends are usually packed with competitions. Training so rigorously can affect your mental health. Any day can be a good or difficult day on the mountain. The drills become repetitive, and there are pros and cons to this.

Skiers can become confident in their skills with this much training and start to really take off. They start to gain confidence and feel good mentally. Skiers can also focus on the negatives, and their mental health can become poor. Athletes may start to become mentally fatigued. Skiing is an escape from the rest of their problems for some. For others, skiing can feel like a never-ending chore.

Jack Kroll ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Jack Kroll is a ski jumper here at Northwood and has a lot of experience with the mental side of skiing. “Ski jumping is an extremely mental sport,” said Kroll. One of my coaches once told me that ‘ski jumping is 90% mental and the other 10% is in your head.’ It is a sport where it takes a long time to make small changes. You can work for an entire season on a couple of minute details in your jump, and it will not click. It is super-frustrating when this happens, and I have learned that you must just push through it. Then one day, maybe a year later, everything will click, and you will have the best jump of your life. It is a mental grind 24-7,” added Kroll.

“A piece of advice I try to live by is to never quit on a bad day, which my mom used to tell me,” Kroll said. “This is my biggest takeaway from the mental part of ski jumping. You just must keep going.”

Filed Under: People, Sports

Humans of Northwood: Cole Van Etten ‘25

February 28, 2025 by Yosef Spear

“One moment that stuck out to me during my four years here was playing pickleball outside during my junior year, during spring with my friends. Something about the weather, scenery, and vibes made the moment one to remember. My favorite meal here is orange chicken and rice. I would almost pay for them to make it more often.

“I am a four-year senior here at Northwood. I am a ski racer and enjoy freeskiing in my free time. My favorite things to do with friends here are play soccer, go into town, free ski, watch hockey games, go skating, and play Fortnite. Playing soccer on the outdoor turf during evenings with pretty skies is always a blast.

“During breaks, I like to spend time with family and friends. I am a day student, so I see my family daily, but spending extra time with them is still nice. I work at a marina in the summer, and it is fun. I also like to golf with my friends during the fall, summer, and spring.

“My favorite teacher here is Ms. Van Slyke because she has helped me get through a lot and is always there for me. I also enjoy her art class a lot. I will miss Northwood when I graduate. Northwood has been my second home for the past four years. It will always have a place in my heart.”

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

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Humans of Northwood: Theodore Gahanimé ‘25

February 28, 2025 by Yosef Spear

“This is my first year at Northwood, and so far, so good. I came here for freestyle skiing. It is so amazing to be able to ski every morning with my awesome team. I live in Quebec, Canada where there is minimal skiing, so Whiteface has been a blessing.

“At home, I enjoy spending time with my family, friends, and girlfriend. I also love hockey, as I used to play AAA back home before coming here. I have two cats, one dog, and one turtle at home. I cherish my cats over the other two pets. My family adopted a turtle into our home about 6 years ago. He helps bring the family together. We have a schedule for who must change the tank water each month.

“My brother Victor came to Northwood with me this year, and we oddly do not spend much time together. It is interesting how even though we are twin siblings, we have our different friend groups. I like to watch hockey games here in Lake Placid. It reminds me of my AAA days. The food here is tasty and always hits hard after a good workout or training session at the mountain.

“Northwood really puts academics before sports, which I am a fan of. My favorite class is U.S. History, taught by my favorite teacher, Mr. Shergold.”

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

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Fuller and Ferrillo Medal in Skier Cross

February 25, 2025 by Yosef Spear

Clay Fuller ’25 at the start of the Empire State Winter Games Skier Cross event. Photo: USASA Adirondack Region/Facebook

Earlier this month, two of our Freestyler’s competed in the ESWG skier cross competitions. Clayton Fuller ‘25 and Aston Ferrillo ‘26 took 2^nd and 3^rd both days. The competition was tight, and everyone gave it their all on these long days.

Skier cross is an event where there is a course with drops, turning banks, and rollers. 4 skiers go at once and it is a race to the finish. The skiers are faced with a diverse course and trying to overtake the other skiers at the same time.

Clayton aimed to place 1^st both days, but things did not go as planned. The course did not have many turns and was straight, so the race came down to weight. There was one person who Clayton was lighter than and because of that, his opponent’s weight gave him more momentum. To put it simply, Clayton and his opponent both have notable talent and skill in the sport, so the deciding factor was weight. Clayton was happy to place second, but next time, he is planning to place first. “I know if the next course has more turns, I will win,” he says.

This was Aston’s first time doing skier cross. His background as a racer helped him out and it came easy to him. He was happy to place third both times and enjoyed the experience. He was racing against athletes who have been doing skier cross for years, so his third place was impressive. “I thought it was a fun competition, and I like how people didn’t take things as seriously as in ski racing,” he noted.

Filed Under: Sports

Freestyle Team Starts Season with Comps at Whiteface

February 5, 2025 by Yosef Spear

Northwood’s Freestyle team had multiple competitions in January. The first weekend was a double rail jam in which Aston Ferrillo ‘26, Brynn Haran ‘28, and Yosef Spear ‘26 competed in. The next day, Aston competed in a slopestyle.

A rail jam is a competition with only rail and box features, as shown below. A slopestyle is a competition that includes jumps with a few rails at the start or finish.

Brynn Haran ’28. Photo provided.

Yosef Spear ’26. Photo provided.

Aston Ferrillo ’26. Photo provided.

Aston is a former ski racer, and this was his first rail jam. He scored in the middle of the pack, so he beat some people who have been doing this for a few years. He scored 6^th in the first and 10^th in the second. The next day Aston competed in his first slopestyle and placed 1^st!

Brynn is a snowboarder, but the competition still has the same layout. She placed 3^rd in both rail jams the first weekend.

Yosef is a skier and placed 2^nd in the first rail jam which was a great start to the season. Unfortunately, he lost all energy and could not keep it together in the second rail jam, so he placed dead last. “The day started off great and only went downhill from there,” Spear said.

The second weekend, there was another double rail jam in which Clay Fuller ‘25, Brynn, and Yosef competed. This was held at Titus Mountain in Malone, New York.

Clay Fuller ’25 announcing at an event. Photo provided.

Clay gave it his all in the first rail jam but ended up taking lots of crashes and was quite bruised up after the first rail jam. He then decided to try a double backflip in between rail jams and slammed himself. He hit his head hard and could not compete in the second rail jam that day. His advice is, “Don’t try big tricks on small jumps.” Clay ended up announcing the second rail jam and the awards ceremony.

Brynn placed 1^st in both rail jams, which is a major win and a great accomplishment.

Yosef placed 4^th and 5^th in the rail jams which was not exactly what he was looking for, but he was not upset about his placings.