Northwood offers a variety of unique classes that allow students to self-direct their projects. Whether it’s science, entrepreneurship, or study-based, there is always a class where students create their curriculum and pace with a project. One of these classes is STEM Research, taught by Jill Walker. In this class, students can work in pairs or individually to create a plethora of projects, including studying athletes’ hydration levels, recovery methods, fruit fly nutrition, animal patterns in the Adirondacks, or simply testing whether they can build working prosthetic arms and renewable energy sources.

Cara Dempsey ’25

Teegan Wardlaw ’25

One specific project, undertaken by Cara Dempsey ’25 and Teegan Wardlaw ’25, both 4-year seniors, involves testing multiple sports teams to assess their different abilities and determine if there is any association with the skill sets required for their respective disciplines. In their words, their project is “about comparing the physical and cognitive skills that are acquired through the three different sports at Northwood.” Additionally, as both Cara and Teegan are alpine skiers, they sought to explore the athletic differences between various sports and their training schedules. They took advantage of the strong sports school environment to showcase the athletic differences in categories such as agility, speed, and more through their tests.

Because most STEM projects must wrap up data collection and building before spring break to allow for finishing poster writing and printing immediately after returning, students are wrapping up their process and creating conclusions based on their data. Cara and Teegan are a part of that group as they finish up data collection on a pool of about 25 athletes across the disciplines. When they are done, they will compare the data to make their final assessment.

With their project approaching completion, Cara and Teegan can reflect on the actual impact of their work, especially when they participate in a showcase in Lake Placid at Northwood Schools’ HUB building. When asked about the impact their project would have on a larger audience, the girls replied, “We think it’s important for people to understand how each sport differs from others and how important sports are in general to teenage development.”

Those connections are essential in recognizing strengths rather than weaknesses, as each sport emphasizes different skills. As Cara and Teegan wrap up their studies, they look forward to showing off their work in early May.

Ashley from a Northwood School trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Photo: Eric Adsit.

Ashley Guevara ’24, a recent Northwood alum and four-year survivor, is attending Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. At Northwood, she was a member of the crew team and NOC. When asked about her first-semester experience, Ashley said she had grown a lot since graduating. It was a trial and error for Ashley, as she figured out new routines and relationships. Despite her boarding school experience, going to college is still a transformative experience.

“It is a transition from adolescence to adulthood. At college, the only person who looks out for you is you,” Ashley said.

Ashley’s favorite part about college is the sense of independence and freedom. She likes making her own schedule and doing whatever she wants. “I don’t have anyone to tell me to go eat or to check in for dinner,” Ashley joked.

She is studying architecture – a very time-consuming major. A typical day for Ashley at Tulane University starts with her 9 to 12 class. As the weather is getting warmer, she and her friends like to tan after class. Then, she hits the gym and eats. After dinner, she hangs out with friends at the park on campus or goes to one of the study spaces to do homework. Oftentimes, she also goes to town and runs into a celebrity.

This year was special for Tulane University as there was the Super Bowl. With so many attractions in New Orleans, Ashley got the chance to go to free concerts. Mardi Gras was also bigger than ever. Tulane’s school culture and Greek life had added a lot of festivity to Mardi Gras, and Ashley had a lot of fun celebrating the carnival.

Though Ashley loves Tulane so far, she misses the outdoors that she had in the Adirondacks. Reflecting on her Northwood days, Ashley misses the close-knit community that forced her to make friends and find a solid friend group. She also credits Northwood for preparing her well. “Mr. Emery’s calculus class will prepare you for Calculus 1 because I’m passing it, and Mr. Reed’s class with writing as well,” Ashley said.

Mr. Justin Felhaber ’14. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

A day in the life of Justin Fehlhaber ‘14 is hectic, being involved with many roles on campus, from hockey to college counseling to teaching English and being a team Dean. “On a typical Tuesday, our team will have a lift in the morning, which I’ll lead them through, and then we’ll head straight to the rink for our team practice. The lift can be as early as 6:45 am, so getting into practice could be anywhere from 8:15 to 10 o’clock.”

“After that, we’re going to rush back, shower up, grab lunch, and try to get as much protein as possible. We then have our first flex of the day, where I might meet with students about projects they have ongoing or any check-ins they would like to do to boost their grades. Throughout the day, I’ll typically teach my two American literature classes, guiding them through independent projects or leading class discussions. The rest of the academic day might be sprinkled with individual meetings with students outside of flex period or team Dean meetings with hockey players, managing their academics. I’ll also do lots of different grading assignments and a lot of lesson planning. Classes are busy, and I love to be prepared for those. I’ll also review students’ college essays and then meet with Mr. McCauley about different students throughout the academic day. That’ll be before our nighttime flex, in which there will be another opportunity to meet with students.”

“At 5 pm, work ends, and I eat a big dinner that I either make myself or get at the cafeteria. I then follow the day by getting a workout in or participating in a men’s league hockey.  I will also sometimes be on duty for study hall from 8 to 9:30 or on gym duty from 6 to 7:30. I finish the day by checking in the boys’ 2^nd hall, making sure the lights are off and everyone is going to bed. I try my best to be to bed by 11:30 to wake up with a contagious smile.”