Northwood Life – The Mirror

Jazz Band Looking for New Members

November 1, 2023 by Ivan Favreau

Wissler on trombone at Lake Placid Center for the Arts on December 13, 2022 (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge).

Jazz Band was created five years ago by music teacher Adam Stewart and former student Bella Wissler ‘23. Bella had loads of musical talent but was frustrated that Northwood didn’t have any extracurricular activities for music. Mr. Stewart asked her what they could do to get her to stay with the music “program.” She said her old school had a jazz band, and it would mean the world to her if they could add one to Northwood.

This is how Bella and Stewart came to form the jazz band. Today, there are five people in jazz band, each with a colorful personality. Band members include Alex Randall ’25 on trombone, Bella, currently on a gap semester before attending Middlebury, who also plays trombone, Sergio Neto ‘24 on drums, and Ivan Favreau ’26 on saxophone.

This band is casual and meant for the members’ personal development and enjoyment. Jazz band also has the opportunity to perform, but they haven’t played before an audience yet, and there is never any pressure put on the students to perform.

“We usually create the music that we perform,” Stewart said. “And if we want to perform it, then we can. But if we don’t, then we don’t.” Stewart says that the motto of jazz band is “if you play a wrong note, you play it twice, so then it becomes part of the music.” The jazz band is looking for more members to add to their ensemble.

Members understand that people have very big commitments at Northwood, so this is why the band is completely casual, but the jazz band is always open to new members. The group gets together most Mondays at 6:30 p.m., and anyone is welcome to join and jam.

If you are interested, chat or email Adam Stewart.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Uruguayan Student Watches His First-Every Hockey Game at the Olympic Center: Bucket List Location

November 1, 2023 by Mitchell Baker

This story is part of Editor-in-Chief Mitchell Baker’s ’25 series he’s calling “Bucket List Locations,” where he joins a student doing something or going someplace for the first time that every student should do or visit before graduating. Read other stories in the series here.

Camilo Pereda ‘25, from Uruguay, at his first hockey game. Photo: Mitchell Baker ’25.

I took Camilo Pereda ‘25, a Uruguayan on the U19 soccer team, to watch his first hockey game at the famous Olympic Center. Every Northwood student needs to cheer on the Huskies at a home hockey game.

Lake Placid, the host city of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games, has global recognition as a hockey town. Miracle is a famous movie that contributed to the global recognition and the history of hockey in this special town. I felt as if it was only right to take Camilo to watch the Prep team play in the Olympic Center.

The hockey game was played over Family Weekend, so several families and all sports teams were there to cheer the boys on. The buses to the game were packed, and several chants were led as students were excited to see the team play.

“I have never seen a hockey game, and I don’t understand the rules, but I am excited to learn more,” Pereda said. “In Uruguay, Ice hockey is almost unheard of. I knew it was a sport, but I have never seen anyone play or watch it.”

Camilo comes from a very soccer-focused background. In Uruguay, soccer is life. Everyone lives to watch or play soccer, no matter who you are. Camilo was surprised to learn about the cultural differences in the U.S. Hockey in Lake Placid is like soccer in Uruguay.

The student section at a recent Prep game vs. Stanstead College. The Huskies won 5-0. Photo: Mitchell Baker ’25

Hockey will always play a special role in uniting this school and this town. People from all over the world come together to enjoy a physical game whilst supporting their team with immense amounts of passion.

“I was shocked to see how it united all the different sports teams at Northwood,” Camilo said. “Most of us had no idea what was going on, but we screamed for every play like our life depended on it.”

This year’s school theme is Unity, which has been something Northwood has struggled to pride itself on in a while. The constant travel for the variety of teams makes it difficult to create that school unity. All the activities that force unity benefit the community but ultimately are nowhere near as unifying as the hockey games. Sport brings people together in unthinkable ways. The unification experienced at a hockey game is what makes the event so special.

“My experience was unbelievable. I celebrated goals with people I would normally not talk to. For moments, I really felt like the school was united, which is an experience that money can’t buy,” Camilo added.

The Prep team won the game 5-0 against Stanstead and were ecstatic after the win. Camilo concluded the evening by saying, “I am grateful that I was able to experience this form of unity and sport. It is something I would never have experienced back in Uruguay, so I am very grateful.”

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People Tagged With: BucketList

Sérgio Neto ‘24: Humans of Northwood

October 31, 2023 by Hamish Riddell

I am a soccer player from Brazil. My life growing up was pretty normal. I guess it is what you expect from a kid. I played a lot of soccer, hung out with my friends all the time, and spent time with my family, too.

Growing up, I always tried to manage both athletics and academics, which is remarkably similar to what everyone does here in Northwood, so I guess doing that at a young age has helped me here at Northwood.

I actually played in a showcase at Northwood last year (2022), and I thought it had a great soccer program. I knew it was a great school by looking at it and doing some research. I saw it as an opportunity to engage in high-level athletics and academics so that I could apply to good colleges, which is what I really want to do and achieve since coming here. I talked to Coach Jon Moodey about coming here, and thankfully, everything turned into a reality, which I could not be more excited about.

I have only been here for just over a month, but I love it. I thought moving from Brazil to the U.S. was going to be a hard transition, but the Northwood community made it an extremely easy transition, so I thank everyone who has helped me during this time. Everyone was so receptive and welcoming, and that made it so easy.

Joining a new team is always scary. Since being in Brazil, when you are new, people make it hard for you to feel welcome or to feel like you belong and to be part of the team. Everyone was very kind and appeared to be glad someone new had arrived. As of now, the players have been my closest friends and have supported me on and off the pitch. They have not only been encouraging me to be a better player but a better person.

Looking past Northwood, I plan to go to a good university where I can continue playing soccer and further my academics. I am super glad I made this move and cannot wait to see what the future holds.

As told to Hamish Riddell ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

New Podcast Features Alumni Success Stories

October 31, 2023 by Maegan Byrne

Northwood alumni have continued to go into various incredibly interesting careers. Mr. Steve “Reno” Reed’s new podcast, “From Campus to Careers,” tells the stories of the transition from college into these careers.

Mr. Michael Aldridge, Northwood’s Creative Director, and Mr. Reed have paired up to produce this podcast to tell the stories of alumni careers. Their idea sparked from Alumni Pathways, a program that has run for several years. During Alumni Pathways, four alumni come together to discuss their professions with students and the larger Northwood Community.

With the podcast, Aldrige wanted to build on this idea but make it more personal and focus on one person. Talking to one person at a time gives Mr. Reed a chance to go more in-depth with his questions and conversions.

During each episode, Mr. Reed discusses how alumni came to their professions, their involvement in their professions, and their successes and struggles as they learn the ways of their careers.

Mr. Reed chooses alumni whom he feels comfortable with and who have gone into interesting professions. They then work together to build questions and topics to discuss during the podcast.

“Mike Aldrige is the engineer,” says Mr. Reed. Mr. Aldridge runs all the tech behind the calls and carefully edits and pieces together bits of Mr. Reed’s calls with alumni to create the podcast.

They have already made tremendous progress, with three posted episodes, three in the queue, and three more getting done just this month.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Reno said. “It’s a great chance for me to get involved with some alumni that I know very well, some from way back in the early 70s and others more recently,” he added.

The podcast can be found on Spotify for Podcasters.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People, Real World, Top Story

Soccer Defeats Hoosac in Prep Soccer Premier League Matches

October 17, 2023 by Machai Davis

Jordan Shullenberger ’24 in action on the Huskies’ home pitch. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

The Northwood soccer teams played their first-ever Prep Soccer Premier League matches recently against Hoosac School on their home pitch in Lake Placid.

The U17 team dominated the field against Hoosac. They won six to one with goals by Said El Eyssami ‘26, Diogo Charraz ‘25, and Maxwell Notley ‘27. “We didn’t think this was going to be an easy match. We had to come out strong, and we did. We played our best soccer of the year,” Charraz said. The Huskies hit Hoosac where it hurt. El Eyssami had three goals in the first thirty minutes of the game. The team started the second half where they left off,. with another one from El Eyssami running around the goalkeeper and putting it in the net. Charraz and Notley had a goal apiece in the second half. Hoosac scored late in the game, which was too late to make a difference because of how well the Huskies played.

The U19 team also played a high-scoring match against Hoosac, the game finished with a thrilling 6-2 victory. In the first half, there were goals by Jordan Shullenberger ‘24 and Sachiel Ming ’24 who capped their tallies by celebrating with the fans and the U17s on the sidelines. Hoosac had many chances to score, but keepers Leon Brody ‘24 and Elm Pentinant ’24 were quick off their lines and able to stop the ball. In the second half, it became obvious that Northwood was going to win because of how they controlled the play. It took a slight turn when Hoosac surprised everyone by equalizing the game 2-2 with a brilliant header by Hoosac’s striker. The Huskies knew they had to change the way they were playing. Coach Jon Moodey brought on a couple of substitutes, and they changed the game with goals from Leo Doyle ‘25, Lokoah Paye ‘25, and Camillo Pereda ’25 to seal the victory.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports

Mountain Day an Opportunity to Meet New People and Experience the Adirondacks

October 17, 2023 by Machai Davis

On September 27, 2023, Northwood hosted their traditional Mountain Day. Mountain Day is a day when all the students hike the high peaks of the Adirondacks and have a fun time getting out of their comfort zone with students they have just met.

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Mountain Day is in its 46^th year at Northwood. Former faculty member and legendary Adirondack climbing guide Don Mellor created the memorable event. Mellor started the event to share his love for the Adirondacks with colleagues and students. Northwood students and teachers look forward to this beautiful day in the Adirondacks to see the area. They also enjoy making new friends and trying something new.

Mountain Day is an effective way for the students who don’t do NOC (Northwood Outing Club) to see what their program is about and what their classmates do.

“Mountain Day isn’t for the weak. My first year at Northwood wasn’t the best. I didn’t want to wake up early and hike a mountain without my friends, but now I admire the outdoors and love the views from the high peaks,” Hamish Riddell ’25 said.

At Northwood, our theme this year is Unity. The people you interact with are normally the people you play sports with. So, when Mountain Day comes along, and you find yourself hiking up a mountain for a few hours, you talk to people you normally wouldn’t.

“I met people who weren’t in my friend group or played my sport. It was nice to talk about a sport I didn’t know,” Diogo Charra ’25 said.

Last year, Mountain Day was in the spring because of bad fall weather, but this year the event is early in the school year and served as an ice breaker and a time for people to branch out to get to know other classmates.

Filed Under: Northwood Life

NOC Takes it to the Next Level in Outdoor Adventure

October 17, 2023 by Ivan Favreau

It was nearly an hour before sunrise when Alex Randall ’25 and Colton Cushman ’25 helped Mr. Bob Emery load their climbing gear into Emery’s minivan. It was three hours after sunset when they returned to campus. The three climbed Wallface, the largest backcountry cliff in the East. Their 15-hour day included a 12-mile hike, seven pitches of rock climbing, and 4 rappels. It was an epic day. For NOC, the Northwood Outing Club, such days are becoming more and more common.

Climbing at Red Rocks. Photo: NOC

Sophia Sherman ’25 on a recent climb. Photo: NOC

Alex Randall ’25 on Wallface. Photo: Mr. Bob Emery.

Renaud Lalancette ’24 in a whitewater kayak. Photo: NOC.

Randall and Cushman are dedicated members of NOC. According to Northwood’s website, NOC is a co-curricular program “designed for aspiring outdoor enthusiasts to build a lifelong passion for adventure sports while utilizing world-class venues and unique assets within the Adirondack Park, North America, and internationally. Students will develop soft and hard skills, environmental stewardship, risk management procedures, and leadership skills while working closely and collaborating with faculty, staff, and professional guides.”

Mr. Bobby O’Connor heads the Northwood Outing Club. He and Mr. Bob Emery are the faculty leaders of NOC. O’Connor says Northwood students have something special in NOC. “There are few programs at the high school level that are as immersive in adventure sports as NOC,” O’Connor said. “What really makes the program successful is its unique location within the Adirondack Park. Students are lucky enough to be able to perform these adventure sports at world-class venues, just minutes from campus,” O’Connor added.

According to Northwood’s website, “Several outdoor recreation activities within the disciplines of climbing, paddling, backcountry, and front country skiing, backpacking, wilderness navigation, and outdoor living skills are available under the NOC co-curricular.” NOC has also led climbing trips to Red Rocks in Nevada, avalanche training in Utah, and a guided ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the largest summit in Africa.

One of NOC’s newest offerings is fly fishing with Mr. Aaron Garvey. Mr. Garvey takes students fly fishing almost throughout the Adirondacks and is hosting a LEAP trip this year called Fly fishing in the Adirondacks.

O’Connor and Emery put in place many safety measures to ensure students are safe while exploring the Adirondacks. These skills can translate to any part of your life, whether it’s patience with rock climbing, or learning survival skills for camping. Randall is a student leader of NOC and is a mentor to all students who need help in NOC.

NOC activities are generally inexpensive unless the student decides that they want to become an independent rock climber and wants to buy their own gear. Regardless, Northwood will provide participants with all the gear necessary. Weekly climbs are within an hour’s drive, and there are about 12 different climbing locations with a diverse range of routes within an hour’s drive.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports, Top Story

Dress Code a Perennial Topic of Discussion

October 14, 2023 by Gavin Kruger

Students in dress code between classes. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

The Northwood School dress code has been a controversial topic over the years. Varying opinions are not hard to find.

Some students feel the dress code is a suppression of self-expression and identity. “You can’t have lots of clothes that are the same. After washing them a lot of times, they get uncomfortable,” Anthony “Tony” Wan ’26 said. Tony feels that clothing restrictions mean that the same clothes get washed too many times, which costs more money and ruins clothes.

Some students, however, feel the dress code must be in place to maintain the school’s standard. “It’s fantastic. [The dress code] makes me feel professional,” Mohamed Ahmed ’25 said.

Maintaining professionalism was a recurring response when I asked students about their opinions.

Ahmed would like to see some changes to the dress code: “I would appreciate an acceptance of any kind of cultural wear like cultural sandals or robes. I am from Kenya, and a change such as this would make me very happy.” Cultural clothing is a bit of a grey area surrounding some garments. Sandals and robes do not fit under the dress code, but the cultural context may bring up an interesting discussion. The dress code allows for “formal attire and shoes representing a student’s international and/or cultural identity” at formal dinners but doesn’t address cultural attire for class dress.

To the disappointment of many students, the school dress code will always remain in place. Having a dress code assures we treat our education like work and Northwood’s professional standard is maintained.

However, there may be room for flexibility. Recently, our student leaders reached an agreement with the Head of School Mr. Maher that leggings are now allowed. Northwood students are happy with this change. “[Leggings] are comfy, but still look like you are ready to learn,” said Anna Monette ’26.

In conclusion, Northwood has modified its dress code, and students feel an even stronger sense of trust between them and the seniors on the Head’s Council. Maybe we will see more changes in the following years.

Filed Under: Northwood Life

Northwood to Host the First JWHL Weekend of the Season

October 12, 2023 by Halle Mules

League play for the Northwood School Girls’ Hockey Team begins this weekend in Lake Placid as the Huskies host a JWHL weekend.

The Northwood Girls’ Hockey team competes in one of North America’s strongest leagues. Last year, in their inaugural season, the Huskies quickly gained recognition by having an excellent year, losing to NAHA in the finals.

Head Coach Trevor Gilligan and his squad hope to improve on their success from the previous year and take home a trophy this time. The league consists of 8 teams, including Rothesay Netherwood School, making their first appearance in the league this year.

With the addition of the Rothesay Netherwood school, the league now has an even number of eight teams. The league will be able to divide into two pods of four teams. Northwood, Stanstead, NAHA, and Balmoral Hall make up the first pod. Mount Academy, Rothesay Netherwood, Pacific Steelers, and Washington Pride make up the second pod.

The addition of the “pods” will make it possible to maintain the league’s level of competition while continuing to promote league expansion. Each league weekend, teams will play three games against teams from their own pod and two against teams from the other pod.

“One of the best parts of the league is playing three, twenty-minute periods against quality opponents,” Gilligan said.

The league will hold 6 weekends throughout the regular season, allowing teams to travel across the U.S. Playoffs take place in Boston mid-March. “You’re able to create a lot of rivalries throughout the course of the season, and we are looking forward to it,” Coach Gilligan added.

JWHL league play opens this weekend in Lake Placid, as Northwood hosts 5 U19 and two U16 teams for 23 games of the best girls’ hockey in North America.

Northwood’s schedule for this weekend includes four games:

Date	Visitor	Details	Home	Location
Fri, Oct 13	Northwood School	9:15 AM	Balmoral Hall	Lake Placid, NY – USA Rink
Fri, Oct 13	Northwood School	7:15 PM	Stanstead College	Lake Placid, NY – 1980 Rink
Sat, Oct 14	Washington Pride	10:15 AM	Northwood School	Lake Placid, NY – 1980 Rink
Sun, Oct 15	North American Hockey Academy	10:00 AM	Northwood School	Lake Placid, NY – 1980 Rink

Additional JWHL league weekends include:

November 17-19, 2023 – Union College, RPI
December 15-17, 2023 – Providence College, Brown Univ.
January 26-28, 2024 – Univ. Minnesota
February 16-19, 2024 – Challenge Cup Washington, DC
March 1-3, 2024 – Stanstead College
March 15-17, 2024 – Playoffs Boston, MA

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports, Top Story

Bucket List Location: Emma’s Lake Placid Creamery

October 12, 2023 by Mitchell Baker

This year, The Mirror is launching a new series called “Bucket List Locations.” A bucket list location is a place or an event every student should visit or do before they graduate to take advantage of Northwood and the Lake Placid region. A member of The Mirror Staff and I will be taking a new student to a Bucket List Location almost every week for the rest of the school year.

Elise Frasher ’25 ordering at Emma’s. Photo: Mitchell Baker ’25.

Elise Frasher ’25 with her cone outside of Emma’s. Photo: Mitchell Baker ’25.

Through the series, we hope to share the extraordinary activities we can experience in Lake Placid with the greater Northwood community. Our goal is to encourage other students to step out of their comfort zone and maximize their Northwood experience before they graduate.

Machai Davis ‘25 and I took Elise Fraser ‘25 to the famous “go-to ice cream spot,” Emma’s Lake Placid Creamery this week. Emma’s is famous for its large portions and delicious options. Elise’s first reaction when we told her she would be going to Emma’s was surprising, she said, “Emma’s? What is that?” Elise is a new student from Sweden. She arrived in Lake Placid only a month ago, meaning she hasn’t ticked off a single Bucket List Item. We knew she would be a great candidate for the inaugural Bucket List article.

The trip to town was short but allowed us to learn more about Elise and Swedish culture. Elise came to Northwood to progress her academic and athletic career to a level that would allow her to attend college in the United States. “I’m not really sure what my dream school is, but I love the Ivy League schools,” Elise shared.

Another thing we learned is that the Swedish love ice cream. According to Elise, Sweden is the world’s biggest sweet eater and Europe’s biggest ice cream consumer. “Ice cream and sweets are very popular back home, which means I am picky about ice cream. I don’t like ice cream that isn’t top quality because of what I’m used to in Sweden.”

After the short walk, we enjoyed some long-awaited Emma’s ice cream. Elise’s favorite flavor is cookie dough, so she ordered two scoops on a waffle cone. Machai and I were nervous that she wouldn’t like the ice cream because of the high standards of Swedish ice cream. We made Emma’s sound like ice cream heaven, which it is to most of us, but would it be ice cream heaven for her?

“The ice cream was great. I really enjoyed the texture and the large portion. I also liked the service and the shop. It felt like home almost!” Elise loved it even more than anticipated.

Elise concluded the trip by saying, “I will definitely visit Emma’s again, and this is something that I feel like all students must experience. I had no idea about Emma’s. Now, I am a huge fan. This experience makes me wonder about the other hidden activities in Lake Placid.”

This was the first destination on the Bucket List and was immensely successful. We encourage all students to take a relaxing walk down to town and enjoy some delicious ice cream at Emma’s.

Next time around we will be taking a new student to experience a more nature-themed activity, stay tuned!