“I’m like 2 cm taller than George.

“There are benefits and disadvantages of having a twin. The thing I do is known to more people due to association if I do something and my brother does the same. If I do a good thing, many more people will know it; but if it’s a bad thing, then both he and I will be associated. Whenever I do bad things, he will also take the blame for them and vice versa. As far as benefits go, when I do something that I like, art, for instance, I always have someone to do it with me, and when I want to improve on said thing, I always have competition close to me to push myself to improve.

“My favorite piece of art that I have made might be this one (above). It’s a water drop from the sky. As you can see, I drew the background and a flipped reflection with a five-point perspective of the background on the drop. My inspiration behind it was reading a manga that had a concept about infinite megastructures (BLAME!!, by Tsutomu Nihei).

“My other contender for my favorite piece of art is this one (below). It took me around three days to complete. The work was me putting everything I knew on the canvas.

“I enjoy playing the flute, although mainly for fun. I’ve been playing for like six years, but the first two years, I didn’t play much. I was part of my middle school’s band program, which forced me to play an instrument, so I was just there doing the bare minimum. I got more serious coming into Year 10.

“I liked shrimp sushi, but I can’t eat it anymore. For some reason, I get a terrible stomach ache when I eat raw food. Now, my favorite food is probably pasta or a burger. I forgot about Vietnamese food, which is pretty good. I like all the classics: phở, bún, and bánh cuốn. I like bánh chưng rán as well.

“I have a birthmark on my right bicep—it looks like a bruise. It was bluish, but it has faded now. I can also play the flute better than George. I play Hanzo (from Overwatch). I want to be an animator in the future.”

As told to Hung Nguyen ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge. Art by Tam Nguyen ’23.

“I’m like 2 cm shorter than Tam.

“Imagine your hands. You’re the right hand and your twin is the left. Suddenly, your left hand starts moving away from your right and becomes better than it. That’s how I feel about being a twin. On a serious note, having a twin means there is always a sense of competition; but at the same time, I always have someone to do things with me. Having a twin also means I always have someone to share my experiences and hardships with.

“My favorite piece of art is one of the more recent ones I made. It’s a digital piece. I think it was the best one in terms of what I wanted to achieve and the style I wanted. It is a scenery background with a lot of buildings with a character, a fishman, in the center. This piece took me about a week.

(Art: George Nguyen)

“I like gaming: Genshin [Impact], Overwatch, Apex [Legends], Elden Ring. I also watch a bunch of anime. My favorite anime is probably Steins; Gate. My favorite manga is probably Fullmetal Alchemist. I heard the animation [of Fullmetal Alchemist] is good as well, but I haven’t watched it yet.

“Generally, I think Asian dishes are better than European dishes. I remember this one time my brother and I ate a rare fish that my aunt bought from the black market. It tasted like pork. It didn’t have the smell of pork, but the skin especially tasted like pork skin.

“In the future, I’d like to be an animator, but graphic designer is fine as well.”

Every year, a new senior class is granted the opportunity to influence and guide the next generation through leadership roles and leading by example in the Northwood community. The ’23 class has taken this opportunity to the next level.

“This year, the senior class has made everyone more involved in the community,” observed Sachiel Ming ’24. “They have done a better job in promoting more diversified friendship groups. I have learnt a lot more about the hockey and ski teams this year, and it has been a great experience,” Ming added.

The class of 2023 is composed of countless leaders from all teams, and their leadership has positively shaped our community. It will truly be noticeable when they leave. Their Northwood experiences provide wisdom like no other, and help younger students strive for more, throughout their Northwood journey. Members of this senior class will be commencing their college life at top universities such as Northwestern, Columbia, and Yale.

Turner Jackson ’23 is a three-year senior who will attend Northwestern University next year. Turner is a role model at Northwood and has inspired many students to strive as he has done. His personality is renowned at Northwood, and he is known to be a kind man who will always be there to help. His advice to Northwood students is, “Enjoy the process. Take everything one step at a time. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and put yourself out there. You have so many opportunities, so make the most of them.”

Jackson also reflected on his journey and regretted not taking enough time to get to know everyone. He acknowledged that often, students cling to their sports groups and don’t venture out. He wishes he had spent more time with other remarkable individuals at school. Turner, an international student from Hong Kong who came to Northwood to reach his goal of attending a top university, has been at the school for three years and reflected on his time here, expressing, “My Northwood experience has been unique. Everyone will have their setbacks and successes. My experience has been nothing short of that. It has prepared me for the next stage of life.”

Another role model senior is Thebe Mosehathebe. Thebe is a four-year senior who will attend Hobart College next year to pursue his passion for soccer. Thebe has constantly worked to improve the culture at Northwood School and has mentored younger students. He believes the most impactful advice he could give is to, “Live in the moment. Enjoy every day and see it as another opportunity to learn something new. Speak to the hockey girls, go out to town with the skiers, laugh with hockey boys, and get to know the independents. There are so many different types of people who come from different backgrounds, and there’s a lot to learn from them,” Thebe said.

“Get to know the faculty as well,” Thebe added, including the cleaning staff, the administrative team, and the kitchen staff. There are a lot of great people at Northwood, and all it takes is opening up and being friendly to learn a thing or two.”

Thebe also reflected on how he could have used his time at Northwood differently, expressing, “I wish I had gotten to know more people earlier each year. In my experience, you get to know a lot of interesting and fun individuals only at the end of the year, which makes me wish I had known them much earlier.”

Northwood students often neglect the opportunity to socialize with people from all over the world, and the diversity of Northwood is something that makes the school special. Students should capitalize on this. Thebe began his hectic Northwood journey as a freshman and emotionally reflected on his time at Northwood, saying, “It has been an amazing journey. I have experienced tremendous personal growth over the years, and I believe I have become a more well-rounded individual. I have forged many enduring relationships and have endeavored to make a positive difference in the lives of others. I can only express my gratitude to Northwood for shaping me into the person I am today.”

Northwood extends its heartfelt appreciation to this year’s senior class for their resilience and leadership. Thebe and Turner are exemplary role models at Northwood who have truly impacted this school. Northwood encourages all students to depart knowing that they have influenced the Northwood community for the better. With not much time remaining until our seniors bid their final farewell to Northwood, seize this opportunity to learn as much as possible and heed the advice given by Turner and Thebe. We will deeply miss our seniors and wish them the very best of luck in all their future endeavors.

Georgia Bailey is a second-year senior at Northwood from Quebec, Canada. She is one of the assistant captains on the girls’ hockey team and has been pursuing the sport since age 6. Next year Georgia will be attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to continue her hockey career and go into their biology program in hopes of going into a field of medicine.

In her free time and over the summers, Georgia finds herself trying many different sports, such as swimming, volleyball, and hiking. She also has a deep passion for sweets and enjoys baking cookies and muffins. She is most passionate about spending outside with her family and friends.

As told to Maisie Crane ’23. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

This is my second year here at Northwood. I am from Hong Kong. I came to Northwood as a reclassed 11th grader to pursue my dream of playing college soccer. I had heard about Northwood from a few friends who had already joined from Hong Kong, and after speaking with them, I grew more interested in the project. I was attracted to joining Northwood because I knew I would play high-level and year-long soccer. I was also interested because of Northwood’s balance between academics and athletics.

In the future, I would like to play professional soccer. After I graduate, I will set my sights on playing Division 1 soccer at Yale University. I am excited to begin the next chapter of my life at such a great school and cannot wait to play in my first college soccer game. As I said previously, my overall goal is to go pro in soccer, but by going to Yale, the opportunities I will get are endless and could take me down a different path.

I spend most of my time training on the turf or in the gym, but beyond that, I enjoy sitting with my friends when we have some downtime, watching anime, playing FIFA, and starting my journey in the entrepreneur world. When I return home, I enjoy going out to eat with my friends, spending my days at the beach, and spending time with my family. I also enjoy DJ-ing; I picked it up last year and have fallen in love with it. I have even DJ-ed a couple of school events.

My favorite thing about Northwood is the diversity and how it has given me the platform to meet people from all over the world. I think Northwood is a great place to set a kid up for their future, and it has certainly done that for me. My two years here have been nothing short of incredible, and I hope to come back and visit soon.

As told to Aly El Mofty ’23. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

I am a third-year student here at Northwood School, and I am from Hong Kong. I came to Northwood as a 10th grader to pursue my dream of playing college soccer. I had heard about Northwood from a few friends who had already joined from Hong Kong. After hearing about Northwood, I started researching more about the school, and my interest grew. The Northwood partnership with Black Rock was a big attraction for me when I considered coming to Northwood. Year-round soccer was something I was looking for, and Northwood could offer that, along with a very high level of academics. It was an easy choice to attend Northwood, and I could not be happier that I ended up here.

In the future, I would like to play professional soccer. After I graduate, I will attend the University of Vermont to play Division 1 soccer and study. I am very excited to join such a great program that has only improved yearly. It is an excellent school in a great state, which I know I will enjoy. I aim to become a professional soccer player, and I hope that playing at the University of Vermont can help me achieve that goal.

I spend a lot of my time training on the turf or in the gym, but I do a lot more than just that. I enjoy going to town and spending time with my friends; I also enjoy going to church and watching the Sidemen on YouTube. When I am back home, I enjoy spending time with my family, training with my old club, and seeing all my friends from back home.

My favorite thing about being at Northwood is the opportunity it has given me to live in a different country. I always wanted to know how attending school in the United States felt, and Northwood has shown me what that is like. I also love that being here allows me to travel to many different states and see the other areas around the United States. I am so thankful that I could spend the last three years of my life here, and I could not be happier with the outcome.

As told to Aly El Mosfty ’23. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Mathis Nolet-Gagne (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge).

I am from Quebec City, Canada, and I am a senior. In my family, I have two older brothers and my dad and my mum. I joined Northwood two years ago, and I used to go to a French school in Canada. I started looking for a school where I could play a high level of soccer and get an education. My hobbies include hiking, reading books, and listening to music. I don’t have a favorite artist because I am a person who listens to all types of music. So far, I’ve loved Northwood every year I have been here. I have been able to meet new and unique individuals. My favorite class at Northwood has been AP Bio. I find it very interesting.

As told to AJ Etumnu ‘25

Mr. Howard Runyon (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge).

Howard Runyon, also known as “H” or the Spanish pronunciation, “Ah-Chay,” is a man who has experienced many lives.

He grew up near the coast of New Jersey, just south of New York City, which “you could see on a clear day from the highest point of his town.” He grew up with three siblings, a sister and two brothers who worked at Northwood for many years but retired a few years ago. A fond memory of his was playing in the saltwater river beside his home, sifting through the sand with nets for treasures and creatures.

For his last three years of high school, he attended Middlesex School, where he found his love and passion for rowing, much like his father. After high school, he attended Yale University, which he picked because it was “probably the most famous place that had admitted me.” He mainly focused on rowing in his first two years there, which altered his academic path. But after a bit of trouble in the rowing department, he left college for a year and a half, returned, and completed two more years before graduating.

While away from school, he spent much time thinking about what he wanted to do with his life. He explored outside on a bicycle journey and a snowshoe expedition in the White Mountains. Before he returned to university, he took classes at a small local college near his hometown to improve his grades. Then he decided he wanted to be a mountaineer, worked in a tent factory in Wahington, and climbed on weekends. He returned in the summers between his last two years of college with a degree in philosophy.

After undergraduate studies, he moved to New York to try to get a job in publishing or filmmaking. He got a publishing company job when he decided to apply to film school simultaneously and got into Colombia University’s filmmaking school. He completed courses in two years but took another two and a half years to complete his thesis.

After film school, he was hired by a friend to proofread McGraw Hill medical textbooks, which he did for a few years while also working on selling his film school thesis. People hired him to help develop their films, but no projects ever took off. He had done this for around seven years but decided to move with his then-girlfriend, now his wife, who wanted to attend business school in Chicago. While there, he lost his passion for filmmaking and regained his passion for cycling, which he once did at home. He raced bikes professionally and worked on screenplays to make some money. He decided to retire from racing when the risk of injury became a more significant threat. He didn’t want to give up sports entirely, so he was hired by a rowing club in the summer and was later hired by the University of Chicago to be their head coach for four years.

After their daughter was born, they moved to Spain to study flamenco music and guitar while his wife studied dance. They lived there for four years and moved back to the States, where Runyon was hired to work at Northwood beginning in 2005.

Runyon has a deep connection to the history of the crew at Northwood. Though he didn’t start the crew program, it was created sometime in the 1920s and operated until until 1955. In Runyon’s words, the program’s demise is “unbelievable.” One night in the winter of 1955, all the crew equipment disappeared and later appeared at Dartmouth because “somebody somewhere” decided it should go to them because of their building collapsing, ending rowing at Northwood for forty-five years. He has now been the crew team leader for almost eighteen years.

He describes his favorite moments at Northwood being when he first sees a student start to like and grasp what they are learning and when a rower begins to get the sport and learns to navigate the intricate boat. He also enjoys the residential aspect of getting to know students and teachers outside of the classroom and his interactions on campus.

In his free time, he still enjoys bicycle riding, rowing, running, and walking in the woods with his “peculiar” dog Aries (a new guinea singing dog), who he adopted from a Northwood alum.

Natalie Zarcone, originally from Long Island, NY, has been a student at Northwood for three years. She came to Northwood to pursue her hockey and academic career and has played for around 15 years. Natalie is this year’s girls’ hockey team captain and is completing her post-graduate year. Next year she will attend the University of Vermont, playing for their hockey team and pursuing a major in exercise science. In the future, she hopes to work in athletic training but is open to trying other careers. She is known to be quite a singer on her hockey team and enjoys learning and playing the guitar. Natalie also added she enjoys sunsets!

As told to Maisie Crane ’23. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.