It is now May at Northwood, meaning we finish the school year this month. It is also Mental health awareness month, established in 1949 to increase awareness and emphasize the importance of mental health in American’s lives. Mental health in society has always had a stigma, but we hope to break down that barrier here at Northwood.

The Mirror spoke to Nurse Judy, who shared five tips for students to protect their mental health this month as Aps and finals approach.

1. Sleep is essential. A good night’s rest is critical. Rather than cram all night, set a schedule for studying and then get a good night’s sleep.
2. Get some exercise, take a break, go outside, and enjoy the weather. That will do wonders for your mental health. If you can or have time, take a walk around Mirror Lake.
3. Confide in someone. Tell your feelings and thoughts to a close friend or trusted adult. Talk to your teachers or upper-classmen.
4. Don’t overthink the tests. They are not the end of the world. You’ll be fine.
5. Finally, eat well. Your brain needs food to function; like any other part of your health, diet is linked to your mental health.

School Psychologist Ms. Tara Wright specializes in mental health. “Mental health is equally important to physical health,” Wright told the Mirror. “Being aware of your own feelings and focusing on well-being will positively affect all areas of your life,” she added.

On Thursday, April 20^th, we had our second to last formal of the 2022-23 school year. Even more important was what took place after the dinner ended. We had a spring art showcase that put together a culmination of some talented students performing and then all showing their art to the whole school for one final time this year. Here are some of the highlights.

Scenes from the 2023 Spring Arts Showcase. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Scenes from the 2023 Spring Arts Showcase. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Scenes from the 2023 Spring Arts Showcase. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Scenes from the 2023 Spring Arts Showcase. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Scenes from the 2023 Spring Arts Showcase. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

I want to start off by saying how impressive it is that this showcase was directed by one of our students, Kiet Do ’23. He helped plan the show with the help of many students backstage. Not every day one of our fellow students gets to direct a show that the community gets to see. When asked about the showcase, Kiet said, “It was a great experience to direct a show for the school. It brought a lot to my understanding of a show experience, and it is something I’d love to look into it more in the future.” It’s excellent that Northwood provides these opportunities for students like Kiet to expand their interests in such specialties. As for Kiet, directing the show wasn’t the only thing he did to contribute to the showcase. He also produced a video that showed what the performers go through to prepare for the show. It showed a backstage perspective of each of the arts that were showcased. Kiet said, “It fits my goal to see what happens before the show and showing people the work and practice it takes for a performance to reach the stage.” It was an awesome video, and here is a huge shoutout to all the work Kiet put into the performance.

Another big part of the showcase was the dance performances. This was the last performance that the dance program would showcase their talents in front of the community because the dance program will not continue next year. Since this was the last school performance, I wanted to get the perspective of a senior dancer that performed in the show. “One of my favorite parts of dance is the performance, but dancing in front of the school is honestly more nerve-wracking than the other performances we have done,” Jazlyn Lluberes ’23 said. I don’t think that is hard to understand, because performing in front of your peers is always challenging. It requires being vulnerable for the whole school to see. Jazlyn reflected on the last dance performance. “It was a bittersweet moment… it was hard knowing that any underclass dancer would never be able to showcase their hard work to the Northwood community again,” she said. I’m sure we can all understand the pain she is feeling, but for now, we can congratulate the dancers on a successful few shows and wish them luck on their dance journeys.

Some of the best experiences were the singing and instrumental performances. It’s pretty awesome to watch students you see around school take on the challenge of performing in front of the whole community. It takes a lot of courage to get up on the stage, and I commend each of them for going out there and killing it. One of the performers, Hudson Dinapoli ’23, sang along with a band that had been practicing for months. Some of these students have never touched an instrument and are now on stage. It doesn’t get much better than that. DiNapoli is known for being an energetic guy; he and his bandmates didn’t disappoint with his performance. “It was a surreal experience getting to perform in front of the school and community,” DiNapoli said. “I had a lot of fun with the band, and it looked like everyone enjoyed the show.”

Jazlyn Lluberes ’23 (photos: Mr. Michael Aldridge)

Kiet Do ’23 

Hudson DiNapoli ’23 

Being in the audience, I can say that the show was a blast and it had something for everyone to enjoy.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support the performers because they worked extremely hard to put on this show for the school. Again, I want to commend all the performers because getting on stage in front of the whole community is very impressive.

Students published in the Adirondack Center for Writing anthology of teen writing Wild Words pose with the book in Saranac Lake (Photo: Mrs. Carmichael).

On Saturday, April 22, the Adirondack Center for Writing launched its Wild Words Anthology, a collection of writings from students in the North Country region, which included eight students from Northwood’s class of ‘26. The book featured works by 70 authors in the North Country region. The works students submitted included poetry (4 students), memoirs (3), and one fictional story.

Mrs. Carmichael, the Dean of Academics and Integrated Humanities I teacher, expressed, “It’s a huge accomplishment—I’m happy with how things worked out and how the publication looks, and I’m very excited for next year.”

Throughout the school year, students in Humanities I focus on six main writing units: poetry, memoirs, and short stories. Each unit consists of two drafts per writing piece and a final version towards the end of the year. During the weeks leading up to the Wild Words Submission, the students did a mini-unit on revision, where they were introduced to six different revision techniques. Once they had picked one writing piece in particular, the students went through multiple revisions before submitting the final version for a grade. Note that the submission to the Wild Words Anthology itself is purely optional.

Revisions, of course, were no easy chores. Each round of revision was a deep delve into the writing itself and not a collection of small changes here and there. In addition, young writers may often feel that the work is most completed during the first draft, and the idea of revision—to throw what they had created away and restart—can hurt and give a sense of fabrication.

However, Mrs. Carmichael greatly values the importance of revisions. “Revision is writing. The first draft is necessarily writing: it’s creativity and sometimes brain dumping. The first draft is trying to articulate a thought or a feeling in a story,” she explained. “Revising a piece of writing reinforces said thoughts and feelings. To me, that is the craft of writing, and it is a challenge to be able to do deep revisions at their age,” she later commented.

Given the two initial iterations alongside the revision unit, students were able to put out expressive yet cohesive pieces of writing. Furthermore, they were allowed to pick any pieces of writing they had created during the year. Mrs. Carmichael attributed this to the engagement of the class, the willingness to go the extra mile to share their works with the broader community, and ultimately the sense of pride that came with what the students had accomplished.

This experience also goes to highlight the Integrated Humanities class at Northwood. As a project-based, double-period course, students are much better supported to create projects than traditional, in-class papers usually assigned in English classes. Also, the course offers connections to the outside world, as shown with the Wild Words Anthology. It is truly remarkable, the possibility of creating works in class that can be read by hundreds of people all over the North Country and beyond.

“I have received messages from many of the parents that, I assume, are very proud of their kids and excited that they had this kind of opportunity,” Mrs. Carmichael remarked.

Graduation marks the completion of years of hard work and dedication. For Northwood, it is a time to celebrate those who left the school in a better place by inviting prominent figures from the community to serve as commencement speakers. Student speakers Aidan Lasky ‘23, Georgia Bailey ‘23, and retiring faculty member Coach Morris ‘77 will share their insights and experiences with graduates.

Coach Mark Morris ’77 (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge)

The honor of speaking at graduation is tremendous, and it could not be a better fit than someone who knows the Northwood experience. Coach Morris graduated from Northwood in 1977 and continued his hockey career by playing at Colgate University. He then continued his professional career playing for the New Haven Nighthawks and the Dallas Black Hawks before starting his illustrious coaching career. He coached for top universities, AHL, and NHL teams. He has amassed incredible wins and, most importantly, has mentored and supported countless players.

Aidan Lasky ’23 (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge)

Aidan Lasky ‘23 is our first speaker, a respected member of the boys’ hockey prep team member, and a student leader who has served on the head of School’s Council and twice as a Resident Assistant. Aiden is from Vero Beach, FL, and is a four-year student at Northwood. Aiden is looked up to by many and is one of the core leaders for Northwood. When asked what this meant for him, Aiden said, “It is quite the honor to be able to speak at graduation. Being here for four years, I’ve grown attached to this place and the people that I have met here. I would also want to extend a thank you to all the faculty that put in a good word for me because they certainly helped me get this opportunity. It’s going to be a hard goodbye when leaving Northwood, but I cannot think of any better way to end my time here.”

Georgia Bailey ’23 (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge)

Georgia Bailey ‘23 is the alternate captain of the girl’s hockey team. She was given the honor and opportunity to represent and captain her home providence, Team Quebec, at the Canada Games for U18 Women. Georgia is hardworking and committed, and her outgoing personality represents the qualities of a Northwood student leader. In her two years at the school, she has become a community role model on and off the ice. Georgia talks of her experience receiving the news to speak at graduation, “Speaking at graduation came as a shock for me. I was pulled into Mr. Maher’s office, and he told me I would be speaking at graduation, and I had to accept this offer. I was very surprised, excited, and nervous all at once. It is a huge honor to speak at graduation, not only to speak to my peers and classmates but also to address the parents and teachers who made my time at Northwood precious. There are such incredible people at this school that represent Northwood extremely well; this is why I am incredibly proud to be able to speak at graduation and highlight the impact Northwood has had on my life.”

Ms. Stacy Prime, Chief Innovation Officer and Director of the Innovation Hub, is leading the new Peak Pathways program. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Next school year, all seniors, postgraduates, and some eleventh graders will participate in Peak Pathways by designing and completing a full-year, self-directed, in-depth exploration of an area or field of interest. The new academic initiative expands upon the success of Independent Initiatives in our Advanced Research, Independent Studies, and Apprenticeship programs. It will differentiate Northwood students, improve habits of self-direction and independence, and equip students with new skills.

According to promotional material shared by the school, students in an independent Peak Pathways course will be supported by a Northwood faculty member and, in many cases, a real-world mentor. Students will be required to complete a project that they design and produce a final product and/or performance.

“Peak Pathways is a key component of Northwood’s evolved academic vision and reflects our commitment to preparing a different type of learner,” Ms. Stacy Prime, Chief Innovation Officer at Northwood and Director of the Peak Pathways program, said.

Illustration provided

“The most successful young people will be those who excel at learning by skillfully navigating and integrating new tools and technologies for continuous learning,” Prime said. “Additionally, they will possess a high level of self-awareness, recognizing their unique strengths and interests and leveraging those abilities to generate value in the world,” she added.

The new program will prepare Northwood students for the ever-changing future. “The Peak Pathways program will equip young learners with the essential skills to thrive in a constantly evolving landscape and prepare them for success in the future. I am excited to lead this program at Northwood and am certain the program will greatly benefit our students,” Prime said.

Peak Pathways classes will be organized along ten domains:

• Entrepreneurship, Innovation, & Finance
• Humanities Research & Studies
• Music, Theater, & Sound
• 3D Modeling & Fabrication
• Recreational Tourism & Outdoor Leadership
• Sports Industry
• Robotics & Futuristic Tech
• Math, Computer Science, & Engineering
• Art, Design, & Media
• STEM Research & Studies

Each domain listed above has more than a dozen subfields related to their respective subject. These subfields are individually-driven and selected by the students. Students will be assigned a cohort with peers who share a common interest, and the groups will meet regularly to reflect on their progress and share ideas.

Most rising postgraduates, 12^th and 11^th graders have already completed a survey to help the school plan for this new academic program. Maegan Byrne ’24 has already completed the Peak Pathways survey. Byrne has heard about STEM research from her friend Brian Brady ’24, who is conducting an experiment with fruit flies. “I like science and [STEM teacher] Ms. Walker, so maybe I’ll do something in STEM research,” Byrne said.

The opportunities for self-directed learning seem limitless, and soon, students will be making choices about their Peak Pathway.