Northwood Life – The Mirror

Humans of Northwood: Ryan Cielo ‘21

March 16, 2021 by Rachel Hinkley

I am from Vernon, New Jersey, and I attended a small Catholic school before discovering Northwood. This is my second year at Northwood, and I absolutely love it here. This school has given me the opportunity to play great hockey with some great teammates and fantastic coaching. This school has taught me that hockey is more than just a sport, it is a family.

Northwood has also given me the ability to thrive academically with lots of resources and understanding teachers that are willing to do anything to help someone succeed. This school has allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and find my voice because I’m forced to speak up for myself and communicate with others if I need something to get done. This school has taught me so many valuable life lessons that I will carry for years to come. Northwood has helped prepare me for the future to attend a college majoring in biology and play club hockey on the side.

As told to Rachel Hinkley ’21. Photo provided.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Humans of Northwood: Johnny Cielo ‘21

March 16, 2021 by Rachel Hinkley

I’m from Vernon New Jersey and I’m a senior here at Northwood. From the dorms, going to town, student activities, and sports, I’ve had so much fun. This is my second year here and I’ve created so many memories.

Northwood has given me the opportunity to play hockey at a competitive level while getting a great hands-on education. My teachers and coaches have given me all the resources I need to do my best both on the ice and in the classroom. When I’m not playing hockey, I like hanging with everyone at the turf and in the dorms.

Northwood had taught me many lessons and I’ve created so many great friendships. Next year I will be playing junior hockey and taking online classes. I’m excited to see my future that Northwood has prepared me for.

As told to Rachel Hinkley ‘21. Photo provided.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

One Year Ago Today: The Day That Everything Changed

March 11, 2021 by Meggan Cramer

Students embraced and said their goodbyes on March 12, 2020 as school closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (File photo)

One year ago today, students were hurried into the auditorium after dinner for a hastily called school meeting that would change their lives.

Earlier that day, the World Health Organization declared the Coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. There were only approximately 700 cases in the United States at the time, but public health experts were predicting the virus would spread exponentially in the coming weeks and months. Colleges and universities everywhere were sending students home, the NBA shut down that day, and there were widespread concerns that air travel would soon be suspended, which would have left dozens of international students stranded in Lake Placid. At that school meeting, Assistant Head of School Mr. John Spear told students that the school was sending them home and closing campus.

In an email to the community sent while students were in the meeting, Head of School Mr. Mike Maher wrote, “I have consulted with Northwood School trustees and school leaders, as well as experts in public health, and colleagues at other boarding and college institutions. I have concluded, after careful analysis, that Northwood School will cease all on-campus programming and transition all instruction online as of today, March 11, 2020. Tomorrow we will prepare students for online learning and assist them with their travel arrangements. Student departures may begin as early as 2:00 pm.”

It was the first time since World War II that school was shut down during the school year, and the students’ mood in the room ranged from celebration to shock. A day earlier, student-athletes were disappointed when all athletic travel was canceled, effectively ending the Junior Hockey Team’s state championship run and canceling the soccer team’s trip to Las Vegas and the most important showcase of the season.

Northwood shared the news of the closure on social media on March 12, 2020.

The school hoped to re-open at the end of the school year, and Maher concluded his email on an optimistic note: “We plan to resume on-campus instruction and other programming on Monday, April 27, which will leave four weeks for classes, AP exams, and other year-end activities, including commencement and LEAP. Of course, resuming on-campus programming at that time depends on the status of the coronavirus. We will monitor the situation closely and communicate regularly with everyone in the Northwood community.” Of course, school remained closed for the rest of the 2019-20 school year with graduation canceled.

Ella Fesette ‘22 was a sophomore at the time and recalled that day. “A bunch of us were just hanging out in the living room and we heard a teacher walk by who mentioned something about leaving campus, and then that night we had a meeting about going home. I was so upset to leave because I had a feeling we weren’t coming back, and I was going to miss all my friends and especially springtime at Northwood. Also, not being able to say goodbye to the seniors I wouldn’t see again.”

Senior at the time Madison Novotny ‘20 said, “I was in the basement of Berg when I heard the news. It all happened so quickly. I was stressed.”

Jazzy Valenzuela ‘21 was a junior on that day and recalled, “When we found out that we had to get sent home I was in the living room and then we were called into the auditorium for a meeting to talk about it. I was so confused and felt anxious because I had no idea what was going on. I didn’t realize a year later we’d still have corona, so I guess in the moment I was just expecting to go home for only two weeks.”

Getting sent home was a shock to all the students. A lot of emotions were triggered from being stressed and anxious to being sad that the year with friends had to be cut short so unexpectedly. It’s safe to say that it was for sure a year they will never forget, no matter how badly some would like to.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Real World, Top Story

Seniors Have a Night Dedicated to Fun and their Class

March 4, 2021 by Mackenzie Hull

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With athletic teams heading in different directions between now and spring break and Northwood Seniors coming close to their graduation, Friday, February 26 was a night dedicated to fun and the class of 2021. From 8 -10 pm seniors were invited to the indoor turf field where there was food, drinks, and several fun activities set up. Some of the games included Spike Ball, Twister, Football, Can Jam, Jenga, Corn Hole, and Badminton.

The night was dedicated to giving seniors the opportunity to spend time with other seniors outside their cohort and get to know new people who they would be graduating with. The pandemic has made this school year unlike any other, and Senior Class Dean Mr. Jeff Nemec, along with several Northwood seniors, decided a night for seniors in the turf would be a good way to have some fun as a class.

“We had the one virtual gathering of the class of 2021 at the start of school. With fall and protocol and all the different directions plus the importance of using senior time for the college process, we never carved out a time to properly get together,” said Nemec. “Led by the longer tenured seniors, Friday’s gathering was a quick effort to offer a basic senior shoutout with folks soon to be going in different directions.”

Mr. Nemec shared some appreciation for others involved in the effort. “Thank you in particular to Ms. Christine Ashe for all of her help,” he said.

Filed Under: Northwood Life

Today is Ring The Bell for Northwood!

March 4, 2021 by Mirror Staff

March 4, 2021, is Northwood’s fifth annual giving day called Ring the Bell for Northwood. Students around campus are wearing their purple Ring the Bell t-shirts to class and alumni and families around the world are showing their Northwood pride by making gifts to the Northwood Fund. Students representing Peaks have submitted entries into the annual video competition and the winner will be announced .

Every March, our Northwood family around the world — alumni, students, parents, friends, neighbors, faculty, and staff — come together for Ring the Bell, a 24-hour online fundraising event. Ring the Bell supports the Northwood people and programs that are important to achieving the school’s mission of fostering growth in young people so that they may engage their world and lead lives of consequence.

Excitement for Ring the Bell for Northwood has been building as Huskies everywhere have watched daily videos leading up to the event.

The annual fundraising effort, organized by Northwood’s Advancement Office, uses an online platform to communicate with alumni, parents, and friends of Northwood and inspire their support. The primary goal of Ring the Bell 2021 is to celebrate our school and support the people and programs we all care about most. We hope to reach 250 donors today and surpass the goals of previous years — join us and Ring the Bell for Northwood!

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Winter Schedule Has Fans and Foes

March 2, 2021 by Mackenzie Hull

Northwood students and staff have adjusted to winter schedule, which has changed this year due to the pandemic. Winter schedule at Northwood consists of Mondays and Friday’s classes starting in the morning at 8:00 am with cocurricular starting after the end of the academic day. Tuesdays through Thursdays have classes beginning at 12:30 pm with cocurricular starting in the morning before the academic day. Winter schedule has been around in one form or another at Northwood for generations and it is particularly beneficial for Snowsport athletes who can ski on the mountain without missing academics or having training cut short because of limited daylight.

Dean of Academic Affairs Ms. Noel Carmichael (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge)

This year, winter schedule has been a little different for returning students with classes being an hour long every day, a change that has gotten mixed reviews.

The Mirror checked in with a couple of students to hear their opinions on the new schedule. Leah DeFilippo ‘22 said, “The winter schedule is nice, especially as a skier. I personally really like skiing in the morning, so that we can be done with training and focus on school for the rest of the day.”

Calem Luke Tommy ‘22, a soccer player from South Africa, said, “I like how the classes start later because it gives us enough time to prepare our minds for the day and classes ahead, the hourlong classes are a bit of a stretch and is not always enjoyable, but I feel as if we get a lot more work in than we did previously with the 45-minute-long classes.”

Other students have said that they are still getting used to the hourlong classes that came along with winter schedule and are not sure why they are hour long. Dean of Academic Affairs, Ms. Noel Carmichael, explained why class length was increased this year. “Hourlong classes three times a week allows us to maintain the same number of minutes of class time as we had in the fall trimester while cutting down on the transition time in between classes. This helps us complete the academic day before dinner time.”

Although it might be hard to sit through hourlong periods, students understand they are actually getting the academic day completed earlier and faster.

Filed Under: Northwood Life

Music Helps Students Cope with COVID

March 2, 2021 by Sara Ellsworth

Illustration: Carolina News & Reporter

Hey you! Yeah you! What song are you listening to right now? I bet it’s a jam.

Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s good. I’m guessing you streamed music on your phone and computer during quarantine rather than hearing it in your car or inside a store, right? Because of COVID-19, streams and sales of music have skyrocketed. By the end of 2020, Spotify had gained a whopping 6 million new Spotify Premium members, because of an increase in music streams, podcast streams, and even cooking related audios! Since March 2020, YouTube has also reported a similar increase of streams. 40% of people say they watched YouTube significantly more, and 24% watched slightly more. 46% of the rest either watched the same amount or didn’t even watch at all (and I don’t know about you, but most of the YouTube videos I watch are music related.)

More streams equal more money for the artists, so you can rest assured your favorite artist benefited from your earworms. However, COVID didn’t just cause rainbows and butterflies for the music industry. Advertising cost the industry a lot of money, since artists can’t flaunt their stuff everywhere in person now, and artists are struggling to form and release new albums.

Though we are streaming a TON of music, it’s not enough since digital sales have decreased by 11% thanks to things like stores not being able to play music often. Even physical sales (like vinyl and CD) went down by one third!

But enough about the statistics! What about our friends? Here are a couple of words from Northwood students about how music helped them through quarantine.

“Music helped me a lot during quarantine. It helped me to study, workout, and just chill in my room,” said Calil Neme-Filho ‘21. “I discovered of a lot of good music and I am definitely listening more to music now. I have a specific type of music that I listened to in quarantine, electronic music,” added Neme-Filho.

“Yeah, I figured out some new genres I liked, such as 90s Alternative Rock, or artists like Daft Punk, the Foo Fighters, and my new favorite, Pearl Jam,” said junior Matthew Burns. “I also regained some appreciation for genres or artists I lost interest in before, and even found out that Pearl Jam was also one of my dad’s favorites,” he said. Burns turned to music during the quarantine. “I was definitely listening to music more often, even having to go as far as to dig through my parents’ CDs to see if any seemed appealing to me, just to find something I hadn’t listened to 7 times already! I even bought two new CDs, and am considering buying some others,” he said, adding “I know, actually buying new CDs nowadays — mind-blowing“.

What song got Burns through the quarantine? “That’s a tough one. I usually threw on whatever playlist or album I was in the mood for at that time. However, I often found myself enjoying either Even Flow or Alive, both by Pearl Jam, the most. If I’m being honest, the whole album those songs are from (Ten) got me through it a lot,” said Burns.

Filed Under: Northwood Life

Seniors Earn New Privileges

March 2, 2021 by Meggan Cramer

Image source: Northwood School

On Friday, senior privileges for the class of 2021 were announced at school meeting. This is exciting news for seniors because they have not been able to have any yet this year.

Privileges include not having to check-in at 9:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, allowing their dorm room door to remain closed during study hall, and a favorite of seniors: being able to go to the Innovation Hub for study hall in town.

Rachel Hinkley ‘20 says, “I really like going to the Hub for study hall because it gives people the chance to have a quiet space to study and get away from the dorm while also being able to go into town safely for the night.” On Fridays and Sundays, seniors can buy takeout dinner and bring it to the Hub to enjoy a nice dinner with friends and then stay right there for study hall.

In a message to the senior class, Mr. John Spear said:

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Four Huskies Earn Women in Tech Honors

March 2, 2021 by Marina Alvarez

Northwood NCWIT honorees, from left to right: Angie Castillo ’21, Kate Hagness ’21, Nora Dawood ’23, and Anja Martin ’22.

Four Northwood female students recently won recognition for their computing-related achievements. This is the third straight year Northwood’s girls have received such recognition. Fourteen girls have been honored in the past three years.

The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC) honors 9th-12th grade students who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary for their computing-related achievements and interests and encourages them to pursue their passions. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing, as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, and plans for post-secondary education.

The multi-tiered award structure includes Winner, Honorable Mention, Rising Star, and Certificate of Distinction designations at National and Regional Affiliate levels, serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and all U.S. overseas military bases. Regional Affiliate Award programs are hosted in 79 locations nationwide by NCWIT Alliance member organizations—a powerful, national network of universities, companies, non-profits, and government organizations working to increase the influence and meaningful participation of girls and women from every community.

The Northwood School winners at the regional affiliate award level include:

Anja Martin ‘22 – Winner
Angie Castillo ’21 – Honorable Mention
Nora Dawood ’23 – Honorable Mention
Kate Hagness ’21 – Rising Star

Congratulations to the amazing young women for this accomplishment as well as to their teacher, Mr. Jeff Martin, robotics team coach and chair of Innovation, Engineering, and Entrepreneurship at Northwood.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People, Top Story

Chinese New Year’s Eve Is What Kids Prefer

March 2, 2021 by Zheqi Wang

Chinese New Year is in the first day of the lunar calendar. It is a highly anticipated event, but many people, especially kids, prefer New Year’s Eve even more.

Traditionally, people will have lunch at night in their homes; however, in modern times, people prefer to go to a restaurant. In this way, all the family can sit together and have meal. Normally, every family will eat fish at dinner and leave the last piece of fish uneaten, because that means you had even more than you wished for.

At the middle of the big meal, an elder will give young people red pockets containing money. The amount of money will differ depending on the different provinces in China. Normally, I can get the equivalent of $350 for each red pocket from my uncle and aunts. Sometimes there are $1,500 in my grandparents’ red pockets.

After dinner, people will get back home early and watch the Spring Festival Gala. It includes every kind of program: cross talk, music from ethnic minorities and a short sketch. The last part of Spring Festival Gala is the countdown. That night will usually be the only night of the year that children are allowed to stay up all night.