“My name is Hanna Rose, but you can also call me “Rosie.” I am from Three Mile Bay, NY, and I am the coach of the Girls’ Hockey team at Northwood School. An interesting fact about my past is that I had a full-blown hip replacement at 22 years old.  

“I am a Northwood alum, and Northwood taught me to value and appreciate my time as well as being a hard-working person. I valued all the students and faculty during my two years here, and I wanted to return to this environment to experience it not just from the student side. Being an alum and coaching is a whirlwind for me. Stepping back into the living room and seeing the famous fireplace brought back memories of so many pictures and belly-laughing moments. I loved it here as a student, and I’m continuing to love it even more now as a coach and teacher.  

“Being a teacher and a coach has shown me countless opportunities to teach about math, hockey, and life. I’ve had my own path through life and some things have worked and some haven’t. I’m happy to offer my advice to students, especially when I was so recently in their position. 

“The hockey season is off to a great start and the team is bonding and creating a culture that you want to be a part of. I’m looking forward to growing as a teacher through my amazing mentors as well as continuing to learn and develop alongside Gilly [Coach Trevor Gilligan]. All I can say is I’ve been waiting for this school year since the start of summer. It’s finally here and I couldn’t be happier!”

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

Kevin’s last day in the kitchen was Friday, September 15. (Photo: Ahmed Elganainy ’24)

This weekend, we saw a truly kind individual depart the Northwood Community. Kevin was part of the kitchen staff for 10 and a half years, and Friday, September 15 was his last day at Northwood. His new position is chef at a new hotel, which will open soon in Lake Placid.

Before coming to Northwood in 2013, Kevin was the chef at Saranac Village at Will Rogers. Kevin is also a military veteran, which is highly appreciated by everyone. “It has its moments,” said Kevin when asked how it feels to be recognized as a military veteran.

“I will miss his energy and kindness in the kitchen. He always greeted me well, so it is a shame to see him go,” said Leo Doyle ’25.

Everyone can see how hard Kevin and the entire kitchen staff work and how much effort they put in every day.

“I don’t think there was a time when I ate a meal in the dining hall and thought to myself that the quality of the food had decreased. I’ve always felt like it gets better every time I eat it and I’d like to thank the entire kitchen staff for their constant hard work,” said Liam Burk ’24.

“I’ve only been here for about 3 weeks, and I’m going to miss the energy that Kevin spreads in the dining hall. It was a short time, but I really liked him,” said Li Feng ’24.

This is a fantastic opportunity to thank Kevin for his constant hard work. But the students also appreciate the entire kitchen staff for always making sure we are eating the correct food and helping us reach our goals.

“I am from the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.

“I came to Northwood because of the chance to receive a world-class education and the opportunity to do activities unique to the school, such as LEAP. I enjoy using the many opportunities presented to me, like taking on a STEM research project and presenting it at a symposium, flying to Vietnam, or even sharing my home with my peers for LEAP and doing dance and musical performances.

“This year, I will start college as a freshman at Northwestern University. I am a prospective biology student and would like to go into medicine or research.

“Here at Northwood, I was fortunate to be a part of the crew team, row in a double scull with my sister, and be part of the Dance Sanctuary, which gave me an empowering environment and allowed me to pursue a longtime interest of mine.

“I enjoy doing karaoke and having dance parties with my friends on weekends. In the winter, we do a lot of ice skating on the oval, skiing, and sledding.”

As told to Ahmed Elganainy ’24. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

“I am from Lake Placid, NY. I moved from Los Angeles roughly four years ago. The atmosphere in Los Angeles is a lot different there than it is here in Lake Placid.

“I enjoy playing hockey, woodworking, fishing, and spending time outdoors.

“Not many people know that I rebuild outboard engines and reupholster boats to make a bit of cash.” 

As told to Cedric Lemaire ‘24. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.  

“I am from Syracuse, NY. I am a first-year senior here at Northwood. I heard about Northwood through a current member of the Prep Hockey team and hockey recruitment. After hearing more about it and connecting with the coaches, I thought it was a good fit for me and decided to start this new journey.

“After graduation, I plan to play Junior Hockey and then hopefully play Division 1 hockey. I hope to become a professional hockey player in the future, but if that does not happen, I would like to pursue a business career.

“In my free time here at Northwood, I normally just spend time with my friends, work in the gym, and play the guitar. When I’m at home, I pretty much do the same and spend time with friends and family. I also like to sing, which not many people know about, but I don’t like singing in public.

“I’ve had a great year here at Northwood and couldn’t be happier with my decision to come here, and I’m excited for what the future holds for me.”

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

With the school year coming to a close, Northwood students are getting excited about summer. Northwood students have a variety of plans for summer this year.

Aidan Laskey ‘23 plans to work for his dad’s roofing company this summer. He is also going to see Luke Combs in July.	Trey Zeren ’25 is going on a cruise this summer to Bermuda and the Bahamas. After that, he plans to play hockey and work.
Caroline Purcell ‘24 is spending her summer working at the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery. She is also going to Seattle in July to visit family.	Wolfgang Lux ’25 plans on going to gym, doing luge, and hanging out with friends this summer. He will also work with his dad.
Nora Fitzsimmons ‘24 is going to spend her summer working at the Cottage in Lake Placid and touring colleges.	Cecilia Keller ’25 is going to Norway this summer, as well as lifeguarding. She also plans to see Pitbull in New Jersey.
Brian Brady ’24 is working at Origin Coffee this summer and interning with an environmental non-profit. He is also going to Rhode Island and hopes to travel more.	Jack Kroll ’25 is going to mow lawns before going to Norway to ski jump in August.
Pedro Gonzalo ’23 is going back home to Spain to hang with friends. He also plans to go to Italy to visit a Northwood alum and friend, Dado.	Sebastian La Roche ’23 is going to do an internship at a dentist’s office as well as skateboard and hang out with friends.

“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.”