“I started playing hockey when I was three years old. At that age, I wanted to do everything my two older brothers did, and since they were on the ice, I wanted to be right there beside them. What began as following in their footsteps quickly became something much bigger—hockey became one of the things I love most and shaped who I am. Growing up, the rink was my favorite place, and the sport became a part of my identity, teaching me many life lessons and giving me some of the most valuable friendships.

“I love Northwood so much because Northwood is a special place with truly special people. It is a community that pushes you to reach your potential while also giving you the support you need to get there. The environment—both academically and athletically—has encouraged me to grow in ways I never expected. The location makes it feel even more unique. Northwood has challenged me, inspired me, and shaped me into the person I am today.

“I live by the quote, ‘You can’t add days to your life, but you can add life to your days.’ Northwood is the perfect example of this message. So many opportunities here feel like once-in-a-lifetime moments, from the experiences on the ice to the relationships off it. I try to remind myself every day not to take any of it for granted. Being at Northwood is something I sincerely appreciate, and I know that the lessons, memories, and friends I have made here will stay with me long after I graduate.

“If I did not play hockey, I’d play either lacrosse or golf. I played lacrosse at my old school and really liked it. I play golf as my spring sport here and play in the summer.

“There are so many great options to eat in Lake Placid, but my personal favorite is the upstairs bar and grill. I have so many good memories of going there with my parents after home games. And the food is fantastic, and I love how homey it feels inside.

“Looking ahead, I plan to attend RPI and play Division 1 college hockey. I am excited for the future, but also sad and scared to leave the place I have called home for the past two years. I am not entirely sure what I want to study yet, but I know it will be something related to math or science.”

As told to Anna Monette ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

“If I weren’t playing football, I would probably be playing E-sports. I find that, like, you don’t have to go outside and sweat or push your body physically; it’s more about quick thinking and staying calm under pressure, which I like. I’ve been playing League of Legends for a long time – since I was 9 – so that’s the game I’m best at.

“My hidden talent? I’m really good with spicy food. Some would argue that it isn’t exactly a “talent,” but I believe it is. It also helps me when I’m stressed, because when I am, you can usually find me eating spicy food. ”

“If I could, a piece of life back home that I would include in the US would be how convenient transport is. In Korea, you can get around easily without a car, and there’s always something to do – everything is close by.

“Does pineapple belong on pizza? Personally, I love pineapple on pizza. Sweet and salty together is pretty good – I don’t really have much else to say except that it tastes good.

“Favorite food from the dining hall? Cheeseburger.

“The last thing I’ll say is this: You need to love yourself before loving someone else.”

As told to Gavin Kruger. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

JT Wint ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Northwood alum JT Wint ’25 spent this year’s winter concert in a familiar place but with a new role. Instead of sitting in the crowd, he was up in the light booth helping run the show with senior Jacob Slagel ’26.

Wint came back to campus while he was home on break between college semesters. His mom, faculty member Lisa Wint, brought him as a guest for the formal dinner, and he decided to stay for the concert.

For Wint, the winter concert has always been part of his Northwood story. When he was a student, it pushed him out of his comfort zone in a good way.

“It was fun,” he said. “Definitely out of my comfort zone, but it got better as the years went by. I think it was very positive.”

One of his clearest memories is from his first year.

The Northwood School Light Board. Photo by Jacob Slagel.

“Probably my favorite memory was with Sophia Sherman ’25,” Wint said. “She read a poem, and I did the slide whistle and a little bit of drums for a Bruce Springsteen song, ‘Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.’ That was probably the most memorable.”

This year, instead of playing on stage, he stepped into the light booth. From there, the view of the concert shifts. You see the same stage and the same crowd, but you also see all the details that most people never notice.

“It is a little muffled up there,” he said, “but you get the same view. You are just paying more attention to detail than many other people might. You are making sure the lights are correct and in the right positions.”

Working in the booth meant focusing on timing and coordination. Each song needed a different look, and the cues had to match the music. Wint said the atmosphere while he and Slagel ran the board felt focused.

“The energy was very professional,” Wint said. “You get straight to the point. You have to be ahead of the game.”

He was not worried about missing any crucial moments.

“I do not think there was a cue I was really nervous about,” he said. “Jacob was on top of it, so there were no worries.”

This was not Wint’s first time on lights. He thinks he has worked the booth “two or three years,” though he does not remember exactly which ones. The system itself has not changed much since he graduated, but coming back as an alum gave him a different perspective.

As a student, the concert felt like a big night where everyone dressed up, performed, or watched friends on stage. Now he sees more of the planning behind it.

He did not see the pre-show setup this year, but he knows there is more going on than people expect.

“It seems like it is just clicking buttons,” he said, “but it is really about coordination and making sure you have it planned out well.”

Wint thinks the light booth is a good place for students who are curious about tech to start. The board looks complicated at first, but he believes it is manageable with support.

“If a student wants to volunteer, I think it is easy enough to learn,” he said. “With the right mentor, you would be pretty set.”

For one night, that mentor was a current student, and the alum was the one stepping back into the system he used as a teenager. The roles had flipped, but the goal was the same as it has always been at the winter concert, whether you are on the stage, in the crowd, or up in the booth.

Make the show happen, and make it feel special.

“Hockey has always meant everything to me. It is the reason I came to Northwood and why I push myself every day to be the best every day. It has provided an outlet to get away from all the noise and play with my best friends. I have built so many connections and made so many memories through hockey, and I am forever thankful.”

“My favorite hockey memory to date is winning USA Hockey Nationals with my Chicago Mission 15s team in 2024. It was such a surreal experience, and I would give anything to go back to that moment. I think those moments and experiences are why I love hockey so much and give it my all every time I step on the ice or in the weight room at GVN Performance.”

“Northwood has truly provided me with an environment where I can push myself on the ice and in the classroom, like in Doc’s AP Lit class. The tight-knit community is unlike any place I have been to, and that’s what makes everyone successful. The Lake Placid environment has been amazing as well. Not many kids can call the Olympic Center their home rink, so I make sure not to take it for granted. I hope to continue playing high-level hockey in the future, and I believe that Northwood is going to help me get there.”

“In my free time, I watch Formula 1 and college football. I also hang out with my best friend Zackary. I am still abundantly salty that Notre Dame got left out of the playoffs; the committee screwed us over. I enjoy playing video games such as F1 and EA Sports College Football. Being in Berg with all the boys has been a wonderful experience so far, and I am looking forward to the rest of the year!”

As told to Andrew Sherland ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

“I don’t have a favorite color because I feel like all the colors would be sad if I picked one.

“I’m a homebody. I like to stay at home a lot—but I do want to travel. Even though I like to hang out with my friends and family, I also like to have alone time, where I can just be with myself. I like to listen to music. I love to read, maybe watch TV. I’m a cat person, not a dog person, but I still love dogs. I’ve had a lot of pets, but now I only have one dog left….This is sad.

“We used to have two cats, another dog, and a rabbit. We also had a turtle. My parents said he ran away.

“Now I’m just left with the craziest dog in existence, who we thought was normal when we got him, and is not. How is he not normal? He’s afraid of other dogs. But instead of running away, he decides to go crazy, barking and screaming. This made our walks very interesting. And, when he doesn’t get a haircut for a minute, he starts to look like a pom pom—a really dirty pom pom.

“I live in the area, but I started at Northwood my junior year of high school because I was a competitive figure skater up to that point, and I mainly trained down in Jersey. I ended up leaving competitive figure skating and started training down in Boston. I moved clubs and moved coaching teams, and I started training up here and doing FaceTime with my coach. I wanted to return to in-person school for my junior year, especially leading up to college, and I tried to form genuine connections and friendships with people outside my sport.

“From my time at Northwood, last year really stuck with me, especially the trip to Japan. That was insane. I got closer with a lot of people that winter, through skiing and that LEAP trip to Japan. I felt like I formed connections with people on a way deeper level than I would have normally, especially since we were practically living together and seeing each other all the time on that trip. Up to that point, I had felt that gap because I wasn’t a boarder, but now I see myself getting closer with and getting to know people even more than I thought I ever would. My highlight of Northwood is the friendships I made. And I still keep in touch with everyone who graduated or transferred schools, and I see them whenever I can.

“Something a lot of people don’t know about me is that I have a two-year-old sister who I love so, so much. I love to talk about her when she’s brought up. I’m also Bulgarian—both my parents are from Bulgaria, and most of my family is still there.

“I also love traveling. I’ve been to numerous countries, but among them, Italy and Japan are my favorites. I really want to go to Egypt, and I also want to go to China, which I’m planning to do this summer. I really want to go to Egypt to see the new museum they opened. It’s so cool. I also really want to ride a camel and snowboard down the dunes. I also really want to try surfing. That was on my 2025 bucket list, but it didn’t happen, so I’m hoping it happens in 2026.

“I’ve always been into RnB, so that’s mainly the type of music I’ve listened to. I went through a classical music phase where I would bring around a boombox to the rink and blast classical music in other people’s faces, telling them how fire it was. They would tell me that I’m crazy.

“Also, I don’t understand sarcasm. So whenever anyone’s sarcastic, I fully believe them, and it’s very embarrassing, because I’ll be gaslit, and I would never know. So don’t take advantage of me. That’s the end of that.”

As told to Sasha Luhur ’27. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

“The first time I got into hockey was from my father, who played pro, and I started skating around 2 years old. Since then, hockey has been my source of happiness. I transferred to Northwood to gain a better education and play on a great hockey program.

“When I first found out about Northwood, it was from my father because he played hockey against Northwood’s team back in the day. Once I got the chance to visit Northwood, I felt like it was a no-brainer that I should come to this school to pursue an excellent education and hockey program.

“The best thing about Northwood is the community because everybody is treated like family, and everyone looks out for each other. My first year, I was nervous, then in a couple of hours, I was already accepted into the Northwood community with open arms, with friends, teachers, coaches, and teammates treating me like family.

“Living at a place like Lake Placid has its perks from summer to winter, as Lake Placid is a nice place with a lot of history and many things to see in such a small place. Lake Placid offers activities I enjoy, besides hockey, such as skiing and golf. During the wintertime, Lake Placid is a wonderland of snow, and getting the chance to ski on top of Whiteface Mountain with friends is a blast. As Lake Placid transitions into summer, I like to play golf at the Lake Placid Club, with excellent greens and mountains in the background.

“Being at Northwood helps me set up my life for the future. Learning to be independent, how to deal with setbacks, and overcome them, whether that’s in the classroom, on the ice, or in life.

“If anyone asked me about Northwood, I am proud to say that it was the best two years of my life. I am thankful for Northwood setting me up for the future.”

As told to Justin MacLeod ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Drew Tulloch ’26 is a hockey player from Averill Park, NY. This is his third year here at Northwood, and he is looking forward to the rest of his high school career.

Growing up, Drew played both baseball and hockey, but chose hockey as his primary sport. He started playing hockey for the Troy Albany Titans and, after a few years, decided to move on to the Hudson Valley Polar Bears. Drew is a day student, and in his free time during the summer, he enjoys traveling and golfing.

Drew came to Northwood to pursue hockey and to improve academically. Drew feels his choice of picking Northwood was one of his best choices he has made so far in his life. “The community is so tight here; not only do I get to see my friends at school, but we go on the ice and battle together as well as travel and stay in hotels.”

As Drew continues to fly through his senior year, he will really miss this place and does not want to take even a single bit of it for granted. “Through the years, I have made so many friends and memories, and looking back. I am really going to miss the people who make the Northwood such a tight community.”

Following his time here at Northwood, he planned to play a year or two of junior hockey and be done with it. He plans to pursue college and also play hockey.

You’ve probably seen other Northwood dorm tours, but I promise you’ve never seen one like this. Lily Pratt ’26 is the definition of Christmas spirit—something you can see instantly when you walk into her room.

The dorm room of Lily Pratt ’26 is decked out for the holidays. Photo: Anna Monnette ’26.

Most students bring a small tree or a holiday blanket from home to get into the festive mood, but Pratt goes all out. Starting with her bed, she has Christmas-themed sheets, pillows, and a blanket. Even her window is covered in cheerful holiday stickers.

The dorm room of Lily Pratt ’26 is decked out for the holidays. Photo: Anna Monnette ’26.

Next is a small corner of her room that most people might overlook—but not Lily. She has transformed it into its own mini-Christmas display. There’s another holiday pillow and blanket, plus a wall decoration made of red and white balls arranged in the shape of a tree. On her shelf sit some Christmas-themed stuffed animals, a tiny red-and-green tree, and—if you look closely—Christmas hair clips tucked in as part of the décor.

The dorm room of Lily Pratt ’26 is decked out for the holidays. Photo: Anna Monnette ’26.

Her desk area is just as festive. Light up Snowflakes along with twinkling Christmas lights and a few cheerful signs. Draped over her chair is yet another Christmas blanket. Sitting proudly on her desk is her favorite decoration: her Christmas countdown. She loves it because every morning she wakes up and moves it one day closer to the big day.

The dorm room of Lily Pratt ’26 is decked out for the holidays. Photo: Anna Monnette ’26.

Pratt has always loved Christmas; she loves spending the season with her friends here at school, and loves that for the big day, she gets to go home and spend it with her loved ones and family. Her room reflects that excitement everywhere you look: decorations across the walls, a Santa hat hanging up, lights around the room, and a paper chain stretched across her ceiling—a favorite among her friends and dormmates.

One thing is sure: Lily Pratt loves Christmas and knows how to deck her dorm!