Mirror staff writer Maisie Crane ’23 caught up with Mr. Thomas Broderick, director of the Northwood Fund, to recap the 2023 Ring the Bell campaign.

The Mirror: How did the day go for you?

Mr. Broderick: The day was wonderful. For me, it was an opportunity to highlight all that happens at Northwood. The live video “look-ins” were fun to participate in and watch. So, while it was a hectic day, it affirmed our mission.

How important is the annual fund?

The annual fund, which we call the Northwood Fund, is a critical component of Northwood’s viability as an institution. On the one hand, the money raised for the Northwood Fund directly impacts every program we run to give our students the best educational experience we can provide. The Northwood Fund is also a barometer of our health as a school. The more alums/families participating in the Northwood Fund, the stronger the institution is. It demonstrates that our constituents care deeply about their school and are invested in making the school a priority of their philanthropic efforts.

How many new donors did Ring the Bell generate?

Last year we had 262 alumni, parents, grandparents, students, faculty, and friends of the school participate in Ring the Bell. This year we had 418 donors participate, an increase of 156 new donors (59%). Given that we wanted to get 400 donors, we feel that the day was successful. We also raised over $436,000 on the day.

What did you learn from this year’s Ring the Bell?

Ring the Bell affirmed that Northwood School is fortunate to have such a dedicated philanthropic base of alumni, parents, grandparents, students, faculty, and friends of the school. It gives me hope that we can continue to bring our past alumni into the fold so that they can be proud of their school and invest in the future of our students.

Last Wednesday was Winter Carnival, a fun annual event where students can showcase their talents and competitive spirit in various activities. The students were divided into four peaks, equivalent to houses at British schools, and composed of teams for each event. The captains of each peak selected their team members through a draft system. These diverse peaks allow students from various sports teams and cultures to bond over the goal of winning the Carnival. The Winter Carnival offers students a chance to take a break from their hectic academic and sporting schedules and socialize with a different crowd to have fun and ultimately win the traditional event.

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This year’s Carnival was undoubtedly entertaining. The stiff competition made every event crucial for each peak, and the captains did an exceptional job selecting the teams, because all four teams had a chance to win.

Skylight was the 4th place peak in the 2023 Winter Carnival and didn’t perform as well as predicted but they put up a good fight. In third place was Big Slide, who made a valiant effort to win but fell short. The peak that came second by just a single point was Wolfjaws. After strong performances in the talent show and echo pond snow race, Wolfjaws fell just short of winning. This leaves Gothics as the 2023 Winter Carnival Champions. Gothics was consistent in all events and deserved to clinch victory in the Carnival.

The diversity of the activities meant that every student was strong in at least one event. There were 14 exciting events, including Dodgeball, Talent Show, Tug of War, Curling, Broomball, Baking, Wordle, Snow Football, Northwood Trivia, Heads Up, Echo Pond Snowshoe Race, Dog-Sled Race, and the Obstacle Course.

The most popular event was Dodgeball, and every member of each peak participated in the heated tournament with the desire to defeat their opponents. Big Slide emerged victorious, with star player Noah Leddell ’24 leading the team. He expressed, “Dodgeball was the highlight of Winter Carnival for me. Big Slide was dominant, going 3-0 and sweeping the competition. It was also fun to compete alongside the hockey players, which I rarely get to do.”

As expected, the Talent Show surprised and entertained everyone. Members of each peak were selected to participate, and some surprising talents amazed the audience. Kiet Do ’24 had a stellar performance singing “Sway” by Michael Bublé. Sam Rudy ’23, a member of Wolfjaws, proclaimed, “That was one of the most impressive performances I’ve seen in ages. I respect the confidence he had to bring out those fancy dance moves on stage.” Many other talented and humorous performances made the Talent Show unforgettable.

The Winter Carnival was a tremendous success this year, and students could step out of their comfort zones to socialize with new people and compete in new events. Northwood is incredibly grateful for all the staff who played a role in preparing for the tournament. Without their help, it would not have been possible. Gothics emerged as the 2023 champions of the Winter Carnival with an impressive win. Who will win next year?

This past January, the boy’s hockey program was tasked with reading The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle. The reading of this book culminated with a presentation to the whole school. As a hockey player at Northwood, I felt I could give a firsthand perspective of how much this book can teach the Northwood community.

The book breaks creating a good culture into three areas: Safety, Vulnerability, and Purpose. These three things can be applied to a school or team setting. Safety is essential to creating a healthy environment. Everyone needs to know that others in the group back them. Trying to improve how safe everyone feels dives right into the ability to show vulnerability. Vulnerability is hard to implement because it’s not natural for us to let down our walls to those around us voluntarily. Typically, you think of a vulnerability as a weakness, opening yourself up to an attack. The book changes this stigma by showing how vulnerability can be a team’s greatest strength. It starts with the leaders of the community or team. It won’t seem as difficult for those not in leadership if leaders are role models and open up about their weaknesses. It is important to embrace the discomfort of being vulnerable, and if everyone does this, it won’t seem unnatural for the group. Purpose is the last characteristic of culture and perhaps the most fundamental of the three. If a community doesn’t share a common purpose, it will be made up of individuals, not teammates. Striving for a common purpose is much easier when the previous two characteristics are met. Implementing these simple disciplines can help a team or community become more tight-knit and more like a family.

The 2022-23 Prep hockey team during September action at the Olympic Center (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge).

The boy’s hockey presentation demonstrated what the book taught us. It consisted of a standard PowerPoint that allowed us to tell the school what we had learned. The real greatness of the presentation came in the form of a brief speech by Jack Kent ‘23 and a fun performance to end it. Jack Kent is a boys’ prep team member, and this is his second year at Northwood. What he shared was nothing short of impressive. For those of you who don’t know him, he has struggled with building his confidence. As his teammate, I am happy to say he has taken considerable strides in building it. He demonstrated what being vulnerable means; he doesn’t like speaking in front of huge groups and spoke in front of the whole school. He opened up about his insecurities and showed what it means to embrace the discomfort of vulnerability. It was a great sight to see, and knowing him, I and many others are proud of him for taking this on. The presentation ended with a song about vulnerability led by Hudson Dinapoli ‘23, singing with more of the team on instruments and singing for support. It went great, and seeing the program come together for this presentation was fantastic.

This book and presentation show how implementing three things into a community or team can bring it closer than ever. The boy’s hockey program came together for this presentation and had students like Jack Kent embrace vulnerability in order to make it more meaningful. Adding purpose, safety, and vulnerability to our school could allow us to become a closer-knit community. I look forward to seeing how the Northwood community uses these tips, and I hope the rest of the community can also learn from what the boy’s hockey program read about this past January.

Northwood Confessions 2.0, an anonymous Instagram account, recently made an impactful return and has been the center of attention for students on campus. The original Northwood Confessions started last year and survived for over a month. At its peak, the account reached a point where students were non-stop checking it for updates. It seemed like everyone was a fan until they were exposed. And then, suddenly, the account was shut down.

Northwood Confessions 2.0, like its predecessor, was an entertaining but harmful account that appeared out of nowhere and gained popularity quickly and dangerously. The student responsible for the account is still unknown, but the Northwood faculty has done a much better job of stopping the account compared to last year. The account spread several rumors, and numerous people were offended.

The return of the account left many interested but skeptical. Maegan Bryne ’24 stated, “I thought it was funny at some points, but it also went a little too far and hurt some people. A lot of false information was spread, so it was important to get rid of the account.” Several students debated the way in which the school handled the situation. Maegan believes, “The school handled it well but did kind of make a big scene of it. In my opinion, they made it out to be a lot worse than it was.”

New students were confused about the account and didn’t know how the account was run or what it was about. Hamish Riddell ’26 said, “I was really confused about the account, but similar accounts were apparent at my previous schools. I heard previous rumors about Northwood Confessions, but they were mostly positive. After the first few posts, I thought the account was really entertaining. Eventually, I saw a fake post about me. I found it funny, but I could see how it would affect others, so in the end, it was probably better that the account was banned.”

The vast amount of mixed reactions amongst students made this account significant yet dangerous.

After the issues last year, Northwood knew how to prevent the account going viral. Student leaders were informed of the account and played an active role in reporting and banning it, given that it breached the school community’s expectations and was facilitating harassment.

Lohkoah Paye ’24 expressed, “I found the account quite entertaining, but I knew it was wrong, and I knew it was my duty as a student leader to act upon this.”

Northwood Confessions 2.0 was handled far better this year, and the school prevented a potential disaster. Sachiel Ming, a second-year junior, said, “The account had far fewer posts this year so fewer people were offended. The school got rid of the account very quickly before the account grew exponentially. It was reported and banned on Instagram, meaning it only lasted four days and the school managed to limit the damage effectively.

Northwood Confessions 2.0 appeared and then disappeared mysteriously. The account is officially banned and is now not affecting anyone. The school has handled this well and is constantly learning how to make Northwood safer.

Who knows if or when Northwood Confessions 3.0 will come out?

In January 2020, Northwood School announced a new dance program for the 2020-2021 academic year. The program was planned and executed in partnership with The Dance Sanctuary, a dance studio in Saranac Lake. The program was unique in that it incorporated both performance-based and academic components and allowed beginners and elite dancers with high aspirations to follow their passions. Much like the Hockey, Skiing and Soccer programs, the Dance program showcased Northwood School’s initiative as it attempted to provide a unique offering within the Adirondack region and allowed students to combine a passion with academics. Sadly, Northwood will discontinue the Dance program, as numbers were inadequate to justify its continuation.

Iva-Amanda Nelson is a senior in the dance program. “It is really heartbreaking. Although I won’t be there to experience not having a dance program, I have been involved since the start as a sophomore. It is still such a young program, and I feel like so much can still be done with it. It is sad to see what’s happening. I think there will still be classes offered at The Dance Sanctuary and hopefully Northwood can provide transportation for dance students, but I guess they will have to find another co-curricular. It will be really hard for the girls because all of them are so passionate about dance.”

As expected, there has been a lot of discussion amongst the dancers. Many are upset and feel that the school should have waited 5 years to allow more time for the partnership to succeed. Seeing the dancers perform at the LPCA is something Northwood students looked forward to, as well as the participating dancers themselves. Dance has changed many young women at Northwood for the better. The dance program has provided the girls with an opportunity to express themselves confidently and has allowed them to find meaning and passion.

“Dance has made a large impact on my life. It has empowered me, and I’ve been surrounded by such strong, caring and supportive people in my life who I have met through dance. I have built life-long relationships with people I never would’ve thought I would be friends with. I just feel that without dance at Northwood, my experience wouldn’t have been as good as it was,” Nelson laments.

Why did the dance program close? According to the Head of School Michael Maher, “The dance program continues to be important and is just going to be reclassified in a co-curricular format. The reason for that is that in a small school with limited resources, we have to direct those resources to some of our marquee athletic programs that need nourishment. At the same time, because we think so much of the instructors, the company, and most importantly, the experience the kids have had, we want to retain it as an offering.”

Mr. Maher felt bittersweet about the decision. “I wouldn’t use the word closing because we are still offering it to students. We are just offering it on a different basis. I recognized that this ultimately means fewer kids participate in it. On that level, the decision comes with a hint of sadness.”

When asked what other new programs are being discussed, Mr. Maher said, “We are committed to expanding the NOC [Northwood Outing Club] program and feel we have a unique natural environment to support that program. Secondly, we are committed to improving the school’s gender balance and we feel our best opportunity to do that is in a number of areas, but our primary priority would be to increase our alpine girls’ skiing program. We have the staff in place and a world-class mountain to support that. It is a good decision financially and a good decision culturally.”

Will the end of the dance program affect the gender gap? “I think it will be minimal,” said Maher. “My understanding from talking to Mr. Riffle, the Director of Admissions, is that a good number, if not a very high percentage, call it 90% of the girls who participate in the dance program developed that interest after they arrived at Northwood. We continue to be enthusiastic about both the people running the program and the program itself, and we want to maximize it as a co-curricular experience,” Maher replied.

Members of the Hockey, Ski and Soccer teams had benefitted from dance classes, as dance develops flexibility, agility, and core strength in athletes.

After receiving the news about discontinuing the dance program, Northwood students were left wondering how the school will improve the male-female ratio after removing a full girls’ dance team. Lohkoah Paye ‘24 says, “It is quite sad that they’re getting rid of the program, and I think it will affect the girl-to-boy ratio negatively. I have heard rumors of a potential girls’ soccer team incoming, which I think would be great for Northwood.” The boy-to-girl ratio is 13 to 7 in favor of boys; this has been a recurring issue since the school went co-ed more than 50 years ago. As a result, students have constantly been gossiping about how the school could potentially even out the uneven ratio.

A girls soccer team seems to be the most popular idea in the Northwood community. The boys’ soccer program at Northwood has been an utmost success and is continuing to grow and improve. Adding a girl’s program would only enhance this reputation and benefit the school.

According to Gino Riffle, Head of Admissions, girls’ soccer is a possibility. “We are considering it and think it’s a great option as we’re always trying to grow the female population. However, it’s a long process to do a full assessment, and as we haven’t started a formal process yet, it’s not an immediate option.”

Unfortunately, some good things must end, and whilst the official dance program will soon be no more, the Mirror hopes to see the talents of Northwood students as they continue to perform on stage at future school events.

Northwood School’s 7th annual Ring the Bell fundraising event is set to take place on March 2nd. This highly anticipated event creates an atmosphere of enthusiasm, excitement, and support for the school among its alumni, parents, and friends. With the option of an online fundraiser, alumni and parents from around the world can participate in this fantastic event and contribute to the Northwood Fund.

Mr. Thomas Broderick, who is leading this year’s Ring the Bell event, considers it the biggest celebration for Northwood. “We call it a day for Northwood where we ask our alumni, students, and parents to give back to the school,” he said. This is the perfect opportunity for the Northwood community to show their appreciation for the school and give back to it in a meaningful way.

All funds raised through Ring the Bell go to the Northwood Fund, which supports some of the school’s highest priorities, such as financial aid and LEAP. The Northwood family can donate from all over the world, making it an incredibly powerful annual celebration that is vital for Northwood.

This year, Northwood is looking to involve 100% of the student body in the act of philanthropy by having them make calls, write appeals, or thank you letters to those connected to Northwood.  Mr. Broderick is encouraging students to consider making a donation in the amount of their graduation year should they choose to fiscally participate and give back to their school. Click here to Ring the Bell for Northwood and show your support for the school’s continued success.

Artist: Giordan Gulati ’24

In addition to the many programs offered at Northwood, it also offers a humble but proud visual arts program. In charge of the classes is Ms. Van Slyke, a painter and teacher who has hosted eight workshops, and 18 juried exhibitions and won 9 awards for her work with pastels. She began her tenure at Northwood in 2009 and has been part of the community ever since.

In the Drawing and Painting class, students study Pablo Picasso and his artworks in Cubism. There, they learn about Cubism, watch a documentary on Picasso, and understand the world around the artists at the time and how it influenced their art. They are creating a still-life Cubist drawing and will soon begin a Cubist painting.

Artist: Giordan Gulati ’24

In Adirondack Art Exploration, students learn about folk art and Adirondack artists. One of these artists is Edna West Teall, a deceased folk artist who lived in the Adirondacks. They learned of her style of art and put their learning into practice. Other notable artists students learned about: Georgia O’Keeffe, Harold Weston, Rockwell Kent, and Winslow Homer. In addition, students also explored their art in person. They have gone to the Museum of Plattsburgh to see the art of Rockwell Kent in person and visit a local artist in Saranac Lake to appreciate her art gallery and discuss with her. Not to mention, students will sometimes be able to go outdoors to paint in the Adirondacks.

Intertwined with the classes, the rising artists also learn different art techniques: drawing perspectives, buildings, landscapes, and portraits. It all started with a line. Then, line thickness is added to the equation. After that comes value contrast (shading). Eventually, it comes to the larger context: composition, where to place things on the canvas, and color. Ultimately, students will learn more and more art techniques as they hone their skills and learn about the different genres of visual art.

Artist: Tam Nguyen ’23

Building students’ art portfolios is one of the program’s most significant points of pride. “Every year, we have students go to major art schools, which is huge for a small school like us: Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Pratt Institute, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Otis [College of Art and Design], and all sorts of visual art schools. That’s a good background to have for a small school like ours,” expressed Mrs. Van Slyke. Even without an AP Art department, Northwood has been able to support emerging students in building their art portfolios. With that being said, those in pursuit of fine arts will often have supplemental aid elsewhere.

“I think [the art program] enriches the population to a great extent,” Van Slyke said. “I’d have students come in that haven’t had art in years, especially some of our students who are more geared toward athletics. They come in here and are a little afraid that they haven’t taken drawing or painting since they were kids and love it. Now all of a sudden, they find that they’ve got other people in this room that’s like them, and they allow themselves to be okay with failing, learning slowly and then skill building.

Artist: Giordan Gulati ’24

I’m thinking of my drawing class right now because there’s a group of boys there and they’re so focused and into drawing that it relaxes them. There’s so much stress in other parts of our lives because everyone is so busy that drawing and art allow them to be single-minded, focus on what’s in front, and let everything else go. This year, I’ve seen so many students who have never taken art latch on to it and enjoy coming to class and enjoy art. I think that’s how it enriches kids. They may never draw again or take another art class but now they know that they can draw, paint, know that they can find a place of peace—a place where it clears their mind—and that they can do it.”