Top Story – The Mirror

Epic Mountain Day: Whiteface via Canoe

September 29, 2025 by Nate Benjamin

Mountain Day is one of Northwood’s biggest events of the year. This year, two guides and nine students went up to the top of Whiteface from Northwood School without burning any fossil fuel. Being part of the Whiteface Mountain Day by canoe, I was able to see that this is the most beautiful route to the top of Whiteface Mountain.

Students at the summit of Whiteface Mountain on Mountain Day 2025. Photo by Jacob Slagel ’26.

Whiteface Mountain Day via canoe is an exciting experience because you first start off paddling for three miles across Lake Placid, which has some of the best views in the Adirondacks, with a cliff jumping spot on the side of the lake. Then, after you can dock your canoe or kayaks at Whiteface Landing, the designated area for walking up Whiteface. There is a small hut, followed by 4,800 feet of elevation gain through the dense forest surrounding the mountain. When you get to the top of the mountain, you will see some of the best views of the high peaks in Adirondack Park.

Students paddling on Lake Placid en route to Whiteface Landing and eventually the summit of the high peak. Photo by Jacob Slagel ’26.

“I think it is some of the best scenic views in the Adirondack Park,” said Bobby O’Connor, Northwood Adventure Sports Program director. This means the hike was one of the best in the whole park, and everyone should be able to experience it.

“This adventure was great, and the views were even better,” Orrin Tracy-Deuss ’27 said. From Orrin’s opinions on mountain day, he likes the adventure a great amount and understands the value of mountain day and the adventure that comes with it.

Though the adventure might be tiring at the end, it was totally worth it for every Northwood student and faculty member who went on this adventure and the views from the top made it all worth it.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

MSC Launches Photo Contest and Chalk-Out

September 25, 2025 by Sasha Luhur

Submit your photos for the MSC photo contest here: https://forms.gle/6Ev8qp6ky3choHcx5

The Multicultural Student Club’s (MSC) first event of the year is already underway, with a photo contest worth up to $50 lined up as the main prize and a chalk-out event coming up this weekend.

Lead teacher José Coss spoke about the motivations of these events. “I think that the importance of the activity comes out of a place where, I think, we haven’t promoted the club enough in recent years,” Coss said. “Anything that we do will be better than not doing anything at all. As it stands, well, we are kind of in a trial and error period, so my objective in all of this is to get you guys and the students to start working things. The important thing is that we’re doing things and putting ourselves out there. Then, we can go through a trial and error period where we can say, ‘Oh, this works. Oh, this could improve in this sense.’ And then we get a better idea of how to move forward,” added Coss.

The first set of events features a photo contest centered on Lake Placid’s nature and diversity, followed by a chalk-out event outside the school. “Every activity that we do can become a building block into the broader scheme of things,” Coss said. “It’s good to have a nice activity where we can actually get a lot of students together. We’re considering making it a language lab cultural activity, so that we also get people from the language lab–I think that would make for great promo,” Coss added.

“I think that the idea of promoting diversity and nature, living in Lake Placid and trying to link all of these concepts is good way to promote the diversity that we have in the student body and in this in the staff, in the faculty, but also like trying to address that diversity that also lives within the broader Lake Placid community, which I think is our main objective, trying to link the school to the community through our diversity, because there’s so much diversity in Lake Placid,” Coss said. Sometimes it’s more visible than others, but you go to restaurants or any store in town, and you’ll notice that there are people from all over the world working, and those are the people that make the town come alive,” he added.

Overall, these events are part of MSC’s broader mission to raise awareness about how essential Northwood and Lake Placid’s diversity is to the community. “Businesses are successful because they can hire people from all over the world, and that makes up a very important part of the town,” Coss said, “just as the diversity makes a very important part of the school. Promoting diversity, I think, is super important, especially in this day and age. What we’re trying to do with the activities is promote diversity, find any way that we can get people to think about this: through a photo contest, through a chalk-out, things like that. We can send the message that our diversity matters and is super important for the student body and for the broader community,” Coss added.

Follow the MSC on Instagram: @northwood.msc

Enter the MSC photo contest here: https://forms.gle/6Ev8qp6ky3choHcx5

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Real World, Top Story

9/11 Firefighter Serra ’97 Speaks to School on Anniversary

September 25, 2025 by Colten Murphy

Rob Serra ’97 speaks to students about his experience as an FDNY firefighter on 9/11. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

On September 11, 2025, on the 24^th anniversary of 9/11 and the terrible events that happened, alumnus Rob Serra ‘97 visited campus to share his personal experiences as a NYFD firefighter on 9/11 with students. Many students who chose to attend the event were able to hear about his horrific experience through his eyes, as well as his firefighting and hockey careers.

After the event, I was lucky enough to conduct a 1-on-1 interview with Mr. Serra. When I asked about the day of 9/11 and when he was on the scene, on “Ground Zero.” I asked about his thought process and whether his actions were instinctual or if he was mentally present.

“I spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly where I was physically in Manhattan. You know, I grew up in the city, and I couldn’t recognize anything,” Serra said. “I remember thinking how messed up it was. It was clear that it was a very serious situation. You know, at a certain point, I think I did go into shock, which is when everything kind of gets blurred for me. There was a lot of blood. It’s hard to really think, but yeah, I think anyone that has gone through something like that, creates different memories for what actually happened, but that’s just because of your body’s natural defense system.”

Serra ’97 next to his FDNY helmet. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

I asked about hockey after 9/11, and if he had any lingering effects, such as physical damage that affected him during hockey. “Yes, that is a great question. Not necessarily at first, but as I got a little bit older, like into my later 20s, I started noticing that I couldn’t recover my breath,” he said. “My face would swell up, which I know now was the sinus polyps, and I noticed I started getting numbness and cramping in my legs. I know now that it is because I have a peripheral neuropathy,” Serra added. “I started noticing it, that’s actually when I started to stop playing for the main FDNY teams because I just physically couldn’t recover anymore, I felt like my muscles weren’t getting oxygen.”

Serra’s FDNY helmet. Photo: Colten Murphy ’26.

When talking about how the passing of his mother during his time at Northwood affected his mental state while playing and if he played for her, he said, “I think initially I did. The year it happened, which was my junior year, I did, and I had a very good year hockey-wise. So yeah, that kind of motivated me, and then when I came back for my senior year, I kind of alluded to it. That time off and that time at home. By the time I came back here, it kind of had the opposite effect. Instead of it motivating me, it made me sadder that she wasn’t here once the initial shock of her passing went away,” Serra added.

The students all appreciated and thanked him for coming and sharing his personal experiences about that day, his service as a firefighter, his hockey career, and his life after.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People, Sports, Top Story

Ski Jumpers Return from Europe: Recap

September 25, 2025 by Jack Kroll

A small group of students from the Ski Jumping team has been absent from campus for the first few weeks of the school year. Jack Kroll PG, Henry Loher ‘26, and Eli Larkin ‘27 are among five US athletes selected to represent the country at four of the fall FIS Cup competitions. So far, the team has trained in Kranj, Slovenia; Villach, Austria; and Oberstdorf, Germany, in addition to competing in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, and Frenštát pod Radhoštěm. Traveling along with them is the New York Ski Education Foundation, NYSEF, and Eastern Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Head Coach Colin Delaney.

Henry Loher ’26 in flight at the FIS Cups. Photo by Seth Rothchild Photography.

The team attended one day of class before they departed. They flew into Vienna, Austria, and then drove up over the Karawanks mountains into Slovenia to obtain a custom-made, competition-legal ski jumping suit, as well as train on Kranj, which is known as one of the best training hills in the world. From there, the team drove back over the mountains into Austria to train in Villach, Austria, as Larkin noted, “the hill is very similar to the one in Einsiedeln.”

Einsiedeln was where the team would have their first FIS Cup of the trip. The FIS Cup is the first of the three levels of international cup series competitions in ski jumping. In order to progress to the next level, you must score points at the prior level, which is the equivalent of a top 30 finish in the competition. “A big goal of the trip was to get international experience for the team, points are not a guarantee for anyone, Kroll said.” No one from the team scored points, but Loher ’26 got close, only missing points by 5 spots. Loher said he was “disappointed since I know I could have done it.” The second day of competition was canceled due to wind conditions.

Photo of the in-run tower in Eisiedeln. Photo by Seth Rothchild Photography.

Next, the team drove to Oberstdorf, Germany, where they would spend three days training. Oberstdorf has a hill size 137, which is quite large. This allowed Larkin and Loher to set new personal bests for distance, achieving 135 meters and 140 meters, respectively.

Left to right: Eli Larkin, Henry Loher ’26, Jack Kroll ’27, Jack Kroll PG, and Seth Rothchild, NYSEF Winter Term in Oberstdorf, Germany. Photo by Colin Delaney.

The team then got back in their van and drove seven hours to Prague, Czech Republic, where they spent the night and had dinner in the city. Then, in the morning, they drove another 3 hours to Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, where they competed in back-to-back FIS Cup events. The team as a whole had good jumps and gained valuable competition experience from it. “It was humbling,” Kroll said. “The level is so much more competitive than I expected. There were people with World Cup points at our competitions. It was Eli’s and my first international competitions, and now we know what we are competing against.”

Left to right Eli Larkin ’27, Maxium Glyvka USA Ski Jumping, Jack Kroll PG, Seth Rothchild NYSEF Winter Term, and Henry Loher ’26 in Prague. Photo by Colin Delaney.

In total, the team drove approximately 1652 miles through six countries over the course of 14 days in Europe. The team would like to thank their coach, “Colin for driving us around and also USA Ski Jumping for giving us this amazing opportunity and experience,” Kroll added.

Filed Under: Sports, Top Story

Northern Lights Over Northwood

September 23, 2025 by Jacob Slagel

On the night of September 14, the Northern Lights were visible in Lake Placid and throughout the Adirondack Park. The light was mild and shone to the north. Low in the sky, soft green bands with traces of red appeared over the mountains and then faded.

Will Wong ’27 saw the display and said, “I think it was splendid and crazy to see it for the first time.”

It is not common to see the Northern Lights here in Lake Placid, but they do happen. Darker surroundings help. If you look north and give your eyes a moment to adjust, the color becomes easier to notice. Long exposure photos can pick up more light than your eyes, which is why pictures can look brighter than what you see in real life.

Photo by Jacob Slagel ’26.

On September 14, I took this photo from the Third East dorm between approximately 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. The color was subtle and came and went. Even a quick look at the glow over a familiar place made the night feel different from a normal September evening.

If you want to be ready for the next chance, watch aurora alerts and local forecasts. Clear skies and lower light help. We are fortunate that Lake Placid and the Adirondacks have low light pollution, which can make the sky darker when conditions align. Around Northwood, step outside and move away from bright lights so your eyes can adjust. If you want to go outside, just make sure to ask a faculty member first.

The northern lights can be brief and hard to predict, which is partly why they feel so special. Sept. 14 was one of those nights. The color was quiet but real, and it was rare to see over Lake Placid. The sight did not last long, but it left a strong memory for those who looked up.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

The Mountain Day Tradition Continues

September 17, 2025 by Yosef Spear

This is Northwood School’s 49^th consecutive year of Mountain Day. On Mountain Day, the school takes a day away from classes to get out in nature. This day is special because every student here at Northwood gets to hike a peak in the Adirondack wilderness and enjoy the environment that we live in during the school year.

Because Northwood is putting 200 or so kids into the backcountry, there are lots of moving parts and logistics, including travel logistics, food, groups, leadership, weather, and emergency communication. Everyone is expected to follow the “Leave no trace” rule and pick up trash.

A few photos from previous Mountain Days:

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The entire faculty plays a part in making this day possible. Some of the faculty who play big roles on this day are Nurse Marge, Ms. Walker, and especially Northwood Adventure Sports Program Director Mr. O’Connor. NYSEF also lends a hand with vans for transportation and volunteer leaders like Northwood NYSEF Freestyle coach Jackson Deeny and Jen Dempsy, a parent of three alumni ski racers.

Northwood is coming up on fifty years of this tradition, which is very impressive. Count the miles: if each student hikes, say, eight miles, that means our school collectively walks a distance equal to a trip from Lake Placid to Florida. Doing this 47 times would add up to the earth’s equator (25,000 miles), and we’ve already surpassed that x2! Lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, along with lots of “How much further?”

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Multicultural Club Gets a Makeover

September 17, 2025 by Sasha Luhur

With the departure of Dean of Multicultural Affairs Mr. Martinez, Northwood’s Multicultural Student Club (MSC) has recently come under the direction of Mr. Jose Coss. The club recently held its first meeting of the year, where semester and year-long goals were outlined for the 25-26 school year.

Mr. Jose Coss, faculty advisor of the Multicultural Students Club. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

“I think the important thing that we want people to know is that we are making important changes, structurally and on our objectives,” Mr. Coss said, inspiring many members as he laid out his vision for the club. “We want to set reachable objectives that can impact not only the Northwood community, but also the broader Lake Placid community. We’re trying to not only to promote diversity within the school, but also highlight the diversity that lives in this town—that’s our focus,” Coss added.

Tziyon Morris ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

MSC also assembled its first Board of Directors, shaking up the club’s previous government structure: Tziyon Morris ‘26, Sasha Luhur ‘27, and Dominica Sarandeva ‘26 were appointed to lead MSC on its upcoming journey. “I’m excited to have a bigger role that can actually impact Northwood,” Morris said. Among the ideas suggested in the first meeting, Tziyon says he’s “most excited for a potential St. Agnes School trip.”

Dominica Sarandeva ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

A significant aspect of the club’s goals is to integrate different cultures into Northwood life. “We’re hoping to have some events that bring awareness to some cultures that people aren’t really knowledgeable about,” Sarandeva said. “I’m Bulgarian, and not many people know anything about our culture. It would be cool to celebrate things like our food, so I’m excited for all the things we’re planning to do with the club,” she added.

Sasha Luhur ’27. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Club members are also excited about the year’s plans. “Lunar New Year is my favorite Chinese holiday, and I’ve never been able to go home and celebrate. I know there are a lot of international students who feel the same way about their holidays, so it would be great if we could do something for those holidays at school,” Jingxi Zhao ’26 said. “We could also make the foods from those celebrations, like I wish we could make dumplings for everyone to try and learn about food from different countries,” Zhao added.

MSC’s future is full of motivation and fun ideas for the year, and we hope to keep that momentum going. “I’m really glad that we’re putting renewed energy into the club this year, and I’m honored to direct it,” Luhur said. “It’s so important for MSC to have a voice because otherwise, we never really have a platform to let the rest of the school know about our backgrounds and how they shape us. Not many people at school know that I was born and raised in Indiana, but I grew up surrounded by Chinese and Indonesian culture from my parents. It’s a huge part of my identity, and I hope that everyone in the club can share their full identities too. Leading the club this year, it’s our job to facilitate events to give our members a louder voice, and I’m really excited to get started for the year,” Luhur added.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People, Top Story

Fall Colors Arrive in Lake Placid

September 17, 2025 by Jacob Slagel

Fall is starting to show in Lake Placid. In town and around campus, the leaves are beginning to change from green to red, yellow, and orange. It is still early in the season, but the hills near school and the trees along the main roads already look different from the way they did a week ago. This time of year usually brings more visitors to the Adirondacks. Lake Placid is one of the popular places to see the colors, so it is common to see more hikers on the trails and families walking around Mirror Lake.

The young maple trees at the school’s main entrance. Photo by Jacob Slagel ’26.

For Northwood students, there are plenty of good spots nearby to see the leaves without traveling far. Cobble Hill is the favorite for many because it is close and not too difficult. From the top, you can look over the town with mountains in the distance. The loop around Mirror Lake is another simple option, and many students already take that walk during the week. Even just heading into town at the right time of day can give quick views of the changing trees.

Fall foliage on campus. Photo: Jacob Slagel ’26.

Dr. LeBlanc, physics teacher at Northwood and a trail runner, said there are several local places worth checking out. “Our best resource is in our backyard, Cobble has a great lookout if you take the lesser-known trail past the top,” he said. He also mentioned another spot. “When you are at the rink, check out the balcony that overlooks the oval for a great view of the High Peaks.”

With Mountain Day expected soon, the whole school will have a chance to be outdoors together, and students will be able to see the colors from the trails and summits.

Fall in Lake Placid is not just about the views, though. It also marks the beginning of new routines, school events, and the sense that the school year is underway. Although the leaves are short-lived, they contribute to making this season one of the year’s highlights in the Adirondacks.

Fall foliage on campus. Photo: Jacob Slagel ’26.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Top Story

Fitness Center Gets a Facelift

September 17, 2025 by Parker Thompson

As the new year begins at Northwood School, students are welcomed back with exciting changes that will shape their experience on campus. Over the summer, several renovations were completed to give key areas a fresher and more modern look.

For a community that prides itself on athletic excellence, one of the most noticeable transformations is the gym. With a redesigned layout and freshly painted walls, the space feels more open, vibrant, and inviting. It’s not just an upgrade in appearance, it’s an upgrade in energy. The new gym sets the tone for a training environment that motivates current student-athletes and will inspire future generations to push themselves further.

The updated Fitness Center. Photo: Parker Thompson ’26.

“The upgrade changed the vibe of the gym; it feels more energetic and positive. It’s a place where teams feel connected and ready to give it their all every day,” Oceanne Thiffault ‘26 said.

These changes are more than just an upgrade; they represent Northwood’s commitment to creating an atmosphere where students can thrive both academically and athletically.

These renovations would not have been possible without the support and passion of Northwood faculty and staff, who have played a considerable role in shaping the design and look of the gym. “The gym is where a significant amount of the overall development takes place for our student athletes. The school wanted to invest in that space to revive it and give it a modern look,” said 16U head coach Shawn Lynch. Also, it is worth noting that Coach Mallaro and Coach Felhaber dedicated a lot of their summer to painting and cleaning up the gym. They removed all old/broken equipment, rearranged the remaining items, and opened up a lot of space. There are also plans to update the pictures/decor, which will further enhance the space’s aesthetics.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports, Top Story

2025 Brings Renewed Focus on Northwood’s Honor Code

September 16, 2025 by Jack Kroll

The 2025-26 school year marks a change in leadership at Northwood, with Mr. Gino Riffle becoming the new head of school. New leadership presents the opportunity to refocus on the school’s core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, courage, and compassion. In fact, Northwood’s school theme for the upcoming year is integrity.

A poster showcasing integrity, one of Northwood’s 5 core values and the theme for the 2025-2026 school year. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Northwood’s first formal dinner of the year was centered around the school’s Honor Code. Before dinner, the Honor Code was read aloud to the student body, and the signing ceremony was explained. As tables were called up for dinner, students and faculty would sign a physical copy of the Honor Code.

According to Northwood’s Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs Noel Carmichael, “the public signing hopefully will keep thoughts of integrity at the front of our minds throughout the year. Carmichael added that choosing the school theme of integrity “made us reflect more on our honor code. We always had kids sign a paper saying they understood and agreed to it, but it was just put away on a folder somewhere.” Carmichael believes that displaying the signed Honor Code will “revitalize this time-honored tradition in a new way.”

Emmett Fox ’28 signs the honor code as Lola Ferrillo ’27 and faculty member Ms. Stacy Prime look on.

Sasha Luhur ‘27 believes “the honor code is a promise to the school but also to ourselves to do our best work. Having us all sign the same document makes it a promise to our peers as well, which I think matches our school theme of integrity pretty well.”

Hudson Marshall ‘27 thinks, “It’s important that the honor code is displayed with our signatures. It keeps us accountable and helps you keep your integrity.”