Northwood Magazine Spring 2023

HONORING OUR PAST. INSPIRING OUR FUTURE. The Alumni Magazine of Northwood School

Climbing Kilimanjaro

L.E.A.P. On Top of the World

HONORED LEGACY FAMILY ACADEMIC INNOVATION

ANNIE EDWARDS

Spring 2023

HONORING OUR PAST. INSPIRING OUR FUTURE. The Alumni Magazine of Northwood School

Girls’ Hockey team, champions of the 43rd Annual Northwood Invitational Hockey Tournament.

See Coaches’ Corner on page 32

Climbing Kilimanjaro

Academic Innovation

Honored Legacy Family

Read about the Bartells, this year’s Honored Legacy Family.

MESSAGE FROM BRADLEY A. OLCH ’69, NORTHWOOD SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR

Northwood School has been a part of my life for over half a century, and yet I continue to be surprised by what our small school has achieved. Year after year, Northwood has consistently raised the bar.

As evidence, the Northwood Outing Club, better known as NOC, has solidified its return to campus with an enviable lineup of outdoor adventures. The list of prestigious college acceptances continues to grow. The state-of-the-art Wintersteiger ski tuning and wax machines are up and running in the new ski tuning building (page 31), elevating our ski racing program to new heights. And, the arrival of the FISU World University Games in Lake Placid this past winter has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into the athletic complexes where our students’ train, giving our sports programs a competitive advantage that no boarding school in the country can rival. The Games also prompted a temporary change to the academic calendar allowing students to compete and travel during the month of January. Page 4 recaps the trip of a lifetime for a group of students who summited the highest mountain in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro, during that break. I, too, once summited Kilimanjaro, and the perspective one gains from standing quite literally on top of the world is one I have carried with me for a lifetime.

I am further encouraged by the alumni, parents and friends who continue to step forward and get involved. This year we will welcome Steve Hayden ’92, Ewing Philbin ’66, Pam Scheideler ’90, and Bob Toomey ’66 to the Northwood School Board of Trustees. The last fifty years have been fantastic, but the next fifty look even better. Thank you for being part of the evolution of Northwood.

Best, Bradley A. Olch ’69 Board Chair, Northwood School Board of Trustees

Northwood bids farewell to former Chair of the Northwood School Board of Trustees Hans Carstensen upon his retirement in June 2023. Hans served as Chair during the first five years of Mike Maher’s time as Head of Northwood School and a member of the Board for two additional years. “Anything I know about good governance I learned from Hans Carstensen,” said Mr. Maher. “He has been one of the most important mentors in my life, and Northwood has been well served by the leadership, care, and support he has provided for the last seven years.”

FAREWELL TO FORMER BOARD CHAIR

TO THE NORTHWOOD FAMILY:

For a good part of this school year, our students and the school itself have been on the move, not only in the sense of travel but also progress. In their L.E.A.P. programs, students have visited places such as Saint Lucia, Iceland, and Tanzania; the NOC group has had adventures in Red Rocks, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah; athletes have competed in twelve states and Canada; seniors have taken college visits across the country. I, too, have been on the move and have had the good fortune to meet with alumni as I travel around the country, reminiscing about their Northwood years and listening to their thoughts about our future. The School moves forward as it develops challenging academic options emphasizing project-based learning through group and independent study. This magazine will offer a close look into many of these journeys.

The impressive graduates I’ve met have reinforced my belief about one of our most significant responsibilities as we help students on their personal pathways: we are ultimately in the business of fostering self-esteem. Our former students remember best not the Pythagorean Theorem or the difference between an Italian and English sonnet, or the causes of the Revolutionary War, but the moments when a teacher or coach made them believe that they could meet a challenge head on, that their accomplishments would match their potential, that within them there was immeasurable worth.

I have tried to be an agent of change at Northwood, but I have also realized that what has always been best about the Northwood experience must be a permanent part of our fabric — we work to give our students confidence and courage. The ultimate travel adventure is personal growth. In “Ulysses” Tennyson wrote, “All experience is an arch wherethrough gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades for ever and forever when I move.” I believe that our extraordinary faculty from years ago and today have helped students find the inner strength “to strive, to seek and not to yield.”

Sincerely,

Michael Maher Head of School

TRANSFORMATIVE TREK

BY JIM GRANT PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC ADSIT

Northwood’s L.E.A.P. (Learn, Engage, Apply, Perform) program, an experiential learning curriculum launched in 2017, takes students and faculty out of the classroom for collaborative, firsthand experiences. Perhaps the most physically and psychologically challenging L.E.A.P. offering of the year was the ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, which at 19,321 feet is the highest peak in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.

After they learned the FISU games would require our students to be off campus in January this year, an adventurous group of Northwood faculty got together and planned L.E.A.P.’s most ambitious trip ever. NOC Director Bobby O’Connor, Dean of Academics Noel Carmichael (who married her husband, Chisondi, on the summit of Kilimanjaro) and Director of the L.E.A.P. program Maroy Fagan teamed up to plan a NOC-style trip.

With proper planning and the combined experience of the trip’s ten students (Uma Naima Laguna-Curtis ’26, Colton Cushman ’25, Gus Garvey ’25, Alex Randall ’25, Sophia Sherman ’25, Brian Brady ’24, Ashely Guevara ’24, Avery Novia ’24, Wyatt Wardlaw ’24, and Finley Donahue ’23), faculty Noël, Chisondi, Bobby, Marcy, Tait Wardlaw, a parent who is a backcountry expedition leader and wilderness expert; Eric Adsit, expedition photographer; and Dr. William O’Connor, expedition physician, the group embarked on an adventure and transformational learning experience.

The group arrived in Tanzania after a 15-hour flight from JFK to the city of Arusha and met the guides and porters who would assist the group. The Lemosho Route, which is often considered the most beautiful of all the trekking trails up Mt. Kilimanjaro, crossing the entire Shira Plateau from west to east, was chosen for the ascent.

The next day, a four-hour drive from Arusha to Kilimanjaro, introduced the beauty of Tanzania including many giraffes in the distance. The following day, the group’s adventures, which they share in the following timeline, began.

DAY ONE of the undertaking was a four-hour climb to Camp Mti Mkubwa. Marcy shares, “I think our first day was one of the most memorable because we were so eager to get going and to see what it would be like to be at the first camp, see how many people would be there; just the anticipation of it all. Kilimanjaro is made up of five major ecological climate zones, and the first camp is in the Cultivation Zone where among other things, we saw monkeys.” Day One also included the first meal of the expedition. For the duration, food was prepared for the trekkers which included soups, stews, chicken, beef, lentils, potatoes, rice, and eggs.

DAY TWO saw the Northwood team cover approximately ten miles to Shira II Camp located on the Shira Plateau, and a gain of 4,000’ in elevation, reaching camp at 12,700’. Junior Avery Novia says, “While I was hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro, I had amazing experiences. I believe that the most special moment was sitting on a rock in the Shira II camp with three of my friends. There wasn’t much to it, and we weren’t doing anything but sitting there, but the silence was so loud and beautiful. I sensed the

pure excitement and awe of my friends even though none of us were verbally expressing it. Being able to sit there with people I value while being in the most amazing place and taking in the most amazing view was something so special and so once-in-alifetime, I will never forget it.”

DAY THREE had the team ascend to 15,500’ to the famed Lava Tower, a 300-foot-tall rock formation formed from lava when Kilimanjaro was still an active volcano, and then trek down to Camp Barranco, which is at 13,100’ to aid in acclimatization to help avoid altitude sickness. Sophomore Alex Randall shares, “We hiked from our second camp, Shira II, up four thousand feet to Lava Tower, and then back down four thousand feet to Barranco Camp. I was walking with one of our guides, Tim, and he was telling me about all the different forms of animals up that high. We talked about guiding, and he was really supportive and told me that I would be a great guide. It was super inspiring. Also on Day Three I was able to walk with two different sections of

our group and later by myself, and all I heard was the wind and the sound of my breath. A large field of debris extended down the mountain into the clouds and there was a cliff to my left. I was alone in this MASSIVE environment, and it was the most spectacular feeling I have ever experienced. I felt small but also a part of something.”

DAY FOUR saw a chilly, rainy day and after four miles the team arrived at 13,200’ Karanga Camp, a name derived from the Karanga Valley which cuts through the southern side of the Kilimanjaro National Park. Senior Finley Donahue says, “The thing I got out of this trip that I really didn’t expect was how much closer I got to everyone I traveled with by sharing moments of simple joy during a life-changing experience.”

DAY FIVE challenged the team with a four-hour climb to Barafu Camp. Barafu is Swahili for “ice” and the camp is rocky with sparse alpine desert vegetation. The group stayed overnight at 15,200’ preparing for the final push to the summit. They had

lunch, tried to sleep a bit, enjoyed dinner together, rested and then gathered for the last ascent at 12:00 midnight. The next four miles included 4,000’ of elevation gain, mostly over loose stone scree and a windchill of near zero to Stella Point. Physically fatigued but elated, a stunning sunrise greeted the Northwood L.E.A.P. team. As sophomore Colton Cushman recalls, “At Stella Point, we observed the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen.” Junior, Wyatt Wardlaw, shares, “On the final day when we began to push for the summit, we started at midnight. It was snowing and pitch black. We trekked for hours through freezing temperatures and an increasingly steep pitch. As energy levels within the group plummeted, after six agonizing hours the sky lit up orange, and morale was quickly growing. To see the sunrise over the grasslands of eastern Africa 19,000 feet below us was truly special, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

As famed naturalist, John Muir, said about mountain climbing, “We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.”

Noël agrees, “This experience, both on the mountain and in Tanzanian culture, is something these students and faculty

will take with them the rest of their lives. I am so proud of this accomplishment and feel blessed to be able to take students on learning experiences to some of the most amazing places around the world.”

To see the sunrise over the grasslands of eastern Africa 19,000 feet below us was truly special, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

—WYATT WARDLAW ’24

SCAN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TRIP!

Academic Innovation Teaching and Learning at Northwood

BY NOËL CARMICHAEL DEAN OF FACULTY AND ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

To improve our teaching practices and respond to the evolving world around us, Northwood teachers regularly bring different methods and models into their classrooms. Over the years, changes to our curriculum and delivery have encouraged student autonomy and developed practical skills, such as planning out the workload, finding and evaluating resources, and learning how to engage in the iterative processes of writing and editing, collaboration, and communication. These changes also include more intangible skills such as perseverance, accepting feedback, and learning from mistakes.

Over the last three years, we have introduced more self-directed work into the curriculum, most of it with the rigor of honors or AP-level courses. Additions include our Advanced STEM and Humanities Research programs as well as our Honors Independent Study and Apprenticeship options. We have also introduced a series of interdisciplinary courses, such as Integrated Humanities for grades 9 and 10, and unique, placebased courses such as Adirondack Sciences, which combines elements of environmental science, geology, ecology, and sustainability and includes fieldwork in our beautiful 6-million-acre park. Lastly, we introduced elements surrounding our courses to support the kind of student we want to develop, such as Student-Led Conferences during Family Weekend and Northwood Seminar for the whole school each Monday. We also introduced Team Deans to replace gradelevel deans as academic liaisons and make changes to our weekly timetable to better

serve our often-traveling student-athletes, including reshaping Fridays and offering flexible studio hours in certain courses.

We learned much from the pandemic about the importance of relationship building between both teacher and student and between students in a classroom. We were also reminded how important the social and emotional side of the learning experience is.

This past academic year, Head of School Mike Maher appointed a Redesign Task Force to develop a new model for academics at Northwood as part of the 2023 Strategic Plan and beyond. The impulse for redesign stems from the changing market for private schools as well as the demands on our students entering college and the workforce in the digital age, including the exponential changes wrought by readily available artificial intelligence. The task force developed many significant changes for the 2023-24 school year and beyond.

Elements of our Evolution: Instructional Practices

Our instructional practices are evolving to foster customization of where and when student learning takes place. We are moving to a model that allows students to move forward with the content of a course at their own pace, so that we ensure they have successfully mastered certain skills and demonstrated certain understandings before moving on to the next lesson, rather than moving on because it is time for the whole class to do so, as we have historically done. We are also leveraging online platforms and our own internal LMS (learning management system) to allow students to work on many aspects of their assignments from wherever they are in the world. Self-pacing and portability also facilitate the opportunity of a “Challenge for Honors” program, as all students in the class can choose to complete more complex work and earn honors credit for their additional efforts.

The Nature of Teaching at Northwood School: From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side

The new model includes a fundamental shift in the understanding of the teacher’s role in a course. The adult now serves as a facilitator, designer, or guide, rather than the subject expert. Rather than focusing on preparing content to deliver, teachers design units of study for students to explore. The result is a positioning of students as resourceful knowledge seekers rather than passive recipients.

The Bifurcated Model: From Guided Ascent to Peak Experience

We have shifted to thinking of the curriculum as a bifurcated system with more structure and supervision, what we refer to as “Guided Ascent,” in the 9th and 10th grades. In their 11th, 12th, and postgraduate years, we allow students to engage in more self-directed work, including work with external experts serving as mentors

and work with local research institutions. These students will have more flexibility in their schedule allowing for these different experiences and better preparing them for college life and independent work. We refer to this part of their time at Northwood as their “Peak Experience.”

What does this look like in a classroom?

This school year, many of our teachers began exploring the Modern Classrooms Project (www.modernclassrooms.org) which allows students to work at the pace that works best for their learning style and comfort level. In this model, self-pacing is enabled by structures such as the use of teacher-created videos, published student guides, progress trackers, the ability to retake assessments, and to work beyond the level of others in the class if they need a further challenge. Though the work is self-paced, it is still heavily guided. Teachers are still planning the content of each lesson, designing it for student learning, delivering

the lessons, and assessing student work both for feedback during the process and grades at the conclusion of each section. This approach, allowing different students in the same room to work at different paces, necessarily changes the feel of the classroom experience. Though classroom discussion and whole group activities will still be leveraged to support shared experiences, students will also have lots of opportunities to think critically and metacognitively about how they learn and work. In a traditional model, a whole-class instructional model, the teacher delivers information to students. In the new structure, freed from the need to use class time in this way, teachers engage in 1:1 and small group instruction to deliver feedback and re-teach concepts as necessary. These forms of interaction are incredibly valuable in developing relationships with students and helping them to achieve mastery of the skills and content. As educators, we have known for years the value of teaching in this

Rather than focusing on preparing content to deliver, teachers design units of study for students to explore. The result is a positioning of students as resourceful knowledge seekers rather than passive recipients.”

—NOËL CARMICHAEL

way but have rarely found the time for it in a traditional teaching model.

For students, self-directed processes can feel different. They require students to be resourceful and advocate for their learning, rather than be passive participants, waiting for the teacher to tell them what to do at each turn. Students must formulate and ask questions, and it requires them to learn to rely on themselves as a resource. While we have seen some students struggle with the initial transition into this model due to the increased expectations the model naturally brings, most students adjust and find themselves quite capable of this new approach. Additionally, we have had many students who previously struggled in a classroom setting now thriving with the autonomy and ability to set their own challenge level and pace.

In my own classroom, this model has afforded me a much clearer picture of where each student stands on each specific skill we are tackling. Even more importantly, it provides me with clear insight into the process factors that contribute to a student’s achievement or struggle to achieve.

As we move forward on this journey of change, we will continue to explore new approaches to what and how we teach and seek student, parent, and faculty feedback throughout the process.

ED–venture

Catching up with Annie Edwards

In 1983, a young Annie Connellan, fresh out of St. Lawrence University, arrived at Northwood to become Chair of the Language Department. For the more than three decades that followed, Annie wholeheartedly immersed herself in the whirlwind of boarding school life.

In her varied roles of teacher, mentor, coach, dorm parent and administrator, she fostered community at every turn. As her family with former long-time faculty member Jeff “Eddie” Edwards grew to add Lizzie ’08, Nick ’11, and Matt ’14, the Edwards were tightly woven into the fabric of the School.

So, it was a surprise to many in 2017 when she and Jeff uprooted and moved halfway across the globe to Beijing, China. Jeff had been offered an exciting opportunity to work in Asia to promote endurance sports and produce athletic events. At first it seemed inconceivable to move so far from family, friends and their beloved Adirondacks, but the Edwards were adventurous and embraced the challenge. Annie retired from Northwood and accepted a position as the Director of University Guidance at an International Baccalaureate World School called Beijing City International School (BCIS). Some thought it was a wild leap at that point in their careers. Annie and Jeff think it was the wisest decision they’ve made!

Annie and Jeff Edwards on one of their many adventures.

Northwood caught up with Annie to hear her reflections on this adventure and to discover the new direction her educational career has taken in the years since departing for China. On how she adapted to her post in Beijing, Annie shares, “My transition to working and living internationally was made easier in large part due to the sense of community I felt from my first interview.” She adds, “I’ve also found that adapting to situations as they arise while trying to see everything from an optimistic perspective is critical when working with diverse student needs, and these are also skills that helped me acclimate to living overseas and in a big, vibrant city.” Located in the central business district, the school is an international day school comprised of students from over fifty countries. “I felt at peace being part of a community there. I made many dear friends from all around the world and once a former Northwood student of mine even visited me at school!”

During her time at BCIS, Annie was asked to take over half of the high school student body — not only as a college counselor but as the social-emotional counselor as well, despite explaining she had no formal training. “I enjoyed it but yearned to learn more. There was a second counselor, and I mentored her in college counseling, and she mentored me in socialemotional topics. I learned while doing — talk about experiential learning in action!”

In early 2020, the Edwards spent their vacation during Chinese New Year skiing in Japan. COVID was beginning to make global headlines, so they returned to their Lake Placid home to wait out the pandemic. Working remotely from their base in the ADKs, Jeff continued to work with his team in Asia, and Annie completed her BCIS post by working virtually with her international students. Many of her students were quarantined in city apartments all around the world and had seen no one besides their parents for over a month. “As I met with them

virtually, we discussed course selection for the upcoming year, career pathways, the college search and application topics. Student after student would then ask me if I had a few more minutes to talk,” Annie says, “When I happily agreed and gently asked what they wished to talk about, I found that each student simply needed a listener. They felt isolated, scared, nervous, and anxious; all of them needed to process their feelings and talk to someone. They knew me and trusted me, and so I listened.”

At the time, Annie was hanging out her shingle as an independent college counseling consultant, but it was becoming clear to her that she was being pulled in an additional direction as well. Sensing a tremendous need for more trained school counselors globally, Annie plotted her next course. The following summer she enrolled in The College of New Jersey’s International School Counseling program in pursuit of a second Master’s degree.

When asked about embarking on this new career path as a school counselor, Annie shares, “I feel that all my passions

for academics, athletics, mindfulness, and wellness funnel into this field of study.” A school counselor serves students in four domains: academic, college and career, social-emotional development, and advocacy. Annie says, “The goal is to guide every student to learn mindsets and behaviors to be successful and prepared for college, career, and post-secondary school life.”

One requirement for completing her degree is a two-semester internship so she reached out to Northwood and, in the fall of 2022, Annie became our school counseling intern. Even though she is back on home turf at Northwood, Annie confesses that she sometimes feels like Robert De Niro in the movie, The Intern “While I am certainly older than most faculty members, I still have lots of energy and really enjoy my time with students. This is an opportunity to give back to the community I love.”

Annie works closely with Tara Wright, Northwood’s School Psychologist and Director of the Learning Center. “I could not ask for a better mentor,” says Annie. “I share what I’m learning in my courses

“There’s an essence to Northwood School that cannot be put into words. Instead, it shows itself in the actions and character of its community. For thirty-four years, no one displayed this essence better than Anne Edwards. Inspiring community service, offering a maternal shoulder to students in need, even teaching hockey players to knit, Annie wasn’t just an instructor. She is a living personification of the School itself.”

THE ANNE EDWARDS AWARD is presented annually at Commencement to the senior who, like Annie, fully lived the Northwood experience.

with Tara, and she guides and supports me as I put my learning into action.”

Annie is spending long days at Northwood meeting with students one-on-one or in small groups. “My interests in stress management, mindfulness, and worklife balance are some of the topics I am currently offering to my students. I offer a weekly “Knitting and Stress Management Group” and a “Mindfulness Coloring Group” this semester. Many students are also coming to my office to color or knit a few rows and chat between classes or when they have a free period. My plan is to extend offerings in mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques.”

Now in her final semester pursuing this degree, Annie has gained the methods and techniques needed to become a culturally competent counselor and plans to combine this degree with her certificate in college counseling to “better support students as they navigate their high school years.”

As for Jeff, he’s still involved with the production of endurance sports events throughout Asia. He says (and you might

See the World...

chuckle), “Believe it or not, the many years I spent organizing the Northwood School Winter Carnival prepared me well for organizing international mass participation sporting events.” This past year he worked in Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia based from his office in Singapore.

Jeff now travels back and forth to Asia with large portions of the year spent in Lake Placid. Annie and Jeff can be found on the trails hiking, running, or mountain biking. During the winter season, they ski every day — choosing Nordic or Alpine depending on the snowfall. “Today we had a beautiful snow-filled day with fresh powder at the ski hill. It seems that it might be a two-sport day, and we will also head into the woods toward Echo Pond for a XC ski on the Purple Trail at the base of Cobble.” Yes, Team Edwards has carved out a nice international niche for themselves, right here in our own backyard. Onwards, Edwards!

ANNIE’S KNITTING WAS FEATURED in our electronic newsletter, Northwood News. To subscribe, please make sure we have your current email address by writing to: alumni@northwoodschool.org.

“We had an amazing experience living in Beijing and as a bonus we got to travel all over Asia. I fell in love with Bali and Langkawi — the oceans, forests, and mountains restore me. Jeff notes of their travel itinerary: “Together, Annie and I hiked on remote sections of the Great Wall of China multiple times. We visited The Palace Museum and The Forbidden City. We visited Tiananmen Square and strolled through Beihai Park. We saw The Temple of Heaven and The Summer Palace. We toured Beijing National Stadium, the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. We were awed by the history and traditions at Lama Temple and the Beijing Temple of Confucius, and the talent exhibited in the 798 Art Zone. We rode camels in Dunhuang in the Gobi Desert and walked along the Silk Road. We visited Xi’An, Shaanxi, China and saw the Terracotta Warriors. We skied in Japan, and we went to see the pandas at the Dujiangyan Panda Base, outside Sichuan’s capital of Chengdu, China.”

Additionally, there was a summer component to Annie’s graduate program where all courses were in-person in Carcavelos, Portugal. So, Jeff and Annie headed to Portugal in the summer of 2022. Jeff continued to work remotely in a beautiful seaside setting before heading back to Asia to put on more events. Annie studied side-by-side with classmates she had only met virtually.

Many an alum will recall Jeff’s sage college guidance advice: “You can’t get in if you don’t apply!” He’d like to add this advice to alums: “Take risks and live a life full of adventure. Try something new and travel to distant lands. See the world, meet people, and embrace the cultures you encounter.”

Innovation Hub Update

BY STACY PRIME, CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER

The Innovation Hub at Northwood School, located on Main Street in the heart of downtown Lake Placid, is a source of fascination for the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to the area every year. The expansive glass façade of the Hub allows passersby to peek at the row of 3D printers, student-designed prototypes and the competition robot, prompting many to wonder about the Hub’s purpose. Upon learning that it is a school facility and not a trendy tech start-up, visitors are awestruck.

The brainchild of Northwood’s Head of School, Mike Maher, and a group of supportive visionaries that included board members, alumni, faculty, families, students, and community advocates, the Innovation Hub is now in its third year of operation. In July 2021, I was brought on to oversee the next phase of its evolution and build on the original vision.

Currently, the Innovation Hub serves as a future-facing flexible classroom for learners of all ages, a shared community asset and collaboration engine, and a blank canvas.

As a classroom, it hosts Northwood courses in areas such as robotics, 3D fabrication, design thinking, entrepreneurship, humanities, L.E.A.P., and independent initiatives. We also provide workshops, seminars, speakers, study halls, and makerspaces that promote innovation and capacity building, offering community-wide access to cutting-edge tools and technology in flexible spaces. Recent events have included pop-up makerspaces, entrepreneurship workshops, and professional learning events, with participants ranging in age from 3 to 93.

As a shared community asset and collaboration engine, the Hub has been utilized by dozens of organizations and businesses from the Adirondack region and beyond, hosting board meetings, design

challenges, planning and strategy sessions, and more. For example, the Adirondack Watershed Institute hosted Water Week at the Hub, engaging the public in innovative activities such as a data science and art show and an AR/VR experience that simulated the impact of climate change.

As a blank canvas, the Innovation Hub invites and encourages Northwood students, faculty and staff, alumni, and friends to bring their ideas and vision to the space. Most recently, the Hub played host to the Northwood Outing Club’s “Flow State” series of speakers and a Student Symposium where Northwood students presented their self-directed year-long projects to the public.

Looking ahead to the future, I’m excited about the many interesting opportunities on the horizon and invite the greater Northwood community to participate in designing and launching the next iteration of the Innovation Hub.

As a blank canvas, the Innovation Hub invites and encourages Northwood students, faculty and staff, alumni, and friends to bring their ideas and vision to the space.”

—STACY PRIME

The Community Design Challenge brought together, students, architects, builders and community leaders inspiring future construction concepts and presentations.

Omit Needless Words

BY HOWARD RUNYON

As school was adjourning for the winterholiday break, Steve “Reno” Reed asked me to write something for this magazine about the teaching of writing — the skills, the craft let’s say, of writing. I agreed; I can’t deny Reno a favor, and he’s a good flatterer. But I was in a jam.

For a teacher of Advanced Placement English, I have what may seem strangely little confidence that I can help anyone become a better writer. I believe fervently, and always tell my English students, that the surest way to become a good writer is to read a lot, go through a series of infatuations with great writers, and spend years knocking yourself out to write like whoever is your chief writer-crush in a given moment. If you do that, you’ll absorb bits of the styles

and attitudes of those whose works have enchanted you, and the bits, over time, will accrue into a unique stew: your voice, your style. The stew will never be finished but will go on evolving, like all skills that we acquire and then use regularly.

So I think that the biggest favor one can do for students who want to be good writers is to put extraordinary writing in front of them, ensure a supply of oxygen — at least one classroom window stays cracked open even in winter — and hope for ignition, the sparking of a fire that will start as admiration and grow into passionate hard work. But, just as not everyone responds to the charm of sport, or cookery, or civil engineering, not everyone responds to the charm of the printed word. The teacher of

high-school English needs a strategy that sidesteps enchantment.

That brings us to rules. The most famous, and still perhaps most revered, rules for the writing of clear, lively American English are in The Elements of Style, a tiny book first written by William Strunk, Jr., a professor of English at Cornell. Strunk had his first manual published privately, for his students’ use. One of those students, E. B. White — after going on to become a New Yorker stalwart and, most famously, author of the children’s novels Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web — later revised and carefully expanded Strunk’s text. Now often called “Strunk and White,” the book is mostly a catalogue of numbered rules for the writing of

I tell my students that every needless word is a little sleeping pill slipped to the reader. Job number one: Keep the reader awake.”

—HOWARD RUNYON

smooth, precise, coherent English. I believe (and may owe the belief to Reno) that its supreme rule — because many of the others are applications of this rule to specific grammatical circumstances — is Rule 17: Omit needless words

Many of the common weaknesses in students’ writing — in writing, period — are examples, one way or another, of needless words having made their way onto the page. A first draft from even a strong student may have around 50 words per page that do nothing to advance the paper’s narrative or argument. Often, that’s because of the thoughtless transfer of conversational tics into print. In everyday talk, we lard our sentences with expressions that seem harmless in conversation: as a matter of fact, I’m not going to lie, truth be told, in my opinion, in my honest opinion, each and every (versus just each or every), the truth is, the thing is, the long and the short of it is, the fact of the matter is, what you need to understand is--the list could go on to fill a garage. Most such phrases mean only I am about to tell you the next thing I’m going to say. Live listeners are apt to forgive those pointless tags; the human brain, in processing speech, hops nimbly over them. But in print — except in naturalistic dialogue — they’re debris in the road, postponements of what matters. I tell my students that every needless word is a little sleeping pill slipped to the reader. Job number one: Keep the reader awake

Some other rules that I urge on students:

n Prefer short words to long ones, except when you want a long word for rhythm, or when some long word is the only word you know that nails your meaning.

n Prefer verbs of action to constructions using to be with adjectives or other mushy options (e.g., prefer The meeting had spun out of control to The meeting was completely out of control).

n The word before the period is in a privileged spot. When you can, finish sentences with “star” words, not bit players (e.g., prefer The shed reeked of gasoline to There was a strong odor of gasoline in the shed).

n When you can, use positive constructions even for negative news (e.g., prefer We found nothing to We didn’t find anything).

n Make items in lists grammatically consistent: We need a workspace, an office manager, two million, and better luck than we’ve had this week is okay, its items all built on nouns. We need to shower, feed ourselves and the cats, unload the car, and carry out trash until we can see the bed is okay, its items all built on verbs. I hope for world peace, no recession, a cozy place to spend my retirement, and having good friends nearby, wherever I end up is awkward; it sets a pattern of noun-based items and then smacks us with a verb-based one.

n Study punctuation, and value it. Spoken language is alive; print merely stands for life. The reader’s imagination breathes life into it. Reader is to text as musician to score--a creative interpreter. If we want a passage to be loud or soft or fast or slow, skillful punctuation, along with apt choices of wording and structure, will help the reader hear it that way.

Some critics deride The Elements of Style as prescriptive and dogmatic, an elitist promotion of . . . what we should call, maybe, bourgeois prejudices. They have a point; the book is prescriptive, language is alive, and many captivating writers regularly jump certain boundaries that Strunk and White want us to respect. But if students (and most others who write, in any setting — academic, political, journalistic, corporate, nonprofit) followed most of the book’s rules most of the time, then most of the writings we encounter, and most of the speeches we endure, would be briefer, livelier, and more persuasive.

A Mellor Family Narrative

BY DON MELLOR '71

Before the 1980 Olympics, the 1932 Rink, the only rink, was just called the Arena. It was a simple place, with high windows letting afternoon sunlight streak the ice. In fact, as a goalie I used to make sure we had local advantage by choosing the darker end for two periods.

Between those periods the cultural center of the North Country was Ed Heim’s snack bar at the Main Street end of the rink. Today it’s just a sterile white hallway. The regulars would escape the rink’s chill and talk, hockey mostly, likely the same conversations that are happening today in ice rinks across America.

Probably the most regular of the regulars in the 1960s was my dad, Don Mellor. (I’ve more recently asked my friends not to call me Don Jr.). His visits started even before

my brother Tom was a freshman, Class of 1968. Dad’s friend Rolf “Swede” Ericson used to bring him along to watch his son David play. This is how the Mellor family came to know Northwood School.

Dad turned 102 in February. He lives independently at home but doesn’t get to hockey games any more. Still, my brother Tom and my other siblings continue to help keep his life busy and meaningful. Tom and Dad regularly visit high school assemblies and other youth groups, where Tom holds up big placards of WWII Navy photos and Dad tells stories about life on the ship, about combat and loss, but mostly about the lessons one needs in this life — teamwork, subordination to authority, loyalty. In a way, he’s an old-time Bill Belichick: we all win when each of us simply does his job.

The students are usually awed by his presence, and while Tom has a pretty impressive record of his own — an Olympic Silver Medal won in 1972 at Sapporo, Japan

Don and Don ’71

— the assembly prefers directing their questions to the real hero (who sometimes jokes that both he and Tom competed in Japan, the difference being that Tom’s team came in second).

A couple of years ago we realized two things: first, that Dad was opening up more and more about the hard times and their good lessons and, second, that he wouldn’t be here forever to tell them. Thus began “Tuesdays with Mookie.” Tom’s son Michael, AKA Mookie, was pretty good at techy

things. Our own Boomer generation was pretty good at yacking. So every Tuesday for almost a year Mookie would set up a recorded hour-long conference call, inviting family and friends to chat with Dad and ask each other questions. It’s remarkable how such a setting, steeped in both time and love, frees one of inhibitions. Nothing was off limits. Truths emerged. We got to know our dad in ways we never imagined possible. The chats were poignant and funny.

In one call I remember finally convincing Dad that we had actually found those cigarettes and Playboy Magazine he caught us with when I was twelve, puffing away and looking wide-eyed at the pictures. He’d always insisted that we must have stolen them. When we all finally stopped laughing, he confessed that he too had been sneaking a smoke all those years in the belief that his kids would never know. “Are you kidding, Dad??? That bathroom always reeked!”

The Greatest Generation wasn’t born great. They had to grow up in the poverty of the Depression and then walk from the stage of high school graduation directly into World War II. They had to sacrifice, to subvert their own desires for the benefit of their kids. Dad had to forgo a 1948 Olympic

hockey chance and potential professional career so that many years later his own kids could play college and even professional hockey. The War generation gave us everything, but I often fear that they took from us the opportunity to suffer, and I see that manifested all too often today.

Tuesdays with Mookie became a book we called Committed: Lessons from a 101-Year Old Tin Can Sailor, by The Mellor Children. We worked as a team writing, organizing, and printing a couple thousand copies, which amazingly were delivered to our Rhode Island home only a couple of days before Mom died right there in the living room. She wasn’t very coherent, but she did grasp a copy and mutter something.

In my forty-three years teaching at Northwood School, my guiding principle was that kids had to do it on their own, that they had to earn and enjoy their own wins and that they had to face the real consequences of their own choices. I tried hard never to give advice.

But I’m going to give some now: Cherish and record the lives of your old people. Create a record so that their stories will stay fresh. Otherwise, they fade and blur like those old black and white portraits that have hung too long in the sun in the family stairwell.

Cherish and record the lives of your old people. Create a record so that their stories will stay fresh. Otherwise, they fade and blur like those old black and white portraits that have hung too long in the sun in the family stairwell.”

—DON MELLOR ’71

The Mellor Family

Don during his “tin can sailor” days

Mr. and Mrs. Mellor

Northwood Events

Whether it be at the annual holiday gathering in the Northwood living room each December, the reception during the Northwood Hockey Invitational weekend, or a regional event, Northwood School spirit and pride abound when we join together to celebrate our Northwood connections. We hope to see YOU at the next event!

NEW YORK CITY

Northwood alumni and families gathered at the Racquet and Tennis Club in New York City on December 6, 2022. Hosted by Bernie ’71 and Cynthia Curry, the R&T was the perfect setting for a celebration of Northwood during the holiday season. Don’t miss this festive event — Make your plans to be in NYC next December!

1. Mike Butler ’81, Host Bernie Curry ’71, Reed Miller ’72

2. Brennan Butler ’13, Erin Brand ’13, John Spear ’88, Nicole Mensi ’15, Marcy Fagan

3. Brennan Butler ’13 and Jimmy Connors ’13

4. Board Chair Brad Olch ’69, Head of School Mike Maher, Diane Scholl, Christine DiCesare

5. Trustee Dennis Hepworth, Reed Miller ’71, Trustee Karen Miller, Brad Olch ’69

6. Michael Manghisi ’11 and Rachel Berger-Hart

BOSTON

In December, host Bob Toomey ’66 welcomed Boston-area alumni and friends to the Charles River Country Club in Newton, Mass. This marked the first Boston Holiday celebration for our school and, based on the turnout and enthusiasm, we hope it will become our new favorite Northwood tradition. Join us next year!

CALIFORNIA

Bob Valentine ’57 welcomed area alumni to the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach, California. The event was a fun evening and a great chance to catch up with alumni and friends on the West coast!

Future Events!

WE WANT YOU TO GET THE INVITATION!

Please make certain that the Northwood Advancement Office has your current contact information including email address.

Please reach out to Steve “Reno” Reed: reeds@northwoodschool.org

alumni@northwoodschool.org

518-524-8692 or 518-523-3357

1. Host Bob Toomey ’66 (front row, fourth from left) with some of the 2022 Boston attendees

2. Dave Gatti ’88, John Spear ’88

3. Chase Ormiston ’21, Steve “Reno” Reed, Ellie Colby ’21, Carrie Donatello

4 Tom Broderick, Jay Lumsden ’96

5. Trustee Erik Berg ’92, Chris Selkirk ’99

Host Bob Valentine ’57 (far right) speaks with area alumni

Brian Bronk ’91 with Steve Reed

Reunion 2022

Northwood welcomed alumni back to Lake Placid in June 2022 for a fun-filled weekend. Among the many highlights, the annual True North Dinner honored the Class of 1972 in celebration of their 50th Reunion. Alumni reported that it was great to be “back home” on campus to reconnect with classmates and teachers, re-visit the school, and enjoy the beauty of the ADKs!

2022 HOLIDAY CONCERT

Over 80 members of the school community performed in a wide variety of art forms, including dance, rap, classical, improv, and jazz to a full house of fellow students, faculty, parents, and guests at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts just prior to the Winter break.

What will be yours?

EWING PHILBIN ’66 remembers being welcomed to campus by Northwood’s football coach Bill McCluskey, a former Marine who had served with Ewing’s father. The younger Philbin distinguished himself on the athletic fields and in the classroom and was recognized by his classmates in the 1966 Epitome for his brilliant mind along with his character and wit. Following his graduation from the Monterrey Institute of International Studies and a brief but successful stint in finance, Ewing and his wife Bonney bought Ross Recreation Equipment Company. As manufacturer’s representatives and specialty contractors of playground equipment and landscape structures, the pair spent the next four decades building a business that was creative, stimulating, and enjoyable. “It was a great work life and we did very well. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

It’s been 57 years since Ewing Philbin last set foot on the Northwood School campus, the day of his graduation in 1966. This spring, he’ll return as one of the newest members of Northwood’s Board of Trustees. Ewing is a strong proponent of private education and is impressed with the direction the School is headed. “I’ve chosen to support Northwood because I believe all kids deserve a choice in education and I also believe in the redemptive quality of athletics for children,” he says. “But, my primary reason for supporting the School is that I am very grateful to Northwood for giving me a second chance.”

If you are considering a planned or deferred gift to Northwood School, you are encouraged to consult with your financial advisor or attorney. For more information or to add your name to the list of Second Century Society members, please contact the Head of School’s Office at 518-523-3357.

Distance in years (and miles) from Northwood doesn’t lessen the connection many an alum feel for our School. Thank you, Ewing, for keeping Northwood close.

Northwood has left an indelible mark.

Independent Study

Isabella Boehm ’26 explores neurodivergence in athletes

Neurodivergence is becoming increasingly relevant in discussions of diversity and inclusion. Neurodivergence refers to differences in brain function and processing that can result in a range of unique neurotypes, including autism, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), dyslexia, and others. These conditions are often misunderstood or stigmatized, making it difficult for neurodivergent individuals to navigate the world around them. Depending on how the term neurodivergent is defined, between 10 and 30 percent of the population has a neurodivergent trait according to the American Enterprise Institute.

Isabella Boehm ’26 learned she was neurodivergent at the age of six. Through an independent study project at Northwood, she has worked to learn more about

neurodivergence, inform others, and perform to her best abilities as a member of the girls’ hockey team and in all aspects of life.

She has pursued traditional research on the subject, but it is her own experiences that have formed the basis for her understanding of her neurotype.

“I play ice hockey, so it was important to me to recognize that I might think or perform differently, but people with neurodivergence bring just as much to the table as anyone else,” Isabella explains. “A lot of coaches are not aware of neurodivergence, so I teach them about that part of me and what makes

me perform better.” She gives examples such as the need for heightened positive reinforcement and the “bodies in motion” technique, which involves action drills to calm and accommodate her brain that sometimes races ahead.

Isabella cites a lengthy list of successful athletes with neurodivergence, including Olympic gymnast, Simone Biles, professional soccer player, Lionel Messi, and NHL player, Linus Soderstrom, who credits hockey with providing focus, goals, and success in mediating his neurodivergence. The most successful Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, shared how his neurodivergence empowered him, “I could go fast in the pool, it turned out, in part because being in the pool slowed down my mind. In the water, I felt, for the first time, in control.”

Isabella’s experience has been similar, “I chose hockey because it gives me pleasure, excitement, and drive. I’m a very competitive person, so hockey gives me the opportunity to compete and be on a team with friends and have all these experiences.”

Learning about neurodivergence has allowed Isabella to become a better student, more effective athlete, and is paving the way to a potential professional career. “This began as a humanities project, but now I’m passionate about learning more and sharing what I learn with others. One of my career goals is to become a hockey coach at the collegiate or professional level to help coach, grow, and develop athletes who have neurodivergence.”

This began as a humanities project, but now I’m passionate about learning more and sharing what I learn with others.”

—ISABELLA BOEHM ’26

Closets

BY KIRA COOK '23

I loved my brother’s closet more than my own. To say I have a love-hate relationship with clothing would be an understatement. Society’s view of clothing has both belittled me and empowered me at different stages of my life.

THE BEST COLLEGE APPLICATIONS grab the attention of admissions officers with an intriguing first sentence. Kira Cook’s does that as well as any I have read in my 52 years as a guidance counselor.

As you read on, its crisp prose, tight organization, and thematic integrity live up to the promise of its opening. The essay’s concluding sentences are equally worthy. She conveys her strength as a writer and person with exceptional grace. Next year Kira will be attending Binghamton University, State University of New York.

—Steve Reed

I loved the 9-inch Nike shorts I proudly wore while racing the boys in my class at recess to see who would be crowned the fastest runner. I would wear them when I played tennis in the streets, with the inbound lines drawn with chalk, and the endless bickering about whether the lines were even on both sides. I loved how the longer my shorts were, the more I was treated as one of the boys. I loved the way flatbrimmed hats would partially hide my femininity from the outside world while keeping my hair out of my face during kickball. Clothing, at that time, didn’t dictate how I was perceived, whether I was accepted, or what my gender preference was.

I loved my brother’s closet until the curtains couldn’t hide me anymore. At ten years old, I was faced with society’s expectations and opinions about dressing, and my love-hate relationship with clothing began. As the shorts’ length grew, so did the number of eyes scolding me, eyes that were meant to be shining at me. I came to become an object of speculation and confusion simply by wearing clothing that didn’t fit the mold.

It was at this time before I was old enough to walk home alone from school, that I promised myself I would try to make other people’s lives less confusing by wearing more ‘girly’ clothes. The clothing that I was comfortable wearing began to fall off the racks of my closet. Old Navy jeggings and tight pink Nike leggings filled the empty space. I held in the shame and guilt for wanting to dress as a masculine female. The idea of wearing sweatpants to school made me overthink if people would judge me for dressing “too masculine.” Even though sweatpants are worn by both masculine and feminine females. I obsessed about how others would perceive me.

I only loved one shelf in my feminine closet; it held my long shorts and the tall socks I wore to hockey. I loved seeing people who pursued the same passion

as me but also dressed like me. Once I began playing, it was the first time in a while that I felt as though I was safe and comfortable. Twice a week and on weekends, I could take a deep breath and not worry about my clothing choices. Eventually, I realized it was important to wear clothing that made me feel the most comfortable. The idea seems relatively simple, but it took me years to truly understand what it meant and to be able to apply it to myself.

I had loved my brother’s closet more than my own, but now I love the closet that I have built for myself. The base of this closet was created with the support of my closest friends. Hand-me-down clothing allowed me to explore what made me feel comfortable. I loved the chino pants that I wore to prom because that was the first time I finally felt comfortable dressing up for a formal occasion and dancing with my classmates. I didn’t have any pressure from others about what I was “supposed” to wear. Even though the closet has some hangers that need to be filled, I now love my closet more than my brother’s.

The Making of a Northwood Family

The Donatellos

Ask the Donatellos about highlights from their years at Northwood and watch them light up in unison as they mention three words: “being dorm parents.” Athletic Trainer Andy (or Donny as most of you know him) has been a fixture on campus since 1996 and Carrie, who recently returned to Northwood to run the school store, lived in the faculty apartment on third floor West for nearly a decade.

“Being a dorm parent allows for a different type of interaction with the residents on your hall. It was an incredible experience,” says Carrie. “We experienced our first two years as dorm parents without having children ourselves … which really impacted me particularly. I was driven to be a mom and I really took on these kids as a mom — baking brownies and walking them down the hall during study hall. It impacted them as much as it impacted me.”

“We fell in love with this place immediately,” Donny says reflecting on their Northwood arrival all those years ago. “And being a dorm parent was…” he trails off not quite finding the words. “I miss it,” he concludes, which speaks volumes in itself.

Once the Dontatello brood began to grow with Sara ’18, Haley ’21, and Drew ’25, Carrie felt that the kids on their hall “became big brothers (we had a boys’ hall all the years we were there) to our kids.” Donny adds, “All three of our kids were raised at Northwood; they were dorm “rats.” We loved it; raising our kids at the school was a really unique experience.”

On what makes Northwood such a special place, “That’s easy,” Carrie replies, “The small, tight-knit community. The overall feeling is that you belong, and that the people you work with and interact with daily are like family members.” Donny agrees and continues, “Northwood does a great job preparing kids for the next step. Human interactions are one

of our super strong points. The ability for a young adult to have a meaningful, intelligent conversation with an adult is a huge bonus of being a part of a school like ours.” Carrie, who also works with Leigh Riffle to plan student activities, says, “Private school can have a deeper impact through our daily routines, in its innate shape, you cannot create that family environment any other way.”

When asked what unique qualities keep them at Northwood, their answer is relationships and the impact their work has on others. “In what other environment could one work where you significantly impact a teenager’s development? Being able to be a positive figure in their daily life is so incredibly rewarding,” says Carrie. Andy jumps in, “Whether students know it right now or not, the faculty and staff at Northwood will have a lasting impact on them. I agree with Carrie 100%, but have to add that the vacations are lovely, too! Seriously though, I love the relationships with faculty. I love the day-to-day, walking around making kids smile, watching kids learn.”

The Donatellos have witnessed big changes over the years with the additions of the Learning Center, the high-level soccer program, the Hub on Main Street and the elevated academic offerings and say, “All of these have had a significantly positive impact on the school and

Lasting Impressions:

“I thought the Donatellos were so cool and young and fun, and I always looked up to Carrie. I’ve wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember, and she was such a great role model. I became very close to the family, always volunteering to babysit. I went to Florida with them over spring break one year and stayed with them the summer after graduation.

I love that I got to see their family grow and now they’re watching my family grow. It’s come full circle.

community.” They want to assure alums out there that, the “intimate, homey feel of the school remains. Of course, our outstanding core athletic offerings of hockey and skiing are still strong, while the overall feeling of home makes me feel at ease being here. Knowing that many people care for you and are your true friends and family is calming,” says Carrie. Speaking about other highlights of the school year, Donny jokes that “the imaginative senior pranks have always been great to see.” Carrie shares that the annual Northwood holiday celebration is one of her favorite parts of the year. But on a serious note, Donny, who organizes the successful blood drive each spring, is incredibly proud of our community coming together for this critical cause. He also says that, “Commencement is always a lasting memory for me. When you’ve spent four-plus years with some students in such a close-knit environment, it’s sad to see them leave. I truly get emotional when I have to say goodbye, and I genuinely mean it when I say, ‘Come back often.’”

(We also know that he genuinely means it when he says, “ICE IT!” In addition to his role as Athletic Trainer, Donny is content creator for @northwoodathletics on Facebook and Instagram. Follow these channels to keep up to date on all the action.)

It’s incredible that they’ve been at Northwood so long. They are icons there. Everyone has stories about them and loves them. Andy’s like the next generation of Northwood legends.”

“On move-in day, Andy and Carrie noticed my mother was very nervous and they immediately jumped in. From then on, we all just hit it off. I was a homebody kid and the Donatellos brought me in for family meals and we became closer and closer. I ate A LOT of meals with them.

Our families just really got along, bonding first over being Italian. Carrie is just a little older than my sister, and our families were very similar in a lot of ways. This blossomed into a lifelong friendship.

Their time at Northwood is a real testament to their dedication to the students and families of Northwood.”

— RUSTY SCURTO ’00

— SAMANTHA SMITH CALCAGNI ’03

Drew ’25

Haley ’21 and Sara ’18

A Brush with Inspiration

BY JIM GRANT

Art is an essential component of the Northwood experience and helps our students to develop their creative thinking, self-expression, and self-confidence. In her role as director of the school’s art program, Ingrid Van Slyke provides inspiration and guidance to countless students.

“When I was growing up, my father was an architect and had a drafting table in our house. I would sneak in there and play with all his tools, and when my mom went back to college for her art degree, she would bring me with her to classes. I remember going in the big studios with all the easels and the light coming through and I knew that was something I wanted to do, so art has always been part of me and my family since I was little,” says Ingrid.

Ingrid’s classroom is a place of light and color, with numerous student projects: sculpture, charcoal drawings, acrylic paintings, all in various stages of completion where students are encouraged to explore their imagination and express themselves through their art.

One of her students, Giordan Gulati ’23, who works with pencil and produces highly lifelike portraits, says of Ingrid’s teaching style, “She’ll look at my work and unlike other art teachers who I’m used to saying, “That’s very nice,” and not much more, Ms. Van Slyke will offer specific guidance on how to improve each piece. She is specific and detailed, and for me that is very helpful.”

She affirms, “I love teaching art here because I've got some students who haven't taken art since they were in elementary school or middle school, and then I've got a few students that want to go to art school for college, so I approach each person differently. Either way, I want them to love art.”

Ingrid Van Slyke at her LPCA Exhibition

Ingrid’s class offerings are extensive: Drawing 1 & 2, Painting 1 & 2, Honors Art, Studio Art, Fundamentals of Art, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Adirondack Art History. A gifted teacher, she is an experienced and highly skilled artist herself, having worked in various mediums, “I paint oil and in pastel, and am geared towards impressionist, post-impressionist work,” she pauses and studies a student portrait across the room, “Light is a big factor, and as I paint more and more my work is becoming a little bit more abstract.”

She continues, “I like to create anything and everything, but I find that I'm tending toward landscape painting because of the environment that's around me. It's a constant inspiration that changes every day. My environment is my inspiration.” She is also a member of the Pastel Society of America.

As to the artists who have influenced her, “Tom Thompson and The Canadian Group of Seven including Lawren Harris who painted in the early 1900s, have had a huge impact on my work. Their work involves a lot of landscapes, it’s very free, it's loose, very colorful. Another more contemporary artist is Neil Welliver

whose work is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and involves massive landscapes, just unbelievable. The way he dealt with his color palette was inspirational.”

Ingrid’s work is not just limited to the classroom; she is also pursuing her Master’s from the Savannah College of Art and Design, “I spent six weeks there last summer taking a master’s print-making class and doing undergraduate teaching.” As part of her degree, she is exhibiting at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. “It’s an online thesis requiring me to share everything, so I Zoom with three professors on my thesis committee. Everything has to be approved by them, from my cards (describing her works) to walking them around the studio gallery to view the paintings.”

Ingrid inspires creativity, fosters selfexpression, and provides a safe space for students to explore their artistic potential. As Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs, Noël Carmichael says, “Northwood is incredibly lucky to have such a talented artist working with our students. Her understanding of technique, the creative process, and the art world at large is a valuable resource she uses to guide many of our students to discover and develop their artistic skills and passion.”

I like to create anything and everything, but I find that I’m tending toward landscape painting because of the environment that’s around me. It’s a constant inspiration that changes every day. My environment is my inspiration.”

—INGRID VAN SLYKE

“Alpen Glow” by Ingrid Van Slyke

Line Change Hockey Coaching Transitions

After one of the most distinguished careers in American hockey history, with extraordinary success at the prep, collegiate, and professional levels, Northwood’s Mark Morris will retire at the end of this season. His successor will be the current assistant, Steve Mallaro.

Both Morris and Mallaro are Northwood alumni, graduating in ’77 and ’06 respectively. In Morris’s first stint as Northwood’s coach, Mallaro served as captain of the first Northwood hockey squad to win forty games.

An outstanding defenseman at Colgate University, Morris played professionally for the New Haven Nighthawks and the Dallas Black Hawks before joining the coaching ranks as an assistant to Charlie Morrison at Union in 1984. After serving as Saint Lawrence assistant coach from 1985-88, he was named head coach at Clarkson in 1988; in that role he led the Golden Knights to over 300 wins. After serving as an assistant on the Vancouver Canucks and Saginaw Spirit, he returned to Northwood for two years before taking the reins of the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs and again won over 300 games. Before rejoining Northwood in 2021, he was an assistant coach for the Florida Panthers and head coach of Saint Lawrence University. In his most recent two years at Northwood, he has won over 60 games in just a season and a half. Last year he was honored with a spot on Northwood’s Fullerton Wall, named after legendary coach, Jim Fullerton

His replacement, Steve Mallaro, says of Mark, “I follow in the ranks of many remarkable coaches and people. When Mark recruited me as a player in 2004, I knew I was in for a great experience. Mark’s mentorship in those and these more

Head Hockey Coach Mark Morris ’77 (left) and Assistant Coach Steve Mallaro ’06 (right)

recent years showed me how much he cares about the development of players as people. His success stems from his charismatic leadership. He brings value and values every day. He has asked for my best and empowered me to give it. Having been married within the last year, I have also learned much from him about being a husband and father. I have been fortunate to have him in my life”

Coach Mallaro also brings impressive experience as a player and coach. After captaining Northwood in 2006, he moved onto SUNY Oswego where he was twice named to the all-conference team and voted captain of the 2011 squad. After a year of professional hockey, he served as a graduate assistant coach at Manhattanville College, assistant men’s coach at Suny Brockport, and head coach at King’s College before accepting the head coaching job at Albany Academy. In 2021, he joined the Northwood staff as an assistant to Coach Morris, who says of him, “Steve was the first person I thought of when I returned to Northwood. He models the qualities any player or parent would want in a coach responsible for a young man’s development as a player and person. As a player, Steve was all about team, the glue guy, a leader on and off the ice. As a coach, his example and loyalty to his alma mater are constants. Trustworthy and caring, he is a calming presence in conversation or while instructing. Steve studies the game and works tirelessly to better our program. He will continue to recruit quality individuals and maximize their hockey skills and personal strengths”.

Headmaster Mike Maher said “Northwood has been blessed with some extraordinary coaches in the last ninety years. In his time here as a student and coach, Steve Mallaro has demonstrated that he is ready to follow in the footsteps of Hall of Famers like Jim Fullerton and Charlie Holt and other great mentors like Coach Morris. We are thrilled to have him on board.”

At Your (Ski) Service

BY BRANTLEY BEACH NORTHWOOD ALPINE TECHNICIAN

In January 2022, Northwood School took delivery of a Wintersteiger Jupiter ski tuning machine. For those who do not know, Wintersteiger is the leading manufacturer of ski tuning machines in the world and the Jupiter is the premier model. The machine is fully automated and consists of four separate modules; TrimCut sidewall planer, base grinding stone, ceramic disc edging and a ceramic base polish. The final result of a Jupiter tune is a ski that is perfectly flat, has a base pattern that is specific to the skiing discipline and edges that are accurate within a tenth of a degree. The skis become more precise than when they were brand new.

In addition to the Jupiter machine, Northwood Ski Service utilizes state of the art waxing technology with a Wintersteiger Wax Future infrared wax machine. The Wax Future offers the highest quality of race wax results. After wax has been applied to the skis, it is penetrated deeper into the base via multiple passes of infrared radiation lamps. The result is a ski that maintains a high level of glide for the duration of a race run.

Having these two incredible machines, in addition to a full-time experienced ski technician, located on campus is an incredible asset. Northwood ski athletes have convenient access to perfectly maintained skis. With regular use of Northwood Ski Service, athletes can achieve consistency in their equipment throughout training and on race day and have all the tools at their fingertips to achieve success on the mountain.

Coaches’ Corner — The Year In Sports

SKIING

TOMMY BIESEMEYER

It has been an incredible season for our skiers. Despite our early season challenges with mother nature, we had a solid end to the season, and our team got everything they needed. From the stunning peaks of the Andes, Rockies, and Alps to the top of Whiteface, our skiers have been enjoying some of the best skiing experiences in recent years. The Northwood Ski Team’s success is highlighted across Ski Jumping, CrossCountry, Alpine, Biathlon, and Freestyle Skiing. We have had 12 student-athletes across all of our teams qualify for Nationals. Alpine team - one athlete headed to Canada for U14 CanAms, two athletes headed to Washington for U16 Nationals, and three athletes headed to New Hampshire for U18 Nationals. Nordic team - three athletes headed to Alaska for Cross-Country Junior Nationals, one athlete

headed to Minnesota for Ski Jumping/Nordic Combined Junior Nationals, and one athlete headed to Wyoming for Biathlon Nationals. Freestyle Skiing - two athletes headed to Colorado for USASA Nationals. It’s been inspiring to see the enthusiasm and passion that skiers have brought to their training, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for this amazing team.

GIRLS’ HOCKEY

TREVOR GILLIGAN ’03

Heading into the Junior Women’s Hockey League playoffs, the Girls’ Hockey team compiled a 46-24-4 record and ranked 13th in the country, both firsts for Northwood School. Two highlights include winning 19 of their final 20 regular season games and capturing the trophy at the 2023 Northwood School Invitational Hockey Tournament. Senior leaders on the team include Natalie

Zarcone (headed to UVM in the fall) and Georgia Bailey (RPI) and goaltender Chloe Lewis (Plattsburgh State).

PREP HOCKEY

MARK MORRIS ’77

The Prep Hockey Team completed the 2022-2023 season with a record of 42-25-3. The 70-game schedule included first place finishes in showcases held at South Kent School and Rochester, N.Y. College, and professional scouts were in attendance at our Prep Hockey Conference league play where we competed against some of the top programs in the U.S. and Canada. Some hockey commits include James Schneid to Princeton, Dan Buchbinder to UMass Lowell and Bjorn Lervick to St. Olaf. We can be proud of a team that competed hard and successfully.

Sophia Schupp ’24 slalom training at Whiteface Mountain.

VARSITY HOCKEY

JEFF MILLER

The Varsity team finished 21-27-2 this season. Despite several season-ending injuries, the team fought hard and came to the rink every day ready to get better. They played and practiced at several collegiate venues (St. Lawrence, Dartmouth, Harvard) and one professional site, the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The Varsity coaches are proud of the character and development of our players this season, and it was great to see the boys end the year on a positive note with a 4-2 win over the Rochester Coalition.

CREW HOWARD RUNYON

The Crew’s fall season started at the Tail of the Fish, in Saratoga, in late September. Gus Garvey ’25, Colin Kis ’24, and Ashley Guevara ’24 raced in their respective Varsity Singles; ChristieAnn and Amanda Nelson, both ’23, in the Girls’ Varsity Double. A month later, Garvey, Hung Nguyen ’25, and Sophia Sherman ’25 raced in their respective U17 Singles at the longer Head of the Fish. All the fall racers, their regatta experience ranging from little to none, finished honorably; we hope to have most back this spring. The help of geometer emeritus Ben Runyon, on both lake and road, was invaluable.

SOCCER

JON MOODEY

The soccer program began the year with a win on opening weekend at the Jay Brady Invitational Tournament. Both U17s and U19s had strong showings in the fall’s major tournaments and showcases. In December, Thebe Mosehathebe ’23 represented Northwood in the High School All-American Game in Florida. In January, the team made a memorable trip to Puerto Rico, with the 19s winning the Ciudad Bayamon Showcase. In February, that team won the Far Post International for the third straight year. Other memorable trips included Virginia, North Carolina, and Las Vegas. Senior commitments include Allegheny, Clemson, Yale, Gettysburg, and Vermont; some players are still deciding.

DANCE

MANDI MAIORE

What an incredible year for our Northwood dancers! These amazing young women had a record number of choreographed pieces they learned and performed to multiple audiences in the Tri-Lakes area. During the December and April performance seasons, Northwood dancers presented 19 different dance pieces at three separate venues to over 2,500 audience members. These works represented a wide variety of dance genres such as classical ballet, contemporary, modern, classical jazz, hip hop, broadway jazz, and contemporary ballet. Solo work created in choreography class was also performed by sophomores Sadie Martin ’25 and Maya Wissler ’25, and seniors Jillian Clark ’23 and Jazlyn Lluberes ’23.

Community on Snow

Members of the Northwood Cross Country / Biathlon Ski Team volunteered to help out with the Lake Placid Community Ski Program. The program strives to make the sport of Nordic skiing accessible to all children in kindergarten through grade six enrolled in either the Lake Placid Central School District or St. Agnes School. Needless to say, the little kids were very excited to ski with the big kids.

Honor and Tradition

The Distinguished Alumnus Medal Honors Excellence

Northwood’s Distinguished Alumnus Medal recognizes those alumni who have contributed to our School and our world in meaningful and courageous ways. It is awarded to an alumnus or alumna who typifies the Northwood School tradition of excellence and has brought credit to the School through personal accomplishments, professional achievements, or humanitarian service. This is the highest honor to be bestowed upon a Northwood School graduate.

BERNIE CURRY ’71

2022 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS MEDAL RECIPIENT

Only the luckiest people and schools will make a lifelong friend like Bernie Curry. Bernie’s classmate and longtime friend, Don Mellor, knows what that means on a personal level. Don tells the story of his daughter’s severe injury on the ski slopes. At the hospital in Burlington, he called Bernie to tell him of Elise’s condition. Bernie was on the Mass Pike moving toward Boston; a quick u-turn and back to 91 heading north, he was the first of many visitors to support parents and daughter.

For Bernie, many of the friendships made here on the football and lacrosse field, on the ski slopes, even occasionally in the classrooms, with teammates, teachers, and coaches like Bruce Colon, have lasted a lifetime. Not everything he and they did was always wise or even within the rules; Bernie can recount with a blended laugh and sigh nowadays the memorable trip into town with Don and Chip Bissell in life jackets over Mirror Lake’s late April ice. There is also no shortage of memories from the undefeated football season (6-0) in which Northwood outscored the opposition 266-26. Such memories make for happy, nostalgic alumni, for sure. But not all gratitude translates into generosity. The school in recent

years has had to make some big investments in new programs and facilities. Without initiatives like the Hub or the new turf field, Northwood’s future might be precarious. Bernie Curry stepped up to support a sport he didn’t play here and curriculum elements we didn’t have in his time. Northwood was another friend who could use some help. Bernie is the man who answers a call from an old classmate at four in the morning, because that is what a friend does.

In the end what makes a distinguished alumnus? It is all about character, loyalty, and heart. Bernie is a busy man, running a substantial and successful business. He was recently nominated for TIME 2019 Dealer of the Year Award, selected out of a universe of 16,000 automobile dealers across the country for a longstanding record of business success and commitment to community service and honored in San Francisco this January during the National Automobile Dealers Association Show. Somehow, he always makes time for his friends. And never grudgingly, but always with the amazing upbeat energy that allows him to fill each day with an extra couple of hours, of work, of fun, of kindness. We prize his friendship and are pleased to honor him as a distinguished alumnus.

ROBERT “BOB” VALENTINE ’57 2023 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS MEDAL RECIPIENT

Bob received his BA from UCLA, and JD from Loyola University, Los Angeles, where he served as a Teaching Fellow. He has been in private practice with an emphasis on estate planning, trust and probate; personal injury; real estate; domestic partnershipformation and dissolution; business formation and litigation; and criminal defense. He is admitted to practice in California, the District of Columbia, and New York State. Bob is an annual recipient of the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, which is the highest possible rating for an attorney for both ethical standards and legal ability.

Although Bob has been practicing law for over 55 years, perhaps his greatest passion has been for the Beacon House Association of San Pedro, a residential recovery program that assists men addicted to alcohol and drugs with treatment, housing, and other supports for lives free of addiction. He shares, “I joined the Board of Beacon House in 1982, the beginning of my 3rd year in sobriety. I retired from the Board approximately 33 years later, the last 25 of which I was Board President.”

Beacon House was established in 1974 with a single house providing accommodations for 16 residents. Through Bob’s tenure, the organization has expanded to six residential facilities housing over 100 residents. Importantly, Beacon House has provided the foundation for recovery for many thousands of men. Bob says, “Beacon House is one of the most important things in my life. It’s worthwhile if you save just one life.”

Commencement

Congratulations, Class of 2022!

Northwood School’s 115th Commencement Exercises took place on May 21, 2022. Seventy-three seniors received their diplomas and rang the Northwood Bell in keeping with tradition.

Student speakers: Liam D. ’22 and Ella F. ’22

Álvaro Rodríguez, parent of Lucas ’19 and Mateo ’19

Alumni Connections

Pathways: The Northwood Alumni Career Series was established in the fall of 2020 by Alumni Council members

Emily Roy ’08, Christopher Zuk ’09, and Luke Daniels ’14 to introduce students to careers in a variety of fields. This popular virtual forum invites students to ask questions of our alumni panelists so students can dig deeper into fields that might be of interest to them. We thank the following alumni and moderator Luke Daniels ’14 for their time this academic year:

SEPTEMBER Entrepreneurship

Lou Dimasi ’00

Owner Red Clover Events, Blue Clover Painting, Poor Farm Trees

Chris Ely ’71

Co-Founder, Applegate Farms

Gale Mullen ’81 Co-Founder, Nao Now Tutoring

Emily Simmons ’08

Co-Founder, Camp Toasted Creative Director, Ruggable

Mark Valente ’06

Founder, Lonestar Mining (cryptocurrency)

Get involved!

NOVEMBER Military

Lt. Col. John Beatty ’96

Aide to the Undersecretary of the Department of Defense for Research and Engineering

Capt. Jess Brennan ’13 Selection Officer, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Dave Fink ’97 Director of Staff for Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington D.C

Capt. Jake Garrison ’08 Advanced Skills Detachment Commander, U.S. Army

MAY Sports

Hannah Babcock ’05

Manager Girls Hockey Programs, Ed Snider Youth Hockey and Education

Jeff Byrne, former faculty

Senior VP, Olympic Regional Development Authority (retired)

Katie Gilligan ’09

Director of Sales and Marketing, Sync Performance

Brett Kurtz ’88

Senior Manager, Fan Development Marketing, Anaheim Ducks

For more information on the Alumni Council or Pathways, email alumni@northwoodschool.org

Leading the Way

We are grateful to the men and women who serve or have served on the Northwood School Board of Trustees. We thank them for dedicating their time to this special place called Northwood and for sharing their expertise and wisdom for the betterment of our school.

BRIAN LILLY ’85, CEO, LILLY BROADCASTING

Northwood Trustee Brian Lilly ’85 is CEO of Lilly Broadcasting, a privately owned broadcasting company operating in the U.S. and Caribbean. He is also involved in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures which include a brewery and hockey arena. In addition, Brian sponsors a design contest each year at Northwood for budding entrepreneurs.

Why did you choose to serve on the Northwood School Board of Trustees?

I ran into Head of School Mike Maher at the Interlaken when visiting Lake Placid a few years ago. It was exciting to hear his vision for the school. I also remember him playing the piano for us while we were there. It sounds funny but I don’t think the result would have been the same had we just set up a traditional meeting.

What are you most excited about at Northwood currently?

I find it interesting that there seem to be so many entrepreneurs among Northwood’s alumni and parent community – that’s where my interests lie as well. I am excited about the role the Innovation Hub plays in inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs. You see a lot about entrepreneurship at the college level, so I think it’s great that Northwood students have the opportunity to tap into their interests even earlier.

Why is philanthropy important to you?

I’ve had incredible role models in my family and among our family friends and they have taught me a lot about giving back – and supporting kids in particular. I’ve tried to reflect those same values in my philanthropy and the projects we get involved in through our business.

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

When I was a Freshman, my family moved from Buffalo to Ithaca, N.Y. At the time I was attending the Nichols School in Buffalo and wanted to remain so I took a three-hour bus ride home and back every weekend by myself. As a parent of a child close to that age now that seems crazy!

HONORED

LEGACY FAMILY

2023

The Bartell Family

BY STEVE REED

Over the last fifty years, the Bartell family from Rome, New York, has been an exemplary and prolific presence at Northwood. “The salt of the earth” — the famous phrase from the Sermon on the Mount — has over the years come to encapsulate the character traits which have earned this clan of nine alumni the 2023 Northwood Honored Legacy Family: they are worthy, unpretentious, honest, reliable, solid.

NORTHWOOD LEGACY FAMILIES

Northwood School’s rich history and traditions date back to its founding in 1905 and the early years of the Lake Placid Club. The family-centric Club founded the School for sons of club members. As the School grew and developed, siblings, children, and grandchildren were welcomed into the Northwood family. We celebrate this tradition as we recognize Northwood School’s Honored Legacy Families.

The first Bartell to attend Northwood, Jeff ’72 arrived in 1971. Like seven of those who followed, he excelled at hockey; like the brother and nephew who came to us next, he enrolled at Clarkson. In the seventies he, as did many of our postgraduates after the hockey season ended, returned home and earned money to help pay for his expenses; thus, he didn’t earn the certificate of attendance awarded to those who had come to us as high school graduates. Forty years later, in 2012, he was awarded a diploma by then Headmaster, Ed Good. By that time, he was president of Bartell Machinery Systems and a member of Northwood’s Board of Trustees. A remarkably talented woodworker, Jeff designed and built the beautiful Bartell Pavilion at the edge of our property above the current turf field. With its fireplace and picnic tables, it hosts numerous outdoor events each fall and spring, from cookouts

to Saturday s’mores. He remembers fondly almost all of his Northwood experience with one nearly traumatic exception: my erratic driving of the hockey bus to and from games in Boston and Montreal. When the administration decided that it would be best if the assistant coach could skate, future Bartells were spared that horror.

In 1980, Ross Bartell ’81 arrived. His reputation as a talented and ferocious defenseman preceded him. Before the team got on the ice for the first day of practice, Coach Bruce Delventhal and I were committed to getting his 5’9’’ frame to the optimal playing weight. Hence, our frequent interception of “pastry packages postmarked in Rome’’ as we called them. Our commitment to modifying Ross’s diet was evident as we sampled more than our share of mouth watering cupcakes and cookies. Ross was, of course, rewarded with a scholarship to Clarkson, where he

had a great career. I was rewarded with ten unneeded pounds. Ross played here with cousin and fellow defenseman, John Rice ’81, whose middle name is Bartell and who also played defense. John moved on to be a solid contributor at DIII powerhouse Oswego State. Ross’s professional career has been spent in the construction materials industry while he continued to play, coach, and follow hockey. He sent his stepson, Dan Carpenter ’00, and son Max ’12 to Northwood and helped us recruit at least a dozen other hockey players to our program. He recounts proudly that he never once found himself assigned to disciplinary dish room (at that time, the most common punishment for mid-range violations of school rules) while admitting that, as luck would have it, some other miscreants had done deeds just enough worse than his transgressions to displace him. Ross wrote of his time at Northwood, “My parents, Lester and Jean Bartell, loved me enough to send Jeff and then me off to Northwood. I am absolutely certain they were very proud of

us and of our children (their grandchildren) as they were dropped at Northwood’s front door. The experiences we had were mindbogglingly blessed. I cannot imagine my life without them. Wow, what they started…”

Fast forward eleven years to the arrival of Josh Bartell ’92, Ross’s nephew and another solid defenseman who would move on to a fine career at Clarkson, where he is now the Assistant Director of Athletics. Over the years, he has coached some players in youth hockey that became stars here: Will Arquiett ’19, Kaden Pickering ’17, and Chris Roll ’10. Josh remembers one bus ride back from a game against Elmira College on a Super Bowl Sunday when Coach Fleming’s van frequently stopped at sports bars to check the scores. The team assumed, undoubtedly correctly, that Coach Fleming may have made some friendly wagers on the game. Years later, I was thrilled to perform the ceremony when Josh married his wife, Meg; it was a great chance to be with a host of Bartells and other alums.

In 1994, our first female Bartell, Josh’s sister Sara ’95, arrived. Talk about breaking the mold — she was a skier, for crying out

loud. She didn’t end all the traditions though; she too studied at Clarkson. She remembers that unlike Uncle Ross, she found herself on punitive dish room duty, having been caught by Brody in the boys’ dorm (even today, she feels it necessary to remind her parents, Gary and Marion, that she was just on the hall, not in a room). In Mellor’s office, he preemptively squashed the notion that she and her two friends had arrived there to discuss pre-calculus homework. That made it easier to follow Brody’s advice, own up immediately and get a fairly lenient punishment. She notes that Northwood thankfully was a safe place to be imperfect. Like Josh, she has found her way into higher education, currently as the Data Manager in the Clinical Trials Office at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus.

Back to the hockey mode a few years later, Mike Bartell ’00 and his cousin, Dan Carpenter ’00, Ross’s stepson, arrived. Dan went on to Saint Michael’s College in Vermont and Mike to Oswego State. Their comments about their time at Northwood well represent elements of the family’s experience here.

Mike: “Living there showed me the opportunities that were possible through meeting new people, making new friends, discovering new places, and having a broader sphere of influences — notably being surrounded by a faculty that genuinely cared about the students. It also sparked my interest in the outdoors and being close to the mountains. It set me on the track to where I live today, in Alaska. I learned taking risks can be beneficial. I don’t think I would have done the things I’ve done or lived the places I’ve lived without my experience at Northwood.”

Dan remembers his part in the venerable tradition of the senior prank: “We came up with the plan of sneaking out and tying a 15-pound test fishing line to the Victory Bell and hurrying back inside to a room

Pictured in photo above from left: Kathy Bartell Olney, Gary Bartell, Marion Bartell, Wendy Carpenter, Jesse Carpenter, Owen Bartell with Carter Bartell, Roberta (Bobbie) Bartell, Jeff Bartell ’72, Laura Bartell Marchetti, Noah Carpenter, Ross Bartell ’81, Max Bartell ’12, Abby Carpenter, Debra Bartell with Leo Carpenter, Daniel Carpenter ’00 with Jack Carpenter, Sara Bartell ’95, Nash Bartell, Meg Bartell, Laura Beck, Josh Bartell ’92

on the second floor. A pull on the line and the bell swayed back and forth; soon enough it was pealing loudly. The night watchman stepped outside to see who was ringing it. He couldn’t figure it out. Once he was back inside, we started ringing it again, ghostly tollers laughing maniacally as lights went on and grumpy teachers and underclassmen left their halls to find the culprits.”

A decade rolled by and Ross’s son Max ’12 joined us; unsurprisingly, he was a hockey player; he moved on to play at Utica College. Max is probably the only Bartell to help Northwood faculty try to catch a flying squirrel on his hall. He is definitely the only Bartell to find the love of his life at a Northwood gathering: his future wife, Leslie Usherwood ’12, daughter of Lou ’84 and sister of Lauren ’11. Leslie was also a hockey player, coached by Andrea Kilbourne ’98. Leslie admits she never would have guessed in 2012 that Max

would attend her wedding, let alone be the groom. Their relationship began when they re-met at their sixth Northwood anniversary. The bridal party will include three Northwood classmates: Casey Kilduff ’12, Kerri McDonough ’12 and Jimmy Connors ’13.

There is also an extended Bartell family at Northwood, the product of the great work the family (not only the alums but also Ross’s older brother, Gary, and his wife, Marion) do for us. Around two dozen students have enrolled here because of their efforts on our behalf. Joe Entelisano, the dad of one such student, JT ’16, had played with Ross in Rome; Gary had coached JT in youth hockey and taught him much about hockey and life. Joe says, “The Bartells have always been well-respected in the hockey community in Rome as well as the city in general, very supportive of many families in the area. Ross and Gary arranged a

tour of Northwood and told us about the academic and athletic opportunities.” I asked JT what the Bartells had told him about Northwood that convinced him to come. His answer encapsulates both the essence of the Northwood experience and the values of the Bartell family: “The Bartells told me that at Northwood you are unable to cheat yourself; you are held accountable in every aspect of your life. This accountability became the most important thing for me there, extra effort to hold myself accountable. It will stay with me the rest of my life.”

The salt of the earth. The Bartells who went here and the parents who sent them here, embody our school’s core values — integrity, responsibility, courage, respect, and compassion — and toss in some extras in the bonus round — loyalty, good humor, generosity and humility. We are lucky they have been such an abundant and integral part of Northwood.

THE BARTELLS EMBODY OUR SCHOOL’S CORE VALUES –integrity, responsibility, courage, respect and compassion.

Clockwise from top left: Josh Bartell ’92, Ross Bartell ’81, Jeff Bartell ’72, Max Bartell ’12 and Dan Carpenter ’00; Max Bartell ’12 and fiancée Leslie Usherwood ’12; Dan Carpenter ’00 and a future alum; Sara Bartell ’95

Ruminations of a “Faculty Brat”

AS RECALLED BY JIM FULLERTON ’58

Coach Fullerton joined the Northwood faculty in 1931, and I was born in late 1940. Due to WWII, I never knew “Coach” until he returned from overseas in 1946. Mom prepared Joan, my older sister, and me to enthusiastically welcome home our hero. She stressed he would be attired in an Army officer’s uniform. The doorbell rang and I scooted to open the door and leapt upon the uniformed entrant. He turned out to be a taxi driver with an appropriate cap.

Until 1951, we lived tucked behind Huttlinger House, by St. Agnes church. To be close to the action at school, Coach built a home later to be occupied by the Friedlander family and now Mr. Broderick. A few years ago, during an ECAC tournament, I was quartered at Huttlinger House and learned a Northwood-connected family was living in our former residence.

During those years, Northwood’s culture was driven by Ira and Bertha Flinner in the manner of Britain’s renowned public schools. It was a close fit to Melvil Dewey’s Lake Placid Club standards for decorum, plus. Faculty were not to be dating in public, smoking, drinking or anything that might reflect negatively on the school. Imagine all those being taboo. Dad met his wife-to-be in Placid, but marriage during the school year was out of the question, so off to Saranac Lake to elope in mid-winter, 1935. He remained a faculty floor proctor through the school year. As children, we knew we could be seen but never heard.

Before matriculating as a 2nd former I romped around the campus, observing football and soccer (shoveling snow off fields was a regular occurrence), learned of Dad’s

passion for hockey, attended basketball games in what is now the library, learned rudiments of skiing at Whitney, watched students jumping at Intervale, spent the bulk of my free time playing shinny at (the Lake Placid) Club’s hockey boxes often with other students, and in the short spring season while swatting black flies and digging out from mud, I followed students playing baseball, track, tennis, golf, and crew. Access to all Lake Placid facilities was a supreme benefit.

We had other faculty brats such as Jamie Murphy and Bo Deek’s boys; enough for six-man football. Then Mo Hunt, the new Headmaster, arrived with his two daughters and our boy’s world changed forever.

Northwood had its share of quirkiness. Most visible was the transport of students to the Arena. Until 1954, the Grey Ghost, an antique Mack bus then of great proportions and stability was in use. In 1954 the school acquired a used yellow Studebaker bus, possibly the only one to come out of the factory. In the early ’50s, Coach was

driving the Grey Ghost to practice and the brakes failed (his excuse) to perform as the bus roared down Northwood Road, turned a sharp left on Mirror Lake Drive and smacked into a snowbank. Undeterred, all hands pushed the mirage out and practice held. Later, in a Studebaker taking the hockey team to Canton, Coach was suddenly sightless west of Saranac Lake when its hood popped up blinding “bussy”. With plenty of tape to hold down the hood and off we continued. Though somewhat shaken, Coach remained in charge. Another strange vehicle, the “scrag wagon”, was an early ’50’s 11/12 seater wood International. Anyone seated more than one row behind the driver froze their feet and other extremities, it sure does get frigid in the mountains. “Character building,” as Coach would elucidate.

More quirkiness — Northland Pro hockey sticks always had Northwood markings to help curtail theft and to give players an

The author wore his school pride at an early age.

Jim Fullerton ’58 (right) receives his Northwood diploma from then Head of School Ed Good

advantage by identifying friendly sticks by blue paint from blade heel up 12” on the shaft.

As a student I recall Bo Deeks teaching the ancient Latin language. As a 2nd former I lasted less than a week. Too immature to handle a classic. Next up was Dave Hicks’ French class — hockey’s second language at the time. Speaking French, Mr. Hicks welcomed our class of four. That was okay but as a 13-year-old trying to understand the real difference in genders, I was astonished by the fact French words can be masculine or feminine. Oh!? Really? Took a while for our joint frustration to come to terms.

Some real old timers may recall Herb Gutterson, a new Northwood faculty member in 1948. Years later I sat in Mr. Gutterson’s English class at another of my schools; I attended two private and two public over a five-year span. The Lawrenceville Tournament bored me as I’d participated in it four of five years at two schools.

The dog’s life was personified by Coach Fullerton’s German Shepherds. These playful purebreds enjoyed nipping ski tips, chasing soccer balls, and above all being between opposing football linemen on the gridiron. Occasionally other faculty mutts, like John Howard’s two hunting dogs, came on the scene. A cab driver ran over one of our puppy shepherds leaving my distraught sister to arrive home screaming in despair

and the cabby zooming off into the dark behind the school kitchen. One bad memory tucked away.

Spring sports were usually marred by black flies and the late arrival of decent weather. Likewise, fall sports could be shortened with heavy wet snow. Crew in 1954 had to walk the shells into the near ice-crusted water of Mirror Lake as the dock was deemed unsafe. Brr.

The big sport was and is hockey. It was played before Coach Fullerton arrived in ’31. In 1936 Northwood established the first prep school tournament with eight schools participating. Northwood won the first two Lawrenceville tournaments and was not invited back so tournaments resumed in the early 50’s. Counting 1931/’32, then hiatus during war years, and resuming and up to the ’54/’55 season, Northwood won an outstanding 86% of games including 7 of 11 Northwood Tournaments. In ’53 Belmont Hill came to town to show the mountain boys how to play hockey. Their team included two Cleary boys, Bob and Bill, who later starred at

Harvard and helped win Olympic Gold at Squaw Valley in 1960. Perched high in the Arena was the boy’s father, who assumed Belmont Hill would crush Northwood. A lesson was learned by the Boston boys as they suffered a huge defeat. A little humility and respect for an opponent works wonders.

Hockey had one difficult moment when goalie Jim Hurst of Burrillville, RI, a player who my sister was infatuated with, took a blue line shot to his mouth. I was standing behind the team bench and can still see the shot lined up to Jim’s kisser. Our backup goalie had never played before yet courageously entered the game. Masks were not in vogue and the two-piece helmet was nearly useless as I learned in Lawrenceville following a concussion, amazed to learn I had scored a goal. All a blank. Mouth guard? Chewing gum?

Can anyone name another secondary school that had two coaches inducted to the US Hockey Hall of Fame? Take pride in the legacy. It has only become better but had to start sometime.

Coach Fullerton with students on the Senior Rock

Jim Fullerton ’58 with his sister Joan Fullerton Lockhart at the 2005 Centennial Reunion

In Memoriam

Since 2015, Northwood has held a memorial service during reunion to honor the alumni, trustees, and faculty who have passed away during the year. Fittingly, this ceremony is held beside the Living Room fireplace where we gather to read their names aloud. Attendees are then invited to say a few words if they wish. We hope this brief but poignant ceremony provides some comfort to families and friends. If you are in town, please join us for this important annual tribute.

Martin Brown ’36

Raymond Rush ’40

Stephen Terry ’47

Col. Peter Tutless ’52

David Eldon ’56

Thomas Hadjis ’56

Richard Hill ’70

Kenneth Hunt ’71

Scott Fitzgerald ’76

Ben Stevens ’78

Michael Nevin ’80

Shawn Wnek ’84

Damon Kurtzberg ’93

John Batha ’96

Joe Logudice ’07

(The above list represents those who we learned have passed away since the last publication of this magazine and reflects information that the Advancement Office had by press time. Links to obituaries are provided in the electronic issue of the magazine.

From the Archives

At first glance, this image seems like an average Northwood School photo from a bygone era. The entire student body (all boys at that time) lined up on the field in front of Main posed for a panoramic shot. There are similar panoramics in the archives, however, this particular image stands out for one curious reason. Take note of the young man wearing round glasses in the light suit 6th from the left. But wait. Scan the photo and see him there again on the far right!

For many years, this framed photo hung in the Head of School’s office under Ed Good’s tenure, and it was a conversation piece with people attempting to figure it out. Seeing the penmanship written below identify and reveal the same last name, one might conclude it was a set of twins, but this was not the case. Who was this young man then, and how did he manage to be in two places at once?

Our mystery was solved for good when we interviewed Lew Allyn ’57 for the Allyn Legacy Family article featured in the last issue of this magazine. We learned that the man who appears in this photo twice was none other than Tom Leavenworth ’28. (Lew’s father William “Bill” Allyn ’28 was friends with Tom. From Northwood on they were best buddies. In fact, Tom was responsible for introducing Bill to the woman he would one day marry and who would become Lew’s mother - talk about the power of Northwood connections!)

Lew said, “To give you a sense of Tom Leavenworth’s character, there’s this panoramic photograph of the school back then with all the students lined up in front. You’ll see Tom at one end of the group. Then, because

he ran behind the photographer and made it to the other end of the group, he appears in the photograph twice — at both ends of the group.”

Clever. While Tom certainly wasn’t the first person in the history of photography to pull that stunt, he was, like any modern Northwood student, taking advantage of the current technology. Smartphones have since made panoramic photos simple and commonplace now, but back in the 1920s it would have required a specialty camera. The most likely suspect was the Cirkut camera produced by the Folmer & Schwing Division, Eastman Kodak Co. According to the Smithsonian Institute’s Photographic History Collection website, “Cirkut cameras were made from the early 1900’s and were popular with panoramic photographers, especially for photographing large groups of people.”

To make panoramas possible, these cameras “used a gear mechanism to rotate the camera body around the optical center of the lens while pulling the film past a slit behind the lens.” This rotation would have allowed our Tom Leavenworth the time to make his mad dash, arching around the photographer to the other end of the line with enough time left to smooth his hair and assume a different pose, hand tucked inside his jacket.

You can just imagine Tom’s schoolmates watching his antics while trying to remain as still as can be for the camera in front of them. It had to be a nearly impossible task, especially when the 1928 Epitome yearbook describes Tom as such: “His flashing wit and ready humor have turned many a dull gathering into one of wild, hilarious laughter.”

When you support the Northwood Fund, you are investing in the next generation. You are leading Northwood students to the top, walking alongside them and supporting them on their journey to adulthood. Become a steward today and help us all Climb Higher Together.

Ways to give:

P Online www.northwoodschool.org

P Recurring monthly gifts of any size online*

P Mail in the enclosed envelope

P Gifts of appreciated securities

*

A SPECIAL NOTE TO OUR YOUNG ALUMNI TEN YEARS OUT OR LESS:

Did you know we have a GOLD giving level within our 1905 Society?

Graduates of the last decade can become a member of the 1905 Society with a gift of $100 (alumni 1-5 years out or $250 (alumni 6-10 years out).

Parents of Alumni:

If this magazine is addressed to a graduate who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please email us at alumni@northwoodschool.org with an updated address.