LAKE PLACID — In preparation for the 2019-2020 school year, Northwood School welcomes seven new faculty and staff.

“Our new faculty join a dedicated team of teachers and staff, we are pleased to welcome them to the Lake Placid community and our campus this week,” said Michael Maher, Head of School. “The addition of these accomplished faculty, from All-Americans to seasoned professionals, demonstrates our commitment to the mission of our school, the student experience and an applied curriculum that helps to address issues right here in our community.”

Kelly Carter joins Northwood as a full-time coach in the Learning Center. She will also work with the students and faculty on sustainability issues at the school. She is a Lake Placid resident who has worked as the Youth Climate Program Coordinator for the Wild Center from 2017 to 2019. Prior to this she worked as the sustainability coordinator for SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Canton for four years, and as a science faculty member and assistant coordinator for the Learning Center at National Sports Academy for eight years.

Keanu Hilaire joins Northwood as an instructor in the Math Department and will help with the robotics program. He will also work as an assistant coach for the boys’ prep hockey team. He grew up in Montreal and attended Kent School for three years. He graduated this year from Williams College, where he double-majored in computer science and French, and was the captain of the varsity men’s hockey team.

Jacquie Lopez joins Northwood as an instructor in molecular genetics. She received both her Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry and her Ph.D in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology from Cornell University. She homeschooled her children and taught science courses ranging from the elementary school to college level. She is also the academic coordinator for New York Ski Education Foundation Winter Term student athletes. She and her husband Craig live in both Ithaca and Lake Placid. She has three children: Alex, Avery and her daughter Audrey, who is a junior at Northwood.

David McCauley has been appointed director of college counseling. Previous to Northwood he was the director of college counseling at Berkshire School. While there, he has provided college-related guidance and support for students and their parents, established professional relationships with college admission officers, held programs for students regarding the college search process and overseen office staff. Prior to his work at Berkshire School, he spent four years as director of college counseling and assistant registrar at Beijing High School No. 4 and Beijing National Day School in China. He has also worked as an admissions officer at Creighton University, Siena College, Hamilton College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a graduate of Colby College with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, and St. Lawrence University with an M.Ed. in educational leadership, and is active in numerous professional associations. He, his wife Marleny and their son Sean are here and part of the community.

Tony Miller joins Northwood as an instructor in the English Department. He will also be working with Noel Carmichael on the school’s drama productions. Miller is a Lake Placid native who graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in English and a minor in political science. He worked at the Bookstore Plus on and off for eight years and has also participated in a number of community theater productions over the past 10 years. He recently worked as an adjunct professor at Paul Smith’s College, teaching English 101, “Effective College Writing,” for freshman students.

Darcy Norfolk joins Northwood in a part-time capacity focused on marketing and communications. She brings to the school more than 20 years of professional experience across marketing, project consulting, management and business operations. She has her Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Canisius College, where she also played Division I soccer, and she also has an Master of Business Administration degree from Hofstra University. She recently worked on the branding, messaging and public relations for the Innovation Hub at Northwood School. She recently was the bid director and planning lead with ADKSC/Lake Placid 2023 and is involved in the marketing program plan for the games. Previous to her recent roles she was the general manager and public relations director at Adworkshop, where she was in the agency business for 10 years. She is involved in the community and is an active board member for the Lake Placid Center for the Arts and NYSEF. She lives in Lake Placid with her husband Matthew and three children: Rowen, Lincoln and Cecilia.

Ugochukwo “Ugo” Okolie joins Northwood as an instructor in the Science and Math departments and as a coach for the boys’ soccer team. Ugo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and attended Mercersburg Academy for one year. He graduated this year from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with a degree in biology. While there, he was an All-American player on the varsity men’s soccer team.

Northwood School is a coeducational, independent boarding school in Lake Placid, offering a trimester-based college preparatory curriculum for students grades 9 through 12, plus a post-graduate year. The student body is comprised of 190 students from around the United States and the world, 85% of whom live on campus.