An Olympic education

Since 1905, Northwood School has been welcoming students from around the world to Lake Placid, where education, sports, and outdoor education intertwine, often with Olympic levels of success. Over the years, the school has been a second home to students from all over the Adirondacks, as well as across the globe, testament to the school’s quality of academics and sports training and development.

So good are the school's sports programs that many school alumni, competing in sports such as alpine skiing, ice hockey, and Nordic combined, have gone on to compete in the pinnacle of sports: Olympic Games. There has been at least one Northwood alumni at every Olympic Winter Games since 1964, with that tradition continuing this week at Milano Cortina.

To celebrate the Milano Cortina Winter Games, we're taking a look back at some of Northwood School's Olympic alumni. 

Andrea Kilbourne-Hill

A Saranac Lake native, Andrea Kilbourne-Hill is a hockey legend. A talented player at Northwood (class of 1998) and then Princeton University, Kilbourne-Hill was selected for the 2002 US women's hockey team. At the Salt Lake City Olympics, the US team went undefeated until the gold medal game, ultimately winning silver. Kilbourne-Hill has credited her time at Northwood for challenging her to excel, both academically and on the ice.

John Mulhern

Northwood School's very first Olympian was also its first medalist! Class of 1947 alum John Mulhern was a member of the US men's hockey team, which earned a silver medal in the 1952 Oslo Olympics. Mulhern played hockey at Northwood and then at Boston College; after the Olympics, he attended law school, eventually becoming involved in Boston politics and served as a district attorney. 

Tony Granato

Even non-hockey fans know this name: class of 1983 alumni Tony Granato is one of the sport's most legendary, with a storied career as both a player (go, Rangers!!) and a coach. It was as a coach that Granato made the trip to the Olympics, leading the US men's team at the 2018 Games at Pyeongchang.

Kevin Drury and Tate Frantz

Northwood's Olympians aren't just a thing of the past: they're the present AND the future! Not one but two Northwood alumni are currently in Italy for the 2026 Milano Cortina Games: Kevin Drury, class of 2006, and Tate Frantz, class of 2023. Drury is competing in his second Winter Olympic Games in ski cross, while Frantz is making his Olympic debut in ski jumping, sports both athletes pursued and competed in as Northwood School students.

If you can't make it to Italy, join us in Lake Placid, where our Olympic passion lives on! The community is bursting with excitement and celebration, with watch parties, special activities, podium photo opps, and so much more! 

While you're strolling Main Street and picking up Olympic-themed souvenirs at our local shops, don't miss the special window displays at the Northwood School Innovation Hub! There, you can learn more about the school's outstanding Olympic history.