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Board Chairman Brad Olch noted that Mr. Maher’s retirement will conclude an “extraordinarily productive decade of thoughtful and purposeful leadership. Brad expressed great appreciation for his accomplishments since his arrival in 2015.” In his final year, Mr. Maher will continue as Headmaster to operate Northwood at the highest level, remaining fully involved in the day-to-day operations and leading the school’s development outreach.

During Mr. Maher’s tenure:

• Northwood’s enrollment increased by approximately 20% with students from 24 states, 24 countries, and six continents.

• Major additions to the campus include a turf field for soccer, an indoor turf pitch, a health center, a new ski building with state-of-the-art tuning equipment, a learning center, and the Hub on Lake Placid’s Main Street which showcases Northwood and a variety of innovative offerings including a robotics laboratory, center for entrepreneurship, and design thinking. The Allyn building, which is the heart of the school and houses over 2/3 of the boarding population, has been substantially renovated.

• Under Mr. Maher’s direction, the school’s curriculum has added breadth and depth to the innovative academic program, including Peak Pathways (Design your own elective program), Global and Cultural Lab (18+ languages offered), Challenge for Honors (available in 9 different courses), Dual enrollment courses, and L.E.A.P. (Learn, Engage, Apply, Perform)

• Mr. Maher has also overseen the most extensive and successful fund-raising period in the history of the school. which, under his direction, has tripled Annual Fund donations and raised more than twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) between the Annual and Capital Funds.

Mr. Maher noted that he has enthusiastically enjoyed his nearly forty (40) years in education as a teacher, coach, and administrator. Before coming to Northwood in 2015, he was the Headmaster at Berkshire School in Western Massachusetts. While noting that he looked forward to traveling and spending more time with family, he told the board, “I will always be indebted to you for giving me the opportunity to join such a special community, Northwood School. Be assured that I will do all I can to ensure the school’s success in the future.”

Board Chair Brad Olch spoke for the Board applauding “the amazing job Mike has done ensuring that Northwood’s academic offerings are relevant and contemporary and that its students are well-prepared for the excellent colleges they are earning acceptance to.” Mike’s headship has been transformative in a decade seeing multiple inflection points for private secondary education. “We are fortunate to have had his passion, vision, and dynamic thoughtful leadership.”

Thank you Mike for your dedicated stewardship of our Northwood School.

Sincerely,

Bradley Olch

Chairman of the Northwood Board of Trustees