Alumni Notes

Northfield Mount Hermon School is a place where you can achieve excellence on and off the mat. The teaching staff doesn’t only see you as a student, but a part of their family. They strive to see you succeed. To achieve this, faculty is happy to give their time day or night to help you meet your goals and often surpass them.

 

At NMH there is a strong support for the wrestling team with students packing into the gym to see the Hoggers destroy their prep school opponents. In the wrestling room you will be challenged every day with a strong group of wrestlers. With no room for slacking, you will be pushed both physically and mentally. If you want to get to the next level, NMH is the place for you.

 

 

 

How did Northfield Mount Hermon School benefit me? No other element has affected who I am and where my life is going, more than my time at NMH. Going to the Naval Academy has been a dream of mine since I was about 10 years old. Learning that I had not been accepted after my senior year of high school may have been one of the most disappointing days of my life. To get into the Academy, I needed to go through a year of prep school. I was lucky enough to have the choice to go to Northfield Mount Hermon.

 

As a competitive wrestler I was looking for a school with a strong program. After visiting the school, meeting the coaches, and seeing the amazing academic establishments, I easily decided on NMH. The transition from public school was a little difficult at first, but one of the major differences was the willingness of the teachers to give extra instruction. Most of the teachers lived on campus and were easily accessible throughout the days and evenings. Even if they were not, another teacher would be available in designated locations for each subject. The major difference was that the professors actually cared about how each student did on an individual level. This mindset in the counselors carried over to the wrestling room. 

 

I can truthfully say I have never had more dedicated coaches than those at Northfield Mount Hermon. The gains I made as a wrestler were incredible. Before going to school at NMH I had thought I was ready to wrestle against Division I college competition. I quickly learned I was wrong. My coach had been a successful Division I wrestler and knew exactly where I needed to improve. He was willing to put in the extra time with me that I could not find at my public school back home. There was never a shortage of a wrestling partner because he was always there willing to teach me before or after practice. The dedication of the coaches was not only on the mat. Through their numerous connections in the sport they contacted any college program we were interested in across the country.

 

I don’t think I fully understood how influential my experience at NMH was until I came to the Naval Academy. Coming straight from high school would have been a huge wake-up call both in the classroom and on the mat. The academic schedule here is rigorous and NMH more than prepared me and gave me a firm base for learning and understanding. The study skills I acquired at NMH catapulted me to the top of my class during my freshman year at the academy. On the mat, I found myself standing out to the coaches. The work ethic I gained in the wrestling room at NMH was far beyond those of the other freshman on the team. What they thought was hard, I found a walk in park, all because of what had been instilled in me at NMH. Without NMH I don’t know how I would have made my way through my first year at the Naval Academy. I still keep in contact with all my friends from my year at NMH and call my coach on a regular basis looking for guidance (and he always seems to have the answers). My NMH experience was without a doubt the most influential portion of my life. It created a smooth transition from high school to one of the nation’s top colleges and gave me a chance to wrestle competitively on a Division I wrestling program.