New Field House and Hockey Arena Planned

Major improvements are coming to athletics facilities at Northfield Mount Hermon as part of This Place, This Moment: The Campaign for Northfield Mount Hermon. 

Under the plan, the school will renovate the existing McCollum Hockey Arena into a field house, which will include four basketball and tennis courts as well as multipurpose recreational space. In addition, the plan calls for the building of a new, enclosed hockey arena to replace McCollum. The arena will provide a new home for the NMH hockey programs to train, practice, and compete. It will also serve the school community with recreational skating and, in the off season, will be used in multiple capacities for other sport practices and recreational activities.

“These new facilities respond to our programming plans and needs, with impacts for our entire school community,” said Rick Hendrickson, NMH athletics director. “The field house will be the most-used facility on campus for fitness and wellness activities. McCollum Arena, one of the last outdoor high school venues in New England, has served generations of NMH skaters and players and will always be a part of our hockey heritage. A new arena ushers in a new era and aligns with our commitment to providing an exceptional athletic program at an exceptional school.”

The two projects, which have a total budget of approximately $20 million, will be completed in phases. Construction of the hockey rink, now in the design phase, will begin once fundraising is completed. McCollum will commence once the new hockey rink is completed. The current plan calls for opening the arena in the 2025-26 academic year, with construction on the field house commencing soon thereafter, with the hope of opening in 2026. 

The project is part of the larger effort to renew the NMH campus under This Place, This Moment. The campaign seeks to raise $225 million to support need-based aid to students, the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, the ongoing improvement of campus facilities, and the NMH Fund.

“Our athletics program is a key part of the NMH experience, with a place for students at all levels,” said Head of School Brian Hargrove. “The new field house will dramatically expand how we support the health and wellness of the entire community as we more than double our indoor sport facilities. Of course, the new hockey rink also underscores our commitment to supporting our girls’ and boys’ hockey programs at a high level for decades to come.”

At a meeting on Jan. 27, the NMH Board of Trustees voted in support of the athletics-facilities plan. “The board is thrilled to support these exciting projects, which will give all our students access to the kinds of high-quality facilities they need to thrive,” said Board Chair Mariah Calagione ’89, P’18, 20. “We know that there’s significant enthusiasm for these investments in our program, and we hope our community will come together to support this effort.”

For more information about the projects and about how to make a gift in support, contact Jake Bennett, head boys’ ice hockey and baseball coach and assistant director of annual giving and athletic engagement, at jbennett@nmhschool.org.