We are always proud of the experiences of our pterodactyls. Our Community Spotlight features the stories of alumni and community members after their time at Marvelwood. To submit your story or nominate a Marvelwood graduate, email alumni@marvelwood.org.
Have you ever been given a ride back to school in a fire truck? For Marvelwood alum Noah Shernow ‘15, this was just part of his weekly routine. During Noah’s time on Skiff Mountain, he fulfilled his community service placement at the local Kent Firehouse. In addition to his time on Wednesday mornings, Noah would spend any extra moments down at the firehouse or out on calls. His dedication awarded him the Ronshaugen Community Service Cup during his senior year. Read on to see how Noah’s commitment to community service at Marvelwood is still a source of great pride for him today, written by Advancement Associate for Alumni Engagement, Abbey Gelineau.
Well, I was in a public high school for freshman year, and I really wasn’t doing great. So I started looking at boarding schools, and at the time, I was already a Junior Firefighter at my local station, where they had a little program going. So when I looked at Marvelwood and saw that they not only had a community service program but that they were already working with Kent Fire, I thought that was really cool. Also, the scenic campus on top of the mountain was really nice and the town of Kent was charming. The other schools I was looking at didn’t have anything like that.
So the fact that the school had a long-established Community Service program really sealed the deal for you to attend Marvelwood?
To an extent, yeah. I really loved my whole Marvelwood experience, but especially the emphasis they put on community service and helping others. It’s different from other schools that make you log maybe 20 hours of service before you graduate. I loved how at Marvelwood, service was just built into our schedules, and that they also gave us a selection of opportunities that we could choose from.
Can you elaborate on some of the tasks or things you were expected to do at the fire station during your community service time?
I guess you could say it was lots of menial tasks. Things like cleaning the trucks, making sure everything was stocked, checking their power tools to make sure they worked, things like that. It was cool, though, because when I turned 18, I applied to the district and asked to become a member. They accepted me, and so every Wednesday after my community service time, I would stay down at the firehouse and hop on any calls, or join the ambulance team or whatever else I could do.
And was Marvelwood staff pretty tolerant of the extra time you were putting in at the firehouse?
Yep! Everyone knew I was really dedicated to the work, and it was basically understood that I’d be at the firehouse most Wednesday nights. If I missed a practice or a dinner here and there, the teachers knew not to be alarmed, because I was at the firehouse volunteering. Usually I’d get a ride back in the fire truck, so that was always quite the show! I bet some of your colleagues could attest to that. There’d be a fire truck dropping me off at 9 o'clock many times
That must have felt so awesome!
It was a lot of fun. And I also greatly appreciated that I was able to fit that in with my schedule and that Marvelwood accommodated things like that for students who had a real passion. Some nights, I would need to get down there for training, and whoever was on duty at Marvelwood would have to drive me down there. I spent many nights heckling the staff to give me rides, but then Mrs. D’Iorio – is she still there?! Well, either junior or senior year, she started giving me rides down to the firehouse when she would leave work every day. So that was awesome, and I really appreciated it.
It’s clear that Community Service was a big part of your Marvelwood experience. What else made your time here feel so special?
I actually liked some of the alternative sports opportunities they provided. I was never super athletic or into competitive sports, so I was happy to do mountain biking in the fall and skiing at Mohawk in the winter – back when they actually had snow! And then it was canoeing in the spring. I remember mountain biking the most. It was aggressive. We would leave at the same time as the other sports teams but would come back right as dinner was starting because we were just out there so late putting a lot of miles on those bikes.
After your graduation in 2015, where did life take you?
So, I went to Curry College and actually ended up graduating with two of my Marvelwood classmates, which was cool. I majored in communications because I was really unsure of what I wanted to do after graduating. And then I had a few jobs right out of school that I wasn’t really into, but I had always liked cars. And so I ended up finally getting a job at CarMax as an appraiser in 2019, and that’s what I’m still doing today!
So, what does car appraisal look like on a daily basis? And can you see yourself sticking with this profession, or do you have dreams of something else?
When a customer wants to sell their car, I’m the one who checks it out and then builds a report to set a value for the price. For now I like it, but am always open to other opportunities. I might like to work directly with an automotive manufacturer or be an airline pilot. Professional racecar driver, maybe? I’m honestly not sure what comes next!
Well, it sounds like Marvelwood has prepared you for whatever the next step may be. What are some of the things you’re most proud of accomplishing thus far in your life?
I’m still really proud about winning the Community Service Cup. Maybe I only won because I put in the most hours! (He chuckles.) I mean, there was definitely a running joke that the hours of service some students were doing over the course of a month, I could do in a week, or even a day. I remember there was a Senior Dinner right before graduation, where our parents joined us, and I showed up late because I had been on a fire call, which was just really ironic.
Any last words to share with our community?
You know, Marvewood taught us a lot about mutual respect. That idea of “what goes around, comes around.” I’m looking forward to coming back to campus in October for Homecoming, and seeing all the people who are still there and making it such a special place.
