Woodstock School Alumni Magazine Vol CIV, 2011

4 - Quadrangle
November: Just So stories come to Parker Hall
eat them, the Turner Organic Garden sells its
produce weekly in the Quad.
We welcomed a team from the Rashtriya Life
Saving Association, who worked with our
staff and students to execute a pool audit for
the new swimming pool. Eleven members
of our residence team completed a 45-hour
course and were certified as lifeguards,
trained in the use of CPR, first aid, oxygen,
water rescues and identifying and helping spinal
injuries. This training got our magnificent
pool off to a great start.
October also saw 161 students in our Senior
School sit for PSAT and SAT tests administered
by the US College Board, an aptitude
test used widely for admissions to American
colleges.
We said farewell to two very popular student
teachers from St Olaf’s College in Minnesota,
USA, Sarah Onstad and Elizabeth Knapp.
At the completion of her three month stint at
Woodstock, Sarah commented “The school’s
philosophy on education and teaching has
caused us to look at how we think, and now,
after three months, we have learnt so much
and done a lot more thinking here than at
home. Woodstock opens up your mind and
challenges your ideas”. Well done girls and
good luck, we hope to see you back here at
Woodstock one day.
The third Mussoorie International Writers
Festival was attended by writers, editors and
book lovers over the course of four days with
more than twenty-five authors and artists
presenting talks, readings, exhibitions and
performances.
October also saw Activity Week begin with
the usual excitement. Students travelled to
Goa, Rishikesh, Dharamshala and other
educational destinations, as well as staying
in local villages and hiking the Garhwali
hills.
NOVEMBER: J Gabriel Campbell, ‘65 was
added to the Distinguished Alumni Roll in the
presence of his class mates at a ceremony in
Parker Hall on November 18, for achievements
in ecology sustainability and grassroots
environmental awareness. Dr. Campbell has
spent almost his entire life in the Himalaya
after being born at Landour Community
Hospital; he now lives and works in Nepal.
We were delighted to hear that Dr. Tom
Little, former Woodstock parent, was to be
posthumously awarded the United States
Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr. Little led
the ten-member team that was brutally murdered
in Afghanistan. The Medal of Freedom
is the United States’ highest civilian honour.
President Obama described Dr. Little as “a
humanitarian in the truest sense of the word”.
Our lives were made even more pleasant and
full of music this month with the visit of Vance
George, Grammy award winner, celebrated
choral director and former Woodstock staff
member. Vance visited Woodstock for three
weeks as a Winterline Centre for the Arts
Artist-in-Residence. Vance first taught at
Woodstock fifty years ago, in the late 1950’s,
and his inspiring and fun presence on campus,
working closely with the music department,
made our lives
brighter. Rehearsals
for the Fall concerts,
the Christmas concert
and the Advanced orchestra
all benefited
from his expertise.
November: Woodstock play the American Embassy School in Delhi
In a very busy
month, Woodstock’s
long awaited production
of Rudyard
Kipling’s Just so
Stories opened on
the last Friday of the
month to a capacity
audience. Six students
from the Advanced Drama class edited
and created new twists from the original
stories and prepared them for the stage.
November is also when the Woodstock community
celebrates the employees that do so
much for all of us. Mr. Dana Crider explained
why Woodstock celebrates Employee’s Day annually:
“The biggest importance of celebrating
it is to give us a chance to see what is missed if
the employees are not here. We all take a lot of
things for granted, especially employees who
work day in and day out on our behalf”. The
employees enjoyed a special sports day in a
tradition that was initiated 38 years ago by Mr.
Tom Alter ’68 and Mrs. Saroj Kapadia, former
Hindi teacher and Alumni Secretary.
Basketball was also the talk of Woodstock
as Woodstock senior basketball team beat
the American Embassy School (AES) on
their home turf in Delhi at the beginning of
our season.
DECEMBER: We began December with
the great news that sixty-four students sat the
Associated Board of Royal Schools for Music
(based in London but running examinations in
over 90 countries) exams with an outstanding
overall success rate of 92%.
October: village children enjoy the Activity Week visit of Woodstock students