Student news and views, Woodstock School, Mussoorie, India

Student news and views, Woodstock School, Mussoorie, India

by The Editorial Board

Water is running out; so is time

The month of May marks a dire deterioration of the water situation of Mussoorie and the rest of India. Even by just taking a step outside of our school campus, one can see hundreds of people filling up at nearby a water outlet, awaiting the few droplets of water that flow once a day for […]

by Archita Aggarwal

Define yourself by character, not grades

People often use the example of Bill Gates being a Harvard dropout to define success as a result of hard work and not the outcome of receiving a world-class education with the highest grades. However, when the grade 10 AP World History preliminary results were released a few days ago, it suddenly occurred to […]

by Nalin Mahajan

International students keep eye on U.S. elections

I remember walking into the living room one morning to catch my sibling and some of my cousins laughing at the TV. It was the summer of 2016, I was just 14 years of age and had no clue how politics worked. “Donald Trump is running for president,” one of my older cousins said while […]

by Navya Sethi

If plastic could speak…

I was just thrown away in the dustbin, crumpled, empty, and discarded. Everybody is ignoring me. No one pays attention to me. But guess what? I don’t end here. I feel “poised at the edge of the unknown.” Little do you know that my journey forward will “diverge with outcomes” that will impact nothing less […]

by Joanna Victor

Learning what ‘fair’ does and doesn’t mean

“In five steps your skin will be fair and lovely.” My skin was neither fair nor lovely. My skin was dull and disgusting. Or so I was told. Starting from the age of five when I first watched a fair and lovely commercial. It was subtly ingrained into my brain that darker skin is worse […]

by Muzhgan Noori

Peace remains an elusive dream

Humans have been living on this earth for about six million years. The first thing they experienced was the “struggle to exist”. It was the “competition between the living things to survive”. To solve these conflicts, violence was used as a tool. As they transitioned to their behavioral modernity, the conflicts worsened. Consequently, “the first […]

by Abdul Malik Ansari

Our waste habits and why we need to change them

Do you ever find yourself suppressing the guilt and pain of disposing a tray full of food that you thought you might eat but you did not? Do you wonder what happens to that food? Do you wonder what you can do to make sure everything on your plate is consumed in a meaningful way […]

by Victoria Lee

Students conquer the Mountain Festival

“Some people just trap themselves by looking into their phones or listening to music,” Rohan Menezes, Class of 2019, the founder of the student committee of the Mussoorie Mountain Festival, said. That statement stays true to many of us. Winter or summer, on the walk up to school, music has accompanied us through shivers and […]

by Shivaansh Garg

Tales that lurk in the shadows of Midlands

Ever since its establishment in the mid 20th century, Midlands, the senior girls’ dorm, has been plagued with paranormal rumors. Many believe that the dorm was built on the remains of a mental asylum. Others believe that the attic in the Midlands’ tower is exceptionally eerie and allegedly possessed by a lady ghost. In order […]

by Hyenjin Cho

Prayers aid Mrs. Roberts’ battle with cancer

As of April. 8. 2019, Mrs. Monica Roberts, the Alumni Secretary and an advisor for the Class of 2019, has officially returned back to school after being away from the beginning of the semester due to her cancer treatment. When I visited her house this year with my advisory group, she seemed content to see […]

by Aarti Malhotra

Acute pollen season raises concerns about health, environment

The onset of spring in Mussoorie this year was accompanied by a particularly prolonged and severe pollen season. Thin blankets of pollen dust tinted the entire town a yellowish-green, raising concerns not only about its repercussions on allergies, but its reflection of climate change as well. This seasonal anomaly appears to be a part […]

by Nupur Agrawal

Presidential candidates envision better school

In the past few weeks, there has been an intense student-body presidential race. As an effort to disseminate each candidate’s ideas, The Woodstocker caught up with them. Veer Arya, running for the position of school president, has maintained a theme of channeling student voices throughout his campaign; Arya’s slogan is “Speak Up.” He believes that […]

by Archi Arunima

Dr. Long hands over the baton to Dr. Cook

After four months of vigorous and thorough search for a new principal, the Woodstock Community was informed on April 12, 2019 about the appointment of Dr. Craig Cook as principal designate of Woodstock. The board of directors unanimously chose Dr. Cook as the principal, with the belief that he would be an outstanding educational leader. […]

by Chittish Pasbola, staff reporter

School works to make Hanson a field of dreams

Hanson Field has been an integral part of Woodstock since it was created in 1938. It was eventually named after the legendary school athlete, Robert Hanson, who was a member of the United States Air Force. After he was declared missing in action after he downed 25 Japanese planes, the Field was renamed in his […]

by Hyenjin Cho

Principal Search: Mr. Draper questions the insurmountable

As the term for the current principal, Dr. Jonathan Long, comes to a close, the new principal candidates, artfully chosen by the Search Committee, have briefly visited the school. In this series, we introduce the candidates and their educational philosophies: Mr. Chris Draper, the sole British candidate amongst three American candidates, obtained his education at […]

by Tala Bagh

Principal Search: Dr. Engstrom imagines leading the school

As the term for the current principal, Dr. Jonathan Long, comes to a close, the new principal candidates, artfully chosen by the Search Committee, have briefly visited the school. In this series, we introduce the candidates and their educational philosophies: Dr. John Engstrom was educated at Wheaton College (B.Sc.), State University of New York at […]

by Nupur Agrawal

Tigers repeat as Doon Cup champs

“I’ll be surprised if we win, but I’ll also be surprised if we lose,” said Kuhu Singh, Class of 2021, said before heading off for this year’s Doon Cup. The senior girls football team has been with three coaches in the past two years: Mr. Francisco, Mr. Puri, and Mr. Hubbard. But they worked past […]

by Hyenjin Cho

Sports Spotlight: Rachel and Dorjee, 2019 Swish-A-Thon MVPs

“I definitely had times when I only played barely 2 minutes in a game in my freshman year, so that was really … an emotional time for me, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue playing, but I stuck it out,” Rachel Solomon, Class of 2019, the MVP for this year’s Swish-A-Thon, said. The […]

by Tala Bagh

Sports Spotlight: Diya Singh

12 years ago, while watching boys around her play football, a 5-year-old girl’s heart was captivated by the sport. That’s when Diya Singh, Class of 2019, decided to master this game, regardless of all the obstacles that she would face. Her journey started when she came across the boys in her old school playing football. […]

by Ryan Bajaj

The troll team that reached the finals

“Most of our players still do not know how to play zone defense,” Siddharth Bhandari, Class of 2020, a starting player on one of the Swish-A-Thon finalist teams: Bhandari Bois, said. Bhandari Bois comprised of a member of the Win Mumby team, three players in the senior team, and four players who have never played […]

by Hyenjin Cho

Swish-A-Thon 2019 exhibited exemplary sportsmanship

Feb. 21, 2019. The highlights of the 5th Annual Swish-A-Thon were the sportsmanship and mutual respect depicted by several teams. This year, the money collected will be donated to Project Burans, an initiative part of the Emmanuel Health Association that promotes mental health in rural parts of Northern India. The organization is currently working in […]

by Ryan Bajaj

The Swishathon team that shall reject them all

As the 5th annual Swishathon approaches, The Woodstocker has decided to forecast this tournament for all the basketball fans in our community. Disclaimer: These predicted scores are purely for entertainment Girls Pool Group A Scores Group B Scores LesBeHonest vs F.R.I.E.N.D.S 6-4 Ice Cream vs ADIDAB 14-12 LesBeHonest vs Sunnyside Up 7-2 Ice Cream […]

by Nupur Agrawal

Leaving home does not mean losing home

A new home. After 14 years of living in the same place, with the same people, and the same routine, I was suddenly yanked out of the familiar monotony to all that was full of the unexpected. I was happy where I was before; I had great friends, amazing teachers and lots of fun. I […]

by Ryan Bajaj

The perfect self-reproach

My parents have supported me for my entire life. They supported me when I wanted to be a football player, when I wanted to be a journalist, and now they support my dreams to become a lawyer. Then why do I feel like such a disappointment to my Dad? It all started only a few […]

by Aditi Deswal

A flower of friendship in the midst of uncertainty

I am sacrificing my time and sleep to call a few of my old friends at 2:30 a.m. on a Saturday night. We reminisce over the times when we got mad at each other, stayed up late watching movies, tried disgusting food together, drooled over our celebrity crushes, and spent our last days together. We […]

by Archi Arunima

Learning beyond physical barriers

“The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” – Morrie Schwartz from Tuesdays With Morrie That is exactly what this book has to offer: a slow and steady journey between the realms of life and death; a dying old professor’s last words that sometimes ring so true that the […]

by Abdul Malik Ansari

Pressure builds momentum towards future

The golden-colored numbers hanging on the railing above Parker Hall flickers in front of my eyes, reminding me of the number of days until my graduation. The number takes me back to the time when this moment was all a future to be awaited. A time when I was intimidated by the horrifying stress resulting […]

by Shivaansh Garg

Johnny finds his sons: a Swish-A-Thon troll reflects

Talentless, jobless, and shameless people often tend to make troll teams… Or should I say: athletic, charitable, and entertaining people end up in troll teams. I happen to be one of those people who often show up in troll teams, not only the latter characteristics but a mixture of all those six traits. I […]

by Arnav Kumar

Review: Endgame, the true marvel of the MCU

The scale and spectacle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is unrivalled by any other series in the last decade. The amount of heavy hitters in this epic 22-film saga is jaw-dropping. The latest instalment is handled with such care, effort, and ambition that it is hard to classify Avengers: Endgame as a movie. It’s an […]

by Nupur Agrawal

10 things to do before graduation

As of April 30, 2019, with only 25 days left for the Class of 2019, The Woodstocker decided to create it’s very own Bucket list for the seniors. Being at Woodstock is an amazing experience and it would be regretful if one didn’t enjoy everything it has to offer before moving on. 10. Go on […]

by Nalin Mahajan

How well do you know your JSB date?: Aryan and Rhea

Woodstock is seeing juniors and seniors mingle and plan out their dates for the Junior-Senior Banquet that is coming up, on May 4th, 2019. Sophomores plan a night full of food and dancing for Woodstock’s very own prom. So in this season of love, The Woodstocker decided to find out how well these couples know […]

by Archi Arunima

How well do you know your JSB date?: Swapnil and Swastika

Woodstock is seeing juniors and seniors mingle and plan out their dates for the Junior-Senior Banquet that is coming up, on May 4th, 2019. Sophomores plan a night full of food and dancing for Woodstock’s very own prom. So in this season of love, The Woodstocker decided to find out how well these couples know […]

by Shivaansh Garg

How well do you know your JSB date? Harsh and Priyansha

Woodstock is seeing juniors and seniors mingle and plan out their dates for the Junior-Senior Banquet that is coming up, on May 4th, 2019. Sophomores plan a night full of food and dancing for Woodstock’s very own prom. So in this season of love, The Woodstocker decided to find out how well these couples know […]

by Navya Sethi

How well do you know your JSB date?: Chittish and Syma

Woodstock is seeing juniors and seniors mingle and plan out their dates for the Junior-Senior Banquet that is coming up, on May 4th, 2019. Sophomores plan a night full of food and dancing for Woodstock’s very own prom. So in this season of love, The Woodstocker decided to find out how well these couples know […]