Student news and views, Woodstock School, Mussoorie, India

Student news and views, Woodstock School, Mussoorie, India

by Aadya Aryal

Talk less, listen more

Most of us cannot count the number of times we’ve heard the phrase “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.” I remember the first time this was said to me— I was very young, arguing with my older sister about something trivial like what kind of chocolate is superior. The argument devolved into a screaming […]

by Riya Gupta

Sleep: unlocking your mental potential

While it’s common knowledge that sleep is important, this pandemic has made it highly difficult for those who already can’t sleep and even those who didn’t face a problem before. Inquiry cases with therapists due to sleeping problems have increased by 20- 30% which is not surprising due to the unusual circumstances. One of the […]

by Janvi Poddar

Mental health: another crisis that needs our attention

When Sushant Singh Rajput, a widely celebrated Bollywood actor, recently committed suicide, it stirred up conversations about mental health on media platforms across India. Everyone, from politicians and activists to celebrities and businesses, seemed to acknowledge the importance of mental health through social media outbursts and in their condolences for Rajput’s family. However, just a […]

by Aadya Aryal

Truly embracing black culture

When George Floyd, a 46-year old black man was brutally murdered by Minneapolis police on May 25, 2020, many Americans and people all over the world opened their eyes to a very harsh reality. Black lives are constantly disregarded, anti-black sentiment continues to exist in many communities and systemic violence against black people is disturbingly […]

by Riya Gupta

Racism at Woodstock: fact or fiction?

Are you a racist? No? Think again. Racism has suddenly become a flashpoint between citizens and governments across the world, especially the United States. You have probably heard about the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, which were triggered when George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, was brutally killed by a white police officer in […]

by Jinho Yoon

A Racist Sandwich

There I stood impatiently in the front of the line, in the cool scent of chocolate chip cookies and steamed ham. Behind me are a middle-aged woman with bruise-like dark circles and a professional businessman in a typical white suit yapping to his dangling wireless earphone, all of us trying to get a sandwich at […]

by Janvi Poddar

Teaching, learning, and appreciating with Ms. Leaf and Mr. Dinesh

It was the third, maybe the fourth day, of our week-long hike, somewhere in the Himalayas. I was exhausted and grumpy. All of us were. I just wanted to go back. But every time I complained about my aching back or tired feet, they shouted out words of encouragement or tried to distract me. I […]

by Luke Dsouza

Dr. Carlos moves on to his next adventure

As the academic year comes to an end, several staff members prepare to leave or have already departed. Hence, The Woodstocker caught up with some of them to dig into their thoughts and future endeavors. Carlos Izquierdo, Spanish as well as Film and Media teacher, fondly known as “don” Carlos by his students, is one […]

by Victor Pashuk

Departing teachers say goodbye

As the academic year comes to an end, several staff members prepare to leave or have already departed. Hence, The Woodstocker caught up with some of them to dig into their thoughts. This video is a compilation of their favorite moments at the school. Victor Pashuk is the sports editor for The Woodstocker

by Aadya Aryal

Imagining, creating, and growing: Ms. Seefeldt’s journey

As the academic year comes to an end, several staff members prepare to leave or have already departed. Hence, The Woodstocker caught up with some of them to dig into their thoughts and future endeavors. Ms. Amy Seefeldt, ToK teacher and Director of the CFI, is a very familiar face in our community — one that most […]

by Janvi Poddar

School introduces Social Justice Education

On August 31, Mr. Jeffrey Doerfler, the recently appointed head of UY, introduced the concept of Social Justice education by screening a Ted Talk during the Upper Years assembly. The conversation about making Social Justice education a part of the school’s curriculum started over the summer, when the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee was […]

by Riya Gupta

Sophomores face disappointment due to school closure

The school has finished its sixth week of distance learning after the spread of COVID-19. Alongside spending time with family and face-timing friends, students are having classes every day to get the most out of this situation. However, many grades are greatly affected by this, with Grade 10 as no exception. For starters, the IB […]

by Jinho Yoon

Presidential candidates make their pitches

With StuCo elections around the corner, The Woodstocker interviewed the four presidential candidates. This is what we asked. Here is what you need to know. The female candidates are Aadya Aryal and Jigmet Angmo. The male candidates are Suryansh Singh and Mukhtar Mohamed. What is your vision for the school? Aadya: Building an environment of […]

by Ira Ahuja

Distance learning signals disadvantages

On March 23, Zoom online classes officially began. This popular online platform is being used worldwide due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Although a great way to communicate during this pandemic, distance learning via Zoom has its disadvantages. For one, many can agree that it is harder to concentrate during classes from the comfort of […]

by Janvi Poddar

Online classes create barriers in learning for many

As the world battles several different crises in the midst of a pandemic, millions of students around the globe are struggling to keep up with their education. Earlier this month, the school made the decision to remain closed for the rest of the academic year. However, to continue educating its students, the school formulated a plan […]

by The Editorial Board

Despite school closure and virus panic, The Woodstocker continues

Greetings from The Woodstocker. We hope that you are all following the best practices and doing your bit to break the spread of the Coronavirus. We also hope that all members of our community have reached home safely. In these testing times, we would like to emphasize the importance of high-quality journalism. The Woodstocker’s team […]

by Reya Gupta

Troll teams play a friendly match to make it on court

On Friday, Feb. 14, two teams from the Class of 2021 ‘Bonzu’ and ‘Swish-hub’ engaged in a 4 on 4 Basketball match, which would determine their fate in representing their grade at the Swish-a-thon tournament. The results had the entirety of those assembled in surprise, with Bonzu securing the win with a two-point difference. The […]

by Janvi Poddar

Swish-a-thon 2020: Predicting for PINK

The sixth Swish-a-thon tournament, scheduled to start on Friday, Feb 21, will be dedicated to raising money for PINK, a foundation that helps and supports women with breast cancer. The Woodstocker presents its statistical predictions on who will dominate this season, and help raise the most money. Will it be the Win Mumby Tigers or the […]

by Ira Ahuja

Tigers in action: 5-a-side 2019

Last Tuesday, September 10, the Woodstock Girls Senior team won gold and the Boys team ended runners up in the 5-a-side football tournament that took place in the Win Mumby Gym. The annual tournament lasted three days, and several schools around Uttarakhand took part. The Woodstock girls’ senior football team was held victorious in the […]

by Shivaansh Garg

The Goal-a-thon team that shall dominate them all

As the tenth Goal-a-thon season approaches, in approximately 19 hours, The Woodstocker decided to expertly predict outcomes. Girls Group A Scores Group B Scores 0% Risk vs Fanxy 1-3 Baba Balani vs Dhinchak Divas 3-0 Fanxy vs LesBeHonest 2-0 Matcha vs Baba Balani 1-4 LesBeHonest vs Milo 1-3 Baba Balani vs Too Holy 2-0 Milo vs 0% […]

by Janvi Poddar

Badminton season opens with a smash

School has just been in session for a month, and the Badminton team has already displayed their high-level skills through their achievements. In a recent tournament held at Wynberg Allen school, the senior girls’ team won gold, and the boys’ teams came second. The senior girls’ team was represented by Kiara Reavan and Frizia Rounak, […]

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 Rhea Kassam

New beginnings…on zoom?

Covid-19 has taken us all by surprise, and left the entire world at a standstill. I remember the day when I walked out of my school in Miami, FL for the last time as a sophomore. Little did I know that life for me would change drastically in two ways. I would become a junior […]

by Aadya Aryal

Waiting at home, away from family and friends

On March 16, after the school’s decision to shut down temporarily, I arrived home in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our usually unmanageable and crowded airport was almost eerily quiet, and I got out of the airport with my baggage much faster than ever before. Outside the airport, Kathmandu seemed to be its usual bustling self. Street vendors […]

by Archita Aggarwal

It’s not just my struggle, it’s ours

As one of the many Indian students at the school, I was able to go back home for the spring break, quite excited at the thought of having a stress free week, away from all the academic pressure. Little did I know that my junior year was about to hit rock bottom. There is no […]

by Jinho Yoon

Out of the frying pan, into the fire

On the morning of March 17, four Korean students and I entered the desolate Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, welcomed by the few that worked there with glances of suspicion and disgust. It was 10 a.m., a time usually busy for the airport with no empty chairs and long lines, but these days, rarely anyone wants […]

by Sanaya Mehta

Persevering in Ballet

A year ago, I was getting ready for the most important competition of my life. You’re probably thinking about a sporting event or something more on the educational side. Well, it was neither. It was a ballet competition. I had been training for over three years. Every day, I reluctantly got out of bed at […]

by Arnav Kumar

Far, far away: watching the last sunset over the village

Photo by Stephan Eicher As we looked upon our last sunset over Chopdiyal Village, the vibrant hues of brilliant orange melted into each other. We thought back to the impact this trip made on us. On the first day, we woke up to suffocating heat and the screams of village babies. “Aghhhh,” everyone groaned in […]

by Ira Ahuja

11 movies you don’t want to miss out on

Following the list of recommended TV shows, we have also come up with a list of old but gold movies if you are looking for something shorter and less time consuming. Forrest Gump Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks, is a 1994 comedy about a man with a low IQ which causes him to get bullied. […]

by Ira Ahuja

Summer recommendations to binge watch

As we conclude the 2019-2020 academic year, The Woodstocker decided to recommend a list of the best and worst TV shows, mainly on Netflix, to all students and staff during quarantine to keep you busy while resting at home. Shows recommended: Money Heist Money Heist is a spanish TV series in which a criminal mastermind […]

by Jinho Yoon

Delight at the End of the World, “Cat’s Cradle” by Kurt Vonnegut

“Nothing in this book is true.” So starts Cat’s Cradle, a dark yet hilarious novel by Kurt Vonnegut, more relevant than ever, about the end of the world, featuring a religion of harmless lies and a crystal that can freeze the entire planet. With COVID-19 reaching more than two million cases and India hitting more […]

by Aadya Aryal

Review: Life is beautiful, humanity shines through

Roberto Benigni’s 1997 comedy-drama Life is Beautiful is a cinematic masterpiece in all its glory. It takes place in the Kingdom of Italy in 1939, following the story of Guido Orefice, an exceptionally witty and lovable Jewish bookstore owner. Guido runs into and falls in love with an upper-class woman, Dora, played by Nicoletta Braschi, […]

by Archita Aggarwal

Little Shop of Horrors brings staff together

Upon their arrival in school, students were surprised to see posters of a staff musical around high school. Before the end of last year, Broadway’s sci-fi classic Little Shop of Horrors was set to be performed in Parker Hall after the break. Students were excited to celebrate an evening with loud laughter and enthusiastic applause. But […]

by Jinho Yoon

Backstage with “The Addams Family”

The Addams Family, directed by Rhea Ali and Veer Arya of Class of 2020, was presented on three nights from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23 as a culmination of several months of effort, earning a standing ovation on opening night. A steady anxiety and apprehension grew in the play production members from the beginning of […]