Jinho Yoon

The chaos of coronavirus

A series of short stories dedicated to keep you informed on the latest updates on the Woodstock coronavirus situation. Extensive preparation for reopening is underway: students not required to return to school until February. “There was no summer holiday for most teachers,” Mr. Doerfler said in an exclusive interview with The Woodstocker. With the pandemic […]

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 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 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 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 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 […]

by Jinho Yoon

IB transition brings tension

Starting the 2019 academic year, the Class of 2021 entered the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), discontinuing the Advanced Placement curriculum, with mixed reception. The preparation for the transition started in September 2018: every week, students attended extensive sessions about the courses offered, the grading format, and more. In addition, teachers attended workshops throughout the […]

by Jinho Yoon

Barred from saying it in the name of justice

One might ask, “What is so offensive and immoral about racial slurs?” Or rather, one does not ask. The answer is obvious. My first conscious encounter with racism was in seventh grade in Nepal. My friends and I were helping a local farm as a part of our community service program. We were planting seeds […]

by Jinho Yoon

Parlez-vous Español en Happy Valley?

Twenty-one students taking French or Spanish classes visited tourist attractions around Mussoorie in the month of March, creating videos – or “vlogs” – as tourist guides for future French or Spanish tourists. This was one of the programs offered in the annual Outdoor Learning Weekend. Starting at the school main gate, the students walked through Tehri Road […]

by Jinho Yoon

Kitchen demographics reveal local gender bias

The school has had a completely male kitchen staff for several years. The last female staff was a supervisor six years ago, showing the current global trend of gender discrepancy in the culinary workplace. Mr. Ketan Swami, kitchen director, talked about his experience over the years. “Since the kitchen opened up”, he said, “they used […]