Building Woodstock

The story of Woodstock is marked by continual progress, often occurring in careful and measured steps but with certain periods when great leaps forward have been made. Such periods of growth typically come through recognizing the changing times and the need for the school to respond in a proactive manner. These changes are rarely discreet events, but rather a watershed in one area such as building brings with it substantive shifts in other areas such as curricula and even school philosophy.

The first period of rapid growth for Woodstock occurred with the appointment of Allen E. Parker, the principal of Woodstock from 1922 - 1939. Under his leadership, the school was ushered into the "modern era." At the time of Allen and Irene Parker's arrival, Woodstock was still a girls' school and had been for nearly 70 years. The physical plant consisted of Woodstock House (the old school building), the music building and the College building on Midlands Estate. Under Parker's leadership all of this changed.

During his tenure, Allen Parker oversaw a program which included the building of a boys' hostel, complete with swimming pool, a new high school academic building, an auditorium, aptly named Parker Hall, and the razing of the old school building to make way for a new construction that would include classrooms and dorm rooms for younger students as well as hospital rooms on the third floor. Woodstock Cottage, the Principal's house, was also built during this time. The development of a sports field, now known as Hanson Field, was the final addition.

Of course, Parker had his fair share of challenges. When he took over as Principal, the first job he saw before him was to build the boys' hostel as missionaries were pressing Woodstock to educate their sons. However, the school was in debt to the tune of Rs. 20,000. He pursued a grant and was given half, provided that the school raised the other half within a year, a task he personally took on. As building commenced and the monsoon rains set in, part of the scaffolding fell, injuring a number of workers. Cement was hard to get and expensive and they had to scrounge around to figure out how to build the sides of the swimming pool. Through perseverance the boys' hostel was completed and the boys moved in to brand new quarters in 1926.

The building of the sports field was also fraught with difficulties. In Parker's words, "Every engineer I have consulted tells me a playing field cannot be made there. I believe it can be done so we are going ahead with it." And further, "To build that field one had to cut down a mountain, fill up a valley and divert a stream." In 1937 he went ahead with plans and, with the exception of about 20 feet that slid down the khud during building, it has been used ever since.

But the changes to Woodstock under Parker's leadership were not only in new buildings and improved grounds. Woodstock had been founded by the East India Company and was soon taken over by Presbyterian missionaries to educate their daughters. By 1928 a coalition of mission organizations was running the school, boys of missionary families needed a place to be educated and a new constitution had to be developed to reflect these realities. Each of these mission organizations provided money, teachers and board leadership. About the same time, Parker began introducing a more American flavor to the curriculum, adding courses such as US History. These events catapulted Woodstock into a new era, one that Allen Parker had the vision to see. In retrospect, we recognize it as one of the significant turning points for the school.

There have been other dramatic changes for Woodstock since the time of the Parkers. The end of World War II and British rule in India, demographic changes, and the decrease of foreign missionaries in India have all contributed to the accelerating change of the school. In the 70s Woodstock ceased being a missions' school. Bob Alter, principal at the time wrote: "For Woodstock, the 1970s will go down in history as a 'decade of change,' with changes as significant and far reaching as those that took place a half-century before in the 1920's.During the 1970's Woodstock ceased to be a school primarily for North American missionary children. [It became] a mission in its own right, a Christian International School, providing education to children from a wide range of national and religious backgrounds." This change affected recruitment of students and staff, finances, fees, building, and curricula. Increasingly staff housing was required as more families came to work, replacing the single missionary women that predominated throughout Woodstock's first century. The pressures of modernization and the need to provide up-to-date amenities also became a primary focus.

At this point in our history we again stand at the cusp of a period that is likely to be seen by future generations as having been a substantive turning point. Woodstock is redefining itself and its mission. As one of India's most respected international schools, we have a vision that we can become one of the world's most respected and recognized international schools. This will require us to set high standards in every area of operations, not just keep pace with current trends. Under the leadership of our new administration and a revitalized board, we have begun work on a strategic plan that encompasses buildings, infrastructure, technology, curricula, teacher training, housing - a plan that touches every aspect of Woodstock. When fully developed, funded and implemented we expect to realize this vision, catapulting us yet again into a dynamic age of progress and possibilities.

Julie Eby-MacKenzie

Thanks go to Edith Jones, Caroline Wilkie and Mary McGee who wrote the book, Woodstock School, Vol I, The First Century 1854-1954 from which we took most of our information about Allen Parker. Thanks also to Ruth Hilliard, who wrote Woodstock History, Vol. II, 1954-1983 for the more recent history. Allen Parker's memoir of his time at Woodstock is available for purchase at the school.