Around the sundial

JANUARY Amid chilly weather, second semester started a bit earlier than usual this year. As students and staff returned, heaters and bukharis (wood stoves) were in constant use to ward off the chill. Sweaters, woolens, long underwear, hats and gloves were essential. One of the side benefits of returning early was that Woodstock, perhaps for the first time, was able to celebrate India's Republic Day on the 26th of January. The big news this month was the announcement of the appointment of Dr. David Laurenson as our new principal.

FEBRUARY At the beginning of this month our Buddhist students observed Losar, Buddhist New Year, by going to celebrations at the local Tibetan community in Happy Valley. Woodstock enjoyed a percussion concert this month by the celebrated Norwegian group, SISU, who delighted and entertained us with their creativity and musicianship. At the end of February, just as the winter cold was giving way to spring sunshine, the whole school participated in a mid-week hiking activity. All students, faculty and many support staff headed out to the hills. Each hike had an educational theme - landscape art, geology, tourism - but much of the delight was simply being able to walk the hills.

MARCH March was filled with activities and events. A group of seniors started raising money for the Aids Awareness Group, Turner Organic Garden was dedicated, famous cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar visited, and the elementary school held its annual talent show. One of the highlights was the MUN conference held at Woodstock, involving nearly 200 Woodstock students and 40 staff and students from other schools. Elementary Sports Day took place at Hanson Field. The younger students ran, jumped and hopped their way towards medals, cheered on by their Middle School house mates. Alumnus TZ Chu was honored by receiving Woodstock's Distinguished Alumni award in a packed Parker Hall. TZ was honored for his leadership in the analytical instruments industry and for his philanthropic activities.

APRIL This April 22nd, Woodstock joined with students and others around the world to observe Earthday. Students learned about environmental issues and participated in various projects to celebrate. In another major celebration, alumnus Tom Alter '69 was honored at Woodstock for having received the prestigious Padma Shri Award in the Republic Day honors list. There were two other special events: first; we held the ninth annual Win Mumby Basketball Tournament, hosting nine girls' and nine boys' teams for the better part of a week. The month then ended with our annual Mela, an event that includes food, music and shopping , and which raises money for scholarships. Homecoming was linked this year to the Mela, and the soon-to-be grads were welcomed at the WOSA luncheon held on campus.

MAY The month marked the end of this academic year. Music staff Mr. David Hugg and Mrs. Rachelle Hugg conducted their final concerts as they prepared to depart. Other ensemble directors led their groups in performances highlighting the hard work they have done all year.

JUNE June witnessed our traditional Baccalaureate and Graduation events. Renaissance, the Class of '08, did it with style! The Baccalaureate address was offered by long-serving staff member Mr. Dale Seefeldt and Commencement remarks were made by board member Mr. Jagdish Sagar '60.

JULY Old and new staff came back up to the hillside in the monsoon rain, including new principal, Dr. David Laurenson and Finance Director Mr. Ben Lall. We spent two weeks settling in and going through orientation and staff meetings in preparation for the new academic year. Old and new staff alike met together and planned for the year ahead.

AUGUST Students arrived and began classes on August 6. We celebrated Indian Independence Day on the 15th with the dedication and groundbreaking of the new Win Mumby Gym site on the same day. The following week Woodstock celebrated Wildlife Week, learning about India's natural history. At the end of the month, along with other Christian schools in Uttarakhand, Woodstock closed for a day to stand in solidarity with Christians in Orissa who were being persecuted.

SEPTEMBER This month we were thrilled to have Woodstock named by Education World magazine as the most respected international school in India - good news for the Board of Directors as they gathered for their semi-annual meeting. It was a productive time and included a farewell and honoring of Lois Neumann '44 who has served on the Board for the last six years. In school news, seniors and freshmen enjoyed the annual Friendship Day, our new Orff instruments for Elementary School were dedicated and students and staff put on a rock show to end all rock shows. The Chaplaincy Council hosted a high school retreat at the Hanifl Center featuring the movie "Joshua".

OCTOBER October included several special events. Middle and High School students participated in both inter-house and inter-school sports days. At the inter-house competition Merlins took both the house cup as well as the spirit award. Our intermediate girls were the division champs at the meet hosted by Wynberg-Allen School. Mid-month Woodstock hosted its second annual Mussoorie International Writers' Festival, including authors and publishers from around the world who write about nature. The week included readings, lectures, discussions and story-telling to which students, staff and community members were all invited. At the end of October and into November we welcomed Rahul Gandotra '94 back to campus where he filmed a short movie as part of completing his Master's degree in Film. Woodstock students and staff got into the act, some with speaking parts and many as extras.

NOVEMBER November began with our annual Activity Week. Students and staff left for adventures in various parts of India, including trekking in the mountains, visiting national parks, touring cities of note, working with disadvantaged groups and, in all cases, learning something new. Shortly after Activity Week, the Junior/Senior banquet was held with The Oscars as the theme, complete with red carpet and velvet ropes to keep the 'paparazzi' at bay. November also included Drama Weekend. This year senior Shubhashish Bhutiani produced and directed Neverland, the story of Peter Pan, much to the delight of young and old. It was a large cast and crew and required substantial coordination, and was carried off with aplomb by Bhutiani.

We had two out of the ordinary events this month. The first was a special chapel service conducted by a church from Hawaii, complete with a hula dance. New Hope Diamond Head Church supports The Firs, a local orphanage that Woodstock also supports. Through our mutual connection they wanted to offer us this special service when they visited. The second special event was a visit by Dr. Bunhead (Tom Pringle), a well known scientist who has his own series on BBC called Science Abuse. He entertained and educated through wild displays such as setting his head on fire and putting a cola bottle filled with liquid nitrogen into a dust bin and blowing it to smithereens. The students were highly entertained. The major news in India was the terrorist attack in Mumbai. As a community we were shocked and, over several days, learned of connections that people at Woodstock had with those who were directly affected by the attacks.

DECEMBER December started off with a series of three ensemble concerts by our very talented student musicians, from the beginner musicians all the way through our most practiced. On December 14 we had a Christmas Chapel of lessons and carols featuring student readers, musicians and various people presenting the lessons. The lovely décor, thoughtful lessons and beautiful renditions of traditional carols were a wonderful way to celebrate this season of Advent.