Leavers' Chapel

One important Woodstock tradition is the honouring of people who have made a contribution to our community when their time comes to leave. This is done in many ways - by departments, at the staff farewell banquet, in various events for the seniors and those moving between schools - but one important vehicle is the final chapel of the year, where we get the opportunity to hear for one last time from some of those who have been an important part of Woodstock, particularly in terms of their spiritual input to students and staff.

Those who participated this year on Sunday 20th May were Alan and Rosalie Howard, who have worked in residences (and in French teaching) for three years; Debbie Mulneix, who has been a mainstay of first Midlands and then Hostel during her time at Woodstock; and Brian Dunn, chaplain, with his wife Marla. Ashwin Chacko spoke on behalf of the departing seniors. Alan spoke movingly about God's aility to make dreams come true; as an alumnus who only attended the school during his elementary years, he dreamed of returning to Woodstock - a dream which was many years in the fulfilment. The impact Alan and Rosalie have had on the lives of our young students demonstrates that this was a dream worth having.

Debbie gave a somewhat tongue-in-cheek account of Woodstock's "hidden' curriculum - the skills our students develop which are not strictly part of the programme! Brian Dunn stated that this was his 44th chapel during his seven years at Woodstock; he still found something new to share, talking of his own dreams of developing his talent for art. Marla spoke for the first time in a chapel, and encouraged us all to look for God's plan in our lives, not our own.

The final item was a reminiscence of the year in the form of a slide show set to the Queen song "These are the days of our lives", after which Principal Kaye Aoki pronounced an Irish blessing on all those present:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again. May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

You can download a copy of the slideshow here (Windows Media Movie, 8 mb)