Woodstock School

Woodstock School
Woodstock Lyre Tree

Woodstock school campus

Woodstock school campus
Palma non sine pulvere
No reward without effort
Location
Mussoorie, Uttarakhand 248 179
India
Coordinates 30°27′14″N 78°6′3″E / 30.45389°N 78.10083°E / 30.45389; 78.10083Coordinates: 30°27′14″N 78°6′3″E / 30.45389°N 78.10083°E / 30.45389; 78.10083
Information
Type Independent, Residential, International
Religious affiliation(s) Christian
Established 1854
Principal Dr Jonathan Long
Grades 5-12
Gender Coeducational
Enrollment 541
494 boarders · 47 day students
Medium of language English
Campus On first range of Himalayas, between 2000 & 2300 metres
Colour(s)         
Brown and gold
Mascot Tiger
Yearbook Whispering Pine
Information tel: 91.135.263.9000
fax: 91.135.263.2885
Website www.woodstockschool.in
Woodstock's campus

Woodstock School is an international coeducational residential school located in Landour, a small hill station contiguous with the town of Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Woodstock is one of the oldest residential schools in Asia, operating today as a private nonprofit institution with Indian Christian Minority Status. Woodstock offers kindergarten through Grade 12 instruction, with a residence programme beginning in Grade 5. It is fully accredited by the Middle States Association, the first school in Asia to receive accreditation in 1960.[1]

Education World, a well-respected education magazine, has consistently ranked Woodstock in the top three international residential schools in India. In 2016 it was number one.[2]

History

Woodstock was founded in 1854 and has been on its current campus since 1856. First managed as a girls’ school with staff provided by an English mission, there came an increasing demand from missionaries for a school in North India with an American curriculum to prepare students for American colleges and universities. By 1928, a full American coeducational programme had been introduced at Woodstock. In 1959, Woodstock was the third high school outside North America and the first school in Asia to receive US accreditation through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.[3]

During the 1960s, cross-cultural courses in social studies, literature, art, and religion were introduced, and Indian classical music and dance lessons were added. Indian universities became more accepting of the Woodstock Diploma, and in 1990 the Association of Indian Universities recognized the Woodstock Diploma as being equivalent to the Indian school-leaving examination, thus allowing graduates to enter Indian universities with greater ease. A year-abroad study program was instituted to keep a North American presence in the school as the missionary population declined. First called the "Package Program," it has been SAGE (Studies Abroad for Global Education) since 1992, and has been closely allied with the Friends of Woodstock and its predecessor organizations in North America.

In the 1960s and1970s Woodstock began to rethink its composition, purpose, and philosophy as an institution. The school consciously shifted its conception from that of a missionary school to a school consisting of an international student body, staff, and curriculum, with a strong Indian cultural component. This change to a truly international school was led by Robert Alter, Principal from 1968 to 1978. With the increasing internationalization of the student body, an English as a Second Language (ESL) program was established in 1978.[4]

In recent years, Woodstock has placed a priority on its academic programming with renovations to classrooms and laboratories, the introduction of contemporary classes such as Environmental Sciences, an increase in the number of US Advanced Placement examinations offered to and taken by seniors, and the requirement for all students to take the Cambridge University IGCSE examinations in Grade 10.

In 2004, Woodstock celebrated 150 years of excellent education in the Himalayas. The Government of India issued a Woodstock School commemorative postage stamp in 2004.[5]

Academics

A broad, balanced and rigorous international curriculum, spanning the Sciences, Arts and Humanities, draws from the very best of the British, American and international education systems. The school offers a fully accredited American high school diploma. Students are prepared for examinations deliberately designed to support their successful application to universities and colleges anywhere in the world and within India.

Our Desired Learning Outcomes [6] apply to both adults and students in the community and inform decisions taken at every level.

Students and Staff

The approximately 500 students come from more than 35 countries, with approximately 45% from within India. The graduating class has about 100 members each year. Financial aid is available, and efforts are made to recruit students who will benefit from the kind of education that Woodstock provides. Students live in four main residence halls, beginning from Grade 5.

The staff draws from many countries and is about 50% Indian, 50% international.

Outdoor Education

Woodstock School's location in the foothills of the Himalayas offers many opportunities for interacting with nature. The residence halls are located approximately 500 feet lower on the mountainside than the main academic campus; students walk it at least once a day. Outdoor Education has been incorporated into the curriculum at every level.

A yearly Activity Week in October sees students from Grades 5 through 12 heading out for hiking, village visits, biking, travel to points of interest such as Dharmsala, and more. Activity Week is considered part of the academic program and it is required for all students to take part. The lower grades take day trips around Mussoorie to learn more about the history and culture of where they live.

The Hanifl Centre [7] was dedicated in 2003, to provide a facility and a programme through which students can learn about the Himalaya and develop their skills and knowledge in outdoor education. It contributes to the sustainable development of the region by transmitting an appreciation and understanding of the Himalayan environment to future leaders. Schools, colleges and universities from around the world visit the Hanifl Centre for a wide variety of different programs.

Alumni Organizations

The Woodstock Old Students Association (WOSA) was founded in 1911 and has chapters in many countries.[8] The North American group, Friends of Woodstock,[9] is the largest. See map on Woodstock School website (scroll down).[10]

Affiliations

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ http://www.msa-cess.org/default.aspx?RelId=606553
  2. ↑ http://www.educationworld.in/institute/woodstock-school-mussoorie.html
  3. ↑ Jones, Wilkie, McGee. Woodstock School: The First Century 1954-1954. Woodstock School Board of Directors, 1954.
  4. ↑ Hilliard, Ruth. Woodstock History Volume II. Woodstock School Board of Directors, 1983.
  5. ↑ "Postage Stamps 2004". postagestamps.gov.in. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  6. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/learning-outcomes/
  7. ↑ http://haniflcentre.in
  8. ↑ http://newsarchive.woodstockschool.in/Alumni/wosahistory.htm
  9. ↑ http://fwsfoundation.org/index.php
  10. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/alumniportal/
  11. ↑ http://www.roundsquare.org
  12. ↑ http://www.cois.org
  13. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/the-global-alliance-for-innovative-learning-gail/
  14. ↑ http://www.taisindia.org
  15. ↑ http://boarding.org.uk
  16. ↑ http://www.nais.org/Pages/default.aspx
  17. ↑ http://www.academyish.org
  18. ↑ http://www.hmc.org.uk
  19. ↑ http://www.case.org
  20. ↑ https://www.nhs.us/?SSO=true
  21. ↑ http://newsarchive.woodstockschool.in/Alumni/DistAlum/alter.htm
  22. ↑ http://www.schwabfound.org/content/shobha-arole
  23. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/about-alumni/brown/
  24. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/about-alumni/campbell/
  25. ↑ http://www.indiaifa.org/about-us/ashoke-chatterjee.html
  26. ↑ http://americanhistory.si.edu/family-voices/individuals/tz-chu
  27. ↑ http://www.ahaprocess.com/solutions/community/consultants/phil-devol/
  28. ↑ http://newsarchive.woodstockschool.in/Alumni/DistAlum/downs.htm
  29. ↑ http://newsarchive.woodstockschool.in/Alumni/DistAlum/fleming.htm
  30. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/about-alumni/mayadas/
  31. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/about-alumni/patiala/
  32. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/about-alumni/sagar/
  33. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/about-alumni/schafer/
  34. ↑ Tucker, Todd (2007). The Great Starvation Experiment: Ancel Keys and the Men Who Starved for Science. University of Minnesota Press. pp. 53–57. ISBN 9780816651610.
  35. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/about-alumni/james-taylor/
  36. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/about-alumni/williams/
  37. ↑ http://www.woodstockschool.in/about-alumni/yadav/
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