Alumni News Archive

A Heartwarming WOSA Gathering in Landour   One of the true joys for Woodstock staff and community members is welcoming visits from our WOSA alumni. This year the experience was made even more spe...

Welcome back to the campus alumni!   It’s been a vibrant and eventful season at Woodstock! Highlights included our Alumni Artist Residency, visits from board members, and numerous alumni reconn...

Woodstock School proudly hosted milestone reunions for the Classes of 1974 in October 2024! Celebrating the Class of 1974’s 50th Milestone Reunion The Class of 1974 recently returned to Woodstock fo...

The month of October is the traditional month of WOSA, and October 2024 was truly remarkable!   From Worldwide Woodstock Day gatherings in 22 locations around the globe to the Homecoming and Mela...

Welcome back to the campus alumni!   We are back this semester and have loved welcoming many visitors to campus over the past few months. One of the highlights was the recent Independence Day cel...

With heavy hearts we wish to inform the Woodstock community that we have lost Saroj Kapadia, a much-loved member of the faculty and the wider community since 1954.   Saroj Kapadia March 14, 1933 ...

We would like to share the sad news of the passing of Doma, a former parent and a beloved local hillside resident.   Doma was well-loved and a well-known figure within the community. She came to ...

We convey our deepfelt sadness to the Downs family upon the recent passing of Dr. Frederick S. Downs, Woodstock Class of ’49 and Distinguished Alumnus Awardee. Dr. Downs is survived by his wife Mary...

Welcome back to the campus alumni!   We are delighted to welcome you all back to campus! Whether you’re returning after many years or just recently, your presence brings a wonderful sense o...

RICHARD (DICK) H. WECHTER came to Woodstock in the early ‘70s following teaching service in Sitka, Alaska and at Kodaikanal School.  He was part of the hillside community for more than 20 years. (D...

Former Head of Product Marketing for Apple India, Shalini Bath ’89 worked at Apple for over 16 years and during her time there helped found Women@Apple diversity network associations in India and La...

  Our First Ever Alumni Sports Fest March 14-16 on Campus!    Organized by the Alumni Sports Affinity Group, the Alumni Sports Fest invites you to return to campus for friendly games with s...

The month of October is the traditional month of WOSA, and October 2023 was extraordinary! From Worldwide Woodstock Day alumni meetings all over the world to Homecoming and Mela on campus, the spirit ...

The annual in-person FWS reunion unfolded this year in Tempe, Arizona, spanning from October 27th to the 30th. The event witnessed a remarkable turnout and featured enjoyable activities and insightful...

  Woodstock School proudly hosted milestone reunions for the Classes of 1973, 1983, and 2003 earlier this year. Celebrating their 50th-, 40th-, and 20th-year milestones, respectively, members of ...

Benjamin Godbersen, Class of 2005, embarked on an epic motorcycle journey from Germany, traversing numerous countries before arriving in India this year. His final stop and heartwarming homecoming too...

Andrew i-Hsin Yang ’15 recently completed medical school in Ukraine. When the Russo-Ukranian War escalated last year, Andrew assisted refugees and displaced persons who flooded his area near the Slo...

Bhavenesh Kumari Patiala, Class of 1950 It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Distinguished Alumna Bhavenesh Kumari on June 23, 2023. A member of the royal family of Patiala, Bhavenes...

Summer School at Woodstock 2023 was the most successful, hustling, and bustling summer program on campus to date! The program provided a wonderful opportunity for community members to return to campus...

After developing the concept during his master’s degree work in the UK, Arsh Bansal ’11 returned to India and launched Tenpy, a startup providing nature getaway living in “tiny homes...

Congratulations to Woodstock School Distinguished Alumni awardees for 2022 Dave Rugh ’66 and Daphne Wysham ’79. These awardees have made remarkable accomplishments in the fields of ecology...

Alumni-staff collaborations are illuminating the history and magic of local nature! Hanifl Centre Director Akshay Shah and Distinguished Alumnus Stephen Alter ’74 have collaborated on a new book ent...

Scotland’s Finance Secretary Kate Forbes is a Member of the Scottish Parliament for an area of the Scottish Highlands. She also holds a post in the government as the Secretary of Finance. Having att...

Met at Woodstock? Married at Woodstock? Found a kindred spirit in another Woodstocker years later? We celebrate Woodstock love this month in recognition of Valentine’s Day and the recent Indian ...

We recently spoke with Anirudh Vohra, ‘10 during a visit he made to Woodstock and Mussoorie for his most recent film project. Anirudh completed his law degree after graduation. However, a passion fo...

Woodstock: A Writer’s Muse Saksham Garg ’13 recently published his first book, Samsara: Enter the Valley of the Gods. Sahiba interviewed Saksham about his book that draws much inspiration from the...

David J. Schoonmaker, Class of 1962  March 16, 1944 – December 15, 2022 We are deeply saddened at the news of passing of Distinguished Alumnus David J. Schoonmaker at age 78 on December 15, 202...

On October 10, 2022 three alumni made the most of a clear and beautiful day on the hillside together by taking a bike tour around Nag Tibba. One alum was making one of many return visits to campus to ...

Please offer a warm Woodstock welcome to our newest members of the Advancement and Alumni Office Team! Sanchali Chakraborty is the Office’s new Advancement and Alumni Office Coordinator and Dat...

Regional Schools Take Part in First-Ever Woodstock Entrepreneurship Fest Supported by WS India, UK Alumni, and Knowledge Partner Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs  On 15 October, Woodstock School’s firs...

Principal Dr Craig Cook, Advancement and Alumni Director Katie Jo Walter, and Director of Communications Kenton Beachy ’78 visited the UK this past September to bring together and meet alumni w...

When Katie Jo Walter asked her soon-to-be short-term alumni host in the U.S. if she could bring him anything from the hillside, Marlin Schoonmaker ’67 replied, “There is one goodie from...

On Saturday, 28 May the Class of 2022 Graduated from Woodstock School, the first students to have an in-person graduation ceremony since 2019 and Woodstock’s second ever class to graduate with both ...

Team Woodstock visited Bangkok last week to meet with our diverse community of prospective parents and alumni as well as former staff and friends!   Over the Weekend, our school team hosted Alumn...

The Woodstock School leadership team’s ongoing alumni engagement and admissions outreach trips took a stop at Kathmandu, Nepal in the recent weeks. Nepal has always been an important region for Wood...

With travel restrictions easing in the region, we have been making the most of this opportunity to travel to different regions to meet with members of our community. Earlier this month, a team from W...

This May, the first ever Woodstock Alumni Artist Residency will take place at Woodstock School’s campus! The residency is a collaboration between Woodstock’s Centre for Imagination, Art Depar...

Glenn Conrad has been honoured as a Distinguished Alumnus of Woodstock School for a lifelong achievement in philanthropy and voluntary service. A 1968 graduate of Woodstock, Glenn arrived in India as ...

Ajai Thandi, Class of 2009, gave up his corporate career as an investment banker to co-found one of India’s most popular coffee brands, Sleepy Owl Coffee. In this interview, Ajai shares how Woodstoc...

  WOSA Asia’s formation last year has provided some much-needed encouragement for many alumni groups and networks in different regions to re-engage and strengthen their communities. One effort ...

It’s always exciting to see how our alumni community are finding new ways to reconnect with one another. Over the past few months, a few alumni artists from our community got together to brainstorm...

Yasmin Padamsee Forbes, alumni from the class of 1987, shares her wonderful stories of travelling and change among the world with us. Having experience in sustainable tourism, human rights, and global...

Saturday, 30 October, was Worldwide Woodstock Day, our annual celebration for everyone in the school community, wherever they are in the world. In a typical year, alumni gather together in far-flung p...

Jamie Alter, Class of 1999, a successful YouTuber, actor, social media influencer, and a sports journalist, talks about his life experiences and journey. Jamie is the son of the late actor and Padma S...

Rehan Khan,  Class of 1988, is on a journey to serve others and make a difference in peoples lives. He has been actively involved in the pharmaceutical industry as one of the top leaders and truly be...

Over the last week, as one surveys the hills surrounding us, tell-tale plumes of smoke have signalled forest fires burning through the tinder-dry Himalayan woodland. They are always a feature of th...

This subject of this month’s Alumni Spotlight, Stefan Eicher, is an artist who helped found the arts organization Art for Change and currently teaches in the Art Department at Woodstock School. ...

Anah Iqbal, Class of 2011, shares with us about her journey, influences and Woodstock experiences that helped her become an artist. Anah is the creative director at Muse Global India and has accomplis...

Ashwin Chacko ’07 is a digital designer based in Dublin, Ireland. He is a multi-disciplined illustrator who creates various conceptual illustrations. Ashwin uses art as a way of storytelling and tak...

Rose Sandy, a fellow graduate from Woodstock School, has achieved many great accomplishments that have created her legacy of being an established writer and avid thinker. Being the daughter of a diplo...

Joshua John, alumni from the class of 1998, has been exploring the wonders and thrills of art and motorcycle culture since his years at Woodstock School. Born in Darbhanga, Bihar, Joshua grew up in Ut...

Ruchi Narain is a Mumbai based film maker and has fond memories of Woodstock to share with us. Her 20 years of vast experience in the Film Industry includes films such as ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisiâ...

Davina Stephens, a New Zealand born artist, discovered her love for art right here in Woodstock. Having lived in some of the world’s most culturally diverse places like Indonesia, India, and Italy, ...

At Woodstock School we absolutely stand against the terrible injustice perpetrated on George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department, as well as ongoing structural racism that persi...

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing away of Mrs. Phuntsok Dolma Chophel. Dolma has been an integral part of the Woodstock story for more than 43 years. She...

Woodstock School has temporarily closed its campus. This is a precautionary measure and at present there are no known or suspected cases of COVID-19 within the Woodstock community. Students will con...

Our Principal, Dr Craig Cook pays a tribute to Thomas Chandy, who served as the Woodstock School board president on two occasions and sadly passed away in November 2019. As a community of learners, W...

What were your interests and passions as a student at WS? Woodstock was the place where many of the interests and passions I still have today really took shape. Curriculum wise, the literature and soc...

What brought you and your family to Woodstock? What years and which grades were you at Woodstock? My story of ending up at Woodstock is unique just like so many of us in this community. My parents wer...

This is a piece Wayne wrote for his retirement home newsletter and for his son and daughter and Stephen Goheen.  He attended every class but second standard at Woodstock from Lower Kindergarten to te...

When did you graduate and how many years did you spend here? I graduated in 1945 after spending 9 years at Woodstock School. Where are you from? I am from North India and was born in Lahore which was ...

Stephen Alter is an author of both fiction and non-fiction. He has received the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada, 2002-03 for his book Elephas Maximus. He worked as the directo...

Dear Alumni and Friends, Two weeks ago our seniors graduated and left Woodstock.  They have come a long way and reached the end of a journey – their school days are over and now new journeys and ne...

A lyre tree symbolises many things, including longevity and virtue. Woodstock is an embodiment of longevity; the history and the stories of many alumni are still heard, and names are up on the plaques...

Ashima came to Woodstock on the 20th of May as the Guest Speaker for WOSA (Woodstock Old Students Association) Assembly. Each year, the Alumni Office welcomes the graduating class into the Alumni Comm...

Key speeches from 2019 Graduation service, including from Valedictorian Award winner, Khushi Agarwal and Best All-Round Graduating Student Award winner Faisal Qadir.   Valedictorian Award –...

Taeho Kim became a parent at Woodstock when his son Jihoon joined Grade 8 in July 2018. Where are you from and what do you do? I am from Busan which is a large port city in South Korea and I am an ...

Woodstock School has announced the appointment of Dr Craig Cook as Principal Designate. Dr Cook will join Woodstock in the new academic year starting in July 2019.   Dr Cook brings to the positio...

Woodstock School is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Craig Cook as our new Principal. Learn more about his journey, life and passion.   Craig has family connections with Asia which str...

KAPIL GUPTA ’92 (Woodstock Board Member since September 2018) My connection to Woodstock is through the Indian side of my family, which has lived in Dehradun for several generations. My father atten...

Rishi Thomas is currently a junior at the University of Southern California. He is majoring in Business Administration with a minor in Applied Analytics at the School of Engineering.   Where are you ...

  Marie Saleem visited Woodstock during the fall of 2018 to attend her 25th class reunion. Originally from the Maldives, she currently lives in Sri Lanka and works with Reefscapers as a consultan...

  Unknown to them, 1947 was a pivotal year for two children coming to Woodstock School for the first time.  Ashok Mayadas was enrolled in Standard One in March, and Judith Dillingham joined the Stan...

Key speeches from 2018 Graduation service, including from Valedictorian Hyechan Jun, Salutatorian Hah Yeon Lee, and guest speaker, former Head of High School, Jonathan Seefeldt ’00.   Valedic...

When did you graduate and how many years did you spend here? I graduated in 2006 (Intrepid) and while my time there was divided in two, I spent about 8 years altogether. Where are you from? I’m ...

The Class of 2018 has spread out across the world to new destinations and adventures   On Saturday 26 May, the Class of 2018 graduated and left Woodstock! For everyone in the school community –...