New Staff: My journey to Woodstock

Woodstock School welcomes 31 new staff members this semester. They came from several different countries, backgrounds, and experiences, and all of them come together to join and grow with the Woodstock family.

Here, some of the new staff write about their personal journeys to the school:

Steve Luukkonen (Physical Education)

What really drew me to Woodstock was the view on the brochures - the word 'Himalaya' definitely helped convince me. The view from my apartment balcony is amazing!

I have been involved in the Physical Education department, and the opportunity to stretch my creative mind in such a small space drew me to this school. I'm also excited about the soon-to-be-built PE facility, complete with a climbing wall and state of the art technology! The Christian aspect of the school interested me, too, since I am Lutheran and my mom is a Lutheran Pastor.

The adjustment has been quiet easy! All the new staff I arrived with have bonded well with me and have become a second family to me already! Even though the campus itself is a massive 300 acres, the small family feel of it is still there, and I'm looking forward to bonding with the students, too.

India has the nicest culture I have ever been involved in!

Stephen Philip (Maths)

I came here because I want to be part of working with educational inequality in India and I wanted to teach at a school first. I also wish to learn Hindi, so I wanted to teach at a school in an area where Hindi is the primary language.

Nicole Farley (Music)

My husband (Chris - ICT) and I have always wanted to teach overseas, and Woodstock seemed to be a great fit from the start.

I had a major surgery two days before our interview with Woodstock, so came to my interview in a wheelchair. We had to convince them that under normal circumstances, I was very healthy and would definitely be able to move around the hillside on my feet! Every time we told someone where we'd been hired, they looked very dubious and skeptical. Hooray for being able to walk!

India itself was pretty overwhelming at first, but we're growing to appreciate the charm and wholeness that comes with this culture. We love Mussoorie, and we love Woodstock.

Nan Onkka (Residence)

I first came to Woodstock last fall through the student teaching program at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Under Christina Guenther, I taught three art classes in the high school for four months.

Memories from last fall include chaperoning CARE activities, making a fool of myself in the staff talent show, shadow puppets and riddles with Grade 9 for Activity Week in Khas Gudaon, and the frequent quest to find my doormat after monkeys would scatter it across the hillside and sometimes on the roof of Hostel.

After a brief stint in the U.S. I am back and excited to be working as a dorm parent in Midlands.