22 Nov Milestone Reunions 2023 at WS Campus
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 these classes returned to campus for joyous reunion tours and activities arranged by Sanchali Chakraborty and the Advancement and Alumni Relations team, with help from Dorm Parents, catering, hospitality, the Music Department, the Audio and Visual Department, and last but not least an enthusiastic crew of Advancement and Alumni Office interns!
There’s something about returning to the hillside that brings back a sense of freedom and playfulness amidst the hills. No matter their age, visiting alumni had a visible spring in their step as they strode past the monkeys and the sites of their memorable moments related to food, Dorm Parents, and teachers – as well as both successful and thwarted attempts at mischief. 🙂 They were seen teasing one another in the Quad, throwing basketballs across the courts, and generally having fun! Current students were immediately drawn to strike up conversations with these lively groups as they laughed and shared stories with one another.
We take immense pride in sharing these significant occasions with our alumni, and it was especially delightful that the reunions for the Classes of 1983 and 2003 coincided with Worldwide Woodstock Day, Homecoming, and Mela this year. Here are some highlights from these milestone reunions below. We hope they bring joy to the attendees and also inspire other classes to include Woodstock School in their reunion plans. We’re always here and excited to make a visit to campus special for you. Just drop us an email at alumni@woodstock.ac.in.
Class of 1973: 50-Year Milestone Reunion
Twenty-eight members of the Class of ’73 gathered on campus in September 2023 to kick off a three-week celebration marking their 50-year reunion. They were joined by 22 spouses and adult children. Following the first week in Delhi, Haridwar, and Mussoorie, smaller groups travelled to Vadodara, Nainital, and Thailand. The class toured campus and connected with current faculty and staff, visited dorms along with long-serving Dorm Parents, shared meals in the dining hall with current students, and spent quality time with the Alumni Office student interns. Their time was brought to a close at the Hanifl Centre where, after receiving a tour from Director Mr. Akshay Shah, they enjoyed an evening of live music by the staff band and dinner on the Hanifl Centre lawns attended by Principal Dr. Craig Cook.
As part of their time of celebrating their special bonds cultivated at Woodstock, the class pooled together to make a generous gift totaling over $25,000 to support Parker Hall renovations and diversity scholarships. The 1973 Class Gift brought great energy to this year’s fundraising efforts towards these important long-term projects, and the school is grateful for the immense generosity shown by this class.
Alumni in attendance included Tanya Zimmer, Vernon VanRooy, Tim King, Eric Sackman, Tim Buhler, Ted Garrison, Stephen Self, Rakesh Kohli, Loren Claassen, Mark Hackney, Dale Scott, Ed Dubland, Sunil Dalal, Bruce Davis, Mary Ina Hooley, Bonnie Lutz, Prem Punjabi, Susan Unger, Carla Petievich, Kadam Divakaran, Lois Williams, Deborah Kenoyer, Nandita Amin, Nan Allison, Susan Lockett, Ameeta Alter, Karen Seller, and Xina Kingshill.
Class of 1983: 40-Year Milestone Reunion
For their 40th milestone reunion, 27 classmates reunited at Woodstock School for celebrations. They joined during the Homecoming and Mela week, experiencing all the festivities. The class attended a special reception in the Tea Garden organized by the Alumni Office where school archives materials from their class were on display, followed by a morning tour of the school including a session at the Centre for Imagination and an afternoon Dorm Parent led tour of the dorms. The class gathered at the Quad for official class pictures, followed by dinner and live music hosted by Woodstock staff members.
In attendance: Atula Aier, Camilla Bates, Astrid Chapman, Satwant Degun, Theresa Douglas, Jessica Forbes, Chris Frost, Kiran Garg, Elaine Hostetler, Salil Kumar Ali, Anshuman Magazine, Devinder Mahal, Madhu Malhan, Dushyant Manchanda, Samuel Manickam, Chetan Marwah, Chand Mehra, Seema Merchant, Kairas Mistry, Carole Nasralla, Vigyan Rana, Binita Santra, Robert Stone, Aung Thet Tu, Meenakshi Varandani, Bill Zide, and Gregory Zide.
Class of 2003: 20-Year Milestone Reunion
Eighteen classmates returned to campus to celebrate their 20th milestone reunion during Homecoming and Mela week. In a wonderful turn of events, the class homeroom head Mrs. Mangalwadi and her husband came and joined the group for part of the time. As they did for other groups, the Advancement and Alumni interns posted Whispering Pine yearbook photos of class members around the Quad that served as a fun conversation piece and selfie point for visiting alumni and also sparked curiosity among current students. The reunion formally began with the customary welcome tea event at the Tea Garden followed by a campus tour, dorm tour, delicious teatime samosas and jalebis in the newly renovated Alter Ridge Dining Hall, a Woodstock School merchandise shopping spree, and finally a meal in the Quad dining hall. The interactions and camaraderie among classmates were evident in the bonding, fun, and laughter throughout the reunion. Many of the classmates were present at the Mela day, enjoying the local stalls, food, and events, with Le Duc Pham even jumping on stage at the last minute with Katie Jo for a rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine that had students swaying together arm in arm as shadows fell across the valley….
In attendance: Sonjoy Singhi, Karan Madhok, Thangjemgun Kipgen, Le Duc Pham, Reuben Gergan, Ishita Kaul, Vivek Vig, Sentienla Ezung, Noeline Mangalwadi, Donna Pinto, Sheena Uppal, Sakshi Mehra, Helen Provotorova Litvinenko, Shivika Sinha, Kavita Khimji, Kuenzang Doma, Choni Tenzin, Lara Kanga, and Shefali Saldhana.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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