How to get your way out of SMD's

Have you lately been having a bunch of demerits piled on top because of annoying teachers, or one second late tardiness. Well here is your chance to avoid attending SMD's. Now I must advise you not to do whatever I tell you in this blog, anything that you do has nothing to do with me, and you will not, I repeat, you will not be able to blame anything on me. Once again, for your safety and concern, I highly recommend that you do not follow this blog and anything you follow is based upon your own free will.



Well, now that the warnings are out of the way. Did you ever wonder what would happen if you received ten SMDs in one semester? Well let me first begin with background information about an SMD. SMD is short for Saturday Morning Detentions. To get a detention, one must accumulate three demerits within one quarter because each quarter the demerits are reset as well as the SMDs. Demerits can be given out because of inappropriate behavior: not bringing materials to class, and tardiness. Most people at this school, accumulate demerits because of tardiness, or simply because of one teacher that targets you. And there is absolutely no way out of getting a demerit. Once a teacher is set to give you a demerit begging, bribing, and even crying have absoutely no effect whatsoever on the teacher (trust me, I have the experience).



Now that you have the necessary information needed to know about SMDs, I shall begin to describe to you one simple way of getting out of it. First of all, if the SATs are offerred make sure to take the exam because its on a Saturday morning, and so you will have to miss it regardless. Secondly, become part of CARE and organize trips on Saturday morning just an hour or a half hour before SMD ends that way, you don't have to wake up to early and then you can possibly go down to Dehradun on that way (its a double positive)! Therefore, some Saturdays would be wasted. If, however, you can not find something to get out of the SMD, then just skip it. They'll threaten you, scare you, but at the maximum they will give you two extra SMDs. So by now, you have probably piled up so many SMDs that they would probably run over the semester. Now your job is half way done. I received some inside information from Mr. Egly that SMDs do not lead to conduct, and there is no other punishment greater then SMDs. Therefore, there really are no worries about not attending SMDs, the biggest worry, however, is getting a beat down by Mr. Spider, or even Mr. Dandyson. But your last goal is to avoid them at all costs, and life will be much easier and Saturdays will be much more peaceful and relaxing.

I must once again tell you to not heed this blog. Anything that you do is on your own free will.

The Frightening Health Center

Just when I thought the ghost stories told by other people were false and completely absurd. Living in the Heatlh Center has proved otherwise. For the past week now, I have been living there in order to study for my exams and not because I am sick. The rowdiness in the dorms had hindered my studies causing me to fall behind in classes and not that exams are coming out, I just had to get out. However, now I think my decision might have been wrong. Two nights ago, Sharma and I were trying to open the windows, but it got stuck, so we had to resort to going outside and pulling the windows open. Just outside of the window is a mini walkway with a rock fence protecting one from falling off the hill. As we walked outside our shadows appeared on the rock fence. It was dark, and a lamp light was closeby illuminating parts of the rock fence. While banging and pulling the windows, something moved on the right side of Sharma and I. Both of us looked to the right and saw a shadow of something dangling back and forth right next to our shadows. I looked behind, but could not find a single thing that would make that shadow, and immediately my heart began to pace. I looked at Sharm and I guess she felt and the saw the same thing because as soon as we looked at one another, we both ran screaming into the health center.

" Ms. Seldon, we saw a shadow, we saw a shadow," I screamed while panting heavily.

"Don't scare me, I have to live here alone sometimes, and I already have enough," said Ms. Seldon. She began to tell us a story about when she was in the Health Center alone, she could hear footsteps coming from upstairs as if somebody was dancing around. The odd thing, however, is that nobody lives or should have been up above the Health Center at the time of the night.

The scories continued to get worse, as Sharma had left me alone in the Heatlh Center. Because of my fear of living by myself I switched rooms to wear a girl named, Parshi was. Though she was of a younger age, she was a lot braver than me. Just before we were preparing to go to bed, I heard a thud thud noise as if somebody was knocking on the window. Immediately, I freaked out and ran outside the run. Parshi, however, was brave enough to stay, although she did agree that it was definitely not the window banging, because the sound of the window banging was much different then the knocking sounds that we heard.

Just the day after the knocking sound occurred, I was sitting outside in the Health Center lounge watching television bymyself, when all of a sudden I could hear a thudding sound coming from the rooftop. I immediately ignored it, however, it was the same exact sounds that Ms. Seldon described and I am absolutely positive that nobody lives on top of the Health Center.

While I have a week left to go living up there, I must wonder what my chances are of surviving the fear and the werid things that go around?

What Happens When You Google Image Woodstock...

Hello followers,

Well, if you have not figured out already, I have what you may call a hobby or an addiction of utilizing Google. I must say that ever since the verb form - google- has been added into the dictionary, it has officially become my new favorite verb. While on google doing some research, I came across an idea of google imaging just "Woodstock", "Woodstock India", and last, but not least "Woodstock School" just to see what kinds of images I would come across, and see how safe we really are from terrorists considering the access they have to the design of our campus. Well to begin with these are just the top first three pictures that appear on the Web page when I typed in

"Woodstock":

1.

Well that is quite interesting, but definitely not Woodstock

2

I have much difficulty deciphering what in the world this picture is about

3

If you know or even care about the slightest bit of American histor, then you would understand this considering that Woodstock was a hippie movement

- After looking at these three photos it seems that internationally Woodstock is beaten by the fame of the Woodstock movement in the United States, however, lets see what pops up when

the next phrase is typed in :

"Woodstock India"

1.

Well I guess you may just say that Woodstock security is useless since you can see the intensity of the security at the MAIN gate of the school

2.

Well I guess you could be happy that Rokeby is not included, at least ninth graders can be safe.

3.

Privacy Much??

Well after google imaging "Woodstock India" it seems that we hit a target and that Woodstock is actually quite famous around India, however, the privacy of the pictures is not really protected, and therefore, quite a shocker for Woodstock students. Well then I guess its time to move on to the last bit:

"Woodstock School"

1.

I don't know if I can call this Woodstock, but certainly this person has attempted to take photojournalism lessons from the Woodstock journalism teacher

2.

A bunch of Indians on hills, doesn't necessarily mean Woodstock? But the carpet does nicely contrast the huge unreadable billboard

3.

Of course the Woodstock logo remains famous on Google imaging

Well after looking through google images it seems that Woodstock security might be at minimal risk, but on a positive note it is a relatively popular school! And to back that theory up, Woodstock is actually considered the most admired International Schools in India, and that is a lot to say. So I guess a round of applause is necessary for the students because what is a school without students?

Chaar Dukan

Ever wonder, what is so special about a small little organization with just four very similar food stores. Simply put, it is the variety of food offered at these stores that catches the attention of Woodstock students. Although the climb up to the these stores especially from the dorms causes students much agony, and even surmounts most students to abhor the renowned hills of Mussoorie, the walk is worth it. One store at Chaar Dukan, is the most famous out of all the stores, not because of way the store was built, but because of the delicious food that it sells. Favorite to the taste of numerous students is what is known as Aloo Parantha. An amazing tasty potato bread sandwich that catches the attention of even those living in Dehradun. Another notorious dish created by a family man chef is the maggie with cheese. Although maggie comes at a cheep cost as well as cheese, and can be easily made within minutes in the dorms, the taste that comes from the Chaar Dukan store holds no comparison between the dorm food. Whatever additional nutrients, or flavors that are added into the dish, somehow entice the students into returning. Besides the food, the location of the stores, actually provides an amazing scenery in a relatively quite area with limited cars. Therefore, coming to Chaar Dukan proves to be an excellent choice because of not only the scenery, but also because of the delicious food. Furthermore, besides eating food at the store at an especially cheap cost, students may also buy "tuck." Unlike stores in the Bazaar, Chaar Dukan refrains from raising prices although it would be more beneficial for the store owners, therefore, buying "tuck" from these stores proves to be highly beneficial for the students. The question remains, however, is how far are students willing to go in order to be able to eat at Chaar Dukan since students are banned from going for pretty much the whole week?

Below is a picture of an Aloo Parantha(Credits to Google pictures):

Overcrowdedness in the Health Center

Have you ever walked into the Health Center only to be turned back because of lack of beds? Well as the new semester at Woodstock had already begun, students have been flooding the health center as to catch up on loss of sleep as well as to stay away from the boring classes in school. However, with the help of feisty health center staff, more and more students who are not sick are beginning to be rejected from resting. It is crazy while awaiting at the center in the morning because the amount of people that come, causes the nurses to be very busy and slow, thus delaying students from attending morning classes. Previously, the problem at the health center was not the overflow of students, but the numerous amount of people without slips attempting to ride the jeeps had caused the jeep to come down back to Ridgewood for a maximum of three times. If one rode the jeep for the last round, then they would most likely reach school just after assembly finished. Therefore, this was the major problem for the health center- finding and eliminating the lazy students of the school, mainly the guys. But the problem has been dealt with, with a single solution- tell Dollat ji the drive to check and make sure that the students have a slip when coming onto the jeep, furthermore, they have also told dorm parents to be stricter when it comes to handing out jeep slips. Not that the problem of jeep slips has been taken care of, the health center staff has yet to work on the overflowing students coming into the health center. The question remains of whether or not the staff can remember the special skills of Mrs. Sfd, and determine whose lying and whose telling the truth.

What Others Think About Woodstock

Googling is my favorite thing to do in my spare time; therefore, while I was googling lame pick up lines, I decided to try something new and interesting. At first attempt, I typed in Woodstock School into google and out popped thousands of results titled or described as either “Welcome to Woodstock”, or simply, “Woodstock Alumni”. Bored of the results I decided to type in Woodstock School blog, and numerous of interesting results showed up. One was titled “No one’s listening, so I’m writing,” which sparked my interest because it was describing the Alma matter of Woodstock- education for a world of difference. The blogger who goes by the name nepaliketi, finds it odd that while she had to struggle to fight for education there are numerous kids in Nepal that are running around with education. Therefore, her having education has no effect on the world. She basically points out that schools like Woodstock, should take the effort into making education more easily accessible to kids, and only then will the alma matter actually become true. Another blogger, who goes by the name of Allison Moorer, describes how she and her other friends had raised money for Woodstock’s Art program and that to over $10,000 solely because Woodstock was low on funding. This blog aroused two questions from me, one why in the world would someone raise that much money for Woodstock, when they could easily donate it to some charity and two- how is it possible that Woodstock is low on funds, when it raises the admissions price practically every year. Just looking at these two blogs brings into perspective what others think of Woodstock and surprisingly, both comments are outrageous on positive notes and negative notes.
On another note, checking and writing about every blog about Woodstock would take a million years, therefore, instead of looking for blogs I actually googled images and came across an amazing accurate sketch of Woodstock (and the security officers are worried about how terrorists will get there information, well that is an obvious answer):

http://people.virginia.edu/~pm9k/woodstock/writings/living/6gate.jpg

There were also pictures of the Woodstock logo and of the campus. So it seems as if the security office might want to check out google for a little while. The people who have drawn this sketch have also written a book about Woodstock titled, Living on the Edge: Tales of Woodstock School. Never would I have imagined that there would be so many books just based off of Woodstock School. I guess in some cases it does come true that Woodstock is provides education for a world of difference.

An example of a lecture by Woodstock people...

Some of us say that when we come by things, our experiences

change; and our knowledge expands even if for the better

or for the worse. But today, all that comes across

is the sensation of hope that lasts only momentarily

as the stresses clog up my mind and fill me up with

negativity. Its not the stresses fault though, its

my own because every human being has the capability

to change. People wish for oppurtunities to be able to walk

and some of us hope to ride on a wheelchair as an act of

entertainment. What we want is what we must strive for

and the end result is what fills our everyday dreams.

In between lies the sweat, the gore that haunts us day

by day until our desire to bear the pain lasts no

longer. It is this temporary hope that everyone

is capable to expand on, but we must rest on the assurance

that our body, our mind, our soul are capable of completing

such a task. It is faith, not in a religious point of view,

but faith in ourselves that wil allow us to surpass

the gore, to pass what most of us don't even consider.

From tomorrow on, this dream of staying healthy and

eating when only hungry are the many goals of which I have

tried to achieve for a long time period. But, as of

Tuesday, tomorrow, I shall achieve these goals until

rest assured on my birthday I am who I want to be, i am

that confident person lacking at conscious whenever

thinking negatively. It is my drive that fills me,

it is the hunger for change that drives me, it is

the pound every two days that I will lose and maintain. It is

who I want to be and nobody else; it is me.

Racist or Sexist?

Woodstock's eleventh graders have had issues for the past two years. Issues that confuse new students and old students even today. It all began in tenth grade when the guys all of a sudden got turned off by the girls at Woodstock maybe because of their looks or probably because they intrinsically knew that the girls were to good for them, so why bother. Though at first the problem seemed minor, the girls began to grow curious over how closed off the guys were, and how unfairly rude they were being to students. A girl from last year commented on how a group of around six or seven boys used to pick on girls whenever they would walk by. For the whole of tenth grade, guys would pick on girls, and girls would complain about guys and yet no serious action has taken place. Unfortunately the major issue of last year was sexim, but this year in eleventh grade the issue has matured into racism. A unity meeting was called by the boys, who are also known as the "gay gang." They believed that they were unfairly being blamed for not talking to girls, however, though they were correct and they do talk to girls, their issue is that they only talk to girls of their same religion or culture. For example, if a guy, who is part of the "gay gang", is Nepali, then most like he would only talk to a Nepali girl, hence the racism. Therefore, the issue from last year has migrated to an issue of racism, which has been taking up the conversation topics for not only students, but also for teachers. Certain teachers feel that the "gay gang" should be punished or called upon by the principal. However, its not the teachers who must take action, its the students. We have to yet to see, whose the leader strong enough to complain and control the majority group of guys- the gay gang?

Ghost Stories in Woodstock

From broken down houses to tap tap noises on the Midland's ramp, Woodstock is full of mysterious spiritual, and ghost stories. Mr. Plonka's advisor group has started a trend in scary stories that has caused a whole movement in Midlands.

Most people who are unaware of the history of Midlands are oblivious to the fact that it was built on a grave that was previously band for older generation students. Therefore, the presence of ghosts or spirits when walking around Midland's during the evening time alone cause quite a scare for the girls and even the boys. Ghosh's sister, who graduated Woodstock last year, had an extremely frightening experience last year when she was walking up the Midlands ramp alone. Exhausted from having to stay up at school all day long, Ghosh's sister just wanted to reach Midlands and collapse on her bed, however, while close to her destination, she encountered something unusual on the Midland's ramp. While beginning the ascent up, she at first heard a soft "tap, tap" sound that was slightly blocked out by her heavy breathing. As she continued to walk up the hill, the "tap, tap" sound grew louder and louder, and each time Ghosh's sister heard the voice she turned around, but found nothing, and no one behind her. Thoughts kept racing to her head as fear controlled her mind. The noises wouldn't stop, and it seemed as if someone was following her. Her only option left was to run up the ramp, shouting for help. To her satisfaction, she made it up to Midland's safely, but scared out of her wits.

Not only did Ghosh's sister experience a ghost in her presence, but if one were to go to the house where apparently two girls were murdered, they will be in for one great big ride. The house now shut down to everyone, has rumors of noises, and appearences of ghosts to such an extent that there is an armored body guard protecting people from entering. If permitted, and if the ghosts don't get to me before I get to the house, then we shall find out what truly goes on inside...

What to do when your homesick

Ever wonder what to do when your missing your family, your friends? Well, the solution is clear and simple, especially in Midlands. Almost each and every room that you walk into, there are pictures, decorations, or other reminders of a girl's home nailed to their boards. Such memories sometimes are a good reminder of what you have. It doesn't matter if your a guy, or a girl all you have to do is print pictures out, nail them to the wall, take food wrappers, or anything you can find that reminds you of home and nail that to the board as well. Here are some examples from all the grades in Midlands (I'm sorry guys, but you are extremely protective of your dorms- even establishing a rule to not let girls in, therefore, I did not want to risk my life in order to take pictures of your boards).

Boredom in the Girl's Bathrooms

Ever wonder what goes on in the girl's bathrooms. Well, as a preview, the toilets are the one place where people can share their feelings with the walls and the doors. Some make sense, while other messages are questionable. Scroll down, and you will find an inside guide to real girl feelings.

(Please get a life)

Seems that anger and hatred are displayed in a place of isolation- the bathroom

(Luminesence 2011)

Team spirit, while going number 2 or 1...mhhmmm?

(Rockstar)

Scribbling 'Rockstar' for moral support

(Let me go)

That person must have had some difficulty being able to leave the toilet (I'm guessing diarrhea)

(In the light of the sun, is there anyone? Oh it has begun, Oh dear you look so lost, eyes are red)
Relatively neat hand writing, I guess this person feels comfortable spending quite a lot of time in a bathroom

(Boston- Augustana)

If it's not enough to sing in the bathroom, people even bother to write the name

(More than most ready to smile and love again)

Some people just are insanely relieved while utilizing the bathroom

(Smile and the world smiles with you, fart and you stand alone)

Unfortunately, to those who read this, it comes as a harsh reality blow

(Oh my god)

Even religion comes in handy in a bathroom

When Woodstock Dorm Parent’s Children Attack…

If students ever bother to come down to dorms early, or skip an optional event such as senior boys’ basketball and head down to dorms, then one would notice four young children that don’t know the slightest meaning of the word- stop. These children are bewitched with evilness and stubbornness and like a vampire waiting to suck your blood, they patiently, yet eagerly wait for you at the Ridgewood basketball court.
Their identity remains a secret, but if ever you feel a splash of water anywhere on you, then that should be a signal to either take out your water bottle, or just run for your life from a kid half of your age, but don’t be ashamed, running away, although wimpy, is the key when it comes to spoiled bullies.
As of March 3, 2010 my four friends and I have officially managed to be squirt gunned by only 2 young kids, who to our dismay, have some pretty good squirting skills. While happily walking down towards dorms without a single disturbance for once in our life, our luck immediately turned around as we witnessed from the heights of Woodstock two tiny children putting on a big grin when they saw us slowly walking down towards dorms. At first our alarm was on the low, until we finally reached the Ridgewood basketball court only to realize that the two bratty kids had filled their water guns, and were aiming them straight at us.
A turn to the left, a turn to the right, and I found an escape without being liquefied and as soon as I escaped, I pointed at my yellow jacketed friend yelling “Go for her, go for her!”
The yellow jacketed girl glared at me and then ran for her life because one of her major fears in life is- kids. With their guns they chased after her until she brilliantly began running up the hill far away from their boundaries, otherwise, they, for once would be scolded by their parents.
But, the kids didn’t just stop with the yellow jacketed girl because on their way of chasing her, another girl with glasses (chashmish- Hindi for glasses) disturbed their paths. Within seconds, the little boy with Harry Potter glasses, took out his water gun and aimed it right at her face. Honestly, his target aim was amazing, but chashmish was on the verge of revenge. When it comes to chashmish: size, age, height, and weight are not taken into account when she’s in the mood for vengeance. Therefore, when the little girl started to tease chashmish, the teenager came running to me for my water bottle, and within seconds the young girl was being poured water on by chashmish.
Though chashmish is brave and ignorant of age, jasmine, the last survivor, was too frail to escape and was taken into hostage by the bratty girl. While the yellow jacketed girl had time to run away, and chashmish had time to take vengeance, jasmine was being held against her will by a girl literally a quarter of her size. She escaped with a few splashes of water, and her face red with anger like in the cartoons.
If your wondering of what ever happened to the yellow jacketed girl, well she survived at the very least after walking behind a group of two girls and eventually running away from the little kids until she was in the safe zone- Alter Ridge.
We all four were survivors and victims of bullying, one of the major problems at Woodstock. No matter what your size, your race, you religion, or your opinions are just beware because bullies attack either violently with water, or with rumors that make you cry as if they were holding an onion to your face and your only option to survival is to have natural skills at running away.

The Ignorance of Random Places

All around Woodstock the students akwowledge certain locations, however, they never bother to understand what truly takes place inside Woodstock. I present to you a beginning look at the places in which are easily accessible by students, but never actually used.

Down towards the hostel is where the neverending construction takes place. But what really, truly goes on inside?




A random road near Ridgewood that only mysterious jeeps use.

What about the views in the evening? Its almost like a painting, but nobody bothers to understand the beauty of it.

Just behind the Alter Ridge dining Hall is the "never before noticed until now" employee entrance

That green door in the back looks sketchy.

What does the guard do all day? When does he appear? Stay tuned to find out...

From the outside it looks like a sweet house, but the noises that come out show indication of a party in the making

The trees is the most populated thing surrounding Woodstock, and yet nobody ever dares to stop and take a look at what makes Woodstock so beautiful

Can't Touch This...

The generations of students that have survived the rigorous disciplinary measures, bestowed upon by the notorious Woodstock staff, have yet to discover the skeletons in the cupboard. From the Indian families living around the hostels to the unperturbed lands of Woodstock, much remains open for hungry adventurers. What beholds the future detectives may produce some astounding, yet unsettling news. For instance, a group of close-knitted friends preparing to leave Woodstock for winter vacations witnessed the most unusual scene: lying on the frighteningly tall trees surrounding Midland’s hostel was an unappealing pink and yellow bird; the bird being on a tree was of no surprise, however, what seemed like a big, juicy bird from afar ended up being a stuffed animal clutching the lingering branches of the tree. The disappearance of the stuffed animal during Winter Break still prolongs a mystery only known by the ferocious monkeys and langoors nosing their way through campus life. And thus the story begins with the Woodstock’s compulsive students, who are unknowingly fading into the quest of finding the hush-hush vicinities, the unfamiliar faces, and the bizarre incidents occurring on the grounds of Mussoorie, India as to finally dirty their hands in areas pigeonholed as the “untouchables.”