Woodstock Tiger Winter 2016

The Woodstock School

Tiger Winter 2016

Tiger tears bring school community together

By Syeda Kabir

There are screams coming from the gym. Or at least there were, several weeks ago. The annual Win Mumby tournament ended as another success, and although the Woodstock teams didn’t bring the trophy home this time, their mighty spirit never wavered. Picture this: The clock was frozen, and the sweat-soaked players stood on the gym basketball court, absolutely speechless.

The crowd, however, did not rest. They chanted and cheered and hooted. Tears of defeat trickled down from their eyes, followed by tears of happiness. The loss of the game was overtaken by feelings of support, encouragement and unity. The entire court was filled with harmony and a state of joyful pandemonium.

That is how boys basketball team captain, Tenphel Zoepa Lama, grade 12, and fellow

The Tigers found themselves double- and triple-teamed. Photo by Pavani Ganju

team members Tenzin Loten Nepali, grade 12, and Jay Yunas, grade 11, described the true essence of Win Mumby.

Lama said that Win Mumby is the cultivation of “the togetherness created by the Woodstock community.”

“It’s the highlight of your high school basketball career!” said Yunas.

Phunsok Norboo, grade 11,

of the senior boys team, added, “It’s the time to prove your worth on the court. All your dedicated hard work finally pays off.”

While Win Mumby may not be quite as inspiring and important as basketball team members make it out to be, it’s still a big deal. As the teams run onto the court, the delivered high fives to the eager fans, are a cover, perhaps, for their anxiety.

“It was a lot of pressure. Being captain, I had to not only take care of the team but also, make sure I myself play well.

And outside of the court, I have to balance my social life and my academics too,” said Vanalika Nagarwalla, grade 12, senior girls basketball cocaptain.

Norboo said, “I just wanted to play as hard as I could for the seniors, you know? I didn’t want to let them down.”

Meanwhile, the games were

story continues on page 4

Apocashlypse steals dreams of pocket money NEWS ANALYSIS

By Raphaelle Morzadec

The twin towers just got hit by a plane… Oh wait, no, that’s the mild version of 9/11. I mean, Donald Trump just got elected and our 500 and 1000 bills are no longer legal. We’re broke. On hope for the U.S. On cash. Is this the end of the human race? Quite possibly.

A big consolation, though, is that Ramchandar still took our “outdated” bills. They’re so nice when they sell us overpriced Nutella for us to maturely deal with life-changing issues. Food is always the solution.

Anyway, this trimester’s was pretty fun. Good ol’ Donald got his White House, we lost Win Mumby, and we’re all broke. So. Fun. But then, what remains — or doesn’t — is the cash, because, after all, good ol’ Donald is on the other side of the globe, and our cash seems to be gone there, too. I mean, last time I checked there was a Communist-themed party out the bank stall, with a bunch of comrades standing in line with cold sweats. Fun party. Nice sad broke people playlist, special thanks to PM Narendra Modi.

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Woodstockers lined up at the campus ATM, hoping to solve their cash problem. Photo by Kritin Garg

The man has great measuring skills, too, because the new bills aren’t the right size for the ATM’s, and India doesn’t just have a reasonable black money issue. In fact, according to the New York Times, 78% of transactions in India are made in cash, as opposed to 20-25% in Western nations such as the U.K. or the U.S .

Furthermore, the very disadvantaged rich and powerful had absolutely no way to know about this in advance, of course, and in addition to that mood-destroying fact, they

did not transfer their huge amounts of black money into gold or real estate. Thus, this knocked them out, really, as we can see with the example of Gali Janardhan Reddy, who recently spent $73 million on his daughter’s wedding.

Accordingly, we can assume that the poor must be getting the best deal out of this, with their ridiculous amount of bank accounts per individual, and their tendency to own large amounts of gold, right? I mean, we all know that the children who died because

they weren’t accepted at the hospital in absence of valid 500 rupee bills were the children of politicians and Bollywood stars.

But you know what truly makes this a masterstroke?

Well, it’s pretty simple, really: since 1000 rupee bills are the largest, most of black money is dealt with them. After having made this realization, our PM Narendra Modi brainstormed for a solution, and after long expansive thought: wait for it … he introduced 2000 rupee bills!

Hail to a corruption-free India!

Money changer finger mark.

Photo by Raphaelle Morzadec

Different Views

Wasp going on? A look at our little friends

By Kahini Dhoat Living in the foothills of the Himalayas, we as a community are surrounded by nature’s fascinating creatures, including insects. “Though they are nearly everywhere they do not often captivate our attention because they are usually too small for us to see well without a magnifying glass,” said Tobias Tillemans, Middle Years science teacher.

“They open up an entire different world for me,” Darab Nagarwalla, Middle Years science teacher, said. The special characteristics that these insects have to offer are worth exploring, just like watching a sunset or going for walks.

Living in Mussoorie, we have an advantage when learning about these wonderful creatures. But have you ever notice anything like this?

“A month or so ago I saw an enormous hornet snatch a moth out of the sky. The moth spiralled down with a ‘thump’, and then the hornet pinned the moth to the ground and methodically chewed its wings off near the body, with a crunching sound. The hornet flew away with the moth’s body, leaving the wings splayed on the ground. That

One of the many insects found on the hillside. Photo by Andrew Plonka

was savage,” Tillemans said.

Sophia Von Hippel, grade 11, said that she enjoys the diversity of bugs around at Woodstock. “The green insect you usually find while walking

up to school, has a very cool, scaly exoskeleton,” she said.

Insects are amazing, yet some students don’t notice them very often. Aditi Manjunath, grade 11, has seen

spiders around campus, and thinks they’re creepy, showing how negative interactions with insects (though spiders are technically arachnids) are.

Though they’re “cool little

machines,” insects don’t just scare people. They can also be the cause of bad experiences.

Ian Fried, Upper Years science teacher, who does not particularly like earwigs and silverfish, said “When I was a kid, an earwig got into my ear, and it wasn’t very good.”

According to Von Hippel, “A swarm of fruit flies in your room, when you’re new [here], is not something you would expect.”

Except certain kinds of insects, most bugs have longterm benefits for our community and the world in general.

Apart from being very useful in maintaining the natural ecosystem, providing services like pollination, and being a vital link in the food chain, they also have direct benefits to people. According to Nagarwalla, “Insects are the most effective use of vegetation known to man; if the human population grows the way it is, they are probably going to be the food of the future.”

Insects have all kinds of incredible potential. Insects are beautiful if you are patient enough to explore them. Fried commented if one does not like insects, one should not call them gross, because “What if someone finds you gross?”

Protest, rebellion, and radical thinking

By Shanti Mathias

Does your voice get heard?

Woodstock students (and Woodstock staff, for that matter) love to complain about things. It’s human nature; even if we don’t believe that anyone else will hear our voice, or that our voice will make a difference, we like to hear ourselves.

Recently, however, Woodstockers’ incessant complaining brought about a real change. This refers to, of course, the grading policy.

Now, the administration, as always, gave their own reasons for the change: the grades didn’t match up, and a curve could be achieved by a switch, and the switch was just too disruptive. But for the people who had been moaning, whinging, and griping about their grades to the administrators and teachers, it felt like they had made a difference.

Regardless of your personal opinions on the rapid switch back to the original grading system, and of the real connect between the change and the protests, it felt like a victory to the many people who wanted the change to happen.

The “tank man” of Tiananmen Square. Creative Commons photo

But beyond Woodstock, does protest matter? Are voices, be they minority or majority, heard?

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 was a huge movement across China, but centred on Beijing, consisting mainly of students campaigning for democracy and less corruption in post-Mao China. After a month, on June 4, 1989, however, the government declared martial law, sent thousands of troops into the square, and killed sev-

eral hundred people. They then proceeded to censor all mentions of the incident in Chinese media, imprison at least a thousand people, and reduce both the relative freedom of press and freedom of people which had presided in the 1980’s. This protest, then, had an impact, but a negative one that led to less change and possibility of change.

There are, however, more effective protests in history.

The (mostly) non-violent Civil Rights Movement in the U.S.

led to huge amounts of change.

Black people were given more legal recognition, as well as becoming more integrated with other ethnic groups, rather than being marginalised (think school desegregation). This was not easy, and led to anger and distrust and hate between groups of people. And it’s not over, either, as the more modern protests for #BlackLivesMatter show.

Protests do not happen on their own. They occur when a society is open to change —

a climate that the strict laws of China are eager to forbid.

Changes can be positive, or they can be negative, and the grading scale shift can be seen both ways. But if you want change to happen, it’s important to be part of a system that encourages dissent. The social media environment, with unfriending people who don’t share your opinions and a proliferation of fake news being all too common, doesn’t encourage change in society or your personal attitudes.

The world you exist in should matter to you, and it doesn’t have to be accepted as it is. If there’s a change that you want to see, you can go out and protest, and make a difference. But you don’t have to be the one protesting to make a difference. If you are prepared to listen to other people’s opinions — yes, even if they’re “wrong” — then you can be part of a society where change happens, and hopefully for the better.

So are you going to change your grades? The lack of democracy in (student) government? The content of assemblies? Create a change — or maybe just listen to it.

The Tiger

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News

Before: Trump’s candidacy leaves many wondering

By Anvi Lohia Several weeks ago, the American elections occurred.

Although the results were very close, and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate, won the popular vote, Donald Trump, from the Republican party, won the electoral college vote. Trump will be the next president, with Republicans also winning the Majority of Senate and House of Representatives seats.

“I have to hope that Clinton will win,” said Renee Bowling, college counsellor, several days before November 8, the

date of the elections.

Her opinion was shared by many Woodstock staff members. Pre-election, many people were shocked that Trump was even considered qualified enough to be a presidential candidate. Larry Kaplan, math teacher and academic co-ordinator said, “For me, the elections are a new kind of low. I do not consider Trump a qualified candidate.”

The American elections left the country in a state of frenzy, because Trump’s win was highly unexpected. Since the results, Americans worldwide have been in a state of shock

and confusion, worried for their nation's future. Some Americans are appalled that their country made a decision such as this. Swati Shreshtha, college counsellor, said, “I think the fact that Trump is the Republican nominee also shows the sad state of public education in the US, considering that much the statistics he uses are blatantly untrue.

Trump also uses a lot of fear tactics, making people afraid of those who are different from themselves.”

Minority groups are especially worried about what their future will hold. Before

the election, Shrestha said, “I would worry about any international students studying in the U.S., because a Trump victory would signal that those who support racism and xenophobia have made their voices loud enough to have won Trump the presidency.”

Not everyone agrees with this, however. “I don’t think much will change in universities after Trump’s win because most people there are educated, and educated people’s mindset won’t change after Trump’s win,” Sue Long, ESL teacher, said.

Amitavo Roy, strings teach-

er, said, “Although I personally do not like Trump, I think there are some policies that he will initiate that will be beneficial for the country, like when he said that America should stop being the world’s police.”

Shonila Chander, social studies teacher, said, “The flow of illegal immigrants will definitely be reduced, and that will be beneficial for the country.”

People at Woodstock seem to have polarizing views about the elections. That was a reflection of the conditions in America.

After: What Trump’s victory may mean for India

By Ishaan Pilant To the delight of some and the horror of many others, Trump has won the presidency of the United States of America. On the 20th of January, 2017, President-elect Trump will be sworn into office and his four-year term will officially begin.

This U.S. election has certainly been a wild one and many are simply glad that it is over.

However, others are indignant at the results. Following the election victory, thousands of people across the United States took to the streets in protest, rallying under the slogan “Not My President.”

The reason for protest that many of these demonstrators have is that, while Trump did win the electoral college, the popular vote went to Hillary Clinton, a result reminiscent of the 2000 election in which George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in the same fashion. In American politics, the elec-

The Tiger Team

A still from a Donald Trump promotional video.

toral vote is what ultimately decides who wins the presidency.

Many Americans are now calling for the removal of the electoral college, which is often deemed an archaic system.

In its stead, the National Popular Vote would be adopted, which in today’s day and age, makes quite a bit more sense.

However, despite the divide

Editor in Chief: Shanti Mathias Co-Editor: Ishaan Pilant Advisor: Andrew Plonka Reporters Nandini Agarwal Emma Karas Pavani Ganju Priyansha Agarwal Chahat Kaur Riya Kohli Kahini Dhoat Tanya Sandhu Anvi Lohia Navya Sethi Syeda (Alina) Kabir Rapahael Morzadec Photographers Kritin Garg Pavani Ganju Layout Nandini Agarwal Copy editors Khushi Agrawal Cassidy Percevecz

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that is currently wracking the United States, it is unlikely that protests will change anything. (Editor’s note: This does not negate the content of the editorial on page 2.) Trump won fairly within the system, and disputing his victory could be seen as undemocratic — which would be ironic in the context of a country that likes to think of itself as the

most democratic country in the world.

We, as citizens of the world, must accept his victory and look forward. Perhaps he may prove the naysayers wrong and live up the the mantle that has been placed upon his shoulders. If not, his term is four years long, and we may learn to be wary of a repeat of the political debacle.

In India, many rolled their eyes at Trump’s abhorrent Hindi when he referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 election slogan, altering it to: Ab ki baar Trump sarkar. Though this made no sense in context of Indian relations, it is clear that Trump has a very positive view of India. When so many of Trump’s policies are based solely on how he feels, it may be good that Trump likes India — or at least the India he knows of wealthy Hindu businessmen, if not the 14% Muslim minority.

At Woodstock, Trump’s in-

fluence will probably be limited, but his relationship with India could have benefits for Indian students and their families. Trump views China as a major competitor to the U.S., which would lead to increased opportunities us here in India.

This could allow Indian businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive, particularly those who import to or export from the U.S., as trade relations with the United States would be better than ever before. As many students’ parents are entrepreneurs, we may get to see the effects of Trump’s presidency up close.

Additionally, more than 50% of Woodstock graduates go on to study in the United States. Trump has also stated that he would like to “woo” Indian students into studying in the U.S. For the sake of those who do answer his call, we must hope Trump proves he is as able a president as he says he is.

CFI nurtures creativity and growth

By Emma Karas When did school stop being fun? For most of us, between first grade and our current year, school became a stressful haze of assignments and deadlines, most of which we struggle to keep up with. It’s this idea that provided the incentive for creating the Centre for Imagination, or CFI. According to Amy Seefeldt, teacher and CFI director, the Centre is more than just a building, it’s “an approach,” designed to “shift the paradigm of learning.”

Its purpose is to provide an outlet for people to focus on things besides academics, like developing a personal sense of identity and personal goals.

Ultimately, these are the questions that Ms. Seefeldt believes will best prepare students for life after high school.

The flaws in our modern education system are clearly seen by teachers— and keenly felt by students. In the past several decades, education has become strongly linked to career success. Today’s world is one that stresses heavily on professions and colleges, where competition among students is more than just the norm, it’s encouraged. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 1940 just under 1 in 20 adults completed a full 4 years of college, while in 2000 that number rose to 1 in every 4 adults.

To say that a college education is unimportant is an understatement— according to a study by Georgetown University, by 2026, 65 percent of all jobs will require a post-secondary degree.

Walking around Woodstock, it’s easy

to find people studying. Between the Quad dining hall, library, writing center, gym, and dorms, students working on academics can always be found. The desire for a certain score or GPA fuels most of us to achieve our best. It’s the occasional “what am I going to do with my life” crisis that spurs students into action.

The marks we achieve are undeniably important, which makes the ideals put forth by the CFI even more valuable. Aiming to student’s focus on a higher goal, one of selfexploration and fueling the desire for raw, meaningful learning, makes academic achievement follow in suit.

While studies remain important, they become secondary in the face of an education that transcends the span of high school to college.

Campus Life

How plant-based products help save the planet

By Pavani Ganju

What vegetarians see. Photo by Pavani Ganju

Most people here at Woodstock are non-vegetarians. To those who aren’t: you are saving the planet! I know that the food for vegetarians is not all that great, and I am tired of eating dal chawal and one other bland dish every day. Yet the vegetarian diet has a plethora of personal and global benefits.

You might want to know who a vegetarian is. It’s not that you don’t know who they are, of course you do, but everyone should know the clear distinction between a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian. Oxford Dictionary defines a vegetarian as, “A person who does not eat meat or fish, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons [is a vegetarian].” If you eat any of these food items, you are not a vegetarian. Vegans are a subset of vegetarians who do not eat or consume any animal products, including wearing leather or eating honey.

So why should you become a vegetarian?

If you assume that all vegetarians look similar, being skinny and mal-

nourished, think again. There are bodybuilders, such as the German Patrik Baboumian, who are vegan.

Even elephants, the strongest animals in the forest, are herbivores (eating only plants).

Anjali Sareen, writing in Huffington Post, said that after she turned vegetarian: “The first was that seemingly overnight, my skin turned from an acne-prone mess into beautiful, clear, healthy-looking skin.” So for all the girls (and even guys) out there, being a vegetarian can actually have great and “glamorous” effects on your skin and you!

According to Harvard.edu, “becoming a vegetarian won’t necessarily be good for you. A diet of soda, cheese pizza, and candy, after all, is technically “vegetarian.” For health, it’s important to make sure that you eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It’s also vital to replace saturated and trans fats with good fats, such as those found in nuts, olive oil, and canola oil. Always keep in mind that if you eat too many calories, even from nutritious, low-fat, plant-based foods, you’ll gain weight.

So it’s also important to practice por-

tion control, read food labels, and engage in regular physical activity.”

So don’t just go eating chocolate and candies saying that you are a vegetarian. Eat greens.

There is almost no health benefit at all to eating animals, except that you get some nutrients which might be missing in plants, but there are some negative effects of eating non-vegetarian foods. According to WHO, processed meats like ham, salami, sausages and hot dogs contain group one carcinogens, which means they might cause cancer. Red meat has also been classified as a probable cause of cancer.

If you are vegetarian, you have the advantage of having lower cholesterol, less risk of cardiovascular diseases, less risk of strokes, less chances of having kidney stones and whatnot.

Perhaps the most important benefit of being a vegetarian is that it has a positive impact on the environment.

“I am a vegetarian because I am an animal lover,” Surbhi Singhi, grade 12, a vegetarian by choice, said.

We have to move towards the choice of being a vegetarian, otherwise it might be too late for Mother Earth.

Misplaced trust: Theft takes that, too

By Riya Kohli Stealing is an all-too-common event at Woodstock.

Living in a community is supposed to mean having trust in each other, but it doesn’t always work that way. People often have their belongings stolen, from money to clothes to devices. Taeyeong Jun, Midlands dorm parent, mentioned in a chapel devotion that when girls in the dorm misplace their belongings, they believe it’s stealing. However, real stealing still happens.

A newspaper survey asked students about their experiences with theft. Of the 118 Upper Years students who responded, 78% replied that they have had belongings stolen. Stealing has happened both up at school and down at dorms, but it’s more common at dorms.

Common things that are stolen are money (38.9%) and clothes (20.4%). Others reported different items being taken, such as earphones, umbrellas, and laptop chargers.

According to survey respondents, 95% of the time the school did not take any action against the person who was responsible for the theft.

Liah Bergerson, grade 10, had 5,000 rupees stolen: “I left my room with 5000 rupees in my wallet. When I came back, the whole wallet was missing.” After half an hour of searching, she found it in the washroom.

“My wallet was kept next to the

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sink, open, with all the money missing. It had my ID card in there, which means the person knew whose money they were about to steal.”

Jun felt sad about the situation. He said, “I can’t believe that a girl whose face I’ve seen so many times, and I have trust in, would do this.” He asked the person responsible for the theft to own up to it, but true to the survey results, the thief has not been found.

Despite the fact that eve-

ryone at Woodstock has their basic needs met, theft continues, showing that need is probably not a motivator. “There is never an end to our wants, whether it’s clothes or food, somehow temptation always seems to take control over our needs. The question we need to ask ourselves is are we going the right way?” said Navya Sethi, grade 9.

There is about one case per month regarding things getting stolen other than small

amounts of money.

“The best way to prevent stealing is by everyone being particularly responsible with their belongings. We have a family environment here, and when stealing happens, it is very upsetting to everyone.

It has not changed too much over the years, though perhaps it has become less in the last 5 years,” said Mr. Jeffrey Doerfler, Dean of Student Life.

a tense experience for spectators as well, who sat in the bleachers and cheered nonstop whilst trying to suppress their own nerves. Ellen Pereira, grade 12, said, “I never even really liked basketball.

But watching the players at Woodstock made me appreciate the game more.”

“It wasn’t just about showing school spirit anymore. I went to support my friends and cheer my heart out for them!”

Tanushree Thapa, grade 12, said.

Supporting friends was not the only reason to attend games. One 10th grade girl cheekily said, “We went to the games to meet the cute boys who came for the games too!”

“Especially the Doon School and the Asian School boys!” said another.

Others mentioned that they went because they loved being loud and encouraging. Sohail Singh Bath, grade 12, said he didn’t have the heart to cheer for any of the other teams, and stayed true to the Tigers.

At the end, victory slipped through both the teams’ fingers, with Modern winning the boys tournament and Motilal Nehru School of Sports eventually winning the girls championship. But as Win Mumby came to a halt for the mighty Tigers, both the girls and boys team decided that they will return stronger next year.

The Tiger

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Events

Sagas and surprises of Sadie 2016

By Priyansha Agarwal

For high schoolers, Sadie Hawkins is a highly anticipated event. Everyone looks forward to showing off some dance moves and making memories. This year’s theme was related to galaxy and aliens which was shown through the decorations.

The history of Sadie Hawkins is pretty interesting. On November 15, 1937, a comic strip in the US called ‘Li’l Abner’ published a strip where the female characters chased the male characters. This subverted stereotypes, and copycat dances began to show up across the US, then the world.

The first ‘Sadie Hawkins’ where women invited men happened on November 9 1938, according to Wikipedia.

Woodstockers, according to a survey, have their own theory on this history. Anonymous answers include the following: “Some girl broke social constructs and asked a guy to dance and flabbergasted everyone. No more waiting for boys to pick up our handkerchiefs (which we intentionally dropped on the floor) yay!” Something more relevant to Woodstock life maybe was this: “Ms. Maya’s dog was an inspiration.”

A highlight was the bonfire which was set up in the quad.

There had been a rumor of a chocolate fountain being there, but the bonfire had to suffice.

At this formal event, there were two people wearing pyjamas amongst the aliens and formal dresses. Jigya Talwar and Joanna Victor, grade 9, decided to change the way people think about the event by wearing something different. Jigya said that “I feel very proud as we pulled it off pretty well but first we were having

Great date stories ...

The Tiger asked for interesting Sadie stories. Students responded. Here are some of our favorites: I asked my date like two days before the actual dance, and we had to literally scramble so much to get each other gifts. One of my friends actually threatened him saying that “she got you an amazing gift in just two days, so you better live up to the mark man!” I was honestly shocked. I ended up getting a bouquet and loads of expensive chocolate.

Girls continue to break social constructs at Sadie Hawkins.

second thoughts about it as people would judge us, but not many people really noticed and it was quite fun.”

According to a survey, reactions to this were that whoever saw them, either said that they felt proud of such people, or that they should have worn dresses instead. Some respondents said that they would definitely choose pyjamas over boys anytime!

Girls asking boys out on Sadie has different reactions.

There were a variety of responses about student experience of the event. Words and phrases like “fun”, “loud and flashy”, “romantic”, “nerve racking” [sic], “different (bonfire and more)”, “electrifying”, and “a memorable experience” were common.

Yuvraj Cheema, grade 9, has his priorities sorted. He said, “It is more important

for the guys these days to pay attention to food rather than girls. Leave the girl and go for the chocolate fountain.

Where there is food, there is life.” It was difficult to discern whether he was joking.

According to the survey, people also had different reasons for attending it in the first place. The numbers are shown below.

As it is an event just for Upper Years, the ninth graders are always excited to experience Sadie for the first time.

As of answers from the survey, they had expectations of Sadie having having chocolate fountains, slow dances, and very special food. The food was the same as that day’s dinner, plus a couple of special items. Most people had a good time and the general response to Sadie Hawkins 2016 — pajamas or no pajamas — was positive.

Reasons for attending ...

He stalked me for 2 weeks and I figured it out that something was going on. I asked some of my friends and one of them told me he likes me for over a month. I gathered up courage and asked him over brunch one Sunday and we spent some time together over activity week.

I wasn’t ready to ask the guy so all of my friends went with me to ask him. And instead of me, 2 of my friends asked him for me.

She didn’t ask me, it was just understood.

My date ( a friend) felt lazy and decided to stay in dorms, so I ended up going with someone I had never met before.

The guy I was planning to ask thought i was asking someone else and just stood there feeling sad not knowing the flowers were for him.

I asked out a senior whom I didn’t know, and I don’t regret it I asked my crush and he said yes but he thought I was joking so when he asked if I was I totally agreed with him and pretended as if I didn’t wanna go with him. IT MAKES ME SAD

I fell asleep on my date. I still don’t think he forgave me.

I didn’t ask anyone thinking I had a boyfriend, unfortunately he broke up with me and I ended up with no official date but my girlfriends The little kids from whom I had taken help, to ask my date to Sadie, has not yet stopped teasing me (Awkward) well i didn’t have a date because i was too ‘scared’ to ask a boy Ultimate pokemon proposal B| and I burped like a monster during sadie and it stank like pesto. somebody asked me but I rejected I asked out the person who was going to ask me out.

I got asked. I didn’t think she was serious so I said no. The day after she told me she was serious.

Answers to an online survey.

My date got isolated the day of the dance

The dazzle of Diwali drama

By Chahat Kaur Diwali this year was celebrated slightly differently; there was a dorm celebration that continued for three days.

Ajay Mark, student life coordinator, said, “Woodstock started acknowledging festivals such as Diwali, from the past ten years.” The Festivals Committee, with help from the India Club, organized a special dinner with refreshments and a fireworks display. The area around Ridgewood was lit up and decorated to give a festive atmosphere. Since Diwali

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fell over a weekend this year, there was also a mini mela at the residence level.

Fiza Bakshi, a grade 10 Festivals Committee member, said that the committee tried its best to make Diwali more fun by including food stalls and fireworks. The main reason for this was that students have complained in the past that Diwali did not feel special enough because of the low-key celebrations and the weekday.

Each year, however, as school approved fireworks bloom across the horizon, a group of students, who request to re-

main anonymous, lit their own illegal firecrackers. Students say that they want to celebrate Diwali by buying and lighting their own firecrackers. Unfortunately for them, this goes against the discipline policy that restricts the students from burning crackers on campus.

There are also legal restrictions on which ages can light fireworks.

The anonymous group said that it is harsh not to burn crackers during Diwali, because “at home we always have a blast and burn 3 sacks of crackers every year. It was en-

joyable to see the fireworks but not as much. That is why it is always fun to burn some crackers on campus and in the lockers. Even though it is hard for us to do it secretly, it adds on to the fun.”

Fayaz Yourish, grade 12, said, “It should be taken into consideration that it is against what the Indian government is asking all of us to do. The government encouraged the people to start a campaign against fire crackers (especially in Delhi) because of the growing pollution levels. By burning crackers we are just going against

the school and also against the government at large.”

Despite the pollution and other risks, this behaviour continues, and the perpetrators seem to feel that their actions are worth it. Mark said that the sad part is, even if each family uses less crackers than they did in the past, the total volume used in Dehra Dun and Mussoorie (because of the growing population) is causing alarming pollution levels weeks after Diwali. Diwali is the festival of light. Let’s try to keep it about the light, not rule-breaking and pollution.

Entertainment

He Said, She Said

By Nandini Agarwal

Mehar (answering his questions)

Jay

What is his stress food?

Oreo and Sprite (hesitantly)

What is your stress food?

Who doesn’t eat Chocolate when they are stressed?

What is his secret obsession?

His biceps

What is your secret obsession?

Suits (TV Show)

How would he react if you woke him up at 3 in the morning?

Swear a lot (chuckles)

How would you react if she woke you up at 3 in the morning?

I’d swear at her!

What is his favorite clothes brand?

Zara … maybe

What is your favorite brand?

Nike

What is his toothbrush color?

Green and black

What is your toothbrush color?

Green and black

What is his favorite article of clothing in his wardrobe?

Sweatpants

What is your favorite article of clothing in his wardrobe?

Bomber Jacket What are your pet peeves?

People not shutting doors What is your laptop desktop background?

The Goalathon Team Picture

Grade 11 couple Jay Yunas and Mehar Bhatia accept the challenge.

What are his pet peeves?

Untidiness and disorganization What is his laptop desktop background?

The Goalathon Team Picture

Bollywood guide to books

By Shanti Mathias Ah, celebrities. Always getting involved in things that Twitter can make fun of. Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty is the latest victim. In response to an update of the ICSE curriculum, she was quoted as saying, “They should include books like Little Women, as it encourages respect to women at a young age.

Even a book like Animal Farm can teach the little ones to love and care for animals.” Though she later tweeted that there had been a “misunderstanding,” it was too late: #ShilpaShettyReviews was trending on Twitter. In that spirit, here are some reviews for books — based, of course, solely on their titles. It’s better than Sparknotes!

Brave New World: This is an excellent instruction manual for teens to learn how to cope with the changing culture around them.

War and Peace: A novel to teach the teenagers conflict resolution skills that will last a lifetime.

Lord of the Flies: This book is a handy instruction manual for dealing with the pesky insects in your life. Better than Odomos!

To Kill a Mockingbird: Killing birds is a large problem in modern-day society. This novel confronts the issue of endangered birds with overwhelming sensitivity.

All the Light We Cannot See: Sometimes, you can’t see the light. There are ways to deal with that, and in this useful tome, Doerr covers ‘opening the curtains’; ‘lighting a candle’ and ‘flipping the switch.’ You will never have to wonder ‘where’s the light?’ again!

The Scarlet Letter: We’re all afraid of getting the dreadful scarlet F on an assignment. But this novel equips young people to deal with the inevitable academic failure in their lives.

Me Before You: This story will teach prepositions, and it’s fun, too!

The Color Purple: This is an essential primer for any passionate art student.

Half a Yellow Sun: The sun provides us life and sustenance. This story will teach kids to value its yellow light, even if they only see half of it at a time.

The Sun Also Rises: The second book of the Sun® series tackles a growing area of science: astronomy. Beyond our planet, what impact does the sun have?

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Did your pupils love learning about the solar system last year? Here is the third book in the Sun® series, going further into the galaxy beyond our small corner of the universe.

The Help: All children need to learn to be caring citizens of the world. This novel will show you how to be a helper.

Gone Girl: This story will offer a geography lesson to inquiring minds, as it shows the places that the ‘girl’ has ‘gone’.

Persuasion: Perfect for a politics class, this is about the art of rhetoric. Let Austen unleash your internal eloquence!

The Lovely Bones: Do you need to know how the body works? Your ‘lovely bones’ fit together into one glorious skeleton. Vital for anatomy students.

Memes and Comic By Kahini Dhoat

The Tiger

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