An exciting new oral history archive at Woodstock will preserve memories of the school and Mussoorie for future generations. The project, called Voices of Woodstock, is the brainchild of Middle Years Social Studies teacher Charlotte Swanson.
It aims to create an archive with high quality recordings of Woodstock staff both past and present, and other members of the wider Mussoorie community.
The purpose is to preserve their memories of the historic institution and town for posterity. The high quality audio files will be kept in the school archive and will be used in a variety of ways. Ideas for their use include archival historical displays of the school, PR and communication purposes, and at alumni reunions. It is also hoped that the students will become more involved in the project in the future. There is potential for it to become an enrichment activity, and students being involved in both the interviewing and editing process.
Charlotte has modelled the project on Story Corps, a US-based project which records interviews with ordinary Americans for National Public Radio. Swanson says the project would have an important legacy for future Woodstockers and hopes more people will get involved in the project.
“It’s a magical experience to sit with someone and hear them speak their story,” she says. “The act of telling a story, unrehearsed and raw, can be transformative for the teller and the listener. It’s an act we don’t cultivate much in our modern, fast, automated lifestyles, and it feels more and more important to pass on to the next generation a sense of wonder and slowness about listening to other people. Woodstock is a treasure trove of stories.”
Several people have been interviewed for Woodstock Voices, including current Woodstock teachers and former Woodstock students Jonathan and Amy Seefeldt; longtime Woodstock teacher Shonila Chander; former Woodstock school nurse and landour Community Hospital Nursing Superintendent Miriam Marston, who still lives in Mussoorie; and Tibetan staff members Thupten and Dolma Chophel.
Meanwhile, well-known Mussoorie resident lilian Singh, a former Principal’s Secretary at Woodstock and from a renowned Indian family, is another person who it is hoped will be included in the archive.
Ed Beaven, an Upper Years history teacher, had the opportunity to conduct the interview with Ms Marston. It helped to reconfirm for him the power of history. “Remembrance of the past teaches us who we are and where we are going, and the voices of the Woodstock community are an invaluable resource to be preserved and treasured.
Those of us involved in the project believe it is a privilege and a responsibility to hear these stories and record them for future generations”, he said.