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D EC E M B E R / JA N UA RY 2 0 1 4
ISSUE 18.
UPDATE 5 7 WO LGYE-RO 45GA-GI L , NOWO N- G U, S EO UL , 1 3 9 - 8 5 2 , KOREA ■ T. 0 2 .9 0 7 .2 7 4 7 ■ F. 0 2 .9 0 7 .2 7 4 2 ■ WWW. APIS .S EO U L.KR
IN THIS ISSUE:
■ Elementary Field Trips ■ Winter Camp in China ■ APIS' Spirit of Giving
IN THIS ISSUE:
■ College Life at Stanford ■ Elementary Chinese & Japanese ■ Student-Faculty Basketball ■ Faculty Retreat ■ Christmas Special Features
DEC/JAN 2014
E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L N E W S & E V E N T S
A Trip into Seoul’s Past
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s. Lee’s 2nd graders visited the Seoul Museum of History as part of their Social Studies Unit on Local Communities. They studied the past and present of Seoul to see the changes in neighborhoods, transportation, schools, houses, people, and so much more. Ms. Lee says, “It was great to visit the museum to see the progression of changes and how we have been influenced through them.” Here's what some of our students learned from the field trip:
Adelia Kwak
Amber Lee
Webb Beatty Erica Shim
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Grade 5’s Field Trip to the Seoul Central Mosque By Jeff Underhill, Grade 5 Teacher
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ow does someone know how to behave, even when that person is not told how? What institutions have the greatest impact on people? These essential questions helped to guide grade 5 students through our social studies unit on culture and belief, and on December 17 we found ourselves searching out understandings on a field trip to the Seoul Central Mosque in Itaewon, Seoul. Our search for understandings of this major world religion commenced at Kervan Restaurant, where students were able to sample flavors of a land familiar to the Islamic tradition: Turkey. Following a delicious Turkish set lunch, Grade Five hiked the hill to the mosque at the top, and suddenly found themselves immersed in a captivating culture. Students learned of Islamic customs, such as praying five times each day, and were provided a question-and-answer session with a devout, soft-spoken Islamic guide. Grade 5 students may have left with more questions than they arrived with, as happens when dipping your toe into a new culture.
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DEC/JAN 2014
E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L N E W S & E V E N T S
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Baking Fun with J&J Catering
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DEC/JAN 2014
E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L N E W S & E V E N T S
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he sounds of student’s laughter. The occasional “ooh’s and ah’s” from excited children. The smell of warm, fresh banana muffins. These were tell tale signs of something special going on in the school cafeteria during the first week of December. In between their usual coursework, elementary students came to learn a new skill, baking. J&J Catering invited elementary classrooms to come and bake some banana muffins. Students got to dress the part, wearing aprons and headscarves for a complete baking experience. K5, Grade 1, and Grade 4 all participated and had a great time learning about all of the ingredients and how to put them all together to make a delicious and nutritious treat!
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Welcome to Grade One’s Poetry Cafe!
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n the final day before Christmas break, Ms. Park’s 1st grade class celebrated the end of their poetry unit with a Poetry Cafe. Students, teachers, friends, and family gathered to enjoy snacks and hot cocoa and listen to the many original works of the 1st grade students. Students shared two poems from their collections before they all joined in together to recite a group poem at the end. Students shared poems about their family, their friends, snow, and even Jesus! Everyone enjoyed the sweet poetry written by the 1st graders!
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DEC/JAN 2014
E L E M E N TA R Y S C H O O L N E W S & E V E N T S
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DEC/JAN 2014
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
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Basketball Competition for a Cause
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he annual APIS student-faculty basketball game revives the deep rivalry between teachers and students that has gone on for the last 6 years. Leading into this year’s event, the faculty were undefeated, determined to pull off another victory. In the spirit of giving, the High School SRC (Student Representative Council), created an event for students to pledge donations based on which team they believed would win the game. All proceeds from the pledges were put towards typhoon relief efforts in the Philippines. When students and faculty gathered on December 4, everyone was excited and anticipating a great game and some fun, competitive banter. The Varsity and JV girls played first against the faculty. The varsity girls played a great, aggressive game, but in the end could not pull out the victory. The faculty beat the girls for the 6th year in a row. The boys were also determined to finally end the winning streak for the faculty. The JV team played the first half of the game falling behind 40 to 12. After halftime, the Varsity team took to the court. Both teams played great offensive and defensive games, keeping the score close until the final seconds. The teachers had just pulled into the lead with a few seconds left on the clock. With an amazing steal, the Varsity boys regained possession of the ball and Kyle Park (Grade 11) scored a huge three point shot in the final second of the game, giving the Varsity boy’s team victory over the faculty for the second half of the game with a score of 19 to 17. Ultimately, though, when the scores were combined, the teachers still pulled ahead for the entire game with a winning score of 57 to 41. Teachers remain undefeated for the 6th year and are anxious to get back on the courts to defend their title next year! W W W. A P I S . S E O U L . K R
APIS Alumnus Shares His Experience at Stanford
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hat is university like? How do I get accepted to a top college? High school students everywhere are always asking these questions, and APIS students are no different. Our high school students were fortunate to have an APIS alumnus return this December and offer a presentation addressing those very questions. Joon Kee (JK) Park (Class of 2013) recently finished his first semester at Stanford University in California. He came to APIS on December 17 as a volunteer admissions ambassador to give a presentation to all high school students about his experience so far at Stanford and share admissions-related information from Stanford’s Admissions Office.
(top) After the presentation, students surround JK to ask further questions. (left) Joon Kee Park graduated from APIS last year and is a freshman at Stanford University. He is also a recipient of a scholarship from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates Millenium Scholars program, which is a highly selective award given to 1,000 outstanding students.
DEC/JAN 2014
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
During the presentation, JK shared pictures of the campus and talked about different aspects of his college life. Some of the highlights of his first semester included meeting the former US Ambassador to Korea, a class on social entrepreneurship, having a former Google engineer teach his computer science course, listening to Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook) as a guest speaker, and enjoying the sports culture, particularly the football games at Stanford. JK also pointed out that there are close to 700 organizations that are available for Stanford students to join along with countless research opportunities and internships. While some of these things are specific to Stanford, JK encouraged students to research all these different aspects of college life as they decide on the right college for them. For students that are interested in applying to Stanford, JK explained that there is no specific formula for getting accepted. He also encouraged students to get excited about things they are currently involved in and let that passion be known to admissions officers. JK concluded by letting all the students know that they won’t know if they can get accepted into certain universities until they try, so he encouraged them to apply to schools they really like and see what happens.
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DEC/JAN 2014
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
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APIS Hosts KAIAC Business Competition Workshop By Simon Oh (Grade 11)
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n December 21 , APIS hosted the workshop for the first-ever Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference Business Competition (KBC). Students from YISS, KIS, GSIS and APIS collaborated to form 12 teams from 5 schools. Although the main competition will be held at YISS in February, all of the participants had come to the workshop in order to receive the information needed for February’s competition. Guest speakers were also invited to explain their own experiences and philosophies about entrepreneurship and provide students with an opportunity to learn more about their future careers. During the workshop, I had to take the role of MC and explain all of the aspects of the competition. Unfortunately, the workshop did not go as planned as one of the guest speakers could not attend. With an hour left before the end of the workshop, I ran out of materials to talk about. Fearing that the participants would have complaints about the short workshop, I had to come up with an idea to fill the remaining time. So with the co-hosts of the competition, we came up with a simulation competition, where students were able to participate. With the activity, the workshop ended in success and now we are looking forward to the main competition. As the main host and the organizer of the competition, KBC features many opportunities that I wanted to introduce to the students. Last summer, when I organized a small group of students to participate in the Global Enterprise Challenge (GEC), I realized I wanted to host KBC. At GEC, I learned that enterprise and business is not something as difficult as people normally think but rather is a very interesting and enjoyable thing to learn about. I really wanted to share that lesson with the students around me, yet, I did have some complaints about GEC such as the lack of time to work on an idea, or too specific topics that limited students’ specialties. So as an organizer of KBC, I tried to organize the competition so that the students would not have the same complaints. We also arranged to provide students with awards, t-shirts and free snacks. Kyle Park (Grade 11), other co-hosts from YISS, GSIS, KIS, and I have great pride in KBC and we are looking forward to hosting it annually.
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Grade 8 Persuasive Speech By Tammi Wenzig, MS ELA & Social Studies Teacher
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n advance of the 2013 winter break, APIS grade 8 students faced one final ELA challenge: public speaking. Students chose controversial topics and crafted short speeches in hopes of persuading the audience. In addition to having to put together excellent arguments, students also had to show their preparation and confidence for performance scores as well.
DEC/JAN 2014
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
Everyone had a chance to be assessed, not only by Ms. Wenzig, but also by a panel of their peer classmates who "judged" their performance for elements such as hand gestures, enunciation, and energy. After weeks of preparation and practice, many students were surprised that even though they were nervous, they felt confident and even look forward to the next opportunity to speak-however, they would be happy to be in a simple classroom instead of sweating under the spotlights of the Christian Life Center stage!
In my opinion...
Great job, Grade 8. You've persuaded us that we want to hear much more from you!
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DEC/JAN 2014
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
Chinese Language & Culture Winter Camp
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hristmas break allows students the chance to spend time with family, get a jump on their studies for the next semester, travel, relax, and even participate in educational enrichment opportunities. Four APIS Grade 10 students got to do something more than that this past Christmas break. On December 23, these students flew to Beijing to participate in the “6th Annual China Language and Culture Winter Camp” sponsored by the Chinese government. During the winter camp, Sarah Choi, Eddie Kim, Jinwoo Choi, and Ha-an Choi participated in 17 hours of Chinese language classes along with 24 hours of Chinese culture classes. These classes included Chinese painting, calligraphy, Chinese writing, martial arts, badminton, Chinese movies, Kung Fu, and Confucius classes. They were also taken on tours of the city, getting the opportunity to visit the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven.
(from left to right) Ha-an Choi, Sarah Choi, Eddie Kim, Jinwoo Choi
Jinwoo Choi commented how his trip to Beijing last year for GCP and the Chinese Winter Camp this year has given him a new perspective about learning Chinese in school. Being able to hear Chinese being spoken and see it being used has made learning Chinese more exciting and much more practical. Jinwoo also enjoyed getting to know other students who attended the camp. University students and high school students from public and international schools attended the camp from many different countries that included Mongolia, Indonesia, Russia and South Korea.
Ha-an Choi also gained a lot from the experience. He said, “The experience I had in China was great. We traveled to famous places while getting educated and improving in speaking Chinese. Activities such as Kung Fu and Badminton were interesting. We also watched a Kungfu show. The experience to communicate with and approach Chinese people was an interesting experience for me. I had to approach them in a foreign language and although it was hard at first, I did improve.” For APIS students currently studying Chinese, the Winter Camp provided a unique opportunity to expand on their studies. Getting the chance to practice speaking the language, while learning about the culture and history of China provided each student with greater context for their studies and encouraged them by letting them see how much they already know and how beneficial it is to continue to study Chinese. 10
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APIS’ Spirit of Giving By Janice Young, HS Chemistry Teacher Jeff Underhill, Grade 5 Teacher
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hen the community of APIS heard about Typhoon Haiyan and all of the devastation in the Philippines, we wanted to do something, anything, to show our support. It started off with a simple donation drive and the idea that “every won counts”. By sharing images, videos, and our own experiences, the APIS community came together and generously donated to our friends in need. In just 2 weeks, we raised over 1,500,000 won.
Elementary SRC members pose in front of the Giving Tree.
But we still wanted to do more. The secondary school organized a Charity Varsity vs. Teachers Basketball Game, drawing on the excitement over the start of the basketball season, and the compassion APIS had already demonstrated. Through this fun event, we were able to raise even more money to donate to the cause. APIS Elementary SRC also wanted to join in the spirit of giving, so they created The Giving Tree. Beginning two weeks before Christmas break, SRC planted an artificial Christmas tree in the halls of APIS for all to see. It was decorated with colorful tags indicating everyday items needed by victims of the typhoon. At the end of two weeks, 180 donation tags had been spoken for, and by January 24 the donation box was full of items going to benefit the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. Behind the scenes, APIS Elementary SRC President Bryan Jung led The Giving Tree Committee, with 5A Class Representative Helen Kim and Grade 3 Class Representative Louise Schattle, to plan the donation drive. The Giving Tree Committee worked to bring together all elements of the donation drive, designing donation tags, working out logistics of tag numbers and donation collections, and communicating with the benefitted charity, Christian Light Foundation Philippines, to find out what was needed. The success of a tag-free tree and all donations spoken for was heartening to the young leaders after much hard work.
DEC/JAN 2014
SCHOOL-WIDE
In Brief
Through our collective efforts we raised over 1,700,000 won and donated boxes of items to the Christian Light Foundation in The Philippines! The Christian Light Foundation, located in Quezon City, has been ministering since 1982 with the mission of “Leading people to Christ in Southeast Asia in partnership with local churches while providing opportunities for other ministries and church multiplication.” The Christian Light Foundation will buy food, water, sleeping mats, basic clothing and toiletries and medicine for those in need. They will also begin the process of helping to rebuild basic shelters in the areas that were devastated by the typhoon. Thanks to everyone for your generosity and compassion!
The National Honor Society members also joined in the spirit of giving by sending boxes of clothing to the Salvation Army. W W W. A P I S . S E O U L . K R
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DEC/JAN 2014
SCHOOL-WIDE
After School Activities: Winter Session
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ession 2 of the APIS After School Activities Program began on December 2. While some activities continue the entire year, other activities are offered this session only. Elementary students could choose from a variety of activities that included arts and crafts, culture exploration club, legos, and floor hockey. Secondary students could continue to take part in Jazz Band, Acapella Choir, or Chamber Orchestra and could also choose other activities such as lego robotics, theater club, and basketball. Session 2 will continue until March 7, 2014. The third and final session of after school activities will begin on March 17, 2014. Here is a glimpse into some of the winter session after school activities:
ARTS & C R AF TS
SECONDARY LEGO ROBOTICS
CULTURE EXPLORATION CLUB
CHAMBE R O RC H ESTR A
E LEME N TA RY FLO O R H O CK E Y
N AT IO N A L H ISTO RY DAY
Korean Department Publishes Collection of Literary Works Edition No. 2
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n January, APIS’ Korean Department published the second edition of APIS Korean Language Arts Program’s Collection of Literary Works. The collection was supported and published by a well-known publishing company, Chang-Bi. Different from the previous edition, the elementary and secondary works are separated into two publications this year. Each collection consists of selected works including poems, novels, essays, book reviews, and team projects—all of which have been completed as class assignments for Korean language and literature classes. In the elementary collection, several pieces of writing from the Korean as an Additional Language classes are included as well. “The works you see in this publication are only a fraction of the great ideas, expressions, and creativity our students have. But this collection is meaningful to us because we believe it is the process that counts,” says Mrs. Emily Kim, Korean Department Chair.
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DEC/JAN 2014
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Christmas Celebrations at APIS
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DEC/JAN 2014
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Hear the Sounds of Christmas APIS Christmas Chapel tells Dickens’ Classic Tale By Sean Forrester, Drama Club Director
Cast and crew of "A Christmas Carol."
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he success of any high school theatrical performance can be measured in one of two ways: the volume of applause at curtain call or in the personal and community growth of the company. Looking at this year’s Christmas chapel performance, I can say without a doubt that the students at APIS met both expectations. Played before an audience of parents, faculty, staff, and the entire student body on December 20, 2013, A Christmas Carol brought the message of hope and forgiveness. This story, written by Charles Dickens and adapted by Sean Forrester and Zach Luginbill, brings to the audience a vision of how one person’s choices in life can reflect upon their character and future success. Ebenezer Scrooge became wealthy but was lonely and had a hard heart. He comes to understand the values of compassion and friendship, reaching out to others when it is needed most.
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Nearly 8 weeks of preparation and rehearsal were given to this performance by the Christian Leadership class, taught by Pastor Zach; to this group of young thespians we owe a hearty round of applause. They studied the story and characters diligently and brought to the stage their very best. Well before anything was able to be viewed, numerous students put in many hours in the production of a performance soundtrack; a copy was afterwards sent home with all students. Composed of original arrangements and one never-heard-before song, written by Pastor Zach, this soundtrack was an integral part of the overall success. Finally, we must also congratulate and share our appreciation with the acting ensemble, composed of the Drama club, and Mr. Woodrow’s class who gave us the brilliant backgrounds. This year’s performance marks the second drama brought to the stage at APIS for Christmas. I am certain that if we keep Christmas in our Hearts all the yearlong, APIS will see another story retold in 2014. Best wishes and blessings.
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DEC/JAN 2014
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
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DEC/JAN 2014
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
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ruly, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year because the sights and sounds of the holiday season were in the air December 18-19 as the APIS Music Department presented their annual Christmas concerts. Weeks of practicing and preparation by the Elementary and Secondary ensembles showed all in attendance the level of skill found throughout our student body. What was also evident was how much the kids really loved to have fun with the music selections. This was also the first public performance of the APIS secondary ensembles since winning many awards at the KAIAC Music Festival in November.
This year’s concerts were a veritable trip around the world with songs that spanned the globe; from Argentina to Australia, Spain to Africa. Stylistic differences were also heard from the A Capella Chorus’ rendition of Queen & David Bowie’s "Pressure" to Bach’s Brandenburg "Concerto No. 3" by the Chamber Strings Ensemble. Some Christmas classics, like "Angels We Have Heard on High," were presented with a slight twist and a Caribbean beat. During the Elementary Concert, songs were sung in French and a favorite of many was the Korean Musical. Directed by Mrs. Suk Ja Kwon and the APIS Korean Department, students in grades 1-3 laughed, played, and danced their way through four songs that showed off the student’s dancing and singing skills. 16
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By far, the crowd favorite had to be Wednesday night’s grand finale, “A Family Christmas Spectacular,” that featured the middle and high school music ensembles with members of the APIS faculty. There were so many students and faculty involved in the number, they appeared to take up half of the gymnasium! By the looks of the smiles on the faces of everyone in the audience and the students on stage, the APIS Christmas concerts are the best way to conclude the first semester of school and start the winter break with joy.
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DEC/JAN 2014
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
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DEC/JAN 2014
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
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A Christmas Surprise By Christopher Stapleton, MS ELA/Social Studies Teacher
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n December 20, the 6th grade class enjoyed the Polar Express in 3D. The 6th graders were enjoying their morning Christmas party activities and carols, when they were presented with a surprise treat to get a chance to watch Polar Express in 3D on the new auditorium 3D projector. The students were very excited! After receiving 3D glasses and learning how to use them, the students filled in the first five rows of the auditorium, ready for the movie to begin. Throughout the movie the students were enraptured with the 3D effects and cinema-like feel of the auditorium. There were times when you could hear the students ooh and aah as the train sped over mountains and across frozen lakes. It was definitely a Christmas surprise they will not forget.
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Aah~!!
EDITORIAL TEAM: ■ Euysung Kim Director ■ Nicole Suh Art & Design Editor ■ Josephine Shim Communications & PR Team Leader ■ Ashley Stapleton Writing / Editing Staff ■ Brian Beatty Writing / Editing Staff