Online
M A RC H 2 0 1 5
ISSUE 29.
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:
■ Read & Write Across APIS ■ Scholastic Art Awards ■ Korean Writing Contest
IN THIS ISSUE:
■ Culture Fair ■ Elementary Chinese & Japanese ■ ■Spring Concerts Faculty Retreat
■ Faculty College Day
MARCH 2015
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
Focusing on the Words
"Look at what we are reading!" Students and teachers, dressed up as book characters, hold up their favorite books during Read Across APIS.
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irst thing the Monday morning before spring break, Ms. Judy Park cut her first-grade class’ opening time short and announced that it was the beginning of Read Across APIS week. “We are going to celebrate reading in many different ways,” she said. To start the day, she directed her students, “Go get your book bins. Go find any place in the room, and just read.” It was part of DEAR time — Drop Everything And Read — 15 minutes of free reading, which was observed by the entire school at the beginning of every day during Read Across APIS Week, held March 16 to 20. Happy for the extra free-reading time, the first-grade students found spots on the carpet at the table and at other places around the room, selected a book from their lime green book bins and settled in to get lost in the stories. Aside from a few giggles at funny illustrations or silly ideas in their books, the first-grade classroom was hushed. The only other sound was the quiet scrape of pages being turned. Students at APIS love to read. In addition to the daily DEAR time, APIS celebrated the week with mystery readers — special guest readers like teachers, administrators or parents who came in to read to classes or even Skyped their story-reading session from the United States. There were also special visits from secondary students to the elementary classes, where they read books together and sometimes completed a story-related project together. The Read Across APIS finale was held on Friday with the book character parade held in the auditorium. That day, students and teachers were invited to dress up as their favorite book character, and the auditorium filled with characters like Arthur from Marc Brown’s Arthur book series, Elsa from Disney’s “Frozen,” and Fern from E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web,” each holding a copy of the book that inspired their costume. The elementary school teachers led by example, portraying the characters in the fairy tale, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” with fifth-grade teacher Jeff Underhill dressed as Snow White and the rest of the teachers and aides dressed as the different dwarfs. The special week that focused on reading so inspired Principal Bruce Knox that he wrote a poem about the event.
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Read Across and Write Across APIS Go now — take a look! So as the week ended, my desk all a mess, I pondered the next week, the tasks to address. I thought of the meetings, the classrooms, the stress But remembered that next week was Read-Across-APIS. My heart skipped a beat, as I thought of the fun Of reading my favourite books to everyone. To share in the joy of diving into a story A funny one, sad one or one a bit gory. And then in that week as I sat with the students Reading my books, some of which were imprudent I watched as the high schoolers sat with Grade 2 And I knew that this reading was a great thing to do. The joy on the faces of children, exploring Imaginary lands, or aliens warring, Or dinosaurs eating, or cupcakes on fire This reading thing really had all most inspired. And as the week ended, our focus on reading Had really excited, its purpose succeeding To encourage our students to dive into books. If you've not done so recently, go now - take a look!
MARCH 2015
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
-Principal Bruce Knox
Write Across APIS
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rom March 9 to 14, the elementary division at APIS held the annual Write Across APIS week to encourage the act of writing. During this week, one of the special tasks students did was writing original stories based on their artworks. Students not only explained what they had painted, but crafted interesting stories in various genres such as fiction, non-fiction, and even poetry. All of the artworks that the students used for inspiration are selected pieces that will be featured in this year’s Pacific Pencil. We look forward to the publication of the Pacific Pencil, which will showcase the artistic and literary talents of our elementary students — even our kindergarteners!
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MARCH 2015
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
Are You
r Smarte
than an APIS Second Grader?
In the spirit of the U.S. television game show “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?”, the previous several issues of the APIS Update have included test questions from some of the elementary grades here at the school. For this edition, Becky Cyrus, grade 2 teacher, music teacher Emmalee Johnson, and art teacher Anna Sea have teamed up to offer readers a taste of the material that second graders are asked to master here at APIS. How many questions can you answer? Art
What is the difference between organic and geometric shapes?
Music
On the treble clef, what body part do the note names of the spaces spell?
Science
(1) What tool can be used to measure wind speed? (2) How can matter be changed from a solid to a liquid?
Language "He had never been to a more colorless, barren place. There was no green, no blue, no red. No water, no trucks, Arts no trees." Use context clues to determine what the word "barren" means.
Math
There were 15 birds in a tree; 5 flew away. What fraction of the birds flew away?
Me!
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Art: geometric shapes are the shapes you can name, organic shapes do not have names Music: FACE Science: (1) anemometer, (2) melting Language arts: no life, nothing is there Math: ⅓
Stinky Bugs and Tongue Twisters
Children's author Mike Artell on Skype.
Margarette Gatesi (Grade 4) appreciates a comment from Mr. Artell.
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ugs that stink and bugs that suck your blood. Football heroes, animal skulls, and weather. How to draw a cartoon horse and fun-to-try tongue twisters (Bo Peep broke both feet; red leather, yellow leather). U.S. children’s author and illustrator Mike Artell touched on all these child-friendly topics in a talk he gave from Louisiana via Skype to APIS elementary students in the CLC on March 19.
MARCH 2015
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
The author of about 40 children’s books, most of which he also illustrated, Mr. Artell spoke about the ideas behind some of his best-known books and gamely answered questions from the students during the special event — what other children’s authors do you admire? (Dan Gutman, Steven Kellogg and Carmen Deedy); What author would you most like to meet if you had the chance? (C.S. Lewis); and Are you famous? (“I guess if you had to ask, I guess no,” he said, and laughed.). All the students brought paper and a pencil to the event, and Mr. Artell walked them through the steps of drawing happy faces in a cartoon style and angry faces and then a cartoon horse. He also discussed how he came up with the idea to write his most famous book, “Petite Rouge,” a Louisiana-Cajun version of “Little Red Riding Hood. This book was named 2009 Read Aloud Book of the Year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals and was also made into a musical theater production and has been translated from English into several other languages, including Korean. During the event, he read a section of the book, putting on a Cajun accent. Mr. Artell said he regularly speaks to groups and at conferences about children’s literature. He encouraged the students to “keep writing and drawing.” Sarah Wood, second-grade teacher at APIS, organized the Skype chat with the author and invited the other grades to also participate. “I think it is always great when students can connect with books in a personal way,” Ms. Wood said. “Through this experience students can see how an idea becomes a book and relate to the process. They will also get some inside information on how to draw characters for books.” W W W. A P I S . S E O U L . K R
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MARCH 2015
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
Middle School Musicians at KIMEA Honor Ensembles
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ach year our middle school musicians have the opportunity to participate in the KIMEA honor ensembles for choir, band, and orchestra. These students represented APIS and took part in creating wonderful music by working with extra effort and determination. Congratulations!
Honor Choir January 29, 2015 Jin Lee (G7) Mei-Mei Timpson (G7) Gerry Hwang (G8)
Honor Orchestra
Sophia Jung (G8)
Susan Koh (G8)
Grace Kim (G8)
Brian Lim (G8)
Henry Kim (G8)
Hee Won Seo (G8)
Janice Kim (G8)
Dan Suh (G8)
January 29, 2015 Jeany Park (G6) Jina Wang (G6) Matthew Choi (G7) Sarah Choi (G8) Se Eun Park (G8) Seo Jung Park (G8) Jamie Yoon (G8)
Honor Band February 6, 2015 Bryan Jung (G6) Irene Kim (G6) Joan Kim (G6) Rian Kwak (G6) Sally Pak (G6) Jack Song (G6) Jacob Kim (G7) Eric Lee (G7) Jin Lee (G7) Andy Oh (G7)
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Clara Park (G7) Cole Park (G7) Mei-Mei Timpson (G7) Janice Kim (G8) Daniel Koo (G8) Dan Suh (G8) Amelia Tang (G8)
Honored by AMIS
Lia Kim (Grade 10) and Charlie Cho (Grade 10) stand with Ms. Baum during the AMIS Choral Festival in Luxembourg. And right, Jeewon Kim (Grade 11) and David Kim (Grade 9) pose for a picture with Ms. Johnson at the AMIS International Honor Band and Orchestra Festival in Singapore.
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everal APIS music students were particularly honored this school year when they were selected via audition for one of the Association of Music in International Schools (AMIS) annual honor festivals. Lia Kim (Grade 10) and Charlie Cho (Grade 10) were chosen for the mixed choir at the AMIS Choral Festival. The mixed choir was one of three that participated in master classes and performed in concert at International School Luxembourg in Luxembourg from March 25 to 29.
MARCH 2015
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
In addition, Jeewon Kim on clarinet (Grade 11) and David Kim on cello (Grade 9) were selected for the AMIS International Honor Band and Orchestra Festival, which practiced and performed in Singapore American School in Singapore from March 18 to 22. Melinda Baum, APIS music teacher, traveled with the choral students to Luxembourg. “What a well-deserved honor it was for Lia and Charlie. The opportunity to grow as a musician under the direction of Dr. Eugene Rodgers, rehearse and perform two world premier compositions and collaborate with students from over 40 schools around the world was a chance-of-a-lifetime event. ” Ms. Baum said. “It was a joy to spend my spring break with these incredible young people.” Emmalee Johnson, APIS orchestra teacher, accompanied Jeewon and David to Singapore. "We were reminded in the beginning ceremony that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ms. Johnson said. “These students will never be in the same place together again.” Ms. Johnson described the experience in Singapore as transformational in the students’ music development. “These students were selected from all around the world to make music together — fully throwing their emotions, thoughts, skills, and instruments into the honorable and formidable task. This has been an inspiring experience for Jeewon, David, and I — causing us to re-examine what our best is and how we can use it in our communities, far and near. Friendships were formed, skills were strengthened, brains were challenged, and memories were made.” W W W. A P I S . S E O U L . K R
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MARCH 2015
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
About College
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ith the weather warming up and graduation just a couple of months away, the move to college life and university-level courses seems increasingly imminent for APIS seniors, and the juniors are considering their own looming college application process. To prepare students and parents, the college counseling department sponsored a variety of college-related programs and special events in March. A senior transition meeting was held for seniors, a college information meeting was held for parents of juniors, and the faculty for all grades each took some time on Faculty College Day to share personal college experiences with their students.
Senior Transition Meetings
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he entire senior class crowded into the APIS college counseling center on March 9 to participate in the second of three senior transition meetings coordinated this year by Shana Russell, director of college counseling. The students were divided into two groups and took turns participating in a lecture about aspects of choosing and succeeding in college courses and then a discussion with the school’s guidance counselors about healthy ways to deal with stress. The students were reminded that their next semester in school would be at a university far from APIS and, for many, in a different country. “We’re just hoping to ease the transition from high school to college,” Ms. Russell said after the event. “We’re hoping to give them tools so that they will be successful next semester and beyond.” Ms. Russell and computer science teacher, Don Kirkwood teamed up to talk to the students about choosing classes at college, working with their academic adviser, the potential for entrance exams and some of the other issues the students will be facing within the next six months. They discussed the value of good class attendance and knowing what material professors expect their students to master and know how to take notes in a smart way. Ms. Russell and Mr. Kirkwood emphasized that college grades are determined by very few tests or projects. “There are no make-up tests,” Mr. Kirkwood warned. In their part of the presentation, guidance counselors Kirstan Beatty and Jodi Nielsen discussed healthy ways to deal with stress during this time in the students’ lives when so much is changing and there are so many new challenges. A senior transition meeting for parents of students in the senior class will be held later this spring.
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College Information Meeting for Junior Parents
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n March 16, a college information meeting was held to help parents better support rising seniors with college planning. During the presentation, Director of College Counseling Shana Russell emphasized that universities in the U.S. generally take a “holistic” approach in admission, which is why elements such as character and extracurricular activities are equally important as academics. In particular, she recommended that students actively engage in internship, traveling, and volunteering activities during the summer break. Ms. Russell wrapped up her talk by introducing Naviance, a web-based college planning tool which students and parents can use to share information and communicate with the college counselor. On Naviance, parents can research colleges that are a “good fit” for their children, track application deadlines, and even find out APIS students’ applicant history and admission results from previous years.
Faculty College Day
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ith graduation looming, seniors at APIS have had their attention focused on college for months. But students from all grades, kindergarten on up, were also talking about college on March 18, when the school marked Faculty College Day. It was an opportunity for teachers to wear sweatshirts or T-shirts from their alma mater and talk to students about their college experience. Information ranged from basic, with first-grade teacher Judy Park (University of Washington alum) telling her students that “college is another school you attend after high school,” and answering questions like “what’s a campus?” Teachers of secondary subjects like Charlie Nichols (Duke) shared stories about club sports and the extracurricular side of college life, and Mike Russell (Georgetown) passed out Hoya pins and encouraged his students to take advantage of special opportunities at their college, like study abroad programs (he spent a semester in Turkey). Anna Sea shared how she chose to attend Boston University and how great the food was. She described to her students how her interests evolved during her time at BU, suggesting that APIS students should be thinking about what they are aiming for, but be open to changes in that dream.
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MARCH 2015
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
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MARCH 2015
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
The 5th Annual Korean Writing Contest
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n March 9, every student in Korean classes was busy writing something for 45 minutes during the annual APIS Korean Writing Contest. This year’s theme was the number five to commemorate the 5th year of this event. In selecting the best works, the Korean Department Chair Emily Kim said “the Korean department teachers looked for creativity and also writings that, of course, had less grammatical errors.” Though each of the student’s work was impressive, the Korean teachers finally reached an agreement and announced the top 15 works. The Top Award for this year’s Korean Writing Contest went to Shannon Songwon Yi (Grade 10) who wrote a poem titled, “The Five Boys” that depicts the day when five Korean boys went missing after going out on a search for salamander eggs on March 26, 1991. This remains one of Korea’s most unsolved mystery to this day. All the award-winning works will be displayed on the third floor in front of the Korean classrooms until May, and will be published in the Pacific Pen along with the Chinese and Japanese articles. Congratulations to all the students who have been recognized by the Korean department!
Award Winners
Poetry Golden Award Prose
The Top Award
다섯 명의 아이들 (The Five Boys) Shannon Songwon Yi (G10) 새벽 다섯 시 (Five a.m.) Grace Young Eun Kim (G10) Poetry
Grand Award
5월의 벚꽃 (Cherry Blossoms in May) Harry Sung Hwan Park (G10) 그저 다섯 손가락 (My Five Fingers) Nicholas Yu (G11)
Prose
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Poetry
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올해도 오래도록 그래왔듯 오늘처럼 (Her Last Notes) Jee Won Kim (G11)
Silver Award
다섯 시 ( At Five o’clock) Andy Oh (G7) 오만가지 생각 (Fifty Thousand Thoughts) Sophie Yoo (G9) 사라진 지문 다섯 개 (Five Lost Fingerprints) Stephanie Kim (G10) 다섯 가지의 추억 (Five Cherished Moments) Robin Su Min Chae (G11) 못생긴 다섯 손가락 (My Ugly Beautiful Fingers) Lia Kim (G10) 압구정 5번 출구 (Apgujeong Station, Exit 5) Charles Cho (G11) AP 5점 (5 More Points in AP Exam) Sophie Chung (G12) 시인(時人) (Time Stopper) Yejin Chung (G9)
Prose
5빠 (Brother (5bba)) Sarah Yoon (G10) 다섯 손가락에서 배운 교훈 (Lessons Learnt from Five Fingers) Kayley Suk (G9)
APIS' 2014-2015 APIS Korean Writing Contest Top Award 다섯 명의 아이들
Shannon Songwon Yi (Grade10)
아침 이슬 잔디 위에 송글송글 돋아 오를 때 쯤 졸렸던 새벽 잠 뿌리치고 커다란 잠자리채 손에 쥔 채 어머니가 건네주는 김밥 두 줄 들뜬 마음에 먹지도 못하고 ‘다녀오겠습니다’ 한 마디 외치고 집 밖으로 뛰어나가는 한 아이 산 주변 골목길에 차가운 새벽 공기 들이마시며 형아들은 언제오나, 손에 입김도 훅훅 불어보고 황토색 흙 바닥에 쓱쓱 도룡뇽 한 마리 낙서해보는 한 아이 이 손에는 물병 한 통, 저 손에는 천조가리 꽉 쥐어들고 길게 늘어진 멜방바지도 질질 하얀 신발끈도 질질 형아 동생 뒤따라서 산기슭 영차영차 올라가는 한 아이 길고 거친 잡초 사이 짧은 두 다리 가려운지 ‘형아 잠깐만!’ 그 자리 멈춰 서서 양 쪽 다리 벅벅 긁고 자기도 웃긴지 까르륵 웃으며 금방 쫓아가는 한 아이 까만 돌솥같은 바가지 머리 땀에 흠뻑 젖고 새빨간 볼에 흘러내리는 땀방울 닦아도 멈추지 않을 뿐인데 동생들 잃어버릴라 뒤로 봤다 앞에 봤다 바쁘기도 하지, 도룡뇽 잡기는 잊은 지도 오래인 마지막 아이 설레는 마음 모두 하나로 다섯 아이들 산속으로 달리는 모습 저 멀리 들판에 검은 그림자 하나 다섯 아이들 뿔뿔이 흩어져 이리 뛰었다 저리 뛰었다 밤이 오기 전 어둠이 몰려오듯 검은 그림자 하나 어디로 갔을까, 다섯 명의 아이들
MARCH 2015
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
The Five Boys When the morning dew sets soft on the grass The first boy wakes himself up from his dreams and nightmares, and picks up a net Then rushes past his mother’s snacks, her goodbye kiss, Briskly waves and hurries outside. At the mountain hillside another boy stands, breathing in the early dawn air Wonders when the others will join him, blowing out a gust of cold Picks up a twig, and draws a small salamander beside his feet. Running his small legs through the wild, wild grass, He stops and scratches his scarlet-swollen legs and shouts “Wait up” Giggling to himself, the third boy trots along to the other boys. His bucket of soot black hair damp in drizzles of sweat, His cheeks red and puffed, eyes watering, The fourth boy looks back and forth to check on the boys, His thoughts no longer pondering on catching the salamander. As the naïve, foolish five boys ran into the mountain range A dark shadow stood far covering, like an eclipse As the boys ran up and down the hills, under the rocks and over the waters, The dark shadow strode towards, struck his dark, dark blanket over And lulled them into his underground cellar, And the boys were gone for good- or not so good, bad. On March 26th 1991, five elementary boys aged from seven to thirteen were found missing, after going on their search for salamanders and their eggs. It is recorded as one of South Korea’s three most permanently unsolved events. This poem is a narrative script-poem about the day that the five boys went missing. W W W. A P I S . S E O U L . K R
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MARCH 2015
SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
Students Noted for Creative Expression
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he works of eight art students at APIS have been honored in this year’s U.S.-based Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
"New York," a national gold medal winning drawing/illustration by Esther Kang (Grade 12).
Esther Kang (Grade 12), Richard Cho (Grade 12), Andrew Cho (Grade 12), Andy Lee (Grade 11), Amy Hong (Grade 11), Hannah Yoon (Grade 10), Lia Kim (Grade 10), and Sophia Shin (Grade 9) were honored for their submissions of paintings, drawings and illustrations, digital art, sculpture and/or portfolio of work in the region-at-large category, a category for students attending international schools around the world. At least three of those students, Esther, Andrew and Hannah, went on to become national medalists in the event. Esther earned a gold medal in drawing and illustration and a silver medal in printmaking. Andrew was honored with two silver medals — one in the drawing/illustration category and one in the painting category — and Hannah with a silver medal in the painting category.
“The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are a celebrated honor in the world of high school art,” said Anna Sea, APIS art teacher. “Since its founding in 1923, the awards identified the early promise of our most accomplished artists such as Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, and many others.” In the first level of competition before nationals, Esther Kang was awarded three gold keys, one silver (portfolio), and one honorable mention. Richard Cho won two gold keys, and one honorable mention. Andrew Cho was awarded three gold keys, five silver, and one honorable mention. Both Andy Lee and Amy Hong were awarded one honorable mention each (painting and sculpture, respectively). Hannah Yoon was awarded three gold keys (two in painting, one in sculpture). Lia Kim was awarded a gold key (digital art). Sophia Shin was awarded two honorable mentions (painting/drawing and illustration). In the United States alone, more than a quarter of a million artistic works were submitted in the contest for the 2014 program year. The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are presented by The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. Through the awards, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarship.
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Sophia Shin (G9)
Lia Kim (G10)
Hannah Yoon (G10)
Amy Hong (G11)
Andy Lee (G11)
Andrew Cho (G12)
Richard Cho (G12)
Esther Kang (G12)
L ocked Up in Sophomore By Edwin Lee (Grade 10)
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hile most of the students excitedly ran out of APIS when the spring break started, the sophomores enjoyed their last day of school being “locked up” in the APIS building. This year’s lock-in was organized by the sophomore class representatives, Edwin Lee and Yoonjae Hwang, with the help of other executive members (Grace Kim and Claire Park). With guidance from Mr. Andrew Murphy, Ms. Sarah McRoberts, Mr. Michael Russell, Ms. Alice Chang, and Ms. Junko Furusawa, the lock-in was a great success. The lock-in began with Mr. Murphy’s concise introduction speech. After a brief speech from the adviser, students headed toward the CLC (Christian Life Center) and had a fried chicken party to start off the night. After dinner, students got a chance to deepen their friendships by enjoying the karaoke and dance machines and playing basketball at the gym. One highlight of the lock-in was the “haunted house” held at the music department classrooms. As the night got deeper, students gathered at the auditorium to wait for the next activity. While everyone watched a scary movie, the other students went for a haunted house experience in small groups. With the help of some of the teachers and the students, the haunted house was a great success. One of sophomores at the lock-in, Leo Jo, said, “I honestly didn’t expect too much from the haunted house. But as soon as the event started, I ended up screaming the most in my group (laughter).” But the party did not end there. Even after shutting off the gym and turning off the karaoke machines, the students came up with their own games and continued to enjoy their night.
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SECONDARY SCHOOL NEWS & EVENTS
When the long night ended, everyone gathered at the CLC and enjoyed their McMorning breakfast. Shortly after the breakfast, everyone cleaned up their own mess and headed out of the building to enjoy rest of their spring break.
Edwin Lee, “While I was preparing for the lock-in, I learnt how preparing for a SINGLE event took so much effort and preparation. We, as the class representatives, are very aware of the fact that the lock-in was not perfect. But, we’ll learn from our mistakes and continue to strive to come up with more events and activities that everyone can enjoy. Despite that, I want to thank the sophomores and teachers that made this year’s lock-in awesome!”
Yoonjae Hwang, “There was a lot of chaos happening during the lock-in, but with all the support from our fellow classmates and amazing advisers, the sophomores successfully carried off their first lock-in. Thank you teachers for supporting us and thank you sophomores for all your supports to the class reps.”
se! Stu ou h den d nte ts pr epared e hau scary dolls for th W W W. A P I S . S E O U L . K R
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MARCH 2015
SCHOOL-WIDE
Principal’s Note: Supporting Your Child Better
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ver the past few weeks I have had the great pleasure of talking with many parents about their children and how APIS is continuing to support them. As a parent myself, my number one concern for my daughter (after, “is she healthy or not?”) is “how is she doing at school?” Her experience at school shapes her young life. Her understanding of the world, her friendships, her sense of achievement, her self-esteem and her happiness are all connected very strongly with her experience of school. Hence, as a parent, I am very interested to know what that experience is like for her. As the principal, my job shares the same concern, but on a much broader scale -- to be concerned about every student at APIS and the experience they are having at school. I do this in many ways. Each morning I stand and welcome every student into the building, greeting them with “Good morning” and receiving their good-mornings and smiles in return. Each day I pass students in the hall and stop and chat with them about how they are doing. I visit classrooms and watch students at work, joining in their discussions, prompting them with questions or simply listening to what is going on. I work with teachers as they plan their teaching and assessment, similarly prompting them with questions, making suggestions or just listening to their plans for student learning. I work with the administration team to plan to provide the best possible opportunities, resources, facilities, courses and experiences possible for our students. And finally, but often most importantly, I sit with parents and listen to their concerns and ideas for how APIS can continue to support their child better. As I have shared with many parents this year, an opportunity to talk with parents about their child is an opportunity for me to share how APIS is continually working to be a great school. It is an opportunity for me to understand, from a parent’s perspective, where APIS is doing well and where APIS can continue to improve. It is an opportunity to strengthen that very important partnership between school and home that is so important for student success.
Insp ire
If you have some ideas about how APIS can continue to grow to become the best school it can be, I would love to sit and chat with you about it. While I cannot (yet) converse in Korean (and my Chinese is still VERY basic), we do have translators available who are ready to help us understand each other. Please feel encouraged to contact the school office to schedule a time where we can sit together and discuss how we can work side-by-side to make APIS the best school it can be.
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How do you volunteer in the community — assisting in a soup kitchen, tutoring children in a special school, performing music at a senior center? Sometimes, all it takes is to hear about someone else’s volunteer work for others to be inspired to carve out some time and also pitch in for a good cause. The APIS Update wants to acknowledge the good work being done by students and faculty outside of the school walls and potentially inspire others to find ways to serve, too. Anyone who is an active volunteer is encouraged to contact the APIS communications department at scraton@apis.seoul.kr or keumjo.shim@apis.seoul.kr.
The Sounds of Spring
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hile the air was still chilly as winter was fading away, APIS auditorium was heated up with students preparing for the spring concerts. The orchestra, choir and band concerts were held at the auditorium on March 10 and 12 and all the seats were filled with teachers and parents who were eager to watch the students perform. On March 10, the orchestra concert started off with the fifth graders, who impressed the audience by showing how much they can achieve only During the 2015 spring concert, high school choir students in a couple of months time — they had first started perform ,"The Rhythm of Life." to learn and perform together as a group from the beginning of the school year. The audience was also fascinated by the sounds of middle and high school orchestra, and the chamber orchestra. The chamber orchestra led the audience to some wonderful and familiar melodies from “Palladio-Concerto grosso,” and everyone was deeply touched. Though they were a small group, their impression lasted throughout the concert. Right after the orchestra, all of the middle school students stepped on stage. During the first vocal music performance, students used their hands to create sounds while they were singing. The second middle school performance involved the Band Director Sophie Holbrook, orchestra teacher, Emmalee Johnson, and accompanist, Chris Kirkwood, who played percussion instruments, while two high school students, Charlie Cho (Grade 10) and Lia Kim (Grade 10) were lead singers for the “African Processional.” When the song reached its end, the high school choir students who were seated on the front seats of the auditorium suddenly stood up and joined the middle school students! The middle and high school students created a harmony which received endless applauses from the audience.
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At the band concert on March 12, the audience saw some students wearing different colored shirts. Ms. Holbrook explained to the audience that these students have been participating in the KIMEA and KAIAC music festivals, where they performed excellently among students from many other international schools. During the high school band performance, Ms. Holbrook also shared a video which captured the band practice moments throughout the semester, and at the end of the video, she thanked the 10 seniors and said how many hours she spent with each senior — Kevin Lee, who ranked as number one, had spent 1239 hours with Ms. Holbrook! As the performance reached its end, the high school band performed a Caribbean dance music which got the audience in the Caribbean mood — a great way to wrap up the spring concerts!
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n Friday, March 13, APIS celebrated its third annual culture fair. Elementary school students opened the event with two dance games. The first was a Jewish circle dance (Hashual) from Israel. In the center of the circles were kindergarteners in rainbow-colored traditional costumes. The second was a pair dance (Sasha) from Russia. Heart-thumping sounds of the folk’s footsteps and laughter filled the venue. This year, 21 different countries set up culture booths with unique food and activities. Participants enjoyed Falafel and Hummus from Egypt and Jordan, Nasi Goreng from Malaysia, and canapé with Philadelphia cream cheese. Jackie Lee (Grade 12) and four other student chefs were busy cooking Korean spicy noodle, while Japanese mothers gave out hand-made cookies, remembering Children’s Day in Japan. Students were also able to try paper craft, Chinese chess, and basketball. In the afternoon, middle school students explored the booths to seek for answers in the questionnaires from social studies class. Aaron Kang (Grade 8) said, “It seems like doing homework, but we can learn more in detail like Norway is the world’s most democratic country.” There were also other learning experiences with great fun: Pidgin English from Papua New Guinea and the Latvian alphabet. Miniature currency given from each culture booth taught both elementary and secondary students a couple of fun facts about the booth’s country. For example, the Polish money on its back read that Poland shares a border with seven countries. The highlight of the event were two special presentations on Kenya. Two Kenyan women, Lynette and Juliet, talked about the “Big Fives” of their motherland — Kitenge (national costume), Ankara print (colorful Kenyan ethnic design), world-class sports, the Swahili language, and wild safari in Nairobi. For the secondary school students, the Kenyan presentation was accompanied by a Jambo dance. While dancing to a Jambo song, students learned some Swahili words like jambo (hello), asante (thanks), and kwaheri (goodbye). Culture fair 2015 was successful thanks to all the participants including students, parents, faculty, and staff. In particular, this year’s one-day world tour owed a lot to booth keepers who dedicated their time and resources to make the event festive and informative. Joanna Kim (Grade 4) from Malaysia said, “I’ll definitely do booth-keeping again next year. I pretty much enjoyed the preparation.” Asante, everyone, and kwaheri, culture fair 2015.
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Making More Music
Jeff Holbrook, associate principal trumpet of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, works with Bryan Jung (Grade 6) during an individual trumpet lesson in March.
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t was late afternoon on a Monday in mid-March, and Bryan Jung (Grade 6) had already had a full day of studying English, social studies, life science, mathematics, Chinese, art, Korean, writing and then middle school band. But, while most APIS students and teachers were packing up to head home, Bryan stayed at school for one more class — a private trumpet lesson with Jeff Holbrook, associate principal trumpet of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. In the otherwise empty band room, Mr. Holbrook sat with Bryan as they worked through a series of trumpet exercises together. “From B. Ready?” Mr. Holbrook said as they both concentrated on the score in front of them. The exercise required tricky fingering, and the two gradually played the tune faster and faster, as Mr. Holbrook stopped intermittently and made suggestions to Bryan. Bryan said he signed up for the class because he just started playing trumpet this school year, and he is trying to catch up with the rest of the students in the band. “He teaches very well,” Bryan said of Mr. Holbrook. “He describes what to do, and it helps me to understand better.” Ms. Sophie Holbrook, chair of the APIS music department, noted that private lessons like this are valuable. “Private lessons differ from the full-band class because there is a one-to-one ratio of teacher and student,” she said. “The student learns technique specific to their instrument whereas in class we focus more on teamwork and playing the music all together. When you take private lessons, you are able to improve at a much faster rate. Questions can be answered immediately.” Bryan said the lessons have been helpful, and Mr. Holbrook said he was pleased with his student’s progress. “He’s doing very well,” he said. “I think he’s pretty much caught up with his class.” Individual music lessons are an extracurricular activity offered at APIS, along with many other options like Lego robotics, forensics/debate, drama, dance, sculpture and more. In addition to Mr. Holbrook, the school has a relationship with several other high-level instructors, several of whom are also from the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and the offerings include instruction in violin, trombone, clarinet, percussion and more. If a parent requests individual lessons on a different instrument, the business office will work with them to provide an instructor for that student. For more information on individual music lessons at APIS, contact Julie Jung in the business office at juliejung@apis.seoul.kr.
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Check this out
Fifth Graders Recommend Reading
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n the past several issues of the APIS Update, we have been sharing reading recommendations that were submitted by members of the APIS faculty. This and last issue we turned the spotlight on some of our student readers, and the fifth-grade students were given the chance to share their book recommendations. This month will feature recommendations from Ms. Alicia Morgenroth’s class (5B). Any other grade that would like to have the chance to share favorite book titles is invited to arrange that through the APIS communications office. Min Seok Koo recommends “Who Was Rosa Parks?” by Yona Zeldis McDonough. “This biography teaches us that blacks and whites used to live separate lives, but eventually came back together with the help of special leaders. People like Rosa Parks and other black heroes fought against segregation.” Sunny Choi recommends “Crash” by Jerry Spinelli. This fantasy book is “about Crash and his best friend trying to make life miserable. This book is really fun!” Junho Miura recommends “Wolf” by Bobbie Kalman, a nonfiction book that “teaches you all about wolves, their life cycle, and other characteristics. It's very interesting!” Allison Lee recommends “The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies” by David Lubar. “This mystery inspired me to forgive and not to try to get revenge.”
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Both Eunice Kwak and Matthew Kang recommend “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen. “The story
has a deep meaning. It changed my perspective on one of the biggest problems in my life,” Eunice said. “This book is all about adventures, challenges and the fight for survival,” Matthew said.
Hara Choi recommends “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead. “You should read this [realistic fiction] book because it really makes you curious and always makes you wonder what's going to happen next.” Eu Jean Ko recommends “No Ordinary Day” by Deborah Ellis. “This [realistic fiction] book is about a girl who had courage to leave her dusty and filthy town and start fresh! She meets a new friend that will help her cure her leprosy.” Sarah Koo recommends “Shakespeare's Secret” by Elise Broach. “This book will make you wonder if Shakespeare is really real or not. The author makes you want to read more because she ended the chapters really well.”
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Librarian's Pick: 'International Children's Books'
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id you know that there is a special day dedicated for international children’s books? Since 1967, “International Children's Book Day” has been celebrated on April 2 to inspire and encourage the love of reading. This day is the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish author who is famous for his books, “The Little Mermaid” and “The Ugly Duckling.” In celebration of this event, this month’s Librarian’s Pick will feature some of the books that were given the international children’s book awards. We hope you enjoy them!
By Lucy Cousins
Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales
Fairy tales are stories that encompass the values spanning a wide range of time, culture, and location. "Yummy" includes the following eight fun stories with Lucy Cousins's special warm hearted illustrations: “Little Red Riding Hood,” “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” “The Enormous Turnip,” “Henny Penny,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” “The Little Red Hen,” “The Three Little Pigs,” and “The Musicians of Bremen.” The stories in this book are some of the traditional, witty tales that the adults grew up with, but still are truly interesting to read!
L E V E L: L O W E R E L E M E N TA RY A G E S By Thanhha Lai
Inside Out and Back Again
Based on the author's childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam, the aftermath of the war and immigrating to Alabama, “Inside Out and Back Again” describes the life that unfolds from a child's viewpoint. The story is touching as the child talks about family and life as an immigrant. The author has a special note which explains how and why Thanhha Lai translated her personal experiences into Hà's story. After reading this book, you won't doubt why this story is a New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and also a winner of the National Book Award!
L E V E L: U P P E R E L E M E N TA RY A G E S The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
By Sherman Alexie
Have you ever experienced a feeling of not belonging to any group in the society or even feeling out of place in the whole world? This book describes a journey of fourteen-year-old American Indian boy called Arnold Spirit who seeks to answer this question of belonging. Based on the author’s own experience, Arnold faces the controversy of leaving the reservation and his own culture. It is interesting to follow his footsteps of how he discovers a way to balance his part-time life on the reservation with his part-time life at a new different school.
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Capital Campaign Update
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e would like to thank all the parents for their continued support in the Capital Campaign to furnish a woodshop and a new cooking/multipurpose lab. Here is an updated list of all the donors as of March.
Platinum Level Donations
Gold Level Donations
Silver Level Donations
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Bronze Level Donations
W W W. A P I S . S E O U L . K R EDITORIAL TEAM: ■ Euysung Kim Director ■ Nicole Suh Art & Design Editor ■ Josephine Shim Communications & PR Team Leader ■ Susan Craton Writing / Editing Staff ■ Soora Koh Communication Officer ■ Ranhee Cho Communications Intern
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