ISHCMC High School Herald by ISHCMC

October Edition, 2013 International School Ho Chi Minh City Fostering highschoolherald@gmail.com ••• issuu.com/highschoolherald ••• (Month) Edi on Individual Ability

HIGH SCHOOL HERALD Interview with New Teachers Just the thought of going to school made our heart flutter at the beginning of the year but it’s amazing to see how an entire month has passed by already so seamlessly. We’re getting used to our new grade and our new teachers. This year especially has welcomed a nearly entirely new batch of teachers. By interviewing … see page 3

IB Students’ Field Trip

VIETNAM independence proclaimed Independence Day (Ngày Quốc Khánh) is a Vietnamese national holiday which commemorates the Declaration of Independence from France and the establishment day of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. President Ho Chi Minh announced the Declaration of Independence at Ba Dinh Square, Ha Noi. This document officially claimed the independence… see page 4

Today’s Music Review Lana del Rey: Anti-Feminist It’s difficult not to fall victim to Lana del Rey’s sultry voice, her old Hollywood glamour aesthetic, or even her dark and hauntingly beautiful songs. Her ominous lyrics seem to particularly appeal to young teenage girls who feel vulnerable and misunderstood in a large and chaotic world, finding solace only in the strangely relatable songstress. No matter how fazed we might be by Lana del Rey though, it’s also important to realize just how harmful her songs and image are to our modern society…. see page 7

Members of HSH Editor-in-Chief Eun Chai Kim Reporters Jee Ye Hong Chuan Cheng Karen Nguyen Jun Sung Kim Ji Yun Kim Seung Hyun Seo

Olia Nguyen Photographers Chan Beum Park Yun Won Park Editors Chuan Cheng Jun Sung Kim Suk Min Yoon Cartoonists

College Application The United States is a popular destination to pursue a higher education. Every year, many of the US universities receive thousands of applications. For those who are thinking to apply to the US, there are a few steps to follow. The three main steps are as follows: 

Connect onto your ISHCMC Naviance account

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Recommendation Letters & Resume

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The Common Application

Naviance is a great college-planning tool. Once you login, you will be able to see all the universities that will be visiting ISHCMC, as well as book the time of a particular university visit….see page 2 Seung Yeon Lee Hyun Jung Oh Jae Won Cho Publishers Tae Hoon Lee Jou Young Suh Young Tae Kim Ji Woo Park Supervisor Martin Grist

HIGH SCHOOL HERALD ••• (Oct 2013)

cant because they give universities a general idea of your achievements from a teacher’s point of view. At the same time, students are also advised to work on their resumes. A resume is a summary of a student’s academic achieveThe United States is a popular destination to pursue ments, and hobbies. It is recommended to start the resume a higher education. Every year, many of the US universi- as early as possible, because it is time-consuming, and usuties receive thousands of applications. For those who are ally much guidance is needed from the counselor. thinking to apply to the US, there are a few steps to follow. The Common Application is an undergraduate colThe three main steps are as follows: 

Connect onto your ISHCMC Naviance account



Recommendation Letters & Resume



The Common Application

Naviance is a great college-planning tool. Once you login, you will be able to see all the universities that will be visiting ISHCMC, as well as book the time of a particular university visit. In addition, Naviance also allows you to compare universities, acceptance rate, and other additional information. Recommendation Letters are letters written by teachers, whereby students are recommended with their academic achievements, and non-academic achievements. Students should request for recommendation letters from teachers that are familiar with their achievements. However, teachers have the right to accept or deny a request. To apply for universities in the US, students must have a total of three recommendation letters: two from teachers, and one from the college counselor. These letters are signifi-

lege admission program that students may use to apply online for any of the 517 colleges and universities in the United States, Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Students applying for universities in the US are encouraged to sign up for a Common App account, and fill in all the necessary information. The information includes a ride range: personal data, family background, academics, extracurricular activities and so on. After filling in all the necessary information and facts, a student has to choose one of the many given prompts, and then, write a personal essay. The personal essay should fully reflect who you are, as well as some of your personal experiences. The above tips and steps are essential for the application process to universities in the United States, and are briefly introduced. If any help or guidance is needed, you are always able to make an appointment with our College Counselor, Ms. Casey Nolen Jackson. Chuan Cheng

Other than having to wreck our brains about the most elusive subject ever created, the juniors had a pretty good trip (a 4-star beach resort in Mui Ne), with all the time to jump into the pull (or be pushed into it), enjoy the scenery and savor the sea food that came with being at a beach resort. The great thing about going on such a relaxing trip is that there is no need to worry about anything, other than TOK, over the span of four clean, bug-less and food-full days. No more of those nights when you wonder if you will be able to swallow the food at the restaurant the next morning or endure the bugs that might pop up at any moment under the covers. The activities were fun for most part (some might disagree), we got to make sculptures on the beach and play games in the pool. That is all fine and pretty until we have to tie it all in with TOK and make a presentation that was for a grade. We all handled it pretty well though and the teachers seemed impressed, so well done grade 11! Olia Nguyen The last field trip as high school students seems to be unforgettable. Seniors enjoyed their relaxing trip to Ho Tram Resort where they interacted directly to the nature. Many programs such as Group 4 project, college application seminars and TOK sessions may have been burdensome, but definitely were meaningful as the last steps to universities. The students were encouraged to boost up their last sprint to the end of horrifying IB. It was valuable for the students to understand what ‘university’ truly means to them and fully prepare to complete one of the biggest events in their life and start a new one. Only a year is left for the class of 2014 to remain as ISHCMCians. Backed up by all the great support from teachers, the seniors will accomplish IB successfully and never give up to pursue the path that interests and motivates them the most. Eun Chai Kim

HIGH SCHOOL HERALD ••• (Oct 2013)

Just the thought of going to school made our heart flutter at the beginning of the year but it’s amazing to see how an entire month has passed by already so seamlessly. We’re getting used to our new grade and our new teachers. This year especially has welcomed a nearly entirely new batch of teachers. By interviewing three new members of staff, the High School Herald has been able to get a glimpse of what the new teachers think about ISHCMC so far. Mr. Toblas McFarlane (Math teacher) Mr. Tobias McFarlane is enjoying ISHCMC very much as well, where he finds the overall atmosphere to be quite positive since both students and teachers are nice and pleasant to work with. He’s surprised by the good resources available as well such as tablets and high quality textbooks. However, one complaint that he has about the school is that it feels much too cramped at times, to which he has proposed the solution of constructing a new building on campus.

Mr. Michael Jollimore (Physics teacher) Mr. Jollimore used to be a teacher over at AAVN but is enjoying ISHCMC thus far, which he thinks is different and more international. The hardest part about ISHCMC for him is getting to know everyone's names. Mr. Jollimore’s goal for this year is to get every one of his students to do their best.

Ms. Casey Nolen Jackson (Counselor) Ms. Casey is excited about the new school year, especially the numerous students who are excited about their university opportunities since so many of them have interesting stories to tell as well. After a month at ISHCMC, she has found that one of ISHCMC’s strong points is its administration system since paperwork is kept in a very neat and orderly fashion. She also appreciates the food offered at Global Café during recess time and being able to swim after school in the pool. Article by: Jun Sung Kim Photographs by: Yun Won Park

HIGH SCHOOL HERALD ••• (Oct 2013)

As of the new school year, it’s time to raise school spirit! Student Body President Young Joon, and his fellow members of ISHCMC’s Student Representative Council, succeeded in doing so, after having organized a whole week worth of interactive events - events of which all members of the Secondary could participate in. Each day of the week was assigned a specific theme, alongside being filled with delicious food and drink sales and enjoyable games. The week began with Monday being “Throwback Day” - our school being packed with Pop Culture icons from the 90’s - and ended with a relaxing “Lazy Day” where students were allowed to attend school in their pajamas! ISHCMC was no longer packed with students in their every-day navy, gray and white school uniform, but full of all kinds of colors - the true colors of all the students! The most memorable part of this year’s Spirit Week was when all Secondary students competed against each other in their house teams in the Alphabet game! This encouraged all students to not only take pride in our school but also their house teams as well, and never did the students of our school seem so captivated in such an event! Much gratitude is expressed towards to the Secondary SRC Team, on behalf of our whole school, initially for making the beginning of a new school year so much more exciting and welcoming! Additionally, what a perfect way it is, for supporting the new members of our school community to assimilate into our school environment! Jee Ye Hong

the colonial power’s official surrender, Vietnam was reconstructed as an independent nation, which was first in Asia.

“All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These immortal words were stated in the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776. However, the citizens of Vietnam were victims of long-lasted colonization until 1945. Independence Day (Ngày Quốc Khánh) is a Vietnamese national holiday which commemorates the Declaration of Independence from France

A wide range of activities can be found in the Independence Day: fireworks in the sky, marches on the streets and so on. Many individuals spend their day off by having a short historical journey to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum or Ba Dinh Square in order to recall the memories on the birth and the establishment day of the Dem- of the nation. ocratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. President Ho Chi ISHCMC annually held a speMinh announced the Declaration of cial assembly to celebrate the National Independence at Ba Dinh Square, Ha Day. The Vietnamese students from Noi. This document officially claimed different grades prepared hard for this the independence and sovereignty of year’s performance as well. The diverVietnam. sity of traditional clothing of ethnic groups in Vietnam impressed not only The August Revolution of the new-comers to ISHCMC, but also 1945, led by the Vietnamese Independ- those who stayed Vietnam for a long ence League, known as Viet Minh, period of time. Additionally, the local ended 80 years of French colonial dances never disappointed us. This domination. Ho Chi Minh organized yearly assembly helps us to understand this guerrilla group in order to fight for the nation that we live in better. Vietnamese independence against France and Japan which occupied in Eun Chai Kim Vietnam during World War II. After

HIGH SCHOOL HERALD ••• (Oct 2013)

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Workshop, project fair at the GIN Conference Performed at GIN OSCAR & GIN conference 2 Canteen concerts Performed for street children (MS Enrichment), Youth Eldery Service (YES), Student Teaching Student (STS) Fundraised 870 000 VND and donated to Thien Phuc Orphanage

Our goals:  To hold concert at the canteen area once a month  To perform for other GIN Groups and perform in any big or small events those involve music concerts The GIN group of this month is Healing To raise 3,000,000VND through canteen conMusic! With brilliant music talents and  cert to improve the facilities at Thien Phuc fabulous music, Healing Music provides Orphanage our ears pleasure. But, behind the  To create high quality and creative posters scenes, our beloved musicians work around the school to raise awareness on our hard to come up with lovely performancglobal issues To ind out a lot of talented musicians in our es. Now, get ready to fall into the charms  school and give them great opportunities! of Healing Music! Seung Hyun Seo Global Issue: Equal Access to Education and the Arts What is the Mission Statement: Healing Music aims to entertain a variety of people with music. Because music is therapeutic and one of the ways of communication, everyone can understand and enjoy. We hold regular concerts for ISHCMC students (once a month) and at the orphanage to make orphans be joyful and get rid of stress. We also aim to raise funds during the concerts so that we can donate the money to help the orphans. Who’s the leader of this group?: Hui Yeong Moon (12A) Email: huiyeongmoon@ishcmc.edu.vn Phone number: 094-254-2561 Supervisor: Ms. Piccioni Meeting time and place: Every Wednesday recess at the music room Achievement and Goals:  2 videos uploaded on YouTube & 1 on Facebook website  Visited Thien Phuoc Orphanage twice

HIGH SCHOOL HERALD ••• (Oct 2013)

Most of this year’s changed to the school received an overall review from students. Most of them commented on the improvements. Here are some responses from students when they were asked: “How do you feel about this year’s school environment?” “Wow! There are so many students this year!” “Well I think it is more or less the same as last year ‘cause I don’t see any difference; people are the same.” “Fresh, you know. Nothing much changed, only the colors of the hallways. Socially, it is the same as last year. Now it is DP so I feel more stressed but that is not because of the change in the environment. I thought with the all the new teachers… We didn’t know all the new teachers so I was worried

Although a number of students bring their own lunchboxes, the majority of students in ISHCMC are daily in contact with canteen food. It is taking an important part of our school life. However, we have been always hearing complaints whenever we raise the issue of canteen food for a long time. We can no longer remain as spectators in the situation. To , finding out the students’ needs and wants specifically and listening to the their voice. The survey shows that the most students are satisfied with the canteen food. Students are pleased with the taste, the variety of choice, and the way that ISHCMC offers healthy fruits during the recess.

but they are all nice.” “We are in grade 12 so it’s very stressful, we are really tired. In general it’s better than last year because everyone is very welcoming. However, I don’t like the color of the walls and how everything is green. I feel like a little kid going to school, I don’t feel like I’m a senior. It creates this atmosphere. If the walls are blue, dark blue, I would feel mature but the entire floor is green, that’s a kid’s color, I feel like I’m going to a kindergarten.” “I like how everything is so colorful, people act the same as last year and we are welcoming all the new students. And I think it is nice to see the new students. It is different from last year but I think everything is improving.” “The transition was a bit acute because there were many new teachers which I thought would take some time to adapt to. I would feel more comfortable if I carried on with the teachers last year because we already made a bond with them. But we have new teachers, it’s not like they are bad but we have to start over again, we have to start making bonds again.”

However, same problems appear among the students. The strongest common demand from students throughout the survey is to lower the price of food. Students think the quality of food is agreeable, but the price is too high. Students are sometimes displeased with the unreasonable price of food. The other problem that students pointed out in common is the long waiting queue. The waiting line makes the students exhausted and brings out the cut-in-line problem as well. Students argue that the canteen needs to provide more organized and efficient ways of lining. Students’ suggestions for the better ISHCMC canteen are: 1. Making the food price more rea-

Olia Nguyen

sonable 2. Tagging the price in front of each food so the students are aware of the price and accept it 3. Making another place where students can be served so the waiting line is not endless 4. Providing fresh salad 5. Providing some less salty food options 6. Creating different food combinations for students with different preferences Ji Yun Kim

Survey on Canteen Food Discontent 33%

Good 25%

Satisfied 42%

HIGH SCHOOL HERALD ••• (Oct 2013)

qualms about relationships with great age disparities but when an older man clearly chooses to exploit a much younger girl in a relationship, and then the girl chooses to glamourize that sort of relationship, I’m going to side eye the entire thing.

right to wear the headdress. If you’re a nonNative and still consciously choose to wear a war bonnet, then you’re clearly committing an act of racism and choosing to disrespect Native American culture, no matter what your [ignorant] reasons might be. By doing so, you’re only perpetuating a patriBut it’s not only her lyrics that are archal society in which people of color are problematic. The art cover for her single oppressed, disrespected, and considered “Blue Jeans” was revolting, to say the least. subservient to everyone else. A male hand seems to be choking del Rey’s neck as she’s peacefully passed out across a Some might say that they’re only body of sand. The cover is nothing but “celebrating” Native American culture and Lana del Rey, Anti-Feminist short of an advocacy for violence against not wanting to do any harm whatsoever. women. A lot of girls nowadays have these Little do they know that Native Americans It’s difficult not to fall victim to strange fantasies of leading tumultuous face acts of oppression on a nearly daily Lana del Rey’s sultry voice, her old Holly- lifestyles with unhealthy and abusive rela- basis such as disparities in pay wage and a wood glamour aesthetic, or even her dark tionships, akin to those often portrayed in disproportionately high number of rape and hauntingly beautiful songs. Her omidel Rey’s videos. The sorts of messages cases occurring among Native American women. By ostensibly “celebrating” Native nous lyrics seem to particularly appeal to that Lana del Rey sends out to the public American culture, these entitled kids only young teenage girls who feel vulnerable are potentially dangerous to young naïve benefit from their own privilege by not and misunderstood in a large and chaotic girls who often look up to the singer and having to face any of the oppression that world, finding solace only in the strangely want to emulate her lifestyle. Native Americans are usually forced to relatable songstress. No matter how fazed experience on a daily basis while still being we might be by Lana del Rey though, it’s able to wear relics of Native American Culalso important to realize just how harmful ture and thus only further perpetuate a paher songs and image are to our modern triarchal society. If you really want to celesociety. brate Native American culture, do it in an How is Lana del Rey detrimental appropriate manner by not basing it off of to our society? Well for starters, her lyrics stereotypes and doing a little bit of research are riddled with messages that seem to roon Google first because appropriating anmanticize a system of patriarchy, which other culture is not okay. aims to undermine female power and make women (and anyone else who doesn’t lie In spite of all the beef I have with within the middle to upper class white male Lana, I’ll admit that I can’t help but play ideal) subservient to men. The line, “this is her songs on repeat. I am ashamed of mywhat makes us girls we don’t stick together self though for feeding into the guilty cause we put our love first” in her song pleasure that is Lana del Rey. But, maybe “This is What Makes Us Girls” is harmful What happened to female agency? it’s not a terrible thing to enjoying consumto female solidarity since it sends the mesWhy should women feel the need to depend ing media that isn’t entirely ~politically sage that young girls shouldn’t “stick toon other men for survival? Why does Lana correct~. Perhaps it’s not the consumption gether” and should instead put their love interests first. The lyrics seem to advocate del Rey epitomize finding comfort in men of media that’s the problem but our myopic instead of women? Most importantly, why failure to acknowledge its shortcomings. “girl hate” which is when girls are pitted against one another in order to compete for are young teenage girls swooning over the- We should allow ourselves to enjoy different forms of media otherwise what would a slew of factors, including boys. Further- se lyrics? I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a girl quote Lana del Rey on the point in life be if we barred ourselves more, del Rey’s lyrics epitomize the dadfrom entertainment? However, we should dy’s girl construct as well. The myriad Lo- Tumblr or on her photo caption on Facealso be critical of the media, especially the lita references in her song “Off to the Rac- book. It’s disconcerting really as to how messages that are sent out to the public. If es” which features the starting quote of the strong Lana del Rey has an effect on the minds of these naïve girls. the message undermines other groups of novel, “light of my life, fire of my loins” people, then we should take the initiative to which is immediately followed by the lines However, perhaps what irks me publicly call the media out on its existence “be a good baby, do what I want”, should the most is her video for the single, “Ride”. as well. Instead of being passive and mindraise an alarm in anyone’s head. By proless audiences who allow the media to injecting herself as a “daddy’s girl” or a girl I’m willing to begrudgingly overlook the fact that the video blatantly romanticizes fluence our ideals, we should take the rewho is overly dependent on an older man homelessness. Unfortunately, I can’t do the sponsibility to educate ourselves on things with a lot of money, Lana del Rey undersame for its evident racism. In the video, that are offensive and detrimental to differmines female agency and empowerment. we see Lana wearing a Native American She’s sending the message that there’s an ent groups of people in our society. older man who has power over her and that headdress, which has a deep spiritual meanKaren Nguyen ing for actual Native Americans and is usushe isn’t her own person but rather this ally restricted to men who have earned the older man’s object or property. I have no

This Month’s Hot Issue:

Arm Wrestling Competition

HIGH SCHOOL HERALD ••• (Oct 2013)