NLCS Jeju - Mulchat Newsletter - December 2023 - English

WINTER 2023 |

CATCHING FIRE

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD OF MULCHAT EDITORS : NAYEON KIM, JOSHUA SUNG

MERRY CHRISTMAS! WHO ARE WE? MULCHAT!!

WHAT ARE WE? GREEN DRAGONS!!

MY EXPERIENCE IN MULCHAT AS A Y7 JACOB CHOI

Our house, Mulchat, has a strong community and lead like dragons. Mulchat quickly became my family as I joined my tutor group, forming bonds that would shape my experiences throughout the year. Some of the most memorable experiences at Mulchat were the various house activities, and these activities made me not only proud of being part of Mulchat but also gave me the desire to contribute to Mulchat’s glory as well.

House Days, which are the days where all the NLCS houses compete with each other in various areas, is the highlight of our week. These House Day sessions were not just about organised activities, but to build a sense of belonging. Among the areas that the houses competed in was musical performance; and Mulchat was and always is the undisputed champion in this field as we have some of NLCS’ best musicians in the entire school, including the best string instrument players in the entire campus. We had our House Ensemble last time and it was superb. My friend Thomas, who is one of the best violin players in NLCS, played for Mulchat House. The ensemble played some of the most amazing harmonies I have ever heard and this awarded Mulchat first place in the Music Ensemble competition and gave pride to Mulchat students. I can play the violin, so I want to join these ensembles later in the future as well to contribute to activities that would make Mulchat proud.

For the House Competition, we also had our Year 7 and 8 Swimming Competition for boys. Since I learnt how to swim when I was six, I was confident that I could contribute to the victory of our House in this swimming competition. I represented Mulchat in the Individual Breaststroke (50m) and the Freestyle Relay (100m) races. I got first place in all of the areas I competed in. After this performance, the sports captain for grade 8, recommended me to become the next sports captain the following year. The students that were in my Freestyle Relay had fun and were excited because we came first. I think this was one of our major achievements for Mulchat. I felt grateful that I could be a member of this team and take part in making Mulchat the best in sporting competitions.

Overall, I’ve enjoyed my time in Mulchat. Even though it has only been a few months since I’ve been here, it feels like Mulchat is my family and closest community within the school. I wish to one day be a core member of our house so that I can make Mulchat proud.

THE VOICE OF MULCHAT: THE MEDIA TEAM BENJAMIN JUN, IN PRAISE OF THE MEDIA COMMITTEE As you read this most recent publication of Mulchat, few would have taken the time to ask themselves: who is it that put this together? What is this organisation that has managed to craft such a masterpiece— what degree of devotion and passion was necessary to produce this level of art?

And for those few who did ask the question— and even more so for those to whom this question did not occur— I turn the spotlight to the very ones who have directed this booklet for a newsletter’s version of a curtain call: the Media team.

It is a fact that I can state with absolute certitude that those who deserve a place at the front for the standing ovation would be the Media captains: Nayeon Kim and Joshua Sung. They are tasked with orchestrating the massive range of projects that owe their existence to the Media committee. They work tirelessly to work out the logistics of the inner workings of each event. Working with them are the members of the Media Committee: Jay Kim, DongHyun Lee, Jessica Heo, Chris Jeong, Ainn Jeong, Ian Kang and Emi Weber.

But perhaps equally deserving of the laudation are the members of the Press team, a group of some 30 members, who each record the scenes of Mulchatian competitors during the house events (which are nearly always those of dramatic last-minute goals and triumphant spikes) on camera for later celebration.

The achievements captured in the cameras of the Press team, as well as those kindly sent to us by other Mulchatians, are proudly presented to the entirety of the Mulchat community on Mondays in a set of weekly slides, whose name is on a whooping 4-letter alliteration streak: Monday Mulchat Morning Matters. Notices (cleverly named “Mulchat Monday Memos”) that range from applications for positions in other committees, as well as the weekly riddles that never get old, are constantly renewed thanks to the effort of the Media team.

Smaller, more regular celebrations, notices and publications are made on Mulchat’s official Instagram account, (@mulchatdragons).

I end this short article with a final word of praise for the infinite devotion that the Media committee has shown us this year— and is sure to continue to show in years to come.

WHAT ARE WE?...

GREEN DRAGONS? CHRIS JEONG

However there is one thing to consider. Does success blind us? Does success or strong desire for success prevent us from achieving not necessarily “1st place-worthy” accolades, but goals that can be seen as great for people in the house? Most importantly, does success blur the lines between

As the first term finally comes to an end, what Mulchat uniqueness and competitiveness? What is Mulchat? (and most other houses) will probably have in mind will Are we really the mighty green dragons? To explore be their successes; what have they done good so far and this, let’s look at our motto, our values stripped down to core concepts. Our motto is “Courage and how can we improve later in the year or in the near future? Will we be in a similar position by the end of the Passion”. Let’s look at other houses’ mottos. Jeoji’s is “Pride in the Pride”, Geomun’s is “Non ducor year? Better? Worse? duco”, Noro’s is “The strength of the pack is the wolf A lot of Mulchatians and of course the House staff and and the strength of the wolf is the pack”, and Sarah’s is “We get better and better”. Just like we captains, will generally agree that things are looking much better from last year. Our surprise win at the first see here, these mottos are basic descriptions of competition of the year, the House Shout, was a surprise what the house hopes to achieve. And what about for everybody. Compared to last year, through a short

the values?

amount of time, the newly appointed Y11 captains were able to prove themselves to the rest of the house, and

Between the five houses, they are surprisingly

include a proud victory in their House Captain resume

similar. Courageous, kind, courage, passion,

that they could look back on in Sixth Form and cherish. supportive, committed, et cetera; all of these words prove the same thing for all houses, “We provide a And many will agree, that in fact, this term’s House Competition results were far better than last year when warm and welcoming environment to all members of the community and we strive for greatness.” placed side by side.

So, what happened? What made Mulchat become first

Now let’s go back to what I was really talking about.

place at one of the house’s earliest stages of

What made us win on that fateful day of House

development? In simpler terms, why did we win and not Shout? It is true that Mulchat won and it was a proud achievement for everybody where everybody Geomun, or Noro, or any of the four other houses? got the best out of their throats to unite our house According to many members of the house, house staff,

into one in that event. But competition is not always

and our captains, we were simply just having fun.

about winning. It’s about finding your place in a

Everyone tried their best to produce the best outcome

community, where everybody has diverse and

possible, and everybody, even when they had low hopes different interests. It is about being courageous where things don’t always look right for your for any kind of success or victory, tried their best as a united member of Mulchat House. That was why we

skillset, and finding new interests, subjects you are

were able to start off the year with a bang; in that very confident and passionate about. Winning only draws a curtain to these opportunities, forces our skill sets moment we were Mulchat, and nothing else. And the lyrics supported that. It was both a threat and a strong

to follow a set standard and be only good at those

message to the other houses that we would not bow

things but not other things.

down to what all of the other houses were doing and we would become a strong and independent house.

This may come as a surprise. Mulchat is not the green dragon nor does it represent that as a house.

Mulchat is not about “Courage” and “Passion” and living solely by the spirit of the dragon. Mulchat is what every single member of the house says Mulchat is. Mulchat may be a place for change, or a source of inspiration and happiness. There is no definition for the term “Mulchat”. And Mulchat’s identity and values are not chosen by Mr. Thomas or any of the House Captains. They are chosen by you, the members of Mulchat, who might be reading this right now. Mulchat is anything you say it is. The only caveat is that if you wish that every House Competition was like our very first this year, remember. The dragon and our motto are only mascots of what we truly are. Don’t be blinded by the temptation of victory. Have doubts.

Do what you gotta do.

As 2023 comes to a close and 2024 starts appearing around the corner, just have a second to think.

Mulchat and the world is your canvas, and your skillset are the paints and brushes. What do you want to paint next year?

MUL-CATS SIMON LEE MulCats - Behind the Scenes with one of Cats’ Main Meows How I wanted to portray ‘Rum Tum Tugger’ Rum Tum Tugger is a very confident character. A rockstar tomcat, he constantly toys with the many female cats in the production. As evident from his flirtatious behaviour, he loves being the centre of attention. I wanted Rum Tum Tugger’s self-assurance, boldness and vanity to be fully reflected in my performance. I think my character’s personality helped me overcome my stage fright. As I was researching Rum Tum Tugger, I felt my confidence increase drastically- playing the cat was a new, eye-opening experience.

Channelling his cool and collected aplomb, I was in top shape and was able to deliver a high quality performance which I believe the audience greatly enjoyed. I think my presence helped boost the other performers’ confidence as well, and I am very happy overall that I was able to play Rum Tum Tugger in the musical.

Points of improvement in our rehearsals Despite this, however, our performance was not without flaw. Our rehearsals were often racked with various different errors and mistakes, and our shows weren’t free from slip-ups either. Every performer gave their 150% on the stage and took responsibility in their practices, but I believe there were definite points of improvement. For example, the dancers and singers should have had more opportunities to work with the orchestra to make sure their choreography and the music went together. Singing out loud was another skill we should have practised more, given that the acoustics in the PAC are vastly different from the practice rooms. Finally, the performance could have taken more time to get used to moving around the stage. Increasing our overall coordination would have helped improve our final performance.

My successful experience In general, Cats was a transformative and greatly enjoyable experience for me. There is nothing quite so thrilling as being able to stand on a stage with dozens of fellow performers and knowing that a crowd is sitting there in front of you, waiting to hear you sing. This production has helped me develop a true love for the theatre, which I believe is essential for a performer, not to mention an IGCSE drama student. I would like to thank everyone for providing me with an opportunity to experience the exhilarating quest that was the musical.

FOBISIA JESSICA

→ quote from our coach

"Well done to the NLCS Jeju U15 FOBISIA Sports team who have just returned from the annual games competition held at Pattana Sports Resort in Thailand. The students competed in Athletics, Swimming, Basketball and Football during the three day event.

They competed with great commitment and effort and were a credit to themselves and represented the NLCS Jeju with pride and passion.

The boys and girls also gelled superbly well as a group and were very supportive of each other and they also made friends with students from many other International Schools around Asia." - Mr. Glenn Roberts

→ my opinion

Not only representing NLCS Jeju, I think it was a great opportunity to also represent as a member of Mulchat. We felt more as one as we had to overcome the same challenges.

By interacting with people from different countries exposed us to diverse cultures and perspectives and ways of approaching. It also extended our understanding of cultural differences.

In addition to that, experiencing both winning and losing, we could develop resilience and mental strength by overcoming the difficulties we faced.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH JAY KIM Many of the readers are probably aware of the fact that NLCS Jeju provides a diverse array of extracurricular activities, of which include the Duke of Edinburgh programme.

You may be asking: “What is the DofE programme?” The DofE programme in short, is a programme in which students from Year 10 onwards are encouraged to do various extracurricular activities such as service and physical activities. A prominent part of the programme itself involves going on short 2 to 3 day trips to develop independence in students.

On the 6th of October, 2023, the current Year 10s who were taking the DofE programme ventured on such a trip themselves, travelling down the north eastern coast of Jeju and trekking through a path that totalled a distance of more than 30km. The journey took a gruelling 2 days and, carrying backpacks that weighed, on average, 13kg each, the students were obligated to walk the entire length of the path. Such trials tested the physical capabilities of the students, but the Duke of Edinburgh consists of much more than that.

As stated prior, independence is a factor that is heavily emphasised in the programme. Hence, the students had to prepare food, clothes and build their own tents without any assistance from staff.

This turned what would have been a difficult journey to a challenging one that some students really struggled on, not just physically but in various areas that may seem trivial such as packing appropriately.

From what I’ve said, it might appear the trips were simply hellish expeditions where students suffered in agony. However, it would be an understatement to say that there was no joy involved.

Many students, not just Mulchatians, have expressed how enjoyable and rewarding the trips were; about the breathtaking beauty of the Jeju coast, camping out with friends, and the opportunity to experience it all. Personally, for me, it was gazing at the starry sky that was one of the highlights of the trip.

So, it was not all doom and gloom. Although… Some students still may have grievances against Mr.Chaddock for riding a car.

TEACHER INTERVIEW HAOLIN (LEE) LI

This is my sixth year at Mulchat and my sixth year at the school. Mulchat is indeed very meaningful to me. I spent 4 years with my first tutor class. I witnessed their transformation from ignorant teenagers in the eighth grade to "rebellious" teenagers in the 11th grade. read. They have witnessed my transformation from a novice teacher to a notso-new novice teacher, and they have also witnessed my life stages from engagement to marriage to giving birth to a daughter. Many of them still keep in touch with me and are even still studying in my Chinese class. I often meet them in school, watching them perform various student leadership responsibilities, watching them apply for college, When preparing for the interview, watching them hurriedly walk past in their sixth-form uniforms, I always felt a sense of bewilderment welling up in my heart.

I was in class with my previous Mulchat tutor. They were about to finish their 11th grade studies and I was about to go on maternity leave.

Fortunately, I am still taking over Mulchat's tutoring class, and it is still a group of young people in their prime. After getting along with each other last year, I have a deeper understanding of everyone, and I am delighted to have met many kind-hearted, sincere and high-spirited classmates. I still remember that more than a year ago, I had just finished my maternity leave and returned to school in the middle of the school year. Faced with the tutor class that I was not able to take over at the beginning of the school year, I felt very nervous. Later, it turned out that I was overly worried.

Everyone He responded to me politely and enthusiastically, which gradually made me feel uneasy about returning to work. Slowly, I learned that there were sports wizards, bookworms, dancers, dramatists, musicians, mathematicians... in my class. After these names, there were sincere smiling faces (or faces pretending to be reserved). ) and an interesting soul. I look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with you in the days to come. I also hope to fully assist you in life and be a strong (green) backing for the Dragons.

My current Mulchat tutor and I had just known each other for three months and were about to say goodbye to a classmate who was about to leave school.

HOUSE SINGING/GLEE MAX KO The event held last November was not of success, but of honour. Even though the outcome was not that satisfactory, yet showed the uniqueness of the Mulchat House. Instead of choosing typical songs, we have chosen this unfamiliar song: Suzume. Although it seemed that this song had a relatively lower chance of victory compared to other candidates, we decided to take the risk.

The year 11s worked extremely hard to make it happen. They have not given up even though a lot of students struggled to sing the right pitch. Due to their incredible patience and effort, we were able to perform greatly during the actual House Singing.

Not only choosing the unique song, but we also have performed quite differently from others. We got out of the tedious format of performing by having two conductors: One for the chorus, and a different one for instrumental. Some laughed at us, and some were inspired. This year’s House Singing was indeed the origin of the Mulchat Spirit that Mr. Thomas discussed about.

The Glee people also did a good job – It was just that the other Houses were better. I’ve heard how the Mulchat Glee has improved from last year’s human-swing. We will surely be able to improve further next year.

After these events, the Mulchat people had a pizza party under the tower during lunch time.

Regardless of the ranks, it was evident that everyone gave their full effort and showed our uniqueness to others. Being obsessed with victory only destroys the rejoicement and joy we could earn from the House Competition. With maintenance of our Mulchat Spirit, we will strive for improvement and greater rejoicement.

AWARDS MERITS AND COMMENDATIONS Every week we recognise students and their tutor groups for their hard work around school measured by their Character Strengths and Academic Merits.

CONGRATUALATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF OUR TUTOR COMMENDATION AWARDS

MOST CHARACTER STRENGTHS AND MERIT POINTS TUTOR GROUP - M7B

Congratulations to all of our winners!