the
EYE
Feb. 10, 2012
Singapore American School
Vol. 31 No. 4
Boys swim team captain senior Hangil Chung comes up for air during his 200 IM race. Chung also swam the freestyle leg of the medley relay. That team broke the SAS record. Photo by Aditya Raikar
Eagle teams return with seven medals By Tyler Stuart In a weekend that saw Eagle athletes take home seven medals, senior captain Andrew Milne scored a last minute try, dethroning three-year champions JIS, while the girls swim team broke a 13-year win streak in a half-point to ISKL’s girls. Rugby’s Milne makes try in last minute for gold The Eagle boys defeated the JIS Dragons 15-12 after senior captain Andrew Milne’s last-minute try. The ‘Rugbros’ went undefeated throughout the tournament and were awarded the Spirit of IASAS after joining the tunnel to honor the defeated Dragons who had taken gold for the past three years. ISKL’s Panthers took bronze after winning 12-10 over ISM’s Bearcats. The Eagle girls touch team reached the consolation match and beat the Dragons 4-3 with a diving try from junior Erica Huston in overtime to claim bronze. ISB’s Panthers beat the Bearcats 2-1 in the final to win gold. Tennis teams reach final and consolation The Lady Eagles fought their way into the consolation match but fell to the TAS Tigers, losing 4-1 to place fourth. ISM beat ISB in the final. The Eagle boys took home silver after losing 3-2 to ISM in the final. ISB edged ISKL in the consolation for bronze. Basketball boys continue five-year winning streak The Eagle boys beat ISB on their own court 70-63 in the final, bringing home the gold for the fifth consecutive year. TAS took bronze after defeating ISM 70-56. The Lady Eagles claimed silver after a hard-fought final in which Emma Graddy scored 26 points. They fell 4048 to the JIS Dragons while ISM’s Bearcats took bronze, beating TAS 71-57. Disqualifications cost girl swimmers points, gold A half point difference ended a 13-year winning streak as the SAS girls lost gold for the first time since 1999 to ISKL. Four disqualifications, one in the heavily-weighted 200 meter freestyle relay, prevented a first-place result. The boys swim team powered through to take gold, 11.5 points above trailing ISB. Sophomore Kei Hyogo was held back at the airport, arriving in Jakarta at noon the following day, and broke two IASAS records in one race. Junior Kevin Tung also broke two IASAS records. The Eagles will not have long to celebrate their second season success. With a third season starting up after interim and the first exchange March 17, those athletes are dusting off badminton rackets, track shoes and softball gloves. Follow Tyler on Twitter @tylerestuart
Board adds weekly late start to next year’s calendar
Teachers pick up 45 minutes for collaboration time in early morning to align courses, exams, share concerns “The teams in a PLC engage in Communities at Work.” Professional Learning Communities By Anbita Siregar Dr. Stuart hopes this change will There is a notion among high were created by Dr. Richard and collective inquiry into both best school students that the grade you Rebecca DuFour. The sharing of practices in teaching and best help equalize the grading system of earn is largely based on the teacher ideas, they believe, improves the practices in learning,” the DuFours each course, so an A-worthy paper you have. A B-grade on an essay in quality of instruction because teachers wrote in “Learning by Doing: A will receive an A regardless of the one teacher’s World History class can continually learn from each other. Handbook for Professional Learning teacher. might impress another World History teacher enough to earn an A. “If you had one teacher, you could go to Stanford, but because you had another teacher, you have a B- on your transcript, and you’re probably not going to get into Stanford,” principal Dr. Tim Stuart said. “We want all our teachers to have the same standards so it’s fair for kids.” Dr. Stuart got board approval to give teachers the time between 7:45 - 8:30, once a week, next school year to collaborate in their professional learning communities (PLC). “Teachers who teach the same course need time to collaborate,” Dr. Stuart said. Teachers will standardize much of what they teach, agree how to assess units and talk about how to work with TALKING SHOP - OR SUPERBOWL? Deputy principal Doug Neihart, teachers Rick Silverman, John Gaskell, Doug Mabie and students who are having difficulty Tico Oms finishg lunch in the faculty lounge. A last morning start once each week next year, possibly on Wednesdays, will be a designated collaboration time. Photo by Pamela Chan. with course content.
“People often say they have a specific teacher, and that’s why they get a better grade,” junior Vikas Roygopal said. Though the fundamental ideas of the project have been established, details are still in the works. Administrators and teachers are still debating which day of the week the late start will fall on. “The idea is in place, and the potential activities are in place. Now the actual scheduling of what that looks like is taking place,” deputy principal Darin Fahrney said. On the first week of every month student attendance will be required for general assemblies, such as the Peace Initiative assembly and Service Club assembly. Pep rallies and Winter Collage are exceptions that will still be scheduled at the end of the day. For the other late starts of the month, Dr. Stuart hopes clubs and counselors will arrange meetings with students while teachers attend PLC activities. . . . . CONTINUED bottom of next page
www.saseye.com • 40 Woodlands St. 41, Singapore 738547 • www.sas.edu.sg/hs • (65) 6363 3404 • MICA (P) 130/04/2010
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theeye
Interim Revolution February 10, 2012
Interim makeover puts trips in three categories, proposes service requirement By Monica Chritton and Megan Cosgrove “carry out anything brought in” and trek through This weekend the high school will close down its classrooms and the hills and forests that surround Milford Sound. see its students off as they embark on a week of service, learning and “We are trying to get people to be out of the city,” adventure. Oms said. “We want the accommodations to be Interim Semester provides many students with their most lasting high rustic, maybe tents.” school memories, so it has been the job of the Interim Semester Revision Service learning trips will resemble existing Committee to preserve memorability while refocusing the central service trips with a 20 hour minimum of service purpose. per trip. Taking one service learning interim The nine-person Interim Semester will be mandatory, a Review Committee includes two requirement which will students, two teachers, two parents, likely be implemented with t h e Deputy Principal Darin Fahrney and class of 2016. There has been some new Interim coordinator Tico Oms. Reshaping Interim will also include concern in the past that One of the parents is also a Board of streamlining the sign up process. Next some of the courses may Governors member. year, Interim sign ups will be projected Deputy Principal Doug Neihart, online. have been just too much Oms’ predecessor, agrees the program Students will each submit five like a family vacation. was due for revision. choices, and trips will be assigned “It was the right thing to do,” according to the submissions on Neihart said. “There has been some a day-to-day basis. Based on the concern in the past that some of the vacancies left by the grade that Doug Neihart courses may have been just too much had picked earlier that day, the deputy principal like a family vacation.” following grade will be able to While the official changes have yet to be released, Oms says that he adjust their trip requests online. The seniority hierarchy will remain in and the Committee aim to center trips on learning without compromising the selection process. the most valuable parts of the Interim experience. With interim’s reconstruction from sign ups to departure, Oms “Our job hasn’t been to destroy [Interim]; our job has been to see if says there is potential for failure if proposals are resisted by the SAS we can take it to the next step,” Oms said. “All the changes we have community. made are to make Interim more learning-based without losing the fun “Right now the next challenge is communicating why we or the magic. It’s got to be fun, it’s got to be memorable, but we’re still are making these changes,” said Oms. “How we implement a school.” changes and the rate we implement them are things [the All the changes we have Revisions will re-purpose the program by categorizing each trip into interim committee] has not finished deciding yet.” made are to make Interim one of three central themes: global issues, eco-adventure or service Counselor Sue Nesbitt, another member of the Interim more learning-based learning. Semester Review Committee, believes the changes will without losing the fun or Global issues trips will follow itineraries based on either a historical or largely be well received when students and parents realize contemporary theme. For example, a trip to Berlin might take a Cold War the most valuable aspects of Interim are not being trivialized. the magic. history approach with students visiting Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin “The bottom line of all of this is, yes, we want kids to have Tunnel that Allies dug under the Berlin Wall. fun and enjoy themselves, and we really believe the learning Participants in eco-adventure trips will be immersed in nature or and fun can happen in tandem.” Tico Oms physical challenges. Milford Trek is an example of an existing trip that Official changes will be released on February 20. interim administrator fills this criterion. During the four-day hike, students sleep outdoors, chritton17911@sas.edu.sg, cosgrove31540@sas.edu.sg
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Sleeping an extra half-hour on one day a week an option with schedule change CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE Junior Lakshmi Batachari says she is looking forward to seeing more consistency in the content of courses, especially APs which are taught to standardized exams. “I know some teachers do more writing, or they read more than other teachers, and I think it’s better if we all do the same thing,” she said. Freshman John Kleess said he thinks having this extra time will be beneficial to students’ learning. “Kids could start studying with each other even though they’re not in the same class. Plus, it’s a shorter day.” As a parent, Dr. Stuart said he finds the shortened amount of class time an insignificant sacrifice in comparison to the quality of the curriculum increases. Late start days will reduce
each class by 45 minutes per semester. “If my child was going through a surgical procedure,” Dr. Stuart said, “do I want the surgeons to spend an hour talking to each other before the surgery? Yeah. I want to make sure that they strategize. If something goes wrong, they’ve already planned it. They make the surgery time shorter, but the quality of the surgery goes up. This is the same with teachers.” Fahrney, who comes to SAS from a school that used the PLC program, said the late starts honor another popular SAS notion: students are under a lot of pressure and stress. “There might be a morning where parents say,‘You know what? You’re running on all cylinders right now, and you’re under a lot of pressure. Sleep in an extra thirty minutes.’” siregar14018@sas.edu.sg
More on Interim
Freshmen off on Interim, some leaving parents for first time
By Emily Nelson Maggie Liu’s only daughter, Summitt, will travel to Sri Lanka with 19 other sophomores during this year’s Interim Semester. Summitt has only been away from home three times, but Liu is not too worried. She says she trusts the teacher-sponsors. “Overall, I want all kids to have adequate supervision and safety for all trips,” Liu said. Deputy principal Doug Neihart ran the Interim program for four years, before turning it over to business teacher Tico Oms this year. “Over the years, the recurring fear from parents has been the obvious one of safety or possible sickness,” Neihart said. “Even though the students are well travelled, a majority of them haven’t been away from their parents for an extended amount of time.” Neihart said that parents sending their children off on Interim for the first time are justifiably concerned. He said that parents worry less with subsequent trips. “The concern doesn’t disappear altogether, but it certainly is lowered,” he said. “Parents who have been through it with their sons and daughters understand that our priority is the safety of the students.”
Freshman Jihan Chung has never spent time away from his parents. “II know I will be fine because I will have a lot of fun on the trip, and I’m with my friends,” Chung said. Nadia Kim flew alone from Chicago to Washington D.C. when she was 12. This Interim Semester, Kim will travel on the Changing Lives trip to the Philippines. “While my parents did meet me on the other side, the experience was still a good one to have,” Kim said. “Traveling with two adults, two teachers, and my friends will be very easy in comparison.” While most freshmen are looking forward to spending a week with friends, Isabella Tan has a different motive. “It’s great to have friends on the trip, but I’m going on an awesome trip where I don’t think having friends will impact the fun-ness of it,” Tan said. Tan will be traveling to Phuket: Beginning Scuba Diving for her first Interim semester trip. Senior parent Sri Tanudisastro says she is looking forward to a break from a daily task. “It’s nice to not have to wake her up everyday,” Tanudisastro said. nelson14475@sas.edu.sg
theeye
February 10, 2012
An Eye Staff Editorial
Time for a change, but don’t kill the interim magic Interim coordinator Tico Oms spoke to a room full of inquisitive students on Jan. 27, laying out his plan to refocus the interim semester program without “killing the magic”. “We actually thought that the courses were a bit unfocused,” said Oms, who worked with a task force of students, teachers, parents and administrators to produce the list of changes they believe will help inject learning into the interim experience. Among the proposed changes is a requirement that trips be funneled into one of three categories: global issues, eco-adventure or service learning. Additionally, every student will be required to complete one service interim by the time they graduate, though Oms was unsure when this will go into effect. These changes have the potential to be just what was needed, but timing and resources impose limits. Some worry that the proposed changes will dampen the interim spirit. In order for these modifications to work, planners need time. Teachers need to rethink destinations and itineraries, and work with travel agents to fit trips into one of the three newly drawn categories. The mandatory service trip will draw the most fire from students. If the high school website currently lists 53 service clubs and students are not taking advantage of these opportunities, then 20 hours of forced labor over eight days might not change their hearts and minds. Instead, why not require a certain number of service hours as a part of the regular school curriculum, then create interim service trips that will attract students to voluntarily sign up. In the committees proposals we see some immediate interim hits. The committee proposes to do away with post-interim presentation night in favor of a collective online travel and reflection journal or blog. Killing the mind-numbing parent night may be one of the best ideas that has come out of this interim-revolution. It’s not that our parents do not enjoy our presentations, but that postinterim nights are an unnecessary regurgitation of anecdotes and facts already shared with them during our first days home. These ideas have the potential to make interim great if their execution is well planned, but a hasty rush to implement them could result in superficial changes that do not reflect the committee and Oms’ wishes. Everyone needs to understand that this will take time. Oms and his team have been hard at work on these changes for most of the school year. They deserve a chance.
Campus ‘toons
Singapore American School 40 Woodlands Street 41 Republic of Singapore 738547 Phone: (65) 6363-3404 Fax: (65) 6363-6443 eye@sas.edu.sg
By Anbita Siregar
All-American
Pacemaker
Gold Award
International First Place
Editors-in-chief: Anbita Siregar, Megan Cosgrove, Managing editors-in-chief: Monica Chritton, Tyler Stuart, News Editors: Tyler, Features Editors: Olivia Nguyen, Op-Ed Editor: Klara Auerbach, A&E editor: Kate Penniall, Sports editor: Erica Huston, Photo editor: Pamela Chan, Copy Editor: Emily Nelson, Megan Talon Reporters: Klara Auerbach, Pamela Chan, Monica Chritton, Megan Cosgrove, Theresa Ellsworth, Erica Huston, Edward Khoo, Sanjna Malik, Emily Nelson, Olivia Nguyen, Ash Oberoi, Kate Penniall, Quin Reidy, Danni Shanel, Kiran Siddique, Anbita Siregar, Tyler Stuart, Megan Talon, Sana Vasi, Adviser: Mark Clemens The Eye is the student newspaper of the Singapore American School. All opinions within these pages are those of their respective writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Singapore American School, its board of governors, PTA, faculty or administration. Comments and suggestions can be sent to the Eye via the email address, eye@sas.edu.sg. At the author’s request, names can be withheld form publication. Letters will be printed as completely as possible. The Eye reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of taste and space.
Living a risk free life has its own risk Saftey comfort and balance have their downsides
Tyler Eliot Stuart
While teetering on a blue surfboard in the arrhythmic waves of Bali, the idea struck me - I am bored of balance. Students have perfected a formula that ensures ‘success’ in high school. We have found a balance between academic excellence, extra-curricular competence and social confidence. There is little risk in our busy challenging lives. We may spend sleepless nights studying, and we may suffer from self-inflicted hair loss brought on by relentless stress, but we go home to a hot meal and a made bed. We arrive at
school the next morning with friends to confide in, and teachers who care about us. Months after Bali, as I strapped myself into a red snowboard at the crossroads of two slopes in Davos, my idea solidified. I had a choice to make: enjoy the challenging, yet groomed slope to my right, or veer gauche and brave an off-piste slope of uncharted heavy powder. Choices that will push us past comfort exist at school, but we must be brave enough to look for them. The curriculum is not designed to test our
Time for updated version of independent living course Megan Cosgrove
Most surveyed seniors say school responsible for teaching life skills
Most SAS seniors have marked it on their calendars, the day when they will say their goodbyes, board their planes and take off into “the real world.” They go dreamy-eyed at the possibilities that await them but often overlook new-found freedom’s closest companion: responsibility. This word is usually met with disinterested yawns and eye-rolls, but as they embrace the independence of college life, students become accountable for more than just their grades; they become accountable for surviving on their own. The torch of freedom is passed and so are the broom, spatula, bills, laundry and hammer all at once, in a balancing act that can be overwhelming for some. “Singapore is a bubble and [offers] a lifestyle that is not likely to be the same once an SAS graduate goes to college anywhere in the world,” says Linda Clarke, who taught the Independent Living class at SAS for 13 years. Clarke’s course covered everything from simple cooking and laundry to budgeting expenses and automobile maintenance, everything needed to
survive without mom and dad. Students were encouraged to practice these skills in real world contexts. For example, assessments included preparing an edible meal for classmates and changing tires on the cars of teacher-volunteers. Clarke also discussed various social management skills with her students, among them, maintaining healthy relationships, coping with stress and other dorm life issues. An Eye survey of 135 seniors found that 98 of them believe our school holds some responsibility for teaching us these skills, second place to the 110 who also claimed it was a job for our parents. On the other hand, 11 seniors responded that everything they needed to know about these life skills is just a Google search or YouTube tutorial away. Everyone should be able to prepare a hot meal because daily microwavable mac n’ cheese dinners are notorious for their catalytic effects on the “freshman 15” and desensitizing taste buds. Everyone should be able to change a flat tire because it might mean the difference between driving
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ability beyond academics, but it has the potential to challenge us. From bungee jumping in New Zealand to reciting for Poetry Out Loud to working for Student Council, some students step outside their comfort zone, straddling safety and risk, a better form of balance. Practicality influences much of what we do in high school. Unfortunately, we fill the service program, join clubs and seek leadership positions primarily to build our resumé. We do things we don’t enjoy to enhance our profiles for in the eyes of others. I say, try something impractical for which you have no particular benifit but to have fun and learn something you cannot in a classroom. I took a risk and ended up swallowing litres of saltwater and trudging through wastedeep snow. It was a risk worth taking. With each day, I rode bigger waves and steeper slopes. By leaving my safe and centered life, I found a refined balance. Follow Tyler on Twitter @tylerestuart
away minutes later or waiting hours for a Triple-A truck to arrive. Everyone should be able to perform basic First Aid because it could mean saving a life. Clarke’s course and classroom were likely victims of demands for more space from a rapidly growing student body. Her single room was once the size of two regular classrooms, which included five complete kitchen areas, a space “Singapore is for 10 to 12 sewing maa bubble and chines and a [offers] a lifeseating area style that is not for demonstrations. likely to be the W h e n same once an Clarke left SAS graduate at the end goes to college of the 2010 s c h o o l anywhere in the year, it was world.” turned into Linda Clarke two midformer Independent dle school Living teacher h e a l t h rooms. But maybe a new Independent Living course belongs in the high school schedule, one that recognizes the challenges, new and old, facing its students. After all, today’s average graduating senior faces larger college loans, tinier living spaces, more credit card bills, smaller fine print and crankier roommates. Call it, Surviving in the 21st Century. cosgrove31540@sas.edu.sg
Surviving in the 21st Century ID: 46511 Grade: 11-12 Length: Semester Credit: Business/Technology Homework: Minimum This course is designed to teach students the necessary skills to make a successful transition from home to college life. For the first quarter, students will learn “daily survival” skills. These will include performing practical tasks, like assembling furniture, preparing meals and maintaining an automobile. The outdoors component combines learning basic first aid with outdoors navigation and camping essentials. Some of these activities require off-campus excursions. In the second quarter, students will cover how to approach various financial responsibilities, such as managing mortgages, repaying loans, using credit cards and budgeting personal finances.
Of 135 surveyed seniors ... 89%
76%
cannot change a flat tire
can iron their own clothes
42%
75%
cannot perform CPR
can prepare a hot meal from scratch
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February 10, 2012
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February 10, 2012
Overload threatens physical, mental health Two students, one present, one past, suffer ill effects of stress, but recognize value By Fidella Danica, Eye Online January 19 – Laura Imkamp’s chances of making the 2005 IASAS swim team was promising, until she took a bad fall while jumping off the bleachers above the school pool. The fall caused a tear in her ankle’s ligament. Her inability to kick due to the strain on her ankle was an added pressure. Fortunately, Imkamp’s injury healed in time for IASAS. She made the team as a long distance swimmer. “I was pretty well suited for distance swimming, because you don’t really need to kick hard,” Imkamp said. That same year, Imkamp became co-editor-in-chief of The Eye. “The disappointment of the injury, keeping up with classes and the Eye, plus Morning Show and broadcast stuff, plus college applications made junior year a very melancholy year for me,” Imkamp said. Imkamp said the stress from academic and social pressures contributed to her anxiety, insomnia and subsequent depression in her junior year. “Most of the stress came from myself—from taking on a lot of responsibilities and taking them very seriously,” Imkamp said. When the swim season ended, Imkamp decided to drop swimming altogether. “I think [when] I stopped swimming, I stopped having this daily release of excess energy and anxiety – which I still need to this day,” Imkamp said. Imkamp said she turned to bulimia as a way to deal with the stress. “It was a way to release some kind of anxiety, and gain some sort of con-
Rachael Hyde
trol, even if it was just control over “Standards for getting accepted my food intake,” Imkamp said. “Eat- into college are being raised every ing disorders have a lot to do with year. And every year, I see more high control and feeling like you school students experiencing anxiety have some kind of control and chronic stress due to their overover what’s going on in burdened schedules,” Sarkis said. your life. I think this Sleep deprivation and all-nighters feeling of being are common occurrences for senior o v e r w h e l m e d Hyo Jin Park. can trigger or During Park’s junior year, she had spur on eat- AP Chemistry, Calculus AB and Laning disor- guage and Composition on the same ders.” day. Although she soon found it imI m k a m p possible, her goal was to finish homeknew it was an unhealthy work the very same day it was given. way of dealing with the On Mondays, Park stayed in school stress, however the significant weight until 9 p.m. for SAS Singers reloss made her hearsal, arfeel in control riving home I think the most important of the situation. at 10 p.m.. A psychiadays, thing is to find balance, Other trist prescribed she stays which I know is a lot easier Imkamp Zoloft in school for her depresuntil 6pm said than done. sion and Valifor journalLaura Imkamp um for anxiety. ism work “I never took and service the Valium, and I only took the anti- clubs, arriving home at 7 p.m.. depressants for a few weeks because Once home, Park starts on her I hated the way they made me feel homework right away. She takes a numb, which I thought was worse break to eat dinner at 9 p.m., and conthan being depressed or anxious,” tinues working until 3 a.m. Imkamp said. “Every night, I would calculate Fortunately, this was a short phase how much sleep I would get. I’d in her life, mostly confined to that think, if I go to sleep now, then I’ll year. have three hours of sleep. An hour “I think the most important thing is later, I’d think, If I go to sleep now, to find balance, which I know is a lot I’ll have two hours,” Park said. easier said than done. I didn’t sleep She wakes up at 6 a.m. for much. I pulled so many all-nighters school. during high school, I don’t know how Park said that the stress I did it. I’d pull a few in a row some- caused her to eat more and led times. It was crazy.” to a weight gain. In article published on April 2011 “My eating schedule got in “Psychology Today” Dr. Steph- very messed up. When I anie Sarkis, noted author and 2001 did homework, it became a winner of American Psychological habit that I had to be eatAssociation’s “Outstanding Disserta- ing or have something in tion Award” found that today’s high my hand,” Park said. school students are taking more classFrequent cups of es than ever. Cokes and coffee kept
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her awake during the early morning hours, but the lack of sleep eventually affected her attentiveness in classes. “I started falling asleep during classes, which I never used to do. I just couldn’t help it,” Park said. Park said her hard work paid off when she got accepted to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. “I wish that since I worked so hard to get into my dream college, Northwestern, I wouldn’t have to suffer the same cycle of stress in college,” Park said. “That would mean I worked so hard for this, and I had to do it again for another four years.” Counselor Beth Kramer said this is a story she hears often from kids, but that their efforts are not wasted, no matter the outcome. “I often hear kids saying everything they’ve done is for nothing if things don’t work out and they don’t get into their first choice for college,” Kramer said. “But whatever the result is, it isn’t for nothing. It’s very significant. You can’t take away the learning.” Kramer advises students to see the bigger picture. “It’s only if you choose to measure yourself in terms of getting accepted to this college means that I’m a worthwhile person, and if I don’t get accepted, I’m not a worthwhile person, then you’re going to be stressed and feel a sense of disappointment. If you value who you are, what you are learning and what you contribute, you will fell less stressed,” Kramer said. darmawan 40839@sas.edu.sg
The Eye zooms in on Islander and Absolute photographer, photo editor
started seriously learning and taking photos on 1st January, 2010 when I did my 365.” The 365 is a photo challenge in which photographers have to shoot at least one photo a day for a whole year. “It was practice makes perfect in an overwhelming crash course, and the best feeling I have ever had when finishing that monster of a project,” she said. Hyde is the photo editor for the school fashion magazine, Absolute Art, and the school yearbook, The Islander. “Rachael’s photos are inspirational,” yearbook adviser, Virginia Sheridan, said. “She has a unique eye for composition and loves to manipulate the photographs after she takes them.” As photo editor, some of Hyde’s jobs include developing a vision for the opening and divider photos in
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the book, organizing a photography roster to ensure all the school events are covered, and teaching basic photo techniques to newer staff members. Her work has also even been featured in the December 2010 issue of “Racing Minds” and “16 Hours” online magazines, and websites like SoLifeStyle and the Urban Outfitters Blog. A British band called The Café Kids even used one of her photos as their album cover. Hyde admits that she wants to explore more options other than art for her college career. “I don’t want to go to an art school, because I want to do more than just that, but photography will always be something that I’ll be doing.” chan 33202@sas.edu.sg
It was practice makes perfect in an overwhelming crash course, and the best feeling I have ever had when finishing that monster of a project.
Junior Rachael Hyde began her 365 on1st January, 2010, initiating her passion for photography. Photo staged and taken by Rachael Hyde. By Pamela Chan About three years ago, junior Rachael Hyde decided to create a Flickr account of her own after seeing a close friend’s pictures on the site. Soon afterward, armed with her Nikon D40X
her parents gave her six months earlier, she started documenting her life through photographs and realized that she found her life-long passion. “I fell in love with it!” Hyde said. “Anyone can take pictures, but I
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Eye reporters, athletes imagine conversation about schedules
theeye
February 10, 2012
Gymnast Bhat calls gym her second home Recurring injuries push her to step back from competition to focus on second passion
Sophomore Maya Bhat’s mom thought she was too energetic and decided gymnastics might be a good outlet for burning some energy. Photo by Pamela Chan. By Sana Vasi Gold, silver and bronze medals, too many to keep track of, hang on a board in sophomore Maya Bhat’s room. She won’t be adding to the collection; she dropped out of competitive gymnastics towards the end of last year. Bhat started gymnastics ten years ago when her mom decided that she had too much energy that could be burned off at the gym. Instead of a way to spend her free time, gymnastics soon became a seri-
ous sport for Bhat, who grew to love it. “From jumping on the trampoline, to throwing myself on the floor, it was just fun,” she said. Until the end of 2011, Bhat said she spent between 20 to 26 hours practising at the gym every week. The demands of the practice made it difficult for her to manage her time effectively. After school, she only had thirty minutes to do her homework before leaving for the gym. Bhat practiced for four hours everyday, arriving
Food for Thought
Students in Keith Hynes’ outdoor sports class run warm-up laps as a daily dose of exercise advised by P.E. and health teachers. Photo by Pamela Chan. By Olivia Nguyen It is 6:30 in the morning. The American Club doors open to a small crowd of thirty or so adolescents and adults who pour through and walk downstairs to the gym. Each begins a familiar routine of stretches then grabs a towel and puts on headphones before choosing a machine. Soon the treadmills, StairMasters and ellipticals are occupied by motivated, fatburning club members. Any adult or high school teen knows how hard it is to take a few pounds off, and how it is nearly impossible to keep those pounds off. New York Times reporter Tara Park-
er-Pope writes about the difficulty for people who take weight off to maintain their new weight in her December ‘11 article, “The Fat Trap.” “In most modern cultures, even if you are healthy, to be fat is to be perceived as weak-willed and lazy. It’s also just embarrassing,” Parker-Pope wrote. P.E. and health teacher Ursula Pong says seeing others who are her same age, and who have difficulty just standing up is motivation for her. “I refuse to be the stereotypical aging person instead I visualize myself as being that person who can work out in the gym, surf or go snowboarding
home by nine to start her homework before going to bed. At gymnastics, she spent the first hour warming up and the next few completing three, hour-long events with a 15-minute break in between. The intensity of her training was the source of numerous injuries. “I have a lot of recurring injuries,” Bhat said. “I had a stress fracture in my shin, which I got twice…I’ve twisted [my ankles] countless times, I don’t know how many. In one ankle, I’ve damaged three ligaments and my
joints.” Eventually, Bhat decided not to continue competitive gymnastics, and now practices gymnastics for only 12 to 16 hours per week. She decided to focus more on golf, a decision her parents support because they were worried about the effects gym had on her body. “I didn’t want to be in a wheelchair by 25,” Bhat said. “She has lessened her hours because of her body can’t keep up, not because she no longer loves
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the sport,” sophomore Taylor Haas said. Bhat made this decision after taking three months off from gymnastics because of her injuries. “The three months I couldn’t go to the gym was really hard because it’s like my second home.” she said. Bhat decided to start playing golf, a sport her dad introduced to her at age four, in order to fill up the six days she suddenly had that was free. Bhat now plays golf 16 hours hours a week, and she has reduced her gymnastics training to 12 hours. “Right now I’m obviously focusing on golf more, so I’m not taking as much care to go to the gym. But when I’m there...I put a hundred percent of my effort in,” she said. She goes to the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for four hours, and goes to golf Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for four to five hours. Bhat said she thought about leaving the gym for good, but her coach advised her to stick it out for another year. Now, she says she can’t even think of quitting. “I realized how much I loved the gym. Not just gymnastics, but the people there. It’s taught me so much in life. For example, dedication, determination, teamwork. [My teammates] are like my second family, and I don’t know what I’m going to do when I go to college because I’ll miss them so much.” vasi32302@sas.edu.sg
Photo by Pamela Chan.
Research shows going to gym increases lifespan by three years with my grandchildren and possibly my great grandchildren,” Pong said. It is not easy to lose weight and it is even more difficult to keep it off according to the International Obesity Task Force. Their study found that 95 percent of people who diet to lose weight eventually re-gain that weight in two to three years. “Even though there are many causes for obesity, it doesn’t mean a life sentence,” Pong said. “There is always something we can do to take charge of our condition.” Pong says setting small-term goals is more efficient than setting unrealistic long term goals of eating clean 100 percent of the time and working out seven days a week. “Something as simple as ‘I’m going to start adding some vegetables for one day for the next month would be a small term goal,’” Pong said. “ After a couple of weeks of just getting used to having vegetables for one meal a day they might actually embrace that idea and have it for two meals a day.” Because it takes weeks to develop a new habit, according to Pong, utilizing small goals enables people to learn how to enjoy having vegetables on a regular basis. Charles Shriner, P.E. and health chairperson, said that making small changes to the everyday diet can be a catalyst for having a healthier lifestyle.
“There is no finish line. We have to make a commitment to a proper diet, proper exercise and proper sleep, and carry this on to when we are an adult,” Shriner said. “Then we don’t have to worry about putting the weight back on.” The misconception from weightcontrol efforts is that once weight is lost, it’s easy to maintain. But calorie intake, fat distribution and muscle mass affect people who desire to become leaner, skinnier or more muscular. “There is no ‘one size fits all’; everyone is different,” Shriner said. For the best results in maintaining body weight, Shriner said some sort of cardio exercise along with weights and a balanced diet is the best solution. “If I were to tell people you must run 30 minutes a day, a lot of people hate to run...you’re going to turn a lot of people off. But you need some sort of cardio activity to burn the calories and rid of the toxins in our body on a day-to-day basis.” An article from Life Health which Dr. Mark Stibich, chief scientific officer at Xenex healthcare services at Columbia University wrote, stated
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there are positive outcomes to a strict diet and consistent workout regimen. He says that adding in exercise can add an additional three years in a lifespan. In a 2007 study, individuals were compared to the amount of physical activity they did. A group of men who were highly active averaged an increase in their lifespan by about 3.7 years, while women averaged about 3.2 years. “People who exercised more more - Ursula Pong lived years free of cardiovascular disease. While moderate exercise increases life expectancy, highly active people doubled the benefits,” Stibich said. To better overall health, making minor changes to your everyday routine can result in life-long results. “This becomes the way you do it. You look for more changes then you set different fitness goals. It’s all about maintenance. It becomes a way of life,” Pong said. nguyen35543@sas.edu.sg
Even though there are many causes for obesity, it doesn’t mean a life sentence.
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theeye
February 10, 2012
Peer Support aims to help all students, all year long of students who are having a bad day or consistently by themselves, and to find graceful ways to handle the situation. Orienting new students is the top priority for Peer Support. Betts said it is vital to have members who are not only responsible and kind but also diverse. “I try to get peer-supporters who are in all different kinds of groups. I have some Koreans, I have some Japanese, I have some Americans, I have some really outgoing sportsy kids,” Betts said. Buddies are paired using a buddybio which matches peer supporters up with new students on the basis of mutual interests, likes and dislikes. However, much like every system, this one too has its’ kinks. While some buddies are perfect fits; other pairs may not match up at all. “Some kids are actually mean to peer supporters; they don’t want them to help,” Betts said. “The peer supporter tries like crazy to find the new student, but the new student ditches the peer supporter.” At the end of two weeks, new students are asked to fill out surveys, assessing their buddy. Sometimes, peer supporters receive negative reviews, in which case they may be asked to leave the group. “I’ve kicked peer supporters out for being bad buddies,” Betts said. One senior, who’s new to SAS, complained that peer supporters were elitist and acted more like authoritative figures, than friends; she said her
Peer Support officer Maya Kale writes something for which she is grateful during the Thanksgiving Good Vibes Day. These themed days are organized monthly by Peer Support. Photo by Rachael Hyde. Peer Support buddy made little effort to help her fit in. “She acted like it was my responsibility, and not hers to help me,” she said. “They’re all in the same clique and that’s the problem.” “The concept of Peer Support is really good and a lot of the members take their job seriously,” senior Sonia Mirchandani said. Mirchandani said though that some peer supporters judge their buddies on looks or status. “If they’re not pretty enough or cool enough, they tend to ignore them.” Peer Support co-president Dominique Pratt said that the criteria for admission to the club is basic: someone who’s a good role model for others. “There are so many people that
would embody peer support well; we just can’t let everyone in,” Pratt said. Betts said she begins the process by asking eighth-grade teachers to nominate students in their homebase who are responsible, empathetic, friendly and respected by their peers. “I don’t want somebody who has been mean, like in ‘Mean Girls’, I want to steer away from that,” Betts said. The idea, instead, is to create a United Nations for the student population to ensure that Peer Support has connections with every group and network of friends on campus. Good Vibes Day, though, is the one hub for all students to come together and bond through activities and small tokens of appreciation. “Compliments, however simple,
put you in the mood to return the favor. Generosity breeds generosity,” English teacher Stacy Van Beek said. Not all agree. Social Studies teacher Michael Stagg does not believe that Good Vibes Day is effective. Stagg thinks the effort should be consistent. “I think the concept of creating ‘good vibes’ in the school is excellent, and we should be trying to do that every day. But the method presently employed, on the day in question, does not work, in my opinion,” Stagg said. Peer Support is currently working on a Good Vibes Valentine’s day special dubbed “Everybody love everybody” - a snippet of a line taken from a Will Ferrel movie. oberoi16616@sas.edu.sg
Graphic by Kiran Siddique and Theresa Ellsworth
By Ash Oberoi A freshman girl gently peeled back the newspaper from a corner of the mirror in the third-storey restroom to steal a quick glance of her mascara and blush. She pressed it back before heading to class. On Friday, Oct. 7, peer supporters covered restroom mirrors and stuck Post-Its on walls, windows and mirrors with messages written by members. “You are beautiful” one read, another said “BE U” and one more “you’re perfect the way you are.” Students wore t-shirts with the slogan “Be-you-tiful,” on what was the first of monthly Good Vibes Days. So far this year students have assembled frosting-rich gingerbread houses topped with marshmallows, tie-dyed plain white shirts and drawn on tablecloths in the cafeteria using multicolored crayons, for Good Vibes Day. This year, during the annual Peer Support retreat, members discussed ways to address issues like poor body image, alcohol abuse and cyber-bullying with students. After intervening to stop cyberbullying incidents on Formspring blogs last year, Peer Support members learned the all-important lesson that when they see something cruel online, they must post a quick reply admonishing such behavior. Counselor Dawn Betts, sponsor for Peer Support, said their primary function is to train members to help all students, all year long. Betts says she encourages members to take notice