the eye Singapore American School
Three weeks after quake, Haitians still need basics SAS community raises almost 100,000 dollars (story, page 3)
LITTLE FOOD, WATER, SHELTER. Residents of Cite Soleil, a shantytown, try desperately to enter the police station where an aid distribution point has been set up in Port-au-Prince on January 26, 2010. Quake-hit Haiti will need at least a decade of painstaking reconstruction, aid chiefs and donor nations warned, as homeless, scarred survivors struggled today to rebuild their lives. Photo by Thony Belizaire/Getty
MICA (P) 211/10/2008
IASAS weekend from fair to great for Eagles athletes Sports S ports section pages 11-12
FFebruary ebrua aryy 5 5, 2 2010 010 / Vol. 29 No. 4
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The Eye
“I Was Abused”
Foreign domestic workers in Singapore find anything but what they were originally looking for
By Sophia Cheng
From graduate to slave
There are currently
180,000 women in Singapore on a work permit pass
Singapore is a destination country for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of labor and commercial
Twenty-seven-year-old Abia* recalled the day she realized that her life would never be the same again. After graduating from a small government state school in Northern Philippines, Abia pursued a career in teaching and counseling. She worked as a facilitator’s officer for out-of-school youth and had a promising future. Her goal was to become the youngest supervisor in the department, but to be considered. she had to get her master’s degree in secondary education. She needed money to pay for her expensive tuition. When her first cousin called her and offered her a great opportunity, she did not hesitate to say yes. The offer seemed perfect. She would work in Singapore as a domestic helper and in return for fifty percent of her first six months’ pay; the agent would find her an employer and a school in Singapore for her master’s degree. Abia trusted her cousin. “She said, ‘Leave it all to me,’ and I trusted her because she is my first cousin,” Abia said. Things started to go wrong once she arrived at the Manila airport. She was confused when she saw the tourist visa that the immigration gave her. She knew working in a country as a tourist is illegal. Should she back out now? It was clear that the agency and her first cousin had tricked her into something that she wasn’t expecting. She thought of the seven girls that were in line behind her and decided to carry on. “If I had backed out then, then all the girls will back out. I don’t want them to lose confidence, and I know they all need money,” Abia said. A driver picked her and the seven girls up and delivered them to a Filipina agent who confiscated their cell phones and passports. “I asked her why she’s taking away all of our things, and all she said was, ‘Just follow the instructions, no questions,’” Abia said. She and the other new girls saw agents slapping and scolding returning domestic helpers and were told that, “If they submit themselves, they will not get punished.’” Abia and the seven girls spent the following weeks adapting to their new lifestyle, wondering why the promises were so different from the reality. The girls were ushered to a place that they were forced to call home - a small apartment next to the agency.
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U.S State Department report
Life in the agency apartment
For the three hours of sleep they got every night, around 40 girls were squeezed into a room a little more than half the size of a standard SAS classroom. Some slept on the kitchen floor without mattresses, blankets or pillows. The two agents supervising them stayed in another room. Every day, the women were allowed two pieces of bread and three tablespoons of plain rice; no more, no less. “They told us that if we were hungry, we should drink water,” Abia recalled.
theeye online Check out the Eye online at www.eye.sasclubs.com for exclusive updates, photo galleries, multimedia, and full stories. This month, watch recap highlights from IASAS swimming here in Singapore, along with the following stories exclusively online.
During the day they cleaned the same office over and over. They took take turns cleaning the same window tens of times, even if it was already sparkling clean. During the night they were forced to sit by the staircase until two in the morning, and not allowed to mingle or chat with each other. No one understood the purpose of these routines, but no one dared to rebel. The agent, Rhea said, punished one of the girls by making her stand in a corner for the whole day. Abia thought she found a father figure that might save her in this disaster - one of the agents. The male agent, who was more than 50 years old counseled her and told her to trust him. She cried to him and told him all her troubles. She soon learned that the male agent was anything but a father figure or a savior. A few days later, she had a high fever. The male agent told the other girls in the apartment to go away, and Abia thought he was going to take her to the hospital for a check-up. Instead, he did something that Abia said she will never forgive him for. “What he did to me, I will never forget,” Abia said. Rhea was sick and weak, but she fought back. He did not rape her, but left many bruises and scars both physical and emotional. She said that the most embarrassing part was when he tried to force her to accept two ten-dollar bills. She was ashamed and told no one what happened. She feared every man she saw and trusted no one. She tried to run away; but failed because of all the gates and doors that were always locked. The agency kept close watch on her. Another girl was always present, even when she needed to go to the bathroom or change. “What happened to you isn’t only to you but also to other girls as well,” the Filipina agent told her. “But it’s better for you to keep quiet because they are rich and they can do whatever they want.”
Contemporary Slavery in Singapore Abia’s story is common among these of men and women referred to contemporary slavery that takes place in Singapore. “Contemporary slavery is not always easy to identify or root out because much of it is accepted within a society,” Barbara Crossette wrote in her 1997 New York Times article “What Modern Slavery Is, and Isn’t”. Thailand, Myanmar, China, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia are source countries for those tricked or forced into slavery, Singapore is a popular destination country for victims. Involuntary prostitution is another type of slavery that exists in Singapore. under strict police monitoring, prostitution is legal in Singapore. yet, some women are forced into sexual servitude in Singapore, according to humantrafficking.org. “Very recently, it was reported that an increasing number of young Filipinas are being trafficked to Singapore for sexual exploitation, drawn in by the promise of a good life and possibility of greener pasture,” Filipino senator Manny Villar wrote in a
letter to the Senate Committees on Youth, Women and Family Relations and Social Justice, Welfare and rural development. In his story “Sexual Slavery Tolerated in Decent Singapore,” reporter David Armstrong from the Bangkok Post writes about a Thai woman who was forced into sexual servitude in Singapore. This woman came to Singapore thinking that she would work in a restaurant as a waitress. Instead, she worked in the brothel upstairs. She was locked-up and forced against her will to provide sex to customers. “She cannot leave; nor can the dozens of other Thai women locked up with her,” Armstrong wrote. “Singapore is a destination country for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Some women from India, Thailand, the Philippines and China who travel to Singapore voluntarily for prostitution or work are subsequently deceived or coerced into sexual servitude,” according to 2008 U.S. State Department report on human trafficking. Much of the “contemporary slavery” in Singapore takes place in the form of debt bondage. The U.S. antitrafficking law, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 says that a person enters bondage when their labor is demanded as a repayment of a loan. When the amount of work done is significantly greater than the original sum of money borrowed or they work for little or no pay, it is considered debt slavery or debt bondag
Burmese women fall into slavery Zarzar Htike graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Myanmar, she came to Singapore to support a family of five back home. The agency used her as a personal domestic helper without giving her salary for eight months, in order to pay for food and shelter the agency provided. For eight months, she did not receive a day off. Finally Htike escaped to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and they placed her in a shelter called Humanitarian Organization for Migrant Economics (HOME) - a shelter for migrants who were abused in one way or another. “Maid life is not human... it’s like a dog’s life,” Htike said. Six months later, Rhea is still in the HOME shelter. She said it will at least take her another two years for her case to settle. That means not seeing her family and her seven-year-old son, Jave, for a very long time. “I’m doing this for those who might be the next, and those that were abused worse than me,” Rhea said. She said it took her a while to find the courage to say something. “I’m not scared anymore because I know I’m telling the truth,” Rhea said. “I hope the ones that were abused will stand up and say ‘I was abused’ so that justice will take place”. * Names have been changed
scheng.eye@gmail.com
News:
Arts and Entertainment:
Features:
Western Civilization to be replaced by World History:
Orchestra travel to Germany for AMIS Gathering:
SAS finally outsmarts SAS in Knowledge Bowl:
Freshman social studies requirement to cover a wider range of world topics starting 2010-2011 school year.
Selected SAS students travel to Frankfurt to attend internationally recognized orchestra convention.
SAS high school knowledge bowl team score higher than arch rival Shanghai American School.
news
by Natalie Muller Wow! No other word so accurately captures the reaction of a first-timer viewing the construction of Marina Bay Sands resort from the aerial view of its 45th-floor offices. Looking through the expansive windows and across Marina Bay, it is easy to see evidence that the Las Vegas-based Sands corporation has been working double-time. Cranes hoist colossal pieces of steel to the rooftop while a small structure on the water begins to take the shape of a lotus.
The Eye
The integrated resort’s museum, designed to resemble the lotus flower, is the work of Israeli designer Moshe Safdie. “He is one of those intense artsy guys that isn’t very conversational. But, he’s a creative genius. The buildings he designed were difficult to build,” a Sands spokesman said. The spokesman refers to the three 55-story hotel towers Safdie designed. “They’re not three identical towers. It involved a combination of different curved and straight steel
tresses to support them.” Across the top of the three buildings lies what will soon be an architectural masterpiece. The boatshaped structure, known as the Sands SkyPark, is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall. It will hold exclusive restaurants, a public observation deck and landscaped gardens. But the best part about this, hands down, is the 150-meter long infinity pool offering substantial views of the Singapore harbor. Two hundred meters below, the Sands will offer over 800,000 square
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feet of retail and dining space, a museum with changing world-class exhibits, a casino and two theaters. One of the theaters will show the Tony-award winning Broadway musical “The Lion King,” its first time in South-East Asia. Six celebrity chefs, including Wolfgang Puck and Mario Batali of Iron Chef fame, will be opening their first restaurants in Singapore at the resort. Marina Bay Sands CEO Tom Arasi believes that his resort offers the complete package. “We are extremely easy to fly
February 5, 2010
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into. We will become the food and beverage capital of Asia. We will have Asia’s best shopping mall. The SkyPark doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. We offer something unique, something memorable,” Arasi said. But the Sands is not just for foreign hotel guests. A Marina Bay spokesman said that they expect it to attract Singaporeans after school or work. In today’s eco-focused society, the resort plans to play its part. Besides holding aesthetic value, the lotus structure of the museum allows it to collect rainwater that will eventually be used to water all of the vegetation in the complex. Hotel room guests will have the opportunity to press an “eco-button” on their room remote control that gently and subtly lowers the usage and energy of each room. Even now, at the construction stage, the company has been recycling constructions materials such as paint and water. As for access at the nightclubs and casinos that will eventually open, the resort is working closely with Singapore authorities. Singaporean casino-users will have to be over 21 years of age and will have to pay a $100 twenty-four hour levy. Regarding teenagers potentially sneaking into the casinos and clubs, the spokesperson was quite frank. “There will be a lot of people at the entrance, so we will have to check [for I.Ds] anyway. We’ve created other places that are meant for [teenagers] such as the event plaza and theater.” The resort expects its soft opening at the end of April and grand opening sometime in the summer. muller.eye@gmail.com
School efforts raise almost 100K for Haitian relief by Jamie Lim After hours of digging by German, South African, and Mexican rescue crews, Ena Zizi was pulled out from under several tons of dust and rubble. The 70-year old Haitian woman was found on Jan. 19, seven days after the initial quake devastated the nation of Haiti. Days later, an 84-year-old was pulled out alive after being buried during a 6.1 magnitude aftershock. In the news was another story about an American filmmaker who survived by using the Pocket Safety First Aid and CPR iPhone application. The same day, two sisters from Pennsylvania nursed over thirty infants on the street after their orphanage collapsed into dust in a matter of minutes and left them all homeless. Nearby, the police shot rounds of warning gunfire in an attempt to control young men looting local shops, while U.N. peacekeepers struggled to keep any sense of order while passing out food to the starving and outraged Haitians, mistakenly interpreting the date packaged as the date of expiry. On Tuesday, Jan 12 at 4:15p.m. local time, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, 16 miles away from the nation’s capital, Port-auPrince. The earthquake, along with a series of at least 33 aftershocks, including a 6.1 magnitude aftershock on Jan 20, took an estimated 200,000 Haitian lives, and affected another 1.5 million.
Though the hope for finding survivors like Ena Zizi dwindle as each hour passes, world relief efforts continue to pour in to support the recovery and feed the displaced locals of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The International Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Nations, and Haitian president René Préval pleaded for donations. “The Service Council and the administrators from each division talked about how we were going to go about raising this money, and we set a target goal of $50,000,” said Victor Tan, the Service Council president. “We’re relying mostly on donations, but the middle school’s holding a bake sale, and other divisions are doing other things.” The council, however, was criticized by students for not identifying a recipient in advance. Critics of the slow response asked whether it would be more effective to donate immediately online. “We haven’t decided on a charity yet, but our main goal was just to get the money as soon as we can,” Tan said. “School-wide, our goal was to raise $50,000. If people want to make an impact in some other way, then that’s great. But for those that don’t know how, or are just too lazy to, this is what we’re here for.” Some think that the target goal should be greater. “If you’ve got people who have the kind of money that we have,
Haitians stand in line for earthquake relief (food and water) being handed out by the U.S. Army Soldiers with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment. Photo by Sergeant Jeremy Lock
$50,000 should be almost raised in a day,” English teacher and Global Giving sponsor Mark Guggisberg said. “And I know that people think that, oh, we’ve been hit by a tsunami once, the SARS epidemic once, but so what? We’re a privileged group of people, and I think that charity is something that everyone here talks about, but not a lot do a lot about.” But that might be attributed to the fact that students don’t know what’s going on. Walking down the middle school after school on the Friday after the start of the fundraiser, two eighth-grade girls were enthusiastically selling cookies for the relief fund. When asked how much they knew about what
happened in Haiti, neither seemed to know more than the fact that there was an earthquake. One girl guessed the death toll to be at three million, while the other nodded in agreement. “I think students are very ill informed about what happened,” Guggisberg said. “But I think generally, the population of the planet is ill informed. We have cruise ships that are literally going by on their way to Jamaica or the Bahamas, and they’re going so close that they could be giving aid and food and transportation, and instead they’re on their way to their beach holidays. It’s insensitive to say the least. It’s an ethical issue.”
Although the Service Council managed to raise almost 100thousand, Haitians are faced with mounting problems in looting and rioting, a severe lack of medical aid, and inefficient transportation of food and water to problem areas nationwide, all in the absence of any sort of governmental control. “We should read into what happened in Haiti, and what’s making it so hard for aid to be brought in,” senior Aditi Abrol said. “Besides it being an issue we should all empathize with, if we don’t learn about it now, how will we better handle it if it happens in the future?” lesiuk.eye@gmail.com lim.eye@gmail.com
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The Eye
An Eye Staff Editorial
Students too often sign onto interim for familiar faces over exotic places
Where’s your money going? Making a charitable donation today is a little more complicated than dropping money off in a box. Students and administrators were quick to roll out a relief fund after the recent, devastating Haitian earthquakes. The high school’s Service Council headed the effort with the best intentions, and did not anticipate the criticism that followed. An event was created on Facebook for the fundraiser, open for everyone to join and make comment on. The first comment urged the Service Council not to donate to the Red Cross, claiming that they are currently $600,000,000 in debt because of high administrative fees, and that “100% of donations made to the Red Cross right now will not end up in Haiti.” A response to the post noted that the American Red Cross is not actually in debt; they merely have some. A distinction between the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and the American Red Cross, an affiliate of the IFRC, was also established. Naturally, others were concerned that the Service Council began collecting money before they had decided on a charity. One post on the event page brought up the idea of donating online, to get the money to the effected areas more immediately, as opposed to waiting for two weeks before sending it out. But it turns out credit card donations are taxed, while textmessage donations are subject to similar fees and can take up to three months for the money to be passed on to an actual charity. Students often feel proud seconds after taking money out of their branded leather wallets and sticking it inside a box labeled “for charity.” Not that they should not; a donation is a donation, money is money, and giving it to people that need it, considering we have more than we need, is a good thing to do. But most times, students lack an understanding of what they’re actually doing, nor do they even attempt to gain one. At the same time of the fundraiser, some varsity athletes went around with jars collecting money for their “Food Fund,” intentionally ambiguous in an attempt to trick students into donating to a legitimate cause. The money however, was going towards food and shirts for themselves. But the worst part was that students actually fell for the trick, donating blindly. Making a donation cannot just be about putting money into the box. It has to come with a good understanding of where the money is going, how it will help, and why the money is needed. Too frequently, money goes to places that don’t need it, or is used in a different way than what people think, just because they do not take the time to research the cause. If one doesn’t understand the need, how sincere can the gesture be? Do not think that your responsibility to humanity is over the second you make a donation. Be an activist, or at least take time to do some research, to make sure it is done the right way. Because understanding can have a big impact, not just for the donor, but more importantly, for the victims.
Before donating, read the fine print . . . by Katharine Tinker
ude clu nt su ions in xcept tertainme 42 % n f e o t s n s iiee clie exce per d th sts in ceed ing co s not to ex ancellation t f c n st tel co f contract anageme ons o m p event consider pt full res rep ’ nd ce ieef fu tor will ac ontractors l. A y of c on identia nefaac abil it i he liia ld to be c agreeme illll he all other d in t to nceale
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Singapore American High School 40 Woodlands Street 41 Republic of Singapore 738547 Phone: (65) 6363-3404 Fax: (65) 6363-6443 eye@sas.edu.sg
opinion & editorial
Anbita Siregar
Stepping out of one’s comfort zone best advice from sage veteran
Too many students’ goals for Interim are to make friends, not to learn about the history and culture of an area, build a house or teach a child. When signing up for Interim Semester in November, there are a number of factors that help us decide which trip to go on. Of course, there’s seniority, then the first letter of your last name, then picking a number from the hat which determines your place in the queue. But one of the most important factors in choosing a trip is our friends. Teachers and principals boast about Interim’s academic focus and its opportunities for community service, but many students see Interim Semester as an excuse to spend concentrated time with friends. Comfortable in limited cliques, students do not want to experience anything new. Generally, students want the 19 others on their trip to be familiar faces. It would be better only knowing one or two other students on a trip. The comfort of knowing someone is still there, but there are still possibilities of exploring strange countries and meeting new people.
Last year, I wanted to go on a trip with all my friends. I figured I was going to be in an unfamiliar land, so I would feel more comfortable if I knew the people on my trip. Where I might go was secondary consideration as long as I knew everyone on my trip. As a freshman, I thought the best trip I could hope for was Thailand or the Philippines. I got my wish. Of the 18 other students who went on my France Immersion trip, I knew 14 of them by name and hung out with nine of them regularly. I thought I had signed onto the best trip ever, but because I knew so many people, I ran into a lot of problems. The first problem came when we had to pick roommates. I was good friends with three other girls on that trip, and I didn’t mind which one I roomed with. We had trouble choosing who would room with who, and it became an awkward situation. The second problem was the distraction of having my friends on the trip. When we went sightseeing, we did not pay attention to our guide and joked around. I could not soak
Airport security measures irritating, inconvenient but might save lives Ann Lee
As would-be terrorists innovate, passengers likely to sacrifice privacy, time for safety
I was sitting in the media lab, listening to a very agitated Jamie Lim. Now, I can tell you, Jamie is a guy who keeps his cool- he’s always calm and serene. Except for this time. He was gesturing wildly, telling me the tragic story of how he had to throw out a brand new jar of peanut butter. The security guard informed him that he couldn’t bring it on the flight because it was a paste. “It doesn’t say anywhere that you can’t bring a paste! I mean, it’s not like I’m going to bomb the airplane with a jar of peanut butter. Seriously!” Sadly, the security guard didn’t acknowledge this, and Jamie had to throw it away. I’ve had a similar experience with airport security. Once, I almost had to throw out a brand new bottle of makeup I bought at the duty free shop. Already approved at Incheon International Airport and sealed in a plastic bag, it was innocently peeking out of my knapsack. To the officer at JFK, it didn’t matter whether I had cleared it in Korea. If I wanted to go to Boston from JFK on a domestic flight, I simply had to send it as luggage, or throw it away.
After failing to find a small box to put it in, I resorted to sending my knapsack as luggage to Logan airport. It seems that personal experiences with airport security almost always turn out badly. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security prohibits even snow globes from traveling on planes. According to the Transportation Security Administration website “snow globes and like decorations regardless of size or amount of liquid inside, even with documentation” are prohibited. Security measures like this sometimes seem outrageous. But the Christmas Day Bombing attempt on the Northwest Airlines flight 253 proved that the threat of terrorism is still present. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the “Underwear Bomber,” was able to get a bomb onto a plane that was carrying 278 passengers. The situation didn’t elevate to a serious terrorist attack, but it exposed a gap in airport security. A TIME magazine quoted experts as saying the bomb would have shown up on the new whole-body imaging scanners. These machines use X-rays that show an image that is so detailed that the security officers
Print editors-in-chief: Melissa Huston, Ann Lee Web editors-in-chief: Caroline Hui, Jamie Lim News editors: Natalie Muller, Gretchen Connick Op-Ed editors: Sophia Cheng, Nihal Krishan Features editors: Gretchen Connick, Lauren Felice, Aarti Sreenivas A&E editors: Stanton Yuwono, Anbita Siregar Sports editor: Evan Petty, Sasha Jassem Copy editors: Jamie Lim, Natalie Muller Photo editors: Kenny Evans (Web), Danielle Courtenay (Print) Layout editors: Kathryn Tinker, Renee Hyde Reporters: Eleanor Barz, Sophia Cheng, Ryan Chan, Gretchen Connick, Kenny Evans, Lauren Felice, Caroline Hui, Melissa Huston, Renee Hyde, Sasha Jassem, Nihal Krishan, Ann Lee, Jamie Lim, Natalie Muller, Evan Petty, Danica Pizzi, Anbita Siregar, Aarti Sreenivas, Kathryn Tinker, Alli Verdoscia Stanton Yuwono Adviser: Mark Clemens
up the culture because I was too distracted entertaining my friends. If I knew 14 other kids on my trip already, that meant I only got to meet four new students. This was my third problem. My older sister told me one of the best things about Interim was meeting new people. You might become great friends with someone on your trip you would not have gotten to know in school. Not only did I not get to meet new people, I did not get any closer with the friends I had on that trip. I did not spend more of my time with one particular person. Instead, I split it between my nine good friends. Some teachers do not want friends going on the same trips. A few years ago, a teacher even proposed a system that would preclude students from traveling with friends. This year, I learned my lesson. I am going on a trip with only three friends, one girl and two boys. It was easy picking a roommate, and I get to meet 16 new people while bonding with the three friends I know. Interim is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we are lucky to go to foreign lands without our parents. We shouldn’t waste these trips spending time with friends we see every day. Seize this opportunity to bond with students you would not usually reach out to. You might surprise yourself and get to know an unexpectedly cool person. siregar.eye@gmail.com
can see every nook and cranny. They review the technologically undressed images in a separate room. Agents are prohibited from bringing in any recording device. Many people are against installing this instrument. Apart from it’s cost of 180,000 USD - the issue of invasion of privacy comes into question. In June, the House of Representatives voted on an amendment to a transportation bill to ban the use of scanners for routine screenings. “You don’t need to look at my wife and 8-year-old daughter naked in order to secure that airplane,” said Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah, in a TIME magazine article. I disagree. Which do you fear more - a body scan or a terrorist attack? We can no longer insist that the possibility of a terrorist attack is low. The concern over privacy is understandable, especially in a country where privacy is guarded most anxiously, but we need to prioritize our concerns. As much as I hate the hassle over airport security, I acknowledge that the whole process is for my safety. So this interim, go through the process with an understanding mind. After all, it is our safety they’re concerned about. And remember, no peanut butter on the airplane. alee.eye@gmail.com
The Eye is the student newspaper of the Singapore American School. All opinions stated 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 Internet at eye.letters@ gmail.com. At the authorʼs request, names can be withheld from publication. Letters will be printed as completely as possible. The Eye reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of taste and space.
features
The Eye
Easy rider
February 5, 2010
5
Senior, one of few to drive, in love with rhythm of road, freedom of her wheels
by Renee Hyde While students residing Singapore may be able to enjoy their first (legal) drink three years earlier than their stateside counterparts, driving, another right of passage, is reserved for a select few 18-yearolds. “I love driving” said senior Hannah Koh. Koh is one of the few current SAS students who has her Singapore’s driver’s license. She owns her own car, a Volvo C30, and drives to and from school daily.
Becoming “legal”
Behind the wheel: senior Hannah Koh sits behind her steering wheel alomost everyday driving to and from school. Photo by Danielle Courtenay
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“I signed up for [an account with a driving center] on the weekend of my 18th birthday, which was the earliest I could sign up “ Koh said. According to Koh, it took her a month to get her learner’s permit, but six months to obtain her license. Driving students can either attend classes or they can study the driver’s manual at home. Koh studied at home. Koh said that studying the manuel isn’t difficult. “It’s pretty straight-forward and easy.” Aditiya Chowdhry, who is currently studying for his driver’s licence, said there are three tests that a prospective driver must pass: the basic theory test, the final theory, where a prospective driver must answer 45 of the 50 multiple questions correctly, and the practical theory, where a prospective driver must display their driving ability to an examiner. Once passing all three exams, one can obtain their license. How does is feel once they pass their driver’s test? “It [is] the best feeling in the world” Koh said.
Accidents and tickets Koh is still worried about the aspects of a car crash but has gained confidence over the few months. The Singapore Police Force reports that in the year 2007 and 2008 was a drop in fatal accidents from 4.66 per 100,000 people to 4.59 per 100,000 people. “The first month is the riskiest time [for young drivers]. When you’re learning to drive in Singapore, you practice in safe areas and you’re not exposed to aggressive drivers” said Koh, who has luckily only been involved in a single minor accident on Alexander Road. “I wanted to make a right turn [at the green light]. I was a bit distracted at trying to find where I was, and a car came towards me while turning right” Koh said. No one received a ticket nor was anyone hurt. “[Driving is] just about gaining experience” said senior Chris Kuan, a California driver’s license holder. Unlike the United States, Singapore uses a demerit point system. Points carry three, four, six, eight, nine, twelve and twenty-four demerits based on the severity of the offense. For example, failing to stop at a zebra crossing will cost drivers three points while a more serious offense, such as using a mobile phone whilst driving, will cost drivers 12 points. If you accumulate more than 24 points within 24 months, your drivers license will be suspended.
Drinking before driving? Or driving before drinking? Unlike most of the United States, whose driving age is 16 in most states and drinking age is 21, both
Singapore’s drinking and driving age is 18. Singapore’s legal age has caused many raised their eyebrows. Is it smart to offer 18-year-olds alcohol and a car at the same time? “ I think that the driving age should be lower compared to the drinking age” said junior Hayes Kimball, “I believe it is not smart idea for the first day you can have a legal drink can also, theoretically, be the first day you can drive. The few months in between driver’s ed and actually having a license isn’t enough time for you to be able to make the right choices under the influence of alcohol.” However, unlike the most places in the United States, Singapore provides a multitude of transportation options for those who have had a bit too much to drink. Health and Physical Education teachers Jill Friend and Ursula Pong both believe that drinking and driving, especially in Singapore, is inexcusable. “[Drinking and driving] is no excuse, said Friend, since your car is safe and it is so easy and affordable to take other rides home.” “At the age of 18, if they don’t know that they shouldn’t be drinking and driving, there is something seriously wrong; that’s a given” Pong said. Most Singapore located teenagers will never put their hands on a steering wheel; however, students shouldn’t take it for granted. Once stateside, students may finally grasp a steering wheel but will have to give up their ability to put their hands on a beer bottle for a least 3 years. hyde.eye@gmail.com
All in the family: JIS principal takes up SAS post in July much of being a successful student comes from by Eleanor Barz If he were stranded on a tropical island, being equipped to make positive contributions he might be found reading Dan Brown to the world.” Dr. Stuart said schools should not simply books, singing along to an iPod or immersing himself in the local language and culture. But focus on preparing students for college. Dr. Timothy Stuart wouldn’t be stranded on Equipping them to use their education the island for long. Kayaking is one of his positively is just as important. “Getting into Harvard alone doesn’t make favorite hobbies. you successful. It’s how you use your degree “Yeah, that’s a big one,” he said. When Dr. Stuart arrives in Singapore later to make the world a better place.” Like his own children and many SAS this year to become the high school principal of SAS, he won’t need his kayak. He has been students, Dr Stuart is the product of an international education. He was born in considering this move for close to a decade. “Approximately 10 years ago my wife and the United States but spent the better part I made a list of what we believed to be the top of his childhood in France. He attended an international schools in the world. SAS and international school in Germany from grades 9 JIS [Jakarta International School] were two. I to 12. He said that while modern international see moving to SAS as an opportunity for my schools are fundamentally the same as they were when he was at kids to learn in a different school, today’s schools context,” Dr. Stuart said. I tend to define success not celebrate cultural Dr. Stuart’s three enrichment more than children attend JIS, where in terms of acquiring but in they have in the past. he is currently the high terms of contributing. “I think the biggest school principal. His eldest son Tyler will be a change I’ve seen since - Future SAS principal, Dr. Timothy Stuart I was at school about sophomore next year, while twenty years ago is that international schools twins Moriah and Ian will be in grade 8. were intended to help [kids] keep a sense of “They’re really excited,” he said. Once a third culture kid himself, Dr. their own culture and their own identity, where Stuart said exposure to other cultures and as today international schools embrace global customs, and the ability to understand cultural citizenship. There’s been a philosophical differences, are key to being successful in shift.” Growing up overseas influenced his choice life. “Some say [success is about] getting all to teach internationally. “I was a typical kid. I knew I wanted to As or getting into top universities or a varsity team. I tend to define success not in terms work with people, and work internationally, of acquiring but in terms of contributing. So but I didn’t think of teaching until I was in
university,” he said. “Then it seemed only that relationships could be as much about natural that I would work with international sharing and contributing as they are about kids since those are the kids I relate to best.” competing. His first overseas teaching post was at Tarsus “I’d like to organize common service International School in Turkey, where he taught activities, maybe IASAS schools could physical education. He also taught French adopt an orphanage. Or we could be and physical education at Leysin American involved in Special Olympics. There’s a lot School, Switzerland, where he directed the of room for that to happen,” he said. barz.eye@gmail.com summer school. He has been at JIS since July 2007. He said that while schools take on the flavor of their surroundings, most hold the same international school mentality. “At core, international schools are similar in their mission statements and what they want for their kids. They share a common thread,” Dr. Stuart said. Dr. Stuart thinks his family’s transition will be smooth. “One of the biggest things is that we will be able to be involved in the IASAS family, even though there is a big rivalry between JIS and SAS.” In the future, Dr. Stuart said he would like to see IASAS schools Future SAS high school principal, Dr. Timothy Stuart with work together wife Mona who is a certified English teacher. on projects, so
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February 5, 2010
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The Eye
features
www.eye.sasclubs.com
Students with Jobs
From bagel promoters to retail sales assistants, these seniors work after-school and on the weekends for pocket money. While balancing homework and working can be tricky, most find that working is a good use of free time.
Alex Hein
Darin Lewis
Heather Morris Hayden Marushi
Job: Starbucks Barista Pay per hour: $5
Job: Sales Assistant Pay per hour: $6
Job: Bagel Promoter Pay per hour: $12.50
Job: Kitchen Helper Pay per hour: $7.50
For her job as a Starbucks Barista, senior Alex Hein went through intense training at the Starbucks corporate building. “We had to go to the corporate building every night for two weeks to do classes. It was really repetitive and not fun, [especially] since you learn [how to make] all the drinks in store,” said Hein. Committing to memory the many drink recipes was at first difficult for Hein. She made many mistakes at the beginning before eventually getting used to it. But, one thing Hein finds hard to familiarize herself with is the different treatment she receives as a Caucasian worker. “[My colleagues] treat me differently because I’m white. They don’t complain as much if I mess up. But if [a Singaporean worker] does, then they’ll complain about them,” said Hein. Because Hein works three times a week and on Saturday and Sunday from 4:00 p.m to 11:30 p.m, she often finds herself squeezing in homework on cab rides to Starbucks and during free periods. But, she does not mind. “When I lived in Houston, I had two jobs. I like working and making my own money.”
“My mom is probably the stingiest in my family. So if I want money I have to work for it, whether it’s cleaning the house or something like that,” he said. To make some extra cash, Lewis holds the position of Sales Assistant at a clothing store called Spin the Bottle. It has three Singapore locations—The Heeren, Cathay, and 313@ Somerset. He works every weekend, Saturday and Sunday, for around seven to eight hours each day. Sometimes, this makes it difficult for Lewis to finish homework. “If I have a big paper or project due, the only time I really have to do it is Friday after school because I like to eat or sleep right after or before work,” he said. At the store, Lewis restocks shelves, fixes and tags items, works the cash register, and bags customers’ purchases. “I like working. It gives me something to do besides sitting at home looking at Facebook all day,” he said. Lewis recently applied for a job as a wave instructor at Wave House in Sentosa. If Lewis gets this job, he will probably cease from working at Spin The Bottle.
About two Sundays a month, senior Heather Morris works at various FairPrice supermarkets around the island publicizing New York City Bagel Factory’s goods. This includes putting out free samples of about ten various flavors of bagels, five different cream cheeses, and baskets of bagel chips. She convinces the Singapore public to try her product, and then more importantly, buy it. Although the way Heather Morris got her job at New York Bagel Company may seem complex—through a friend’s parent’s friend— Morris takes the job itself into her stride. “Especially since my job is on the weekends, it doesn’t take up much of my homework time. But I also think [working] is just like balancing schoolwork and an after school sport or art. If you work your time right, [the balance] is fine,” Morris said. Morris mainly works to have some extra spending money but also because it is a good use of her free time and a way to prove herself responsible to her parents. According to Morris, her Student’s Pass allows her to work on holidays and vacations. “I’m pretty sure weekends are [legal] as well,” Morris said.
Senior Hayden Marushi works as a kitchen helper at the Terror Club in Sembawang, a facility used mostly by US Naval officers and their families. Marushi heard of the job opening from a friend and asked his dad to pick up an application for him. “I knew this would be a good experience and a way to get some extra money of my own,” Marushi said. Usually, Marushi works on weekends, eight hours a day. Sometimes when he is asked to work on a weekday, Marushi has to rush to do his homework when he gets home. He admits that there have been times when he had no time to finish his work because of his job commitment. Because Marushi’s father works for the U.S government, he is not allowed to work more than thirty hours a week. But when he goes to university, Marushi would like to dedicate more of his time to making some extra cash. “I’d like to work, maybe in the restaurant business again or in the retail industry,” he said. muller.eye@gmail.com
Hallam continues to teach and battle cancer by Aarti Sreenivas He qualified as the top junior road racing cyclist in the late 1980s, received an invitation to try out for the Olympics and placed 1st in the 2009 Singapore J.P. Morgan corporate challenge. An icon for healthy living at SAS, English teacher Andrew Hallam was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer called chomdrosarcoma. Hallam left for surgery on the Nov 14 and returned to teach this semester a month and a half later, wearing a device that looked like a centerion’s breastplate. “My first reaction when I heard that I had cancer was a purposeful one. I was slightly scared but my main response was to find out how they could remove the cancer,” Hallam said. Hallam’s doctors first detected
what they thought was a benign out in a six-hour long surgery. growth seven years ago when he “The next step after the surgery had to take a mandatory chest x-ray. is to take care of my body as nobody They suggested monitoring his chest knows how it is going to respond to regularly through MRI scans in case the treatment,” Hallam said. the growth turned cancerous. Last To prevent creating a hostile year, Hallam did not recieve his environment for cancer to grow, MRI scan and the growth turned Hallam altered his diet to eat wild malignant and doubled in size. fish, organic foods and hormoneDoctors do not know how this free chicken. He eats no red meat. type of bone cancer, can be acquired In addition to his dietary goals, but believe that one needs to have a Hallam has physical ones to achieve genetic predisposition. as well. “Cancer runs in my my family,” Winner of last year’s J.P. Morgan Hallam said. “My parents are the Corporate Singapore challenge, longest to live in our family going Hallam is still keen to pursue back a number of generations, and running. they are just 65 years old.” “I would like to run a 5.6 km race Since chemotherapy is not at the end of April,” Hallam said. “If effective for this type of cancer, I place top 20 this year, it would be doctors removed eight cm of three a greater achievement than to have separate ribs, a small slice of his gotten first last year.” felice.eye@gmail.com lungs and a part of his spine taken While there is no clear idea about
how the bones will respond to this therapy, Hallam is optimistic about recovering. “Obstacles are what you see when you lose sight of your goal,” Hallam said. sreenivas.eye@gmail.com
features
The Eye
Clay Burell: Blogging his way to reformation Student councils, toga parties, “edu-tainment,” and textbooks have felt his sharp tongue. Winner of the “Thinking Blogger Award,” social studies teacher Clay Burell has written pages of provocative prose. Seeing himself as “the antiindoctrinator,” Burell believes that, “Every adult - from parent to every other institution - tells kids what to think.” With posts ranging from “Taking Back Teaching: A Forgotten History” to “When Corrupting The Youth Is Good,” Burell argues for “more learning and less schooliness.” In “Student Council: Creating Tomorrow’s Followers (or, ‘Smells Like School Spirit’),” Burell tells the story of a student who quit a community service organization because he needed to “plan a haunted house and a 40-minute assembly to introduce sports teams.” Burell writes, “Look at how trivial
[school] makes you, even when you want to make a real difference in the real world.” “The Rat Race for college admissions puts a high premium on silly bullets like holding a class office,” Burrell writes in the same blog. “Can we give StuCo some teeth? Extend it into the real world? Isn’t it pathetically fay right now?” No doubt, posts like this are fodder for critics, but Burell’s 2,190 Twitter followers and 1,370 subscribers attest to the positive attention he has received worldwide. “Sometimes I lay an egg and that’s fine. It’s thinking, not preaching,” Burell said. “Unsucky English,” Burell’s online Gilgamesh lecture, caught the attention of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) last year. “I was invited to be a talking head on PBS because they read what I wrote,” Burell said.
Classroom 2.0
Burell declined the offer because of his commitment to SAS. That same month, Burrell was the keynote speaker at an Australian technology conference. The topic was “The Power of You in the Digital Age.” Just recently, the Harvard Berkman Center of Law contacted Burell to do an interview after he launched “Students 2.0,” an educational initiative connecting reform-minded students across the globe. Burell believes that the youth of the Digital Generation have yet to understand the transformative power of Web 2.0 – Internet that offers usergenerated features. Recently, he posted on his blog a reply to an Eye editorial on the growing role of technology in classrooms. The students are right – good teachers don’t need technology,” Burell said. Although Burell “mentally applauded” when he read the editorial, he did have a few criticisms, one targeting the lack interactivity on The Eye’s website.
1:1 laptop plan for next school year finds mixed reactions among teachers
“The term “Web 2.0” (2004–present) is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web.” Source: Wikipedia
by Lauren Felice Next year, added to the phones, iPods Pods and calculators that fill students’ backpacks, each student will be required to bring a laptop to school. This 1:1 student to laptop policy is the largest component of the technology initiative, the school’s five-year push to incorporate more technology into the classroom. The laptops are intended to aid students not only in computer proficiency, but also in the way students interact with each other and with information. With each student having constant access to laptops, teachers can use discussion boards, interactive software and websites, and online databases to expand the information available
tto students. t d t “We’re going to see a change in the kind of research people do. Th l search h as th h The G Google the research method will change,” Deputy Principal Lauren Mehrbach said. Teachers will not be given measurable requirements for laptop use during class, but questions regarding laptop use will now be included in administative reviews, and teachers will be asked to reflect on their use. “I don’t know that we’re going to quantify it,” Mehrbach said. “That would be overly prescriptive and hard to manage.” A limited number of loaner laptops will be available for students who forget or temporarily cannot access their laptop, but the
Cafeteria 2.0 by Stanton Yuwono Next school year, SAS technology takes another leap with an ID card that will enable students to pay for their meals, check out books, buy school supplies and, maybe, use public transportation. William Scarborough, Director of Finance and Business Operations, has plans to issue a new student identification card with NETS capabilities. “We’re going to take the NETS card, and [on the other side] will be the student ID,” Scarborough said. In addition to the NETS capabilities, a separate “purse” will be available for a school account. “A parent could put money on the account for use in the cafeterias,”
Multi-purpose cash card starts test for August 2010 intro
Scarborough said. “So, if you lose the card, you lose the NETS money, but not the school money.” An additional chip in the card could possibly give its user the ability to open doors, provide admission to events, or place votes during student elections. “In the long run, as employees have cards with the chip in them, we [don’t] need so many manual keys,” Scarborough said. Scarborough said that Singapore is moving to a new cash card standard called, CEPAS, or Contactless e-Purse Application, which is compabitble with the NETS card. This school year, a select group of high school students will be issued a card with the new chip.
exp expectations of daily laptop use will be set by individual teachers. Some teachers are concerned about the potential for distractions such as Facebook, YouTube and messenging during class. “’Lids down!’ That eliminates a lot of the distraction if the teacher needs full attention,” Mehrbach said. Already this year, some teachers have begun to adopt laptop use in their classrooms. Students have seen an increase in the number of online blogs, forums, wikis and research databases used. “Some of the teachers, as you know, are either digital natives themselves…or they’ve made the transition from digital immigrant quite well and they’re soaring,”
Scarborough said that it cannot be used outside the campus yet, and added that its full capabilities will be available next year. A top-up station has already been installed in the high school town center (outside the high school office) for recharging the card. The system in the high school is ready to go and testing will begin before the March break. While on-campus payment can be made with the card, students who wish to use cash will still have that option. “It’s more of a convenience to parents than kids.” Parents can add money to a student’s account through checks, top-up stations or even online using a credit card. The new system will not only make paying more convenient for students and parents, but also speed up the accounting process for SAS employees.
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February 5, 2010
Burell said the editorial had “pooh-pooh’d the very tools that are transforming literacy and journalism.” “If you have genius, you shouldn’t be writing in a little school newspaper read by a few students – and just a few,” Burell said. Mirroring his blog, Burell’s innovative teaching freshens the History of China syllabus. To avoid studying “one damn dynasty after another,” Burell restructured his course to start with 20th century China. This gives his students a point of
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receive feedback from his visitors. “I love getting negative feedback because that’s the power of this new tool,” Burell added. Burell encourages his good writers to begin blogging and welcomes students to speak to him to learn how, for it’s his job to “make you thoughtful.”
reference prior to delving into ancient times. “History needs to be more than what happened next,” Burell said. He believes that one’s education, including his own, “needs to boil and cook; it needs to simmer; it needs hours.” Burell uses his blog as a platform to share teaching experiences and Mehrbach said. Social studies teacher Jason Adkison frequently includes laptop-based assignments in his classes, particularly Modern Asian Perspectives. “Pull up YouTube, look up this, “P pull uup Wikipedia, look up this… Just to t give them more tangibles, more tangible confirmation of what I’m ta talking about,” Adkison said. S Some teachers, though, are wary of making the change too quickly. “I don’t want to step into boundaries of the unknown without taking small, little steps,” Adkison said. “So if I do increase [use], I want to because a lesson will be better because of it.” “I think that technology can help many teachers, and I think technology can help kids learn. But…a very big ‘but’…I think it can get in the way of learning,” social studies teacher Jim Baker said. Some classes - such as the sciences using Loggerpro lab software, art classes using design programs, or language courses using voice In the short term, Scarborough’s goal is to make the cafeteria process work more efficiently. As more testing is completed, more features can be added.
recording and foreign resources have clear-cut opportunities to use the laptops. Other teachers are finding the need to alter their teaching styles to adapt to changes. “By pushing people into the use of technology, I think you detract from some teachers’ strong points,” Baker said. “We get into this sort of cookiecutter education, where one size fits all. And I think when you do that, I think kids get cheated.” “I think some teachers are just scared. Everyone will change; they have to,” Adkison said. The administration is in the process of gathering a small committee of both students and teachers to establish agreements about laptop regulations and adapting the existing acceptable-use policy. “What we’ll have is some growing pains, there’s no doubt about that,” Mehrbach said. “With everything we can do to expand the skill set that students have, the better prepared they’re going to be when they get out of here.”
“The fact that there is a chip in it, offers a lot of opportunities for other yuwono.eye@gmail.com uses.”
Students congregate around a top-up machine for new ID cards, which can be used as an on-campus cash card as well as a NETS card.
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February 5, 2010
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features
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The Eye
SAS sees record number of students pass AP exams in 2009 by Nihal Krishan It is no surprise that SAS students take the most number of AP exams internationally with a resounding 1200 exams last year. Not only did students take a record number of AP’s last year, but they also had record results in the exams. While students have generally proven successful in AP exams scores, with approximately 90 percent of all exams receiving a three or higher for the last decade, 2009 was still a remarkable year for AP students. In 2008, 91.6 percent of AP students received a passing grade - a grade between 3 and 5. This percentage rose to a record 95 percent in 2009. A 3.4 percent jump may not seem remarkable at ďŹ rst, but since 90 percent of students consistently place in the passing range between 3 and 5, even a small difference in scores is considered a signiďŹ cant achievement. AP Statistics, AP Psychology and AP European History were a few of last year’s AP’s which helped boost SAS’s average scores. During the ďŹ rst AP European History class of this year, social studies teacher Rick Bisset drew three triangles ďŹ lled with the digits
‘3, 4, 5’ on the whiteboard of his classroom. He then asked his students to guess what the triangles meant. Eventually he told them the numbers signiďŹ ed all the scores that last year’s AP European History students received on the AP exam. In 2008 only 80 percent of European History students received a score of 3 or higher. Last year 100 percent of all students received a 3 or higher. Sophomore Augusta Soeryadjaya, who is taking AP European History this year, credited the high scores to the extra preparation and work that Bisset made his students do last school year in the class. “He prepares us a lot for the essay proportion of the exam, which makes up 50 percent of the AP score, by making us write a lot,â€? Soeryadjaya said. “He also makes his tests, essays and homework much harder than the real exam, so that when we get to the real thing, we ďŹ nd it a lot easierâ€? Out of the 90 students who took AP Statistics last year, 99 percent of them received a passing grade of three or higher, in comparison to 2008 when 92 percent of students received a passing score. Senior Alvi Hasan, who took the class last year with Dr. James Kett,
History of interim began in Asia
Interim beginnings: Veteran math teacher Don Adams in front of Annapurna mountains with locals and students on a trip to Nepal back in 1986.
by Anbita Siregar Ah, February. The month of Valentines, groundhogs and Interim Semester. While the rest of the world is buying candy hearts, SAS students are packing for their interim trips. Back in 1973, the ďŹ rst year of
interim, students didn’t worry about which pair of Uggs to bring to Spain, or if they could borrow their best friend’s sleeping bag for Australia. Back then, the six interim trips were all in Southeast Asia. Then, students took their
1973
Total Exams
Exams per Student
Average AP Score
2009
535
1239
2.31
4.12
94.8
2008
511
1215
2.37
4.03
91.6
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458
1104
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92.3
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*Not all AP courses have AP review books available, 21 out of 29 AP teachers responded to our survey
AP Psychology students averaged exam score of 4.27 last year which was the highest ever in SAS history. AP Psychology teachers have been experimenting with new ways of preparing for the AP exams. “For AP Psychology, we made a song to learn the material, and used lots of other non-textbook related material to help memorize the info. Our teacher (Kent Knipmeyer) gave us lots of quizzes to test our memory as well, because so much of the
exam is based on memorization,� said senior Will Bradley, who scored a 5 on the exam last year. With a mean score of 4.12 for all AP exams taken by students last year, the mean score was highest its been in the past ten years. “The high scores are a combination of good students and good teaching. It’s as simple as that,� said AP exam co-coordinator, Mark Devine. krishan.eye@gmail.com
midterm exams after winter break. There was time between the exams and second semester. Three teachers decided to stage trips during the interim between the two semesters. Hence the name “Interim Semester.� The purpose of Interim was to get students out of the Singapore bubble to explore Asian cultures. The idea was proposed by three teachers, ex-teachers Barry Donaldson and Dave Paratore, and social studies teacher Jim Baker, during a faculty meeting before the 1972-1973 school year started. They wanted students to have a unique experience while learning things that could not be taught in a classroom. “There are places in Asia you wouldn’t think of going later in life,� Baker said.
These were the places Baker, Paratore and Donaldson wanted students to travel to. Cities in Europe and America were thought of as conventional places to go with your family; Baker, Paratore and Donalson wanted students to venture to places where they otherwise might not go. Interim in the 1980s came with a few surprises. In-Singapore trips like “Modeling and Grooming� and “SAT/ACT Math� were introduced, and before students would ski in Switzerland, they skiied in Japan. Former social studies teacher Michael Imperi played a role in modifying Interim in the mid 80s. “Being a part of the Interim program was the most satisfying and enjoyable aspect of working at SAS,� Imperi said. Imperi taught social studies at SAS from 1981 until 1997. Today, he is the headmaster of Alexander Dawson School in Las Vegas. He became Interim program director in 1982 when the program was about 10 years old. Imperi believed bus trips in Europe defeated the purpose of Interim Semester. He offered new trips that were not only academically
and physically challenging, but had a service element as well. While he thought Interim should be focused in Asia, Imperi also believed there should be exibility with where students go. He was the ďŹ rst to head to Western Australia in the ‘80s and Africa in the ‘90s. A number of trips were out of bounds because of the Gulf Crisis. Although there were no direct threats to SAS, Interim Semester was cancelled in 1991. Some teachers and parents objected to the escalating prices, the addition of European and African trips and the loss of teaching time. The addition of community service trips changed critics’ views on the signiďŹ cance of Interim. Interim Semester was not a big part of SAS 20 years ago. There were no shortened class periods for Interim meetings or parent nights. After Interim, some trips didn’t do anything. Now, Interim Semester is one of the highlights of the school year and has become part of what makes SAS tick. siregar.eye@gmail.com
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Percent Students of scoring 3-5 on AP exam
credited the success to the experience of the statistics teachers. “Our teachers have been doing it for a long time, so they’re very experienced with the topics, and they gave us a lot of review material for the exam� Hasan said. “We each were given our own AP review books and I’ve never been given a review book in any of my other AP classes at SAS.� Hasan has taken a total of 11 AP’s in high school.
1980s
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arts & entertainment
The Eye
Fans of novel “The Lovely Bones” may be disappointed with “Rings” director Peter Jackson’s movie version
Verdict: Director: Peter Jackson Author: Alice Sebold
****
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, Jake Abel, Reece Ritchie
by Sasha Jaseem “The Lovely Bones” a New York Times best seller by Alice Sebold is now a movie directed by Peter Jackson whose other notable projects include “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The novel saw immediate success as it opened the world up to a controversial topic, child rape and molestation, subjects not easily written about or discussed in today’s society. Film director Peter Jackson does not hold back on producing
something that is as sentimental as it is disturbing. While the film provides moviegoers with stunning images plot, it fails to fill and a gripping pl the void for those who fell in love novel. Changing the with the 2002 nov focus of the novel as well as some of Jackson the character development, deve and message of the alters the plot an re-creation. novel in the re-cre The roles of characters are changed, some dim diminished and some enlarged to fit the new story line. Killer George Harvey, less of the focus and more of the instigator of conflict in the novel, becomes one of the main characters in the film, Jackson’s camera focusing on his actions at regular intervals in the film. The search for the killer in the novel is less of a mystery, and in the novel, the father of the murdered Susie Salmon has a hunch about who killed his daughter but had no evidence, whereas the film portrays
him as completely clueless. Differences aside, Jackson’s depiction of the novel turns out to be a movie filled with both the horror of how realistic rape and molestation are in the world, as well as one that provokes both thought and emotion from its viewers. Moving between the main character Susie Salmon’s inner conflict with accepting her death and her time in the “in between” to the sadistic mind of her killer, Jackson is able to provide a film that has viewers going from feeling disgusted by the actions of the killer to feeling true remorse for the girl whose life was ended so abruptly. Overall, the film adaptation of “The Lovely Bones” is an entertaining and emotional experience, which sheds light on a subject that is more than controversial in today’s society. While it may not echo the message of the novel itself, fans of the book and those who have not read the book should enjoy it equally. jaseem.eye@gmail.com
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February 5, 2010
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INTERVIEW: SAS Choral teacher Kristin Symes debuts in Puccini’s “La bohème” by Alli Verdoscia Kristin Symes walked into her classroom with a huge smile and a stack of pink Post-Its notes. The middle school choir teacher and Musetta of the opera La Bohème explained to me, via Post-Its, that she was resting her voice and could not speak but could type. This was just one on a list of the many vocal regimens she was on in preparation for her professional debut as a soprano in the upcoming production, La Bohème. The list continued to grow as she typed. It includes “rest, lots and lots of fluids (water only, no caffeine - dries out vocal chords), no spicy foods, no greasy or milk-y type products, no medications with caffeine in them (like nuerofen?), lots of sleeping and rest is #1 though, without this, you are nothing!” As she answered questions about her singing experiences Symes’ fingers flew across the keyboard the clicking of the keys accompanied by animated expressions and gestures, she explained, typing, that she started singing when she “was little, like 5ish. [she] would sing in church” and “[her] dad and [she] would go to nursing homes and perform for [the residents].” Symes was introduced to opera when one of her high school teachers noticed something unique about her voice. She is performing in Puccini’s most famous opera, La Bohème, at the Esplanade from January 29 -30 and February 1 - 3 .This romantic opera takes place in Paris in the 1930s, and it is sung in Italian. Symes typed that she speaks “un poco (a little)” Italian along with German, French, Russian, Latin and Spanish. She emphasized the importance of understanding “exactly what each word means.” In La Bohème, Symes plays Musetta the “loud and proud and [vibrant]” lovestruck singer and voice instructor. Symes explained that it was “AN ABSOLUTE DREAM!!!!!!!!!! COME TRUE!!!!!!!!!!” to play such a unique character. Knowing that La Bohème is so familiar, Symes said that she put her all into creating the perfect Musetta. She wrote that in terms of nervousness she’s “Getting there…I think on the night of the performance I will have a lot of butterflies.” The interview concluded when she played a recording of one of her rehearsals, as Symes pressed play her beautiful soprano voice burst from her iPhone filling the silence.
A scholar and a journalist apply economic thinking to everything by Aarti Sreenivas Before cars were used, our streets were drowning in horse manure which was probably more detrimental to people’s health than the toxic gases our cars are exhausting,” according to non-fiction best seller “SuperFreakonomics.” Within four months of its release, “SuperFreakonomics” by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner hit the number 7 spot and maintained its name on the New York Times’s best selling non-fiction list for 13 weeks. Their previous book, “Freakonomics,” stayed on the Times best list longer than any non-fiction book on the list. This lead the rock stars of popular economics to come up with an another book talking about incentives and quick fixes for big problems. “SuperFreakonomics” takes a unique approach to answer quirky questions such as, Why are doctors so bad at washing their hands? How is a street prostitute like a department-store Santa? Why should suicide bombers buy life insurance? What do Al Gore and Mount Pinatubo have in common? Using basic economics and statistics, Levitt and Dubner accumulated data, anecdotes and examples for four years to support their ideas before answering these questions. The major part of their book is about global warming. The chapter titled “What do Al Gore and Mount Pinatubo have in common?” refers to a revolutionary, yet controversial idea. According to genius Nathan Myhrvold, just like volcanic eruptions spew gases in the atmosphere and reduce the temperature, all we need to do is pump sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere.Though the idea makes sense and sounds simple, many environmentalists
are skeptical about the idea. Oxidation of sulfur dioxide in the presence of a catalyst such as sulfuric acid creates acid rain. Though the idea makes sense and sounds simple, many environmentalists are skeptical. Oxidation of sulfur dioxide in the presence of a catalyst such as sulfuric acid creates acid rain. “We should have precautionary principals before we know the scientific ramifications of using such technology,” Environmental Science teacher Martha Beagan said. “We should channel our energy into preserving what currently exists.” An October 2009 Guardian article said that these geo-engineering ideas are a good back-up rather than discouraging them completely. “It would be a good idea to have some big ideas in reserve, a Plan B, in case nothing comes of appeals to personal abstinence and global political will,” the reporter wrote. Though there are complaints about the book’s ideology, overall it makes an interesting read. The authors themselves claim in the introduction that their book is more in the nature of a conversation. One of their aims is to throw around interesting ideas which start debate and discussion. “ ‘SuperFreakonomics’ is a good, popular economic book which simplifies micro economic concepts to everyday actions,” economics teacher Erik Torjesen said. “In regard with geo-engineering, there are risks involved with any new theory but like the book said, it is worth just trying it out.” sreenivas.eye@gmail.com
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The Eye
arts & entertainment
Artist aims to show positive side of autism some autistic people have. This inspired her to make her art concentration on the autistic spectrum. Kwon emailed art teacher Barbara Harvey over the summer to ask if she could do this concentration. Harvey was hesitant, but said she would consider it. “I was excited to see how excited [Iris] was about it,” Harvey said, “but I was concerned with her being able to have enough research to not offend that particular population. [I was also concerned with her] being able to illustrate it, Rushing to meet the deadline: Kwon finishing to put something that’s her latest concentration piece on Autism very full of life into two dimensions.” by Caroline Hui A month later, Harvey gave Kwon By 5:30 a.m., junior Iris Kwon permission to do her concentration had fallen asleep. She had pulled on the autistic spectrum. an all-nighter – again – to work “[Iris] continued to email me on her AP Studio Art: 2D Design over the summer and develop her project. On her computer, Skype idea,” Harvey said. “I supported it, was running with her partner-in- seeing how ferociously she attacked pulling-all-nighters-for-art, junior it.” Angela Kim, on the line. Kwon’s concentration is “I can always work from midnight particularly unusual because she till morning,” Kwon said. “I always chose to focus on an idea rather pull all-nighters with Angela. We than a physical object. This called put on Skype, and then every hour for research on the characteristics of we have to show each other how autism so that she could get a better much we’ve done.” understanding of how to portray the This year, Kwon is pulling condition in her artwork. A Google all-nighters to work on her art search was not enough to give her a concentration, a central theme that better idea of how to present autism. pulls an artist’s portfolio together. “Honestly, while I was Students typically choose a noun as researching, I was kind of their art concentration, but Kwon disappointed because I thought chose to do hers on the autistic there would be a lot of information spectrum where in 12 pieces, she on autism, but it was the same portrays different levels of autism. thing over and over again,” Kwon Over the summer, Kwon read said. “Basically, I had to do only “The Curious Incident of the Dog one search to know what autism in the Nighttime” for her English was because it would always class. The protagonist is diagnosed say, ‘Not everybody’s sure what with savant syndrome, an ability that autism is because it depends on the
individual.’” Kwon said the lack of information on autism negatively impacted her artwork. “About last month or so, Ms. Harvey told me, ‘I think you’re falling apart’ because I always did OCDfeeling artwork,” she said. “There are diverse meanings of autism and she told me I was being too narrow. Besides, my concentration is the autistic spectrum, so it has to be diverse, but [Harvey] said I was only going in one direction. So I’m working on that.” To compensate for the lack of information on the Internet, Kwon watched movies with autistic characters and observed autistic people. “I watched ‘Rain Man’ and ‘As Good As It Gets’,” she said. Kwon said she refers to these two movies for inspiration about 60 percent of the time. For one of her required 12 pieces, which shows hands wearing plastic gloves holding a Rubik’s cube, she painted plastic gloves because the autistic character in ‘As Good As It Gets’ wears plastic gloves to open doors. Kwon has gone to the Early Childhood Center (ECC) to observe an autistic boy, who she found through Harvey. “[Meeting this boy] was my first time seeing an autistic person in real life,” she said. “When I first met him, I was so excited because I got the rare chance to meet someone like that, but I was worried, too, because he was sensitive, so I didn’t want to be like, ‘I’m always watching you.’ I wanted to be friends with him first.”
In their first meeting, the opposition. “People who knew what autism two played with toy trucks and played hide-and-seek on the was, were like, ‘I don’t know if you playground. Kwon’s meeting with should do this,’” Kwon said. “My him inspired her to paint a boy lining mom was worried because [she had the] same up toy trains for opinion as Ms. one of her pieces. Harvey. If I In addition People think ‘[autistic people] did something to meeting with are antisocial...’ but I want to that would the autistic offend other boy, Kwon has show people that they are people, that’s watched a video gonna be that her cousin more than that. really bad, recorded while Junior Iris Kwon so they were teaching at a really worried school for autistic children in Korea. Kwon wants about it.” The sheer difficulty of portraying to travel with SAS counselors to a school for autistic children in autism in artwork made some people Singapore to observe their behavior. question Kwon’s decision. “I supported her, but at the same “The whole point of this concentration was to show people time I was like, ‘Are you sure you a different side of autism,” she really want to do this?’” junior said. “People think, ‘[autistic Angela Kim said. “But I believe people] are antisocial, they don’t that she can do it. She’s doing really make eye contact, they’re always in [well]. Iris is a really determined their own world and they don’t open person, especially when it comes to up’, but I want to show people that art. Like [on Friday] I called her and she was like, ‘I’m drawing!’ And they are more than that.” When Kwon first declared her I was like, ‘Iris, it’s Friday after concentration, she faced some school!’” caroline.eye@gmail.com
Solving the puzzle: an acrylic piece illustrating autism. Kwon was inspired by the character from “As Good As It Gets” for the plastic gloves.
Plastic: secret of modern mummies Art and Biology students visit body exhibit to learn more about human anatomy
The Skin Man: one of the many full bodies on display at Body World. The figure is holding his own skin.
by Gretchen Connick “The head bone connected to the neck bone, the neck bone connected to the back bone, the back bone connected to the thigh bone, dem bones gonna walk aroun,” explain he lyrics of “Dem Bones” explain the lyrics of “Dem Bones” written by James Weldon Johnson. Those connections are graphically illustrated in Dr. Gunther von Hagen’s Body World exhibit of preserved human bodies and body parts. Now in Singapore, von Hagen’s creations help explain the technology that creates, enhances and ends life. Close to 20 full bodies and 200 body parts are on display at the Science Center. The display began in late October and ends March 6. Body World offers 12 exhibits visitors can explore. An exhibit that students relate to, “Smells like Teen Spirit,” depicts maturation from childhood into adolescence. It focuses on the development of the teenage brain, and in the process looks at the teenage mind that creates what teens love most; music, art, fashion and technology. Using children’s and teenagers’
bodies, this exhibit provides a visual display of the physical changes that take place. Descriptions and explanations fill in any gaps and further explain the brain development process. Body World’s 11 other exhibits host the nervous and cardiovascular systems, stages of pregnancy and more. All of the bodies on display were donated by their owners. Donors sign a contract handing their body over to the organization allowing their use for educational purposes once they die. While human beings are the dominant figures in Body World, the exhibit includes bodies of a horse, giraffe and squid. Senior Matthew Grgas, who enjoyed the full sized giraffe, said that the fact that these bodies are real is, “peculiar, but very intriguing.” Each body is carefully preserved in a plastic casing through a process called plastination. Displays feature bodies from the womb to the tomb. Physiology and biology teacher, Jay Kumpel took his class on a journey through the large hall of bodies shortly before the winter break with the hopes of furthering his students’
understanding of the technicalities of the human body. The Studio Art class and some of the AP art students are use their talents by drawing the bodies on class field trips. They recently visited the exhibit and will go back before interim begins and once after it ends. Mondays are dedicated to school trips and the exhibit is not open to the public. “By about 4:15 it was just us and it was dead silent which was weird being in a huge dark room full of bodies,” senior Kathryn Tinker said. Body World is a look at the cycle of life and is not shy about depicting bodies of the sick and weak. Smokers get to see what their lungs might look like down the road, and all visitors get to see the effects of cancer, tumors, inflammatory diseases and the process of ageing. Body World attempts to engage in a variety of interests and draw in a broad audience. “It was a good visualization of the human body. It was a little creepy in some respects, but overall it was really cool,” junior Caitlin Crowe said. connick.eye@gmail.com
sports & activities
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February 5, 2010
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Eagles boys go for gold, but finish Girls touch team overcomes tough day to defeat Jakarta for bronze by Natalie Muller With the scorching sun beating down on Jakarta International School’s turf field, the SAS boy’s rugby team and girl’s touch rugby team took to the field for first day of their respective IASAS tournaments. Both teams started Thursday strongly with the boys recording a close 15-12 win over the International School Bangkok (ISB) Panthers and a more dominant 30-5 one over the International School Manila (ISM) Bearcats. Likewise, the girls, last year’s champions and tournament favorites, proved to be up for retaining their crown after beating the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) Panthers 6-1 and the Taipei American School (TAS) Tigers 5-3, in a match which needed a stellar second-half performance. The second day of the tournament placed both teams against tougher competition and by and large decided which teams would make it to the final. The girls faced a tricky day against ISB and ISM, the team’s main rivals for the gold. Lacking a creative spark, the girls fell 0-2 and 1-3 to excellent teams. This placed the two in the touch rugby final, leaving SAS to play in the consolation game. Senior and cocaptain Erika Farias summarized the feelings of the team. “We were crushed. It was tough knowing we couldn’t get into the finals, especially with a lot of us being seniors and this being our last chance.” The boys on the other hand started the day strong with a hardfought 29-19 win over ISKL. Their real test came in the afternoon against a Jakarta International School (JIS)
Dragons side that had already crushed ISKL 67-0. A strong team performance combined with moments of individual brilliance from seniors Max Shaulis and Austin Cox left the score at a 1212 draw. This put both Jakarta and Singapore in the final, a repeat of last year’s championship. Senior Nico Daily said the team was happy with the result. “They were the team to beat. We didn’t really have to win. Our coach wanted us to tie, more than to win or lose. He didn’t want us to win and be cocky coming into the final. He also didn’t want us to lose because then our confidence would have been too low.” Saturday, the final day of the tournament, pitted the girls against JIS twice, once in the morning for a round robin match and the other in the afternoon for the consolation game. Halftime at the morning game saw SAS losing 2-1 against a JIS side playing in front of their home crowd. A resurgent second half, with brilliant breaks through the JIS defense by junior Becky Kreutter and senior Lauren Felice saw the game finish with a score of 3-2. Co-captain Farias saved particular praise for Kreutter. “Becky Kreutter played a lot better the few games leading up to IASAS. She stepped up for IASAS and got on the all-tournament team,” Farias said. The final again saw JIS take an early lead but junior Kristen Skill eventually leveled the score before co-captain Felice scored the winning try. The girl’s touch team left Jakarta with the bronze medal, receiving some inspiration from past SAS touch rugby players.
Girls rally to take
Senior co-captains Caroline Hui and Arshia Ahuja celebrate after coming back from 0-4 down in the second set agaisnt ISKL in the 2nd doubles match. Photo by Andisya Siregar
Going nowhere: Sophomore Andrew Milne makes a game saving tackle during the SAS vs. JIS championship game. JIS would go on to win 24 - 10. Photo by Slorinda Farias
Speed is skill: Sophomore Isabella Shaulis sprints through a gap in the defense during the ISKL vs. SAS match up.The Lady Eagles would go on to defeat the Panthers 6-1. Photo by Slorinda Farias
“Nora Hanagan emailed her dad [coach Bill Hanagan] a letter that Lauren read out loud to us. She knew that we were already out of the finals but told us to leave that in the past,” Farias said. The boys breezed through their Saturday morning match against TAS, perhaps with an eye turned toward that afternoon’s final. JIS scored the first try before Shaulis
went on a deadly run to score a try and level the score. Although JIS again took the lead, a great steal by sophomore Andrew Milne led to him outsprinting three JIS players and scoring SAS’s second try. With four minutes left to go in the second half, persistent pressure by Jakarta on the SAS line led to the Eagles giving up two more tries. “I think we just lost focus. After
Max missed the kick, we were all pretty down,” Daily said. As the whistle blew signaling the end of the match and the Jakarta fans ran out onto the field to celebrate, disheartened Eagles stood on the field with a sense of déjà vu—JIS had broke through their line to win it last year. muller.eye@gmail.com
while boys place fourth by Natalie Muller In a close IASAS Tennis characterized by third sets, tiebreakers and deuce-filled games, the SAS boys team finished in fourth place and the girls brought home the bronze medal. “Competition was tight this year,” senior captain Caroline Hui said. “All the teams have improved from last year. We had to work hard for every match we won.” Both teams finished all square on the first day with 1-1 record. The boys beat the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) Panthers 5-0 but lost to the Taipei American School (TAS) Tigers 0-5, while the girls beat the International School Manila (ISM) Bearcats 4-1 but lost to TAS 1-4. The Thursday schedule disadvantaged the girl’s team as some players had little rest time in between their matches against ISM and TAS. “I had just finished playing a three-set match against ISM,” Hui said. “I went to report my score, sat
down and got a drink and then got called up to play my next match. I basically played five sets in a row.” Because the Jakarta school’s facilities had only had three tennis courts, the boys and girls’ teams took turns taking a bus to the nearby Anglo Chinese School (ACS) courts. “The bus ride was about half an hour long. It was annoying, but I only had to do it once,” senior
“We had to work hard for every match we won” -Senior captain, Caroline Hui Aaditya Chowdhry said. At the start of Saturday morning, the boys team knew that whether they finished in fourth or fifth place depended on that day’s matches. After particularly hard-fought matches by juniors Kartik Das and Devansh Pasumarty and seniors captain Sid Shanker, Aaditya Chowdhry and Shawn Teng, the Eagles beat ISM 3-2 to finish in fourth. All three matches won went to a third set. First doubles team Shanker and Chowdhry saved
a match point before clinching the third-set tiebreaker, 11-9, and securing the team a fourth place. “Last year we lost to ISM and so we lost the championship. Our specific match was the last match being played for the whole of IASAS and it turned out that it determined whether or not we finished in fourth or fifth place. It felt so good,” said Chowdhry. Although both teams placed lower than they did last year, when the girls finished in first and boys finished in second, both teams were young. The girls had four freshmen and only three returning IASAS players, while half the boys team was new. “Last year we had seniors who had been on the IASAS team all four years. This year we had four or five people who came to IASAS for the first time. The lack of experience cost us a lot of points,” Chowdhry said. Next year’s IASAS Tennis will be hosted at home at SAS. muller.eye@gmail.com
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sports & activities
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Eagles make a splash at win 12th consecutive gold medal while boys clinch bronze IASAS Girls Photo by Kenny Evans
by Sasha Jassem Bringing IASAS swimming home, the Eagles Swim Team had a lot to prove as 2009 champions. With nine IASAS swimming records broken, competition was fierce from the first day of IASAS to the final matchups on Saturday. The SAS boys finished with both losses and expected wins in each event. The 400m freestyle finals kicked off the final races with a quick and impressive lead by four-year participant Nelson Turk from the International School
of Bangkok. SAS’s ’ T Ted d Ch Chritton itt trailed close behind, taking a turn as Taipei American School’s Viktor Bjork passed both Turk and Chritton to take gold. The final results showed Bjork with first place, Chritton taking second and ISKL’s Kareem Gibson securing third. Having immense success in IASAS this year TAS’s Viktor Bjork took gold in the boys 200m backstroke final. In the final round of the 100m butterfly, an SAS swimmer was in every heat, once again putting pressure on the SAS swimmers to defend their championship. Again
a close l race it was a battle b ttl between b t ISKL’s Levar Goosen, TAS’s Johnathan Lee and SAS’s Dennis Chu. The final ended with Lee taking gold, Goosen taking silver and Chu bronze. Making up for his loss to Lee in the 100m butterfly final, Goosen then continued to win the 50m freestyle finals and to take a FINA award at the end of the tournament. Concluding the tournament the 4x100 freestyle relay became a race for silver and bronze. With SAS winning narrowly by less than 1 second over TAS. Unfortunately this
was nott enoughh to bump SAS up to first place, a disappointment ending the Eagle boys IASAS winning streak and putting TAS in first place
“Winning gold was the perfect way to end my last swim seasons at SAS.” -Senior captain, Roxy Hesh and ISB in second overall. The SAS girls swim team saw more success than the boys this year,
Both Eagles take on Tigers in finals for by Evan Petty After claiming double gold in 2009, the SAS Eagles headed into the 2010 edition of IASAS with targets on their backs as the consensus favorites. With the added pressure of matching last year’s results the Eagles proved to be up to the task - winning two gold medals in dominant fashion.
Lady Eagles drop one game en route to Gold Playing in the first game of the tournament, the SAS girls dropped Jakarta International School (JIS) 60-50. The double-digit victory proved to be the beginning of their championship run and set the tone for the rest of the tournament. SAS had a much easier victory in the second game, with a 69-28 win over International School Bangkok (ISB). After a successful first day, SAS was not able to continue their perfect run into Friday after a three point loss to Taipei American School (TAS). With the 54-51 win over the Eagles, TAS secured first place in the round robin portion of the tournament. Looking to bounce back from their first loss, SAS met International School, Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) late Friday afternoon. In the most lopsided game of the tournament, the Eagles routed ISKL 70-17 and put themselves in good position to advance to the championship game on Saturday night. In the final game of the round robin,
SAS controlled their own destiny in a game against International School Manila - needing a victory to take sole possession of second place and a spot in the championship. On the cusp of another shot at a gold medal, the Eagles did not disappoint. Their 47-24 win over ISM guaranteed them a place in the gold medal game and a chance at sweet revenge against the
“It was a great IASAS to end on for the three seniors,” -Senior captain, Rachel McCabe team that handed them their sole loss - the TAS Tigers. Hungry for redemption, the Eagles took it to TAS in the gold medal game with a 74-61 win. The Eagles were led on their gold medal run by Rachel McCabe, Celeste Marsh and Michelle Bywater who were named All-Tournament. Co-captain Rachel McCabe said that the Lady Eagles did well on defense and shooting this year. “It was an amazing tournament, it was so much fun and a great IASAS to end on for the three seniors we have,” said McCabe.
Boys take on Taipei’s Tigers in finals rematch Opening IASAS against ISB, SAS was able to get off on the right foot with an 18-point win. The eventual bronze medalists, ISB provided a challenge but in the end the Eagles were too strong and got
the much important first victory. With just one game in between their first two games on the schedule, SAS played against ISKL. The Eagles did not let ISKL get in their way of a 2-0 start as they handled them with a 58-42 win. SAS looked to continue their momentum in their Friday morning meeting with JIS. SAS’ 84-23 win was their easiest of the tournament and allowed them to keep pace with TAS atop the standings with a 3-0 record. In their game later in the afternoon, SAS made it four for four with their 69-38 drubbing of the ISM Bearcats. The Eagles’ win followed
“We had a really strong team to begin with.” -Senior captain, Marc Wilson
showing the other IASAS school’s just whose house they were in. Starting with the 400m freesyle finals there was no competition, as ISKL’s Diana Redza took gold. Representing SAS in the 100m butterfly final, sophomore Maya Kale began with a lead as ISB’s Jane Rungrotekitsakul trailed until the last length where she overtook Kale and won gold as well as breaking the IASAS girls 100m butterfly record of 1.05.81 with her time of 1.05.301. With the threat of a storm hovering over SAS, the 200m backstroke final still took place, this time a race between SAS junior Jenny Alberts and 4-year IASAS veteran Sabrinne Gibson of ISKL. Both held impressive leads over the rest of the participants as Gibson pulled through in the end taking gold with Alberts a few seconds behind. As the other IASAS schools broke record after record, it was SAS’s turn to make its mark in the record book, this time with junior Therese Vainius who not only came in first place but also broke the previous IASAS record of 27.77 with her time of 27.71. At the end of the day the SAS girls relay team was able to take gold in the final event. The girls finished the season with their 12th consecutive IASAS gold medal, while ISB silver and JIS bronze. “I am really happy for the team, I couldn’t have asked for more from my last IASAS and winning gold was the perfect way to end my last swim season at SAS,” co-captain Roxy Hesh said.
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IASAS Results a perfect record. While the perfect record was certainly something to celebrate, the Eagles had other things to worry about - mainly a rematch with TAS, this time for the gold medal. Entering the championship game, SAS knew it would be the toughest game of the tournament. Despite the Tigers hanging around until well into the fourth quarter - including a run that got them as close as one point the Eagles showed why they were the number one seed after the opening round. Their 82-75 win gave SAS their second gold medal in as many years and kept their record perfect. The Eagles got tremendous play up and down the lineup throughout the tournament b u t were given an extra boost from AllTo u r n a m e n t players Ian Bryson, Rauson Clower and Dustin Sodano. “This whole season, we were really good at defense, and we always gave a hundred percent during every game,” Wilson said.
by a TAS win in the following game against ISB guaranteed their spot in the gold medal game, the only thing left to accomplish in the round robin was an unblemished record. “We had a really strong team to begin with, and everyone contributed. We went ten deep at IASAS,” cocaptain Marc Wilson said. Saturday morning the Eagles and Tigers met in a game with no playoff implications, as both teams were set on a collision course for the gold medal game later that night. Even with little to play for, the Eagles defeated TAS 66-48 to clinch petty.eye@gmail.com
Basketball Girls: 1. SAS 2. TAS 3. JIS 4. ISM 5. ISM 6. ISKL
Boys: 1. SAS 2. TAS 3. ISB 4. ISKL 5. ISM 6. JIS
Tennis Boys: 1. TAS 2. JIS 3. ISB 4. SAS 5. KSM 6. ISKL
Girls: 1. TAS 2. ISB 3. SAS 4. ISM 5. JIS 6. ISKL
Rugby / Touch Boys: 1. JIS 2. SAS 3. ISB 4. TAS 5. ISM 6. ISKL
Girls: 1. ISM 2. ISB 3. SAS 4. JIS 5. TAS 6. ISKL
Swimming Boys: 1. TAS 2. ISB 3. SAS 4. ISKL 5. JIS 6. ISM
Girls: 1. SAS 2. ISB 3. JIS 4. ISKL 5. TAS 6. ISM