theeye Singapore American High School
April 20, 2005/Vol.24 no 7
Students unable to recover unattended bags until 3 p.m.
Like it or not, Operation Responsibility stays
By Doug Fagan There is no end in sight to the hassle of carrying gym bags and book bags from class to class. According to Deputy Principal Dave Norcott, Operation Responsibility is here for good. Because of a string of thefts during and after school and the clutter in the cafeteria, Norcott implemented Operation Responsibility. Initially, the cleaners took all unattended bags to the high school office and the students could pick up their bags at any time during the day. Now the cleaners take any bags left in the cafeteria or anywhere else on campus directly to the training room, where they cannot be recovered until after 3 p.m. “It is a way of trying to encourage people to be responsible for their own items,” Norcott said. “Every student has a locker and every P.E. student has a P.E. locker. We have ample space for people to put stuff away.” There have been no reported incidents of theft since Operation Responsibility began, partly because of the new rules but also because there is now a security camera in the training room. That camera caught the main culprit over three weeks ago. Though Norcott says Operation Responsibility has made a difference, students find it to be more of a pain than a remedy. Norcott said sometimes students go to the bathroom and come back to find their bags missing, but he has told the cleaners to tone it down a bit. “Itʼs like airport security,” senior Will Koen said. Since it can be a nuisance to carry gym bags from class to class,
the training room is open until 8:15 every morning for students to drop their bags off. The office is then locked until 3 p.m. While the plan may be inspired by good intentions, students think there are other ways to teach responsibility. “I think they could have brought the issue up without being so strict about it,” senior Shanna Iacovino said. “If students want to leave their stuff in the caf, they should take responsibility for it if it gets stolen.” Whether students like Operation Responsibility or not, Norcott said the number of thefts are down. “It has raised the level of consciousness without being too offensive to people,” Norcott said. Special services teacher Jay Kumpel said SAS is a safe environment, but students need to be prepared for the realities of the real world. “The freedom and complacency you have here doesnʼt translate when you leave here,” Kumpel said. “The best way to take care of [the theft problem] is to take care of your stuff.” Whether students like Operation Responsibility or not, the days of leaving bags around are over. “[Operation Responsibility] is going to continue forever,” Norcott said.
CAFETERIA CLUTTER. Students who leave their bags unattended will now only be able to recover them from the training room after 3 p.m. (Inset) High school secretary Rita Lim assists the cleaners in rounding up unattended bags and belongings. Photos by Laura Imkamp and Barnabas Lin
Glitches, limitations fuel search for NetClassroom replacement
By Lon LeSueur After an agonizing six day wait, students and their parents were finally able to reach their third quarter grades via NetClassroom. The program was stalled by heavy network traffic while teachers were trying to post grades. Although grades were due Mar. 22, students could not access them until Mar. 24. This was because administrators restricted student and parent access to help teachers get their grades up faster. The program was slower than usual because Middle School was also using it at the same time. IT Coordinator Judy Ridgway said the program should run more efficiently and they have been researching alternatives all year. “[NetClassroom] has been frustrating for everyone,” Ridgway said. NetClassroom is a 16-bit program, but Ridgway says a 32-bit program
would be much more effective for our school. A 32-bit program would transfer more data at a time compared to a 16-bit program and would not cause traffic problems. “Weʼve looked at around half a dozen programs already,” Ridgway said. “But itʼs hard to find a program that has everything NetClassroom has.” The search continues, and conference calls and online demos are introducing new programs to the faculty. “Everyone needs to be happy [with the new program],” Ridgway said. TECHNICAL ISSUES. Students and parents were unable to access grades via NetClassroom until two days after grades were A new program supposed to be posted. The school is currently searching for alternative programs that will not create traffic problems. This would not be able to be screenshot was taken on April 12 at 9:30am on the school server. Screenshot by Michael Hu and Laura Imkamp
implemented until at least after the first quarter of next year, Ridgway said. In the meantime, students, parents, and teachers will just have to learn how to deal. “I donʼt understand why we keep the program when it fails whenever we need it,” junior Mark Fordney said. “The school shouldnʼt even bother if itʼs going to cause so much trouble.” However, Ridgway said the time put in will pay off. “Too many hours have been wasted [on NetClassroom] just to give up now.”
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April 20, 2005
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the Eye
Eye survey confirms internet dependency
As easy as 1,2,3. Lon Lesueur shows you how to make his sandwich. Photos by Phil Hasslet
Anybody can make a Lonwich
and the end of the sandwich with the other hand. This is arguably the most important part of the process, and you may not, under any circumstances, put down the sandwich after picking it up. If you decide to put it down, the turkey and chips will fall out, which will be detrimental to your taste bud gratifying experience. This may seem tedious and at some times frustrating, but the rewards are never-ending.
By Lon Lesueur With Mr. Hoeʼs food getting flavorless by the day, hybrid creations are becoming a more common sight in the cafeteria. The turkey sandwich, a cheaper option to Subway, can be easily converted into a tastier solution with a few helpful hints. First of all, purchase a bag of chips with your sandwich and make sure you have a tray. Next, make sure you have plenty of room to both assemble
and consume your sandwich. Then, remove all lettuce. It is too filling, has a slightly grainy taste, and vegetables are overrated anyway. After disposing of the lettuce, carefully place your chips (preferably Doritos Nacho Cheese or Salsa Verde) on top of the turkey. Your next move picking up and eating the sandwich without losing any of the “goods” is critical. Gently hold the side of the sandwich with your dominant hand,
By Alex Loyd Senior Kelly Dwyer played five sports at her last school, the American Embassy School of New Delhi India: soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball and track. She played a sport all four seasons and softball on Sundays for the entire school year. In the 8th grade, Dwyerʼs knee started bothering her. “It was a cumulative thing,” Dwyer said. “But I ended up with a cracked cartilage in my knee and a torn meniscus.” Dwyer subsequently underwent surgery on her knee in February 2004, and again three weeks ago on March 31, 2005. She is taking time off from her sports to recover. Dwyer is just part of a new epidemic that is affecting young athletes all over the world. Overuse injuries have become increasingly common in children and young adults, who are being diagnosed with injuries previously seen only in adults. Physiotherapist Dev Akbar, who works at Singaporeʼs Family Physiotherapy and Sports Injury clinic, has seen a definite increase in young people coming to his clinic. “Students arenʼt cross-training like they need to,” Akbar said. “They are training too specifically and then after repetitive stress theyʼre developing these injuries.” In an interview with the Eye, Dr. John DiFiori, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine Division of Sports Medicine and assistant team physician in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of California, Los Angeles, explained that the major factors involved in injuries are early sport specialization and year round training. “Kids are participating more
extensively in sports than they ever have before,” DiFiori said. “They have especially acute problems because their bodies are at a critical period of development so itʼs very easy for them to mess that up.” In a 1999 study, “Overuse Injuries in Children and Adolescents,” DiFiori found that in children from ages 5 to 17 who attended a sports injury clinic, almost half of 394 sports injuries were classified as overuse, with boys Junior Ben Spalter does elbow work outs in and girls displaying the gym after school. Photo by Alex Loyd a similar frequency. “Itʼs really pretty disturbing,” need to take time off from their sports DiFiori said. “These kids are getting during the week. injuries that had only been heard of “Ninety percent of the cases that in professional athletes.” I see could have been prevented if Junior Mark Fordney, a swimmer, the athlete had stretched properly or has been swimming all year round warmed up properly,” Akbar said. since his move to Singapore in 2002. “Without rest, the injury will just get Fordney started having knee problems worse and worse, so that by the time during swim season his sophomore they come to see us, itʼs already past year, problems which worsened the point of being a minor injury.” during the past swim season. Despite the setback of having an “I was out of the pool sometimes injured knee, Dwyer is determined because my knee was hurting,” to get back into sports when she Fordney said. “It slowed me down recovers. and I felt kind of depressed at times “Itʼs been really frustrating because of it.” because I just want to get up and run Both Fordney and Dwyer started and I canʼt,” Dwyer said. Dwyer has sports at early ages and have been also been offered a scholarship with heavily active them. the Air Force which would require Akbar explained that a major her to be active. Dwyer is eager to get problem is that many athletes donʼt back to get back into sports. get enough rest or stretching into “Once my knee gets better Iʼll be their regimen. Athletes, he explained, straight back into training.”
Competitive sports lead to early injuries
By Penn Bullock Imagine a world without Google or Instant Messenger. Imagine a world bereft of Kazaa or Hotmail. Our generation has become so accustomed to the Internet that living without it is virtually unthinkable. For better or for worse, the Internet is now a vital and daily part of almost all of our lives. An Eye survey shows how and how often students use the Internet. A third of students said they spend more than two hours on the Internet every weekday; 25 percent are online for about two hours; 11 percent are online for an hour and a half; and only 31 percent spend an hour or less. On weekends the amount of time spent online increases. Nearly 40 percent said they spend more than two hours on the Internet each day of the weekend. Slightly more than half of students said they have chatted online with somebody who they have never met face-to-face. Although many students mentioned in the survey that they were cautious about chatting with anonymous people on the Internet, a study by the NOP Research Group in England found that “29% percent [of teenagers] would freely give out their home address.” Nonetheless, only 10 percent of students have
felt endangered online. The vast majority of students, 79 percent, have encountered the hassles of spyware malicious Internet-based viruses that infect computers and disrupt their operations. Only a quarter of students admit to having viewed pornography on the net – a surprising number given that a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation in the United States found that as many as 70 percent of children between the age of 8 and 16 have accessed sexually explicit websites, either deliberately or by accident. When it comes to studentsʼ priorities on the Internet, 28 percent cited e-mail and 27 percent cited messaging as one of their top three most important online activities. Research for school was listed by 14 percent of students as one of their top three priorities, downloading music and video by eight percent, games by five percent, blogging and news by four percent, and pornography by two percent. The Eye also asked students to list some of their favorite websites. Humorous pages like Ebaumsworld, Newgrounds, and Kill Some Time, as well as blogging sites like Xanga and Live Journal, were the most oftmentioned.
Briefs
New memorial garden planned for 50th Anniversary By Priyanka Dev collaborated with parents on the Arts If you ever wondered where Council, who were put in charge of the granite memorials from the old aesthetics and paintings. campus disappeared to, an answer is Superintendent Bob Gross and on the way. The schoolʼs development members of the Senior Class Council committee, together with the Arts were also consulted for help with the Council and the Senior Class Council planning. are currently in the preliminary stages Planners hope to have the of planning a Memorial Garden. The Memorial Garden ready before the memorials, which have traveled with schoolʼs 50th Anniversary in 2006. the school from the old Kings Road campus, honor former students who died tragically in their youth. Each of these will be placed in the garden. Director of Development Lisa Kleintjes Kamemoto said the garden will create a focal point for the school where students can relax. “We want to change the image and get rid of the tombstone feeling,” Kamemoto said. Memorials from previous classes that will be placed The development committee in the new garden. Photo by Bridget Hanagan
Theft no longer a major issue By Bridget Hanagan The serious theft situation is virtually a “non-issue” after 3 students were expelled for stealing and Deputy Principal Dave Norcott implemented Operation Responsibility. Students are taking responsibility for their belongings after a series of thefts heightened awareness within the student body. Norcott said sports bags can be placed in the Training Room, which is locked
for the entire school day. Since Operation Responsibility created a safe place where students can leave their belongings there have been no reported cases of thefts in the past weeks. The school does not have the authority to give compensation to students whose cell phones were stolen by the expelled students. Instead, Norcott said the Singapore authorities will address the issue.
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April 20, 2005
Students don’t see STDs, AIDS as real threat By Kelsey Heiner In 1980, 31 people in the United States died from an unexplainable disease that doctors believed to be related to something in the blood. By 1985, over 5,636 people had died from this mysterious epidemic. Now, twenty years later, AIDS is more deadly than ever but most students have yet to open their eyes to its danger. “Students are surprisingly naïve about sexual issues,” health teacher Will Norris said. Every health class at SAS starts a threeweek lesson covering the greatest health threats to students, including smoking, drugs, alcohol, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the Acquired Immune Deficiency sundrome, aka AIDS. Norris says that students have fewer problems with smoking and alcohol because “they hear a lot about it and know that they can control it.” Norris said they [students] tend to discuss STD issues less, and lack the “specific details about STDs.” An Eye survey of 148 SAS students in grades 9 to 12 found that only 32 percent of students know that chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease. Counselor Beth Kramer believes that the problem may be ignorance, rather than naiveté. “I think that itʼs because students mistakenly believe that AIDS infection wonʼt happen to them,” she said. Kramer is convinced that the student body is more sexually active than outsiders believe, and while many students donʼt consider
themselves “sexually active,” they still engage in oral sex. Oral sex is one sexual encounter that some students “donʼt think of as an STD risk,” Kramer said. Of the students surveyed, 20 percent admitted to being sexually active. Only 64 percent of surveyed students knew that they could contract an STD without being sexually active. STDs can spread through sexual intercourse, skin to skin contact and oral or anal sex. Sexual activity at a young age, multiple sex partners, and unprotected sex all dramatically increase a personʼs chance of contracting an STD. Most students - 83 percent of those surveyed - know that STDs require a doctorʼs treatment. Students can, however, protect themselves against contracting AIDS and STDs. Using condoms and practicing abstinence can help prevent infection. Regular doctor check-ups can detect an STD at an early, treatable stage. “Freshmen are aware of the basic protection against STDs but donʼt know a lot of in-depth information about them,” freshman Julia Vasko said. Additional reporting by Phil Haslett Your Body. TeensHealth.org is just one of the many websites available to help kids understand STDs and HIV/AIDS. Since 1981, more than 900,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in the United States, and it is estimated that about 950,000 Americans have HIV - the virus that eventually leads to AIDS. About one quarter of those people are unaware that they are infected. Screenshot by Laura Imkamp
Former teacher remembered by staff By Penn Bullock Geraldine Lynn Hickman, a home economics teacher in the Middle School, died on April 8 at the age of 52, after a long and courageous struggle with cancer. A memorial service was held at the American Club on April 12. Mrs. Hickman worked for eight and a half years at the Middle School. Her commitment to teaching lasted through 3 surgeries, 3 rounds
of radiation, and more than 30 hours of chemotherapy. Against the advice of her doctor, she continued to teach until February, and submitted her last lesson plan one week before she died. Mrs. Hickman met her husband Joseph in the second grade and first dated him at the prom. She is survived by him, their son JR, a 1998 SAS graduate, and their daughter Alexis, a 2001 graduate.
staff editorial
No tolerance for outlaw behavior Stolen phones. Middle school brawls. Interim drinking. Interim smoking. Interim theft. These small crimes mock the values that teachers and administrators attempt to inculcate almost daily. The five cornerstones that are simple aspects of human decency – honesty, respect, r e s p o n s i b i l i t y, tolerance, and kindness – seem to be slipping away. Posters hanging in most classrooms reminding students of these values have done little to deter disgraceful acts that are too quickly becoming commonplace. Most would defend that the culprits are a small demographic, but most fail to recognize the minor infractions they commit – when they copy someoneʼs homework, when they stick their gum under desks, or when they leave their food sitting around. Every break, students litter the cafeteria tables with their leftovers to be cleaned up by
the lunch ladies. Students spit Szechwan chicken chilies from their meals right out onto the cafeteria floor. It seems as if such behavior is not just overlooked, but it is even becoming accepted. Our decency and respect have flown out the window like a sheet of paper. Unfortunately, the events that tainted this year with misconduct will be what people remember of 2005. It is these incidents that will reflect the kind of people we have become. For the most part, students may have had some fun, learned a little something, and immersed themselves in the schoolʼs culture of academics, sports, and fine arts. Most will probably cherish their high school experience. Yet no matter how many Ivies they have been accepted to, how many gold medals they tallied, or how many leprosy victims they aided, this year has been stained. Itʼs been tarnished. A few bad apples have spoiled the bunch.
Alexis was the Senior Class President and a member of the Eye staff. Speaking after her death, Lauren Atwater, a seventh grader in Mrs. Hickmanʼs homebase, said, “I used to never eat breakfast until I had Mrs. Hickman for homebase. She used to make breakfast for me. Thatʼs just one of the things I liked about her.”
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Singapore American High School 40 Woodlands Street 41 Republic of Singapore 738547 Staff: (65) 6363-3404 x537 Adviser: (65) 6363-3404 x539 Fax: (65) 6363-6443 eye@sas.edu.sg
Editors-in-chief: Doug Fagan, Laura Imkamp News editor: Mike Hu Op/Ed editor: Phil Haslett Features editor: Ally Vaz A&E editor: Bridget Hanagan Sports editor: Alex Lloyd Reporters: Penn Bullock, Priyanka Dev, Doug Fagan, Bridget Hanagan, Phil Haslett, Kelsey Heiner, Ted Ho, Mike Hu, Laura Imkamp, Lon LeSueur, Alex Lloyd, Ally Vaz Adviser: Mark Clemens Assistant adviser: Judy Agusti The Eagle 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 Eagle Eye via the Internet at eye@sas.edu.sg. At the authorʼs request, names can be withheld from publication. Letters will be printed as completely as possible. The Eagle Eye reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of taste and space.
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Covered mirrors open eyes to eating disorders By Laura Imkamp
During the week of Mar. 21, SAS focused on events that raised awareness about eating disorders and body image. Women in Action organized a talk by counselor Claire Bostock (left) about anorexia and bulimia nervosa and collected old jeans. They
also hung a big poster above the stereo in the cafeteria, raising the question as to how realistic peopleʼs goals of looking like supermodels are. On Mar. 18, the Friday before National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, the club covered all girlsʼ bathroom mirrors throughout
Clockwise from left: Claire Bostock talks about her own experiences with both anorexia and bulimia; senior Lauren Widel, accompanied by junior Beth Lind, tries to find an area of the mirror that isn’t covered by newspaper. After the uncovered corner proves too small, she decides to give it a little more room; Junior Mark Allen takes a look in the mirror during break. Unlike the situation in the girls’ bathrooms, none of the boys’ mirrors were covered. Photos by Laura Imkamp
the high school so that kids would have to go all of Monday without seeing their reflections but girls were not hesitant to pull the newspapers down (above center). The boysʼ mirrors were never even covered in the first place (above right). Throughout the day, students were regularly seen standing in front of doors, looking at their reflections in the windows to make sure they looked alright.
Clockwise from top left: SAS Singers perform ‘Take Five;’ Seniors Erin Han and Jane Lee, and junior Christine Byrne sing their version of ‘And all that Jazz;’ Seniors Jonathan Lee, David Castillo and Chris Yun, and junior David Lee entertain the audience over dinner and some music; Seniors Patricia Crystal and Erich Bussing catch the guests’ attention when they swing dance to ‘Just a Gigolo/ Ain’t got Nobody.’ Photos by Laura Imkamp
And all that jazz
By Laura Imkamp On Friday, April 8, the American Club hosted Jazz Night, which featured jazz music by the SAS Singers and Jazz Band. The Singers opened by singing instructions about turning off phones, and not blowing noses, and then turned the show over to the jazz band. Throughout the evening, the audience enjoyed vocal solos, saxophone solos, and some unexpected table and floor drumming by senior Jared Newton and junior David Lee. After a rendition of ʻClosing Theme,ʼ pieced together by band teacher Brian Hill, the jazz band got a standing ovation, as did seniors Barnabas Lin, Tadashi Soma and Chris Yun, and sophomore Sean McCabe after singing an acappella version of ʻWe Bid You Goodnight,ʼ the last song of the evening.
Student art exhibition sets off with a bang
By Ally vaz Saturday, April 9, smooth jazz music floated across the American Club pool as guests toting wine glasses and virgin cocktails hovered among panels and tables of artwork done by students at SAS. Completely
student-run, the event was organised by McKinley Sheerin, Amanda Chamoun and Kristen Liu. Guests were given glowsticks at registration tables before they entered the club and were entertained throughout the night by high school musicians and singers.
Clockwise from bottom left: Two SAS students admire their peer’s artwork at the exhibition; The American Club pool, surrounded by student artwork, was crowded by students, teachers and parents alike; Junior Tisha Devlin chats other guests; The exhibition, organized entirely by SAS students, featured featured all kinds of art, including photography, pottery, paintings, drawings and digital art. Photos by Brian Linton and Ally Vaz