The Eye May 17,2006 by Singapore American School

theeye Singapore American High School

May 17, 2006/Vol.25 No. 8

SAS marks ﬁrst Day of Silence Seniors Tyler Reed and Emma Roberts, junior Samanta Pena, and sophomores Madison Oliver and Ariel Monismith oberserve non-verbal communication in support of the Day of Silence which took place on April 27. Photo by Laura Imkamp

The Day of Silence got people talking. Some laughed at the idea, some disagreed with it, some appreciated it, and some had no idea what was going on. On April 27, over 90 SAS students dressed in black and took a vow of silence to protest “the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies.” The ofﬁcial Day of Silence takes place on April 26, but because of student council elections, Peace Initiative changed the date to April 27. The Day of Silence started in 1996 at the University of Virginia. Over the past ten years, this movement has grown into a worldwide studentled action. After participating in this movement at the American School in Japan, junior Catherine Ward worked to bring the day to SAS. “I thought it was really helpful for people to understand what it is like to not be able to express your ideas,” she said. In their proposal for the Day of Silence, Peace Initiative hoped to make it clear that the day was “all about the intolerance due to no freedom of expression,” and had

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“nothing to do with the morality of homosexuality vs. heterosexuality.” Peace Initiative held their ﬁrst informational meeting on April 20 where students who wished to participate signed up. “I’m very pleased with the number of students who showed up to participate because it was about 10% of our student body,” Peace Initiative

Sophomores break their vows of silence. Photo by Laura Imkamp

sponsor Dr. Roopa Dewan said. Some students involved in the protest did not take it as seriously as others did. A few broke their vow of silence and talked freely among each other. One student, dressed in black, chatted on her cell phone. When a participating student saw a fellow participant talking, she wrote

on a piece of paper “Sorry. If you’re not going to take this seriously then take off the black. It’s not a joke.” “It’s not something to joke around about,” senior Jade Jack said. “One person represents all of us, so if you’re not serious about it, then don’t do it.” Students wore small cards of laminated paper around their necks explaining the purpose of the day. A sentence from the card read “I believe that ending the silence is the ﬁrst step toward ﬁghting these injustices.” “[They had cards] but no one reads those things,” senior Kyohei Morita said. “I thought it was kind of pointless, because not everyone knew what it was about.” Sophomore Bryan Gamble acknowledged this problem, but still saw the day as a success. “A lot of people did not know what it was, so that was hard, but it was still a really eye-opening experience for those of us involved in it,” Gamble said. “It was more of a climax for the people involved because it made us realized how hard it is to not express your ideas.” Other students had doubts about how effective the movement was. “I think that the idea of promoting awareness of alternate sexualities is not relevant because no matter how aware people are, they are always going to have their own biases,”

junior Nathan Choe said. “What is wearing a black shirt and sign going to do to help?” Senior Paul Ham said that though he did not have anything against the movement, he did not think that many of the non-participating students were affected by it. Senior Vrutika Mody disagreed. “It’s interesting because in some of my classes, key people weren’t speaking and there was sort of a lull or a drain in energy,” she said. “It makes you realize that it does affect others.” Some misinterpreted the movement as one for only gay people to promote their lifestyle. In class a boy asked a student wearing black if it meant she was gay. The boy then took the laminated sign from the student, put it over his head and said, “Look, now I’m gay.” Many responded positively to the movement and its message. “The teachers that did comment were very impressed with the students,” Dr. Dewan said. This was SAS’s ﬁrst Day of Silence for people of alternate sexualities. Peace Initiative has yet to conﬁrm if they will continue to support this day next year. “Let’s see what happens with next year’s students,” Dr. Dewan said. “It’s always going to be up to the students.

Issue in Focus: Homophobia

By Denise Hotta-Moung “There’s a kid in my history class that is gay, and I’m completely scared,” the boy said. “Oh, man, Brokeback Mountain style!” his friend replied. Before class, the two had been talking about homosexuality – or rather, had been throwing jokes back and forth about the subject. The conversation painted a picture of gay people as predators. “I’m not homophobic, it’s just unnatural,” the other then said, in an attempt to justify his comments. Our generation has turned the phrase “that’s gay” into slang for something that is negative. The term “faggot” is no longer used to target only homosexuals, but has been broadened to describe someone as “stupid or a loser,” according to urbandictionary.com. Class begins and the two boys rest back in their chairs, satisﬁed and still grinning at their homophobic jokes. Their heads partially block a white laminated poster that is posted on the wall behind them. The poster reads ‘SAS Community Cornerstones: respect, honesty, responsibility, kindness and tolerance.’

2 news SAS Celebrates 50th Anniversary May 17, 2006

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SAS celebrated it’s 50th Anniversary on April 13. Fireworks marked the ofﬁcial closure of the school’s week-long anniversary celebration. Photo by Brian Riady.

By Nicole Schmitz and Rhoda Severino Fireworks exploded over the stadium field as SAS alumni, teachers, students and parents gathered on the grass for the show. Meanwhile, Six on the Beach set up to play one last set. This was the official close of Singapore American School’s 50th anniversary week-long celebrations on Thursday, April 13. The festivities included a barbecue just before the fireworks display, a commemoration ceremony at the beginning of the week, tours

and functions for alumni, a series of round-table discussions between students, administration and alumni, a dedication for the soon to be constructed Memory Garden and a student concert at Victoria Concert Hall. A ﬁtting ﬁnale to the week’s events, the 50th anniversary barbeque allowed alumni to talk with former teachers and catch up with friends they hadn’t seen in years. Alumna Maribel Tirona of the class of 1994 was glad to see her high school friends again.

“It was nice to be back,” Tirona said. “We always imagined coming back but the fact that we were all here at the same time makes it that much better.” Alumni also enjoyed touring the new campus. Kathy Brown (class of 1973) remembers the school’s humble beginnings as a small 12-room bungalow on Rochalie Drive. “This school reminds me of a country club. I’m just amazed how it’s grown so much,” Brown said. Chris Schmitger (class of 1986)

agreed. “Our high school’s gone,” Schmitger said. Earlier that week, Mr. Tim Smith (class of 1989) stood next to the twostory cafeteria and gazed upon the ﬂoor-to-ceiling window overlooking the stadium, puzzled. Smith asked, “Where’s the cafeteria?” Margaret Reynolds, mother of Jennifer (class of 1994) and Robert Reynolds (class of 1997), went to weekly Saturday football games for her three years in Singapore. Mrs.

Reynolds misses the tight-knit SAS community. “Everyone knew everyone. It was great,” Reynolds said. “The kids keep in touch. In the states, every year, it’s another reunion, different place.” John Stubbe (class of 1986) said, “We’ve kept in touch. That’s the great thing about e-mail.” Elaine Wood (class of 1969) also holds fond memories of SAS. “You’ll always be glad you graduated from SAS,” Wood said.

Mr. Ho to offer healthier food options following recommendations By Alex Lloyd When British television chef Jamie Oliver decided to take on England’s school cafeteria system, he had no idea that his greatest challenge would be to change the kids, not the menus. Schools across the U.S. are following a similar trend towards improving the nutrition in their cafeterias and SAS is no exception. Angry middle school students object to the removal food items from the cafeteria menu, foods considered unhealthy by the SAS Food Committee, a group comprised of parents, students and administrators. The committee was created at the beginning of this year to address the increasing concern over the nutrition of the food at SAS. This change is the first step in an effort to improve food quality in SAS, as well as increase the number of healthy options available to kids in the cafeteria. Changes to the middle school menu include the removal of french fries and restricted availability of certain items. Donut sales, for example, have been allocated specific times during the week when they can be served, as opposed to all the time. Muffins and cookies were downsized. “We presented Mr. Ho with a list of recommendations [made by the

Food Committee] and make changes in the areas that were feasible at this point in time,” Superintendent Bob Gross said. “These weren’t tasks that we were requiring Mr. Ho to carry out.” Gross said that the changes are

be made with the assistance of a professional nutritional consultant the school hopes to hire this summer to help with menu changes or additions next year. Assistant Superintendent of Business Rhonda Norris, who is on

“We’re not going to just take all unhealthy dishes off of the menus of all the schools,” Norris said. “What we want to do is try to provide healthier options for kids so that they have the ability to eat healthier meals if they want to, but keep the other options available.” Norris said that the changes that have been made to the middle school menu are just one half the action. The removed items will be replaced later with other food options. “The idea here is to walk the line between the two extremes: that of removing unhealthy food option completely, and that of complete apathy towards what our kids are eating,” she said. Senior Eng Seng Ng places his order from Mr. Ho’s in the cafeteria. Mr. Ho was given a list of recommendations by Items will the Food Committee on how to make his food healthier. Photo by Sam Lloyd. not be removed a preliminary step, and any major the Food Committee, said that the from the high school cafeteria menu. changes in the menu are likely to school wants any changes to be made Any changes made next year will occur next year. The changes would in a balanced way. only affect the variety of choices

available or the positioning of the various kinds of food. “I think where different items are situated in the cafeteria is important in food choice as well,” Gross said. “What are we telling kids by confronting them with candy at the cash register?” Gross said the most important step towards better nutrition will come, not from improved food nutrition at school, but from improved nutritional education. He said that a greater awareness of nutrition will translate into better eating habits. “In a 365-day year, kids are eating a total of around 1,095 meals. Of those 365 days, they spend 175 with us, getting around one meal a day. That means that they’re eating 920 meals outside of school,” Gross said. “Even if we were to drastically change the menu here, I don’t think it would have any huge impact on the health of students. They’re just not getting enough meals here.” True or not, some middle school are unhappy and inconsolable. “They took away all the good food,” eighth-grader Dennis Chu said. Chu also said he would normally eat french-fries and donuts during the day, either as a snack or for lunch. “I’m pretty angry that they would do that to us.”

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May 17, 2006

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Several students disciplined for drinking before concert By Priyanka Dev What was expected to be a pleasant Tuesday afternoon concert during the 50th Anniversary week turned into yet another drinking incident. On Tuesday, April 13, during third break, band and choir students left on a bus to Victoria Concert Hall, the venue for the 50th Anniversary Concert. At 4 p.m., faculty sponsors Nannette Devens and Brian Hill dismissed the student group, asking them to return by 6:15 p.m. to prepare for

the 7 p.m. performance. Students said sponsors gave them permission to return home if they lived in the downtown area. Otherwise, members in the group were given permission to wander around the Clarke Quay area. “All we were instructed to do was return by the specified time,” one choir student said. One group of eight students chose to dine at Brewerkz, a local restaurant and brewery, where they also ordered alcoholic beverages. Halfway through

students consuming beer and alcoholic margaritas with their food. The sponsors did not confront the students until the next day, when the students were individually called into Deputy Principal Dave Norcott’s office. “The decision to go and do that and return to a school-related activity was a damper on a good week,” Norcott said. “But, it’s not like they intended to get drunk or they consumed large amounts.” The students were reprimanded with two days of

inter-school suspension and received other consequences from their respective individual music departments. One senior female who was caught drinking said that this was probably the first incident the music department has had that involved drinking. “We drank between 4 and 7 p.m., it wasn’t on school grounds, nor was it during the actual school event,” she said. “Our performance was not at all hindered by what we did.”

and has had children, he said he his political views, he quoted Sir over thirty, and is not a conservative, has become a “wafﬂing moderate,” Winston Churchill: “Any man who has no brains.” “I have advocated for many and is now more open to a things, and once in a while my conservative point of view. opinion comes out in class, but While many teachers I do my best to keep my opinion try to show both sides of an under control,” Tomlinson said. issue, their students usually When asked about the issue, know their real political some students shared the same views. point of view as teachers on Chemistry teacher this issue, and agree that there Michael Cox takes this is a proper and improper place approach. “My students are for politics in the classroom, well aware of my political like Junior Penn Bullock who views,” he said. founded the Republican Club While there are few last year. opportunities for political “I was appalled by teachers’ expression in chemistry, biases. There is no room in a Cox likes to throw in a few teachers curriculum to teach “one liners” about current their opinion as fact,” Bullock politics. Cox said that if said. a student feels strongly Most students interviewed about what he has said, for this article said they did not either agrees or disagrees, care, or want to discuss politics. he enjoys arguing, or just hearing that student’s Social studies teacher Eric Burnett speaks to seniors Will Reid and Sophomore Megan Anderson Erica Szombathy. Burnett says he goes to the extreme on some expressed annoyance when point of view. asked about politics. Math teacher Roy issues to generate debate in class. Photo by Sam Lloyd. “I try not to get involved, because Tomlinson attended the United States is under thirty, and is not a liberal, Military Academy. Asked about has no heart; and any man who is I know nothing about American

politics, and I would rather not get my head ripped off by someone with strong opposing views,” she said. Sophomore Gaby Linnard said it does not matter what teachers’ political persuasions are as long as they do not promote it in class. “It’s ﬁne if they share views, but when they try to push their views on us, it’s just annoying,” she said. Many teachers want students to care, but most students are indifferent. Those who want to share their views are often too intimidated by their peers to speak out. “I am afraid of a school system in which students are part of a sterile school in which views aren’t accepted,” Burnett said. Social Studies teacher Jim Baker is an active member of the Democratic Party, and while he tries to maintain impartiality in his class, he is well known for his passion and dedication to politics. “Teachers are human. A lot of times religious and political convictions can’t be masked,” he said.

“All we were instructed to do was return by the speciﬁed time.” the meal, choir sponsor Nanette Devens walked in and saw the

Politics in the classroom met with mixed reactions from students By Barbara Lodwick A teacher says he was a Republican, “until he got smart.” A chemistry equation creates a high solution, and “that’s like the national debt.” A history teacher embraces the radical right, to mask his liberal views. All these are instances where teachers bring politics into the classroom. Some teachers choose to keep their classes neutral and let the students themselves interpret what they have to say. “As an educator, it’s important to maintain impartiality. You have to be able to show both sides of an issue,” English teacher Andrew Hallam said. Social Studies teacher Eric Burnett deals with political issues in his classes, and said he goes to the extreme side of one view to provoke a reaction in his students. “The only risk I take in doing that is getting my students to care,” he said. Burnett was a liberal in college, and now that he has become older

Hallam to meet world’s second richest man

By Denise Hotta-Moung ticket for the Berkshire-Hathaway garage or living room. When English teacher Andrew Annual Shareholders’ Meeting held Ten days later, the Wall Street Hallam was 16 years old, he told his in Omaha, Nebraska. Journal contacted Hallam and asked parents he was for permission going to meet to publish Prince Charles a copy of and Princess the postcard Diana. His Hallam had father knew it written to would happen. Buffet. Hallam And it did. replied “No Hallam garage, no told his father publication.” he was going Amused to bike from by the reply, Portugal to Buffet agreed England. to a one on one His dad, session with accustomed to Hallam after Hallam’s wild the convention excursions, on May 6. believed he “I’ve been would do it. thinking about And he did. [what to say A few English teacher Andrew Hallam catches up on the ﬁnancial markets. Photo by Mark Clemens. to him] for a weeks ago, Hallam wrote a postcard “Buffet is already 75, and my while,” Hallam said. “I think I want to Warren Buffet, the second richest wife said ‘If you wait until you to encourage him in his philanthropic man in the world. Hallam hoped retire, he might actually be dead’,” ambitions.” Buffet would respond, but never Hallam said. When asked how his family expected he would. But, he did. In the postcard written to Buffet, responds to all his adventures, This year, Hallam decided to Hallam explained his hope to save Hallam replied “They laugh, and do something about his wish to some money and asked Buffet if it then say ‘typical’.” meet Warren Buffet. He bought a would be okay for him to stay in his

Memory garden opened

Students, faculty and parents attended the dedication of the Memory Garden on April 13. Students planted 23 butterﬂy attracting plants for the 23 SAS students, teachers and staff who have died over the school’s ﬁfty years. Photos by Sam Lloyd

4 features

May 17, 2006

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A year on The Eye... At the end of my freshman year, I was faced with a difﬁcult decision; one that was possibly even life altering. I had to choose next year’s courses, and that meant choosing between advanced acting – which I had always assumed I would be taking as a sophomore – or the newspaper – something entirely new and enigmatic to me. Saying that it was a life altering decision sounds melodramatic, I know, but it actually isn’t. After a long time going back and forth, I chose journalism at the last minute. Ms. Kuester would just have to wait another year to have me back in class. The best decisions come from the gut In the book ‘Blink’, Malcolm Gladwell makes the point that snap decisions are often the ones that turn out for the best. We can’t always ﬁgure out why we choose what we do, except that maybe we have a gut feeling pointing us in a certain direction. I had some logic behind my choice, though all really it consisted of was, “Okay, I might as well give it a shot. Nothing to lose.” Thinking back, that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Alex Lloyd, Ted Ho and I were all approached by the Eagle Eye adviser Mark Clemens and asked to consider joining the newspaper staff

as sophomores. None of us had even thought about taking the class before that, but all three of us agreed. Of course, we got the grunt work. Alex got stuck with an IASAS math story – something he knew nothing about. (He redeemed himself later on with a front-page article about fast food and health issues.) I wanted to do a survey for a music-downloading story, so I went around asking questions and tallying answers during breaks, only to be told later on that that wasn’t allowed. Surveys had to be “ofﬁcial Eye surveys” put into home bases, with an equal sample size from each grade. And Theodore Ho – he has always been a character. If he was missing, he was actually just napping in a corner under the whiteboard. When he woke up, he said the darnedest things, so much so that we printed a Ted Ho quote box in one issue. It’s fun, though, to see how much we’ve progressed since then. I used to be afraid to take on big stories, thinking I would make a royal mess of them. Now, maybe out of boredom, I want those that are most controversial. When Ted is in class, he hardly ever falls asleep anymore, which may have something to do with the fact that he and Joe are always yapping at each other about politics or girls. And Alex’s AP Bio knowledge gave him the upper hand when he took on the bird ﬂu story. Even the paper’s name has changed from ‘The Eagle Eye’ to plain old “The Eye.’ (Apparently the school mascot isn’t supposed to be part of a publication’s title.) Even this year I’ve noticed how much certain staff members have changed. Nicole Schmitz,

in particular, has impressed me. I remember in the beginning of the year, she was uncomfortable interviewing teachers and people at school, and it was difﬁcult for her to get a story going. She learned to suck it up, though, and now she’s our arts girl. She and I went to a press conference for the upcoming musical ‘Grease’ in March, and it was fun to see how comfortable this girl was interviewing and talking to the stars of the show. When I gave her my notes from that evening to use in her story, she kept laughing shooting me looks of disapproval because even I couldn’t read what I wrote.

There’s always something to remember Every year there are certain things you remember about certain staff members. From my ﬁrst year I remember Corey, – the copy editor who probably didn’t even know what a copy editor was – Scott and Doug – who only really wanted front page stories – as the rambunctious, intimidating upperclassmen; I remember Mia and Clarissa disappearing during class to buy candy and gossip; I remember Andrew missed about a dozen classes because he had a rash covering 95 percent of his body; and I remember the editor at the time, Steph Yiu, and her 800-word health columns that the previously mentioned trio made fun of. Last year was marked by one a.m. layout sessions, the discovery of Byron Barrett and his fooddelivery skills, and Phil and Doug insisting on watching ‘Desperate Housewives’ when we worked on

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What it’s really all about by Laura Imkamp

Monday nights. I remember the best prank ever pulled on Lon LeSueuer, Alex’s biting editorial in which he condemned anyone who had ever touched a drop of alcohol to his or her lips, the accidental printing of a classic Phil Haslett headline which included the non-word “sopoforic,” and Mr. Clemens’ accidental photocrediting of the nonexistent student, John Littons. Already this year, the things that stand out in my mind are Ravi’s endlessly long op/eds, Amber’s endless eating and Joe never failing to add a dose of cynicism to his op/eds, and continuously insisting that his stories need a part two – speciﬁcally Manga and WOW. I won’t forget Kelsey, like an old pro, returning from IASAS, writing stories and laying out her sports page all in one day. I remember the day Alex, Priyanka, Kelsey and I had an hour-and-a-half de-stressing photo shoot (in which we shot the perfectly formed letters you see across the bottom of these pages), the subtle shifts in deadlines, and of course, the ever-popular and oh-sofrequently visited ‘Hardcore Eye’ MySpace (it was research). Sure, we screwed up and missed stories – sometimes because of carelessness or miscommunication, and sometimes because the administration told us to wait for clearer information. But at least we had fun doing it.

Write Responsibly Some of the biggest stories this year are the ones most students have heard about. Gossiped about, actually. And some of the biggest stories this year are the ones we

didn’t cover, or didn’t cover to the extent we probably should have. Stories like those about the drug busts or expulsions. It’s not that we got lazy, but that the administration was worried about how the articles might affect students involved. The drug story, in particular, was a tricky one. We were only allowed to use limited information because anything we printed could possibly be used against those accused in court. That one was out of our hands and firmly the cops and government’s. I don’t want to blame the administration for limiting us, though. In fact, Mr. Norcott and Mr. Chmelik have done quite the opposite. When we dealt with those kinds of tricky stories, they told us things off the record. We couldn’t print any of that information, of course, but it gave us an idea of the full situation so we could handle what we were allowed to print more appropriately. Unlike the administration at some other international schools, and many in the United States, ours never censored anything we wrote. Some principals insist on reading the newspaper and checking stories before they go to print to see whether or not they approve. If they don’t find it acceptable, the staff just needs to find a way around it. In that respect, we’re some of the lucky ones. Both Chmelik and Norcott have trusted us completely and, as far as I know, I don’t think we’ve let them down.

We are the hard-knocks I like to think we are one of the most professional school papers out there. We follow the Associated

Press stylebook. We have a certain ‘look’ that we stick to. Our stories have key sources and usually at least three interviews, plus research. Our writing is unbiased and more often than not, relevant. Our op/eds are thought out and carefully worded – we don’t publish rants. If a story is not good enough or is not accurate, we ﬁx it or we cut it from the issue. What I’m saying is we do have standards, and we manage to meet them and raise them with every issue. There are always a few kids who sign up for journalism because they think it’s a slacker class. And then there are kids that drop out when they realize they thought wrong. It’s sad that so many people – students and teachers alike – take what we do for granted without considering how much time we spend on each issue. Editors, especially, work longer hours than any teacher, guaranteed. (Except Mr. Clemens, who is a hero for the amount of time he spends putting up with brats like us.) We work weekdays and weekends, class time and break time. We see the school lit up at all hours of the night, and have considered sleeping over more than a few times. All that plus everything regular jocks and school kids do. So maybe we’ve missed almost every deadline this year by a day or two – that’s what happens when not everyone pitches in what they’re supposed to pitch in. But we’re still timely, despite setbacks like missing stories, staff members, and photos. Our stuff gets done, and it gets done well. When it comes down to crunch time, we’re pretty good crunchers, and that’s a hell of a thing to be.

Not Pictured: Denise Moung and Ravi Shanmugam. Photos by Laura Imkamp

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Dodge poses with ________ during a Leprosy Home visit. Photo by Peggy Smith.

After 23 years of teaching at SAS, Bob Dodge departs and the high school will be losing a mentor and friend. By Catherine Ward Papers are randomly scattered around the classroom. Under the desk, above the desk, on the floor, on the table, in the corner - tests, practice exams, articles and old papers define the room of a teacher who has been at SAS for 23 years. Coffee brews in a pot next to the computer, a red coffee mug sits on the table and an opened bag of chocolate covered espresso beans spills across his desk. Bob Dodge started teaching at SAS in 1983, after teaching in West Fargo, North Dakota and London. This year he teaches AP Modern European History, European History, Modern Asian Perspectives and Conflict Resolution. This is Dodge’s final year at SAS; he will not be teaching next year, though he will remain in Singapore with his wife, Jane, who teaches third grade. A founder and long-time sponsor of the weekly trips to the Leprosy Home, Dodge is writing a book about his experiences at the home and the people who live there. He is finishing another book, “The Strategist”, about Nobel Peace Prize winner Thomas Schelling, which is being published in Asia and the U.S. and will be out this summer. The full span of what he has taught over the years includes more

than ﬁfteen different classes: from AP U.S. History to media (sociology), AP Art History to economics and middle school social studies and language arts to independent studies in comparative philosophy and ancient history. Just as the courses that he has taught are great in number and diverse in topics, Dodge’s range of knowledge is eclectic. “Mr. Dodge is very smart and always learning something new to add to his huge store of knowledge,” said former SAS high school English teacher Virginia Donohue, a friend of Dodge’s since 1984. A previous student and current friend of Dodge’s, Brittany Sonnenberg, said that his ability to recall small details about events in history “held us in awe.” “The things I learned in Mr. Dodge’s classroom have stayed with me over the years, from very useful nuggets, such as how to write an organized essay in AP U.S., to the less practical but no less satisfying understanding of why people jaywalk in groups,” Sonnenberg said. Dodge said that he never made a conscious decision to become a teacher, and that he is still a student in many ways. “I’m still trying to ﬁgure that out,” he said, about what he wants to be when he “grows up.”

History in the Making Dodge’s ﬁrst years in college were at law school at the University of Minnesota. When Dodge lost his Vietnam era draft deferment he joined the army as a musician. He was a trumpet player in the army band stationed in Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.

So Long, Farewell May 17, 2006

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“[It was a] brief stint in the army,” Dodge said of his experience. Upon returning to school, Dodge transferred out of law into history. His future wife, Jane, who had lived “three blocks away” from Dodge while they were both teenagers, was studying to become a teacher. Dodge earned a B.A. in history and a M.S. in education from North Dakota State University. His ﬁrst teaching job was teaching middle school social studies in 1969 at a public school in West Fargo, North Dakota. “I loved history classes with Mr. Dodge.” Sonnenberg said. “Instead of scribbling a dry timeline of Modern European History onto the whiteboard, Mr. Dodge, coffee mug in hand, faced us and related the events and transitions of Europe through the last several centuries” Current students at SAS have also enjoyed their classes with Dodge. “I just thought that he was an amazing teacher,” said senior Caroline Joseph, who had Dodge for a teacher when she took Western Civilization as a freshman. “He would sit in the chair and just tell us the history of everything,” she said. “I am from a family of educators,” Dodge said. “I have spent most of life as either a student or a teacher.” Dodge’s father was the U.S. National President of the Department of Elementary School Principals, and his mother was a junior high school mathematics teacher. Dodge’s sister and brother were in education as well. His brother taught urban design at the University of California (Berkeley) and his sister taught marketing at the University of Colorado and at Georgetown University. She was also the Associate Dean of the Business School at the University of Maryland. Dodge said that his parents probably inﬂuenced his decision to teach. “It all just sort of happens to you; you don’t plan it,” Dodge said.

Future Endeavors Dodge has no big plans for the future other than looking for a place in Colorado. He and his wife visit friends there in the summer. “I really don’t know; my plans are pretty mushy.” Dodge said. “I’m not good at planning.” The papers which cover most of the ﬂoor behind his desk, and the books stashed haphazardly on the shelves are testimony of this trait. “[He is] very friendly and approachable, funny, irreverent and interesting,” Donohue said of

Dodge. “He is also compassionate and caring.” “I think that he’s nice and pretty easy-going,” said junior Amelia Newlin, who is taking AP Modern European History with him this year. “He’s pretty funny.” Newlin described his humor as a “random kind of dry humor.”

A Heart of Gold

Dodge has been taking students to the Leprosy Home on a regular basis since 1992. “His obvious care and compassion for the residents [there] inspired me greatly,” Sonnenberg said. “He was never condescending or pitying, but a loving presence that they depended on for comfort and support. I think it is rare to ﬁnd someone with such stunning intellect who is also so selﬂess.” Going to the Leprosy Home, Dodge said, reminds him that people exist with “more serious concerns” than his. Dodge said that his problems are pretty minor.

The Challenges of Epilepsy Dodge has had epilepsy since 1977. While on vacation in Morocco Dodge got encephalitis, which then caused epilepsy. He said Morocco was a “horrible place to go to the hospital.” The particular type of epilepsy he has restricted him from participating in some of the activities he loved. Dodge’s achievements in music and sports include being a solo chair trumpet player in the university band at North Dakota, playing trumpet professionally, winning ﬁve state championships in tennis and being captain of the college tennis team. “I payed my way through school as a musician,” Dodge said. Aside from these particular limitations, Dodge tries to “live life as a normal life.” “I’ve tried them all pretty much,” Dodge said about which medications he has taken for the epilepsy. “It’s incredibly, ridiculously expensive.” After going through a variety of expensive medications for epilepsy, none of which controlled it, Dodge decided to progress to the next step and undergo surgery. He had two back-to-back surgeries performed at the Johns Hopkins Hospital to locate the damaged area of the brain and to remove part of his right temporal lobe. Dodge said that the surgery did not help. At the end of 1996 he

had a third operation, which was to remove more of the brain. It still did not help. In 1999 Dodge underwent his fourth surgery. This time, the surgery was to remove the entire right temporal lobe and the hippocampus. Dodge was worried that the surgery would affect his memory. Dodge said his memory survived though. However, he is unsure whether or not the frequency of his seizures has decreased, or whether his health has been better during the past couple of years since the surgeries. Regardless of whether or not his health has gotten better since the last surgery, “My IQ went up two points,” he said. The cost of the medications for his epilepsy together with the costs of the ﬁrst three operations reached the maximum limit that his insurance company would pay. Because of this, the school board decided to pay for Dodge’s fourth surgery. Students, teachers and administrators have been understanding of his situation. Although he still has seizures while teaching class sometimes, he said “[I think they’re] more embarrassing for the kids than [they are] for me.”

A Loss for SAS

Out of his entire 23 years in Singapore, Dodge said that what he feels best about is having acquired a relationship with the Leprosy Home and the people there. Many students that have had Dodge as a teacher appreciate him as a talented intellectual, a nice person and a good teacher. “I’m disappointed [about him leaving] just because he is one of the greatest minds at this school,” said junior Nate Mahoney who has Dodge as his teacher for Modern Asian Perspectives. “I think that he’s an extremely brilliant man.” “It’s amazing that he’s been willing and been doing this for so long. It shows something [about] his character.” Joseph said. Dodge’s intellectual ability is crazy, she said. “You have to have Mr. Dodge for something.” “He deﬁnitely knows what he’s talking about,” Mahoney said. “I can’t really describe it, but I respect just how amazingly smart he is.” About Dodge leaving SAS Joseph said, “There is always a time to move on” but “it will deﬁnitely be a big loss [for the school]. “I can never express how much he has given me, nor how much I look up to him as a writer, teacher, and human.” Sonnenberg said.

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features 7

May 17, 2006

Spotlight: Mr. Gary not your average librarian

Mr. Gary poses with his daughter, Marina, behind his desk. Photo by Mark Clemens.

By Amber Bang Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gary Dwor-Frecaut is a blend of the many ethnicities that continually ﬂood into New York. His mother being Italian born, and By the fourth grade he was sharing classes with 15-year-olds in a school that was still heated by coal furnaces. Exemplifying New York as a cultural melting pot, classes were taught in Yiddish, Spanish and English. His father who was Polish and Ukranian, but born in upstate New York, was an aviation economist. “I used to tell all my teachers that my father was a communist,

because I couldn’t pronounce ‘economist’,” Dwor-Frecaut said. “Back then, we used to travel every summer because of my father’s job, and there used to be beds in the planes since the ﬂights used to be so long.” His mother was an artist who joined the beatnik scene at New York’s renowned Greenwich Village. Dwor-Frecaut moved to Washington D.C. at the age of twelve, followed by Lebanon where he attended the American University of Beirut. “I had to leave Beirut because Clockwise from Left: Mr.Ho spreads pizza dough over a pan during the morning rush. Ho, his sister Ho Juan Ang and fellow cafeteria staff man the catering lines during the 50th Anniversary celebrations. Photos by Mark Clemens and Sam Lloyd

Hoe serves his culinary experience By Sam Lloyd Few consider the origins of their meal when they pick up lemon chicken from Mr. Ho’s. The little-known truth is that “Ho food” is almost as old as SAS itself, 41 years to be precise. Many returning alumni still recall Mr. Ho’s food in their fondest memories of SAS. According to the Mr. Ho the high school knows today, Hoe Juan Sim, Hoe’s Catering Service ﬁrst came to SAS when his father started working here in 1965. Hoe Juan Sim’s family is Singaporean born and bred, and they all became involved in the business: sister, brother, wife and father. Between beginning his catering career in 1958 and coming to SAS to join his father in 1972, Hoeworked in various organizations as a caterer: the Army Catering Corps, the Singapore Yacht Club, and several restaurants. He picked up several recipes from these jobs that he uses to this day, but had to learn new ones for his student clientelle upon coming to the school. “I didn’t know how to do American food, only British food. I also had to learn to do Chinese [food],” he said.

As a result, he acquired many recipes from customers who told him what they wanted and how to make it. Such recipes are still remembered as culinary successes by many SAS graduates. Francesco Zargani ’86, among others, remembered chicken curry as one of his favorites. “It tasted the same as I remembered: fabulous,” he said of eating Mr. Hoe’s chicken curry during his 50th anniversary visit. With his wife Tan Teck Meng behind the counter, his sister Hoe Juan Ang as a cashier, and his brother Hoe Juan Joh and sisterin-law Chua Kim Lan working in the middle school, Hoe Juan Sim is intricately involved in the school, but he still ﬁnds the time to do tai chi. He has three children and a granddaughter who do not work in the school, but have remained in Singapore. While he does not have any speciﬁc memorable experiences to speak of, he did say that he has enjoyed his time at SAS and does not plan to stop working here anytime soon.

civil war broke out actually. And then I moved to Switzerland. I caught pneumonia and almost died, so the doctors told me to take a break,” Dwor-Frecaut casually said. He lived in Switzerland for a year and a half. Following this he moved to London, attending the School of African and Oriental Studies for two and a half years. He then moved to France where he would spend ten years, running an English pub restaurant in Montecarlo for eight years, and teaching English at the Montecarlo public high school for two years.

On a visit back home to the U.S., he met a French woman who he then married. His wife was working at the World Bank so he moved to Washington D.C. again. Dwor-Frecaut was faced with the choice of attending either library school or museum management school. As apparently the museum management business was not doing so well, he chose library school and attended classes at night while working for the Saudi Arabian national guard during the day. After ﬁnishing library school, he worked as a music librarian at National Public Radio. While

working there, Dwor-Frecaut interviewed the oldest woman to give birth at that time. “I think she was younger than she was saying she was. But somehow she managed to fool the doctors,” Dwor-Frecaut said. Following his work at NPR, he took a job at the French embassy running their library. In 2000, Dwor-Frecaut moved to Singapore with his kids and his wife. He worked at the Singapore National Library, but resigned because he felt he was being overworked. In 2004 he joined Singapore American School as the associate librarian.

Got Sex? Students, parents and faculty examine the way we handle sex education. By Simreen Kaur and Nicole Liew Everyone remembers the seventh grade sex education class full of giggling girls and immature boys. Some might even remember whispering to your friends about the R-rated movie they secretly watched on TV last night, or the suggestive article in the latest Cosmopolitan magazine you browsed through at the store. Ill-informed friends are too often the main sources of information on sex education. Schools and parents may be the most reliable source of information. Parents want to teach their kids sex education instead of letting the school do it. However, most often they are uncomfortable with doing so. “It’s better to learn about [STDs] from teachers than from rumors,” freshman Ellen Lee said. In 2004, students Vihari Sheth and Tara John created a survey for students and teachers called “Evaluation of the Sex Education Curriculum for the High School” to evaluate the level of awareness among students. Their report was submitted to the curriculum and policy committee. That survey revealed a high level of misinformation about sex among students. Only 28 percent of high school students thought that performing oral sex was a sexual activity. Students might underestimate the possibility of getting STDs from oral sex. “It’s important for students to learn the right facts about these

things in school because, if you do happen to get an STD, it’s not like you’re going to tell people. You maybe wouldn’t even tell your best friend” middle school counselor Dawn Betts said. Betts taught sex education in the high school until this year. The only class that provides sex education in the high school is Life Skills, and it is not mandatory. Teacher Charles Shriner said sex education in the high school is not enough. “The kids have loads of questions and no opportunity to discuss them. There’s only one class. That is 50 kids a year.” Shriner said. The Life Skills curriculum covers drug abuse, alcohol, sexuality, STDs, economic planning, employment and more. According to the student survey, Life Skills has helped students make the right choice.The student respondents said it should be compulsory. Next year three classes will be offered instead of one. “If I had a choice I would make [Life Skills] a required tenth grade class. Ninth graders aren’t quite ready for this stuff, and for seniors it’s way too late,” Betts said. A majority of students want more information on safe sex, birth control, oral sex and STDs. Middle school teachers who teach sex education do not cover oral sex. Most teachers are not comfortable talking about sensitive issues such as oral sex, according to the survey. “There’s always a comfort zone for some teachers to teach sex

education. Some teachers might have the most painful experiences trying to teach it,” Betts said, laughing. Parents think that if students learn about sex they will be encouraged to do it. A nationally representative poll conducted by Zogby International in 2004 shows that American parents reject the main messages in safe sex or “comprehensive sex-ed” curricula as they feel that the messages conveyed is that teen sexual activity is okay as long as contraception is used. Only seven percent of parents agree with that message. “Parent’s want the [sex education] program to be as far away from sex as possible. Most want a strictly biological approach,” Betts said. There are serious consequences for students when they do not make the right choices concerning their sexual life. In the 1996 Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, conducted by the University of North Carolina, found that students are likely to become depressed or have psychological and emotional problems when they have premarital sex. One-fourth of sexually active girls are depressed, three times as many as those who abstain. Ten percent of sexually active boys are depressed, twice as high as abstainers. In the SAS sex education survey, an anonymous teacher wrote, “I believe that [sex] should be discussed in depth and some of the horrors or effects should be shown to the students as well as providing a forum to ask questions.”

8 op / ed staff editorial

A year of self-discovery It seems like only yesterday that we were getting off of busses on the first day of school, ready to have our heads filled with facts. And now here we are. The seniors are about to graduate and start a new life somewhere else in the world. The juniors are about to embark on their final year, a paradoxical year full of college anxiety and social fun. The sophomores will embark on the famous summer college tours for those whose parents are “forward-looking” enough, and they will soon begin what is reputed to be the most challenging year of high school. And the freshman, no longer at the bottom: so far to go and so much to look forward to. What a year. A year of ups and downs, secrets revealed and new faces of SAS shown. Spirit finally reared its majestic head during the IASAS tournaments hosted by SAS this year, the spirit we had all thought dead was resuscitated with the help of a little Eagle cheer. A year for sports. Fourteen out of a possible twenty IASAS gold medals. Phenomenal is the only word to describe it. More important though is that SAS athletes won their medals with an unassuming air that generally won them the respect of their fellow athletes. A year of disaster but a year of hope. Following on the heels of the destructive tsunami of

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2004, Hurricane Katrina and the Pakistan earthquake once again rocked the world, reminding us of the power of nature. The devastation was humbling, but the donations were inspiring. It’s been a year for discovering the darker side of SAS. Drinking suspensions and drug expulsions showed some what they already knew and unveiled for others what they had never suspected. The high school-wide survey revealed to us the vein of depression in the SAS student body. We discovered we’re sleep deprived and overworked, something that most students had contended for years but many teachers had refused to believe. Perhaps we all do too much. Perhaps there are those of us who never took the classes we would have loved, instead taking the ones that looked good on our resumés. At the same time, think of what we might have missed: late nights with friends working on homework, getting to know that one person that we never knew existed, that feeling at the end of the year knowing you’ve ﬁnished all those AP classes. We can complain about life here, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that we all attend a school whose classrooms involve all four corners of the Earth. As our fathers would say, “It builds character.”

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 Laura Imkamp, Alex Lloyd Editors-in-chief: News editor: Joseph Sarreal, Ted Ho Op/Ed editor: Jeff Hamilton, Denise Hotta Features editor: Priyanka Dev A&E editor: Amber Bang, Rhoda Severino Sports editor: Kelsey Heiner Photo editor: Sam Lloyd Reporters: Amber Bang, Priyanka Dev, Jeff Hamilton, Kelsey Heiner, Ted Ho, Denise Hotta, Laura Imkamp, Simreen Kaur, Michelle Lee, Nicole Liew, Alex Lloyd, Sam Lloyd, Barbara Lodwick, Karan Parikh, Joseph Sarreal, Nicole Schmitz, Rhoda Severino, Ravi Shanmugam, Catherine Ward 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.

May 17, 2006

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the Eye

The long and winding road

I remember the first piece of rushes in. I could say something nice advice I was given as a freshman. about my friends, but I don’t have The inside of the cafeteria was a restricted area for us. The rule was any. I’m kidding. I have two. I’m going to miss to get your food as this school. I’m going quickly and quietly to miss the teachers as possible and then who remember me, to get out. I took that even though I took advice to heart and their classes during started bringing my my freshmen year. lunch to school. I also I’m going to miss the hung out in the library principal who knows where I’ve been ever by Joseph Sarreal all of us by name and since. Good times. stops to chat. I’m going As a freshman, I was susceptible to all the rumors to miss the athletic facilities that and hearsay that exists to intimidate I seldom used, but often bragged us: homework and hazing. Sure about. I did get to play a lot of I had lots of homework, but I bench in baseball though, probably managed. As for the hazing, like I because my hitting was about as mentioned before I found sanctuary consistent as Anna Nicole Smith’s weight. in the library. I’ll even miss the AP mocks With graduation coming up, I’ve gone into a reflective mood, and all the associated whining something that happens to all of at the hawkers afterwards. I’ll us when we’re about to embark on always remember the weird something completely different. colored drinks—how can you drink Was there a single experience or something pink? Heck, I’ll miss laying out defining high school moment that really touched me? I tried to define for newspaper, even though I’ve my high school experience, but needed most of the other editors to I couldn’t think of anything that help me do my work—editing by fit. But when I look back on those committee. Hearing lame excuses four years, suddenly everything about why other reporters couldn’t that’s happened, even the stuff that get to school in time (“My cab driver I haven’t thought about in years, didn’t know where SAS was”) and

working till 2 a.m. This school, it’s about much more than tests, grades, SATs and APs. Our school can’t be described in one word, one paragraph, or even one page. Some say it’s the teachers, others the students that really make this school. I say it’s the spirit. Throughout high school I have heard complaints that this school lacks spirit. I used to agree with them. Now I know better. Look no further than this year’s IASAS basketball tournament. I was initially skeptical that the tournament’s large audience was because teachers were letting their classes go watch the games. I was wrong. When I came on Saturday, the last day of the tournament, the gym was just as packed with students. When I go to college this fall, I’m going to miss all of that. There will be 9,000 undergraduates there. I’ll just be a student i.d. number there, not Stats Guy (don’t worry, he was killed off), or even the guy who’s always in the library complaining about how they need to update the magazines more often. The best advice I can give is a bunch of clichés, but it will sufﬁce. Good luck, don’t settle for average, and stay out of the caf because the library is the place to be.

Silent message is loud and clear

A student, a club, a sponsor and “Go for it,” Norcott said. a teacher. All four were disappointed On the Day of Silence students when a Gay-Straight Alliance club could take a vow of silence to was proposed - and rejected - last recognize and protest year. the discrimination After fifteen weeks of and harassment- in work, my Global Issues effect, the silencingteacher, Dr. Roopa Dewan, that people of sponsor Roy Tomlinson alternate sexualities and I met with Bob Gross, face every day all Paul Chmelik and Dave over the world. Norcott to propose a club It seems that that would support the we are on a path gay, lesbian, bisexual and tolerance - not by Catherine Ward to transgender lifestyles. acceptance, but The SAS Gay-Straight tolerance - tolerance Alliance was rejected by the of people whose lifestyles differ administration because they feared from those of conservative teachers, negative reactions from a small administrators, students and parents. group of conservative parents. The day happened and it was The club was rejected because it great. It raised awareness - more involved sexual orientations that are than 90 students participated in not mainstream or heterosexual. the day and around 40 students I was disappointed that the participated in the debriefing session administration I respected did not do after school. what I was sure was the right thing. But what about the rest of the It was a sad day for me. school? It was sad because the SAS It takes more than one person, cornerstones seemed to guarantee more than 90 people, to effect my success: Respect, responsibility, change. The Day of Silence was tolerance, kindness and caring, and organized by the second largest honesty. Noble, but if you practice school club, Peace Initiative. them selectively, they are just Last year it was suggested the posters. students in a Gay-Straight Alliance About a month ago the meet under the auspices of Peace administration approved a Day Initiative who would serve as an of Silence, sponsored by Peace umbrella organization. It would Initiative and endorsed by Student be hard for an organization that Council and Peer Support. large to keep a continuous eye on A week before the day, Dr. the progress - as well as the lack Dewan, Peace Initiative officers of progress - that SAS has made Vrutika Mody and Rachel Witt and towards becoming tolerant of people I met with Chmelik and Norcott for of alternate sexualities. their final decision. It’s time for an SAS chapter of

the Gay-Straight Alliance. Some speculated last year that there would not be enough members for a club. They were wrong. At the ﬁrst meeting about the Day of Silence, almost seventy people signed up to participate. By the second meeting, more then 90 people were participating. Clearly there is a population of people who care about the tolerance of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community at SAS. Another thing should be clear: a Gay-Straight Alliance is not a Gay Club. The Gay-STRAIGHT Alliance’s mission is to build bridges between the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and the heterosexual community. It is true that there are more straight people in the world than gay people, but does that mean people of alternate sexualities don’t matter? They do. Everyone, gay and straight alike, has a right to equality, acceptance and justice. There is a club at SAS that talks about women’s rights and there are clubs for political views. There is a club for human rights; there is even a club that promotes animal rights. There are speakers corners to raise awareness about current events, race, religion and gender equality. But not sexuality. There is a BBQ Club, a Gaming Society, a Hawaiian Dance and Culture Club and an Animation Club. SAS is host to a wide variety of serious, entertaining and odd clubs. But nothing to do with sexuality. (continued on page 5)

op / ed 9 Democracy is not always the path to stability the Eye

By Ravindran Shanmugam a strong mandate, the government Walking into my class one provides stability, a stability that morning, I was one of only two has made Singapore a tiger. The students from a class of 21 who did People’s Action Party (PAP) not have their homework done. Both has kept power since 1959, and of us offered profuse currently controls apologies and promised 82 of the 84 seats in that the aberration parliament. It is hardly would be rectiﬁed the a full democracy in following day. This the Western sense of respect for hierarchy the word, but that this and the establishment system has worked is one that has been is unequivocal. instilled in us from Singapore, previously primary school. We remarkable only for have a rigid social by Ravi Shanmugam its size, or rather contract that binds us lack thereof, is now in our system. This school gives South East Asia’s (SEA) richest us a good education. In return, we economy, with estimated reserves show deference to those above us in of over S$300 billion. Singapore the school hierarchy, accepting the has overtaken the Philippines, establishment and thus legitimizing Indonesia and Malaysia, three it. countries which, but ﬁfty years ago, Vice Principal Dave Norcott, our were leagues ahead of us. The PAP school’s discipline master, punishes has kept power, but in return for errant students. He does not have to that power it has brought Singapore consult the student council before hitherto unimaginable prosperity, suspending any recalcitrant, and unparalleled stability, and durable this power is one that many world institutions. leaders envy. “Democracy is not an end in itself SAS’ social contract is very but a means to an end” according similar to that Singaporeans have to Thai Prime Minister Thaksin with our government. In return for Shinawatra, and it is a statement

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May 17, 2006

world leaders would do well to heed. The aim of every human society, of every system of government, and of every individual, is to attain utopia. Everybody wants to live in a perfect society, and systems of government were developed to achieve that. For uneducated populations easily swayed by polished sophistry espoused by corrupt politicians, democracy is far from the ideal system. For democracy to work, the population must know what it votes for. When it does not, the best solution is Voltaire’s benevolent despot, an autocrat able to move the country forward without having to deal with the cumbersome political apparatus and endemic corruption that characterize Third World democracies. Probably the best example of this is the Philippines. Formerly, Manila was a proﬁtable port and the capital of SEA’s richest country. Many considered it the best advertisement for colonization, for it had been transformed by the Spanish into a wealthy nation and seemed set for a bright future. Today, the Philippines is SEA’s perennial basket case. Rife with corruption, the Philippines is more interested

in its right to vote than creating stable institutions and a progressive economy. It is a damning indictment on Filipino society that it was rocked more by allegations of electoral fraud than by the prevalent corruption and bad governance of President Gloria Arroyo’s administration. When “Hello Garci” becomes more important than one’s daily bread a country has a serious problem, as democracy has become the end, with quality of life an unfortunate casualty. This can be traced back to 1986, when the People Power uprisings which toppled Ferdinand Marcos captured the imagination of the world. Nuns clad in white knelt before advancing tanks, and television cameras immortalized the unarmed multitudes who took to the streets in a simultaneous outpouring which ousted a tyrannical dictator. Ironically, it is this ouster, originally hailed as a triumph of democracy, which is primarily responsible for the country’s state today. Condemned Every subsequent administration was condemned to a similar fate by 1986. At the slightest

provocation the opposition takes to the streets, rallying people with strikes that have kept the economy in a permanent state of paralysis. No administration since Marcos’ has experienced a stable term, as successive presidents have fallen victim to the country’s infatuation with anarchy. This is an example of democracy’s failings, an example of a country wrought by a dearth of strong institutions and premature responsibility given to uneducated people. When SAS students ﬂout rules, they can be assured they have earned a date with Dave Norcott. Be it drinking, truancy, or smoking, Norcott wields the power that allows him to deal with the situation. Norcott keeps order. A benevolent despot in the mould of Norcott or Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew would have served the countries well, as it has Singapore and SAS. The contract we, as students, have with our establishment is similar to Singaporeans’ with our government, and we could be well advised to embrace the stability that this entails.

SAS would beneﬁt from a strong honors program “Is that your Writers Inc book?” I asked my freshman sister when she arrived home from school after her second day in high school. “Writers Inc? This is Writing for College. They didn’t give me anything named Writers Inc.” Whatever happened to “Writers Inc.”, the book of writing tips I received as a freshman? Is writing for high school no longer good enough? The title change isn’t surprising really. The school in recent years could almost be described by a slight corruption of the “Writing for College” title: “Living for college.” The educational focus at SAS has shifted from learning for high school to learning for college, from teaching for high school to teaching for college. The number of AP courses at SAS has exploded. While making their course choices for next year, this year’s students had 26 college level courses from which to choose. Twenty-six. That means if I wanted to, I could avoid taking any highschool courses in my four-year high school career. With such possibilities at my ﬁngertips, why even bother taking other courses? I know that colleges will disregard everything except my

core classes, and I’ll be perceived as taking the most challenging curriculum available to me. Some people might actually support this view. If I feel I can handle that kind of workload, then why not? Why not dedicate all my time to college courses? Why not is because I am in high school. The school, in attempting to embrace more challenging courses for its students, has lost track of what it’s supposed to doing: providing a high school education to its students. In simulating college we are, for the most part, simulating large class sizes and impersonal education. Instead of taking advantage of the versatile teachers the school has to offer, the AP program encourages reading alone, lectures and selfstudy, just like college. There’s no need to offer APs at this school. In fact, because of the nature of the AP program, AP classes can be detrimental to the SAS education we prize. The AP curriculum is geared toward one thing and one thing alone: the AP exam at the end of the year. Because of this, teachers are focused on teaching to the test to obtain the best results. Their success is measured by the number of ﬁves

(continued from page 4) There should be a safe place to discuss and reﬂect on the discrimination and struggles endured by people not of mainstream sexualities. In classes we learn about civil rights, women’s suffrage and feminist struggles. We learn about the abuse and genocide of Jewish people in the

Holocaust and the maltreatment of Japanese-Americans during World War Two in America. There is a struggle going on right now. No classes are discussing it, and the cafeteria is not the safest place to reﬂect on something controversial. Stop avoiding the issue. Stop ignoring the silence.

find a student taking an AP course their students get. But in teaching to the test, teachers merely to challenge himself. For the most part, a five on an AP are severely restricted in what they can and can’t teach. Certain exam is more like a combat medal, topics, which should be interesting, something you wear to show that often lose their luster under the you’ve done a great thing, a shiny emblem to put on your domineering AP resume. APs also boost lesson plan. that magical number that This problem parents and students alike characterizes the have become so obsessed AP program here with: the GPA. and around the Who cares about world because education? A grade of the uniform point average can imply nature of the AP so much more. A high exam. How could GPA shows not only we possibly solve by Alex Lloyd learning but intelligence, this problem discipline, determination without reducing the academic excellence that our and a multifaceted individual. A low GPA can consign you to the school is known for? The answer lies simply in an abyss of mediocrity, despite the honors programs. Eliminate the fact that you were perhaps the top 26-course AP program, which is athlete in three varsity sports, an beginning to lose favor among excellent artist, and editor-in-chief colleges anyway, and instead of the yearbook. All can be voided focus on a strong honors program, by a simple number that ranges we could make classes just as from zero to five. The AP program challenging, but allow teachers to only encourages the obsession. Thanks to APs, you can now be more creative and cover what inflate your GPA by grace of the .5 they want in class. The outcry now is “why weighting that comes with each AP, eliminate APs when the courses are making your GPA seem even more so popular?” That statement, like its appealing to colleges. Take a look at support, is misleading. If someone this quote from the SAS high school were to tell me my chances of web site in reference to course getting into college would be better choice and college admission: “Most demanding possible: A if I took APs, then why would I student enrolls in five academic core refuse to take them? Why miss out on the chance to make myself more courses each year and will graduate appealing to places like Brown, having completed the highest-level Duke, Dartmouth, Stanford or, courses in several academic areas. the crowning honor of them all, The transcript usually includes 7 or Harvard? Parents and educators more APs.” Seven or more APs? That’s don’t seem to realize that it is rare to

an entire year of AP classes. Why bother attending high school for that? On the one hand, we could possibly thank the school for allowing us to skip a year of potentially boring college courses so we can focus on the courses we want to take. On the other hand, we could focus on enjoying high school rather than stressing about the courses that we may or may not have to take in college anyway. But how necessary are APs? A Feb. 1 New York Times article, “High School Drops Its AP Courses, and Colleges Don’t Seem to Mind,” covered the trend of elite high schools that are dropping the AP program. In the article, Harvard admission officer Marlyn McGrath Lewis had this to say about APs: “We look at whether the applicant has taken the high school’s most demanding courses,” Lewis said. “But whether the classes are designated as AP or not is irrelevant. Abolishing AP classes won’t hurt the kids.” Any student or parent who has attended the familiar college tour can tell you admissions officers emphasize that they judge students relative to the classes available at their school. If we eliminate the AP program completely, replacing these courses with honors courses (that could potentially be equally difficult), then students would have no disadvantage when applying to college. They would be judged on whether they had taken the “most challenging” workload available and not on how many APs they’d taken throughout their high school career.

10 arts

May 17, 2006

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the Eye

Showcase says goodbye to retiring instructor This year’s dance showcase featured some new moves courtesty of guest Australian choreographer Alesha Drew who conducted a tap dance workshop for the performers. The dance department experienced a loss as well, as this year’s showcase was a bittersweet experience for long-time volunteer dance teacher Nini Mitchell. The former SAS parent will be retiring this year after 16 years with the school. LOVE/HATE. A contemporary piece choreographed by Tiffany Too. Photo by Kristin Liu.

HER NAME WAS LOLA. Calli Scheidt, Abby Murray, Claudia Codron and Esha Parikh with yellow feathers in their hair and their dresses cut down to there. Photo by Krisin Liu.

DANCING FOOLS. Ariel Monismith and Esha Parikh jazz it up. Photo by Kristin Liu.

A LOVELY WAY TO BURN. Dancers get the fever during rehearsal. Photo by Kristin Liu.

CAN-CAN. Isabella Amstrup, Tiffany Too, Evelyn Toh and Ashley McLelland rufﬂe up their skirts. Photo by Kristin Liu.

the Eye

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sports 11

May 17, 2006

Track and field continues decade of dominance By Sam Lloyd Six schools, six sessions, and continuation of an SAS legacy that now spans the last decade marked this year’s IASAS Track and Field. Both the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams brought back IASAS gold. It marked the decade point of the gold medal streak for the girls’ team and a similar nineyear streak for the boys, interrupted only by SARS in 2003. The event was held on the recently renovated campus of International School Manila this year. The new campus and the new plaque for IASAS winners were viewed in the IASAS Bulletin, a daily imprint of ISM’s Bamboo Telegraph, as symbolic of “new beginnings” such that change was bound to come, possibly with new IASAS champions. Despite some “sleepless moments” as coach Jim Baker put it, SAS still pulled through and won the meet by a significant lead. “When we went to IASAS,” Baker said, “we were confident about the boys, but the girls were a little testier.” The reverse had been true at the beginning of the season, he said, but injuries and sickness in the girls’ team made the competition a closer one. The meet started out with

Badminton in Kuala Lumpur

FINAL SPRINT: Freshman Alex Finch competes in the 100m dash. SAS boys won the meet by twenty points. Photo by Sam Lloyd.

athletes full of energy. From the 5K to the 100m, from the shot-put to the triple jump, athletes tried their hardest to be among the top six for their events, either to score points for their team or to secure a place in the ﬁnals. As the meet progressed and pressure to perform mounted, many were worn down by the effort involved. The rest area set aside for athletes between the two sessions on each of the three days of events did help, allowing them to catch up on valuable sleep or just to get out of the sun. Heat also wore down the competitors. Though some clouds

in the morning of the ﬁrst day hinted at cooler weather for the meet, it was bright and sunny for the most part, with the temperature reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius. Few SAS athletes escaped the notorious “farmer’s tan” created by the intense sun and their sleeveless running uniforms. On the second day of the meet, the girls’ team had the slimmest lead in the past decade: two points ahead of Jakarta International School, just brought up from a tie earlier on. Baker felt that “on the third day, the girls did step up,” ending the meet with a greater lead than last year’s.

Exceptional performances helped SAS achieve this. Girls’ MVP senior Meghan Dwyer scored medals (three gold, two silver, one bronze) in each of the maximum of six events she participated in, despite an injury she spent part of the season recovering from, and SAS won every girls’ relay. Baker felt “it truly was a team medal.” There were new records made in the girls’ long jump, medley relay, and 400m hurdles, but all of these by were set by Amelia Clark of JIS who beat her own previous records. Senior Briana Witherspoon of SAS notably equaled her own record, set last year, in the 100m hurdles. Of next year’s IASAS, taking

place at SAS, Baker said, “the boys are in real good shape” whereas “the girls need to ﬁll in some blanks.” This is partly due to the loss of experience from the respective teams; only three boys from the IASAS team are departing seniors, whereas at least eight IASAS girls will not be returning next year. As he said in the awards ceremony, “we’re going to miss you seniors, not only in personality but also in the points you scored.” Despite this, Baker expressed his conﬁdence that, especially with the home advantage, SAS can continue its “tradition of excellence,” creating a “decade of dominance” for both girls’ and boys’ teams.

Track and Field in Manila BOYS POINTS 1. SAS 2. TAS 3. ISM 4. ISB 5. ISKL 6. JIS

123 93 65.5 59.5 59 26

GIRLS POINTS 1. SAS 2. JIS 3. TAS 4. ISM 5. ISKL 6. ISB

141.5 118.5 70 39 31 28

Girls’ Badminton wins silver for the ﬁrst time

BOYS 1. TAS 2. ISKL 3. ISB 4. JIS 5. SAS 6. ISM

5-0 4-1 3-2 2-3 2-3 1-4

GIRLS 1. TAS 2. SAS 3. ISB 4. JIS 5. ISKL 6. ISM

5-0 3-2 3-2 2-3 2-3 5-0

STRETCCCCH:Senior captain Kavanaugh Livingston stretches to volley back the shuttle cock during a match at IASAS. Badminton girls lost to Taipei in the ﬁnal but still secured an unprecedented silver medal. Photo by Brian Riady.

By Ted Ho The girls’ team won a solid victory over the other 4 IASAS teams and placed second only to Taipei, who wins the gold year after year in badminton. “This is the ﬁrst time in 9 years that our school has won silver in badminton and we are just ecstatic,” senior captain Kavanaugh Livingston said. “It’s a great achievement for out team and the SAS badminton program.” In previous years the ﬁnals games were usually dominated by Taipei and Bangkok, but this year the SAS team was able to change things. Livingston accredits the girls outstanding performance to good coaching, experience and determination.

“Between the 8 IASAS players we’ve had a cumulative of 15 years of experience of IASAS experience Livingston said. “This helped us beat Bangkok in the ﬁnal which was one of the biggest achievements for us.” On average IASAS badminton players run two kilometers in one game. The sport requires immense athleticism, agility, stamina, mental capability, skill and like any sport many hours of practice. “I hope that the silver medal, will change SAS’s perception of badminton and start to take us more seriously as a sports team,” Livingston said. Badminton is an Olympic sport played by almost every country despite its relatively unpopular status in American culture.

“People who don’t view badminton as a ‘real sport’ are poorly educated,” Livingston said. The boys badminton team, was not quite as successful as the girls despite their strong effort and improvement from sixth place last year. Brian Riady a sophomore on the boys team, and his fellow sophomore Winsen Halim were under immense pressure during the game to win at least 4-1 against Jakarta because a victory against the Indonesians could have given the team a chance to win a medal. Despite getting 5th place the SAS team, believes that they still have had a great improvement and that they were just unlucky this season. “At the exchanges we beat both

KL and Jakarta,” Riady said. “I think it might have just given us a false sense of conﬁdence even though I think that we were better than those two teams.” Riady agrees with Livingston that the sport does not get enough recognition and is thus excited about hosting IASAS badminton next year and he hopes that my bringing the games home it will help change some of the stereotypes that people might have. “Their views will probably not change too much but we work just as hard as soccer, baseball or any other team sport and its unfortunate that just because its badminton people think we don’t work hard,” Riady said.

12 sports

May 17, 2006

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the Eye

Softball slams home two gold medals at IASAS Softball in Jakarta BOYS

1. SAS 2. ISKL 3. ISB 4. TAS 5. JIS 6. ISM

5-0 4-1 3-2 2-3 1-4 0-5

All-Tournament: Casey Bright, Akio Takahashi Jeff Kreuter, Daichi Moriyama

GIRLS

1. SAS 2. JIS 3. TAS 4. ISB 5. ISM 6. ISKL

BRINGING HOME THE GOLD: Junior Jeff Kreuter takes a swing during an IASAS game while his teammates look on from the dugout. The boys’ softball team went undefeated in IASAS play amassing an impressive 5-0 overall record. Photo Cory Samson.

4-1 4-1 2-3 3-2 1-4 1-4

All-Tournament: Lexi Koch, Haley Sue, Michelle Lee,Vanessa Peck

By Michelle Lee After an eight-week season inundated with less than pleasant weather and a wet championship field, both Eagles’ softball teams emerged as IASAS champions in Jakarta. The boys’ repeat championship victory against the ISKL Panthers came in a shutout game. The boys’ team managed two shutout games during the round robin against ISM and TAS—scoring eight runs against the Taipei Tigers, and 15 runs against the Manila bearcats. The final shutout came in the championship game against Kuala Lumpur, in which the Panthers conceded five staggering runs to a big-hitting Singapore team. It was the second game against the Panthers for the Eagles that day, with both ISKL and SAS standing undefeated on the final day of play. In the end, Singapore remained the only undefeated team of the

weekend. Boys coach Will Norris said that the skill level of players was key in their success at IASAS. “We had a solid line-up in both the outfield and the infield with a great shortstop and a solid pitcher,” Norris said. The championship game was a shutout in all aspects. Pitcher Mitch Samson consistently pitched at isthmuses on the plate, and third baseman Lon Lesueur picked up hard-hit softballs with a baseball glove. The IASAS teams also caught a glimpse of freshman catcher Ian Gillis who was a wall at the plate, making key outs to prevent runs. What was more impressive about this rookie was his hitting, which found the fence almost every time. The Eagles batting lineup pushed all of the opposing teams tight against the 256 foot fence with hardhit balls, almost always finding the

By Jeff Hamilton Junior Kelsey Heiner is no stranger to the perils of SAS athletics. Early in her third varsity sport, Heiner encountered the equivalent of the Black Plague in the sporting world, a torn anterior crucial ligament, or ACL, which required her to undergo surgery back in the U.S. during spring break. Heiner has taken the injury that she received during a track exchange exceptionally well, despite her required surgery. Her injury is by no means an isolated occurrence. As SAS athletes are pushing harder and harder for the gold they often sacrifice their physical health. But what if this did not have to be the case? What if an athlete could enter the athletic season with the confidence to push to the limit and still walk away unharmed? What if by using the upcoming summer months efficiently an athlete, regardless of the sport, could enter the first, second, and third seasons with the ability to remain injury free? Knowledge is power. Dr. Tan Jee Lim, consultant orthopedic sports surgeon of JL Sports Medicine & Surgery, believes that the athlete should understand the root causes of

The path to the Eagle girls’ victory was less clear-cut than the boys, bearing a strange resemblance to previous tournaments, IASAS 2006 seemed reminiscent of the 2004 tournament, in which the Dragons beat the Eagles in the round robin. The results, however, were the same, with the Singapore Eagles winning the championships in both. Girls’ softball coach Mark Swarstad thought all the teams were evenly matched. “All teams at the top of their games could have won.” Swarstad said. Because of heavy rains, the last of the afternoon games on the ﬁrst day of play was delayed and the Eagles’ second game was called off. The girls

faced a three game schedule the following day. The Eagles scored 15 runs in the second game to win against the Taipei Tigers, the team that beat the Eagles in the championship game last year. The Dragons’ round robin win was overplayed by a practical joke that went awry. After a long day, and a defeat to boot, two SAS players came home to an unexpected surprise—A party at their host family’s house, their rooms draped with toilet paper and ‘sniff’ tissues left out on their beds. The host, a girl on the softball team, then offered to clean up the mess. Coach and administrator in charge Stacey Jensen rejected claims that the act was malicious in nature, but felt it was in bad taste and timing. “ The girls were tired after a three game day, and it really wasn’t timed right, which is probably

why from their side, [the situation] seemed blown out of proportion].” Jensen said. In the championship game, the Eagles proceeded to score six runs in the first two innings with the first and second at bat. Senior co-captains Sarah Calvert and all-tournament Haley Sue got on base with strong line drives, followed by junior third baseman Keri Dixon’s hit over the JIS left fielder’s head. Dixon’s hit brought in three runs including her own to give the Eagles an early lead. The Dragons slowly came back in the next three innings despite the strong defense of the Eagles outfield, narrowing the lead to just one. The last defensive inning by the Eagles ended with a grounder hit right to the pitcher, junior alltournament Lee who threw the batter out at first. There was a felicitous uproar of Eagle pride, and proved that they were the true champions.

sports injuries before beginning any the athlete’s sport. type of injury prevention program. According to Dr. P. Thiagarajan Most injuries can be classified into of Orthopedic Sports Medicine in two groups: traumatic injuries and Mt. Elizabeth Medical Center, soccer overuse injuries. players are likely to suffer from “Overuse groin injuries, injuries are muscle tears, common and ankle sprains, very often shin splints and preventable,” knee ligament Tan said. injuries, whereas O f t e n s w i m m e r s overuse injuries are likely to can be prevented encounter by remembering s h o u l d e r the phrase “too dislocations, much too soon,” rotator cuff he said. tendonitis, or According to back injuries. A Tan, traumatic runner is prone injuries in to developing sports, such as m u s c u l a r a concussion, tendonitis. can usually “The most be prevented common injuries with fair play. in rugby include STILL STANDING: Senior Tryfon Christoforou This means shoulder injuries, poses for the camera while hobbling off the field observing the after a tough practice. Photo by Jeff Hamilton. back injuries rules of a game along with knee and respecting and hip injuries,” other players. varsity rugby Coach Cam McNicol Understanding also relates to said. knowing the specific requirements Athletes must be stable. and injuries that are associated with According to Osteopath Paul Bell of

Osteopathy & Podiatry, a general fitness program should first address stability and proprioception, or balance for the lower limbs and core stability exercises for the spine and pelvis. Core stability refers to the body’s ability to maintain a stable trunk while the limbs are in motion. “With a strong core, the athlete will be able to use heavier weights and perform more dynamic exercises,” P.E. teacher Ursula Pong said. Currently the two most popular forms of strengthening core muscles and improving balance and propriception are Pilates and cable pulleys. “Pilates-based programs work the whole body system to create core stability and increase balance. Also Pilates strengthens the body without tightening muscles,” Pilates instructor Christopher Chua said. Chua said that one of the benefits of using Pilates is that it engages the entire body, whereas gym equipment targets only specific muscles and occurs within a fixed plane of motion. This means that the exercises

performed in the gym often do not mimic the total body movements found in sports. “You should ask yourself how this [exercise] transfers over to my sport,” Chua said. Proper technique. Proper technique applies to both working out and playing sports. “[In rugby] injuries to the head and shoulder are usually the result of poor technique as a result of inexperience,” McNicol said. Proper technique when working out is also necessary. Chua said that some machines at the gym, like the squat, cause the body to perform the wrong technique for a given movement. Also machines that work the back often cause a loss of ﬂexibility because they fail to instill proper technique. Stay Loose and do not lose. Maintaining ﬂexibility throughout training is a requirement in preventing injuries according to McNicol. Flexibility also allows the athlete to increase range of motion and increase maximum speed when sprinting. Last but not least. “Get in shape to play sports, do not play sports to get in shape,” Bell said.

right holes. Junior Brandon McArthur’s grand slam and senior co-captain Lon Lesueur’s home run with a wellplaced line drive to the outﬁeld are a few examples of the Eagles’ force at IASAS Softball 2006.

Walking wounded: ﬁve ways to help prevent sports injuries