Banner - Feb 2010

Working towards 100 years Introducing the Interim Head, of School Keeping in touch with Alumni

Installation Ceremony of Dr. John Engstrom

October 2009 - Volume 3, Issue 1

Table of Contents

Seoul Foreign School 55 Yonhi-dong, Seoul 120-113, KOREA TEL: 822-330-3100 FAX: 822-335-1857 www.seoulforeign.org

Message from the Head of School

Page 3

Installation Ceremony “Moving Forward with the Lord”

Pages 4‐5

The School Crest “Dr. Engstrom Makes Connection to the Past” Page 6

Meet the SFS Board 2009‐10

Page 7

The Database

SFS Demographics 2009‐10

Pages 8‐10

Page 11 Off to a Great Start with the PTA

SFS Theatre Special “From Various Pages to All the SFS Stages” Pages 12‐13

Up Above Your Head

Page 14

Connecting SFS Alum and Faculty

Page 15

Moments in SFS History

Pages 16‐17

Alumni Committee Award

Page 18

Alumni Returns

Pages 19‐21

Class Notes

Pages 22‐25

Alumni Campus Visit

Pages 26‐27

Board members take part in the “laying-on-of-hands” prayer for Dr. and Mrs. John and Alice Engstrom during the Installation Ceremony.

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Message from the Head of School Dr. John Engstrom

Dear Seoul Foreign School Family,

brighten our facility in preparation for the 2009‐10 school year.

This school year we welcomed new teachers coming from many parts of the globe, including Burundi, France, New Zea‐ land, the U.K., and the USA. They were hired because of their experience, their love of children, their passion for challeng‐ ing students and their strong Christian faith. Please make an effort to get to know our new faculty and staff as well as to reacquaint yourselves with our returning faculty and staff.

They are wonderful people who have answered God’s call to serve Him and others through their love of teaching.

Greetings! My wife, Alice, and I are coming from Saint Paul, Minnesota. We are very happy to be a part of the SFS family.

Over the past 40 years, we have lived in India, Germany, Swit‐ zerland and the United States and are excited to be in another wonderful country. We are so thankful to be a part of an out‐ standing school with a remarkable history and an exciting fu‐ ture. Seoul Foreign School is a great place where students are challenged in every area of their lives ‐ academically, artisti‐ cally, athletically and spiritually. We are hopeful to get to know as many of you as possible as the year unfolds. Please let me know how we can be of better service to your children Thanks so much for allowing us to play an active role in the as we begin this year’s journey together. lives of your families. We all look forward to a great year to‐ We are so thankful for the support we received from SFS dur‐ gether. ing our transition to Seoul. The Board and administrative Warmly, team met our every need including the preparation of our home, the provision of groceries, answering our many ques‐ tions and the emotional support and encouragement we have so much appreciated.

I was initially attracted to Seoul Foreign School not only be‐ John Engstrom cause of its outstanding history and service to young people, Head of School but because of its clear, compelling mission statement. Its identity in Christ and the development of Christian character in its students is the distinctive that gives SFS its important foundation for ministry. However, it also clarifies the four pil‐ lars to which the school is fully committed: academic quality, personal integrity, responsible global citizenship and spiritual growth. These four principles provide the dynamic that sets SFS apart from other schools. I am encouraged to witness the strong commitment of our Board and Administrative team to these principles. What a privilege it is to be involved in such significant work!

Lots of work is being done to enhance our facilities at SFS this summer. The Middle school science laboratories and com‐ puter labs have been completely upgraded; the UAC gym has had new wall surfaces and backboards installed; the entire campus is now wireless and the Information Technology sys‐ tem has been vastly improved throughout our academic buildings. Of course, new coats of paint have been applied in many classrooms and new furniture has been purchased to

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Installation Ceremony: “Moving Forward With the Lord” June Kang Director of Communications & Development On September 6th 2009, the school ing us to such a different era, but hosted its first Installation Cere‐ also reminding us of its integral part to the school’s history and founda‐ mony to formally recognize and celebrate the initiation of Seoul For‐ tion, the captivated audience be‐ eign School’s new Head of School, came one, joining together in the Dr. John Engstrom. Parents, faculty, spirit of blessing the Head of School in the new school year. board members, diplomats and

other international school repre‐ sentatives gathered to welcome Dr. “…this school is a gift, but it is not just a gift to me, but to all and Mrs. John and Alice Engstrom of us. It is a gift given by God to their new school community. for the building of His King‐

dom, here in Korea, around The ceremony took place in the Lyso Center for the Performing Arts the globe and in God’s heav‐ and guests were welcomed with the enly kingdom to come. We are all so privileged to share cultural sounds of Korean drums beating away in anticipation for the this gift today and in the fu‐ ture.”

Installation. Faculty entered the main auditorium in a formal proces‐ sional accompanied with a hymn, Mrs. Tracy Mohr, SFS Board Chair “Thine is the Glory“. Representa‐ tives from the school Board, Jaidan offered a formal Charge and a sym‐ and Counsel took part on stage to bolic medal to Dr. Engstrom who in help officiate the special ceremony. exchange responded with his

pledge to lead the school. Students Rev. Patrick O’Neal offered the from each division offered symbols opening prayer and the audience reflected in the school’s formal was treated to some historical rec‐ Crest to signify the transference of ollections of Rev. Art Kinsler, who new leadership. Pastor Prince offered the opening welcome mes‐ Charles Oteng‐Boateng offered a sage for the Program. Rev. Kinsler prayer of blessing which was joined

by Board members in a very pro‐ offered a moving and nostalgic opening speech, sharing many won‐ found ‘laying‐on‐of‐ hands’ prayer derful and sacred moments in the to both Dr. and Mrs. Engstrom. school’s history, unknown to many who are a part of the school today. After the official installation, Dr. At one point, he described that con‐ Engstrom shared his reflections to cerns for teachers then, had more the community, making specific ref‐ to do with the impacts of war and erence to the former Heads of even potential bombings which School Mr. Dick Underwood and Dr. could affect the school. Enlighten‐ Harlan Lyso. He described himself 4

as having “…come into a new posi‐ tion understanding the legacy of two outstanding leaders who have left their mark.” Further to his re‐ flection, he also expressed his views of the school, “…this school is a gift, but it is not just a gift to me, but to all of us. It is a gift given by God for the building of His Kingdom, here in Korea, around the globe and in God’s heavenly kingdom to come.

We are all so privileged to share this gift today and in the future.”

Dr. Engstrom conveyed the commit‐ ment of his leadership to SFS by honoring the past, recognizing those who had previously served and lead the school and its commu‐ nity.

Dr. Dan Armistead offered the clos‐ ing prayer and Benediction to seal the witnessing and blessing of the faithful ceremony. After concluding the event with a recessional to the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress“, all took the opportunity in congratulating the Engstroms. The community mingled among one another out‐ doors, enjoying food and refresh‐ ments.

The Installation Ceremony marked yet another significant moment in the continued history of Seoul For‐ eign School. The ceremony recog‐ nized its third Head of School as it prepares the way, moving closer towards its centennial celebrations for 2012.

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The School Crest Dr. John Engstrom Makes Connections to the past Dr. John Engstrom

At some point during the tenure of Dick minds us of our commitment to global environmental responsibility.

Underwood and Harlan Lyso, the school’s crest was established to help us focus on the ongoing purpose of this The Latin inscription written below the school. It is pictured above for you. crest “Domine dirige nos,” may be Each symbol in the crest stands for an translated, “Lord, Guide and Direct Us.” important aspect of our school. The This motto underscores our commit‐ Cross reminds us of our center in Christ, ment to placing God in Christ at the center of our school and identifies the the Book reminds us of our commit‐ ment to academic quality, the Torch re‐ way we move forward—only with the minds us of athletics and activities de‐ direction and guidance of God. We em‐ signed to develop Christian values such brace these symbols and this motto as as personal integrity, teamwork, dedica‐ central to the future direction of SFS. tion and sacrifice, and the Atom re‐

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Meet the SFS BOARD 2009-10 Tracy Mohr, Board Chair

Members: Tracy Mohr, Chair; Michael DiStasio, Vice Chair; Tom Okray, Treasurer; Prince Charles Oteng‐Boateng, Secretary; Paul Cho; Jim Danahy; John Il Kwun; Bill Majors; Nancy Robertson; Kelly TomHon; Harry Rudolph

Board Role: The Board is comprised of eleven members elected by the Seoul Foreign School Council. Each member serves a three year term with a term limit of six years. We are a strategic, governing body whose most important role is to ensure the school’s well‐being. We do this by being mission focused and by working closely with the Head of School and administrators as we plan for the future. It is easy to misunderstand the role of a School Board in the life of a school. Here are a few distinc‐ tions between Board and Head responsibilities:

Board role:

Head of School: Hiring and evaluating Head of School Hiring, mentoring and evaluating school personnel Governance

Daily operations Approval and support of mission

Application of mission Set broad policy

Set operational policy and implement Board policy Fiscal, operational, and programmatic oversight Fiscal, operational, and programmatic management

Primary focus long range and strategic

Primary focus implementation and daily operations Board goals and strategic planning

Annual goals and strategic planning

Curriculum and programs

Board Goals: The Board has an ambitious agenda this year with the focus on transition for our new Head of School Dr. John Engstrom and his wife Alice. Dr. Engstrom has been working closely with the Board and administrators as he builds relationships with the community, assesses program strengths, and develops plans to strengthen all aspects of the school. Bringing Dr. Eng‐ strom and Alice to SFS was a major accomplishment for our Board and SFS community coming into this year.

Other Board goals for 2009‐2010 involve policy review, mission review, Board development, governance review, and preparation for a spring re‐accreditation visit from WASC. In essence this is a year of review and evaluation in preparation for next year which will be a year of planning and implementation. As we accomplish these goals, the Board will become more efficient and strategic, laying the groundwork for a major long range strategic planning initiative for the 2010‐2011 school year. Representatives from governance, administration, faculty and staff, parents, and alumni will be involved in mission review, in focus groups, and in strategic planning sessions. As members of the SFS community, the Board will seek your input and assistance throughout this robust process.

You will have various opportunities throughout the year to hear more about what your school Board is doing, to meet all of us, and to give us your input. Please pray for us as we work with Dr. Engstrom and the administration to ensure continued school improvement in order to best equip our students for the future.

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The Database— SFS DEMOGRAPHICS 2009-10 (as of September 2009)

This academic year, the student enrollment has slightly increased from 1464 last year to 1480 this year. The British and High Schools increased in enrollment whereas the Elementary and Middle School slightly decreased in enrollment.

The diversity of the SFS student body has increased. Currently, it is composed of 55 different na‐ tionalities.

No. of Students

Enrollment Trends by Division 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0

2006‐2007 2007‐2008 2008‐2009 2009‐2010

British School

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Nationalities by Passport

2009‐2010

Others

USA

3%

Japan

19%

2% Taiwan

UK Canada

5%

59%

Australia Taiwan

Australia

6%

Japan

6%

Canada

Others

2009‐2010 2008‐2009 2007‐2008 2006‐2007

UK USA 0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

No. of Studnets

There has been a slight increase in students holding U.S., Canadian and Australian passports this academic year as well as other nationalities, thus diversifying the composition of SFS’s student body.

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Student Population Break Down by Ethnicity 800

No. of Students

700 2007‐2008

600 500

2008‐2009

400

2009‐2010

300

This academic year, the ethnic Korean, European, Oceanic and other Asian populations in‐ creased where as North Ameri‐ can population decreased slightly compared to last year.

200 100 0 Ethnic Korean

Other Asian

North European Oceanic American

Other

Total Korean Ethnic Population at SFS (2009‐10) The total Ethnic Korean population at SFS is 48%. The British School has the smallest percentage of Ethnic Korean population (29%) followed by Elemen‐ tary (50%), High School (52%) and Mid‐ dle School (63%).

Korean

Non‐Korean

48% 52%

Ethnic Korean Population at SFS (2009‐10) Korean

Non‐Korean

300

No. of Students

250 200 150 100 50 0 British School

Middle School

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The Database— SFS DEMOGRAPHICS 2009-10 (as of September 2009)

Faculty Gender

31% Male

69%

Female

The SFS faculty is composed of 69% (125) females and 31% (56) Males. Male teachers have decreased by 2% last year.

Teacher Recruitment SFS is the only school which participates in 14 Recruitment Fairs from around the world. Most International schools participate in up to 5 Recruitment Fairs.

For Job Openings and recruitment fair schedules please visit

http://www.seoulforeign.org/aboutSFS/employment/ position.html

Years of Faculty Service to SFS by Percentage

Faculty Teaching Qualifications & Degrees 3%

Doctorate

47%

18%

2 yrs or less

49%

Master's

50%

7%

3-5 yrs more than 5 yrs

Bachelor's

more than 10 yrs

26%

29 faculty members joined SFS this academic year. The turnover of faculty decreased by 8% this school year.

53% (more than half) of the current SFS faculty hold advanced degrees beyond the Bachelor’s. All teachers are qualified to lead in their respective fields.

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Off To a Great Start with the PTA

Kristen Freeman, SFS PTA Chair

This year’s Parent Teacher Association has been very active with many events already underway for the 2009‐2010 School Year. Even before the first day of school, the Transi‐ tions Committee was helping the school welcome new families during new student orientation sessions, parent coffees and a neighborhood walk.

schoolers playing both sports. The coffee shop has opened to make Saturday mornings a little more pleasant and keep the parents awake with a warm cup of coffee on the cool Fall mornings.

The Spirit Shop continues to grow with lots of fun things in their inventory. Maybe you’d like some nice SFS spirit wear to keep you warm. Maybe you need the essential school

SFS Families having fun at Ice-Cream Social

The PTA helped new and returning parents escape the Au‐ gust heat with the Welcome Back Ice Cream Social. After sweetening up their ice cream with sprinkles and chocolate sauce in the cafeteria, parents and kids could drench each other at the annual water gun fight on the field. And if they weren’t wet enough, they could stay for the Family Swim to be sure to get totally cooled down. This year’s thrift ta‐ bles were such a hit they will have to move to a bigger area for even bigger bargains next year.

The PTA Saturday Sports Program (SSP) is offering soccer for Middle School and Key Stage 3 on Saturday afternoons as well as cricket for all ages. The program has been going strong since the beginning of September and has been very successful with many Elementary, British and Middle

supplies, swim and PE uniforms. Or maybe you need help finding a red or white polo or SFS logo patch for the stan‐ dardized dress for Elementary and Middle School.

The divisions have been very busy with the Elementary and British School Father/Son Event and Hanbok Day already this Fall, as well as the High School Field Day BBQ, and the British School Autumnal Affair. Mark you calendar for the International Fair on May 15th, plus a variety of other activi‐ ties and speakers the PTA is working on bringing to the SFS community this school year.

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SFS Theatre Special “From Various Pages to all the SFS Stages” Edie Moon School wide Drama Director

On December 4th and 5th , the Key Stage Three This year the theatre performed at SFS school wide will be a celebration of works known on the students of the British School will be presenting a page as well as the stage as the work of Shake‐ dramatic form of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Over speare, Charles Dickens and JM Barrie are 125 students will take part in this dramatization brought to life in various theatrical performances including an orchestra and school choir under the just to name a few. direction of Mr. Daniel Knight. This is a highly col‐

laborative process that includes all the students In October, the high school theatre students per‐ and teachers in Key Stage Three as well as cross‐ formed Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to audiences divisional teachers. Two high school students will be developing the media used for the perform‐ of all ages. This was the first time in eight years ance as part of their independent studies. Addi‐ that Shakespeare had been performed on the high school level which is a longstanding SFS tra‐ tionally, A Key Stage Two performance will be dition that spans decades going back as far as the taking place on October 30th at 7:00pm as the stu‐ early years of the school and includes well‐known dents present The Time Machine. directors such as Mrs. Margaret Moore, Mrs.

Rona Robb and Mrs. Sally Robinson. This year’s We are also looking forward with anticipation to the middle school’s production of Peter Pan theatre students, fully aware of the trepidation which is to be performed in February. This story that some can have when encountering Shake‐ speare, did much work in analysis and interpreta‐ will also be told in an untraditional manner that includes puppetry, creative movement, and tion so that the story would be accessible to as many people as possible. Rather than setting the shadow. play in a particular time and place, the stylized set was designed to transcend time and create an en‐ There has been quite a bit of transition in the Fine vironment that anyone could enter with the use Arts department of SFS, and we are thrilled to in‐ troduce the new Facilities Director and Producer of their imagination. Nine hundred audience members came to the two nights of perform‐ of SFS productions, Mr. Darrell Roddick, and the ances many of whom were students studying new Technical Director, Mr. John Black, to you as they have joined us as members of our theatre Twelfth Night in their IB Literature higher level making team. We strongly encourage anyone courses. One of the IB Theatre Arts students, Daniel Tessy, was given the opportunity to com‐ who is in town to attend these performances and pose and perform all the music for the show as a check Edline for further information concerning each show. You are warmly invited to join us at all part of his IB Theater Arts (IBTA) independent of our school performances! project.

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Up Above Your Head

by Melissa Richardson, Choral Director

Picture taken at the APAC Choir Concert in November 2004 at SFS.

Get ready to float, fly, and soar out of your chair at the APAC Choir concert on Sat., November 21st at 6pm in the Lyso Center. The APAC Festival Choir, comprised of singers from high schools in China, Japan, and Korea, will sing “Music of Transcendence.” Their songs will explore the idea of transcen‐ dence—the concept of a parallel real‐ ity that transcends the everyday, ma‐ terial world we see and take for granted. Sometimes called “heaven” and sometimes “the spirit world,” it’s just the name we give to those unex‐ plained longings and dreams we ex‐ perience, and the unspoken realities and spiritual truths which music has always expressed better than words.

APAC Choir was last held at SFS in 2004. It is a rewarding musical experi‐ 14

Caption: Randy Swiggum and Margaret Jenks will visit SFS to conduct the APAC Festival Choir on November 21st at 6pm in the Lyso Center. The concert is free admission and the entire SFS com‐ munity is invited to attend.

ence, as well as a special opportunity Swiggum is returning after having con‐ for our students and families to intro‐ ducted the APAC Orchestra in 2007. duce visitors to Korean culture. In Mr. Swiggum and Ms. Jenks will also addition to singing the Korean folk be working with the curricular music song Toraji Taryung at the concert, the ensembles during their visit, and help‐ ing the SFS bands, choirs, and orches‐ students will be attending Kim Duk Soo’s special PAN performance at the tras prepare for their winter concerts.

They will be staying in Korea to pre‐ Gwanghwamun Art Hall. SFS’s own sent an EARCOS Weekend Workshop Moonlight Choir will be performing two songs at the final concert on Sat., Comprehensive Musicianship Through Nov. 21st at 6pm—one with special Performance on November 28‐29, and Latin choreography by Ms. Hillary Mar‐ any SFS teacher is welcome to attend. shall (SMC Specialist). Come and sup‐ For more information about APAC Choir, please contact Activities Direc‐ port your team! tor Jack Moon, Choir Director Melissa

The guest conductors for the festival Richardson, or Site Director Esther Jun. For more information about the EAR‐ will be Randy Swiggum from the Uni‐ COS workshop, please contact the versity of Wisconsin‐ Madison and Margaret Jenks from the Madison Workshop Coordinator, Christy Farley.

Youth Choirs. The accompanist will be Jen Kim, SFS MS orchestra teacher. Mr.

Connecting SFS Alumni And Faculty June Kang Director of Communications & Development

On September 18th 2009, the first SFS Alumni website was launched. Ini‐ tially, a push email was forwarded to all Alumni in anticipation that some would think to join. To the complete surprise of the Development Office, registrations from Alumni all over the world began taking place, moments after the email notice was made. We were immediately challenged to ap‐ prove of the hundreds of registrations but were able to make timely confir‐ mations to all registrants, totaling 404 today.

Since this website was activated, many alum have commented enthusi‐ astically on the site. It has been ex‐ tremely successful in connecting alumni and former faculty. In the past, an alumni directory which was printed once every two years was used by alumni but limited in its ac‐ countability to provide information for newly‐added alum or information requiring timely revisions/ updates.

While the new site boasts a variety of potential uses, its initial function will serve to generate and establish the connections between alumni, as well as posting and receiving various in‐ formation in real‐time. The Commu‐ nications and Development office will explore many ways in which the site may be helpful in further supporting continuing alumni relations with the school.

An account with Facebook (launched March 11) has helped to establish initial connections between SFS and alumni before the launch of the offi‐ cial alumni website.

Head of School, Dr. John Engstrom, is keen to develop strong relations be‐ tween the school and its alumni. He believes that it is an integral part of any successful school community to be able to honor the past, where alumni naturally represent a great portion of that reality. In a new ef‐ fort to reach out to alumni, Dr. Eng‐ strom and the Director of Communi‐ cations and Development, June Kang, will host three alumni gatherings along the West coast in mid‐February (16th~18th). Both will be visiting San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco, sponsoring dinners to give alumni in the neighboring areas the chance to hear about the developments at the school and also get acquainted with other alumni.

In the meantime, on Wednesday, Oc‐ tober 28th, the first Seoul Alum gath‐ ering was hosted by Dr. Engstrom and his wife Alice, in their residence.

Twenty‐Five alums have attended this gathering and enjoyed getting re‐ connected with SFS and our new Head of School.

We are thrilled with the enthusiasm for our alumni website and encourage alumni to be regular users of this site, getting connected to other alum and also keeping close ties with the school! Please do keep posted on the updates and share your current news to the alumni community, which is now possible on the site!

We continue to look for class year representatives! Please let us know if you would like to be a class represen‐ tative or help out with our 100th Anni‐ versary celebrations!

Please register online at http://alumni.seoulforeign.org

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Moments in SFS History 1970s at SFS

Seoul Foreign School — 1974

Construction of the Korean Gate - 1975

Elementary School in the background—note the grass on the field—early 1970s

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Robb Hall (left), original ES building (right), gym in background

Moments in SFS History

Left: Getting off the bus in style - 1976

Right: SFS Cheerleaders - 1976

I'm one of those alumae from one of the traditionally "missing classes," the class of '64, Fran‐ ces Foreman. I was part of the class present as third graders when Seoul Foreign School re‐opened in 1954 following the Ko‐ rean War. I'm a little late getting around to seeing the March, 2009, Banner. I sure did love to see all the pictures from back in my day. So... there's one belated correction in the captions for the Historical Pictures of SFS on page 20. That first color photo of the one story brick building is the building SFS reopened in and operated from between 1954 and 1958 or 59 when the school spent one school year on the Yonsei University campus in tempo‐ rary quarters before moving into the Yonhidong campus, beauti‐ fully pictured on page 21.

However, the building pictured in color is not Morris Hall. When the school re‐opened in 1954, two classrooms went into opera‐ tion in the building pictured. I don't remember that the building had a name. It was just our school building. Grades 5 through 8

PLEASE NOTE THE ERROR were in the room on the right of the main door (the door down from the door pictured open with a student pictured coming out). Grades 1 through 4 were in the classroom on the left. I was in grade 3. We were the baby boomers; there were about seven of us. There were only two people in the fourth grade, Diane Kilbourne and one other person I can't remember their name right now.

Morris Hall, that first year, was still closed. It was a two story building across the playground. The one story building pictured is facing west. Morris Hall faced south and was much bigger. The whole school used to play a version of dodge volleyball in the "gym" in the attic. For the first year Morris Hall was closed because there was still an unexploded bomb in the basement, as well as the hole it made in the roof and all the floors it fell through. It was refinished and opened for school September 1955.

Frances Foreman Fuller ’64* (now a retired professor from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke).

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Alumni Committee Award 2009

Meganne Benger

The winner of the SFS Alumni Committee Award from the Class of 2009 is Meganne Benger. Meganne came to SFS in 9th grade and is currently attending Trinity Western University in Canada.

The following is the essay that Meganne submitted to the Alumni Committee last spring.

Congratulations, Meganne!!

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Being at Seoul Foreign School has definitely left its imprint on me, a mark that I will carry with me the rest of my life. As a school, SFS is a place that fosters the growth and devel‐ opment of its students, not only academi‐ cally, but physically, socially, and spiritually as well. It provides a supportive environ‐ ment that encourages and allows children to grow and mature. Countless invaluable les‐ sons are taught and learned within its nur‐ turing environment. Being a student here at SFS for the past four years, I have learned more academically than many of my peers back in North America. Although that in it‐ self is important, I believe that it is the life lessons that I have learned and the experi‐ ences I have had outside of the classroom that have become an integral part of who I am as a person. It is these lessons and memories that I will carry with me the rest of my life.

I think that during my time here I have come to realize the incredible blessing that a sup‐ portive community is. Seoul Foreign School is more than just a school, it is a community, one where students, parents and teachers rally together to help those in need. I have come to realize, through my time here at SFS, how extremely important it is to stop and take the time to reach out to others.

Even a tiny, seemingly insignificant gesture of kindness can have a lasting impact on someone’s life.

During my junior year my mom was diag‐ nosed with breast cancer and underwent vigorous treatments. Needless to say it was a great shock for our family and friends, but what really touched me was the reaction of

the SFS community. Within only a few hours, it seemed as though the entire teaching staff at SFS had come together to support our family. We received countless numbers of meals from families willing to give up their time to cook for us. During the time that my mom was having her treatments we re‐ ceived so many flowers, cards and gifts from people in the SFS community. But out of all of these acts of kindness and generosity, the thing that touched me the most, and which has continued to encourage me, was, in fact, one of the smallest. After just having found out about my mom the night before, I re‐ ceived an email from one of my teachers saying, “I just wanted to let you know that I have been praying for you, your family, and especially your mom these last 24 hours and will continue…please let me know if there is anything I can do to help ease your mind and take some bit of stress off of you right now.” Such a simple email meant so much to me, and I continue to look back on it from time to time. We were extremely blessed to be surrounded by such a caring community during our time of hardship.

I must admit that I often find myself so caught up in the speed and constant activity of life that I begin to overlook the needs of others. There are times when I don’t see the hurt or the pain of others because I am too busy trying to juggle all that I have going on in my own life. However, the love of God shown through the SFS community has in‐ spired me to reach out and help others, es‐ pecially during challenging times. I will never forget how even one small gesture of love can mean so much to someone in need.

Alumni Returns

Anne Sibley O’Brien Class of 1970 It all began this past February with a totally unexpected email from June Kang, SFS Director of Communications and Develop‐ ment. I had been selected as SFS Alumni of the Year, she in‐ formed me; would I accept a trip to Seoul to present a student award at graduation? Would I accept?!?

The news got even more amazing when I learned that a family member was also invited. My husband, son and daughter all had full‐time jobs, so I doubted anyone could accompany me, but when our daughter Yunhee explained the opportunity to the medical company where she works doing phone schedul‐ ing, they granted her two weeks of unpaid leave! She and her fiancé Josh took this once‐in‐a‐lifetime chance for an afford‐ able trip and decided to split the cost of a ticket for him as well. So the three of us were off for ten June days in Korea.

My last trip had been in 2000, when I took Yunhee at age four‐ teen for her first return to her homeland since we adopted her at age seven months. Since then, she’d been back twice to stay with my Korean extended family, the final time in 2003 for the sad task of attending my Obbah Jae‐chul’s funeral. Josh, who grew up in up‐state New York, had never been out of the U.S., and only been on a plane once.

The Maine taxi driver who drove us to the airport in the pre‐ dawn hours of Sunday morning was curious about our trip.

Where were we going with all that luggage, including two large boxes of books? “Business trip or religious?” he asked. I ex‐ plained that I’d been invited back to my international school in Seoul, that I was an author‐illustrator bringing books for the workshops I’d be presenting to the elementary students.

Anne Sibley O’Brien (AnneSibleyOBrien.com), SFS Class of 1970, lived in Korea for thirteen years between 1960 and 1977. She attended SFS for part of second and all of third grade, and boarded in the dormitory for all four years of high school.

She has illustrated 28 children’s books, twelve of which she also wrote. Her latest include The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea (KoreanRobinHood.com), which she retold in graphic novel style; and After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance (AfterGandhi.com), a nonfiction book for ages 10 and up which she co‐wrote with her son Perry. All of her websites were built by her brother, Norman (Taz) Sibley (DifferenceMachine.com), SFS Class of 1973.

You can read more about her Korea trip and see photos at her blog, “Coloring Between the Lines,” (coloringbetween.blogspot.com)

“Well,” he pronounced in a solemn tone as he helped us unload on the sidewalk, “I’m sure they’ll appreciate any help you can give them.”

Forty‐eight hours later (including more than twenty‐six en route), as we carried the books through the broad halls of SFS to the elementary library, I couldn’t help thinking of the con‐ trast between the image in that taxi driver’s mind of a goodwill mission to a poor school in Korea and the reality of this gleam‐ ing monument of an educational institution. Compared to schools in Maine, it’s futuristic.

The SFS hill, like all of Seoul, is completely covered with a maze of buildings, a parking garage, retaining walls and narrow lanes, not a bit of open ground anywhere except the athletic field. The school itself is unrecognizable: huge ‐ 1500 students!, with wide marble hallways, high ceilings and glass fronts, state‐ of‐the‐art theaters (two!), two enormous gyms, and the kind of cafeteria you'd expect at an expensive college, with stations for Korean and Western hot entrees, sandwiches, pizza, etc.

(The cashier line has a fingerprint recognition pad to charge staff accounts!) There’s even a Spirit Shop full of SFS merchan‐ dise. The student body is now 60‐70% Asian, mostly Korean‐ American.

While at the school, I stayed in one of the teacher apartments, just up the hill from where the dormitory used to stand. As I stepped out of the apartment on Wednesday, I was greeted by the distinctive "buk‐koo, buk‐koo" of a cuckoo. The next morn‐ ing before dawn, wide awake at 4:45, I heard the rhythmic slap of the night watchman's stick as he made his rounds on the compound.

One evening, elementary librarian Mee Ro took me to dinner in what was once a traditional Korean home (roof beams ex‐ posed), now housing an Italian restaurant owned by a Korean woman and her Swedish husband, in the narrow art gallery street running alongside Kyung‐bok Palace and the Blue House.

It’s a trendy neighborhood with upscale boutiques and West‐ ern‐themed cafes, a church advertising a Praise & Worship ser‐ vice, a street vendor selling sparkly little figurines and charms to hang in cars or on hand phones. The food was gourmet ‐ marinated beet salad with ricotta and walnuts over arugula, tapas of octopus, spinach, and meatball.

19

Mee told me that even rural farmers are taking once‐a‐year group tours to Thailand, Hawaii, Malaysia, so that everyone in the country is exposed to international influences. Right now the taste of young people runs to Western style, and cafes and restaurants have to be boldly designed to attract them. On the surface, I can't see any sign of the economic crisis; everyone appears to be prosperous and consuming with ease. But in the stairway coming up from the underpass near Lotte World, there was still a blind man sitting patiently, a tin for coins on the step in front of him.

When not at SFS, Yunhee, Josh and I stayed with my nephew Jin ‐yong, son of my late brother, in the Jam‐shil high‐rise apart‐ ment that belonged to Obbah, still occupied by his 93‐year‐old adopted mother. It was precious to spend time with Halmoni, a tiny bent lady of 93, lively and opinionated, who scolds me for not teaching Yunhee more Korean and chased Josh out of the kitchen when he tried to help.

Yunhee, Josh and I slept on the floor in one room, our side‐by‐ side yos filling the space. We ate Korean breakfasts once Yun‐ hee had convinced Halmoni she prefers them to bread. Josh was enthusiastic about trying any Korean food he was offered, and delighted everyone with his love for all kinds of kimchi and spicy dishes.

Friday morning we went shopping with Halmoni before leaving for the SFS graduation. The apartment complex, in which their2012‐story building is one of 20 or so, is like a complete town, with shops and tiny parks and an entire elementary school in the center with an athletic field of hard‐packed dirt.

Halmoni takes the scenic route, walking one or two rounds around the tree‐lined outside perimeter of the complex each morning (perhaps a mile and a half), stopping to grab the edge of a bench, straighten her body like a plank, then dip her back into a curve ‐ ten times. The woman is 93! Spending extended time with her ‐ such a lively, bright soul who has seen and suf‐ fered so much and has such humor and playfulness, deep sad‐ ness, devout Buddhist faith, and a lifetime of gathered wisdom which she doesn't hesitate to share ‐ was by far one of the high‐

20

Anne offering presentation to the British School students about her stories

lights of the trip for all of us.

Halmoni took us up to the second floor of Jam‐shil's indoor market, to a small hanbok shop for Yunhee to order her dress for the wedding. The owner was out for a few minutes, so the neighboring proprietors welcomed us, ushered us onto the floor of the shop to sit on cushions, sent a messenger to tell her we were waiting, and brought coffee. Yunhee looked through the catalogs and ordered a gorgeous han‐bok with a gray choguri over a deep rose pink chima, truly elegant. At the su‐ permarket, we browsed the extensive deli section of fresh pan‐ chan and bought a stack ‐ spinach, jap‐chae, bean sprouts, fried fish in egg ‐ and kim‐bap for lunch.

That afternoon, in a bright, clean subway car on the way to Shin ‐Chon to attend SFS graduation, I studied the clothing of the passengers: distressed jeans, t‐shirts, leggings under tunic tops, mini‐skirts, ballet slipper flats and sneakers are all currently in vogue with young people. If I took away the Korean faces, I thought, we could have been in any major U.S. or international city.

Back at SFS before the ceremony, we had time for a short hike up Ansan, the mountain behind the school compound. It’s still mostly natural, though traversed with a network of packed dirt hiking trails, exercise stations with equipment, and small clear‐ ings with roofed platforms where we saw groups of middle‐ aged to elderly people picnicking or playing cards.

We walked across the base of the mountain to the Buddhist temple which is still there, still inhabited (though Halmoni told us that the sect housed there has married priests with chil‐ dren). Some of the buildings are gloriously ancient and un‐ restored, others look like they've had a modern facelift. I fed my eyes ‐ and heart ‐ with the brilliant dan‐chung colors and the beguiling images of angels and hai‐tai, dok‐geh‐bbi and dragons.

On the path to the temple, we had a quintessentially Korean moment when the couple we asked for directions evangelized us in Korean: "Why do you want to go to the temple? Believe only in Jesus. You know Jesus, right? Hallelujah," even modeling a spirited short prayer raised heavenward on our behalf ‐ "Dear God, you have brought us to Korea, please bless our trip .. ."

On Sunday, Halmoni, Jin‐yong, Yunhee, Josh and I left the apart‐ ment in Jin‐yong’s car to drive to Obbah’s gravesite an hour and a half south of Seoul. We turned in at a rest stop with a restaurant, a few shops, and lots of snack stands, including Dunkin' Donuts.

We opted for the boiled potatoes sprinkled with coarse salt, and ho‐ddok, the honey‐and‐sesame‐filled pancake, which weren't half as good as what we hoped to find on the street.

In the town near the memorial park, we stopped for offerings: Jae ‐chul's favorite sweet potato ddok, dried fish, and a small bottle of soju, plus a bright bouquet of fabric flowers. We drove to the site along a paved country lane bordered with white daisies and asters and bright gold coreopsis. Farm plots of tobacco, corn, sweet potato and gochu peppers alternated with rice fields.

There were small orchards of Asian pear with blossoms shaped like pale yellow skirts and chestnut trees in bloom with clusters of fuzzy fronds like exploding fireworks. Tall bushes of fuchsia roses bloomed in abundance. The hillsides were verdant in the late spring, and, as I noticed last trip, covered with full‐leafed foliage that gives them a softness strange to my eye ‐ not Korean hills, which were denuded of trees20in the war. The bare bones line of the exposed ridges defining the horizon was always such an ex‐ pressive aspect of the landscape of my childhood.

At the park we drove round and sometimes straight up the steep mountainside to Jae‐chul's grave on the very top row, with a beautiful overlook over range after range of hills. We each did our bows before the rectangular stone tomb, talked to Jae‐chul and shed some tears. Yunhee introduced Josh, and Jin‐yong said his father approved. We each ate a ricecake and took a sip of the soju. Since I’d had to miss his funeral, it felt so restorative to have this opportunity to touch the sorrow of O‐bbah’s passing, and sense the healing beginning just in the ritual of acknowledging the loss. Afterwards we drove down the hill and had a splendid lunch of kal kuksoo noodles and broth with lots of fresh kimchi.

From the gravesite we drove to a nearby town and caught the train to Taegu, where we were met by old friend Yang‐ja Unni and her family. The next day we continued by train to Pusan, then ferry to Kojedo.

Forty years ago this summer, our family moved to this island with a team of Korean doctors, nurses and staff, to set up an experi‐ mental project in community medicine. The first summer we camped in huge tents on one hill of the 7‐acre peninsula we pur‐ chased for the Koje Community Health Project. There was no electricity and there were no paved roads.

The island is cross‐shaped and mountainous, about 40 miles long, with spectacularly beautiful vistas of inlets, bays and inland wa‐ terways. We built a clinic and a rural public health outreach sys‐ tem to the villages, which were then among Korea’s poorest, home to farmers and fishermen. Today, as a result of two of the world’s largest ship‐building companies, Dae Woo and Samsung, the island has the second highest per capita income in Korea and is a resort destination!

I lived here summers between attending high school at SFS, the year after high school as the Project secretary and accountant,

and for a year and a half after graduating from college, creat‐ ing visual aids for health edu‐ cation, during which time my husband‐to‐be O.B. came from the States as a volunteer to spend nine months with the Project. This was my first re‐ turn in 32 years.

There is now a modern hospi‐ tal serving the island, which honors its connection to the work we did here in the 1970’s. The boat from Pusan to Okpo on the eastern coast, ES students gathered for personal site of the Dae Woo Shipyard, questions after Anne’s workshop in took forty minutes; it used to Robb Hall take two and a half hours to the western side. Okpo, like the other towns we saw, is a thriving center of high‐rise apartments and single‐story homes, wide ave‐ nues and tiny congested back streets. The hills and mountains of the island are covered in deep green foliage, mostly untouched, except for the exposed wounds of excavation for the construction of an island‐hopping bridge to Pusan! The only physical remnants of traditional architecture that I could see, aside from the occa‐ sional roofline, were the Buddhist temples and the ancestor me‐ morial sites, at least one of each of which is found in every town.

Monday night we had a joyful reunion dinner with ten of the for‐ mer Kojedo Project staff members who still live on the island, including a handful of the nurses’ aides who were my peer friends.

At the SFS graduation the week before, asked to say a few words at the presentation of the Alumni Award, I had spoken of the con‐ nection to SFS and circles coming round in my life. My next‐to‐last trip to SFS had been in June 1986, when O.B. and I came with our 4‐year‐old son Perry to pick up our new daughter. We stayed in one of the teacher apartments and got lots of support from for‐ mer MS principal Jonathan Borden and his wife, kindergarten teacher, Soon‐ok (who met on Kojedo when Jonathan, my brother Don’s wife’s brother, came as a volunteer to the Project where Soon‐ok was working as my father’s secretary).

Here I was, twenty‐two years later almost to the day, back at SFS with Yunhee and her future husband. I told the graduates (83 of them, compared to our 18) that their time at SFS and their con‐ nection to Korea would set off ripples that would continue to move through their lives in surprising ways.

What I didn’t know as I spoke was that even as one circle was completing for us with this trip, another was beginning. Yunhee and Josh fell in love with Kojedo and are actively planning to move to Ko‐hyun to teach English when Josh completes his de‐ gree in 2011. The ripples continue.

21

Class Notes 1920s

Evelyn BECKER McCune ‘26/FT with her daughter Heather

At the last Chicago reunion, Alice CROWE Gray ‘47* gave us a picture below of the five little girls. The picture was taken on Louanne’s 10th birthday by her father and the girls were aged around 9 and 10 at that time. At the reunion in Chicago, Alice was not familiar to many younger alums but felt that there was still strong commonality shared among everyone, which I believe all of you feel as well.

www.fissure.tv He has also produced and written a documentary for alums, for David LIVINGSTON ‘71 entitled “Ascending Ladakh” and for his brother‐ in‐law Dr. Sid Allen and husband of Jen‐ etta CHESSHIR Allen ‘59 entitled “Heal the World” Rapha International which are available at www.youtube.com/RandTv7

1980s

1960s

While finding his lost friends through Facebook, Bill LEE ‘80 wrote to provide us Heather McAfee McCune Thompson, Many, many thanks to Brent Burkholder with his contact information. He is mar‐ daughter of Evelyn BECKER McCune ’26/ '69 who needed to clear some space in ried to Trisha who is from New Orleans.

FT informed SFS about her mother’s Between them they have 7 children! He his home and sent to Ruth Richter, For‐ newspaper article on Merced Sun‐Star mer SFS Alumni Coordinator all of his old served 23 years in the USAF until he re‐ newspaper about her mother Eve‐ tired in 2003. Since then he has been in yearbooks, most of which she did not lyn. Evelyn comes from one of the hand‐ have already. If others are so inclined to the Financial Services Industry as an inde‐ ful of American families who have influ‐ donate their memorabilia, SFS is most pendent advisor. enced the understanding of the Korean grateful to receive these things. They can The new alumni website has been very Peninsula for the United States for more be sent directly to Ruth at her home in than a century. Today, she lives with her the U.S. She will be sure they get to SFS. effective in reconnecting lost and new alumni. Nancy PSARTO Isherwood ‘80 daughter in Merced. If you want to read was one of them. She came to SFS as a the full article on Eveyln please visit 1970s third grader in the Fall of 1970 and left in http://www.mercedsunstar.com/115/ Rand CHESSHIR ‘70 is currently an associ‐ either January or February of 1977 as a story/992319.html?storylink=pd freshman. Also, on a very interesting note, ate producer on a newly released film, “FISSURE”. If you want to see the clips of her seventh grade son now attends a pri‐ 1940s the film you can rent at NetFliz or go to vate school in Cleveland, Ohio, owned and run by Charles & Helene DEBLAK FTs who taught at SFS from '75 to '77. What a small world!

We received some news from the BEECHAM family who are now all residing near Toronto, Canada. Rob BEECHAM ’81 is a mortgage broker, his sister Marilyn BEECHAM Fender ’74 is a nurse practitio‐ ner with 4 kids and another sister Sharon BEECHAM Embree ’79 is a school teacher with 2 kids. They are all doing well.

Cont.d…..

22

Pictured from left to right is Margaret AVISON ‘47*, Nancy BARNHARDT, Louanne NOR‐ RIS Smith ‘48*, Grace UNDERWOOD Harkness ‘46* and Alice CROWE Gray ‘47*.

Class Notes Cynthia BROUGHTON Hougardy ‘84* He wrote “I believe free coffee and ba‐ was very delighted to find SFS in Face‐ gels are on Wednesdays, otherwise I book and the new alumni website. In may still have a 3,000 won lunch ticket her brief note of reconnecting with SFS somewhere….” Also Marc hopes to see she explains that she was born in Seoul many friends at the 100th anniversary of and the longest time ever spent in one SFS. house was their home in Kang Nam Won. 1990s She has great memories of Seoul and SFS which she hopes to share with many In the Question and Answer section of of her friends through the online com‐ the Parade magazine of Sunday, Sep‐ munication systems such as the Face‐ tember 6, 2009, the following was spot‐ book and the alumni website. ted: "Question: What is former Jeop‐ The Internet and Facebook have been ardy! champion Ken JENNINGS '92 doing great ways to keep in touch with lost these days? ‐‐ Vivien Dodge, Columbia, alumni and old friends. However, it has SC (NOT an SFS alum!). Answer: We're been extra‐ordinary experience for Marc glad you put that in the form of a ques‐ GEUZINGE ‘86. In October 2007, he got tion! Jennings, who appeared 70‐plus back in touch with Angela JEFFREYS ‘85* times on Jeopardy! and won $3 million, via Facebook and this was developed is now an author and also appears in much more than an old friendship. commercials and on the GSN's Clued In. 'And since as a writer I'm a stay‐at‐ After many phone calls and two trips to home dad, I get to see lots of my kids ‐‐ Canada, Angela and Marc decided to my son is 6, my daughter 2,' Jennings change their lives. Since then Angela tells us. 'It's been a pretty great life post moved to the Netherlands in April of ‐Jeopardy!

2008 and now have been together for more than a year and a half. They often Michael KIM ‘93 is now residing in Sin‐ look forward to going back to Seoul in gapore running a Korean clinic for Ko‐ the near future, and have a walk down rean Expats, numbered to be around the lunch line, to see where it all began! 15,000—20,000, the only of its kind so

far. His son David is starting primary 1 next year and his daughter has turned 3 this year. You could find more pictures of him on his Facebook page!

Lenny KIM ‘94 wrote to us for the first time since graduation from SFS. His fam‐ ily moved from Korea to the Northwest Suburbs of Long Grove, IL some years back. His brothers also SFS alums, Danny ‘98 is studying his masters at Trinity in Pastoral Studies and his youngest brother David ‘09* will be attending as a freshman at UIC starting this fall. Lenny is married to Kay since 2007 and has a daughter names Elisha. Remembering back the good old days, Lenny is so thankful to Mr. Guy DiFRANCO FT for his encouragement to attend Christian pro‐ grams like Vida Nueva, his friend Chan Sook BANG ’95 who always came up to him in the hallways with a smile and said “Jesus loves you”, and Amos LYSO ‘93 who never gave up his hope in God dur‐ ing his recent adversity. He hopes that he gets a chance to see everyone some‐ time soon.

Liselot Eckhardt den Ouden ’95 wrote

Pictured is Liselot ECKHARDT den Ouden ‘95 and Tobias cuddling on the couch

Picture above is a recent picture of Marc GEUZINGE ‘86 and Angela JEFFREYS ‘86* taken in Lake Louise. Picture on the right is Marc and Angela taken at the Prom in 1984!

that she is back at work after four months of maternity leave. She gave birth to her second son Tobias on May 4, 2009. He's a sweet little boy and her family feels really complete now.

Cont.d...

23

Class Notes Lucas, her eldest boy, just turned 3 and is fond of his little brother but also a bit jealous every now and then. That's to be expected. Life has gotten a lot more hectic with her house full of men (even the dog is a male!), but it's lovely as well.

Forwarding his updated contact infor‐ mation Rob WAERSEGERS ‘95* wrote that he is still working for Roche, the biggest change is that he has now com‐ mitted his life to Jesus Christ. He is hap‐ pily married with two wonderful kids Julian, 4 years and Chayenne 7 months.

We received news that Jason TERRERI ‘96* has qualified for the distinction as Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.).

At present, fewer than 10 percent of AAAE’s members throughout the coun‐ try have earned this distinction.

Jason TERRERI ‘96*

SFS family members get together for the wedding of Eugene Borden '98 and his bride Gabrielle Jones on July 11 in Roch‐ ester, New Hampshire. Eugene is work‐ ing as a business systems analyst at Lib‐ erty Mutual in Dover, New Hamp‐ shire. Gabrielle is a high school English teacher in Hampton, New Hampshire. It was great to get together for this happy occasion, especially with so many SFS former teachers and grads to help cele‐ brate!

24

SFS folks included (L to R) Richard Kim ('98), Kyung Min Kim ('98), Michael Natzke FT, Sunny Sun FT, Eugene’s dad Jonathan Borden FT, Phil Knobel FT, Eugene’s mom Soonok Borden FT, Jane Knobel FT, Eugene’s brother Dan Borden ('02), Eugene Borden ('98) and Gabrielle Jones, Darlene Roy FT, Ken Roy FT, Justin Shim husband of Myung Shim FT, Myung Shim, Shan Park ('98), Nathan Hwang ('98), Eddie Hur ('98), Eugene's cousin Polly Jennings Michael FT, and Eugene's uncle Donald Sibley ('69).

2000s

friends, starting life in school etc. and I thought to myself that the guy looks really familiar. So after the speech, I go up to him and ask him if he ever at‐ tended SFS. He looked at me rather stunned and nodded in agreement. I believe his name was Paul… and he graduated the year that I got to SFS. Such a small world!!”

John Choi ‘04 is attending UC Santa Cruz for graduate school and will be going on for a PhD in Electrical Engineering, working on brain machine interfaces.

His lab develops hardware and tech‐ niques for artificial sight restoration and neural trauma rehabilitation. It interests him a lot and he thinks he found some‐ Former Faculty and Board thing that he can enjoy doing for years

to come!

It is with great sadness that we learned Congratulations to Harrison CREECH ‘05 the passing of Rev. Paul BARTLING FB in and Kristen BARENNES ‘06 on their en‐ August 2009 due to complications brought on by Waldenstrom. He re‐ gagement! ceived a call to serve as one of the first Joan PIETERS ‘06 just received her BA Lutheran missionaries to Korea. After 18 from the University College Utrecht and years in Korea, he served as a pastor in is currently working on her masters in Portland, Oregon, and Geneva, Switzer‐ Clinical Psychology this summer. During land. He is survived by his wife, Ruth of her one year exchange program in New 53 years, one son (Victor ‘77*), three York, she actually met up with some daughters (Adiaha ’78*, Amy ’80* and other SFS alumni! She writes about an Hertha ’82*) and nine grandchildren. exciting experience she had in New York.

“All new students were sitting in a huge Cont.d... auditorium and the student president was giving a speech about making

Class Notes Pictured below is a gathering of SFSers in quite excited about. The Barekmans are April as several people were in town for in Abu Dhabi, although the Barekmans the NESA (Near East South Asia) Educa‐ have moved to Campo Alegre in Caracas. tors Conference in Cairo. They organized There is also news that Sunny and Mi‐ a get‐together at a Korean restaurant chael Natzke are moving to Saudi Arabia and all enjoyed some good Korean food, next school year. Jo Jean and her hus‐ reminiscing and reconnecting! Those band DJ is having a great experience in attending were Bob, Kathy, Morgan and Cairo. They enjoy the visits, and step Sean Elliott (now at the American School right back into that special SFS connec‐ of Doha in Qatar), Katelyn Kearney ‘02 tion with each encounter!

Picture from left to right, Jeff HARWOOD FT, Ken JENNINGS ‘92 and Jeff’s student (also at ASD in Qatar) Stephen and Holly Pictured is a too much food, SFS‐style, Michael Laskowski Raatz (American International School ‐ potluck hosted by Jonathan BORDEN Jeff HARWOOD FT (85‐88) forwarded a Riyadh), David Sprague (Qatar Academy FA/FT on September 26th in Shanghai. in Doha, Qatar), Ruth Alexander (British picture of himself, his student Michael Nancy Stubbs and Kurt Kahlenbeck are Laskowski, and Ken JENNINGS ‘92, an SFS International School of Cairo) and her now working at Shanghai Community graduate and perhaps the most famous Schools, Steve and Mary Nurre at Con‐ Jeopardy champion. They all met up at cordia International School, and the re‐ the National Geographic Bee this past mainder at Shanghai American School May in Washington, D.C. Ken was at the Harlan Lyso, SFS former Head of School, Bee interviewing students for his upcom‐ is serving for a year at SAS as interim Su‐ ing book on talented young people and perintendent. geography. Jeff said that he was fortu‐

nate to spend a good deal of time with While trying to update her contact infor‐ Ken, and Ken actually remembered him mation Evy JENKINS FT shared her cur‐ from SFS. Jeff was then his grade 8 advi‐ rent news. Evy is still living and teaching SFS FTs gathered for dinner in Cairo sor and coordinated the weekly Current in North Carolina teaching middle school husband Mohamed Noufal, and Jo Jean English at Westchester Country Day Events competition, which Ken said he regularly attended. Perhaps Ken acquired Schulte and DJ Johnson.

School in High Point. She occasionally some of his Jeopardy skills there! Jeff Jo Jean also provided some updates on gets to see the FULLERs, McCRACKENs, unfortunately never taught Ken. some of our faculty. Ruth Alexander is and ZOLLINHOFFERs at family gatherings

taking a position next year as a principal and weddings.

Muriel DURHAM FT wrote after receiv‐ of a new preschool in Cairo, which she is ing the news of Paul Johnston FA and

finds the Banner very helpful in keeping up with school news, even though it sometimes is a sad one. She is now Muriel DURHAM MORGAN married to John Morgan in 2005 enjoying her work at a local Hong Kong primary school. Her older son Nathan is a marketing execu‐ tive for the West Australian Football Commission, and her younger son Sam‐ uel gained a Higher Diploma in Digital Animation and Creative Media, with Merit, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is also studying Canton‐ ese. The family hopes to stay in Hong Kong for at least three more years.

Back row L-R: Greg Harder, Steve Nakai, Harlan Lyso, Lynnette Kyle, Steve Nurre, Justin

Wild, Jonathan Borden. Front row L-R: Nancy Stubbs, Stacie Nakai, Soon-ok Borden, Veronica Shin, Mary Nurre, Kurt Kahlenbeck, Julie Wild (wife of Justin), Mary Lyso.

25

Alumni Campus Visits

Mike ‘71* and Ayling Wei ’72 Cornett Ayling and I thank you for the SFS tour ing of recognition came over me as I looked down the hallway lined with on the 10th of June. We were very much overwhelmed by the phenome‐ lockers, in fact the same hallway and the same lockers that were there in nal change and progress in Korea in my senior year in 1971. We got what the 36 years since we left in 1973. The changes at SFS were good we came there for, something to vali‐ to see as well, if a little bit disconcert‐ date our memories and the feeling of ing. You never know to what extent coming around full circle. At the end you can trust your own memory. For of the tour you took us to the back of me, the first moment of recognition the elementary school and showed us was when the cab driver turned up to the gate through the Yonsei woods the hill toward SFS from the Yonhi – pretty much the same as they Dong side. I remember once in my were. And we walked the old familiar senior year trying to negotiate that hill trail down through the campus to the in my Father’s old Toyota Land Cruiser railroad trestle where we got caught in thick snow and ice – something up in a student demonstration and got about the way the road curved around tear gassed in 1969. It brought back the hill and the particular slope of the so many memories. We’ve been back hill came back to me. But beyond that, in Colorado a full month now, and I’m once we got up to the school itself, just now starting to sort my thoughts everything was so different I was be‐ out about it.

ginning to wonder if there was any‐ We spent two full weeks in Korea, thing left of what was. Then by chance we walked into the lobby of staying with Ayling’s cousin Su Bok at the High School, and this strange feel‐ Youido in Seoul. We owe her a great

debt of thanks for putting us up and guiding us to the most practical ways to get around. We traveled the entire country by bus and train, hitting every province except for Jeju Do. Our trip was long overdue, and an experience we will not forget.

Thank you again for your warm wel‐ come and the SFS tour!

SAVE THE DATE FOR UPCOMING SFS REUNIONS!!

Please check our alumni website http://alumni.seoulforeign.org for upcoming regional SFS reunions and details.

SFS Alumni and Faculty West‐Coast Reunions February 16, 2009—San Diego February 17, 2009—Los Angeles February 18, 2009—San Francisco

SFS Faculty Reunion ‐ Yakima, Washington Next summer (July 2010) we, Mary and Harlan Lyso, will be hosting a gathering of SFS faculty members (former and current) at our home in Yakima, Washington. While several of the details have yet to be worked out, we recognize that people make plans far in advance and wanted you to be aware of our plans early on in the hope that you will in‐ clude this “faculty reunion” in your 2010 summer plans. Later we will be sending out more detailed information about the weekend (9 – 11 July 2010) that will include flights into Yakima, hotel options, car rental possibilities, special events (dinners, options for those who are interested in winery tours, floating the Yakima River, playing golf, etc.) For now we’d ask only that you put these dates on your calendar and seriously consider joining us for a weekend of reminiscing, renewing friendships and enjoying the sun and great weather that always characterize a Yakima, Washington, sum‐ mer. If interested please contact marylyso@gmail.com for more details.

26

Alumni Campus Visits

Richard (RD) MACKOY ‘74* In the morning of October 15th, a phone call was made to the Communi‐ cations & Development Office request‐ ing a campus tour by an alumnus visit‐ ing the school campus. After 40 years, alum Richard MACKOY ’74* returned to SFS to bring back his memories from the past. Richard and his four siblings attended SFS in the 60s and 70s. His three brothers Robert ’70, Mi‐ chael, Stuart and his younger sisters all attended SFS at that time. Richard now calls himself, RD. He stopped by SFS during a one day visit to Seoul on his way to a business trip in Russia. He was surprised and shocked to see the SFS campus so drastically changed over the past four decades. It was not only the SFS campus, but also Yonhi‐ dong and Seoul overall therefore no longer the old place that he used to live in. Despite the changes he was very happy to see the soccer field in the same original place and the high school building remaining the same. It was here at SFS that he first learned to play soccer which he enjoys playing to this day. He also remembers his friend Cobb LASITER ‘69 who used to get into trouble from the high school teachers

throwing baseball across the high school building.

While touring the gym, he related an interesting story and those who were at that time might re‐ member this Richard MACKOY ‘74* with June KANG, SFS Director of incident. It Communications & Development was sometime back in 1969 longer have), Taechon beach, rice pad‐ or 1970 that Chris Baker and Bob Mackoy (his older brother) with coach dies all over Yonhi‐dong, people carry‐ Balkcom won a basketball game for ing honey‐buckets and ox‐carts, and interestingly that the current SFS back the first time in so many years with Seoul American High School (SAHS). It gate to Yonsei University was the main gate at that time. was the first time they got the confi‐ dence that they every beat SAHS!! RD even met with Edie RADER Moon ‘77/ His favorite faculty member was Mr. current teacher and shared their SFS Otis Balkcom (HS Principal), Mr. Kim commonalities from the past. He also (HS Soccer Coach) and Mr. Dick Un‐ enjoyed a cup of coffee even though derwood. RD hopes to get connected his visit was on a Thursday.. And not with his old friends via the new alumni website and will continue to be a good Wednesday! supporter for SFS in the future.

RD also explained about the boarding

facilities on campus (which we no

To All Alumni!!

• • •

Want a Campus Visit?

Want to let us know how you are doing?

Want to share alumni news?

Please contact or submit news to:

Communications & Development Office June Kang (Director) at jkang@seoulforeign.org or Yoojin Um (Manager) at yjum@seoulforeign.org

27

SFS Yesterday (with apology to the Beatles)

Yesterday war made lots of students go away There was no‐one left to graduate From SFS of yesterday

It was good when our school was filled with Underwoods And we always played with hoola hoops Yesterday when it was good

Teachers had glasses with thick frames and their hair was slick They said be quiet and hit kids with a big stick

Yesterday bombing almost blew our school away And then we found a new place to stay And this is where we are today

Yesterday we new teachers tried to find our way Now together we’ll get underway Together we will seize the day Together we will seize the day

Lyrics composed by new Faculty as part of Dr. Engstrom’s efforts to honor the past and history of SFS during new faculty orientation.