48 minute read
From the Head of School and Board Chair
Dear SFS Community,
From the Head of School
God bless,
Colm Flanagan Head of School
THE BANNER Seoul Foreign School Magazine, Fall 2022
Team
Published by: Seoul Foreign School External Relations Team Editor-in-chief: Cyrielle Bazin Design and Photography: Juhie Suh Collaborators: Yoojin Um, Eric De Haan, Pauline Kim, Julia Church, Andrew Freeman, John Kett, Caroline Law, Jia Dunsby, John Striffler, Jean Kim, Paul Kim, Grace Miller, Piotr Kocyk, Michelle Kim, Nicole Cook, Katy Freeman
Address
Seoul Foreign School 39 Yeonhui-ro 22-gil Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu Seoul, South Korea, 03723 www.seoulforeign.org
Unless otherwise noted, articles may be reprinted without permission - as long as they are not edited or revised - with appropriate credit given to “The Banner, the magazine for Seoul Foreign School.”
*All efforts have been made to check details and consistency. Please contact communications@ seoulforeign.org with any questions.
Cover: Our Elementary School community celebrated Korea’s rich heritage and culture this week during the annual Korea Days.
From the Board Chair
Dear SFS Community,
The academic year 2022-2023 started full of expectations for our community. The Korean authorities lifted COVID testing and restrictions on most in-person events, and the school began to feel alive. As we approached the fall break, the heartbreaking tragedy in Itaewon reminded us of the fragility of human beings: we suffer in isolation, and we can suffer when we are finally all together. This tragedy did not directly touch us, but we felt it very closely as the victims were young adults and resembled our community. Our thoughts and prayers go to the families impacted by the tragedy, and we have committed to help anyone in need in the following weeks.
I wanted to use this space in the Banner to help our community understand the uniqueness of governance at Seoul Foreign School. We are a genuinely independent not-for-profit organization in Seoul. A governing body for Seoul Foreign School has existed since early 1920. It has remained independent in its governance and has ensured that every amount spent by parents goes only to benefit their children's education. Governance at SFS is comprised mainly of parents of current students or alums. Some of our members are themselves alums that give their time to help the administration fulfill our mission statement, which is to deliver an exceptional education that reverberates with a Christian ethos that instills respect, humbleness and acceptance of everyone.
Please find more information on our website(QR code on the right). We always look for volunteers and will advertise for available positions in January.
Sincerely,
Seoul Foreign School Governance Structure
Foundation/Jaedan
7 Trustees and 2 Auditors
• Preservation (Christian nature and educational mission of the school) • Nomination of Governors
Delegate Governance
Board of Governors
13 Members
• Formulates policies • Fiscal oversight • Develop long range strategic and financial plans to ensure stability for the future • Financial (Fundraising) • Legal (Title)
• Hires and oversees the Head of School • Collaborate with administration to ensure continuous improvement
Dr. Silvia Ratto Kim Chair of the Board of Governors
FINDING YOUR TRIBE
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BEYONG BELONGING
An Interview with Fred Underwood, Class of 1972
We had the privilege of interviewing one of Seoul Foreign School’s earliest graduates—Fred Underwood, Class of 1972. Fred’s father, Richard Underwood, was the first principal at the school, a time when the high school was still being built.
Before Seoul Foreign School had its infamous hill (with the even more infamous morning bumper-to-bumper traffic uphill) and a sprawling, beautiful campus with an elementary school, middle school, high school and British school, the Yeonhui-dong neighborhood had humble beginnings, with the school being surrounded by rice fields. In part due to Yonsei University, a small group of foreigners in the area formed a community that also later grew into what became the students, families and faculty who made up the SFS community. It was a small, tight knit group where, according to Fred, “if you did something, you were pretty much found out.”
Fred Underwood grew up at Seoul Foreign School in the 1960s and 70s, attending from kindergarten to high school (except for third grade and junior year). Because of this, he experienced the overlap of the school community and his own church community on a deeper level. During school breaks, his family would spend their time at Daecheon Beach on the western coast of Korea in Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do Province, where some teachers and other families also spent their summers.
“[This] one group that went to Seoul Foreign School went to Seoul Union Church, so we would see each other all the time. And that community and this whole foreign school community from my era overlaps enough that we [built] on each other… [The] parents of some of our friends, or sometimes [our] teachers would be involved with teaching you how to swim, or how to identify the stars, or what the shells were… And it was just a great affirmation of the same community that you are [a] part of here. And because it was connected a lot by missionaries, it helps you see that, oh, Seoul Foreign School is part of what, you know what connects us.”
And while there were many times he felt affirmed that he was a part of the SFS community, one of the major challenges that he faced was having a confident sense of identity and belonging, which he saw other alums come after him also struggle with during their times of reflection at various school reunions over the years.
“I think [not being] in your home culture, or even if you are in your home culture, you've been elsewhere enough that finding that home is difficult. So [communities like] SFS become a way of building your identity. Seeing that that same sense of identity being formed in the school was very similar [for other alums].”
This sense of identity and belonging was bound by the one common factor every student or faculty member had—that everyone had the Seoul Foreign School experience which came with all the nuances of cultural integration and racial differences due to its unique nature as an international school in Korea. And it also came with some instability—because people were always coming in and out of the community, moving from one country to another, it was difficult to stay connected.
But he also attributed this transiency and diversity he was so used to seeing as later being one of the things that equipped him the most, in his career and his ability to build relationships wherever he went. Growing up within a community full of people from all different backgrounds, religions and cultures later turned out to be one of his greatest strengths. He naturally took cues from his Third Culture Kid experience, which seamlessly transitioned him to work in a field that was shifting to be more inclusive, especially as it pertained to a diversity of racial, social or ethnic backgrounds.
High School students on the jungle gym in 1972. Fred with the long-lasting jungle gym in the playground which seems to be the only thing that's remaining from his time at SFS.
“Throughout my career, working with different populations and being able to… It’s that sort of feeling you get as a Third Culture [Kid] that well, I’m not really part of it, but I want to listen and take my cues and try to understand and see where I can fit in.”
Fred worked in real estate, but specifically in diversity and inclusion, also called equity work—making sure that the industry was including a more diverse group of people to “better reflect the consumers it was serving.” It was after getting his Masters in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago that Fred settled in the city of Chicago, Illinois, a very dynamic and “ethnically identifiable” city. Real estate in the U.S. was known to be highly segregated, and there were many grassroots community activities going on in Chicago at the time, where “the dynamics of race and racial change” was showing its effects in the political sphere.
Early on, Fred noticed that most of the professional real estate community was 95-96% white, during the early 1990s, when the U.S. population was around 70% white, and he started engaging largely with the African American communities in these grassroots movements. He served on the National Association of Realtors in the United States as the Director of Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion from 1990-2021, “bringing people into the decision-making and leadership of the association,” and has extensive experience helping to form identity based groups, including those Asian American and LGBTQ+ professionals. Prior to that role, Fred worked as an Equal Opportunity Specialist at the Chicago Regional Office for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, also coordinating the Fair Housing Program for the City of Evanston, Illinois.
The experience of community that Fred had at Seoul Foreign School was one that carried into his livelihood—one that championed diversity and placed value on inclusion. Fred’s community, and the way he viewed that community, ultimately helped propel him towards a path of being at the center of important conversations surrounding diversity and inclusion. Fred’s willingness to look outside the real estate circle he belonged to, in part came from a place of being exposed to people of diverse backgrounds and the sense of belonging within his community at SFS.
“If we want to really understand Community, we have to look just outside our circle, and see who else is here. And who's not. [Identifying] who's not at the table, who's not talking, you know, part of the decision-making.”
It’s when we are open enough to look beyond our comfort zones that we can eventually affect change, as Fred did during his career. For Fred, his background and community helped shape the lens with which he saw the world, one that was beyond just simply belonging somewhere, but one that was challenging and inspiring.
“I would hope that SFS [would] really build on the special gift that you have as a student, as a person, a child that's grown up in another culture that's not your own, and what it gives you because it takes a lot away from you… When I was in my twenties, I definitely didn't really feel like I belonged anywhere. I felt like a newcomer everywhere I went, but the strength that it brings you [is] the strength to identify with others.” 19 12
PORTRAITS OF A COMMUNITY
OUR HEROES
DON'T WEAR CAPES, THEY WEAR SCRUBS
By Julia Church
Early Childhood Teacher
COVID has been challenging for all of us, notwithstanding our very youngest. On this occasion our nursing team supported my very fearful young student with empathy, compassion, patience and skill. This is something they always do, and something I regularly appreciate. I have no doubt that dealing with COVID has been very stressful on our school medical team. They have had to make difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions, and are now picking up the pieces COVID has left behind.
Afew weeks ago I had to walk Coralie, one of my PreK-2 students, to the health office after she bumped her chin and bit the inside of her mouth in the playground. When we stepped into the health office, Coralie took one look at the nursing staff in their full protective gear and broke down into a panicky cry. She tried to climb up my leg while simultaneously trying to get to the door. I needed to take her outside to the soccer field to distract her and help her feel calm again. After some time outside watching the older children play soccer, Coralie began to settle down. At this point Nurse Yoon came out. Coralie saw her and began to cry again. Nurse Yoon showed us a little stuffed monkey and put it down on the ground a few meters away. Then she invited us to pick up and play with the monkey, after which she retreated back to the office. We promptly picked up the monkey and sat down on the stairs together. A few minutes later, Nurse Yoon came back out, but this time with a toy train. She explained to us that we were welcome to play with the train, but asked for the monkey back because the monkey needed a bandaid. We walked over to her, gave her the monkey and picked up the train.
A little while later Nurse Yoon came back out holding the monkey with a little bandaid on his belly. She also had a wide popsicle stick. When Coralie saw the stick, she started to panic again. Nurse Yoon handed the stick to her for her to look at it. With shaking hands, Coralie took the popsicle stick and tried to put it up her nose. This confirmed my suspicion that when she saw the nurses she thought she was getting a COVID test. We promptly explained to her that we were not going to touch her nose today, but that Nurse Yoon just wanted to use it to check inside her mouth to see where she was hurt. After this Coralie allowed me to look inside her mouth with the nurse looking in from behind me. We could see that her mouth and teeth were ok, so Nurse Yoon gave me a wipe to clean Coralie’s chin and a bandaid to cover the wound, after which I told her that we were all done, and Coralie repeated, "All done? All done?" We said goodbye to Nurse Yoon and turned to walk up the stairs back to class. As we walked, we looked over to see the whole team of school nurses happily waving at us through the Health office window.
COVID has been challenging for all of us, notwithstanding our very youngest. I have seen an increase of fear of nurses, dentists, hospitals and doctor's offices in my PreK-2 students as a result of the many COVID tests our young children have had to experience. On this occasion our nursing team supported my very fearful young student with empathy, compassion, patience and skill. This is something they always do, and something I regularly appreciate. I have no doubt that dealing with COVID has been very stressful on our school medical team. They have had to make difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions, and are now picking up the pieces COVID has left behind. I am so grateful to have such wonderful professionals support us in normal times, as well as through the challenges of the pandemic. When you see Dr Lah, Nurse Yoon, Nurse Kye and Nurse Kim, whether in their office, or outside of it, I encourage you to give them a big thank you for all that they have done, and continue to do to take such great care of us. 19 12
BRINGING BACK COMMUNITY
REFLECTIONS FROM SFS BRITISH SCHOOL
While “bringing back community” is a simple enough concept to understand, it means something deeply different to each of us, and how we create meaningful connections can take different forms: seating on the Friendship Bench, going on a school trip, being part of a sports team… Students, faculty and staff from the Seoul Foreign School - British School reflect on what “Bringing back Community” means to them and the lessons they drew from the pandemic.
Coming together Opportunities crafted Making real Moving perspectives Uplifting others Needs supported Including all Together stronger Yes, Seoul Foreign [British] School Andrew Freeman Principal
If you have ever joined one of my Zoom sessions you may have noticed what my password is, such is the importance of the word and what it means to us at Seoul Foreign British School. Yes, you’re right, it is: Community (Whilst it is an important word to me, I don’t use it anywhere else as a password, just in case you were wondering.)
Every single one of us is part of one community or another. There are ones we choose to be a part of and ones we find ourselves in, for better or worse. An alum, John Chae, came to visit British School students recently to talk about his life and work with orphaned children here in Seoul. For those children, a prior community they were part of was not there anymore or was not working for them and so they had no choice but to join a new community, the orphanage. In sharing stories of some of the children he cared for, he reminded us that “we are all only one circumstance away” from events bringing us into a different situation and, potentially, a new community.
So, community is important. It shapes who we are today and who we will be tomorrow. One circumstance can change our lives, the community we are part of and who we will be in the future. That is why, at Seoul Foreign British School, I encourage us to all put each other first and be a connected community. Using our values to guide who we are together. Being united in what we are trying to achieve. Dealing with challenges or differences with respect. Crafting circumstances for us to be of service to each other. Making the most of the circumstances that we are currently living in.
Can we be better? We can always be better. We make mistakes. We learn. We grow. However, the family and community at Seoul Foreign British School and at SFS work together to allow us to do that; our Community, our password to who we will be tomorrow.
TEN-MINUTE TUESDAYS IN PRAYER
John Kett Assistant Principal
While running along leafy lanes just outside of Chattanooga this summer, I was praying about the year to come at school and God put Prayer on my heart. The seed was sown to set up a prayer group at the school. Something small to start with. See what grows.
The seed of this idea nearly died before it even had time to be planted. The energy that comes with a new school year pushed the idea further and further down my list of things to do, until an invitation for a chat with Jean Kim reminded me of what God was stirring on that run. Jean had also heard God speaking during the summer. “It’s all about prayer – that’s what makes the difference.”
‘Ten-minute Tuesdays in Prayer’ does what it says on the tin. Ten minutes. Every Tuesday. Praying together in the British School. Praying for each other. Praying for Seoul Foreign School. Responding to prayer requests that come through on the Google form. And just like a seed, slowly growing. Two people the first week. Then three. Four. Five. Last week there were six of us. “This is the best ten minutes of my week,” said one member of the group. Amen to that.
Impact is not always measured by size. I am so thankful for Ten-minute Tuesdays in Prayer and am thankful for how this community is blessed and, I pray, being a blessing to Seoul.
UNIT 1 LEARNING
Jamie Juhyun Oh Year 9
During Unit 1 of this year’s learning, we have been focusing on the key word ‘Community’. The definition of community is, “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common”. This definition emphasises that community is a place where everyone accepts one another, and comes together with the same intentions, which links to our Big Idea, ‘Appreciating our differences results in a shared sense of belonging’. During this unit in English, we have been learning about dystopian novels, which depict exaggerated worst-case scenarios of the world, where dictatorship prohibits freedom and individual rights. This made me think about how our school community is utopian in a lot of ways, as SFBS allows freedom, brings people of different nationalities and identities together, and sends love and care to anyone, regardless of who they are.
NANUMI
Hannah Tomes Year 9
To me, community is when everyone respects and supports one another. Or in the words of our Unit 1 big idea, “appreciating our differences results in a shared sense of belonging”. During the summer, I volunteered at a soup kitchen called Nanumi. It was a memorable experience to see how many homeless people there were and how some of them don’t look homeless at all. I don’t think we could’ve ever done this during the pandemic, but helping out as soon as we could and as often as we can really does help you create a sense of community between yourselves and the people who are receiving your help. Seeing the happy faces while they ate and how grateful they looked did make the 3 hours of standing up worth it. As well as British Schoolers there were students from the High School and Middle School, as well as parents helping out, and this alone created a diverse sense of community and I was surprised by how many similarities we had. This was a really great and memorable experience that I will cherish for a long time so I recommend it to anyone who is willing to do it; it honestly doesn’t feel like work when you see how much you’re helping a person and how happy it makes them.
BRITISH SCHOOL PLAYGROUND
Emily Kim Year 9
The new British School playground has really opened up an area to socialise and hang out, which is even more important considering the impact of the pandemic. I've been at SFBS for 8 years and the playground has never been more accessible. It is full of opportunities, fun and colour. The new playground has done nothing but good for us, and it's appealing to not only younger primary kids but to older ages leading up to middle years too. I feel that this playground has created a more positive environment for the British School community and has played a big part in bringing our community closer together. This new playground is creating safe, fun areas for all ages and I always see children (even from other parts of the school) running around and having fun in the new playground. The new playground has helped many new (and old) students find a sense of belonging and make new friends and has had a significant positive impact on all of us at the British School. I would like to thank everyone who made this possible.
ATHLETICS
Sebi Kim Year 9
As the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic started to rise, our British School community started to spread out in our own directions, back to our home countries or behind the screen. We as students started to get tired of waking up in the morning just to join our daily zoom calls all day, everyday. Living in an uncertain and constantly changing environment for two years has helped us learn to appreciate our community and our inperson school days.
This school year, as amazing opportunities have started to open up again, I have been able to make friends and meet new people from different schools through a range of sports and clubs. Last week I was able to attend my first ever cross country jamboree and, for the first time post-Covid, I felt like I belonged to the SFS community, both as an athlete and as a student. As I stood behind the starting line waiting to run, I realized how proud and thankful I was to be able to learn in a diverse and passionate school environment.
After the race had ended, a whirlwind of emotions had hit me abruptly. I was more than excited to tell my closest friends and family that I had finished first, but more importantly, I was amazed by how everyone on the team pushed to reach the end even after all of the ups and downs we had in practice. My first jamboree experience showed me how strong our community was tied together and how thankful to be in the SFS community.
BRITISH SCHOOL SOCIAL LEADERS (BSSL)
Young Park Year 9
During the beginning of the pandemic, the Covid numbers in the US were going up rapidly and, therefore, my family made a choice to come to Korea and SFBS. The first year in SFS was kind of new and awkward for me because I didn’t have any friends nor teachers I knew of. Thankfully, I was able to adjust to my new environment through BSSL. Throughout the year, we were asked to communicate with our groupmates to work on sending videos to teach orphans English. Since English wasn’t their mother tongue, we had to teach them basic English phrases such as “hello” and “how are you?”. One of the most embarrassing things we had to do was to take a video of us singing together “hello” while dancing. All in all, BSSL helped me to transition to a new environment and the best part was that I got to make new friends in a new school.
BADMINTON
Grace Baek Year 9
Ever since the start of August 2022, my SFBS experience in sports has changed significantly. Activities such as KAIAC and MY SELECT Badminton were previously only inter-school activities, as competitions with other international schools were highly restricted and mostly not allowed after COVID-19 started. But this year, in KAIAC, we were able to do a Jamboree with other international schools in Korea! Also, last year’s KAIAC Badminton used to be very segregated between the British School and Middle school. Last year, we were only able to play within a very limited number of people, and there was no competition with other schools whatsoever, so our skills didn’t improve as much. However this year, the badminton experience took a 180 degree turn, at least for me. We were able to perfect our skills and play with a variety of people from Middle School, British School, and even High School who all had the same interest. And the fact that we were able to connect with other people outside of the British School and play sports together brought back such a strong sense of community. This has helped me make more friends, play with people above my skill level, as well as learning many new skills from experienced players in High School. A few weeks later, we are going to do a Jamboree with Chadwick! I am so ecstatic as this is going to be my first competition outside of SFS. Overall, I am genuinely really glad that the SFBS community reunited again and I’m sure that as the year progresses, there are going to be even more opportunities coming our way.
BRITISH SCHOOL HEAD STUDENTS
Junseo Lee Year 9
During the past year there have been so many changes in such a short amount of time that I don’t think I have been able to truly appreciate the British School community. I personally believe that the changes regarding the head students [electing three students instead of two, with one responsible for the care of each Key Stage 3 year group] was a good decision because it unlocked so many opportunities for ideas and opinions to be voiced and shared from all year groups. Becoming a head student myself is going to be one of my biggest achievements this year and I am constantly learning and developing new skills that I am sure will help me in the future. There are a variety of different skills that I learnt throughout my time at SFBS, and the core values will always be a big part of my time here. My ability to collaborate and communicate with peers has significantly increased since I first joined this school; I have learnt how to respect people, not just teachers but other students as well; I have learnt how to be courageous and take risks from time to time, how to reflect on my past decisions and experiences, and learnt to reflect on what I can do better next time I face the same problem. Through this position as head student I have had the chance to communicate with so many different members of the SFBS community and it has really shown me how much the teachers and the school in general care about us students’ wellbeing and our school lives. I believe that community is and always will be a very important part of SFBS and I wish for the future generations to be able to experience the same welcoming, safe environment I had the pleasure of being in.
NEW STUDENT/ FOBISIA
Yuni Lee Year 8
To me, community is when everyone is working as one, with each individual united with each other. This is my first year of SFBS and I already feel so safe and welcomed everywhere I go. On campus, I feel that I am a part of this community and I have felt this since the time I first stepped into the classroom. In my recent FOBISIA trip, I bonded with a lot of friends in my year and the Year 9s and I really enjoyed every moment throughout the whole trip. If I had to pick a few of them, it would be spending time together watching the fireworks, eating together in the Taco place and eating breakfast with everyone. It was very fun when our team and the NLCS team stretched all together in a circle as well, and cheering for each other was super fun. I have definitely created a great memory which I will always look back on and smile whenever I think about this amazing trip.
FOBISIA U15
SiHyun Park Year 9
Recently, I have joined the U15 FOBISIA team and I started the training for basketball, swimming, soccer, and athletics. Last year, a large majority of my friends did FOBISIA and I was able to cheer them on when they competed against two other teams from other schools. The whole competition seemed like an opportunity to try out different sports and build a community with a team, and so I joined the squad.
Immediately after attending the first session, I felt welcomed and embraced by my peers, some of which I knew as they were already a part of my Year 9 community, and some I knew less well. We got along well and were able to accomplish the sports as a team. We still went through some losses when we practiced against other teams in the school or each other, however, throughout the whole process, our whole team was in support of one another. We respected and communicated with each other which led us to work better as a whole.
“Teamwork makes the dream work.”
As cliche as that may sound, through the U15 FOBISIA team I was able to feel like I had uncovered the true meaning of teamwork with my peers as we all played a major and important role in creating this new community that we all became a part of.
ASSEMBLIES
Junseo Lee Year 9
We have recently begun to have assemblies again in SFBS. They are really influential and I feel that the presenters are simply amazing. Recently, John Chae, an SFS alumni working and running an orphanage, gave a presentation that was truly heartwarming. He talked about his childhood and about how his family supported abandoned children. Though scared to admit this to his friends at first, he eventually gained the courage to help out his community and asked other students to help out the orphanage. This happened with no regrets for him; he now runs his family’s orphanage and is taking care of many children who he hopes to give the opportunity of bright futures. He talked about his struggles to run the orphanage and the tragedies that occur there, but even if there are sad times and even if there are moments that make him cry, he still pursues and does not give up on the responsibility that he has. His presentation was certainly very influential to the audience and he even shed some tears whilst presenting. I believe that these are the people that will change our world for the better and create a better community for everyone.
FOBISIA U15 Team.
FOBISIA
Steven Chung Year 8
This year, I had the opportunity to join a sports competition held by Fobisia. While there, I learned the importance of community by working together with my teammates and communicating with friends and teachers.
In FOBISIA, I learned that teamwork within our community can help boost our confidence. My team’s confidence was at an all time low during a match. The opposing team was much older than us, making them physically stronger than most of the players on our team. However, after we figured out our tempo and started to pass the ball better, we found better ways to consistently score goals as a team. The key was to work together and hustle as a team. This strong teamwork helped us become more confident in our future matches too. I learned that teamwork is the best way to unify a group.
Secondly, I learned the importance of communication in a community. It's not only important to communicate with your teammates, but it is also very important to communicate with the teachers. One of my friends had suddenly collapsed during a race due to low blood sugar. I quickly ran over to help my friend while some other students went and reported the accident to the teachers. Soon, our teachers ran over to assist. If we had not communicated in that situation, we wouldn’t have been able to help my friend as quickly as we did. To help each other in a community, communication is crucial.
FOBISIA
Zoe Davey Year 9
This year we are going to travel to Jeju for the FOBISIA competition. Our team has 20 people, 10 girls and 10 boys. During the competition we only play against our gender in a series of 4 different sports; basketball, soccer, swimming and track and field. Last year my team (the girls) tied first with the other team (NLCS) and the boys came second. This year it’s different because instead of having people come to SFS, we’re going to Jeju. We’ve been training for about 2 months now and we’ve improved immensely and we’ve bonded as a team. Everybody has come out of their shells and shown their strengths and improved on their weaknesses. I hope that when we go to Jeju everybody has a great time and gets to show off how hard we’ve all been working at training. This experience has been really good for building community and making friends because I got to talk with kids in the younger years and bond with them over sports. It's been an amazing experience and I’m very grateful that I have been able to be a part of it and that I get to co-captain the team while we go to Jeju.
TIRE SWING
Soon Shin - Year 9
In May 2022, my good friend Yuna and I started a mission to save the British School tire swing. As many people may already know, the British School playground has recently been renovated over the summer of 2022. The tire swing was not in the original plan of the new playground, therefore the thought of losing it brought a lot of students’ attention. As a person who grew up in SFBS from Foundation to current Year 9, I have gotten very attached to the tire swing as it has been a big part of my childhood. When we were informed that it would be removed, my partner and I knew that this was the mission that we would be taking on. We soon realised that we haven’t had a school gathering in a while and decided to start a fundraiser using events that would catch people's attention. Eventually we were able to plan many events where we could raise money, such as an end of the year party including a basketball tournament, pizza, prizes and a bake sale. On other days we had free dress and more bake sales. To me, community means feeling a shared sense of belonging where everyone can come together as a whole. Especially during the pandemic we were unable to enjoy many special events, therefore it meant a lot to me being able to work on this project whilst saving our tire swing, and we are proud that this now has a place in the new British School playground.
AFTERMATH OF VIRTUAL LEARNING
Zoe Greenhalgh - Year 9
What I think has helped me build a community is Virtual Learning. I realise that it sounds rather far-fetched, but you see, it isn’t Virtual Learning itself that has helped me build a community; it is the afterthought of it. As you probably all know, the pandemic forced us to go on Virtual Learning for quite some time. The endless hours on Zoom and only being able to see friends on video chats had quite the impact on our lives, not to mention the communities that we were still a part of. Now, Virtual Learning is a thing of the past however the experience remains a valuable treasure. That experience has made me more appreciative of the communities that I was and am a part of therefore has helped me build up those communities. In my opinion, the new British School playground, so bright and colourful, is the perfect place to be with those communities. Benches, nets and other equipment help the communities thrive presenting us with places to talk with each other, play or hang out. With the school campus being so large, there are an infinite amount of places that help us build and thrive the communities which we are a part of. To me, a community is a diverse group of people that share a common interest. Although we are all a part of the SFS community, it then narrows down to smaller communities: the school section, class, friends and so on. So next time you get together with a community of yours, think about what helps build it up. For me, it is the appreciation of being able to be with them in person and places that the campus provides to help these communities thrive.
AT THE BRITISH EMBASSY
Caroline Law Year 9 Homeroom teacher
In June 2020, the close of our last academic year, our graduating Year 9 class were proud to attend their leavers event at the British Embassy in Seoul. Mr Freeman, Mr Kett, Mr Lozneanu and myself were extremely proud to see our British School students present themselves with such maturity, responsibility and respect during this event, especially considering the significant social restrictions they had experienced during the majority of their years in Key Stage Three.
Having been under strict restrictions on social gatherings for so long, it was a huge pleasure to see our students socialising as a whole year group, enjoying each others company, and delighting in the efforts of both the Embassy staff and our incredible team of volunteers. Further demonstrating the strong bonds of community we are so proud to nurture in the British School, staff and students alike were overjoyed to see the efforts of our parents, who both gathered at the Embassy hours before the event in order to dress the venue and prepare a stunning array of snacks and activities, as well as staying late into the evening after the event had finished. In fact, if I could select only one image to demonstrate the reality of community in the British School, it would be our staff and parent volunteers working together to clean up the venue whilst volunteers from Year 9 swept floors and picked up confetti, still wearing their party clothes! A huge, heartfelt thank you goes out to the British Embassy and all in our community who supported this event, which we know will remain a cherished memory of our staff and students for a long time to come.
FOBISIA
Noa Wood Year 9
The community in Seoul Foreign British School is one of the most supportive, caring and close knit communities that I have ever been a part of. To me, the British School feels like one big family, a caring group of people of all nationalities and backgrounds. A big part of the British School that SFBS students have been enjoying since 2002 is FOBISIA Sports. FOBISIA Sports is a division of FOBISIA that focuses exclusively on athletics, soccer, basketball, soccer, and swimming. I feel like FOBISIA is a huge part of the British culture and British school system. Competing against other schools is a fun, encouraging and unique event; I highly recommend that British School students participate in FOBISIA Sports as it is an incredible opportunity.
NEW STUDENT
Claire Hong Year 8
To me, community means you have support during the hard times and always have each other’s backs when something totally unexpected or new happens.
I first joined the SFBS community in Year 8, and not to lie, I was very nervous. Even during the summer holidays I continued to worry whether I would settle in the environment quickly. But when I first visited the school I found out that I had nothing to be worried about, and there were people and friends who helped me throughout things that I wasn’t used to. I am still very grateful for the people who gave me a helping hand any time I was stuck, and that is when I learned the true meaning of community: helping others navigate through their pathways and just basically being there for them. I personally feel that the SFBS community is very strong and family-like, and that is why I felt very included even from the beginning of my journey in this school, and I am very looking forward to the time I have left in this community.
MIDDLE YEARS DANCE TEAM
Heejeong Choi Year 8
As I came up to KS3, I had not realised the Middle Years Dance Team existed and I was desperate to join as soon as I heard the news. I loved how SFS students could get connected through dancing and how we developed a team with everyone having something in common. We met every Saturday afternoon each week, sacrificing our weekends in order to dance. The dance team pulled me closer to our SFS community and the experience stretched out my confidence. I got to know several Middle School students and I learnt a lot from my dance team peers. I was able to learn from their dancing techniques, styles and especially their confidence. The lessons helped me establish my stage presence and become a true performer which also helped me to climb onto the stage for the Middle Years play as well. Joining the dance team is an experience I will never regret and will hold a special place in my heart. 19 12
BUILDING COMMUNITY
-CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
By Christian Ministries Department
Jean Kim, Paul Kim, Grace Miller
As a Christ Centered school, the Christian Ministries department provides a wide variety of events and programs that promote community spirit at SFS. Throughout the school year, the CMO leads school wide events such as the Faculty worship during orientation to bring new and returning faculty together through worship, United in Prayer an event In September where all sections gather on the field to pray together as a community and in the spring, Hearts To Serve Assemblies, an all day whole school event that celebrates service work of our students for the local community and throughout the world.
The CM also coordinates a food delivery program called Meals on Wheels for faculty and staff families who have a newborn, a surgery or a crisis. All the meals are voluntarily given generously by the SFS faculty, staff and admin community.
Prayer is also a big part of building community at SFS and the CM supports prayer groups such as MIP, Mothers in Prayer, that meet weekly on Tuesdays to pray for our school and students as well as the monthly Faculty prayer on Thursday nights and the weekly Faculty prayer on Wednesday mornings in the chapel.
The MIP also supports our community through the annual Fall cheer where seasonal apples and caramels are beautifully wrapped with encouraging notes that are sent to all sections and administrators to let them know that they are appreciated and prayed for throughout the school year.
During the Christmas season, the CM hosts the Christmas Cheer inviting all sections and departments including classified staff to come to warm their hearts with some Christmas snacks, drinks and to catch up with colleagues in the CMO lounge. The Psalms community choir composed of parents, faculty and students not only come together weekly to practice for upcoming performances, they also lead the annual Christmas Caroling Activity on campus bringing the spirit of Christmas cheer to SFS.
Furthermore during the Christmas season, through the annual school wide winter SO-GOOD Project led by the CMO, our students, parents, faculty, staff and classified staff have opportunities to support local charities, organizations and food markets in Seodaemun Gu and Seoul sharing the blessings with those that are in need.
Seven years ago through the vision of our HOS, Mr. Flanagan, the CMO was charged to develop relationships with local organizations so that SFS students, faculty and parents could have the opportunity to serve others in our local community. Ever since then, service has grown! Trees have been planted in Bukhansan, canned goods have been collected for the local food markets, high trash areas throughout the district have been cleaned up, and
senior citizens and people with disabilities have visited our school for several programs led and planned by our students.
Furthermore, Mini Olympics, soccer tournaments for overseas adoptees, activities in sports, arts, languages and baking for domestic adoptees, children in foster care and underprivileged children, inviting children with disabilities to attend SFS student musical productions and having children with disabilities and domestic adoptees perform at the Lyso for the Hearts to Serve assemblies are just some of the programs that SFS has hosted for the organizations that have partnership with us.
Furthermore, for the past five years, our faculty and administrators have participated in giving financial support to underprivileged families that are in financial crisis in Seodaemun gu through the Adopt a Family program at SFS. Through their support many families have gained financial independence.
We are blessed to have developed strong connections with local NGOs, orphanages and especially with the local district office of Seodaemun-gu through these programs and activities. Through the charge from the HOS, Christian Ministries was able to help build community outside SFS connecting our community with the greater community in Seoul.
Lastly and most importantly, for sectional CM programs such as Discipleship, Psalms Choir, AWANA, TREK and IMPACT, volunteers from our parent, student, faculty and staff groups are crucial in keeping the programs running throughout the school year. People do not realize this often, but without volunteers, there would be no CM programs at SFS.
Community support is at the heart of the CMO. We exist because of those who have selflessly given their time, talents and hearts to support our students through the programs.
On any given day during lunch, recess time or after school, the CMO lounge is full of life (aside from Paul Kim’s laugh) with students who come in to take a break from academia to play foosball, board games or just to chat with friends or a CM staff member.
Through the years, the CMO has been a safe haven not only for students but for faculty, staff, parents and even adjumonies who have come by to take a short breather during their busy schedule.
Many have walked through its doors but each individual has been considered to be important because each person is important to God. The CMO hopes to continue God’s work of building a community centered in Christ at SFS and outside SFS one person at a time. 19 12
THE SPIRIT:
BUILDING COMMUNITY IN THE HIGH SCHOOL
By Jia Dunsby
Community Page Editor of The Spirit
For nearly 50 years, The Spirit, a student-run newspaper club, has published articles for the Seoul Foreign High School community. Through its diverse set of pages— World, Lifestyle, Community, Culture, and Featuring Arts—The Spirit helps document and share school events, student opinions, and artistic talent. Its publications serve as an authentic reflection of high school student voices and experiences. Over the past few years especially, The Spirit has changed in various ways to further engage with the student body and foster a sense of community. Here are some words from previous and current chief editors on how The Spirit has evolved over the past few years to build community at SFHS.
During Lynn Lee’s (‘21) tenure as a staff member, The Spirit actively “published in-print once a month, photographed school events such as homecoming, and created videos about student life.” However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in her junior year, forcing The Spirit to operate solely online. “It was difficult to run workshops and hold meetings when we weren’t able to gather as a team, but we did our best with Zoom’s limitations,” she says. Students grew less interested in reading in-print editions, so The Spirit ventured into online forms of publication, such as its original website and Issuu. As an Editor-in-Chief in her senior year, Lynn and her Co-EIC Christine Yun (‘21) made strides in improving “the general clarity of The Spirit’s articles, highlighting the importance of shorter and clearer sentences” in order to make articles more engaging for students.
Christine Yun (‘21) believes The Spirit’s distinct pages provided many different lenses through which students could learn more about the SFHS community. She elaborates, “[The Spirit] really forced each staff member to observe and explore the community from so many angles, whether it was sports, arts, etc.” She also comments that the interactions between writers and students also fostered a sense of integration among the student body. “I was grateful to The Spirit for pushing me out there to interview different people that I would’ve never interacted with otherwise,” Christine says. As an EIC, Christine faced many unpredictable situations, such as last-minute article changes, challenges with staff management, and difficulties encountered in the layout design process. However, Christine reflects that the adaptability and leadership skills required to deal with such circumstances is what makes The Spirit so rewarding for its staff members.
Stephanie Park (‘22) stepped into her EIC position with a hurdle to overcome. The hybrid school system SFS was adopting due to COVID-19 severely hindered The Spirit’s distribution and advertising. To address the issue, Stephanie and her Co-EIC Haley Son (‘22) completely transformed the traditional newspaper format of The Spirit’s publications into a newsmagazine. Doing
so made The Spirit more aesthetically appealing and easier to read, especially during a time where most new high school students were not aware of The Spirit’s existence as a club. “We also tried to make the publication more community-centered,” Stephanie states, “with our issues incorporating more student surveys, as well as student artworks and photographs featuring student life highlights.” The EIC pair also matched each issue with a time-relevant theme (for example, the December 2021 issue was Christmas-themed, while the March 2022 issue highlighted Women’s History Month). Their final publication, dedicated to the graduating class of 2022, was passed out to more than 500 people at their graduation ceremony.
Haley Son (‘22) felt that during her four years in writer, editor, and EIC roles, The Spirit was always a constant part of student life in the high school. “Whether it was a photographer standing in the back of the crowd, a writer interviewing faculty, or an editor listening for new article ideas, The Spirit was always working behind the scenes,” she comments. She mentions that a highlight of her time as EIC was the large staff size of over 50 people; she found community being built even within The Spirit, where “students with passions in writing and design [could come together]” to produce work through talent and perseverance.
Current EICs Kate Choi (‘23) and William Kim (‘23) are working hard to keep up the legacy of their predecessors. They’ve already made significant changes to the publication by restructuring its page system. Historically, The Spirit has featured the pages News, Opinions, Student Life, Sports, and Arts, but this year’s pages are now called World, Lifestyle, Community, and Culture. “We found that there were certain pages people read a lot of [and] certain pages that people really didn’t touch, so we decided to change up the sections a bit. We wanted to reflect the SFHS community more accurately by adapting to their interests,” William explains. The Community page, for example, is a direct opportunity for individual students, teachers, clubs, or faculty members in the high school community to be highlighted and celebrated. The editors have also made efforts to connect with the student body through surveys featured in publications. For example, William said, “We just released a survey asking people what they are grateful for, the responses [to] which will be included in our November issue.”
The Spirit has come a long way since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. From figuring out how to maneuver Zoom meetings to passing out hundreds of print issues at last year’s graduation ceremony, editors have been hard at work to make The Spirit an integral part of the high school community. For many years to come, The Spirit will continue to be an incredible outlet for passionate and talented students to shine. 19 12
