January 2011 - Volume 4, Issue 2
Table of Contents
Seoul Foreign School 55 Yonhi‐dong, Seoul 120‐113, KOREA TEL: 822‐330‐3100
Message from the Head of School
Page 3
Updates from the Development Office Enhancing the Tradition of Excellence
Pages 4‐5
CommUNITY In Action
Page 6
High School Career Day
Page 7
APAC Tennis
Page 8
High School Band
Page 9
SFS Theatre “Our Town” & “Jungle Book”
Pages 10‐11
Special Guest Alan November
Page 12
Summer Program
Page 13
SFS Seoul Alumni Reunion
Pages 14‐15
Interview with Michelle CHO ‘06
Pages 16‐17
Service Event by Jennifer PARK ‘07
Page 17
Alumni Notes
Page 18‐23
Alumni Campus Visits
Pages 24‐26
Save the Date, Alumnus Award & Homecoming
Page 27
Patrick CHAPMAN ‘99 and wife Carly pictured on the front cover with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.
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Head of School Dr. John Engstrom Dear Alumni and Friends, Greetings from Seoul Foreign School. SFS is an exciting place to be these days. We are encouraging our teach‐ ers to utilize 21st Century skills in all their classes. These skills require our students to use their ability to syn‐ thesize ideas, understand ideas in context, and to work in teams. The “coin of the realm” is no longer the memorization of facts, but the ability to find information, collaborate with others, validate information, synthe‐ size it, leverage it, use it to problem solve and to effectively communicate information. Recently, I visited an IB European History class in which the teacher had students find primary source material on the Internet to support their study of the Second World War in Europe, 1939‐1945. It was so excit‐ ing to see students identifying, shar‐ ing and integrating the material they had found (letters from soldiers, po‐ litical cartoons, battle planning docu‐ ments). When I left, they were talk‐ ing about the best way to arrange the
ideas they were hoping to communi‐ eracy for Educators. Mr. November cate. emphasized the importance of lap‐ tops as the primary vehicle to con‐ In the theater class for ninth and nect all our students to the global tenth graders, students had to devel‐ community. He consistently talked op a design for an upcoming produc‐ about ways in which we could help tion. They were to describe the our students to become self‐ theme and mood they hoped to es‐ directed, interdependent, and glob‐ tablish, and be sure others on the de‐ al communicators. Our faculty re‐ sign team were in agreement with sponded strongly to his practical the direction. Then, they had to de‐ suggestions on how we can help our cide on the background, the lighting, students “mine” the internet to move the sound‐scape, and the set design them toward the world of the 21st that would best work for the produc‐ Century. tion. Finally, they had to present this Wouldn’t you like to see these excit‐ full report to the instructor and to ing classes and our 21st Century the rest of the class in a creative, in‐ learning‐community first hand? You teresting manner. can join us during the SFS Centenni‐ al Celebration to be held this year On another occasion, I visited a ninth (2011‐2012) at SFS. The Develop‐ grade physical science class in ment Office has arranged for many which the students were designing outstanding events you won’t want mobiles to illustrate the idea that to miss. I encourage you to plan a Forcein= Forceout. Students had to return to your alma mater to recon‐ nect with old friends and introduce weigh the objects on their mobile your family members to the school and balance them so the distance from the fulcrum times the mass was that “shaped you.” equal on both sides of the fulcrum. We are so thankful for God’s direc‐ Their mobile had to have a theme tion and guidance in the develop‐ unique to the student‐family pic‐ tures, electronic objects, small objects ment and growth of our school. We a like, even vegetables! This kind of appreciate your prayers and support engagement is considered to be best on behalf of our ministry to over practice with respect to 21st Century 1400 students and their families. We are blessed to be a part of sharing the learning. love of God with so many young This late fall, we had the privilege of people every day. Thanks for your hosting Mr. Alan November of No‐ support and interest! vember Learning. He is a well‐ known leader in the field of educa‐ Warmly, tional technology, especially with respect to K‐12 schools. He was named as one of the 15 most influen‐ tial thinkers by “Technology and Learning Magazine,” and has written John Engstrom two best‐selling books: Empowering Students with Technology and Web Lit-
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Thank You Donors! ANNUAL FUND DONATION We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all of our donors who 2009‐10 THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Do Yoon Kim Heather and Sunny Yi
participated in the Annual Fund drive. Your support is paving the way as we move forward to celebrate the continued legacy of Seoul Foreign School. With this momentum, we will be sure to surpass our anticipated goal!
RED AND BLACK CLUB Anonymous Kay Song (BT&I) The Kwon Family John C. O’Donnell The Shin Family THE CREST CLUB Hongchul and Yasmeen Bae Christian and Benjamin Choi James and Julie Danahy John and Alice Engstrom James and Sarah Hubbard Gunberg Celine Jin Ji Yong Lee Tracy and Tim Mohr The SFS Classified Staff Shou Liang Wang Yonhee Badminton Club CENTENNIAL CLUB Anonymous Kevin, Dee and Baker Family Andrew Byun Eunhi Cho Hyun Sook Hong Warren and Robin Hudson Carol LaCroix Andy and Joanna Lee Young Sun Lee Amy Lindholm Elizabeth Lloyd Patrick O’Malley Pete and Judy Penick Elise K. Prosser Langston and Linda Rogde Harry G. Rudolph Peter and Kelly TomHon THE LEGACY CLUB Anonymous Jeff and Barbara Benson Tony and Margaret Curran Yoo Soo Kim Insil Tahk Yoojin Um Buhm Jin Yoon
ANNUAL FUND DONORS 2010‐11 THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Do Yoon Kim RED AND BLACK CLUB Anonymous THE CREST CLUB Leo Cho Christian and Benjamin Choi Shirley Droese John and Alice Engstrom SeungChul Peter Hyun Rachel Lee Tzu Yu Sheng CENTENNIAL CLUB Andrew Byun Rebecca Dignan The Heller Family Carol LaCroix Alice Lavina Harrison Lee Harry, Linda and George Rudolph Heidi Stallings Michael Stern Peter and Kelly TomHon
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The Heritage Club $100,000+ 1912 Society $50,000+ The Crest Club $1,000+ Centennial Club $100+ The
Enhancing the tradition of excellence Seoul Foreign School Annual Fund donors
Welcome to the New Year!
To give you a better idea of the Our office has been busy getting breakdown in the preparations under way for the various donations upcoming centennial celebra‐ made last year, we tions. While there still remains have prepared the a great deal of work ahead, we following pie‐ have diligently been trying to charts: assemble our plans and logistics so that your visit to Seoul and/or As we move for‐ participation in these events ward in our Annu‐ would be a memorable one. al Fund, we are inspired by the We are looking forward to our level of support second year of hosting Alumni that has been evi‐ Reunions in the U.S. and have dent among our received a number of positive SFS community to responses from alumni. This help continue becomes a great opportunity for with the vision of our alumni to personally re‐ the school’s connect with one another, share ‘Traditions of Ex‐ memories and hear about cur‐ cellence’. The rent happenings at the school. support of our We have been thrilled to have current families our alumni visit the campus and alumni is vital throughout the school year. in securing the school’s leader‐ ship in its quality of education nd As we approach our 2 year of and competitive sustainability for the future. the Annual Fund, Traditions of Excellence, I am humbled by how supportive our community has already been.
Thank you again for all your continued support,
June Kang Dir. of Comm. and Development jkang@seoulforeign.org
of Giving
The Millennium Club $10,000+ Red & Black Club $5,000+ Legacy Club any dollar amount given by friends and relatives
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Love. Serve. Give. CommUNITY In Action By: Kristen Coffelt, HS Art Teacher Graduation day. No, not that grad‐ uation day. There were no caps, gowns and diplomas. These aca‐ demic memorabilia were instead replaced by smiles, bows, leis of cranes and an eloquent speech made by the man who has saved hun‐ dreds, if not thousands of lives. This was the graduation ceremony at Dongdaewon Tuberculosis Care Center in North Korea. This graduation meant leaving the
care center that many have stayed at for at least two years and going home. It also meant eighteen months of negative tuberculosis, TB, test results. As I stood and soaked in the moment, lucky enough to serve on the fall Eugene Bell trip to North Korea; it was hard to control the knot of emotion building in my throat. At this moment, I reminded myself that this is Dongdaewon; this is MDR TB, multiple‐drug resistant tuberculosis, in North Korea.
lives, at the Dongdaewon Care Center. The amount donated has supplied these patients with many things, the most important being medicine. Eugene Bell is the combination of two non ‐profit organizations, one Korean and one American, which has been helping tuberculosis patients in North Korea since 1995. Most recently, they have switched their focus from supplying regular tuberculosis medicines and supplies to supplying on‐ ly MDR TB drugs, which are much more expensive. Through this new program, donors are matched with indi‐ vidual patients so that donors can see exactly where their money is going, and whose lives they are changing. Last year SFS donated and raised 50,000,000 won for Dongdae‐ won. I was lucky enough to be part of the delegation that went to North Korea in the fall and subsequently got to see exactly where this money went. The patients that received their medicines because of our dona‐ tions were extremely grateful.
Thinking back on my trip, gradu‐ ation was by far, my most sacred memory of the trip. I helped out with the ceremony, giving the pa‐ tients the knitted neck warmers as For the last 10 years, Seoul Foreign congratulations and adorning School, has partnered with and con‐ their necks with strings of cranes, tributed to Eugene Bell, fighting made by Paul Sanderson’s Senior against tuberculosis in North Korea. Kindergarten class. There was SFS has been raising money to save one patient that was a little more 26
special than the others, even though he was graduating as well. He was a short, older man with pep‐ pered gray and black hair that had a heart‐warming smile. This man was fully funded by SFS. SFS saved a life. His life was saved by the gener‐ ous donations from the SFS commu‐ nity. Graduating that man and meeting him in person is what is driving me as I coordinate and help run the Dongdaewon fundraiser this year. You cannot put a price tag on a life. If all the money that has been raised in the past ten years went to just one life, it would still be worth it. On behalf of every life touched in Dong‐ daewon by SFS, “Thank you!!” Your continued generosity IS making a difference and may it continue to make a difference for many years to come!
HS Career Day The Career fair was a spe‐ cial event held Oct.27th for High School students. It gave the students the op‐ portunity to visit with and meet professionals from 28 different occupations. This year we had the distinct pleasure of partnering with the PTA to host the event. Our guest speaker, Dr. John Engstrom joined 28 SFS community professionals to inspire our young adults. The speakers had four sep‐ arate 20 minute sessions to explain their professions, work experience and show visuals. This year’s Career fair 2010 had the theme “Making the Connection” and featured Engineers, Ministry, Businessmen , Lawyers, Scientists, Artists, Journalists, Reporters, Pro‐ fessors of English and more. Students explored careers and asked ques‐ tions, viewed movies, ex‐ plored the handouts and more.
This is a unique and great opportunity for students to have a small group interac‐ tion with professionals from a wide variety of oc‐ cupations, experience the real working world and help them design their fu‐ ture career path. As this is a semiannual event, we would like to encourage our alumni and parent community to consider sharing their work and career experiences with our students.
Mr. Kevin Baker, HS Prin‐ cipal, at 02‐330‐3300 or e‐ mail at: kbaker@seoulforeign.org
If you are interested or know of someone you feel would be willing to participate please contact
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APAC Tennis - Beginning of a Dynasty? By: Caroline Kim, HS Junior and Caroline Kim (girl’s doubles), and Jana Schmalohr and Robin Lee (mixed) displayed some great tennis to win bronze in their respective brackets.
but came up short, finishing as run‐ ners‐up. The Team will mourn the loss of three significant seniors this year. Adrienne Kim and Jana Schmalohr, partners for three years, earned three titles over their career: 2008 KAIAC The undefeated Crusaders walked 2nd Doubles, 2009 APAC, and 2010 into the KAIAC Tournament as the team to beat. The SFS girls continued KAIAC 1st doubles. Miriam Kim capped her three years on the team their domination as they captured titles at every seed. Jae Hyun Kim (1st with three titles of her own: 2009 and 2010 KAIAC 2nd doubles and 2009 singles) blasted through the semifi‐ nals and finals with game scores of 8‐ APAC mixed doubles title. Miriam Captains Adrienne Kim (Grade 12) 0 in both matches. Michelle Richard‐ also ends her career with an overall and Andy Lee (Grade 11) provided son (2nd singles) also breezed through record of 41 wins with no defeats, a the team with strong leadership. Re‐ her bracket to finish her first KAIAC truly remarkable feat. All three sen‐ turning team members Eunice Chang season undefeated. Caroline Kim (3rd iors will be missed; but they leave behind a young and talented team (10), Lauren Kim (10), Su Ying Chang singles) pulled through with a title (10), Caroline Kim (11), Edward Mas‐ despite a shaky start. Adrienne Kim that has the look of a “dynasty.” saut (11), Robin Lee (11), Jana and Jana Schmalohr (1st doubles) Schmalohr (12) and Miriam Kim (12) ended their last season as champi‐ used their experience to solidify the ons once more. Miriam Kim and team. The main subplot of the season Lauren Kim (girl’s 2nd doubles) end‐ was the tremendous new talent in ed their two seasons together unde‐ freshmen Jae Hyun Kim, Michelle feated. It was a perfect ending. Richardson, Jeffrey Kim, Henry Kalb, and Seon Woo Kim, along with Josh Crusader boys put four of their five Gong (10) and Ryan Yi (11). teams into the finals, where all of them had to face their counterparts APAC Tennis, hosted by SFS this from their toughest competition, year, was staged with the support of Seoul American High School 2010 KAIAC DIVISION I ALL‐ a tremendous group of tennis parents (SAHS). Seoul American’s Russell and the entire school community. Midomaru was no match for Jeffrey CONFERENCE: Jeffrey Kim, Henry The Crusaders performed superbly Kim at 1st singles and was beaten 0‐8. Kalb, Ryan Yi, Andy Lee, Edward in arguably the toughest APAC field Jeffrey finished his freshman season Massaut, Miriam Kim, Caroline Kim, Lauren Kim, Jae‐Hyun Kim, Michelle ever assembled. Jeffrey Kim and Jae undefeated at 24‐0. Henry Kalb Hyun Kim dominated the competi‐ fought through a match both high in Richardson. tion and earned APAC Champion‐ intensity and quality, but eventually 2010 All‐APAC: Jeffrey Kim, Jae‐ Hyun Kim. ships as freshmen, a true rarity. avenged his only loss during the 2010 KAIAC All‐Tournament Team: Michelle Richardson and Seon Woo KAIAC season by defeating Chong Jeffrey Kim (MVP), Henry Kalb, Jae‐ nd Kim were competitive at 2 singles Lee in a tiebreak to grab the title at Hyun Kim (MVP), Michelle Richard‐ and advanced to the quarterfinals of 2nd singles. Seon Woo Kim (3rd sin‐ son, Caroline Kim, Jana Schmalohr, gles) and the duo of Ryan Yi and the singles tournament. All three Adrienne Kim, Miriam Kim, Lauren st Andy Lee (1 doubles) fought long doubles teams, Ryan Yi and Henry Kalb (boy’s doubles), Adrienne Kim and hard in their respective matches Kim
The 2010 Varsity Tennis Team com‐ pleted another successful season with both the boy’s and girl’s sides ending with perfect 14‐0 records during KAIAC Conference play to repeat as champions. In a highly competitive APAC tournament, both earned bronze medals. At the KAIAC Tour‐ nament, the girls earned yet another title with the boys finishing a very close second to cap off a memorable season.
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High School Band Programs Kenneth Caldwell, MS/HS Band
The SFS KAIAC Select Band The Seoul Foreign High School Band program continues to be the largest, most extensive band program in Korea and provides students with a holistic, all‐ encompassing music education. Pictured left: The SFS KAIAC Select Band team. Students from all over Korea auditioned to be in the KAIAC Select Band. SFS placed the most students into the band with twenty four students. SFS also had the most 1st chair students with nine winning that honor. Photos from the Fall semester (clockwise): Andrew Kim (son) and Don Kim (father) practicing together at a SFS Community Band rehearsal (the SFS community band is made up of students and adults from the SFS community and rehearses on Mondays from 5 to 6 PM); The HS Concert Band performing at the HS Christmas Concert; Sophomore, Nien‐hsui Suen, performing with the HS Jazz Band at the HS Fall Concert; The HS Wind Ensemble French Horn section performing at the Christmas concert (SFS has the most specialty instrumental players of any school in Korea. The HS Wind Ensemble is a select band that performs college level literature); The SFS Pep Band performing at a Pep Rally in the Gym (the Pep Band plays for APAC Cere‐ monies, Pep Rallies, and home basketball games. There are over 100 members in the Pep Band).
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SFS Theatre presents “Our Town” Edie Moon, School wide Drama Director
Emma Holden & Melissa Wilde
This past fall, the High School stu‐ dents at SFS brought a classic American play to the stage but, as always, it was presented with a stylistic twist. Producing Thornton Wilder’s Our Town with High School students is considered to be a bit of a risk, but the SFS students met the challenge with conviction and passion. Using photos of their childhood days, their parents’ wedding pictures, as well as imag‐ es of their ancestors, the cast creat‐ ed a story set at the turn of the 20th century in the US and made it into one that fused with their own backgrounds that repre‐ sented 14 nationalities in‐ cluding Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Eng‐ land. Thornton Wilder de‐ scribed his play in a letter to writer and colleague Gertrude Stein as “a little play with all the big sub‐ jects in it.” In the preface of the play, Wilder also wrote, “Our Town is not 10
offered as a life in a New Hampshire village, or as a spec‐ ulations of condi‐ tions of life after death. It is an attempt to find a value above all price, for smaller events in our daily lives….I have set a small village against the largest dimension of time and place.” This is a message that has clearly stood the test of time as Our Town is one of the most pro‐ duced American plays worldwide on record. It was also a message that proved to be true on the Lyso Center Main stage on October 8th and 9th as audience members en‐ tered the world of Emily Webb and George Gibbs from Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. Though the message they left with was that, “Every town is our town even the town of Seoul, Korea.”
The universality of the life experi‐ ence including birth, childhood, love, marriage and death as well as the splendor of the ordinary were conveyed believably and personally by the cast of thirty SFS drama students. For the first time, the set was designed and built by IB Theatre Arts student, Leila Ab‐ delrazaq as part of her Independ‐ ent Project for IBTA. One audience member wrote after the show, “I enjoyed the play because it re‐ minded me of the small things that were made important to me by my father. He knew and passed on the names of the stars to me as a young child. He taught me to look up and see things that others don’t see like the beauty of clouds…” The play was met with a variety of profoundly personal responses from the audience as well as cast and crew members proving, once again, the power and beauty of simplicity on stage and in life.
Melissa Wilde, Emma Holden, Philip Frasse, Cecile Pierron & Kushboo Gulabrai (L‐R)
BS Key Stage Two presents “Jungle Book”
Caroline Tessy
Omar Toubassy
Lions, monkeys, elephants, and bears in the middle of a jungle in India is what SFS audiences saw unfold on the stage of the Lyso Center on December 2nd and 3rd, during the British School Key Stage Two performance of Disney’s The Jungle Book based on the book written by Rudyard Kipling. All 156 students from Key Stage Two brought the story of Mowgli and his sidekicks Baloo and Shere Khan to life through much beloved songs and Royce Chang & Emmalyne Sinclair dances including “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You”. Each stu‐ dent had a costume and hat that was designed by Mrs. Sally Corben and all hats were individually made by the students in their art classes. Key Stage Two students got to perform to over 1,200 audience members over the course of two days. The Jungle Book was, once again, a community effort that not only involved an entire Key Stage of British School students but also their parents, teachers as well as high school theatre students and other community mem‐ bers. It was, indeed, a cele‐ bration of the power of com‐ munity through artistic en‐ deavors and the positive impact it can have on the life of SFS children.
Caroline Tessy
Upcoming Theatre performances The High School IB Theatre Arts Year 1 perfor‐ mances will be held on (February 10 and 11). The Middle School’s performance of Alice in Wonderland will be held on (March 10 and 12), directed by Kyla Hamm. The High School’s performance of Fiddler on the Roof will be held on (April 15 and 16), directed by Jasmine Jones, Colin Kim, Christopher Gurr, Han Kim (L‐R)
Edie Moon.
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Special Guest Speaker Alan November Alan November is globally renowned pertise provided by Alan through his lectures on the “Digital Survival Kit” among educators and parents as a for our parent community and the leader in education technology and “Digital Learning Farm” for adminis‐ has been recognized as one of the trators and faculty. The lectures pro‐ most influential thinkers of the decade. SFS and the SFS‐PTA jointly vided the community with a focus on how to sup‐ sponsored “ If our children are to grow up port our stu‐ Alan No‐ dents in be‐ vember as a to make important coming guest speak‐ contributions to our society, it ‘critical think‐ er for par‐ ents and fac‐ is essential that we provide ers’ in a world which is over‐ ulty. His them with powerful tools and whelmed with presenta‐ endless cyber‐ tions were experiences across the resources. offered curriculum. This goal will throughout This was the day and require a new culture of Alan’s first evening on teaching and learning that visit to Monday, Korea and we November engages students as were fortu‐ 29th. contributors. “ nate to have him present at Both educa‐ Seoul Foreign tors and par‐ ents alike recognize the need to help School. We would encourage you to visit Alan’s website at students with 21st century learning www.novemberlearning.com for skills. SFS, having begun to take its first steps towards a one‐to‐one lap‐ more information about his lectures top initiative, benefited from the ex‐ and workshops.
Alan November
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Summer Program
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Fall Seoul Alumni Reunion Twenty eight people gathered on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 for the annual area SFS alumni reunion at Dr. John Engstrom’s residence. A diverse crowd of 17 alumni ranging from the 1950s to the 2000s, 7 faculty and 4 alumni family members attended the event. Two alum were from overseas. Lucy CROWE Kim ‘52* and Rana CHO ’91 joined the event while on their trip to Seoul from the U.S. It was a crowd of fasci‐ nating people. Everyone enjoyed the dinner while acquainting themselves with one another and sharing their SFS memories and life stories.
vides management consulting for 1 foreign investment firms in Korea. Soo Hyun CHO ‘85* has a manage‐ rial position for a family owned re‐ sort, “NorthernArc Resort” in Kitami Hokkaido, Japan. Tae Young busy trying to refresh their memo‐ LEE ’01 recently finished his military ries in order to answer the questions. Everyone who attended was given a service in the U.S. Army and has special SFS Centennial gift and an returned to Seoul. Bryan McKIN‐ additional gift was presented to the NEY ’02 works for his family busi‐ winning team. All enjoyed the fun ness, McKinney Consulting. Roger evening and was thrilled to be a part KIM ’96 is in the movie industry of the SFS alumni community. We producing a movie. Tom UNDER‐ look forward to seeing everyone WOOD ’75 works for the U.S. Em‐ again and also additional alumni for bassy and he is the parent of 4 SFS students. Michelle CHO ’06 is doing the next gathering. an internship and learn‐ Lucy CROWE Kim ‘52*, who was ing Korean at Yonsei the oldest alum, shared her experi‐ University. Rennie ences at SFS during World War II MOON ’97 is an Assis‐ where she had to stay back in Seoul tant Professor at the at SFS with her parents (as she was College of Education, Evan Yi little) while her other siblings all left Han Yang University. for the U.S. due to the War. She only Edie MOON ’77, Lee‐ attended SFS for 2 years but was Ellen STRAWN ’86, John BLACK ’04 and very knowledgeable about SFS Stephanie SMALL news. She keeps herself up to date Black ’05 are proud SFS by reading the Banner. Rana CHO 2 faculty members. ’91, coming from San Francisco, is currently working for California 9. SFS Trivia Game led by Dr. John Colleges and happen to have SFS on The high 1. Peter UNDERWOOD ‘73 ENGSTROM, Head of School 2. Edie RADER Moon ‘77 ‐light of her list of schools to visit. Eugene 10. Lee‐Ellen STRAWN ’86 (left) with the gath‐ 3. From left: Eugene KIM ’95, June KIM ’95 is working for an online KANG, Dir. Of Comm.& Dev., Yoojin UM, Mgr. of Comm. & Dev. ering game company with the former Stephanie SMALL Black ’05 (front), (right) Naver Hangame (NHN) employees. was the 11. Attending the event from over‐ SFS Triv‐ John BLACK ’04 (back), John MIN John MIN ’95 is a lawyer for Lee ’95, Michelle CHO’ 06 and Lee‐Ellen seas, Rana CHO ’91 (left) and Lucy ia game International and has served as a STRAWN ’86 CROWE Kim ‘52* (right) received a member of our alumni committee for led by 4. Soo Hyun CHO ‘85* special gift from SFS the past two years. Mee (Elizabeth) Dr. Eng‐ 5. Lee‐Ellen STRAWN ’86 (left) and 12. Michelle CHO ’06 (left) with Jack strom. KIM ’75 is currently a wife and Michelle CHO ’06 (right) MOON, Current Faculty (right) mother of three children and it was The 6. Bryan McKINNEY ’02 (left) and 13. Alice ENGSTROM, Current Fac‐ crowd her first time attending an alumni Tae Young LEE ’01 (right) ulty (left) and June KANG, Dir. Of was di‐ event. Peter UNDERWOOD ’73 is 7. Lucy CROWE Kim ‘52*and Dr. Comm. & Dev. (right) vided in one of our most supportive alum John ENGSTROM, Head of School 14. Roger KIM ’96 (left) and June half and residing in Korea. He runs his own with Lucy’s brother in law (left) and KANG, Dir. Of Comm.& Dev. (right) was business, IRC Limited which pro‐ her husband on the right 15. A Group shot of everyone with 8. Lucy CROWE Kim ‘52* received a alumni wearing alumni t‐shirts complimentary gift from SFS 16. Mee (Elizabeth) KIM ‘75 14
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Alumni Interview Michelle CHO ‘06 Harvard University graduate A. IB was very challenging and by far the most rigorous coursework available. I felt it was better than AP as it provided a diploma program that was comprehensive, lasting over two years and providing a way of learning the concepts and way of thinking that are expected in IB. As a result, my first semester at college was not as challenging, contrary to my anticipations. Q. Which IB course was most help‐ ful for you? Michelle came to SFS in Fall of 2002 at 14 years of age and graduated in 2006 with an IB Diploma. She ma‐ jored in Government with a specialty in Political Philosophy at Harvard University. Michelle is currently in Seoul for one year, interning at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies and learning Korean at Yonsei Universi‐ ty. She is applying for Law School and aspires to have an international career with the legal department and Supreme Court. Michelle’s interest is in Philosophical and Theoretical Law, and Constitutional Law.
A. The IB English class helped to significantly develop my analytical writing skills. It was also very help‐ ful to have had exposure to student papers which reflected the different levels of grades. This gave students the opportunity to recognize how grading would be expected at the varying levels.
knowledge and good understanding of the subject is essential with aca‐ demics as you move onto college. Personally, I believe that if you are not an native English speaker, read‐ ing lot of news and books will help you build up your vocabulary for the SAT exam. For Mathematics, as long as you follow up with 9 and 10th grade class you won’t have a prob‐ lem taking the test. Practice exams are the most helpful. As long as you are able to be disciplined with your‐ self, studying on your own is much more effective than having to follow a routine schedule provided by insti‐ tutions. Q. Were you involved in any extra‐ curricular activities at SFS and how did you keep the balance?
A. Yes, I was involved in swimming and cross‐country. They both were very important part of my life at SFS Q. Did you get extra help other than and I did learn a lot of lessons from sports. I liked the team atmosphere SFS? and also working towards a goal. For example, I really wanted to join A. No, I did not attend any outside the varsity cross country team in institutions or seek help other than Q. What did you like about the IB Guam so, I had to run and make my‐ my teachers and peers at SFS. If I program? had a difficulty with class, I would always A. It provided a measure to other ask my teachers for help international schools in the world, as I think “there is no knowing that I would be equally shame in wanting to evaluated just as other students all learn.” Many of my around the world. I was able to friends did attend insti‐ gauge myself in the international tutions for various test education system. Also, as it was a preparations. However, highly demanding program, it made in my opinion I feel that me strive to achieve a higher aca‐ these institutions can demic goal. help you to bump up your test scores in the Q. Did IB prepare you well for col‐ short run but that’s not lege? what is needed in the long run. Your in‐depth 1816
self fit to run during the hot summer months in order to prepare myself and this experience was very reward‐ ing to me. I think it’s important to have something that you are passion‐ ate about and this is also what colleg‐ es are looking for. The hardest thing was when I had to work on my homework late at night and had to go for practices the next day. I was tired at times but I really enjoyed do‐ ing what I wanted. Q. What do you think of the IB pro‐ gram at SFS? A. SFS has a long history of IB. Teachers have professionally devel‐ oped and experience over the past years. Also, SFS evaluates the pro‐
gram to seek improvement, which I think is very important. At the time when I took IB, I felt that the courses offered were limited. I guess this was due to the smaller student popula‐ tion. However, now I find that there are more options available for cur‐ rent students. I feel courses such as IB Theatre and English are really good courses that are being offered here at SFS. Also, depending on the teacher’s level of IB experience, I found that I was given the appropri‐ ate guidelines and training for the IB exam. With the students, that are heading to U.S. universities, their IB scores are not necessarily needed. By May, with a whole month of exams, students are exhausted and tend to not take
the IB exams seriously. Sometimes this is the reason why there could be unexpected lower IB score outcomes. However, European students or stu‐ dents applying to non‐U.S. universi‐ ties place more emphasis on the IB scores which will affect their admis‐ sions in the future. Q. Did you enjoy being at Harvard? A. Yes, I did. It was a very intellectu‐ ally stimulating environment. Har‐ vard also gave me financial aid and my parents had to pay less than what they paid to SFS. I would encourage students to apply for financial aid as many of the big private schools actu‐ ally offer more financial aid.
A Service Event by: Jennifer PARK ‘07 My 21st Birthday Party currently attending Wheaton College When I turned sixteen, I did some‐ thing a little different than the usual extravagant party most girls throw to celebrate their big day. I decided to turn the occasion of my sweet six‐ teenth birthday into a fundraiser for Mongolian children with congenital heart disease. In lieu of birthday pre‐ sents for me, my friends were asked to bring donations for this cause. My birthday party turned out to be a true celebration; having the opportunity to give attention to people in need of help was the perfect gift. I am sharing with you my story be‐ cause I would like to propose to you a new idea. For your next birthday, I encourage you to celebrate by giving back to your community. Why not take a break from the other 364 days we focus on ourselves and dedicate your big day to helping others? No‐ body likes getting older anyway! There are many ways that you can
give back to your community—for example, volunteering at a local soup kitchen or food pantry, sending in a small check to a non‐profit organiza‐ tion, participate in a walk for a dis‐ ease or cause, or offer tutoring/help at a local school. Help is always ap‐ preciated; no matter how big or small you make your contribution. With a little bit of help from everyone, we can help make a difference in the world. In celebration of my 21st birthday, which was at the end of September, I invited my friends to join me in vol‐ unteering at Mansfield’s Food Pantry (Our Daily Bread). To add a little bit more fun to our day of service, we went apple picking during the day and baked pies with the apples we picked in the evening. I hope to do‐ nate the pies to the food pantry or another non‐profit organization close by. I hope my story inspires you to
do something similar because the ex‐ perience of helping others is the the truly best birthday gift you could ev‐ er imagine.
Jenn Park ‘07 (2nd from RT) with friends 19
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Alumni Notes the oldest alums who live in Korea. He is currently the director of the 4th Pat HANDFORD McEwan ‘45* shared pictures of her and her fami‐ River Project (www.thefourthriver.org ) and Jesus ly in the past year and forwarded her New Year greetings to SFS. She Abbey’s Three Seas Center wrote “I attended classes in the old (www.threeseas.co.kr). He is launching a capital campaign to Morris Hall along with the Under‐ build a school at the Three Seas, on woods, Avisons, McAnlises, Syl‐ vesters, etc. I always find the Alum‐ land that has used to raise cattle in ni News in the Banner very interest‐ the past. His wife, Liz is the princi‐ pal of the River of Life School (생명 ing and look forward to every 의 강 학교). This past March first issue.” and second grade of Middle School was established. The school is ex‐ pected to continue growing into a High School program, planning to add one additional grade each year.
1940s
1970s Karen Hurston ‘71*, sent us her re‐ cent news when registering on our alumni website. Karen is now a full‐ time general theology professor at Hansei University in Gunpo City, and works part‐time at Yoido Full Gospel Church, and lives in Yoido, Seoul Korea. To find out more on her current works in Korea you could visit her website at : http:// hurstonministries.com
Lillian Prince ’77* read the latest issue of The Banner and saw pic‐ tures of Sally CORNELSON (now Watkins) ’75 and her daughter, Ivy. “Sal and I were good friends back at SFS and we still keep in touch. My sister, Clara Prince, her eldest daughter, Natasha, and I would like to possibly come to Ko‐ rea for the anniversary starting the third week in August, 2011. I no‐ ticed there is a trip to Taechon Beach planned as well as some other activ‐ ities. Iʹve been trying to talk to both Sal and Lori BASINGER (now Reed) ’75 into also coming.” Lillian want‐ ed to let us know about her plans and hopefully she could visit SFS to celebrate the 100th anniversary of SFS.
After sending out an update of the Fall Seoul Alumni reunion Kimberly VANGE Boestam ’79* wrote “nice of you to write with an update. It was fun to see Edie RADER Moon ‘77, who did go to school with me, alt‐ hough it was her brother (J.P. RADPat HANDFORD McEwan ‘45* with ER) who was in my class. And of her husband Bill on their trip to Turkey course, there were always Underwoods in school, but I think Betsy We received word from Alice was in my class (Elizabeth UNDERCROWE Gray ‘47* that her brother After receiving the Banner with his WOOD ’79). I am in Stockholm, Edwin CROWE ‘43*, passed away article in it, Dr. David LIVINGSweden, so Seoul is very far away on 20 September, 2010. He was 85 STON ‘71* , also Alum of the Year but your emails do bring nice mem‐ years old and had lived a good life; Award recipient wrote “I just got ories. As a matter of fact, I got a however, he had been ill since the the banner magazine. Thanks so LinkedIn message from a fellow end of May. We express our deepest much again for all you did to get me graduate from Tehran American sympathies to the CROWE family. to Korea. The article was great. I School and when I looked at his en‐ Lucy CROWE Kim ‘52*, sister of Ed‐ have already had several phone calls try, he too went to SFS! Small world. win recently joined the Fall Seoul from other Alum around the coun‐ He left the year I arrived at SFS, but reunion last year on her trip to try”. He just got back from a 3 week that was sure fun to see.” Kimberly Seoul. trip to Ladakh where he wore the enjoys reading The Banner and SFS sweatshirt everyday! It was thanked us for sending it all over the 1960s warm (thankfully) and it reminded world. Rev. Reuben Torrey ’68* is one of him of all the great times at SFS eve‐ ry time he saw the big letters! 18
JB (James BAIRD) ‘70 also wrote to thank us for the update on the Seoul Reunion. He said “Iʹm so glad that you posted so many photos from that event. Itʹs good to see the people who attended, even if most of them are much ʹnewerʹ than I!” JB has re‐ cently shared with us his collection of historical SFS pictures from the 70s. He is currently in the process of compiling more photographs so that they can be available for us to pub‐ lish and share them with other alum‐ ni. Thank you JB for your contribu‐ tions and continued support to SFS as always! Rachel MOON ‘78 recently co‐ authored and published a book 14 Ways to Protect Your Baby from SIDS: Safe Sleep Advice from the Experts
More information is available online at http:// parent‐ ingpress.com/ sids.html Rachel is current‐ ly a pediatrician at Children’s Na‐ tional Medical Center in Wash‐ ington, D.C., and a professor of pedi‐ atrics at George Washington Univer‐ sity’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her research focuses on SIDS and SIDS risk factors, especially in high‐risk populations.
Lois BLANKS FT, sent us an exciting update on her artistically talented daughter, Caroline BLANKS ’81 who has been highlighted in many recent‐ ly published news articles. “Since 2004, Caroline’s artwork has moved through an astonishing progression from cast concrete sculpture to im‐ pressionist paintings as diptychs and triptychs which moved the two‐ dimensional paintings into three‐ dimensions,” stated David Luther, The Greeneville Neighbor News published on September 19, 2010. She has held an art exhibition “Impressions‐a one –woman‐show of paintings” in the months of Octo‐ ber—November 2010 at The James‐ Ben Studio & Gallery Art Center in Greeneville. She donated one of her paintings to the Humane society which was silently auctioned. Pictured below is ‘Stepping Out’, an oil painting by Caroline expressing a store window mannequin with New York City street reflections.
1980s Soo Hyun CHO ‘85*currently works in a managerial position for a family owned resort. The resort, “NorthernArc Resort” is located in Kitami, Hokkaido, Japan. She pro‐ vides the food and beverage services to the business. You can view this resort at the website: www.northernarcresort.com
Sam LIM ‘83, SFS alum and his wife had their third child, June in March 2009. His two kids Senna (7th grade) and Alex (4th grade) are both attend‐ ing SFS. He has been the Head of Strategy at Coca‐Cola for the past 3 years and enjoys living in Seoul.
LeTourneau University Assistant Professor of Flight Science and Assis‐ tant Chief Flight Instructor, Bruce CHASE ‘88* has been named presi‐ dent‐elect of the University Aviation Association (UAA), the premier col‐ legiate aviation association in the world. The UAA plays a pivotal role in the advancement of degree‐ granting aviation programs that rep‐ resent all segments of the aviation industry. The formal announcement was made by the UAA at its annual conference in St. Paul, Minn., in Novem‐ ber. Chase has been active in UAA for years, having given many presen‐ tations and serving as chair of the Flight Training Committee. Chase has taught flight at LeTour‐ neau University for 18 years where he serves on the flight curriculum team and serves as the safety manag‐ er for LETU’s aviation school. He has given thousands of hours of flight instruction and instrument instruc‐ tion. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Technology from LeTourneau University in 1992 and a Masterʹs of Aeronautical Science de‐ gree from Embry‐Riddle Aeronauti‐ cal University in 2005. He holds an FAA Gold Seal MEI, CFI, and CFII as well as Advanced and Instrument Ground Instructor certificates. He is currently conduct‐ ing research on student outcomes using glass panel cockpits versus tra‐ ditional steam gauges in flight train‐ ing. Cecilia YOO ‘89 has been teaching English for the past 10 years and is currently teaching English to 5 – 7 year olds. She will be running her own English institution in the near future.
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Alumni Notes John KIM ’89 attended SFS for three years from 1986‐89* is now an SFS parent. He just moved to Seoul with his family in June 2010. His son currently attends SFS British School (Grade 3 or Year 4 in the British system). When John attend‐ ed SFS he was the yearbook editor in addition to being the back‐up goalie on Mr. Moonʹs soccer team. He had Mr. Moon for biology and Mrs. Moon for English, who are still Sharon, while at SFS in 1992 teaching at SFS! He is intending to but many SFSers will remember her remain in Seoul for the rest of his life and hopes to get more involved by her maiden name Cochrane. She said, “I have received the Banner in in the SFS community. the past. I played basketball and volleyball, both at Varsity level. Mr. 1990s Laura UNDERWOOD ’90 has RADER may even remember me! I moved to Rochester, Michigan, and have the link below from the Stars is now working for BAE Systems in and Stripes with my name in it, Troy, Michigan. She is the Execu‐ scroll down to SFS girls. http:// tive Director of Supply Chain for www.stripes.com/blogs/ New Vehicles & Amphibious Sys‐ pacificsports‐blog/pacific‐ tems, U.S. Combat Systems. The sportsblog‐1.8947/last‐year‐s‐pacific highlight of her new job so far has ‐best‐fives‐of‐the‐last‐25‐years‐ been driving the militaryʹs Bradley 1.9198 fighting vehicle; it really does stop I really enjoyed my time at SFS and still keep in contact with many of on a dime. the people I met there.” While browsing the SFS website, Ronen ABRAHAMSON ‘90* (he attended SFS with his sister Vered ABRAHAMSON from 1979—1983) found the alumni website and regis‐ tered as a member. He is currently living in Tel Aviv, Israel with his extended family and would gladly assist if there is anything going on in his region. He said that he has great memories of SFS. While registering on our alumni website, Sharon COCHRANE Munro ‘93* shared her news with us. Sharon’s married name is Munro, 20
Eugene KIM ‘95 is working for an online game company with former Naver (NHN) Hangame employees. He has been working for the past 3 1/2 years on the business develop‐ ment side and is currently the group manager of Business Devel‐ opment. Please check out his work, Vertigo Games at www.vertigogames.co.kr Juan Miguel DURAN ’96 shared with us his news on a recent job promotion in Colombia. “I was just appointed new National Superin‐
tendent of Ports and Transportation by the recently elected Colombian Presidente, Juan Manuel Santos. This is a great task now in that I will be in charge of inspection, sur‐ veillance and control of all the ports, public transportation, conces‐ sions, transit, and infrastructure in
Juan shown receiving an oath and signing the decree with the Colombian National Secretary of Transportation.
Colombia. Today, I was formally sworn into office. Well, hope all is well! Ronald CHANG ‘98 is currently a traffic reporter at the Traffic Broad‐ casting System (TBS). He has been working at TBS since 2007. You can listen to him on weekday mornings from 7 – 11 am on FM 101.3. We received a word from Paul COBBE ‘87 that his sister Anne COBBE ‘91* passed away on No‐ vember 7, 2010. For more details and memories on Ann please visit the Facebook page at http:// www.facebook.com/pages/Ann‐ Cobbe‐A‐Celebration‐of‐ Life/139964229389011#!/pages/Ann‐ Cobbe‐A‐Celebration‐of‐ Life/139964229389011
Congratulations to Patrick CHAPMAN ‘99 who married Carly Van Zeyl in October in Newport, Rhode Island. Patrick is now a Lieu‐ tenant in the Navy, and for the last two years he has been doubling as a Senior Eng‐ lish Instruc‐ tor at the Na‐ val Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and a White House Social Aide in Patrick Chapman with President Obama and his Washington wife Carly in the Oval DC, where he Office (top) and him in has assisted 1999 (bottom). the White House staff with the smooth opera‐ tion of state dinners, bill signings, and other social functions. He also earned his Masterʹs Degree in Eng‐ lish Language and Literature from the University of Maryland. He said “In May of 2011, I will be stationed on a destroyer in Yokosuka, Japan, so hopefully Iʹll get to stop by Seoul and say hi before too long!”
Picture of David with his SFS Class of 1999 Alumni friends. From Left: Dan KIM, Bryan RHEE, Tomas HARA, Mike NAM, David JOE (Groom), Paul PARK, John YIM, and Tim TAN.
have made new friends, I love my classes, Iʹm very active in Inter‐ Varsity (the biggest Christian fellow‐ ship on campus), and I am the new‐ est cheerleader for Northwestern in the Big Ten Conference. We cheer for football, basketball, and volley‐ ball. Itʹs been really hard physically transitioning into Division 1 cheer. Weʹre on ESPN a lot, have practice three times a week, and cheer at least 2 games weekly. The coolest thing weʹve done so far is recently we cheered in Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs. It has been the best expe‐ Congratulations to David JOE ‘99, rience, but Who married Nao last Spring in the I could United Sates. David visited SFS to never have share his experiences working in the done it Department of State at the High without School Career Day in October. my cheer coach, Mrs. Segebart 2000s and cheer Cree HAN ‘10, shared her news of team at being selected as a cheerleader for SFS. I love Northwestern. “So far my time at my new Northwestern has been amazing. I school
and I consider Northwestern as my second home now. But, Iʹll never for‐ get the place that got me this far, Seoul Foreign School.” Sylvia KIM ‘04 is working in a land‐ scape and design company called CA (Chin & Associates) Landscape/ Design www.cadesign.co.kr as an as‐ sociate designer. She has been work‐ ing for the past 8 months and enjoys her work.
Cree HAN, 2nd from the back left & her 2010-11 Northwestern cheer team
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Alumni Notes
John and Barbara SWEETMAN, FTs together with their sons, Jacob and Charlie
Clearly our school has evolved over years. Also visiting the Gingerichs time. The programs and facilities are earlier this summer were Royce and constantly being updated to accom‐ Ardith BRUNK who were attending modate contemporary demands, yet parts of the schoolʹs visual identity remained fixed in a pre‐digital era. With an eye on tradition I tried to respect the overall form and con‐ tent of the original crest, but I also desired to revive it, making it sharp‐ er, tighter, and more refined. As the school moves into its second centu‐ ry, I trust this new crest serves as an expression of SFS tradition of excel‐ lence in our contemporary world.“
When asking John to comment on some of his thoughts reflecting back to SFS while creating the centennial logo John wrote: “Barbara and I
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kerm and Clydene GINGERICH FA in Boise, Idaho at the home of Craig and Lori GINGERICH FTs and
Former Faculty
Gingerich Family (Back row) with the Richters (L) and Rodges (R)
SFS 100th Anniversary Logo designed by John SWEETMAN, FT
loved our time in Korea. Jacob and Charlie both had their first day of school and regularly still talk about life in F‐dong. Teaching Visual Art and Graphic Design in the High School was without a doubt the best job I ever had. I was very pleased to be asked to submit a logo design for Seoul Foreign Schoolʹs centennial celebrations. I had been toying with revamping the schoolʹs crest for about a year and a half while we still lived there and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do it. 22
their children, Nate and Allie, were Langston and Linda ROGDE FA/FT visiting the Gingerichs and now newly retired living in Texas. Also attending were Ron & Ruth RICHTER FA/FT who live near Boi‐ se. Many of Gingerich family mem‐ bers were also there and a few great and funny stories were told about Kerm and Clydene before they were married. Clydene and Ruth were childhood friends whose lives have continued to be intertwined with multiple connections over the
a Brunk Family Reunion. Itʹs interesting that many people say, ʺIdaho, whereʹs that?ʺ, but folks from SFS manage to find their way there one way or another! Also in September, Harlan and Mary LYSO FA/FT visited the home of Ron and Ruth Richter. We received news that former teach‐ er from 1976‐80 who taught 2nd grade, Doris KREKELER passed away on December 14th in Lititz, Pennsylvania. As she wished, Doris was cremated and her ashes buried at the family plot near Leavenworth, Kansas. The Krekeler family is very grateful for all of your prayers, who helped make Doris’ journey home one of warmth, caring, and love.
Alumni Notes Joanne MA ’03, shared her fun experi‐ ence meeting up with her SFS class‐ mates during her travel this past sum‐ mer. Joanne has been living in Aus‐ tralia (her home country) ever since she graduated. She has finished her 2nd year of working as a medical doc‐ tor on the Central Coast of New South Wales. This year has been busy with emergency medicine, pediatrics, ob‐ stetrics and gynecology and now re‐ habilitation medicine. This July, Joanne had the privilege of attending the International Christian Medical and Dental Associationʹs
Phillip Kim
World Congress in Uruguay, South America. She had dinner with Phil‐ ip YANCEY who was one of the bi‐ ble speakers. Since she was flying all the way over there, she decided to make a trip out of it and ended up visiting 6 countries in 6 weeks: Ar‐ gentina, Uruguay, USA, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore! While in the USA, Canada and Singapore, she caught up with 5 SFS alumni from the class of 2003: Steven YUM re‐ sides in New York, but works in Houston weekly; Amanda (PRATT) TRAVELGANI is a contract Manag‐ er for Bechtel in Knoxville, Tennes‐ see; Anna (JOHNSTON) CARL‐ SON is a business development as‐ sociate in Bellingham, Washington; Thomas KLEU resides in Vancou‐ ver, Canada; Charles SKADIANG is a professional Barista in Mel‐ bourne; Simone GUSTAFSSON is studying post‐grad for her Masters of Sociology in Melbourne and Phil‐ lip KIM is a project manager at Hewlett Packard in Singapore.“
Steve Yum
Amanda Travelgani
Anna Carlson Charles Skadiang Tom Kleu
Simone Gustafsson
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Alumni Campus Visits Steve (Stephen) NEIL ’82* together with guests who were children of SFS alum, Rachel MCLAREN ’40* visited the SFS campus on October 8, 2010. Steve’s parents were Aus‐ tralian Missionaries and he had attended SFS in the 60s and 70s. During his visit, he shared lots of memories of SFS. While most of the buildings were all renovated since his departure, he was happy to see the High School building quite the same as before. He remembered the location of his locker and was thrilled to take a picture in front of it. Steve would love to have attend‐ ed the Fall Seoul Alumni reunion but unfortunately he could not attend due to his return to Austral‐ ia. Rachel MCLAREN ‘40* was the daughter of an Australian missionary doctor (Charles McLaren) who worked at Severance Hospital in Seoul. Rachel attended SFS in the 1920s and 1930s but unfortunately she passed away a few years ago. Rachelʹs two boys John and Doug HUMANN together with their spouses were traveling with Steve
From Left: June Kang, Doug Humann, Jill Humann (wife of Doug), Steve Neil ‘82*, Jani Kerr (wife of John) and John Humann
down south visiting Changwon, Jinju, could not make it to the school due to conflict in schedules. Hopefully, he Masan and Busan as these are areas can visit us on his next trip to Seoul. where the Australian Presbyterian Mission was based from 1890 to the present. After their trip they visited their mother’s school, SFS to find trac‐ es of their mother Rachel. Rachel attended SFS, when it was located in the city near the British Embassy in Jung‐dong. After a short tour of the campus, Rachel’s children were able to view the yearbooks from the 30s and were happy to find their mother’s pictures in them. Michael BROWN ‘76* also a SFS alum planned to visit SFS with Steve but unfortunately
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Rachel McLAREN ‘40* pictured in the 1937 yearbook.
Alumni Campus Visits On October 8, 2010 we had a former Board Chair Gary SMALL and his wife Laurie visiting from Australia en route to Louisville, Kentucky. The Small family has ended their three year service in Australia and has relocated back to the U.S. Both Gary and Laurie were happy to reunite with their daughter Stephanie SMALL Black ’05/current faculty (wife of John BLACK ‘04), the in‐laws (Rob and Sondra BLACK) and also to meet up with some SFS faculty. Pictured from (L‐R) is June Kang, Director of Communi‐ cations & Development., Laurie and Gary Small.
We were thrilled to have Rana CHO ‘91 visit us on her first recruitment trip for California College of the Arts, (CCA). “I was happy to see SFS on my list of schools to visit.” Rana was on a two week trip throughout Asia and on her way to Shanghai when she visited. She was also able to attend our annual Fall SFS Alumni Reunion in
Seoul. When asked about her experience with the IB Pro‐ gram, she said, “Almost twenty years later, the IB Pro‐ gramʹs emphasis on self‐expression and verbal communi‐ cation skills is still an important asset in this digital age. It is not enough to be articulate in writing only.” Reflecting back on her graduating year at SFS, she expressed both the perks and challenges of living overseas, particu‐ larly with the limitations in opportunities to visit or tour colleges. This has made her recruitment role for CCA even more fulfilling as she is able to give stu‐ dents the opportunity to have an in‐person encounter with potential institutions to attend, similar to her own experience. ʺAs part of Brownʹs admissions pro‐ cess I was interviewed by a Brown alumnus. Today I am a Bay Area Brown alumnus interviewer my‐ self!ʺ Rana is a marketing consultant and current Faculty member for the MBA Program in Design Strategy for California College of the Arts, living in San Francisco.
Michelle CHO ’06 visited SFS on October 8, 2010 after graduating from college to meet with her former teacher Mrs. Edie MOON. Michelle shared some of her college experiences and her times here at SFS with us. We were thrilled to have met her and enjoyed listening to her share her academic experiences in college as well. She is cur‐ rently residing in Seoul for a year, doing an internship and studying Korean at Yonsei University. Michelle also joined the Seoul Alumni Reunion the following week.
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Alumni Campus Visits While on her trip to Seoul, Lucy CROWE Kim ‘52* together with her husband visited the SFS campus on October 13, 2010 and joined us for the Fall Seoul re‐ union from Gainesville, Virginia. Lucy attended SFS during her Elementary years when SFS was located in Jung‐dong. During the SFS campus tour she recog‐ nized and was very familiar with current SFS news and facility upgrades. She has been keeping herself up to date with SFS news through our Banner maga‐ zine. Four of the CROWE siblings attended SFS. It was very special to have her visit all the way from Virginia and was glad that they were able to join the alumni reunion where they met the Underwoods to talk about the old times at SFS.
David JOE ‘99 is currently working for the Department of State as a Liaison Officer in Yongsan. He has worked in this position for the past four years. He has been mar‐ ried for 8 months to his wife Nao. This was his first time participating in the High School Career Day. He shared
his expe‐ riences and gave advice to students wanting to pursue a global career like his.
We want to share your news!!! Please send us news about you and your classmates. We would love to share your contributions of new jobs, travels, weddings, babies and more. Include a picture when you can so we can show them to the rest of the SFS community. Please contact or submit news to: Communications & Development Office June Kang (Director) at jkang@seoulforeign.org or Yoojin Um (Manager) at yjum@seoulforeign.org 26
Save the Date for Upcoming Alumni Events San Francisco Sunday, February 6th 2011 @6:30pm Seoul Garden (415) 563-7664 http://www.seoulgardenbbq.com
Chicago Thursday, February 17th 2011 @6:30pm Woori Village (847) 966-8990 8526 West Golf Road, Niles, IL 60714-1154
San Diego Saturday February 19th 2011 @6:30pm Seoul BBQ (858)-505-8700 http://www.seoulbbq.com
Los Angeles Sunday February 20th 2011 @6:30pm Chosun Galbee (323) 734-3330 http://www.chosungalbee.com/
SFS Crusaders 50 2011 will be SFS’s 13th year presenting the “Alumnus of the Year Award.” Dr. David Livingston ’72* was the recipient last year. Please read the criteria below carefully and forward your nominations for possible candidates with their achievements and the reason why you are recommending the particular alum to Yoojin Um at yjum@seoulforeign.org no lat‐ er than Friday, February 18th, 2011. Final selection will be made by the Alumni Committee. Criteria 1. Candidate must be supportive of the school in word and action. 2. Someone who has achieved success in their field and is committed to public service. 3. Must have attended SFS for at least two years (does not have to be a graduate). Additional Information The Alumnus Award recipient will be invited to the High School graduation and will present the SFS Alumni Com‐ mittee Award to the winning senior. Alumni who are also currently employed at SFS can also be nominated.
KIS Phoenix 34
SFS Homecoming King & Queen Kevin Johansen & Carlee Benson Twenty Two Alumni enjoyed reminiscing with old friends and faculty on Friday, January 14th 2011 while enjoying a light snack buffet and the basketball game in the UAC. All visiting alumni were presented with a corsage, alumni T‐shirt and a Centennial gift bag. Returning teammates from last year’s undefeated varsity team, Ryan SUH (scored 12, leading scorer) and Calvin BENGER (7 points) both seniors and co‐ captions led the SFS team to a victory scoring 50 points against KIS, winning by 16 points!
Maeve Wilson ’10 & Camilla Ko ‘10
Vincent Chong ‘09, Jeffery Lim ‘10, Daniel Kim ’10 (L‐R)
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Online registrations will be available on our Alumni website beginning in March 2011.
www.seoulforeign.org