Tiger Times Volume 35 Issue 1

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Au g u s t 2 0 1 1 i s s u e 1

Tiger Times s e o u l i n t e r nat i o na l s c h o o l itigertimes.com

Admissions office accepts 31 new high school students

By Mark Kim

As students leave the lunch line with trays of food, they struggle to find empty seats in the cafeteria.

Compared to last year, there was a significant increase in the number of new students, with 12 new freshmen, 10 sophomores and 9 juniors.

It was rumored that the increase in new students was due to a decrease of enrolled kindergarten students. Since 2009, the South Korean government required students to live abroad for at least three years before attending international schools, and as a result the number of kindergarten classes decreased.

However, according to Irene De Shazo, director of admissions, the decrease had nothing to do with the arrival of 31 students. Rather, a large number of students left SIS, leaving spaces available for new students.

“There are many Koreans returning from abroad,” said Ms. De Shazo. “Some families in the US or Canada are returning back to Korea because the economy here is very good. [These families] need to find English-speaking schools for their children.”

According to Peter Corcoran, director of school, a larger student body is beneficial.

“We generate the income needed to run the school based on enrollment and tuition, and we can provide more support for our stu-

By Stephanie Yi

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Holding up the poster, Soo Kim (10) introduces the Dance Club to Jessica Cho (11), a new student, at the activity fair on Aug. 8. The activity fair was an opportunity for new students to learn different clubs. dents in terms of school resources with a higher income,” he said. “At the same time, our teachers can give students the attention they need.”

The increase in the number of new students has been especially noticeable in the cafeteria, where students from different class levels are forced to sit together due to the lack of seats in the cafeteria.

“As a member of the High School Student Council, I support harmony between students of different grade levels,” said Adrian

Kim (10), sophomore class president. “The new students definitely brought more magnetism to our student body. Because students from different grades were encouraged to sit together [in the cafeteria], I had a chance to speak to some freshmen and upperclassmen.”

Despite this strict admission process, students are continuing to apply to SIS. Applicants are required to take two entrance exams, of which they must score at least 85 percent to be considered for admission into

the school. Students who pass the exams are interviewed by admission officers and faculty members to determine if they are qualified.

“We have a very good reputation for sending a lot of our students to prestigious colleges in the US,” said Ms. De Shazo. “As long as we have spaces and quality students [apply], we will accept them. The number one thing is we accept them not only because [we have available spaces] but because they are quality students.”

New principal employs teenage experiences as source of inspiration to become educator and mentor for students

By Lydia Kim

Although Jarret Lambie, high school principal, did not mature in a conservative and academically competitive environment like SIS, he did outshine 30 other prinicpal applicants to now share his creativity and adventurousness as the newest administrator.

For the last five years, Mr. Lambie served as vice principal of the International School in Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) in Malaysia. Previously, he taught English courses at the Ruamrudee International School, located in Thailand. Before his teaching career, he grew up and studied in Canada.

Mr. Lambie admitted his youth was full of Lord of the Flies moments, having done the “dumb things boys do when they are left alone.” For example, he jumped off

Students dumbfounded by arrest of hagwon teacher

Photo by Jessica Song

During the Aug. 18 civil defense drill, Jarret Lambie and Jane Fritz, science teacher, converse while waiting to send students back to class. from high places and found himself in several car accidents. As he matured though, he learned from his mistakes and realized who he did not want to be.

Warning: New OS X Lion users risk compatibility problems. Page 3

“By the time I was a teenager my parents were old and tired,” said Mr. Lambie. “So as long as I didn’t get arrested, I could do whatever I wanted to. I got to make all of the

Collaboration: Students and alumni showcase talents in “The Awkward Stage”. Page 5

mistakes I needed to make. I wanted to figure things out on my own. Did I run away and join the circus to find out who I was? No, I didn’t have to.”

Although Mr. Lambie may have been a troublemaker in his youth, his enthusiasm and active personality helped create an engaging learning environment for his previous students. On one occasion, he helped his AP English Literature students prepare for their exams by assigning them to reproduce Shakespeare’s Hamlet using its important quotes. “[The play] was so good [that] they decided to perform it,” said Mr. Lambie. “We would burst into a math class and do Hamlet for two and a half minutes and walk back out. We went to teachers who would be upset by having their classes interrupted. I said [to] my students, it New principal, Page 4

The last time Shelby Kim (11) received a call from her hagwon was when she was informed that her teacher was arrested. On Aug. 8, Richard Kim from iConnect hagwon was arrested for identity theft and two instances of attempted murder.

In May 1997, Richard argued with two Mexican gang members, both of whom he shot. Two months later, he fled to Korea with a stolen identity and became a teacher. “[All Richard told me was that] he was gang-affiliated in the past, but when you grow up in the streets of Los Angeles [violent] things happen,” said Kirk Kim (12), Richard’s former student. “What he did was wrong, but when there is a fight between two gangs, shooting is bound to happen.”

Students had difficulty believing Richard’s past—according to Kirk, he is a devout Christian who goes to church every week and prays daily. He also got married in July, leaving students pitying his wife.

“I once remember personally asking him when he became a Christian and he replied that he became a Christian five years ago,” said Shelby. “Honestly, I still can’t believe he did it. Every time I hear it, I want to deny it.”

According to Richard’s former students, he was well-known among for his teaching style, devotion to education and his students’ wellbeing. Instead of emphasizing high scores, he encouraged his students to do their best.

“I have always thought that students should be taught by a teacher who they can get along with or fit,” said Shelby. “For me, I thought Richard was that teacher. I really depended on him and he would take care of me even outside of hagwon.

I do not know what his intentions were 14 years ago, but I know, for sure, that he has changed.”

Though former students believe Richard has changed, Victor Cho, counselor, disagrees.

“This should be a wake-up call for parents,” said Mr. Cho. “[Richard] said he graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, it shows that we shouldn’t take things at face value anymore. The arrest of this individual highlights the fact that there are probably more people like him that are not qualified [to be a teacher].”

Passion: Activities director shares his experience in professional sports. Page 10

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august 2011

Editorial Meaningful internships only come with motivation and effort After an entire summer of photocopying and scanning hundred of pages, serving coffee and running menial errands, you leave your internship with two things: toned biceps and an extra golden line for your resume that says, “Hyundai Motor Companies: Assistant to the President and Chief Executive Officer.”

For the past two months, a number of students were hired at prestigious corporations, hospitals and law firms as interns; however, far too many times did those who were supposed to be “editing legal documents” or “shadowing neurosurgeons” broadcast their rather uneventful days on Facebook—by the minute.

These people complain about the humdrum nature of their summer jobs, insisting that their time at work could be better spent on their summer assignments or college applications—some even count down the days until their internships are over. They have yet to realize that the crux of this problem is not the job itself, but their own lack of initiative.

Internships are chances for students to gain firsthand work experience, although at times they may seem like laborious chores. This is

especially true in Korea, where it is rare for high school students—and even college students—to be offered jobs at brand-name companies and organizations. Unfamiliar with having high school interns in their offices, Korean employers do not assign much work to their 18-year-old employees.

It is ultimately up to students themselves to make the most of their internships: instead of staying glued to their seats and staring mindlessly at the computer screen, they should actively seek opportunities to do more than just photocopying and serving coffee. This means students must take the initiative to ask for more work and propose your own ideas to make the job more meaningful. In fact, this principle applies to life in general—doing nothing gets you nowhere.

Furthermore, Facebooking and dozing off at work are not only a waste of one’s own time but also are signs of disrespect towards one’s workmates. In Korea’s cutthroat, competitive society, it takes years or even decades for people to be promoted to positions of authority; the attitude some students have towards their internships can be perceived as ungratefulness by their coworkers. Rather than net-

working with friends on Facebook, students should focus on establishing new relationships with people outside the seemingly impenetrable SIS bubble. Every year, a number of students matriculate to business programs at American universities, and the connections they form at their internships as high school students will be invaluable to their careers after their four years of undergraduate studies.

This is not to say that all students display such lack of appreciation. More motivated individuals sought ways to go beyond what was expected of them, researching cures for H1N1, attending congressional meetings at the National Assembl or helping doctors take care of patients suffering from various disabilities. While others left work with paychecks and another half-hearted attempt to pad their resumes and applications, such students were able to truly explore life beyond high school and college in the areas of their interests.

Let yourself be heard. If you have any responses to articles published in Tiger Times or orignial contributions, please send them to tigertimes@ gmail.com.

Students should pay more attention to career counseling

By Min Ji Suh

Education in Korea is largely influenced by a significant number of parents—especially mothers, known as “Tiger Moms”—who push their children to become part of Korea’s professional elite: its doctors, lawyers, and professors.

It is unfortunate then that SIS, as a school based on Western curricula, is being overwhelmed by this influence. As a result, students tend to be more concerned about how famous their future universities will be, rather than their career in the long run. Although this is a problem highlighted by teachers, opportunities for career counseling are still only offered only twice in a student’s high school career: the first, through the Career Cruising unit during the freshman communications course, followed by the second, during a college applicationwriting chapter in Writing 11. It is time, therefore, that the school took time to expand its career counseling program to provide insight and guidance to students.

The result of the narrow-mindedness students face at home and Editors-in-Chief Stella Kim Eunice Lee

Managing Editor Lydia Kim

Production Editor Jasmine Park

Graphics Editor Stephanie Song

Copy Editors

Alison Chang Angela Cho Elizabeth Song

Layout Artists Yong Gun Choe Jason Huh Joanne Lee Milton Yoon Jonathan Yun

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Andrew Eom (12) discusses the college application process with Gray Macklin, high school counselor, on Aug. 17 in the counseling office. Mr. Macklin is available to address questions and concerns seniors have. at school is this: time come junior and senior year, students are so set on going to college that they fail to realize there exists a life and career after the four years of undergraduate studies. It is usually too late by the time they realize no one is there to look after them as an adult—to hagwon them into making sure that they are guaranteed a well-paid, respectMarketing Director Jeffrey Chun

Cartoonist Christine Lee

Photographers

Joshua Kim Linda Heeyoung Park Jessica Song

able job.

Counselors at school are meant to widen an individual’s personality, interests, and future goals to a greater perspective. Their discussions and advice enable an individual, and especially young students, to find their direction in the future.

For many of us who are at a loss in finding our path towards a suitable

Reporters Mark Kim Michelle Kim Marcus Lee Helen Song Min Ji Suh Web Designer Stephanie Yi Adviser Ms. Carolyn Brown

profession, the expansion of career .counseling can be of much use— giving us the confidence to make the necessary decisions regarding our future career.

Looking at the different job options that students are provided with gives them an idea of what they sincerely desire to be. It outlines the necessary steps of career cruising

Tiger Times seoul international school Songpa P.O. Box 47 Seoul, South Korea 138-600

that a certain individual could pursue, enabling them to gain an overall idea of what field they should major in. If an individual is set on doing something, these systematic programs help them out an individual to explore why they want to pursue that certain area of study.

Furthermore, career counselors are aware of different opportunities for experience within various employment market areas. This fundamental source of help will enable us to contemplate all options, some of which we may never have previously considered. As a solution, the school should introduce students to a variety of job choices by holding yearly career fairs, where guest speakers can directly introduce and share information about their occupations with students.

A student’s future is essentially a tripartite relationship between the students, the parent, and the school. It is essential therefore that the school starts to play its part in this relationship more actively and provide an environment which enables students to decide upon their futures based on their individual interests with a less biased and more informed approach.

The Tiger Times exercises the right to report on and editorialize all topics, events or issues, including those unpopular or controversial, insofar as they affect or interest the school, community, nation and world. We refrain from publishing material that advertises illegal products or services, is obscene, libelous or invades privacy. We refrain from publishing material that creates a clear and present danger or the immediate material and substantial physical disruption of the school.

august 2011

School schedule must be renewed

By Milton Yoon

Parents of SIS students agree to pay full tuition under the condition that the children are provided quality education and finish their coursework. Last year, some students, especially those taking AP courses, felt as if their workload was crammed into a short period of time, which caused them to begin questioning the school board’s ability to keep up with AP material. The school should consider changing at least some of its policies in order to meet the students’ preference.

Teachers have only 180 days to complete their estimated course material. Usually, this is not a problem with most classes because the teachers and subject departments decide how much material the course should cover. However, there is a different situation for AP courses: their course outlines depend on the universally standardized AP exams.

Thus, no matter what teachers prefer to cover, they must adhere to College Board’s guidelines to fully prepare students for their tests in May. Perhaps, as some AP students have claimed, the problem is simply the number of days that the school allows. Other schools that take AP exams have significantly more school days than SIS. For example, Cheongshim International Academy has a minimum of 210 school days a year; usually the school year goes on even further. This means that the AP courses offered in other schools have more time to cover the same material, thus reducing the risk of missing information or crammin g information. Moreover, because of the rotating schedule system the school uses, students really have only 90 days of classes to go through all class material.

To add on to the lack of school days, inadequate school policies also add on to the unfair school day policy. According to the school’s

policy of inclement weather, it agrees to make up days lost to extreme weather only when students miss more than two days, so single days lost by weathers cannot be made up, and are thus lost forever.

Also, a few half-days, including the first and last days of the school year, are considered as school days in the annual calendar when they clearly do not deliver the amount of education that a single school day should offer.

According to Peter Corcoran, Director of School, the school believes that the school’s system is the most adequate for AP students for a number of reasons: the school semester starts two weeks before a few other international schools, and SIS’s AP courses are yearlong.

However, the most important opinions to be considered are those of the students, and if the students truly believe that the school day policy is inadequate, then the school must begin to look into the subject.

the release of OS X Snow Leopard, Mac users have anticipated that OS X Lion would include some innovative features. With regards to this, Apple has not failed—the new Mission Control application makes it easier for the Mac users to monitor all the programs running at the same time, and Launchpad allows users to flip through the screen with a mouse that is responsive to multi-touch gestures.

Unfortunately, these newfound benefits of OS X Lion do not outweigh its harms. Numerous Macs have been damaged as a result of the new, unfamiliar software. Students should be aware of this, as some of the Adobe programs may not operate on the new OS X. Making matters worse, applications such as Mail, iPhoto, and iTunes are testified to crash as often as two to three times a day.

OS X Lion also slows the computer down and does not carry out all the multi-touch functions. These

costs outweigh the benefits because, if the hardware cannot support the software, then any Lion downloaders will end up with malfunctioning Macs. The machines are simply too old and outdated to support the novel OS. One possible explanation for this problem is that the OS X Lion software is not compatible with Macs produced before mid-2009 that run on old processors. Hence, those who bought their computers more than a year ago are encountering some major incompatibility problems.

The response to this problem is to wait. Apple should be releasing a new 10.7.1 update on the OS X Lion in order to correct the programming errors. Thus, rather than losing a ten-page research paper because of MS Word crash, the most feasible option would be for students to take a more cautious approach and be patient until Apple releases the new update.

Caution advised against OS X Lion

By Jeffrey Chun

To all those who are willing to pay 32,651 won for OS X Lion, the newest Mac software: don’t. Despite the many new attractive features of OS X Lion, all Apple users should refrain from downloading and wait for all the bugs to be fixed, especially because the current version is incompatible with older versions of the Macs.

The early adopters enthusiastically embrace the latest technology.

However, they risk becoming test subjects to developers. Ever since its release on July 20, OS X Lion has been receiving mixed reviews— while the new software equips Mac computers with multi-touch gestures like those of the iPad and iPod Touch, it is riddled with bugs and malfunctions that render the hardware slow and applications unusable.

As it has been two years since

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PowerSchool proves to be worthy investment

Courtesy of Dong Eun Lee

PowerSchool, the new student information system, grants users access to the Daily Bulletin, grade books and the staff directory.

By Alison Chang

Students stare into their laptops during break time. Many have just taken a test and are waiting for their teachers to upload grades. While one complains that a test has not yet been uploaded, another fails to understand why the teacher’s grading mistake has not been fixed on Edline. These are previous problems that administrators, teachers, students and parents have had to deal with, making the switch to PowerSchool, a more comprehensive student information system (SIS), a logical and efficient move.

The SIS used previously was Administrators Plus, which makes information such as schedules available to teachers and administrators.

However, the problem was not the SIS itself, but the separate grade book program, Gradequick.

Administrators Plus does not offer its own grade book program and with Gradequick, teachers were required to separately post reports on Edline. Basically, teachers were juggling three separate programs all at once. The administration is attempting to eliminate these extra steps by switching to PowerSchool.

PowerSchool also offers its own grade book program called PowerTeacher. On PowerTeacher, teachers can keep track of atten-

dance as well as their students’ grades, and post detailed assignment description, which are crucial teacher-specific features.

Ultimately, PowerSchool is a better teacher-parent portal because teachers do not have to make separate reports on Edline; PowerTeacher directly transfers grades so that whatever changes teachers make become accessible. Students and parents get to look at the actual gradebooks, not just vague reports with a simple number beside a brief assignment description.

This change is not only beneficial, but also necessary. Students and parents who wish to keep close track of their grades do not have to wait for teachers to post regularly on Edline, nor do they have to worry about the possibility of mistakes.

PowerTeacher allows students and parents to directly see their grades as they appear in teachers’ grade books so they can keep a closer eye on whether mistakes are being made and whether they are being fixed.

Schools such as Korea International School and Seoul Foreign School have already switched to PowerSchool. SIS, as an equally competitive school, must ensure that its grade system is up to par.

Even though the entire school must go through the tedious process of replacing systems, it is a worthwhile switch.

Humans: mastermind behind technology abuse

By Jonathan Yun

After News of the World shut down in July because of a phone hacking scandal, technology invading people’s privacy became a major concern by the public. However, this point is neither valid nor reasonable, for technology is not anthropomorphic—it cannot think and feel like humans can. Instead of blaming technology itself, people should consider how they abuse technology and risk personal safety, especially in the social networking media.

In 2009, social networking welcomed a new member to its community: foursquare. Foursquare is a website that allows users to “check-in” at venues they are at.

In other words, this application lets the whole world—not only your

friends—know where you are. It basically screams, “Invade my privacy please!” through Facebook and Twitter via the company’s website.

People use foursquare entirely for social purposes. There are socalled “benefits” to using this application. One is that users earn badges to reward their “adventurousness”. Also, users can upload reviews and generally become experts within their cities. However, marketing blogs and websites reveal that foursquare has greater advantages for businesses rather than the people themselves. But, do people really want to put their whole lives out there for everyone to see? Social networking is definitely interactive and fun, but when someone is stalking another in public, the line has unquestionably been passed. The company reported in June that it had

10 million registered users, which correlates to the rising popularity of smart phones. It is now up to those 10 million users to decide how they will utilize the application, so that their privacy is safe.

It is more difficult to think

Cartoon by Christine Lee

providently when joining a social networking media. People are desperate to find and interact with their friends or let the world know what they are doing at the moment as in the cases of Facebook and Twitter respectively. However, popularity

comes with a price: loss of privacy.

Privacy issues are not a concern to anyone until his or her own privacy is invaded. Yes, there are strict privacy settings on Facebook, but these functions should not exist if people were wiser with what they post.

It is not justified to blame technology as the mastermind behind privacy invasion. It certainly has made it easier for people to intrude into others’ spaces, but people must realize that it is humans who created this technological innovation and have utilized it ever since. People constantly complain about technology, but at the same time, they cannot admit their own mistakes. If people were more prudent on social networking websites or other communication media, then they would not have to worry about their privacy and reputation being in peril.

nEWS 4Students bring clean water to Hwahweh Maeul AUGUST 2011

NEWS BRIEFS

Dr. Kim receives award for excellence in education Recognized for his dedication to education, Hyung-Shik Kim, headmaster, was awarded the Sangheo Grant Award by the Sangheo Cultural Foundation on May 26 at Konkuk University for 40 years of devotion to the field.

The award recognized his contributions to education in South Korea. SIS was commended as one of the most prestigious international schools in Korea and Dr. Kim’s accomplishments were highly regarded by the council.

“I was really impressed,” said Peter Corcoran, director of school. “In doing research, I found that this type of award is only given once a year, and I was happy with how [Dr. Kim’s] contributions reflect on the school.”

Youtheca Expo attracts many students Hundreds of students met at the COEX Grand Ballroom for the second annual Youtheca Expo on July 24. At this gathering, students set up booths and advertised their clubs to expand them.

The Youtheca Expo provided students the opportunity to share and sign up for different clubs.

Booths were set up to attract prospective participants who could become members or expand branches at their own schools.

Many used their personal interests to do community service. Grace Song (10) started Solar Cookers International, which provides solar cookers for people in Africa, and Justin Han (11) started a club that experiments with advanced technology.

“Our club involves robot programming and community service,” said Justin. “We go to different events to present dance and hold robot soccer games for the disabled as entertainment.”

National History Day expands its influence in Asia

Since its creation in the 1970s, National History Day had only been celebrated in the US until recently. Following Shanghai International School, the only other Asian school to have hosted the competition, SIS will be hosting this event on Feb. 18.

The event’s goal is to foster a greater interest in history.

An introductory meeting was held Aug. 18. Students must hand in a proposal on the topic of “Revolution, Reaction and Reform” as a documentary film, dramatic interpretation, written essay or website by Sept. 9, which will be assessed by a panel of judges. Winners will move on to Shanghai, and then to the US. “This [competition] is great because the topic gives you a little leeway,” said Shanna Hurt, history teacher. “It also mirrors what kind of research is expected in universities in the states.”

By Alison Chang

By Joanne Lee

In hopes of providing a clean water source for Hwahweh Maeul, a local slum village five minutes away from SIS, Habitat for Humanity (HFH) organized a school-wide campaign last year in which it sold tshirts and held a champagne brunch in May to raise over 10,000,000 won.

To celebrate this feat HFH will hold a ceremony at Hwahweh Maeul with the HFH Korea executives on Sept.

3, during which the filters will be installed.

The water filters, 1,500,000 won each, will be placed in nine locations around the village. Filters for homes with young children or handicapped and immobile seniors are prioritized. There are also two

water filters set aside for the village congregation areas. In a recent trip to Hwahweh Maeul with the HFH Korea executives, Yeeun Chun (12), HFH president, received gratitude from its residents.

“Mr. Moo, who carries out the administrative duties of the village, let us know how grateful the whole village was,” said Yeeun. “When you visit the village, you notice that the kitchens at the gathering places don’t even have running water. Previous donations to the village had never been sustainable, but now the entire village will always have access.

Yuri Han, SIS alumnus and cofounder of HFH, shed light on the existence of Hwahweh Maeul. After writing an article on the village, Yuri decided to get the school involved in changing its conditions.

“Things have definitely changed since we first became aware of Hwahweh Maeul,” said Yuri. “I’m kind of amazed how just one article has moved so many people to improve its conditions. This is definitely a huge milestone for SIS who has become more and more involved with the local issues.”

After installing the water filters, HFH plans to continue its weekly visits to Hwahweh Maeul, when they socialize with the older residents.

“Hwahweh Maeul will always be a part of our school,” said Yeeun.

“I think, financially, we did as much as we could do, but we are definitely going to continue visiting. We’ve noticed that there are also other slums in the Bokjeong area, and perhaps, Hwahweh Maeul can just be the start for other local projects.”

helping hwahweh maeul

Hwahweh Maeul Fundraiser Starts March 21 Final count and orders for fundraiser T-shirts April 8

Champagne Brunch with teachers and staff May 14

Habitat for Humanity Korea installs water filters September 3

Dr. Kim donates $5000 to water filter campaign May 16 Graphic by Joshua Kim

New principal From page 1 does not matter what the teacher does. If you go in there, you have got to do the whole thing.’”

While Mr. Lambie cherishes his childhood, he admitted that he would have chosen to grow up in a more conservative environment had he been given the opportunity.

“The right to be stupid is overrated,” said Mr. Lambie. “It only makes for good stories. It’s better to be conservative in the long run. If I had the chance to go back in time, I would want to be like kids at SIS. I would happily give up making smistakes to have higher ambitions.

I would have big goals and dreams.”

Though he was not able attend SIS as a student, he now has the opportunity serve as an administrator.

Peter Corcoran, former high school principal and current director of school, said that Mr. Lambie was fully prepared to assume this role.

“Advice?” asked Mr. Corcoran.

“I don’t think Mr. Lambie needs any advice. He has all skills, knowledge and experience necessary to run a great school. I wouldn’t presume to give any advice on about how to run this school.”

Students, teachers seek explanation for extreme rainfall

By Christine Lee

Korea faced landslides, floods and leaking houses as a result of this summer’s extreme rainfall. With a total of 1616.3 mm of rain June, July and August combined, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration, there has not been this much rainfall in Korea for 80 years. Due to the extreme weather, many students have found themselves in abnormal situations and are curious to find out reasons behind the phenomenon.

“I was walking through a small flood on the street caused by the rain and suddenly my flip-flop got caught somewhere and was washed away,” said Jimmy Ryoo (11). “I had to walk home with just one flip-flop.”

Students and teachers looking for a scientific definition for this unnatural amount of rain noticed slight changes in a major air current in the atmosphere called the Jet Stream, which flows over North America, Europe and Asia, according to the Geophysical Research Letters, a semi-monthly published scientific journal.

“The reason for the extreme rainfall was that the jet stream didn’t follow its usual patterns this summer,” said Jane Fritz, science teacher.

“This in turn affected the tempera-

tures and rainfall in Korea, like how El Niño and La Niña does in South America.”

Other students believe global warming had a huge impact on this year’s weather. Scientists hypothesized that global warming will cause climate change if preventive measures are not taken.

“I definitely believe global warming is part of the reason for extreme weather conditions such as the amount of rain and the high temperatures here in Korea,” said Daniel Hong (10). “Scientists keep saying that if we don’t take care of our Earth, we’ll see prominent changes in our climates soon. I think we’re beginning to see those changes.”

Though the amount of rainfall was abnormally high this year, it is common for Korea to experience rainy, humid weather in the summer and it is hard to predict whether it will continue to rain abnormall,y according to James Horn, science teacher.

“It’s difficult to figure out if the changes in the jet stream’s currents are just a fluke or if it’s going to happen more often,” said James Horn, science teacher. “It’s possible that these extreme weather conditions could permanently become a part of Korea’s climate.”

Phone: 031)723-8210

Graphic by Christine Lee

Address: 677-8 Bokjungdong, Soojungku, Seungnam, Kyungkido

AUGUST 2011

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nEWS

“The Awkward Stage” ends summer on musical note

By Michelle Kim

It is not often that students organize concerts on their own, but on Aug. 5, 26 students from Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS), Korean International School (KIS), International Christian School in Pyongtaek (ICS), Seoul Foreign School (SFS) and SIS performed a concert called “The Awkward Stage” in Cafe Hesed, located near Garak Market Station.

Founded by Jona Park, YISS class of ’11, “The Awkward Stage” was a collaborative concert for international school students to come together, begin the new school year and say farewell to recent alumni.

“I’ve always been big on music,” said Jona. “Back in 2009, I worked with Albert Joo [KIS Class of ‘11] because I [had] heard that he was keen on music as well and we put together a small concert at a cafe in Kangnam. Ever since then, it’s been on my mind to do another concert, but this time with more performers and people.”

Jona and Albert recruited members for a seven-person executive group, including Matthew Park

Photo Courtesy of Ji Yoon Hyun

Jasmine Park (12) and mash-up group members perform “Rocketeer” at the Awkward Stage on Aug. 5. and Theodore Kim, SIS Class of ’11.

The executives organized the concert, sold t-shirts and promoted the concert on the Internet.

“It was difficult to promote the concert because our only means of

advertisement was the Internet—everyone was on summer break, so we couldn’t meet everyone personally like we would have been able to if school were in,” said Jona. “But we spent a good month uploading teas-

Debaters gain experience and skill through international competitions

By Joshua Kim

Forensics: a term most people associate with crime, science and television shows such as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Bones.”

Despite this common misunderstanding, forensics, which involves debate, oratory and other forms of public speaking, has experienced growth and publicity ever since its beginnings in 2004. Since then, debaters have expanded to international horizons in search of diverse experiences.

“The opportunities in Korea pertaining to debate are fairly limited,” said Brian Kim (11). “Competing in international tournaments exposes me to more variety of styles; debaters from the States or Europe are different from Korean debaters.”

Ever since the SIS Forensics Club was founded in 2004, debaters

from SIS have participated regularly in tournaments such as the National Forensics League, World Schools Debate Championships (WSDC) and European Schools Debate Championships.

“This summer, I went to Istanbul for a debate tournament called IDEA Youth Forum,” said Jiho Kim (10). “It took some time getting used to the new debate format, which involved more direct confrontation between debaters thatn I was used to, but it was an interesting event in the end.”

In addition to increased participation in international tournaments, more SIS students have become involved with the South Korean national pool, of which five will be selected to participate in WSDC during the summer.

“Getting in the WSDC team is an arduous process because your

time in the training pool takes so much out of you,” said Yeeun Chun (12). “But the process helps weed out the best Korean debaters who go to a tournament that is almost like the World Cup because it brings the best debaters from everywhere around the world.”

Diverse debate formats that are popular in different regions around the world have helped many debaters gain experience competing in different ways.

“Although I am familiar with Public Forum debate more than most Koreans since I am on the school team, my exposure to the format is nowhere close to [that of] American debaters,” said Brian.

“This summer, I went to Dallas and did not do my best because even though some of the debaters there were less skillful, they were more familiar with the format.”

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ers, trailers and previews of the performances.”

Nine groups performed, playing genres such as pop, indie and rock.

Performers were chosen from a list of talented musicians from Korean

international schools. This included an SIS band, made up of James Ham (12), Kyongtae Kim (12), Benny Char (10), Michael Shin (12) and Elbert Hayama, ICS class of ’11.

The concert was a success. With around 100 attendees, Matthew felt that the concert went well.

“The event went great,” said Matthew. “It could have been better if more people came, but we still had a strong turnout.”

In addition to the turnout, Jona said that he was satisfied that the concert provided opportunities to make friends and meet talented musicians. He and the other performers agreed that if they had the opportunity to perform a concert like “The Awkward Stage” again, they would do so.

“It was rewarding to see that we successfully distinguished the different groups based on their style of music,” said Jona. “I would certainly like to do this again because the second time around, I will know what I’m doing. Also, connections have already been established—things will be easier the next time around.

But we’ll have to see how the music scene at international schools blossom.”

Zeitgeist Plan to build naval base on Jeju met with opposition One of the Seven Wonders of the World, Jeju Island is known for its green hills, ancient volcanoes, mountain streams and coral reefs.

In fact, the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has listed Jeju as a world natural heritage site.

However, the Ministry of National Defense, uninterested in the preservation of the island’s natural landscape, is intent on building a large-scale US naval base in Gangjeong Village.

“Another North Korean attack, like [last year’s North Korea missile attack] on South Korea, might happen,” said Dennis Ryu (11). “So we should put the base where we can send naval fleets as [quickly] as possible, such as on the South Korean coast. What the government doesn’t know, however, is that Jeju will be both inefficient in terms of time and money, and [the construction] will also require the clearing of natural land.”

Despite the government’s claims that the construction will provide benefits by boosting the region’s economy and securing its maritime transportation routes, 95 percent of Jeju residents argue that the installation will bring more setbacks.

The biggest complaint is the destruction of the environment, which the residents are keen to protect. Attempting to overturn the decision, they have gone on hunger strikes and held protest marches but to no avail. On Aug. 5, 1,200 policemen arrested a large

number of demonstrators and others met similar results. For instance, Korea’s most prominent film critic Yoonmo Yang was hospitalized after a 60-day hunger strike and activist Kangho Song was beaten unconscious by the police.

Although the Korean government, fearing national outcry, has suppressed widespread coverage on the issue, it is slowly becoming an issue of international concern. Many non-Koreans, such as celebrated American scholar Noam Chomsky, have publicly denounced the construction plan and expressed their sympathy for the Jeju residents. In a response email to a Jeju activist group, Chomsky wrote that he was very disturbed by the “ominous plans” for the naval base.

Protestors continue to send out petitions to alert the world to the impending destruction of their home. They have also created groups on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and sent emails to people around the globe to garner as much support as possible.

“Though the Korean government has good intentions for building the naval base, it needs to consider how this is affecting the Jeju citizens,” said Yerin Kim (10).

“I don’t think it’s right for the government to take such significant measures without recognizing [the emotional effects] it will [have] on the people of Jeju to see their beautiful home destroyed.”

By Elizabeth Song

Members of the Jesus Non-denominational Church met on a Sunday shortly after the release of the final book of the Harry Potter series for one purpose: to burn copies of Harry Potter.

Believing that glorifying wizardry and sorcery will cause people to believe in Satan, the zealots chanted “Hallelujah” and “Burn, devil, burn” as the books singed in the bonfire.

Claiming the series teach sorcery, which runs counter to the Bible, the Ling-Leung Church of Taiwanese Evangelists warned its 7,000 followers of the books. The most best-selling books after the Holy Bible, the Harry Potter series has also been the most frequently challenged books in the US for two consecutive years, according to the American Library Association.

“I don’t think the author’s intention was to make Harry Potter into a cult,” said Kayoung Lee (12), Christian. “Readers don’t believe they can perform magic. Nor do they think they can become witches themselves. There are other fantasy books as well and I don’t understand why people are only criticizing Harry Potter.”

Religious sects, on the other hand, condemn Harry Potter as

a cult. Twelve percent of teenagers became more interested in witchcraft after exposure to the chronicle, according to the Barna Group, a visionary research and resource company.

In response to criticism, author J.K. Rowling said that she did not write the series to encourage witchcraft and that children are aware the books are fiction. Though Harry Potter fans demonstrate cult-like aspects, they are not a cult because they do not behave mischievously, according to Elisabeth Braw, Metro reporter. For example, despite the fact that some fans mark lightning bolts on their foreheads to mimic Harry Potter, they do so out of fandom, not realizing that the lightning bolt is also a Nazi symbol.

“Just because many people like a fictional story doesn’t mean the fans are part of a cult,” said Jiho Kim (10), Harry Potter fan. “[The popularity of] Lord of the Rings, for example, didn’t [necessarily mean] its fans supported wars. They were just enjoying a story. Harry Potter is a social phenomenon, and its spell of prolonged popularity will break in the way future, as the series in

Generation Y refers to Muggles born from 1988 to 2001. According to Julie Coates, an authority on the demographics of learning, this generation consists of attentive, eager, pressured, and stressed multi-taskers. Arguably accurate, yet she never mentions the presence of magic in a generation that has grown up with Harry Potter.

“Harry Potter grew up with us,” said Jane Byon (10). “The first book was directed to children, but as the series progresses, the maturity level does as well. This kept the interest of our generation because the first book was published when we were that age. It also made us suspect that magic could exist in our world. We’ve always wanted to believe that there’s more to reality than what we see and Harry Potter provided the perfect opportunity by which to prove it.”

With total book sales breaking the 450 million mark and movie revenue topping seven billion dollars, the Harry Potter franchise is estimated to be worth 15 billion dollars. Though the sheer size of the numbers may obscure how exactly the franchise influences this generation, it confirms that the franchise has a massive supporting fan base—devotees who are willing to follow up on the book series for its underlying lessons.

“For us, as we mature, we come to know that such a thing like magic does not exist,” said Bryan Cheun (10). “But the real magic exists in how our acquired taste for change sticks with us. In response to our daily routines and repeating schedules, Harry opened never before seen worlds and new insights. Our following of his life story

and the world it is placed in, shows how much more we’ve become willing to accept change for the better.”

However, the struggles Harry must overcome—fitting in, searching for an identity and fighting evil—are all archetypes that younger readers can relate to. Through archetypes, Harry manages to also establish common ground with adults.

“Our imaginations tend to dry up a bit as we age, but what is cool about some books is the way they awaken the child that still resides in all of us,” said Angela Erickson, secondary librarian. “In truth, we are a composite of all of our previous stages of life. Harry Potter is a good example of this—it is beloved by children and adults alike.”

In an effort to preserve this fan base, the Harry Potter Franchise recently launched a theme park and a website as extensions to the finished series.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter officially opened last year as a theme park in Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure located in Orlando, Florida. The area is a $265 million reproduction of Harry’s world that includes the likes of Hogwarts, the wizarding school that Harry attends, and Hogsmeade, the only village occupied by magical beings. Following the lead, this year July 31, J.K. Rowling launched Pottermore, a website that sells Harry Potter ebooks and furthers discussion of the books, to provide an interactive reading experience for Potter fans.

“With such a supportive fan base, it’s only natural for Harry Pot-

1s “I was o t novel: nly 1 ye ar old s I didn’t o know a n y about H thing arry Po tter.”

1997

2001 1st “I watch movie: ed the m day it w o as relea vie the sed. I h a crush ad on Har was 6 y ry Potter. I ears old .”

Jeanne Han (10) September 4, 1996

both books and movies is now complete.”

In addition, according to the Barna Group, the teenagers misdirected by Harry Potter had already b in witchcraft-related activities. Taiwanese Presbyte ed the series by saying the saga contains archetyp life lessons beyond fantasy and often have a positive its readers. According to Catholic Insight, for examp ter is someone an abortion survivor who tends to liv dehumanized world can relate to, for the protagonis attempted murder and gives hope to his readers by magical, social and emotional obstacles.

“Harry Potter can be both an escape and an in erature,” said Katherine Trueman, English teacher. literary merit [in that] it [epitomizes] the British c has magical elements. It’s easier for students to de cal British archetypes] because there’s no complex s a boy at home, I’d definitely read it to him [because the difference between fiction and reality.”

3rd m “I was in ovie: 4th gr Californ ade in ia.”

2004

2007

ter to keep on expanding as a franchise,” s building on the franchise, the iconic and his books will only increase, along with the magi As an expansion to the Harry Potter fran park and Pottermore face the task of living u its eminent reputation.

“If the Harry Potter franchise wants to b success in all sorts of different media outlets pansion is necessary,” said Jonathan Nelson, it just means to survive as a good story, it has risk factor here is that J.K Rowling has set a hig and if she just makes up stories to make mon park those stories might ring hollow.”

Likewise, expansion in moderation is nec duction and manufacturing maintain a distan on Generation Y to continue on into the futur “Harry is so great because he has the kind alty that we all hope to show every day,” sai other great heroes, reminds us of what we w that one day my kids will be able to read the as much as I did.”

“I resum 4th Movie ished th ed reading aga in. I fines movie w eries this year.

The 4th as the tou my favorite be rnamen cause ta were in nd graphics tense.”

“I starte dr Potter b eading Harry ut stopp cause I ed begot tire d a resume d soon, gain. I though .”

2009

2011

Las “ The la t Movie: st m but awk ovie was goo d wa and Her rd. When Ron m ione kis was aw sed, it kward.

I s ti ll dresse up as H d arry Po tter.”

lifesTYLE 8

August 2011

Internships help students explore new possibilities

By Jason Huh

When Sean Kim (12) stepped out of the headquarters of Maeil Dairies on July 1, he left with a firsthand experience of real-world marketing and finance.

He worked at the dairy company for three weeks, translating documents from Korean to English and attending marketing meetings.

“I sat in all the meetings in which the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) made the decisions,” said Sean. “I learned how the hierarchy is set up, the chain of command and how many people have to review a report before submitting it to the CEO for approval.”

Meanwhile, David Lim (12) ventured into the field of politics as an intern at the National Assembly.

“Interning at the National Assembly was definitely worth it because I learned how [the Korean Legislature works] from creating a bill to passing that bill,” said David. “I saw the judiciary reform get passed with my own eyes in the conference center. Just being there was a fascination for me and this internship was probably the best way to learn how [politics] runs in Korea.”

Emily Koh (12) interned at Haemaru, a veterinary clinic within Samsung Hospital, as a receptionist. While working, she discovered a passion for animals that she wanted to pursue in the future.

“I really enjoyed working there because I saw many species of dogs, cats, and even some birds rescued from wildlife such as barn owls and woodpeckers,” said Emily. “I also realized that becoming a veterinarian and coming to an animal hospital every day would be something that I wouldn’t regret and actually look forward to doing every night.”

While the majority of the rising seniors spent their summer interning, members of the recent graduate class of 2011 were hired at companies, cafes, or hagwons as paid employees or even tutored students.

“I started tutoring from early June.” said Theodore Kim (‘11). “I had fun teaching the students, and bonded with a student near my age by talking a lot more about personal things during our tutoring sessions.”

Across the board, students engaging in internships came out with experiences unavailable at school: they learned the difference between the real world and education and took advantage of the opportunity to get to know the real world better and meet new people.

“I definitely believe that my time at the Maeil Companies was worthwhile because although schools prep us for college, I feel like everything is so conceptual and it lacks the handson approach,” said Sean. “In the end, I was able to get a different perspective on everything I learned by realizing that different skills are needed in the real world.”

What is the “real world” like?

Karen Kim, class of ’09, shares her experience at Harvard College.

She is currently majoring in government connection, and is an adviser for the Women’s Leadership Conference.

1) What is Harvard like?

I have never been to other colleges, so I am not sure if Harvard is more stressful than other colleges. But once everyone settles in, it is just a college after all. Harvard is another college with students. There are ups and downs. There is still breathing space.

2) What was your happiest moment at Harvard?

My happiest memory was the pre-orientation for the freshman acting program. It was six days of being with five other freshmen. We were hiking a mountain in Vermont from 8 a.m. in the morning to 9 p.m. a day. The beauty of it was that at the mountain peak we would look at the stars in our sleeping bags. We saw 15 shooting stars that day.

3) What was your worst moment at Harvard?

My worst memory was when I had to write this paper. I had three papers due that weekend—I had been writing a paper from 5 a.m. at the dining hall and worked for more than 12 hours. But at 7 p.m. I realized that I was writing my essay on the wrong prompt. Suddenly I went pitch-black. I thought, should I go cry to my professor? Ask for an extension? I was terrified because I only had to write a couple more paragraphs to finish the essay. But I knew then I could not get through the other papers if I could not get away with this. So I threw the paper I was working on in the trash, and started again on a clean, blank page. It sounds really trivial looking back, but it was a traumatizing experience for me.

4) What are you planning to do in the future? Do you have any specific plans?

That is what I ask myself everyday.

How come I still do not know what I want?

But I still want to keep my doors open. I will probably go to law school, but I think I will take a gap year to go to China and master Chinese first. I do not know

By Jasmine Park when I should go back to Korea. I just want to be in the bigger and more competitive pool for now.

Karen Kim (front center) poses at the Freshman Arts Collaborative Experience Showcase.

By Linda Heeyoung Park

Chief Doggs pursue passion for music outside of school

By Stephanie Yi

Shyly rapping his verse into the microphone, Edward Lim (9), lead singer of the freshman band Chief Doggs, records his part for their song “Unconditional Love”. On Aug. 3, Edward and his band members— Daniel Kim, Matthew Nam and Chris Lee—visited a studio to record their first official album.

Edward was the first to suggest that they produce an album for Chief Doggs. Wanting to work on something fun during summer break, he asked his friends to help him compose and record music.

“I actually began this project with just one of my friends, Mat-

thew, who is the [disk jockey],” said Edward. “Later, Daniel joined and helped a lot with the beats and the instrumental section of the songs.”

The boys initially planned to record their songs using the Garage Band feature on their Macbooks.

Having begun their project without any resources, they named their album after the Korean proverb directly translated to ‘Nothing but our Fists’. However, the original trio was met with surprise when Chris offered to lend them his dad’s studio.

“The most unexpected aspect of this project was that we [had the opportunity] to work in a studio,” said Daniel. “We had never expected our project to get this big. It was pretty amazing to work in a studio

Photo by Stephanie Song

Edward Lim (9) and his fellow Chief Doggs members perform “Unconditional Love” at the Freshman Late Night on Aug. 12. where other professional singers record [their songs].”

Until the album is officially re-

leased, the Chief Doggs will upload parts of their original songs, covers and instrumentals on Youtube or

Facebook and perform regularly at school events to publicize the band.

“I was really surprised [when I heard their music through Youtube],” said Brian Lee (9). “Despite their young age, they had stage presence [at Freshmen Late Night] and the four of them as a whole have a good mixture.”

The members of Chief Doggs have also found a music composition club with Dennis Darling, choir director, in order for other students to be able to learn more about composition and be able to showcase their musical talents.

“Everyone has different tastes in music,” said Matthew Nam (9).

“By composing music, people can express their feelings and emotions.”

Freshman magician works to improve Korean magic society

By Helen Song

A table disappears in a flash, a white rose turns into a dove right before your eyes. The seemingly impossible becomes reality, and even seeing becomes unbelievable. This is magic, an art that Joon Hyuk Kwon (9) has been mastering for nine years.

Joon Hyuk first became interested in magic when he watched world-famous magician, David Copperfield, perform in 2002. What

started out as an innocent hobby developed into a lifestyle, as he constantly practiced for years.

“As a magician, there’s always something new to learn and there’s always a new challenge,” said Joon Hyuk. “I consider magic a universal tool in life, a special skill for different occasions. I’ve used this [magic] to get to know people better, to help people in difficult conditions, and send out messages through illusions.”

Joon Hyuk’s skills are recognized by many as he has performed

at large events, including the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) Korea 2011 Event in January. Eight hundred people attended, and celebrities also performed, such as Superstar K2 winner Huh Gak. Despite his experience, Joon Hyuk claims that performing is still very difficult. “[In magic,] skill is one thing, but it isn’t the big part,” said Joon Hyuk. “The big part is going out there and facing your audience, because unlike other jobs, you always have to work with your audience.”

However, many people’s reactions to magic tricks, rather than surprise and wonder, are suspicion and distrust. They search for the trick’s secret, or dismiss magic as simple trickery with little skill involved. Joon Hyuk, along with other magicians, is working to eradicate these assumptions through means such as making promoting magic online.

“In movies, the special effects and acting are all fake mechanical skills, but it’s still entertaining, just like magic,” said Joon Hyuk. “Still,

the suspicion against magic is especially high in Korea because it was introduced quite recently and people still have little knowledge about it.”

Although Joon Hyuk has no plans of pursuing magic as a future career, he claims it will be a large part of his life forever.

“Whatever I choose to do in the future, magic will help me stand out among everyone else,” said Joon Hyuk. “It’ll always make me more successful, and I think it’s a great skill to have.”

August 2011

9

Lifestyle

Substitute teacher exchanges homes with European residents

By Elizabeth Song

Summer vacation is a time when many look for relaxation in another country, but sometimes plans are thwarted due to money issues. However, Anne Lessenger, substitute teacher, was able to bypass such financial constraints this summer by staying at strangers’ homes in Europe for free.

Inspired by the movie “The Holiday” in which four characters exchange houses, Ms. Lessenger decided to try the experience out herself. Last year, she paid $130 and joined a home-swapping site that contains photos of and information about homes available for exchanges. Those who are interested email the owners to schedule the visits.

“I loved [the home exchanges] because you get to know the country,” said Ms. Lessenger. “You get to know the culture much better if you live for two weeks in someone else’s apartment.”

Starting from July 1, Ms. Less-

Photo courtesy of Anne Lessenger

During a trip to Bali over the summer vacation, Agnes Schuppel, reading specialist, and Anne Lessenger, substitute teacher, pose for a photo in front of Ms. Lessenger’s house in Nusa Dua. enger spent two weeks in a house in Paris, the owner of which will be going to Ms. Lessenger’s house in Bali next May. After two weeks in France, Ms. Lessenger stayed at an apartment in Venice, Italy.

Three junior boys perform ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ in Myeongdong

By Jessica Song

Three juniors Tommy Nam, Andrew Jeong and Edward Park performed in the musical ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ which is about a boy who tries to kill a talking alien plant that eats people. The musical took place at Myeongdong’s Seoul Global and Tourism and Culture Center from June 25-26.

“I first found the musical on [a website called] Craigslist while I was looking for instruments,” said Tommy. “Then, the audition for the musical caught my attention and I decided to try out.”

People of all ages were allowed to try out. Tommy played his guitar for the audition, but Andrew and Edward did not have to audition because their positions were understaffed. Andrew played the electric drum and Edward played the bass guitar.

In total, the boys had a week to practice 22 pieces. Ryan Goessl, conductor of the musical, helped the boys prepare by practicing each pieces repeatedly.

“I really liked the conductor,” said Edward. “He was nice and encouraging even though we made a lot of mistakes. With his meticulous instruction, we had a near-perfect performance.”

The boys found it difficult to adjust to the show schedule—not only did they have to wake up early for the numerous dress rehearsals, but they also had to put on two-hour performances each day for two days.

“Even though we spent a tremendous amount of time getting ready for the musical, it was worth it,” said Andrew. “The whole experience was precious because it taught me to become a better drummer, cooperating with other instruments and the actors in the musical.”

In addition, Rachel Bae (12) and Juhohn Lee (12) were the backstage crew for the musical.

“Though the band may seem less important than the actors on stage,the band is actually quite similar in priority,” said Rachel. “Without the band, the musical wouldn’t be a “musical.” The band was able to show more energy and make the musical more enjoyable.”

“The most memorable [house exchange] was [the one in] Italy,” said Ms. Lessenger. “The apartment was located on a canal and the water ran right underneath the apartment building, so I heard water all night

long. There was also a water mill, which was really neat.”

Those who boarded at Ms. Lessenger’s house enjoyed their vacation as well. A Polish couple, who made their trip in June, left Ms.

Lessenger pastries and a travel book as gifts. They and her Italian visitor also commented on the beauty of her house.

“When we arrived at Anne’s house, the [Polish] couple had left a thank you card and a bag of gifts,” said Yoo Kyung Shim, elementary school teacher who visited Ms. Lessenger’s house with Agnes Schuppel, reading specialist. “I remember Anne reading it out loud. They were very pleased with the condition and overall comfort of the home.”

Ms. Lessenger plans to continue home exchanges during school vacations. She has already arranged for her trip to Amsterdam in the winter and Warsaw, Poland next summer. “[Ms. Lessenger] said she enjoyed [Italy and France] and [anticipates] doing more exchanges,” said Judy Havens, elementary school computer teacher. “If my husband and I retire some day we too might do some. I would like to go to any place I haven’t been before or some places I have been before and loved.”

The World at the Tip of My Tongue

Bye bye to summer feasting!

By Marcus Lee

One thing I like about being a food critic and columnist is that I not only get to try the most wonderful (and sometimes not so wonderful) dishes Seoul has to offer, but I also get to hear the fascinating stories behind the food. Sariwon, located in both Seocho and Kangnam, is no exception, as this traditional bulgogi powerhouse has a compelling story about its heritage.

Mrs. Koo developed a special recipe for the bulgogi in order to alleviate her diabetic husband’s physical condition. The recipe utilizes a unique sauce that combines 12 kinds of vegetables and fruits.

This adds a wonderful flavor to the grilled beef, again setting the Sariwon bulgogi apart from of the traditional pre-marinated, sauce-topped homemade bulgogi.

Recently, Sariwon owners improved this original recipe, focusing on health and quality to cater

to the current well-being craze in Korea. The Sariwon bulgogi is prepared with sirloin Hanwoo meat, the best there is; although its price is, of course, relatively higher as a result (30,000 won per person), the quality is worth the trade-off.

Let me start with my first taste of the exquisite Sariwon Bulgogi.

The waitress placed a flat, domeshaped grill and let it heat up first.

When the time was ready, she poured beef broth around the perimeter and placed a piece of tender sirloin bulgogi over the dome, along with vegetables. In less than a minute, the thin, tender meat was fully cooked, dipped into a fragrant 12-ingredient sauce and savored by this eagerly-awaiting critic. The taste was definitely worth the wait.

To complement the bulgogi, I ordered half dishes of the most popular Korean summer foods, mool naeng-myun and bibim naeng-

myun. The former was a tour de force, authentic Pyeongyang mool naeng-myun—cold and resonating with the Hanwoo beef broth—a no-thrills fastball in baseball terms.

The latter was its zesty and spicy cousin that will strike out the best of anyone’s stomach. Sariwon even provided a hearty yooksu that was a wonder to my taste buds.

The service at the restaurant was also outstanding. The waitresses could have easily dismissed a young, inquisitive food critic like myself, but instead of being unresponsive, the waitresses answered all my food-fueled fantasies.

I highly recommend Sariwon to anyone who wants to experience Korea’s most well-known national food—bulgogi—in a different way.

Definitely order the naeng-myun to kiss the summer good bye.

4.5 out of 5 Tiger Paws

sPORTS 10 S P O R T S

B R I E F S

August 2011

SIS community begins season with new coaches

Volleyball season begins with higher expectations

In light of a new school year, the sports season returned once again with new coaches. In the absence of last year’s teachers, several sports teams, including cross country and varsity tennis, employed new coaches.

“In high school, I played soccer and I also did some track. I am less familiar with tennis, but it is a great challenge for me to take,”

Impressed by students exhibiting their volleyball skills, Coach Marna Knoer looks forward to working with a new team.

Through a “resume tryout” selection process in May, math teachers, Marna Knoer and Michael Castellani, were chosen as the varsity and junior varsity girls’ volleyball coaches. For the boys, Ivan Atanaskovic, Director of Athletics and Ac-

said Tony Hurt, new varsity girls’ tennis coach. “It is a strong sport here at SIS, I am excited and I am stepping into a situation where it is going to be very successful.”

Cross country has also introduced Raymond Slapikas, chemistry teacher, along with Melissa Hubley, Aquatics Director, preparing themselves for upcoming tournaments later in the year.

tivities, and Erin Hogshead, English teacher, assumed those positions.

“It’s exciting for me, because it has been quite a time since I coached a varsity volleyball team,” said Ms. Knoer. “At the end of the year, usually for the final games, we move some people from junior varsity to varsity, so Mr. Castellani and I are planning to work together with the team all year around.”

By Min ji Suh

Photo by Joshua Kim

New activities director shows deep passion for sports

By Yong Gun Choe

Ever since Ivan Atanaskovic was in fourth grade, sports have become a significant part of his life. He can still vividly remember the day when he and his volleyball team won the Central Eastern European School Association (CEESA) championship in 2005. Or the day his team came second in the KAIAC basketball championship, losing by one point in the last two seconds.

Back home in Serbia, he even played in a professional handball team but eventually could not keep up becaause it took too much of his time.

“Involving yourself in a professional sporting team is a very demanding task,” said Mr. Atanaskovic, activities director. “I had training two or three times a day and this left

Photo by Stephanie Song

Ivan Atanaskovic, new activities director and boys volleyball coach, takes roll and makes announcements before practice on August 12. me with hardly any time for other activities.”

However, Mr. Atanaskovic’s sports life did not end there. He continued to actively involve himself in

sports by teaching and coaching students in international schools.

He was a physical education teacher and coach in the International School of Belgrade in Serbia for five

years and subsequently taught at the Indianhead International School in Seoul for three years.

“To me, being a coach is the best possible job in the world,” said Mr. Atanaskovic. “And the best thing about coaching is the students. I like being with the kids, watch them interact and see them make progress.”

Even though he no longer plays professionally, Mr. Atanaskovic still practices and plays for fun. Every Tuesday, he goes to the Korean University of Sports and Physical Education to practice handball and plays for a team there called the Expads.

He was also a ski instructor before coming to Korea and was involved in many other sports such as soccer, basketball and especially, volleyball.

He will be the new varsity boys volleyball coach this year.

He also highly esteems the educational skills that sports provide.

During his preparation as a P.E. teacher, he learned sports psychology and methodology, child psychology and the analysis of the human body.

“Sports is not just about playing,” said Mr. Atanaskovic. “It is about social interaction. By playing sports, people learn skills that they can use in future life such as teamwork and the ability to deal with loss.

What you learn in a sports team, you do not learn in the classroom.”

While Mr. Atanaskovic is enthusiastic and passionate about sports, he does not expect his twin children, Viktor and Tara, to follow exactly in his footsteps.

“I am not going to push them to pursue careers in sports,” said Mr. Atanaskovic, “However, if sports are what they want, then I will definitely use my knowledge to help them achieve their goals.”

Celebrity athletes’ influence expands Sports Photo of the beyond previous boundaries of sports Month ing on TV shows or advertisements, but by knowing they are the top of their league and have achieved In 2010 alone, Yuna Kim, Olym- something spectacular.” pic gold medalist and renowned figHowever, the unavoidable fact ure skater, earned $10 million, ac- is that many people idolize athletes cording to Forbes Magazine, making and look up to them for inspiration. her the seventh highest paid female For this reason, some believe that athlete worldwide. This is no sur- athletes are not necessarily deviatprise, considering she receives large ing from their jobs as sports players endorsements from 12 companies, but simply taking the opportunity to hosts her own ice extend their inskating television into difAthletes should be com- fluence show, has written ferent areas for two books, and mended for the skills and profit and influhas released an talents that they possess, ence. album of skating “The reason not stuck on air condi- athletes are popmusic.

And yet tioning adverisements,” ular is the same Kim’s situation is reason actors are said Sydney Ko (10). not unique. From popular: people basketball playare entertained ers to tennis stars, successful athletes by them, whether it is in movies or around the world make millions in basketball games,” said Alex Son profit each year from activities ir- (10), a devoted basketball follower. relevant to sports. Consequently, “If there is a demand for more athas athletes release songs and star in letes in the entertainment industry, television shows, controversies arise then they deserve all the influence concerning their influence in areas they have.” outside of athletics.

For instance, Lance Armstrong, “Athletes should be commend- seven-time Tour de France winner, ed for the skills and talents that they used his fame to create and adverpossess, not stuck on air condition- tise a foundation for cancer research ing advertisements,” said Sydney Ko called “Lance Armstrong Founda(10), an aspiring figure skater. “They tion.” He raised awareness about it should feel accomplished not by be- via his “Live Strong” wristbands.

By Helen Song

People like Armstrong have been an inspiration to many.

The influence of athletes extends to entertainment and advertising for profit. Products advertised by athletes have proven to be massively popular. For example, the sales of the sanitary napkins advertised by Kim rose 150 percent last year after she became the company’s spokes model. Gillette, the world’s largest shaving and razor business, also continues to use famous athletes such as Jisung Park, Tiger Woods and David Beckham in their advertisements.

According to a study done by the Cambridge University Journal of Advertising Research, celebrity athletes promote favorable word-ofmouth advertising among teenagers and foster brand loyalty. The university also found that because athletes were most often seen as role models for teenagers, companies that use athletes in their advertisements target adolescents.

“Some people buy things thinking ‘since successful so-and-so is endorsing it, it must be good,’” said Younghwan Sim (12). “Future athletes who strive to become successful get inspiration from their successful heroes. They want to be exactly like them, so they want to use the same products as their heroes.”

Photo by Stephanie Song

During the varsity girls volleyball practice on Aug. 19, Amy Choi (12) practices serving to her teammates.

11

JUST DO IT?

JUST DO ANY STRETCH BECAUSE IT’S “GOOD” FOR YOU ANYWAY, RIGHT?

Junior volunteers for 2011 Special Olympics in Greece

NO.

1

2

R A B A N O G HAN

AS SOON AS YOU WAKE UP, TAKE 5-10 MINUTES TO STRETCH THE CALVES, THIGHS, HAMSTRINGS, BACK, CHEST, AND HANDS-- IT MAY HELP YOU GROW A CENTIMETER!

HANG ON A BAR FOR 30-40 SECONDS. IF YOU CAN, TWIST YOUR BODY FROM SIDE TO SIDE FOR 15 SECONDS EACH.

RIDE A BIKE

5 3OYONGE A POSE 4 YOGA POSE TWO STAND STRAIGHT FACING THE WALL. LIFT YOUR HEELS AND THEN STRETCH YOUR ARMS. STRETCH FOR 10-20 SECONDS.

When Pyeongchang was selected to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, the entire nation celebrated.

While Pyeongchang is prepared for the 2018 Winter Olumpics, the 2011 Special Olympics (SO) occured over the summer in Athens, Greece.

From June 25-July 4, Jay Koo (11) traveled to Athens to volunteer for the SO. The SO is a competition amongst athletes with disabilities.

Jay learned about the event through his parents, who helped an acquaintance in Special Olympics International, an organization that manages the SO, to get involved in Korea.

Then, wanting a new experience, Jay joined the Global Youth Activation Summit (GYAS), a program held parallel to the SO in which youth from different countries gather to raise awareness of the SO. At GYAS, volunteers listened to guest speakers from the United Nations Children’s Fund and to Ron Vederman, SO Director. Volunteers also learned how to effectively use the internet to advertise the SO and were given the opportunity to meet athletes.

“Our primary goals were to determine strategies for increasing Unified Sports among young people, to engage more young people as volunteers and to involve youth leaders in governance around the world,” said Mr. Vederman.

This year, 66 youths from 30

countries were selected to volunteer.

Jay believed volunteering at GYAS was the best experience he ever had because of what he learned from the athletes.

“The way we learned from the athletes, and the way the athletes learned from us was very mutual and worthwhile,” said Jay. “We learned that the athletes were not at all ‘special.’ They were just like normal Olympics athletes, exceptional and professional in their expertise and passionate about doing well. Some of the athletes learned to trust others and started to gain confidence.”

While Jay was satisfied with what he had learned at GYAS, he wished that it had paid more attention to problems regarding the athletes.

“We learned various things that are helpful to our own pursuit of increasing awareness in our own countries,” said Jay. “However, the Summit did not address [whether] we [should] treat people who have intellectual disabilities with more care, or [whether that is] another way of discriminating them.”

Jay’s involvement in the SO did not end after his trip. His experience at GYAS influenced him to spread word about the SO in Korea, especially the upcoming one in 2013.

“I am starting off by doing some work off-campus,” said Jay. “I remember Mr. Vederman giving a short speech on the last day of the Summit, telling us to carry on their work, which I will. It is my duty to spread the word.”

While surfing, Hyewon has also learned to appreciate the aesthetic aspects of nature in the ocean. According to Hyewon, seeing jellyfish, stingrays, dolphins and other sea animals is nothing unusual.

“Surfing has taught me a lot about nature and not to be so materialistic,” said Hyewon. “You always see dolphins, stingrays and sea urchins [while surfing], and there is a lot of wildlife. I got stung by a sea urchin once, and when you get stung by a sea urchin, you have to pee on it [the wound].”

Moving from California, where there are plenty of beaches to surf in, Hyewon has struggled to find beaches in Korea that have waves challenging enough to surf in. Nevertheless, she hopes to continue to surf, even in Korea.

“I heard that there are places [to surf] in Jeju-do, but people say that the waves are not that good,” said Hyewon. “Hopefully, [I will be able to surf in Korea] because I miss it [surfing] a lot. Surfing was kind of like a lifestyle over there so it is a lot different here in Korea.”

By Michelle Kim

YOU P L E H O T S E H C T E R DO THE RIGHT ST GROW TALLER!

BS M I L R U O Y STRETCH

sPORTS

ADJUST YOUR SEAT UP 1/2 - 1 INCHES HIGHER THAN NORMAL AND THEN RIDE. THIS WILL LIE DOWN WITH YOUR FACE DOWN. THEN HELP STRETCH YOUR LEGS. LIFT YOUR UPPER BODY AND STRETCH UP. Graphic by Jasmine Park and Christine Lee TWO SETS OF 8-10 REPS. Source: “Stretching Technique to Grow Taller“ on buzzle.com

New freshman finds inspiration through surfing

By Mark Kim

Adrenaline rushing through her veins, Hyewon Kim (9) struggles to maintain her balance as she battles against crashing waves. Hyewon, a self-taught surfer who is new to the school this year, has been surfing for three years in the US. Hyewon first started to surf in her middle school years in Hermosa Beach and Palo Verdes Beach in Southern California. In her free time, Hyewon learned the sport by herself mostly through trial and

error. She experimented with new tricks and eventually made them her own, expanding her abilities as a surfer.

“I learned how to barrel and how to walk on the surfboard while surfing,” said Hyewon. “You feel a rush of adrenaline because if you think about it, surfing is actually really dangerous,” said Hyewon. “I’ve actually almost drowned a couple times. But when you stand up on the surfboard a couple times you know why so many people surf.”

During the summer, she surfed

almost every week, spending much of her time on the surfboard and in the beach. Despite her mother, Shinmin Lee’s concerns about Hyewon surfing in the beach with her friends, Hyewon’s mother expressed approval of her surfing activities.

“Surfing is very good [for Hyewon] because it is exciting to her and is an activity that she enjoys,” said Mrs. Lee. “I am proud of her because she has taken interest in a very difficult sport. But I wish she would be more careful and not go into dangerous waters.”

브라운 스튜디오는 ‘편안함’을 드립니다. 브라운 스튜디오는 ‘즐거움’을 드립니다. 브라운 스튜디오는 고객의 ‘친구’가 되어드립니다.

See you everyday at 9:25 in the Atrium

FOOD

CART Aren’t you hungry?

studio Information Family Mart

Coffe Toah Dong Seoul University Brown Photo Studio

Seoul International School

Telephone/Fax: 031) 755-9578 Email: brownstudio2011@gmail.com Homepage: www.brownstudio.co.kr Address: 691-3 B1 Bokjungdong, Soojungku, Seungnam, Kyungkido

Small Talk

By Angela Cho

12

August 2011

Hard Times!

Students struggle to spend summer meaningfully

The Ivy League obsession has returned.

Harvard University and Princeton University, ranked first and second by US News respectively, revived the early admissions program this year. As a result, Gradgrind High School students spent the summer busying themselves to add extra lines on their college applications.

“This summer, I found an origami club at EUREKA [a club exhibition for high school students],” said Billy Barlow (12). “I’m the only member, but that’s okay as long as I’m the president.”

Founding a club was not enough for Sara Wood (9). She spent five hours Xeroxing, serving coffee and dozing off at an Africa-based office of a friend of her father’s friend, receiving 50 hours of credit.

“That’s what I call commitment,” said Sara.

Cartoon by Christine Lee Still, Gradgrind High students understood the “Thanks to my dad, I went to Africa for an internship. I guess I didn’t do much, but colleges will nev- importance of high Grade Point Averages (GPAs) in college admissions. To ensure a high first semeser know what I really did there.”

ter GPA, Sally Foreman (11) spent $50,000 on five cram courses at a hagwon.

“Eminently practical,” said Sally, referring to her enrollment in the hagwon. “I practically lived at the institute for two months, but paying twice the amount of our school’s tuition was worth it given the amount of careful attention I received from Ivy League graduate teachers.”

The school board applauded its students’ productive ways of spending their summer. As long as the students get accepted to prestigious universities, it plans to continue to support them.

“Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts, plant nothing else and root out everything else,” said Tom Gradgrind, principal. “Found nine clubs, take six SAT Subject Tests—be sure to score 800s on all of them—and secure a 4.0 GPA through hagwons. Following this formula will mutually benefit our students and our school’s reputation.”

Photo of the Month

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Dressed in black club attire, Brenda Myung (12) and David Lim (12) advertise Spirit Week. They threw glow sticks to the audience after walking the runway.

Seoul International School