Tiger Times Volume 36 Issue 2

volume x x xvi

September 2011 issue 2

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

Hard work by students and parents pays off at Family Fun Day

By Helen Song

Members of the SIS Parents Association (SISPA) started coming to school earlier than their children and worked daily until late afternoon to organize the second annual Family Fun Day. With the help of students from different clubs to run booths, the event on Sept. 3 SISPA proclaimed it a success, as around 1500 students, parents and teachers showed up.

“The whole idea is to have the school, everyone from [kindergarten to 12th grade], in one place and having a good time,” said Kassy Kim, SISPA vice president. “We found that the best way to get high school students involved is to have them run booths and incentivize them with money, but I saw that even they were having a lot of fun.”

Clubs earned 200,000 won for each of the 29 small booths while the three large booths, the Shark Water Slide, Water Soccer and Paddle Boat Pool received 400,000 won each.

SISPA worked to make this year’s booths less chaotic by having twohour instead of 30-minute shifts.

They also gave clear guidelines for each booth, including a Google document made to monitor which students were in charge of each shift.

“There were definitely some problems at our booth because there were no boundaries around the wa-

By Jason Huh

Photo by Stephanie Song

Aiming for the hoop, Adrian Kim (10) participates at the basketball booth at Family Fun Day on Sept.

3. Students and parents helped host the annual event, which was held on the field and in the gym. ter and it became almost like a chaotic open pool,” said Gayoung Park (12), president of Mu Alpha Theta, the club in charge of the Shark Water Slide. “Still, the set up was more organized and went more quickly than last year, and the longer shifts helped kids run their booths better.”

However, there were still problems as students neglected their shifts or left early, leaving booths empty. Students gave excuses that their booths were unpopular, but

SISPA claims that this had been a chance for students to step up and be leaders.

“This might’ve been just a carnival, but taking initiative and being creative to solve problems is one of those things that you don’t learn in textbooks,” said Ms. Kim. “Students with less popular booths had a challenge to make their booths successful, but taking challenges and trying something new is really part of becoming a leader.”

Family Fun Day was especially different for freshmen because it was their first time working as leaders, instead of being participants, along with their fellow club members.

“It was a different experience because this year, I wasn’t able to play and had to stay at my booth to help other, younger kids,” said Sallie Kim (9), UNICEF and Foreign Laborers’ Association member. “It was still fun because I got closer with upperclassmen.”

NKHR collaborates with LiNK to extend reach to refugees globally

By Alison Chang

Historically, North Korea has had several irreconcilable differences with South Korea. Despite this political tension, North Korean Human Rights (NKHR) will be collaborating with Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) to reach out to more North Korean refugees in South Korea.

LiNK, one of the biggest nongovernmental organizations in the US, works to rescue and raise awareness about the lives of North Korean refugees through fundraisers and campaigns. Though similar, NKHR is more focused on building direct relationships with the refugees.

“According to the NKHR board, refugees are often isolated or bullied by school peers when they first arrive [in the South],” said Eunice Kim (12), NKHR president. “Having a companion to talk to means a lot to them. Hopefully, we can become intimate with them for them to feel comfortable enough to reach out to us whenever they face hardships.”

Administration imposes stricter attendance policy

Photo by Jeffrey Chun

At a community center in Daechi-dong, Scarlett Kim (10) teaches English to a refugee, whose identity is protected for security reasons.

Until last year, NKHR took trips to Everland or bowling alleys roughly once a month to interact with the refugees. Starting this year, the club will take biweekly trips to a community center in Daechi-dong to participate in an English Teaching Program for North Koreans.

“This program was started by

Corruption: Self-centered actions drive Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon from office. Page 3

an [alumnus] and he visited the school, wondering if NKHR would be interested,” said Mercy Jesudass, NKHR adviser. “This [community center] has the consistency in accepting people who want to receive the tutoring. What they lack is the service to provide the tutoring.”

However, much preparation

Beauty and brains: Teen director explores Korea’s social standards. Page 8

is required before members are allowed to meet the refugees. Members must go through training that informs them about issues surrounding North Korean refugees and how to approach them.

“When we volunteer, we cannot approach them as the helpers, the wealthy or the strong who came to rescue them from poverty,” said Eunice. “We have to approach them as friends. That is why we cannot speak English, ask them about how they got here or ask them any sensitive questions because it will make them distant from us.”

NKHR is also planning a Solidarity Day on which the club will work together with LiNK to raise awareness about North Korean refugees struggling to adjust in different parts of the world, not just Korea.

“We don’t necessarily want to change students’ opinions on [political issues] concerning North Korea,” said Ms. Jesudass. “We want to give students the opportunity to hear about the issues. Even just being cognizant makes a difference.”

Students involved in non-school sponsored events now have a reason to be selective about their priorities.

This year, SIS implemented a new policy to discourage students from missing too much school.

The new policy is that students who have unexcused absences from school for more than 20 percent of a semester—a total of 14 days, seven A and B days—may lose academic credit for that semester; excused absences included anything schoolsponsored, KAIAC, sports and illnesses with doctors’ notes. The school’s justification is that even though students may get caught up after their unexcused absenses, such as college tours, shopping trips or family business, the experience inside the classroom is valuable and cannot be replaced.

“Most quality international schools have a long-standing attendance policy and the attendance is normal in international schools of this caliber,” said Jarret Lambie, high school principal. “The rationale is that if you miss [that many classes], you miss those classroom experiences of collaboration and talking.”

Students are concerned about the potential repercussions of this policy. Although this policy might guarantee their attendance for more than three-fourths of a quarter, some pointed out that it would give seniors who do not take second semester seriously a free pass to miss school for the remaining days of the quarter.

“I do not think the administration is thinking about what the policy can do,” said Kirk Kim (12). “For example, when you have a month or so of school left and you do not have any unexcused absences, does notthat mean you can miss six without any other special penalty? It is like a get out of jail free card until seven unexcused absences.”

According to Peter Corcoran, Director of School, when students engage in such acts, they run the risk of getting to the point where other unforeseen obligations run their numbers over.

Still, other students expressed discontent with the new absence policy. Yeeun Chun (12) missed 10 days of school from Aug. 16 to 26 in order to participate in the World Schools Debate Championships.

Absence policy, Page 4

Equestrienne: Freshman athlete finds comfort on horseback. Page 11

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Editorial Students’ behavioral issues are not accurate indicators of cultural values

Cartoon by Christine Lee

Letter to the Editor Dear Editors, Upon reading the article about hagwon teacher Richard Kim, I was amazed by how quickly some forgave him for lying his way into Korea, lying his way into a highpaying job, and lying his way into a marriage. Even if he has turned over a new leaf, praying every day does not absolve him for attempted murder in anyone’s eyes but God’s.

Even then, I am skeptical that many Christians would see his calculated, illegal efforts as consistent with anything taught in the Bible. It is just as believable that his conversion to Christianity was a part of his ruse to elude justice by appearing to be righteous. It is just as possible that since Christian affiliation is an attractive trait for practicing Christians and often raises those who claim to be among the faithful above suspicion, that his conversion was also part of his new identity to attract clients. It is hard to imagine that anyone would believe that they knew his true character since he had been so convincing with his other lies.

While no parents were quoted in the story, I find it hard to believe they would be as forgiving. I hope not. I was required to submit a police background check and set of fingerprints before my SIS contract was finalized. Similar requirements 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

can be made of all hagwon teachers, Korean or non-Korean.

Recently, a foreigner assaulted a Korean on a bus; popular opinion will support his deportation. I don’t know what popular opinion is, but if the assault case is any indication, Richard Kim should be right behind on his way out. For anything less to happen would create an appearance of a clear double standard for non-Koreans.

Finally, the falsification of academic records should be a very sensitive issue. Students at SIS work extremely hard and spend long hours in hagwons in order to get accepted to reputable institutions. For Richard Kim to come into Korea and lie about his credentials not only insults our students’ efforts to achieve acceptance from notable schools, but it also brings into question our graduates’ credentials when they return to Korea. Rather than forgive this person, students should recognize his actions for what they are: a lack of integrity and an effort to bypass legal channels to gain what others must achieve through hard work. Parents should expect to see valid credentials for those who teach their kids, and the government should make sure instructors are legitimate.

From Gray Macklin, counselor Marketing Director Jeffrey Chun

Cartoonist Christine Lee

Photographers

Joshua Kim Linda Heeyoung Park Jessica Song

Korean students are internationally well-known for their competitiveness and hard work when it comes to academics. Although these are considered to be positive attributes, often times these generalizations become stereotypes along the lines of “Korean students are dishonest. They lie and they cheat to get that A.” Sadly, to some extent stereotypes about Korean students are grounded in truth. SIS students do cheat, lie and plagiarize. Hence, it is understandable that new teachers may be cautious about dealing with Korean students.

But such behavior is apparent amongst high school students around the world. About 75 percent of American high school students admitted to serious cheating in a 2002 nationwide survey and more than 4,400 students in the United Kingdom were caught cheating on their General Certificate of Secondary Education and A-level exams in 2009.

SIS students’ Korean upbringing may influence their competitiveness. Korean parents put an unusually heavy emphasis on academic success, which can drive

some to turn to dishonest ways to attain perfect grades. But this does not mean that Korean values condone cheating, plagiarism and other acts of sabotage; in no way is cheating an inherent part of Korean culture. For example, Professor Hwang Woo-suk was nationally condemned for forging his stem cell research in 2006. While it is wrong for students to overlook academic integrity and be dishonest with their work, it is also wrong to associate such behavior with a culture.

As privileged Korean-American teenagers receiving a Western style education in Korea, SIS students form a unique demographic.

Although their behavior may explain some aspects of Korean culture, they are not an accurate sample of Korean society overall. It is not fair to make assumptions about Korean people based on the actions of this minority. The foolish decisions of a few students do not reflect the culture of Korea, but rather that of SIS. Comments such as “Korean students cheat” or “Korean students lack honesty” are hasty generalizations that have not been proven with enough evidence. Of course, teachers and other foreigners do

not make such comments intending to offend students; yet they should still be aware that students may take these opinions personally. SIS is an international school, and thus students and faculty should understand and show respect for all cultures.

Perhaps in the future teachers can adopt stricter test-taking policies, such as making different versions of a test for each class. Steps to prevent cheating will decrease the number of academic integrity issues, and thus there will be fewer reasons for teachers to admonish students for cheating. At the same time, students should remember that they are also partly responsible for their reputation: if students did not cheat, they would not be labeled dishonest. It is wrong to associate cheating with Korean culture, but it is just as wrong to violate academic integrity.

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

Clubs forgo quality for quantity

By Joshua Kim

UNICEF accepted 53 members this year, making it almost impossible to hold a meeting in one classroom. Other clubs such as Community Service Club (CSC) and Primary English Teachers Association (PETA) also accepted an unprecedented number of applicants, raising questions of club management and superintendence.

Of course, it may not be sensible for students to get cut from community service clubs. Students apply to these clubs for philanthropy. It does not make sense that students have to compete with each other to give back to the community.

Hence, CSC and PETA expanded their clubs from 24 to 46 members and from 20 to 34 members, respectively. However, this indiscriminate acceptance will end up burdening the clubs, preventing them from functioning effectively.

The first problem many clubs will end up facing is administrative—clubs cannot handle such a large number of students. Most service clubs at our school only have three or four executive members; asking such a small executive branch, along with one adult supervisor, to manage groups of 40 mem.

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

Photo By Joshua Kim

At a Habitat for Humanity (HFH) meeting, Jeanne Han (10) and Bona Koo (10) discuss fundraisers. HFH accepted 45 members this year. bers is truly a big burden to bear.

It is important for community service clubs to become more selective. Often is the case when a student finds himself stretched too thin and must prioritize certain clubs due to conflicting meeting dates. This especially frustrates club executives; they accept applicants on the assumption that these members applied for the club they were truly interested in and were showing a genuine commitment for community service.

Another problem clubs will run into is executive action. Because clubs have such large numbers of students, many members will not get the opportunity to participate

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

as much as they would like. For example, Habitat for Humanity experiened problems last year when some members did not get to partake in any local trips. Clubs such as UNICEF also will have to prioritize when selecting which members will go to Cambodia this winter.

In order to run community service clubs efficiently even in light of a membership increase, clubs should accept new members who are not overextended. A stricter strike system must be enforced; this will not only allow newer members to participate actively, but also allow executive members to observe which members are the most valuable.

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.

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Fashionable Club Wear Day inappropriate for school

By Mark Kim

Students strut around in dark, mature clothing, swaying to techno music, twirling glow sticks and blowing whistles. Strangely enough, such a scene occurred at school, where students dressed up for Fashionable Club Wear Day in light of Spirit Week. Because the day encouraged students to dress up in clothing that implicitly promoted illegal activities, it was not appropriate for Spirit Week.

During Spirit Week, students have fun by dressing up in wacky clothing that they normally would not wear to school. In the past, the HSSC incorporated days such as Emo Day and Twin Day into Spirit Week. Contrary to Fashionable Club Wear Day, these events were appropriate because they did not promote illicit activities.

According to the SIS Handbook, tight or revealing clothing is not acceptable school attire. Though these guidelines may be an exception for Spirit Week, wearing club attire to school is inappropriate, regardless of the occasion. Freshmen, who are only about 13 or 14 years old, were seen dressed up in lowcut shirts and short skirts, and they, along with the rest of the students, should not be encouraged to dress like adults when they clearly are not.

Fashionable Club Wear Day also promotes underage clubbing,

By Jeffrey Chun

Photo By Linda Heeyoung Park

Dancing to the Wonder Girls’ hit songs “Nobody” and “Tell Me”, Drama I students perform in the cafeteria. To celebrate the last day of Spirit Week, students came to school dressed in club attire. smoking and drinking, which are strictly prohibited by Korean law.

Though the HSSC did not directly promote these behaviors, for it to host Fashionable Club Wear Day does not make sense when the administration punishes or suspends students who are caught smoking or drinking on campus.

A simple solution to this predicament is to rename Fashionable Club Wear Day by taking out the word “club.” Fashionable Day or Chic Day still asks students to dress

up for school without promoting illicit activities.

However, according to Gray Macklin, HSSC adviser, the purpose of including the word “club” in Fashionable Club Wear Day was to get more students involved in Spirit Week. In the past, themes similar to Fashionable Club Wear Day such as Ganji Day, which means stylish or fashionable in Korean, were unsuccessful because students did not know how to dress up for those days. Although the HSSC’s intent to

familiarize students on how to dress up for the theme was commendable, it nonetheless excludes those who do not attend club parties or are not familiar with club wear.

In the future, the HSSC should be more careful when selecting themes for Spirit Week; in no way was Fashionable Club Wear Day appropriate for school. Although the student body lacks school spirit, students should not have to come to school in inappropriate attire to show that they have school pride.

College visits more helpful than perceived by students

By Angela Cho

Fewer than 20 out of 169 juniors and seniors showed up at the college visit from Bowdoin, Kalamazoo, Smith and Haverford Colleges on Sept. 22.

Considering the number of correspondences that Fredric Schneider, Director of Pupil Personnel Services, and Victor Cho, counselor, make with college representatives to organize these visits, turnouts are disappointingly low. Even though students hope to be accepted into prestigious colleges, they show little interest in attending the meetings.

The reasons are twofold. Taking SIS’ reputation for having an impressive matriculation rate to top universities and considering that no “big-name” schools visit SIS, students simply ignore what may be a great opportunity to expand their knowledge on US colleges.

Such perceptions are flawed.

Even with SIS’ reputation, the odds of getting accepted to “big-name” schools are not as high as one would expect because seniors apply to a similar pool of universities every year. Thus, applications are rescinded even before students compete with those from other parts of the world. Besides, college meetings hosted by Seoul Foreign School, where representatives from schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and Columbia University visit, do not provide students one-on-one atten-

Former mayor Oh escalates political struggle

tion. About 400 parents, consultants and students attend such meetings.

Vying for attention, students cannot guarantee a chance to make an impression on representatives.

On the other hand, college visits hosted at SIS can be great learning experiences because students can

Cartoon by Christine Lee

talk to admissions representatives without being intimidated. Whereas interviews are evaluated, college visits resemble casual question-andanswer sessions. Students can ask questions unanswered in Frequently Asked Questions sections on school websites and receive personal feed-

back or insight from representatives.

After attending several meetings, students become more comfortable talking to the representatives, which could give them an edge at a real interview. After all, colleges keep a database of those who attended the visits and it is likely that the representatives present at these meetings review applications from Asia.

College visits also encourage students to explore a wider variety of schools. Students tend to be restricted by the perception that only Ivy League universities are outstanding. Attending college meetings introduces them to different schools that might not necessarily be ranked in the top 10 but still have excellent programs. For example, Oberlin College, which visited on Sept. 2, is a top liberal arts and music school that has more alumni earn Doctors of Philosophy than any other liberal arts schools in the US. Students are usually lazy when it comes to attending college visits, concocting lame excuses such as hagwons and sports practices. Some students even claim they have orchestra after school, which is an obvious excuse because they actually have permission to show up to the rehearsal at 4 p.m. as long as they notify the conductor. Given the opportunity, students should make use of one-hour college meetings which are only provided in the beginning of a school year, especially when they work so hard to matriculate at top colleges.

Oh Se-hoon, former Seoul mayor, recently gambled away his term in office on the citywide referendum on free school meals. In the days leading up to the vote, he took the public attention away from free meal program for public school students to approval rating for his mayoralty.

A series of poor decisions made by Oh prove that he lacks the leadership skills to fulfill his mayoralty.

The Grand National Party (GNP), wanting to limit the power of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), initially sparked the debate on free meal proposal and forced the public voting on the issue. Thus, the LDP supported the big bang implementation strategy of the lunch program while the GNP pushed for the gradual, region-by-region approach.

Mr. Oh’s decision to give up his mayoralty if the voter turnout was under 33.3 percent ended up undermining the purpose of the referendum and escalating tension between the LDP and the GNP. Consequently, the former mayor’s self-serving claim further confused the public regarding whom this referendum really was—egotistical politicians or Seoul residents. If Mr. Oh had focused on the issue itself, then the citizens could have been more aware of the need for free lunches.

The ensuing political tug-of-war neglected the concerns of the poor.

Instead, the referendum became a popularity contest for the Seoul citizens to express their approval or disapproval of Oh as a mayor. Either to vote against or to abstain from voting in the free meal referendum meant helping the LDP overpower the GNP and vice versa. The voter turnout was only 25.7 percent, indicating that citizens had three reasons not to vote: their disinterest in the bipartisan conflict, their support for the LDP campaign against the ruling GNP, or their disapproval of Oh’s leadership.

Mr. Oh’s attempt at power play made the referendum null and void. It also led to both a vacancy in Seoul’s mayoral office and an inefficient misallocation of public funds. Coordinating this poll cost the Seoul government about 23 billion won, and hosting a new Seoul mayoral election will cost another approximately 30 billion won. Thus, Oh’s decision to put his job on the line with the referendum cost the city approximately 60 billion won, according to economists. With this money, the Seoul government could have started giving out free meals to students in Seoul several weeks ago.

Perhaps it is too idealistic for us to expect 100 percent of government officials to put the public’s needs ahead of theirs. Yet, Mr. Oh’s inability to devote 50 percent of his attention to the best public interest highlights an inherent problem with some of Korean politicians—they are self-interested.

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policy NEWS BRIEFS Senior publishes paper in Concord Review Absence From page 1

Senior debater represents Korea in Scotland With seven wins and one loss, Team Korea broke sixth place—the highest reached in Korean history—at the World Schools Debating Championships in Dundee, Scotland. Team Korea also won Best English as a Second Language (ESL) Team and Yeeun Chun (12) won Best ESL Speaker.

Successful results aside, she said that the social experience she gained at the tournament was unforgettable.

“I had a Polish friend who collected coins, a Scottish highland dancer champion and a Namibian singer at my breakfast table on the first day,” said Yeeun.

“It’s amazing to [meet] so many different people from so many different nations and realize that we can all laugh over Rebecca Black jokes and poke fun at each other no matter our race or age.”

Three alumni reunite at SIS in twenty years Until Monica McCampbell visited the school with Jay Winship, Class of ’92, and Sander Herden, Class of ’87, on Aug. 22, she had not set foot in SIS since her graduation in May 1986.

The three alumni decided to revisit the school when Monica came to Korea from the US in August. Jay and Sander already live in Korea and work together at the Seoul branch of Siemens, an engineering company.

“Fast forward—years after we graduated, Sander came to Korea and tried to find SIS alumni on Facebook,” said Jay. “He finds me, and somehow we work together. There’s a builtin trust factor when you know somebody who went to the same school. You realize you come from the same place.”

Community service clubs expand dramatically Almost doubling in size, the Community Service Club expanded from 24 members last year to 46 members this year.

UNICEF also accepted a record number of applicants, and expanded from 32 to 53 members.

Traditionally, community service clubs have been selective. For example, UNICEF chose members through written applications and interviews.

This year, interviews were not conducted and a majority of the club’s applicants were accepted.

“If you want to volunteer for a non-governmental organization, [it] won’t turn you away,” said Tony Hurt, UNICEF adviser. “[Community service] is not like a sport. In sports, there are just so many spots available because of limited playing time.

If members don’t rise to the occasion, kick them out. They shouldn’t say ‘no’ right away.”

By Lydia Kim

By Marcus Lee

Five months ago, seniors Yeeun Chun, Seungmoon Lee and Sohyun Kang submitted their second semester AP English Language and Composition papers to the Concord Review, a journal that has been showcasing high school research papers since 1987. Out of those three, Seungmoon Lee (12) was the only one chosen by its editor, William Fitzhugh, to be published on the fall issue of the Concord Review.

For the first time, last year, former SIS English teacher, Donna Spisso, offered her students the opportunity to submit their research papers to the Concord Review.

“It is an extremely high honor for Seungmoon,” said Ms. Spisso.

“His determination to prove that history had to take another look at Park Chung Hee’s legacy in Korea was most in line with the solid history focus of the magazine which is probably why his got chosen.”

The news came as a pleasant surprise to Seungmoon. In accordance with his fondness for history, Seungmoon credits the nature of the

long-term research paper as the primary reason why he chose to write on Park.

“The issue had to be controversial so that we can take a stance on it,” said Seungmoon. “This forced our papers to take a more argumentative stance rather than an informative one. When I chose my topic, I had to research to make sure that the topic was controversial enough for me to write a paper on it. I tried to take a very objective and analytical perspective rather than taking a more assertive one, because of the controversy surrounding the issue.

Yeeun Chun (12), who wrote about the Korean history of urbanization, and Sohyun Kang (12), who wrote about the comfort women demonstration in Seoul are still eligible to have their papers published during the course of this year.

“Will Fitzhugh told me that he was interested in publishing two of the papers but he never mentioned which two,” said Ms. Spisso. “Yeeun and Sohyun’s papers were just as good as Seungmoon’s. I was surprised at first that only his was published, but upon thinking about it, if money was tight, I can see why only

one was taken. Who knows, maybe in future issues the other two will be published.”

Yet in the mist of its demise, the three seniors displayed their willingness to carry this added burden—an experience that Yeeun, even if she does not receive the honor of being published, genuinely values of having gone through.

“I was really involved with Hwahweh Maeul at the time so I wanted to learn more and wrote about the history of urbanization in Korea,” said Yeeun. “While academically, it was the most challenging paper I wrote length and topic-wise, it helped me more in my extra-curriculars. It pushed me to work hard in helping out Hwahweh because knowing why something is the way it is helps you understand how you can solve it as well.”

Higher expectations gave rise to better papers as Ms. Spisso guided her students through the process.

“Without Mrs. Spisso we would have had a difficult time in trying to get our papers published,” said Seungmoon. “She was critical in monitoring our progress and gave us excellent feedback on our papers.”

Her absences were unexcused because the school did not host the trip.

“I think it is ridiculous [that administration considers] a representative for a national debate team the same way they would for a kid who went to Bali for 10 days,” said Yeeun.

“I understand why they made the policy for unexcused absences but I think certain academic activities are ‘excused,’ especially if the initial selection procedures for the event are held in our school.”

The school, however, will not revise the policy because there is a limit on how many different types of activities can be excused.

“Somewhere along the way, we have to draw the line between the type of work that we do here at the school and whether the work that they are doing outside is directly related to that,” said Mr. Corcoran.

“If you cannot draw a direct relation between those two things, then we cannot excuse the absence. The connection that has to be drawn is whether the school sponsors it or not, because if the school sponsors it, we consider it valuable enough to miss school for it.”

RCY introduces variety of service opportunities

By Stephanie Yi

Entering the dusty, damp basement meeting room on Monday, 1 p.m., Red Cross Youth (RCY) members gather around the whiteboard bouncing ideas back and forth, ending the meeting with the whiteboard full of ideas for fundraisers, charity events and community service activities.

On Sept. 24, RCY members and non-members alike participated in the Eye Love Walkathon, an annual event held at Hangang Ttukseom Park to raise public awareness about near-blind and disabled children.

This event was hosted by the Korean Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness, which seeks to improve the lives of blind and near-blind people.

Founded last year, RCY seeks to provide students with more community service opportunities related to the medical field, such as volunteering at hospitals. RCY has also been working closely with the Korean Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness to raise awareness about blind and disabled children.

“We got to know about the organization [when] Eunice and I

Photo by Stephanie Song

Pushing the wheelchair for an elder, Sohyun Kang (12), RCY vice president, participates in the biweekly service activity at Bobath Hospital. went to do community service at a summer camp for people with bad eyesight,” said Sohyun Kang (12), RCY vice president. “We participated [in the walkathon] last year as a club and it turned out to be pretty successful, so we decided to participate again this year.”

Although RCY’s weekly community service trips are exclusive to its members, the club decided to open the walkathon to all students regardless of membership. The event was especially popular among

Phone: 031)723-8210

freshmen and new students who did not have much previous experience with community service work.

“I have never actually interacted with disabled people before,” said Chunghwa Suh (9), non-member volunteer. “I was nervous in general about interacting with blind people and also worried about what I might say [that might happen to be offensive].”

Since last year, RCY has also been sponsoring Hope House, an orphanage for disabled children. RCY

members raised money through fundraisers and the SIS Bazaar held in May. Instead of relying on the traditional baked goods and pizza sales, RCY hopes to sell ice cream floats and lemonade.

“Currently Hope House’s conditions are so poor that the government [refuses] to recognize it as an orphanage,” said Sean Kim (12), RCY historian. “We hope to improve their facilities so that it can become eligible for official government funding.”

RCY is also in the process of recruiting performers for a miniconcert at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital in Gangnam. Though the date is not yet set in stone, the concert will offer students an opportunity to showcase their talents in music and dance.

This opportunity will be open to all students as well, and will not be exclusive to RCY members.

“Whether it be medical or humanitarian, RCY’s only mission is to help mankind,” said Victor Cho, RCY adviser. “RCY’s spirit is a little bit of all the clubs. The scope of its contributions and the scope of what it does is not [limited]. RCY’s activities speaks volumes about the club’s dedication to the betterment of mankind.”

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

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AP schedule conflicts delay Class Students start new magazine for music of 2012 graduation ceremony

By Michelle Kim

Graduation is changing. The annual event, which has been held in Tiger Gym 1 since 2000, will be held on the field. In addition, the date was changed from May 25 instead of May 18 due to changes in AP exam schedules.

In the previous year, the last AP exam was on May 13. However, College Board, which creates the annual exams, scheduled the last 2012 exam for May 18. Fredric Schneider, Director of Pupil Personnel Services, said the graduation date change was necessary.

“It would be too stressful for students to have graduation on the day of the last AP test, and then have prom the day after,” he said.

Mr. Schneider added that the ceremony will be on the field due to conflicts with construction wrok currently taking place at school. Dr. Hyung-Shik Kim, chairman and headmaster, and Peter Corcoran, director of school, had input in this decision as well.

“We considered having graduation in the church next door, but it was too big,” said Mr. Schneider.

“In the past, when the school was smaller, graduation was in hotels.

However, that was a nightmare.

Years ago, there was one [graduation

By Mark Kim

ceremony] outside, before we had the field. When we had the field, the seniors complained that graduation was not there.”

Currently the school plans to have large tents from caterers, in case of rain, sound systems to increase the speaker volumes and food from a vent organization.

Kris Sung, Class of ’11, expressed jealousy that the 2012 graduation would take place on the field.

“The 2012 class is lucky to have graduation on the field,” said Kris.

“Although having graduation in the gym and on the field may be similar, there is limited space in the gym and people can’t speak very loudly.”

Emily Koh (12) approved of having graduation on the field because the field is larger in size than the gym.

“When I visited past graduation ceremonies, I saw that the seniors were bunched up in one area, and although there were a lot of chairs in the gym, there were people who stood on the sidelines because they wanted to see the seniors,” said Emily.

Although graduation is still in the planning process, Mr. Schneider had a positive outlook of the plans for the ceremony.

“If the weather is nice, then having graduation on the field should be beautiful,” said Mr. Schneider.

For those wishing to vent their anger against Rebecca Black, feel free to send letters to the new music magazine, Rhythm. Juniors Ashley Chung and Jane Lee founded Rhythm, a non-school sponsored magazine dedicated solely to music.

“Jane and I both love music, so I suggested that we make a music magazine,” said Ashley. “I think that it will be appealing because most students really like music.”

Rhythm is entirely student-run, with no adult adviser. According to Ashley, students interested in music and have solid journalism skills can join. The staff meets during activity periods on Fridays and aims to publish about three issues per year.

“The [staff members] in Rhythm have different tastes, so I am interested to see what is going to be [in the magazine],” said Annette Hong (10), reporter. “It is a magazine focused solely on music and to me, that is just beautiful.”

Since Rhythm is not schoolsponsored, its biggest concern is raising money for publication.

“We cannot have bake sales or advertise [Rhythm] at school because we are not school sponsored,” said Ashley. “So we are trying to find sponsors outside of school and hopefully people might be willing to

Dennis Darling, choral director, to propose the idea of establishing a local Tri-M Music Honor Society, an already existing program from the National Association for Music Education, and to discuss how they should approach the club. The original purpose of the club was to teach composition, but the three decided to offer a wider range of music education because they were one of the few music clubs and to garner more interest. “[The club now has] a wider stance on music as a whole, but [our main focus is still going to be] composition,” said Benny. “Experienced members will be given tasks to teach club members according to their skills. For example, Edward is in charge of vocals and lyrics, Patrick Chin (10) will teach the bass, while I will be teaching students how to

produce music by using Garageband and Logic Pro.” Adding on to the experienced members’ efforts, Dr. Darling is planning to cooperate with musical colleges to bring in teachers to work with the club. As such, many efforts are going into the process in order to make the club more complete. However, despite the co-founders’ enthusiasm and effort put into initiating the club, the Tri-M Music Honor Society still needs improvement to function efficiently.

“I have to admit that our club is still in its preparation mode, and it’s still an unofficial club,” said Edward. “I, as one of the co-founders, am extremely excited and expect the club activity to expand beyond the school borders. Students will apply to composition competitions with the music they compose in the club.”

New music club emerges in SIS community

By Milton Yoon

Though clubs such as Ladies Choir and High School Orchestra allow students to practice music, students are not exposed to musical extracurricular clubs with a more relaxed environment. Benny Char (10), whose parents are both in the music industry, noticed that over the few years and decided to take action to solve the problem. Upon meeting Edward Lim (9), they decided to create the Tri-M Music Honor Society.

“I was brought up in a musical environment, so I wanted to encourage the music side of SIS,” said Benny. “So when Edward first talked about the idea of creating a club dedicated to music, I immediately embraced the idea.”

The two founders approached

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Photo by Joshua Kim

Conferencing over the new layout, Jane Lee (11) and Ashley Chung (11), co-editors-in-chief of Rhythm, hold a meeting with staff members. offer money for Rhythm.”

Rhythm is open to submissions by non-members. Each issue will focus on a different genre of music and the editors plan to make the magazine more fun and creative than informative. Rhythm’s first issue will

focus on electronic music because of its rising popularity among students.

“I think Rhythm will be an excellent magazine,” said Shawn Kim (10). “[The staff] seems to know a lot about music, so I am more than just excited to read it.”

Zeitgeist Government combats harassment on public transit Statistics show a 160 percent increase in the number of those arrested for sexual assault from last year’s 671 to this year’s 1,192. To reduce such crimes, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to install 7,256 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all subway carts by 2013 and hire sheriffs to monitor the subway trains in ninehour shifts.

The government will first implement the CCTVS in Line 2 by the end of this year, as about half of all groping cases from January through May occurred on that line.

In addition, the city hired 75 sheriffs who will patrol the subway carts in two shifts from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. and from 4 p.m.-1 a.m. The officers, many of whom are martial arts experts, will be on the lookout for any sign of harassment.

“My mom recently gave me a curfew of 10 p.m.,” said Jeanne Han (10). “She was worried and reminded me there are a lot of strange people even though Bundang is pretty safe. The government has made a great decision because [my mom and] I have a fear of strange men on the subway.”

Reports of physical, verbal and sexual assaults have necessitated better protection of Seoul’s subway users. On June 16, for example, two drunken university students

broke the nose of a 21-year-old who was reading a book on the subway. Nine days later, a mother hit an elderly woman with a 1.5-liter plastic bottle and threatened to call the police after the woman touched her baby.

“I heard of [such incidents] often on the news and the internet,” said Jihyun Lim (12). “But because I know that the world [has become] so violent, they don’t really surprise me. [Nevertheless,] my parents tell me to be careful when riding the subway because the world is so dangerous these days.”

According to Gray Macklin, high school and middle school counselor, such reports also highlight an issue with drinking that cannot necessarily be solved by the government’s implementation of CCTVs. “The cameras are treating the symptom, not the cause,” said Mr. Macklin. “If the cause is drunkenness, [drunk passengers] can forget that there is a camera. A reduction [in incidence] depends on whether [the plan] changes people’s behavior. Something is going to have to change [to effectively reduce assault]: drinking habits will have to change and the laws will have to address that problem.”

By Elizabeth Song

KOREAN Healthy Korean food faces unhealthy counterpart

By Jonathan Yun

According to Health magazine, Korean food is one of the top five healthiest foods in the world, thanks to fresh ingredients abundant in vitamins. Unfortunately, the busy lives of many Koreans have brought demand to an unhealthy counterpart—an alter ego—to this healthy cuisine: instant food.

Delicious and convenient, instant food has attracted a large number of mouth-watered consumers across the globe, not only in Korea.

In fact, according to Shushmul Maheshwari, the Chief Executive Officer of a research institute called RNCOS, the instant food market is growing up to 15 percent globally. South Korea also stands as the highest instant noodle-consuming nation with 69 per capita per year.

Furthermore, obesity among Korean adults older than 20 increased from 26.3 percent in 1998 to 31 percent in 2005. This increase in instant food sales could only result in an unhealthy population.

Over decades, instant food has generally received a negative reputation for its overwhelming amounts of sodium (in the form of salt) and monosodium glutamate (MSG), another food additive. These additives are what give instant food the tastiness and “addictiveness,” the frequent craving for such foods. Such additives have detrimental effects on bodies; increased sodium levels can lead to heart attacks and kidney failures, and MSG can cause nausea and weakness.Unnatural preservatives have also contributed to the instant foods’ unhealthiness.

“As I work late at night, I turn to insant food when I get hungry,” said Shawn Kim (10). “I feel satisfied the moment I eat it, but when I wake up in the morning, I feel uncomfortable. Although foods like cup noodles are necessary for high schoolers who don’t have the time to prepare food, we can definitely turn to healthier options.”

The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) is the key governmental agency that undertakes national food and nutrition policies. Throughout the years, the KFDA has monitored and regulated the nation’s nutritional analysis and maintenance. Though the KFDA manages nutrition labeling policies, not all Korean food products contain nutrition labels and even if they do, much of the necessary information, such as the amounts of sodium and nitrogen, are not presented. As of July 2007, most processed food products did contain nutrition labels. To this date, nutrition fortification standards for the labels have not been set, which explains for the lack of consistency with nutrition information.

Another important component of Korean cuisine is street food, such as ttokpokki (spicy rice-cakes), which are sold in tents called pojangmachas. Street food across the world is generally known to be made with unsanitary ingredients and utensils. Deep-fried foods contain tremendous amounts of extra calories.

“Street food is cheap and convenient, especially for busy teenagers like us,” said Kevin Kim (11). “But, despite its affordability, it comes with a huge price in terms of its health. Ttokpokki and [Korean blood sausages] are delicious, but they really are fattening.”

Although Korean food ranks as one of the healthiest cuisine in the world, busy students and adults must remember that instant and street foods in Korea are the opposite in terms of nutritional value.

Though these foods provide necessary energy for studying and working, it comes to no surprise that overconsumption of such processed and readily-made foods result in obesity rates increasing faster than that of western countries, according to a report the Nutrition Evaluation Team of the KFDA.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Layout by Yong Gun Choe Graphics by Linda Heeyoung Park

Korean cuisine extends popularity on global scale

By Helen Song

Korean food has traditionally been enjoyed mostly only

by Koreans, who were fond of the unique spicy and salty flavor. However, in recent years, there has been a global boom in popularity of Korean cuisine, as foreigners have begun to appreciate the food Korea has to offer.

An example of a Korean food that is rising in popularity is kimchi, the spicy fermented cabbage dish served with almost every Korean meal. Recipes for this celebrated dish are featured on numerous health and food websites, especially after it was featured as one of the “Top 5 Healthiest Foods” in Health Magazine. It is also a popular dish among SIS teachers.

“The first time I ever ate kimchi was at one of the first true Korean restaurants in London back in the late [1980s] and early [1990s],” said John Rider, drama teacher. “I like it because I love all spicy food, but kimchi also has that nice sweet crunch with every bite along with the spicy flavor.”

Kimchi has also been put into burgers and hot dogs along with bulgogi, a popular Korean beef dish, at the cafe New York Hot Dog & Coffee. The restaurant was featured on the New York Times Food & Wine website and received positive reviews on several other restaurant review sites.

Tacos have also been Koreanized by Korilla BBQ, a food truck in New York that serves Korean barbeque (including kalbi and bulgogi) in tacos and burritos, along with kimchi and gochujang, Korean hot pepper paste. According to the New York Times, long lines follow this truck wherever it goes. The Korilla BBQ truck was also a competitor on the second season of the Food Network show The Great Food Truck Race, placing third overall.

American celebrities have also been seen enjoying Korean food. For example, actress and model Brooke Shields was spotted shopping at H Mart, a Korean market franchise with shops across America, Canada and London. She said that she enjoys bibimbap, and has been known to make Korean dishes at home. Kelly Rutherford, who plays Lily Van Der Woodsen

on Gossip Girl, also often enjoys bulgogi burgers.

Korean food was also featured this summer on American TV channel, PBS, in a television show. “Kimchi Chronicles” is about Marja Vongerichten, wife of famous chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and a half-Korean adopted by an American family. The show follows her travels through South Korea as she reconnects with her roots through traditional Korean cooking.

It included celebrity guests such as Hugh Jackman.

The gradually increasing popularity of Korean food has given Koreans more pride in their traditional cuisine. SIS students have also noticed the trend towards Korean food by talking to their friends in America, many of whom enjoy Korean food as well.

“My friends are always ordering Korean food online at H Mart, and it’s interesting that they love it because I never imagined Korean spices appealing to American tastes,” said Erin Kim (11), former SIS student who now goes to school in Michigan. “I am proud because as Korean food gets more popular, it’s helping to advertise our country and culture.”

lifesTYLE 8

september 2011

Bystander effect has widespread effects

By Yong Gun Choe

When Edward Park (11) watched a video of an African American man assaulting a Korean elder on a city bus, he was shocked not only by the violence but also by the fact that hardly anyone intervened the fight. This psychological phenomenon, in which onlookers fail to take action, is called the bystander effect.

“It looked as if [the foreigner] was trying to prove that he was better or more powerful,” said Edward.

“However, it is still shocking that no one tried to decisively end the fight.”

The bystander effect stems from a social phenomenon called the diffusion of responsibility. This occurs in big crowds in which people do not feel the need to take responsibility in an emergency situation; thus, responsibility is spread out among many people.

“The more people there are, the less likely it is for bystanders to take action,” said Damon Six, psychology teacher. “Everybody tends to be frozen in action, assuming that someone else will take responsibility. Usually, when the crowd reaches above three people, responsibility starts to diffuse rapidly.”

Gray Macklin, counselor, said bullying exemplifies the bystander effect. He believes that students pay attention to bullying but refrain from acting directly to stop it.

“However, at least students can passively intervene by reporting incidents of bullying to the school,” said Mr. Macklin. “In society, it is unlikely bystanders will report fights between strangers to the police.”

Both Mr. Six and Mr. Macklin believe that Korean culture plays a part in this phenomenon.

“In Korea, where public harmony is largely the case, many people would not know how to react in a distress situation like the bus incident,” said Mr. Six. “Also, the involvement of a foreigner in this homogenous society emphasized the bystander effect even more. Many Koreans probably are not accustomed to seeing foreigners so they are more hesitant to intervene.”

The bystander effect prevails in both Korean society and schools because people do not take initiative and are not assertive enough.

Mr. Six strongly believes that simply learning about the psychology of the bystander effect will greatly reduce people’s susceptibility to it.

“I am outraged to see how the bystander effect is happening frequently in a nation like Korea,” said Edward. “Incidents like the bus assault degrade the reputation of Korea, especially when there are videos of these posted up on Youtube for the world to witness. This affects how Koreans are viewed by the rest of the world and we would be stereotyped as being cold and self centered.”

What is the “real world” like?

Wonjae Kim, Class of ’10, shares his experiences in studying filmmaking at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and interning at a television production company.

1) What is New York University (NYU) like for studying filmmaking?

NYU is the best for filmmaking; there are a lot of opportunities to get involved: professors are friendly and nice; classes are funny. The best part is students get emails from teachers showing a list of directors who need crew members. The directors are usually seniors or graduate students. I applied to work on a short student film and I have worked on four so far. I have tried working as a boom operator, editor, art director and so on.

2) How did you pursue your interest in filmmaking after you entered college?

After my first year in college, I felt the urge to get more experience with what exactly filmmaking is these days. So I decided to intern as an assistant producer for a program called Racing Queen Season 2 from the company A9 Media. It was shocking at first, seeing how tiring and stressful the work was. During the interview, one of the producers told me that most interns gave up. But I survived with the will to be something more and just tried to be more involved. I had 20 hours of work almost every day—going to other places in Korea every weekend and having no time to rest properly. Still, the experience taught me patience and endurance, which I think are important qualities as a filmmaker. Also, many of the staff members who were already experienced with filming gave me advice and steps in taking care of special guest celebrities, managing the set floor, reserving filming locations or suitable restaurants for meals.

3) What are your short and long term goals?

I really do not know. I tend to work without much planning: coming out on television was definitely not on my list of things to do in the summer of 2011. It just happened and I adapted. Well, to list some, I wish to become a good director and also live a young and free life. I wish to not always be chased by work and stress.

4) Do you have any words for SIS students?

I just wish students do not hate high school so much. There is nothing scarier than not knowing what to do in life. I had my fun in high school— band, drama, friends and all that. I was not exactly valedictorian material. What I am trying to say is, high school is not that bad compared to the things we should be prepared to face in the future: it

By Jasmine Park is just a step everyone takes to move forward.

In addition to studying and interning, Wonjae starred on a TV program called Hit the S Style. Wonjae participated in the music category and placed third.

By Linda Heeyoung Park

Award-winning director documents Korean high school life

By Michelle Kim

Korean students study 16 hours a day and have one ideal image.

These are what Kelley Katzenmeyer, 19-year-old filmmaker, noticed when she began documenting the lives of five Korean high school students in 2010.

Kelley was interested in Korean high schools when her Korean friend told her that Koreans study intensively. After attending a Korean high school for six months, Kelley discovered that her friend was right.

“At first I didn’t believe her—16 hours a day?” said Kelley. “It sounded crazy, so I looked it up online— and started seeing articles about suicide.”

After Kelley learned that many

students attempt suicide due to academic pressure, she explored the extent to which pressure contributed to Korea’s high suicide rate. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2010, Korea has the highest suicide rate among developed countries with 24.3 out of 100,000 committing suicide annually.

The documentary also covers Korea’s ideal image of a woman: slender body, white skin and large eyes. According to the documentary preview, many students go under the knife or apply makeup to meet society’s standards. Kelley explained that this is because many Koreans tend to interact with other Koreans instead of with people of other ethnicities.

“In Korea, it seems like there’s only ‘one standard’ of beauty,” said Kelley. “In America it’s a little dif-

ferent—perhaps because there [are] lots of different cultures, so there’s multiple ways of ‘being beautiful.”

As Kelley learned more about

Korean high school life, her film became a project dedicated to alleviating students’ academic stress.

“Sometimes, when something

happens in society, people adapt to it,” said Kelley. “They adapt to it so much that they don’t think it’s strange. It feels normal for Korean students to study so hard. If other countries see this film, they will work to change Korean education.”

Jimmy Park (12), however, doubted that the documentary would have a large impact on the Korean education system.

“There have been [many] attempts to change Korea’s education,” said Jimmy. “I may [sound] pessimistic, but I think the ideas Kelley harbors are idealistic; it’ll be very difficult for Koreans to let go of something that worked for so long.”

The documentary, a collaborative project between Kelley, CheolYoung Kim and students, will be finalized in August 2012.

and also possesses a fine and young bass voice. Just like other best violinists and pianists, he takes voice lessons twice a week.”

Eddie received voice lessons from Ryan Goessl, CMC conductor and this year’s new SIS MEN Choir conductor, who encouraged Eddie to audition for the CMC Chorale.

After the selections as one of the bass singers for the concert, his participation in the professional choir provided him an unprecendented

valuable experience.

“By taking part in this choir, I was able to [interact] with professional singers and become more inspired to sing,” said Eddie. “CMC was different from the school choir in that practices [lasted] longer—at times, even nine hours long for a single practice. I enjoyed my part in the choir, and if I have the chance, hope to continue [to participate].”

The performance was a success, ending the day on a musical note.

Mr. Goessl sees potential in Eddie based on his contributions to the concert, and hopes to see that reflected in the future.

“The depth in his voice helped to give roundness and fullness to the bass section,” he said. “His voice also has a wide range, all of which is very rare, especially in young men his age. I believe, in time and with hard work and practice, he will have a wonderful voice that will be a treasure to listen to.”

Photo Courtesy of Kelley Katzenmeyer

Kelley Katzenmeyer, teenage filmmaker, poses for a photo with Hayon, a subject in her documentary which has yet to be named.

Freshman participates in Camarata Music Company concert

By Min Ji Suh

Out of his penchant for singing, Eddie Lim (9) sings for nine hours straight, singing with Camarata Music Company (CMC), a multinational chorus company that tours all over Korea. Together, they performed “An Evening of Choral and Choral Pop Music” on Sept. 3 at Chungdong Methodist Church.

“It has only been around five

months since I started [singing],” said Eddie. “I joined the CMC about one and a half months ago, because I was interested in singing.”

Eddie is not unfamiliar to chorales, however. According to Dennis Darling, choir director, Eddie built experience from his previous years in the school choir.

“In eighth grade, Eddie started singing from second semester, taking half-band and half-choir,” said Dr. Darling. “He has a great spirit

september 2011

TOP 3

9

Lifestyle

INSTAGRAM

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP EXPRESS

PICTURE EFFECT MAGIC

Effect: Lord Kelvin Instagram allows users to add vintage effects to photographs and share them with friends via Facebook, Twitter or Flickr.

Effect: Soft black and white Users can share photos and use basic (crop, straighten, rotate) and complex editing features (filters, effects and borders).

Effect: Emboss Effect This application includes 61 different effects such as sepia, blur and comic. These effects can be easily combined.

PHOTO EFFECT APPLICATIONS Students used to take photos with film or digital cameras. Then, digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras became a hit, despite their costly prices of about $2000.

Such costs made photography an expensive hobby for students until alternatives emerged for iPhone users: Apple’s photography applications.

Source: iTunes Store Top 10 Apps Graphic by Jessica Song

New teacher establishes distinct classroom environment

By Joanne Lee

When her students cannot answer a question, Marilou Pagarigan, AP Computer Science teacher and technology integration specialist, pauses and grins. Her students already know her next words: “C’mon!

It’s as easy as eating peanuts.”

Ms. Pagarigan has been sharing this slogan with her students for seven years at Indianhead International School and Cebu International School. Though she has only been at SIS for two months, she has already left a distinctive impression on her students through jokes and common interests.

“In class during the beginning of the year, some of the students started talking about games,” said Philip Lee (11). “Ms. Pagarigan jumped in on the discussion, mentioning that she played World of Warcraft [WoW]. It was definitely surprising, but she’s an avid gamer.”

Ms. Pagarigan is a fan of strategy games. Besides WoW, she also plays StarCraft II and Call of Duty.

“I love [WoW] and I like how you really have to use your brain to play,” said Ms. Pagarigan. “When

you have background in computer science, you also see things differently from other users. You see how a program runs smoothly and think to yourself, ‘I wish I could make a program like this.’”

Before she became a teacher, Ms. Pagarigan was a technical trainer for a company in the Philippines, teaching adults information technology skills. With her long experience as a teacher, Ms. Pagarigan expects her students to keep up with her fast-paced lessons.

“I found that I could never learn anything without trying out the new code or method myself,” said James Ham (12). “Ms. Pagarigan’s style of teaching, which expects us to do so, really makes me think in class.”

Ms. Pagarigan believes that although AP Computer Science is a college-level course, the material is not difficult as long as students have the determination and focus.

“It takes a while to crack open the shell of a peanut but that’s what makes them good,” said Ms. Pagarigan. “The only way to truly appreciate its taste is to work to open it and this applies to everything in life.

You can’t enjoy the fruit of labor if you don’t do the labor itself.”

The World at the Tip of My Tongue

Getting spiritual on the Ganges

By Marcus Lee

Hey, a critic can dream… no?

Well, don’t take it too literally.

I too would have liked a trip to the heart of India but everything about this column runs contrary to what it so boldly claims it is. The World At the Tip of My Tongue? If only…

The last time I checked, people called it having a budget. So, given the cold, hard-to-swallow limitations that we face, let me introduce to you to a brief cure—a flaming, hard-to-swallow restaurant that specializes in spicing up the possible with a little bit of the impossible—Ganga.

Ganga, the traditional name for the sacred Indian river and its surroundings, is a chain of ten Indian restaurants in the metropolitan Seoul area with a reputation for its naan flatbread, tandoori chicken and curry dishes.

About seven minutes into my order for the most exotic Indian dishes, I received two curries— ghost vindaloo and Samudari Kha-

zana Tak-a-Tak. “Nothing spectacular. Just a nice fragrance and two scarlet blobs,” was my first impression. But it only took some curry on nan to prove that I was wrong.

When I first tasted the ghost vindaloo, a fiery curry of Portuguese origins that uses vinegar and lamb to create a bright red sauce, my tongue was set on fire (figuratively, of course). Although the spiciness left me teary-eyed, the vindaloo became more desireable with each spoonful. The undeniable taste supplanted the killer spice, which kept me coming back for more.

Next came the Tak-a-Tak, a mixed seafood curry with spicy tomato sauce. The rich assortment of seafood, which includes scallop, shrimp, mussel, squid and baby ikka (octopus), result in a much more diverse texture. The mild spiciness of the Tak-a-Tak complemented the irresistible flare of the vindaloo.

Like all food critics, I did some online research before dining at Ganga to read some of the diners’ direct comments; one comment stood out. “Although it may seem a bit overpriced for Indian Diner, it’s so difficult to get good Indian cuisine in Seoul that you can hardly complain.” Similarly, this food critic agrees that Ganga is truly one of the better Indian restaurants in Korea, providing locals with a sense of the spiritual high whenever a spoonful of the delicious curries flares up their taste buds.

So, without further ado, replace your handy pen and paper with a fork and spoon and take off to the nearest venue. Led by 10 to 20-year veteran chefs, each venue ensures consistency and that upholds the sacred Ganga name.

Just don’t think about the aftermeal.

4 out of 5 Tiger Paws 10% Tax Included

sPORTS 10

SEPTEMBEr 2011

Chemistry teacher gains therapeutic benefits through yoga

By Min Ji Suh

For chemistry teacher Raymond Slapikas, yoga—an activity based on Hindu discipline meant to heal the body—has been something more meaningful than a sport. It was an exercise that enabled him to recover from physical injuries he had developed when he was younger.

His interest in yoga, which started in the summer of 2005, grew not only from pure curiosity, but also from his participation in different sports. Mr. Slapikas had been involved in different athletic activities, such as soccer and football, which had hurt him several times in life.

“I had a lot of injuries as a college student, and I wanted to fix them,” said Mr. Slapikas. “I had a groin tear from playing soccer and I also had injuries in my rotator cuff and hip flexor before. I thought it would be interesting to try [yoga].”

Ever since he took up yoga, he has seen great improvement in his health.

“It makes your body stronger and more durable, especially if you

Photo by Jessica Song

Doing the superman yoga pose on Sept. 8, Raymond Slapikas, cross country coach, and Ryan Oh (10) warm up for practice in the fitness room after school. Mr. Slapikas implemented yoga into the team’s daily stretches. have other injuries,” said Mr. Slapikas. “I had hurt myself when I was younger, and when I exercise, the pain still does not fully go away.

When I practice yoga, however, it helps to reduce that pain. The more

blood that you can get to flow into an area that has been injured, the quicker it can heal.”

Mr. Slapikas agrees that yoga may be a sport that many people are hesitant to attempt, but he believes it

is important for them to overcome this fear to take up something new.

“I am trying to make my mother do yoga, although she says her back hurts whenever she tries,” he said. “I know it can be painful, but you have

to put the pain out of your mind and relax into it. You will be more flexible the next time you do it.”

Despite the physical pain yoga imposes at times, Mr. Slapikas recommends it to all age groups. As one of the three coaches of the crosscountry team, he has been encouraging his runners to soothe their muscles through yoga exercises.

“His passion and enthusiasm for yoga is very evident when training,” said John Kim (10). “He applied his knowledge to one of the steps we now have to do for warmups: we lie flat on our bellies and raise our arms and legs into the air.”

Despite his busier schedule here in Korea, Mr. Slapikas still hopes to make yoga a fundamental part of his life because he realizes the values of this exercise.

“Last year, my practices changed for the worst,” he said. “This year, I am stretching for running because of my cross-country practices. But I would like to practice yoga to balance life more. I know that will make me feel safe; plus, you get to release a lot of stress.”

Soccer coach to start Play-by-play: Tigers struggle to under-19 soccer team beat YISS Guardians after Chusok

By Alison Chang

When Patrick Chin (10) picked up his soccer ball for the first time in a month, he felt a little rusty while practicing tricks, for he rarely played soccer during the off-season.

Similarly, Korean student athletes in general have limited opportunities to develop their athletic abilities according to Johnny Collins, who plans to start a Korean soccer team for players under 19 years old.

Coach Collins lived in Korea for several years coaching professional soccer and working as the Director of Kwik Goal Asia, a USbased soccer equipment company.

Last June, Coach Collins helped organize the Harvard University boys soccer team’s visit to Korea because he personally knew the head coach.

When asked to recommend potential athletes, Coach Collins realized that he did not really know anyone.

That is when the idea of starting an actual team hit him. “[Coach Collins] visited SIS wondering if students would be interested,” said Ivan Atanaskovic, director of activity and athletics.

“Students don’t normally organize [themselves] outside of school so I thought it was a good idea.”

Anybody under the age of 19 can join, and once the team is formed, athletes will train to play against other Korean high school teams. So far, Coach Collins has had difficulty trying to get his plans off the ground because of a lack of facilities. Until then, he will not be able to decide on a specific date for the training to begin.

“Korea not only lacks the facilities, but kids don’t grow up with sports,” said Mr. Collins. “In the States, you have Little League, and

club soccer and basketball. International schools have that recreational thing but it’s not serious. You can only play when the school has a function and the coaches are just teachers.”

Coach Collins particularly wanted to reach out to talented athletes in international schools in Korea who have to potential to pursue sports when they attend university abroad.

“There are a lot of students that are really good athletes, but probably wouldn’t be able to compete with student-athletes in America because they don’t play year-round,” said Coach Collins. “When it comes to athlete scholarships, students don’t even have the chance to apply because there is no scouting contract set up, and sports here aren’t really recognized in the States. Nobody will know what the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference even is.”

SIS students also recognized this setback and looked for alternative ways to improve their skills.

Hiro Watanabe (12) attended a soccer camp at Stanford this summer.

“It helped me build my skills since I was playing at a much higher level,” said Hiro. “I was able to practice with head coaches from the University of San Diego and Harvard. After the camp I became more confident and my skills became more solid, which I think are important aspects of being a captain of the varsity team for my last year.”

So far, SIS students are excited about this opportunity.

“I’m excited about being able to work with a professional who really knows a lot about soccer,” said Patrick. “This is going to be a lot more helpful than just dribbling a rubber ball around my room.”

Photo by Jessica Song

On Sept. 21 during a home game in Tiger Gym 1, Justin Lee (12), varsity boys volleyball player, anticipates a serve from the Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS) Guardians. The Tigers lost 3-0 to YISS.

By Jasmine Park

Set 1

The second home game on Sept. 21against the Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS) Guardians started with a serve by number seven on the YISS team. The Guardians took the lead from the beginning. Although the Tigers seemed to climb back up with Shuto Tamura’s (12) spike, making the score 2-8, the Guardians kept the lead with strong serves and bump-set-spike plays.

The crowd expressed its disappointment in the team’s performance in the first set. Ivan Atanaskovic, varsity boys volleyball coach, noted that the lack of practice was a problem.

“Chusok break really killed us,”

said Coach Atanaskovic. “After Chusok, [our practice] looked like the first practice of the year.”

Set 2

Justin Lee’s (12) block earned the Tigers the first point in the game’s second set. With consecutive successful plays and spikes by Kirk Kim (12) and Shuto, the score became 6-2. Rally continued until YISS took the lead with two strong spikes. The Tigers came back with Junsoo Shin’s (12) successful serves, Justin’s blocks and Kirk’s spike. However, the Guardians did not cease to concentrate: after a timeout at 2023, they came back with two spikes, winning the second set.

“They had the same things as we had and they play the same plays but one difference is their heads were in

the game” said Coach Atanaskovic.

“They were consistent.”

Set 3

YISS started the third set with a spike. Although the Tigers demonstrated good skills, they still struggled to receive the balls from the opposing team. By the end of the game, the players’ faces said, “it was a day that they couldn’t come back,” according to Coach Atanaskovic.

Despite a 3-0 loss, he noted that it was a game that the Tigers needed.

“The better competition, the better we become,” he said. “We need to have a good challenge. This was a good challenge. We can play high-level volleyball but the problem is consistency. I think we have really nice plays and will be able to play them more often.”

SEPTEMBEr 2011

TIGER SPORTS SCOREBOARD TENNIS

CROSS COUNTRY

Aug. 31 against KIS Varsity boys W 5-0 Varsity girls W 4-1

Varsity boys Best Time Kevin Chun (10) 20:29

Sept. 7 against KIS Varsity boys W 5-0 Varsity girls W 4-1

Sept. 7 at YISS with various schools

11

sPORTS

Sports Photo of the Month

Varsity girls Best Time Jasmine Park (12) 24:28

VOLLEYBALL Aug. 31 against KIS Varsity boys W 3-1 Varsity girls L 3-2 JV boys L 2-1 JV girls W 2-0

Sept. 21 against YISS Varsity boys W 4-1 Varsity girls L 3-2

Sept. 7 against KIS Varsity boys W 3-0 Varsity girls W 2-1 JV goys L 2-0 JV girls W 3-0

Sept. 21 against YISS Varsity boys L 3-0 Varsity girls L 3-0 Forfeit: no YISS JV boys JV girls W 2-1

By Stepahnie Yi

Graphic by Joanne Lee

Gym construction disrupts game schedule

By Christine Lee

The usual sounds of squeaking shoes in Tiger Gym 1 will be hard to detect for the next year when the gym undergoes renovations in December. The construction plan may especially affect basketball athletes, as SIS will have to host all games in the first half of the upcoming basketball season to avoid conflicts with the construction process.

“Our school has many days for potential games that are used for other events,” said Ivan Atanaskovic, Director of Activities and Athletics. “We [also] have to be aware that other schools have events so there are many complications in trying to move home games to the first half of season. This way, having all the home games in the first half may not be possible.”

Christine Jung (12), varsity girls

basketball player, both welcomed and concerned the potential plans for having to cram home games before winter break.

“My friends and I thought it was a lot better for seniors because we will have [more time to work on our college apps because] we don’t have to travel to other schools,” said Christine Jung (12). “But then again, if we have all our home games first, I think we’ll feel pressured because spectators will be cheering and watching us when we are not quite ready yet.”

Athletes are also worried about where practices will be held when construction begins. Without the gym, the space available to the two varsity and junior varsity teams is very limited. According to Mr. Atanaskovic, if the athletes need more room, the athletics department will rent a gym nearby so that

teams can practice there.

“Our teams will definitely be at a disadvantage because if all four teams practice in Tiger Gym 2, then it would be too cramped to do anything at all,” said Julie Chung (10).

“If we go to practice at rented gyms, we’d have less time to practice since we’re taking the time to ride the bus when we could be working on our techniques.”

Though there are complications now, once construction finishes in 2012, students and teachers will be provided with a larger gym as well as more sports equipment. “[This year] will be a tough year for the basketball teams and the PE department without the actual facilities,” said Mr. Atanaskovic.

“But in the long run, we will have a more modern and stable gym for the school to use and the Tigers will have a better home.”

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Reaching for the ball, Euna Sun (11) adds power to her serve in a game against Korea International School.

Freshman demonstrates deep passion for horse riding

By Elizabeth Song

Contrary to the ease with which cowboys in films ride their horses, horse riding is a skill that is difficult to master in one day. First-time riders must not only get accustomed to the pain in their fingers and thighs but also find a way to control the horse’s pace. Michelle Kim (9), who began horse riding as a hobby when she was in the seventh grade, managed to surpass these difficulties to compete in equestrian contests.

Since two years ago, Michelle has participated in a competition almost every month. Her most re-

cent two were the Minister’s National Equestrian Competition in Gwangju on Aug. 30 and the Korean Equestrian Foundation Chairman National Competition on Sept. 24.

Even though Michelle does not win first place in every competition, she never considers the hours she invests into practice a waste of time.

In fact, she says horse riding provides her with an enjoyable, soothing experience.

“Horse riding makes you feel as if you’re in the air,” said Michelle.

“It’s really stress relieving and it feels bouncy. I really think [this competition] was a good experience because

by going to competitions, I think I can do a better job next time.”

Michelle’s mother, Hee-un Kim, also noticed a change in her daughter after she became a horse rider.

“I once told Michelle to give up, but I didn’t mean it,” said Mrs. Kim. “Ever since she started riding horses, her school life has improved and she has had fewer puberty problems [than other teenagers]. That is why I’ve never truly wanted her to give up.”

At the same time, competitions like this force Michelle to skip entire days of school and sacrifice portions of her weekends from 6 a.m.-6 p.m.

to train at the Steven Horse Riding Center in Icheon. As a result, Michelle is must finish her homework on Friday and study for her tests on Friday and Sunday nights.

“She sometimes complains when her friends have something planned but she can’t [go] because of practice or a competition,” said Elizabeth Huh (9). “But she’s really devoted to horse riding and is willing to set aside school days and weekends for it.”

Even with such challenges on the horizon, Michelle maintains her dedication to horse riding and looks up to her two horses as inspiration

not to give up on the sport.

“I wanted to give up a lot,” said Michelle. “Even my mom told me to stop riding. But my horse urged me to continue. Every time those struggles came, I thought, ‘If I overcome this, I’ll become a better rider.’”

A source of enjoyment and relaxation, horse riding is a hobby Michelle would like to continue in the future.

“I want to do something different [for a job]” said Michelle. “But I still want to [ride horses] until all my hair falls out. My mom won’t let me pursue it as a main job but will probably let me do it as a hobby.”

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

Dong Seoul Photo by Jessica Song University Brown Photo Studio

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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

SEPTEMBER 2011

False alarm goes off— fiesta ensues

The fire alarm went off for the seventh time this September at Tide High School; students celebrated as the alarm actuated water sprinklers and caused fire extinguishers to be distributed.

The administration spent hours determining the causes of the trigger. Meanwhile, students were relieved to flee from their classes and tests, which were delayed and postponed respectively.

“I’m just glad I didn’t have to take the calculus exam,” said Charlie Schruefer (12).

“There should be more fire alarms during class hours.”

After hours of investigation, the administration concluded that the alarm was a false alarm. Faux News sat down with the mischievous student who deliberately kicked a soccer ball at the pull station to set off the alarm.

“It’s hot out here,” he said on the condition of anonymity, referring to the lively mood of the fire drill. “It’s nice that we finally have a break. As long as my classmates are happy to evacuate from the academic pressure, I’ll continue to set off the alarm whenever I feel worn out.”

Coincidentally, students dressed up

in sunglasses, flip-flops and short pants in light of Spirit Week used the brief break to its full potential, setting up parasols and slouching on reclining chairs. Some nonchalantly chatted in the midst of an imaginary fire, while others napped or listened to music.

“I brought my backpack, make-up pouch, Dr. Dre headsets and iPhone,” said Jenny Yafuso (9). “After all, I can’t risk losing them in the fire!”

Headmaster Tomas Hott nodded in approval as he saw the entire student body and staff unite in light of a false emergency.

“It’s nice to see all the students, teachers, staff members and dogs convene and warmly greet each other,” he said.

The Tide High School Board of Education also acknowledged the value of a false alarm, which allowed room for absolute repose.

“We learned an important lesson today,” said Leo Legaspi, principal. “Thanks to the student who pulled the alarm, we now realize that life shouldn’t be monotonous. We might as well instigate surprise fire drills in the future for the sake of our students’ psychological well-being.”