Tiger Times Volume 50 Issue 4

Tiger Times

Volume 50 Issue 4 December 2018 ttonl.org

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Letters to the editor from Mr. Schneider and Mr. Macklin

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Extended Viewpoint: Evaluating the club selection process

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News: HSSC-Hanhwa meeting improves lunch line crisis

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Focus: The good, bad, and ugly of social media

Jaeho Hwang (11) relieves his midterm stress by stretching slime provided for free by the HSSC.

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s we approach the holidays, the Tiger Times editors wanted to look back at our first half of the school year. Freshmen, thrown into the incredibly fast-paced high school environment, hurriedly adjusted themselves.

Sophomores started to pick up on life as high schoolers, thriving in their first Advanced Placement courses with ambition. Juniors entered the vicious but invigorating stage of powering through standardized tests, and seniors completed their final lap as they lined up in front of Ms. Lee’s office, anxious to confirm their Common Application submissions.

2018 has been a collaborative and supportive year. Among the academic stress, students have devoted their blood, sweat and tears to make SIS shine in their own ways through athletics, public speaking, academic competitions, club activities, and more. We, as seniors, find a palpable change in the school atmosphere when we read motivational and heartwarming signs put up on walls by the Random Acts of Kindness club and witness students of all grades getting to know each other as they attempt to take selfies to eliminate their “Assassin” game targets. Tiger Times is honored to continue to report and celebrate such changes and memories.

2018 was one big ride, and we are at its end.

The Tiger Times staff would like to thank each and every reader, and wish everyone a happy holiday.

Hyeonmin Chang (9) enjoys his lunch after the adoption of the new lunch line policy.

(Right) Keebum Kim (12) brings his NHS toy drive gift to school.

(Top) Jane Kim (9) holds up cards from RAK’s Garden of Gratitude.

Editorial

Journalism in crisis: Living amidst media overload

By Dawn Kim and Jeremy Nam Co-Editors-in-Chief

“Once I was a scuba diver in a sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski.”

- Nicholas Carr, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

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ake a moment to reflect on what you last did on your phone. You might’ve checked your Facebook stream, and watched a video of a tteokbokki restaurant your friend wants to go to. You might’ve sent a Snapchat to your friends, then thumbed through your Cosmopolitan subscription. Regardless of its shape or form, new media in the form of sporadic, entertainment-centric information is on the rise.

It has its benefits: it’s accessible, more efficient, and more entertaining. But taking a step back and observing this social trend from afar yields a dangerous passivity that grips our generation with an iron vise––and we are oblivious to its impacts.

The state of longform journalism––longer articles with larger, deeper amounts of content–– is in crisis. Print newspapers are laying off staff en mass; a report from the Pew Research Center noted that newsroom employment dropped nearly a quarter in less than ten years. Fewer people are reading careful investigative reporting, if reporting at all, that explore the tricky issues of the status quo. Even fewer are sufficiently focused to grasp the content and gravity of the bills pending in the National Assembly. In accordance with the trend of entertainment-style media, news reporting is being dumbed down and treated as a form of instant gratification, not a duty to inform the public.

We have observed these trends in niche circumstances of our school. As dialed in as we are to curricular academics as a collective, a conversation with a typical SIS student demonstrates that he or she often does not have an original opinion on today’s affairs. Student apathy in its many shapes and forms has been touched on extensively in Tiger Times, but by observing society’s growing indifference in longform journalism we are presenting a potential explanation for why we have become so passive.

We have reason to believe that over-reliance on new media is at least partly responsible; scientific reports have demonstrated that by consuming only quick, bite-sized forms of content, we encourage our neurons to develop lasting patterns that encourage faster responses but make critical thinking and cogitation difficult.

We realize our comments are symptomatic of Grumpy-Old-Man syndrome, and we aren’t saying new media isn’t good for much besides meaningless entertainment. Social media platforms have been largely responsible for facilitating major movements such as South Korea’s candlelight vigils, Occupy Wall Street, and the Arab Spring. But a delicate balance needs to be struck. Journalism is the fourth estate; the ability to think for ourselves through information is an intrinsic part of democracy, and longform journalism preserves it.

We may soon slip into a world where that ability is a rarity and a relic, thanks to the rapidly declining industry of print journalism. Lost in the moment of hits and clicks, we may never even notice that it happened––making the transition all the more dangerous.

Longform journalism isn’t dead, but it is dying.

As readers and citizens of free society, we should strive to preserve its legacy and significance.

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

2 VIEWPOINT Applying the right pressure to the e-cigarette dilemma

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irst introduced in 2004, electronic “cigarettes,” or nicotine vaporizers, have risen exponentially in popularity, acting as a generational bridge between present-day teenagers and adults; it has become a notable aspect of this decade’s culture. Juul, arguably the most successful e-cigarette business, has been met with overwhelming success, as sales increased from 2.2 million devices in 2016 to 16.2 million in 2017.

As a less toxic alternative to ordinary cigarettes, which cause 480,000 annual deaths in the US, according to the CDC, e-cigarettes are now widely used around the world by teenagers and adults alike.

Unfortunately, the conventional wisdom that vaping is better than tobacco smoking does not mean this practice is good for you. Given the pervasive nature and unhealthiness of this trend, comprehensive steps must be taken to tackle the negative consequences of the rise of e-cigarettes and related products.

Among the various implications of vaping, the most alarming characteristic of this trend is its appeal to the world’s youth. Tobacco smoking is often associated with adults and is considered much more dangerous, so the idea that there is no tobacco involved in vaping allegedly provides teenagers with a false sense of security; vape reportedly contains 70 carcinogens. A sizable proportion of students are nowadays seen with e-cigarettes on their person, using these devices, or posting about them on social media. In an April 2018 study of national high schools published in The BMJ, 10 percent of respondents

admitted to both recognizing and trying e-cigarettes.

SIS is not free from this phenomenon.

Although the official SIS ParentStudent Handbook states that “students found to be in possession of or sharing [vaping-related materials] will be given one day of in-school suspension,” some still violate this concrete rule.

According to several students, people’s initial curiosity, which compels them to try a device, roots from the novel flavors that can be installed into them, such as mint, mango, and even crème brûlée; afterward, the practice becomes a habit and subsequently an addiction.

Students who decide to vape at school even state that avoiding the watchful eyes of teachers and the leadership team provides them with a rush of adrenaline that urges them to continue this practice. Foggy bathrooms and lost USB Juul chargers throughout SIS demonstrate the pressing need to address this issue.

It is important to recognize that the leadership team has practical limitations in drastically changing smoking-related rules. Besides strictly enforcing the language in the Student Handbook and becoming more vigilant of e-cigarettes throughout the school, there is not much more that SIS can do. According to James Gerhard, high school Principal, implied lessons about the drawbacks of vaping are already being made in various classes, such as Anatomy and PE. Instead, as the problem roots from aspects of students’ lives that cannot be controlled by SIS, such as one’s social media feed or the

Letters to the Editor

online accessibility of these products, the rise of e-cigarettes is a national public health issue that must be addressed as such. Hence, the entities that must take action are the Korean government and companies themselves.

In the US, for instance, governmental pressure is being applied to vaperelated companies to solve this complex problem. On Nov. 13, Juul’s chief executive, Kevin Burns, commented that under-age vaping has become a severe problem for the company. As a result, he pledged that Juul would curtail sales of flavored nicotine liquids and halt social media promotion of its products.

Burns’s concessions about his own products’ negative effects on youth are respectable. In the midst of public outcry regarding fake news on Facebook, the platform was unable to sacrifice its advertising revenue for the proper dissemination of information through social media. Agreeing to limit Juul’s own profit for the sake of public health is a positive stride forward that all related companies should emulate.

Only time will tell whether the US Food and Drug Administration will deem these efforts sufficient—whether there will a substantial decrease in teenage use of e-cigarettes as intended. Still, Juul has demonstrated that complex social issues sometimes cannot be addressed just on a local level; corporate social responsibility and public-minded legislation are crucial to reversing deleterious societal problems.

By ANDY YOON Junior, Staff Writer

I cannot resist responding to the Editorial in the November issue of Tiger Times. Although there are numerous valid observations concerning internationalism at SIS, I take issue with comments made in paragraph 3 of the Editorial. It is true that only a small number of SIS students apply to schools not in the US. This does not mean that students are discouraged from doing so. In fact, I have encouraged students to look beyond the US. Especially if they are not eligible for finan-

cial aid from US colleges and universities. This year students had the opportunity to meet with admissions representatives from outstanding schools in Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Very few if any took advantage to meet with these representatives. If students do not take the time to explore these options it is not because they are discouraged from doing so.

If students do apply to schools outside of the US, I assure you

they do not "receive considerably less assistance than US college seekers." Supporting requirements for these schools are completed as promptly as the requirements in support of applications to schools in the US. In fact, I am impressed when students dare to be different and explore options other than the same short list of schools in the US.

I am writing in response to Andy Yoon’s piece on absences in the November issue of Tiger Times. I agree that this is a citizenship issue but we must remain steadfast in our belief that a school cannot promote responsibility through creating an inflexible, institutional accountability system. There is a sea of difference between responsibility and accountability.

Our mission statement is about creating responsible citizens and not compliant subjects. China has shown us that difference with their social credit system. What would our school become if we attempted to set something like that up where only students with

certain social credit scores could take sick days?

I would encourage every student at this school to take responsibility in the situations where they not properly prepared or procrastinated and take assessments on the proper day unless they are genuinely too sick. First, students may find that they do not do that badly.

Second, if they do not get the desired outcome, that discomfort is necessary for personal growth and improvement to take place.

I would ask anyone if they really wanted to go through their careers over extending themselves and then finding ways to drop without consequence

the balls they have promised to juggle without consequence. Your integrity is your responsibility to protect or erode. It is very difficult to restore it once you have worn it away. The simple steps you can take now to protect it are 1) be honest about what you can handle in your academic load 2) don’t worry about others who may be able to handle more 3) be patient with yourself and be prepared to recover from setbacks on your path to your goal 4) accept your best now as you work to increase the level of your best.

Fredric Schneider Dean of Students

Gray Macklin Vice Principal

Tiger Times December 2018

Tiger Times 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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Tiger Times Staff Paper Editors-In-Chief Dawn Kim Jeremiah Nam

Website Managing Editor Kate Lee

Website Editors-in-Chief Junie Ye Joon Kah Hannah Kim Paper Managing Editor Kirsten Huh

Production Editor Amy Jungmin Kim Graphics Editor Yejune Park Photo Editor Jocelyn Lee

Social Media/ Marketing Directors Fiona Cho Eju Ro Copy Editors Youngseo Jhe Andrea Kwon Sia Cho Chris Lee Layout Artists Claire Lee Youngjin Park

Erin Lee Emily Oh Graphics Artist Lynette Kim Photographers Angela Choe Lauren Kang Michelle Ahn Reporters Emily Bae Teddy Cho

Andie Kim Jimin Lee Andy Yoon Brian Ham Eric Hwang Jiwon Lee Christopher Shin Thomas Song Jr. Joanne Yang Adviser Mr. David Coleman

Viewpoint Feature: Striving for transparency and communication when selecting new clubs How does the club selection process determine our extracurricular culture?

Is the club selection process transparent and collaborative enough?

Improve the club selection process by increasing transparency

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hile most of us understand what SIS is, teachers, students, and even Tiger Times cannot agree upon who we are: are we grades-obsessed robots, entitled international school kids, or hardworking successful students?

Perhaps we are all of these things—and connotations aside, with two and a half years of first hand experience under my belt, I can confidently say that in spite of the previously mentioned ambiguities, our student body can be captured with one word: rigor. For better or for worse, SIS fosters and perpetuates a rigorous environment; as we so often point out, students are college-driven, success-driven, and perhaps excessively competitive. Often clouded by the debate over academic rigor, however, is the other equally important interpretation of rigor: clubs.

At the beginning of every school year, club applications open up the myriad of extracurricular options to which we can dedicate half an hour of our time, daily.

This collection of clubs, though often overlooked as an almost obvious requisite to our school environment, speaks volumes about the value of our student body. The fact that we have a math, science, and STEM club signifies a particular interest in those areas. The existence of the Random Acts of Kindness club shows that some sixty students are willing to dedicate their time to making our school a kinder place.

Likewise, the introduction of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising club shows that our student body is slowly expanding its horizons beyond the traditionally academic options. Overall, the unique collection of over 30 clubs our school decided to facilitate most notably represents the extracurricular passions, interests, and choices of the student body.

Considering this consequential value of clubs, then, the club selection process

deserves improved careful and structured attention. The selection process as of now calls for improved measures in order to ensure that all clubs are sustainable, unique and run with a specific purpose. Every February, new applications open for any students who hope to add to the collection of clubs. Students are asked to write a short pitch describing the function and purpose of the club, and each group is given the opportunity to present a verbal pitch to Athletics and Activities Coordinator Ivan Atanaskovic, High School Principal James Gerhard, and HSSC members. A few weeks later, applicants are notified of results via email. Ultimately, only three out of approximately 20 clubs are accepted every year.

Indeed, this low acceptance rate is reasonable, as the school is ensuring that only the clubs with maximum potential are created. The catch? No one is really told why the selected clubs were selected, or why the remaining clubs were rejected.

In essence, there is no clear written set of criteria, other than the generally accepted notion that the school is looking for clubs that do not overlap with already existing ones. Though the administration and activities office have their own clear vision of clubs they are looking for—especially focused on longevity and sustainability—such expectations could be better communicated to the students.

And if there are measures in the selection process I am not aware of, that is precisely my point; even after extensive research and interviews, the full details somehow remain out of my grasp.

The selection process as a whole calls for improvement in transparency. Given that club opportunities affect the student body more than any other stakeholder, the opinions of students should reflect a larger portion of the final decision. Specifically, instead of having HSSC members

watch presentations and simply cut off communication with them afterward, these student officers could have a joint meeting with Mr. A., Dr. Gerhard, and other teachers for a direct cooperative decision making process. An equitable decision making process would involve a general consensus agreed upon by students and teachers, and it could be made clearer to applicants exactly who was involved. Such increased direct communication would more accurately represent the opinions of all stakeholder groups—teachers, students, and administration—regarding the direction that the school’s extracurricular sphere hopes to take on in the following school year. Another possible alternative could be setting up a poll for the student body; generally, clubs that are most popular are the most active and well-sustained for longer. Club pitches that the student body deems most attractive would therefore guarantee a more active and beneficial presence for the SIS community.

On both the school’s and the presenting students’ end, increased transparency would improve the impact that new clubs can produce. Thus, before the pitch process begins, the collective selection board (comprised of students, teachers, and admin) might establish a clear, written criteria of the factors they are looking for in clubs. Whether it be increased focus on SIS, increased off-campus activities, or unique fundraising, even simply a basic set of guidelines can improve the quality of the ideas to fit the administration and student body’s vision of future clubs. As of now, the HSSC members watching the presentations are given a rubric that includes the factors that they should be looking for in pitches, such as how unique the idea is, or if it will be significant enough to survive even after the founder graduates. Yet, rather surprisingly, this rubric is not given to the students pitching the clubs. As a result,

students crafting proposals, without any knowledge of the criteria, are often running headfirst into a wall, pitching an idea that has no hope of being accepted in the first place. After delivering the pitch and being rejected, they are left without any comments or feedback, often abandoning their idea altogether or applying again the following year with the same idea, only to be rejected once more. The cycle is futile on the students’ end, as not only are decisions made almost unilaterally, but those decisions are never justified or explained.

What is left is a big, hanging question mark, one that cannot be answered until the administration and students physically come together and combat the seemingly arbitrary nature of this process.

Every club contributes to the collective value of the SIS student body. When we apply to a club or a club is created, a significant investment of time, funding, and prioritization is being made. Though the administration may hold the authority to make decisions, ultimately, the club selection process defines the boundaries of the student body’s extracurricular arena. And despite the fact that the administration and activities office does have a substantiated, well-established set of expectations, such ideas are not always shared effectively with the student body.

The high school’s direction for the coming school year—whether it is focusing more on community service clubs, arts clubs, or perhaps even expanding academic clubs—should be shaped by the students and administration hand-in-hand, and transparency should ensure that the process is as fair and unobjectionable as possible. School-wide improvement can only come with school-wide cooperation and communication.

By EJU RO Junior, Staff Writer

4 NEWS News Briefs

By Amy Jungmin Kim

Trump criticized for campaign promises, national affairs

Senior, Staff Writer

Students participate in “Assassin”

Photo by JEREMY NAM The High School Student Council (HSSC) hosted a week-long activity named Assassin from Dec. 3-7. Assassin is a game in which players attempt to eliminate each other, typically using a mock weapon, but the rules were slightly modified so that a player would have to take a selfie with the target to eliminate him or her. Players signed up by paying 5000 won fees, which in turned were pooled for two players, the last person standing and the person with the most eliminations, to split the pot and donate the sum to one of their clubs. “[The HSSC] thought Assassin would be a great activity to not only boost school spirit and lead students to engage with people they might not have known before, but also to alleviate club funding concerns after the pushback of Family Fun Day, which was the biggest opportunity for clubs to earn money,” said William Seo (12), HSSC executive treasurer. “I’ve heard back from eliminated students that they had a lot of fun, and I’m very glad.”

Hard work pays off at annual winter concert On Nov. 29, students of SIS hosted the annual High School Winter Concert. Groups such as the Wind Ensemble, High School Orchestra, Advanced Band, Men’s Choir, Ladies’ Choir, and Ambassadors performed joyful songs for the upcoming holiday season, such as “Tatarian Dance” and “Symphony No. 5.” Out of several performances, Men’s Choir stood out with “Sweet Caroline” as they danced along to their own song, making everyone laugh.

Students not taking music classes, although busy as the semester approaches its end, stayed after school to support and enjoy music created by their own friends.

“Although it was difficult sacrificing two hours every Monday for orchestra rehearsals, I felt extremely rewarded after our final performance,” said Eddie Hahm (10), member of the High School Orchestra. “Additionally, the collaboration with the choir community showed the extent of the universal language of music, and I am very proud of our accomplishments.”

Schools finds replacement for broken Annex building elevator For approximately one month, the one and only elevator at the Annex building has remained out of order. Students and faculty visiting the Annex due to several reasons, such as printing on the third floor and attending class in the basement, have expressed frustration regarding the problem.

“To my knowledge, one of the parts in the elevator was found to be broken, but since the elevator was made such a long time ago, we cannot simply buy a new part and replace it,” said Hoonjong Suh, supply office staff. “This means that we have to custom-order a new elevator that fits our building. I’ve heard that the entire process will be over by the time we return from winter break, so I am looking forward to finally being able to use the elevator again next year.”

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n January 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States following his victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the previous year’s presidential election. During his near-700 days as President, Trump’s policies, actions, and words instigated extensive criticism from some portions of the American public. In addition, questions concerning Trump’s commitment to his campaign promises and national affairs have recently been raised, subsequently increasing the quantity and severity of the condemnation toward him.

“I remember the presidential election happening two years ago, when I was still in eighth grade,” Elly Choi (10) said. “When Trump was elected president, there were live chats going on all over Korea and the United States where people were fighting over Trump’s victory. A lot of people, especially my peers, criticized the results, but others vehemently supported it.”

Prior to his inauguration, Trump made numerous campaign promises, many of which he was condemned for neglecting during his past year and half as president. His biggest and most well known electoral pledge was to build a wall along the US-Mexican border as part of an effort to decrease the influx of illegal immigrants coming over from Mexico to the United States.

“When he was elected president in 2016, Trump promised the American

public that he would send Hillary Clinton to jail over the use of her private email server, revoke and replace Obamacare, and legalize the use of torture during the interrogation of suspects,” Paul Kim (11) said. “He failed to keep every single one of these campaign promises.”

Along with accusing Trump of neglecting several of his campaign promises, multiple Trump critics have questioned his commitment to national affairs, subsequently damaging both his credibility and his dependability. Recently, Trump was widely condemned for not visiting Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, a presidential tradition since the times of John F. Kennedy. Trump’s decision to forgo a visit to the cemetery was preceded by his refusal to attend a commemoration in France due to heavy rain, for which he received heavy denunciation from the public.

The president also did not attend the semiannual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit–held in Singapore from Nov. 11-15–arousing extensive disapproval. Trump’s notable absence from the recent summit was interpreted as a sign of American non-commitment to Asian issues, and provided an opportunity for countries such as Russia and China to take the lead at the meetings, thereby influencing the decisions made at the summits.

“Given the fact that Trump enjoys quite a bit of support from the Ameri-

can military and those who back it, not visiting Arlington cemetery surprised me, especially considering that it would be directly eroding political support from one of his strongest bases,” said James Tyvand, World History and US History teacher. “Additionally, Trump deciding to forgo attending the ASEAN Summit in the midst of Russia and China attempting to bring traditional American allies to their side seemed a little alarming on my part.”

Despite being criticized for his performance, many of Trump’s supporters continue to advocate for him.

In fact, even at his most unpopular period, Trump boasted an approval rating of over 35 percent. Trump is consistently championed by a considerable portion of the American public because of his radical and contentious reform proposals. In the eyes of his supporters, Trump’s actions are leaps toward improving America. However, even with Trump’s loyal supporters continuing to back him, his apparent neglect of campaign promises, and disinterest in national affairs has resulted in substantial condemnation by both American and foreign audiences.

America’s controversial president has certainly lived up to his reputation as a “radical” and “unprecedented” president. Whether he continues to do so, the world can only wait and see.

By JIWON LEE Sophomore, Staff Writer

Chinese researcher claims first gene-edited babies

Ever since scientists created the powerful gene editing technique Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), the world has apprehensively braced for the day when it would be used to create a genetically altered human being.

Many nations banned such work, fearing that it could be misused to alter everything from eye color to IQ. Now, the moment they feared may have come. On Nov. 26, a scientist in China announced that he had created the world’s first genetically edited babies, twin girls who were born in the same month. The news sparked a global outcry from the scientific community.

“Science is open, science is collaborative and communicative,” said Mr. Koester, AP Biology teacher. “What he has done was not transparent. It was against the community’s consent and doesn’t represent science.”

The researcher, He Jiankui, reportedly altered a gene in the embryos, before implanting them in the mother’s womb with the goal of making the babies resistant to HIV infections. He has not published the research in any journal, nor shared any evidence or data that definitively proves he had achieved this feat.

However, several experts in the field claimed that it was a possible feat given He’s previous work.

“I think the question of gene editing should be left to the recipient’s decision: as long as there is consent from both the parent and doctor, I don’t think any scientific community should have a say on other people’s lives,” said Paul Kim (11). “Of course, countries

should take actions against it if there is concrete evidence that it is being used for malicious purposes.”

While the US and many other countries have made it illegal to alter the genes of human embryos deliberately, it is not against the law to do so in Chi-

na. If human embryos can be routinely edited, many scientists, ethicists, and policymakers fear a slippery slope to a future in which babies are genetically engineered for traits such as intellectual or athletic prowess that have nothing to do with preventing devastating medical conditions.

“It is profoundly unfortunate that the first apparent application of this powerful technique to the human germline has been carried out so irresponsibly,” said Dr. Tyvand, AP Chemistry teacher.

“Without such limits, the world will face the serious risk of a deluge of similarly ill-considered and unethical projects.

Should such epic scientific misadventures proceed, a technology with enormous promise for prevention and treatment of disease will be overshadowed by justifiable public outrage, fear, and disgust.”

While such possibilities might seem far in the future, a different concern is urgent and immediate: safety. The methods used for gene editing can inadvertently alter other genes in unpredictable ways.

Dr. He said that did not happen in this case, but it is a worry that looms over the field of science, and as an extension, the realm of society.

By TEDDY CHO Junior, Staff Writer

Tiger Times December 2018

Joint HSSC-Hanhwa meeting results in cafeteria reform

Hyeonmin Chang (10) and other students receive lunch adhering to the new lunch line system.

Photo by ALICE LEE

In light of congested lunch lines, the HSSC held a meeting with Hanhwa Hotels & Resorts to propose possible solutions in reducing wait time for students. In response to administrative and student concerns, the HSSC put together a special representative committee to tackle the rising issue. This committee met with the school administration as well as Hanhwa to draft possible solutions on Nov. 15. During the meeting the HSSC representatives proposed that the cafeteria should dedicate three serving stations to more popular meals and one to less well liked choices instead of the usual two and two. Starting on Nov. 26, Hanhwa implemented the new

suggestion and began to experiment with a three-line system.

“We didn’t expect that Hanhwa could implement our suggestions so quickly,” said Jangho Yun (12), HSSC representative and participant of the Hanhwa meeting.

“Anything we proposed they seriously considered, and our discussion was never an argument. Hanhwa was very cooperative in absorbing our suggestions and had very open communication as to what they were already doing as well.”

Lunch lines at SIS have historically been uneven; although two different meals are prepared every day, disproportionately popular menus such as the English

breakfast often cause unbalanced lines.

As a result, it is not uncommon to see students waiting for over fifteen minutes for a particular meal while lines serving less popular menus are left barren. Lopsided lines have also resulted in students trying to gain unfair advantages by cutting lines. In addition, in an effort to arrive at lines early, many students have ignored high school vice principal Gray Macklin’s ‘no-bags-in-the-hallway’ policy. Instead of following Mr. Macklin’s vision of putting belongings in lockers, students have increasingly found creative methods of hiding their backpacks near the cafeteria, leaving personal belongings at risk of theft

and compromising the clarity of hallways.

“I think the new lines have worked really, really well, especially now that the students expect it,” said Mr. Macklin. “They’re looking for the shortest line and everybody is moving to get through. Before, it would be a regular occurrence that the lines would still be rather long on popular menus at 12:50, 12:55. Except for instances where they run out of food, these days everybody has been in their seats by 12:50, which guarantees a solid 20 minutes to eat rather than the 10 minutes most students were getting previously.”

The HSSC and Hanhwa will meet again on Jan. 31, 2019 to discuss the success of the new line system and whether or not to continue the policy. The parties will also discuss the possibility of further advancing the new lunch line reforms: based on the success of the three-line policy, Hanhwa may consider utilizing a four-line program in which a single extremely popular meal would served at all four lunch lines on particular days. On these four-line days, Hanhwa would have a bolstered sandwich bar in order to compensate for the lack of choice.

“The long lunch lines were really out of hand in the beginning of the year,” said Elly Choi (10). “I would have to wait for upwards of 10 minutes to get my food, and since I never eat much at school anyways, I ended up skipping lunch more and more often. Although my faith in the cafeteria is not completely restored, I’ve found myself eating at the cafeteria from time to time again.”

By ERIC HWANG Sophomore, Staff Writer

The More You Know CNN battles for freedom of press Jim Acosta, CNN’s chief White House correspondent, joined an exclusive club last month when he was banned from the White House following a heated exchange with the president. What had been a fairly routine press conference got swept up in a storm of controversy when Acosta, who had asked multiple follow-ups, refused to yield and had insults thrown at him and CNN alike.

Acosta got his hard pass revoked on the grounds that he was overstepping his boundaries as a reporter and unnecessarily eating up the press conference’s time. A complex and tense battle followed, which ranged from fullout lawsuits to netizens meticulously analyzing a five-second-clip to accuse Acosta of inappropriately touching a female intern. The White House even jumped onto the latter fiasco, circulating a heavily edited version of the video clip above that exaggerated Acosta’s actions to further justify his expulsion.

A few days later, the White House permanently restored Acosta’s pass after a temporary restraining order from the court, ending the ugly conflict

in theory. However, President Donald Trump was clearly not in the mood for a full retreat; Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also introduced some “rules of decorum,” where reporters are limited to just one question and follow-ups allowed only at the discretion of the president. Most importantly and controversially, failure to comply would lead to ejection from the press conference.

Decorum is certainly tossed around lightly in the White House, given that the president himself regularly accuses reporters of asking “stupid, rude questions” and tells them to sit down.

The only other president in history to crack down on the media as viciously as Trump was Richard Nixon during the aftermath of the scandal.

An argument can definitely be made that Acosta broke the unwritten rules of a press conference by multiple follow-ups and taking time away from other news outlets. Reporters know that they are competing with dozens of other reporters that all clamor for attention and are trained to ask concise, direct questions; Acosta’s one-on-

By Brian Ham one conversation with the President did not necessarily reflect all of these standards of reporters. However, the new “rules of decorum” sets a dangerous precedent of first amendment rights being compromised for convenience. In light of the “fake news” controversies surrounding the government, it is more crucial than ever for the media to freely navigate the waters of press conferences to gain as much insight as possible. However, this new policy gives the White House arbitrary and worrying power to exercise and modify the freedom of the press as they wish.

This step is just one of the president’s countless and continuous ploys to crack down on the free press. For centuries, the press conference has served to crucial purpose of extracting direct, impromptu responses from the President himself, hopefully devoid of the canned replies that come with official statements. Limiting this pillar of journalism to not just maintain a civil press conference but to also make answering questions significantly easier cuts down on the value of truth coming from the executive branch and the

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replies the citizens deserve to hear.

As of now, these new rules of decorum are masked as simple steps to supposedly keep order in a press conference. But only time will tell whether it will shed its disguise and reveal itself as an attack on the fundamental rights that built the land of the free.

6

FOCUS

Going social: The new politics

By Chris Lee

I

t is quite easy to regard a single tweet as trivial, especially if there are hundreds more that follow with just a quick scroll.

Usually, they are indeed trivial: full of celebrity gossip, funny videos, and other rather insignificant knick-knacks. However, in light of the growing digitization of communication, social networking sites have proven their worth and power in the occasional instances where they have had actual substance. For advertisers, social media may just be a mere tool. However, in its more substantive applications, social media is a political tool that shapes modern democracy.

Democracy has always relied on strong civic engagement. Historic movements, such as the French Revolution and the American civil rights movement, show that the collective appeal of the masses can result in profound transformations in government institutions. However, civic engagement does not only encompass participation in such far-reaching events. Traditionally, citizens have contributed to society not only by voting but also by participating in protests, representing on school boards, and donating to charitable causes.

More recently, digital technology has revamped the ways citizens can contribute to society. By mobilizing the public, online petition platforms such as 38 Degrees, Change. org, and Avaaz have successfully created places for people with the same interests to show support for each other. The accessibility of these online platforms makes them especially stand out because they can merge like-minded movements together. For example, Change.org often links together similar petitions, and citizens who originally visited Change.org for a specific petition may end up expressing support for similar live petitions as well.

Similarly, crowdfunding sites offer new ways of obtaining donations. In the past, local and more provincial topics received funding directly from those local communities. However, crowdfunding sites now invite anyone around the world to donate to any cause, meaning that fundraising efforts can operate at a global level for local projects.

For example, a philanthropist living in the US might learn about a local hospital-building project in Africa and decide to fund the effort through crowdfunding sites.

Social media has also proven effective in extending the traditional forms of active citizenship. The aforementioned traditional civic engagement, such as participating in protests, can have a greater impact through social media. The Arab Spring and the Black Lives Matter movement are powerful examples of how recruitment efforts over social media have strengthened such movements.

The Black Lives Matter campaign started off small in a city in Missouri; however, through active campaigning with hashtags on social media, it received nation-wide recognition and became a symbol for racial equality. By providing possible platforms for petitions, funding, and recruitment, social media has thus given a voice to traditionally marginalized individuals and communities.

Closer to home, social media has also sparked renewed personal interest in politics. Many studies have proven that the use of social media is directly correlated to active citizenship in the forms of higher voter

turnouts and greater frequencies of political posts on Facebook. Many users of Facebook have news feeds adorned with new channels and posts from political groups. The very fact that people use social media numerous times a day means that they are subconsciously forced to care more about politics.

Social media also affects the freedom of speech and the flow of information. While the power to withhold information used to lie in the hands of print media and governmental bodies, individuals can now override that power. To take one prominent example, WikiLeaks represents a shift in power where the power traditionally given to governments is now in the hands of individuals.

Despite its controversial nature, WikiLeaks represents informed citizenship, as citizens can now know government institutions inside out before they cast their votes. On a smaller scale, social media has been informing citizens of the various stances political candidates have. Thus, social media invites more informed citizenship, leading an informed consent over the ballots.

Despite the seemingly numerous benefits of social media on the democratic process, caveats do exist. One such caveat is the corporatization of democracy. Since social media platforms employ algorithms to selectively deliver information to users, the technology giants have immense power over subconscious public attitudes. For example, if Facebook with political motivations would massively turn voters against certain candidates by using the nuances that paint those candidates in a negative light.

Also, the information available on social

Social media invites two-way dialogue between the constituents and the candidates, the laymen and the politically powerful. networking sites is not subject to fact-checking, meaning that false information can spread as quickly through social media as correct information. The recent fake news craze partly owes its controversy to this flaw of social media: offering the ability to reach large audiences with any message, whether true or false. Some have merely dismissed the proliferation of fake news as part of Facebook’s laziness to regulate fake news. However, inviting Facebook to monitor all posts would jeopardize the freedom of speech, since this monitoring program can extend Facebook’s power to include censorship.

Despite the numerous benefits and drawbacks of social media on the democratic process, one aspect is certain: social media invites two-way dialogue between the constituents and the candidates, the laymen and the politically powerful. Nowadays, no political candidate can end his or her campaign with the same ideas that he or she had at the beginning. Candidacy has become a malleable thing, constantly stretched, molded, beat, and shaped by political opinion on social media.

the Socrates (399 BC)

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Orated to the youn guiding them from material pursuits to thinking and philosophy

of social media

Tiger Times December 2018

The domination of mass authority through social media

By Jiwon Lee The Rosetta Stone (196 BC)

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owadays, social media is easily accessible from almost anywhere, at any given time, by anyone. The increased accessibility of social media has resulted in the introduction of an effortless method of sharing one’s emotions and opinions with the public. This development certainly has its benefits: as people share ideas about certain issues with one another, institutions begin paying more attention to what they are saying. In a way, social media becomes a platform through which large organizations can keep in touch with the common people and understand their wants. This feedback system gives institutions suggestions on how to act in order to satisfy their audience, often providing benefits to both the organizations and their customers.

However, this system is not always profitable; one of its greatest flaws is that it creates room for the corrupt wielding of mass authority and the subsequent exploitation and manipulation of this misused power. A recent and publicly condemned example of this drawback is the National Basketball Association (NBA) trade rumors. The NBA trading season, lasting until the final roster deadline on Feb. 7, has been stained with rumors of player transactions being controlled by audience commentary.

The NBA, as an independent and private organization, should not be swayed by external influence when making major decisions. The fact that it likely has been has put the morality of the association and the integrity of both individual players and teams to question. Despite all the commotion, however, NBA television ratings have increased since last year.

The public’s reactions also play a significant part in deciding what types of news become valued over others. When people show more interest in certain news topics, they are covered more extensively than other contemporary issues, subsequently bringing greater attention to it than to arguably more important matters. An example is when more people commented about an article on Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson’s rumored split than one about a shooting at Kerch Polytechnic College on Oct. 17 that killed 19 students. As a result of the skewed distribution of interest, the celebrity gossip became sensationalized at the expense of the devaluing of the more significant news.

Knowing this power of social media, some people have taken to exploiting it to their advantage. For instance, during his presidential campaign, Donald Trump worked with British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to illegally collect Facebook user profile data to shape his political advertisements, hoping that personalizing his campaign messages would gain him more supporters. The Trump administration, cooperating with Cambridge Analytica,

analyzed approximately 87 million Facebook users’ personal information in total. This data, ranging from clothing preferences to age and race, was used in the Republican candidate’s presidential campaign. Even after becoming president, Trump continues to rely on social media and public opinions as means of deciding his next political moves. Prior to making a final decision, he goes to Twitter to talk about his future actions–often before the press does–and collects data on the reactions before acting upon his words.

Such a situation often causes private governmental decisions to be affected by public feedback, consequently altering the ultimate outcome of the situation.

Another method in which mass authority is exploited and manipulated through social media can be witnessed in the recent vote on same-sex marriage in Taiwan. Prior to the vote, which was held on Nov. 24, Taiwan’s LGBT community battled a flood of fake news on various social media platforms such as Line, Facebook, WeChat, WhatsApp, and more. Much of this inaccurate information was a deliberate attempt by opposing groups designed to swing voters away from supporting the passing of the law. Even though the misinformation was far from the truth, voting rates were substantially affected by it. The fake news, ranging from claims that same-sex marriage causes HIV to predictions of homosexual men coming over from foreign countries in order to leech off the Taiwanese healthcare system once the law is passed, ultimately caused the same-sex referendum to be rejected.

As people increasingly attempt to take advantage of public opinion on communication platforms, social media apps have striven to defend themselves from these fake news breaches. During the midterm elections on Nov. 6, Facebook cooperated with the US government to create a “war room” dedicated to controlling and removing misinformation on its website by taking down extremists pages and accounts suspected of using fake identities to purposely spread false information. Other social media sites have taken similar measures; however, most have been unsuccessful in making a significant impact on the issue.

The public’s unrighteous reign on social media, although seemingly having no immediate or tangible effect, has the capability to profoundly affect several crucial world matters. Additionally, the overreaching power that the public has is often exploited and manipulated by individuals and corporations for their own benefit. In order to protect the world from further damage caused by the corrupt wielding of mass authority, the power of the public needs to be regulated and its harmful effects curbed through more audacious measures taken by the government, independent institutions, and individual citizens.

Layout by Young-Jin Park

7

8

LIFESTYLE

The IN

Between

Seniors plan to make most out of winter vacation

By CHRIS LEE

Controversy over Clothes In November, one of Japan’s biggest television stations canceled a performance of the world-famous K-pop group BTS due to allegations that one of its members wore a shirt showing the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. The TV station and the Japanese government denounced BTS for wearing an insensitive shirt that perhaps glorified the bombing. However, the mixed positive and negative reactions from the fans point to a rather interesting relationship between popular entertainment, freedom of speech, and celebrity status.

Group member Ji-min’s shirt had a message dedicated to Japan’s historical annexation of South Korea.

The shirt was adorned with the phrase “Patriotism Our History Liberation Korea” and with a picture of a nuclear mushroom cloud over Nagasaki. Koreans suffered under Japanese misgovernment during World War II and was finally liberated with the tragic dropping of the atomic bombs and the deaths of millions. The shirt’s intended purpose was to commemorate the Korean survivors of the Japanese regime, but clearly, the symbols on the clothes were not benign.

South Korean media, perhaps driven by an urge of patriotism, largely defended the group’s wardrobe decisions and blamed far-right Japanese politicians for using this opportunity to ward off South Korea’s growing soft power. However, many Japanese fans have reacted with indifference. Despite the controversy, a BTS performance sold out in Japan just a few days after the show was canceled. According to Chosun Media, only two Japanese protesters were seen at the arena. While the extent of the BTS craze is truly astounding, it is important that celebrities and fans take the time to realize what is at stake.

Essentially, Japanese fans have been forced to choose between national dignity and fandom, and they have ended up opting for the latter.

Big Hit Entertainment, the entertainment company that owns BTS, apologized for its insensitivity, clarifying how the group did not intend any harm to the victims of the bombing. However, parts of that apology can be interpreted as excuses; in one section, the group claimed that the insensitivity was due to a lack of appropriate research into the clothing before choosing it. BTS’ seemingly equivocal response is inappropriate, as the blame lies solely in the group for choosing that inappropriate clothing. This ambivalence can possibly be seen as a result of Korea’s excessive infatuation with idols. The Korean public idolizes the stars and often appeals for their exemption from due processes or other civil duties, such as military service. Such glorification of the idols may have caused a cloud of misconception of celebrities’ civic duties.

In contrast to Korea’s glorification, the US enforces stronger forms of punishment for celebrities. That is, if a celebrity and a civilian commit the same crime, the celebrity receives a greater degree of punishment.

The main line of reasoning for this disparity is that celebrities, with their power to affect the minds of people, ought to be model citizens. For example, NBA player Draymond Green was fined $120,480 for using profane language while the audience was watching. The government hopes to show through their punishments that such behavior is neither respectable nor appropriate, even though devoted fans may think that its “trendy” or “cool.”These lessons can be applied to BTS as well. First, BTS must take steps to directly apologize to the Japanese for its insensitivity. Also, fans gradually need to understand that some celebrities are idolized beyond reason. While BTS certainly does not need to face harsh punishments for their unintended actions, the Korean and Japanese fans must use the opportunity to distinguish right from wrong, regardless of whether the person is an adored fan or not.

With college applications now completed, SIS seniors do not have to worry or stress about them over winter break.

The years of enduring stressful winter vacations as freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have officially come to an end.

When surveyed what they will be doing over the winter, the majority of seniors claimed that they will get a driver’s license, exercise, and explore a passion outside of academics that they had always hoped to.

“I can’t wait to get my driver’s license,” Lizy Choi (12) said. “I’ve always wanted to drive especially watching my older sister and brother go on rides with their friends. My wish is to go to Jeju Island with my friends and drive along the ocean. Hopefully, my Mario Kart skills

x o b e k ju jewels She & Him

By FIONA CHO

will transition into proficient real-life driving.”

Other seniors seek to exercise in order to lose weight and maintain healthy lifestyles. Now that most seniors will not find themselves stress eating at night, they believe it is the perfect time to start working out.

“My goal is to exercise five times a week during the break,” Katie Lee (12) said. “During each workout session, I will run for 30 minutes, carry out three sets of 25 squats and sit-ups, and 15 burpees. In addition to exercising, I will also manage my diet. I’m going to eat fruits for breakfast, salads for lunch, and not pig out for dinner. I find myself eating a lot especially for dinner, so I will try to break this habit.”

For the past three years of intensely studying for standardized tests and maintaining school grades, seniors did not have the time to pursue their non-academic interests. However, they now have all the time they want to try something new.

“I will be taking vocal lessons,” Helaine Lee (12) said. “Ever since I went busking on the streets of Hongdae this past summer, my interest in singing and performing has grown immensely. By taking vocal lessons, I want to prepare myself and improve my skills to carry out more busking performances in the future.”

By KIRSTEN HUH Senior, Staff Writer

Looking back on the last two articles for Jukebox Jewels, it is evident that weather is a recurring theme. After all, music—much like clothing and beverages—is something intrinsically tied to the seasons. We associate hot weather with iced Americanos, flipflops, and loud, catchy tunes. Winter on the other hand goes hand in hand with steaming mugs of hot chocolate, cozy sweaters, and calmer, melodic songs. Thus listening to the indie music duo She & Him is all the more appropriate.

She & Him was formed in 2006, when actress Zooey Deschanel and artist Matthew

Ward met on the set of “The Go-Getter,” a movie that Deschanel had a leading role in and Ward was producing soundtrack for.

Deschanel, who was already famous for her roles in “500 Days of Summer” and “Elf,” surprised Ward when she revealed her penchant for songwriting. The two rapidly bonded over their shared fondness for ‘70s music, and by 2006, they had started recording in Portland for their first album, Volume One. While Volume One established the group as up-and-coming artists, it was their second album Volume Two that se-

Tiger Times December 2018

9

Harry Potter franchise returns with “Fantastic Beasts” sequel

F

ollowing a strong introduction to a Harry Potter spin off trilogy in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the new movie Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald delivers an imperfect yet respectable sequel.

The film picks up from where its predecessor left off. The Ministry of Magic has captured Grindelwald, an extremely powerful wizard bent on dominance over those without magical gifts (no-mags). The directors waste no time in getting to the action, with Grindelwald making a thrilling escape from prison that clearly established his unrivaled power. After his escape, Grindelwald begins an elaborate plan to draw Credence Barebone, a young wizard with a magical parasite known as an obsurial that makes him extremely volatile and destructive, to his cause. In opposition, our heroes Newt Scamander, a talented magical beast handler, Tina Goldstein, a magical law enforcer known as an auror; and Jacob Kowalski, a non-mag privy to the secrets of the magical world, attempt to find Credence

before Grindelwald.

One detail that director David Yates executes magnificently is expressing the immense power of the villain, Grindelwald.

From the very first scene of the movie, Grindelwald escapes a full magical straight jacket, an enchanted chariot, and several trailing reinforcements all while hostile wands remained fixated on his head mere inches away. After the strong introduction, Grindelwald continues to perform magical feats unprecedented in the Harry Potter universe throughout the film. Johnny Depp also does an excellent job of displaying Grindelwald’s cunning. Depp’s impactful performance gives a feeling of authenticity when he persuades hordes of followers to his evil cause and elevates the character above a magical brute.

Avid Harry Potter followers will have plenty to look forward to besides the villain. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald comes with clever fan service that loyal Potterheads will notice. For example, in a flashback scene, a young Professor

McGonagall, the head of House Gryffindor in the main Harry Potter series, can be seen.

In addition, the chariot from which Grindelwald escapes from at the beginning of the movie is pulled by a team of thestrals, which Harry Potter fans will know as the invisible horses from The Order of the Phoenix.

Amongst many others, these Easter eggs help tie this movie with the main Harry Potter franchise and will delight longtime fans of the series.

However, the film does suffer from some inherent flaws. Although the first Fantastic Beasts film heavily focused on the magical creatures tamed by Newt Scamander, in the second film, the animals seem like an afterthought. Rather than being integral to the plot like the first movie, it feels as though the magical beasts are rather redundant in this film and are only included to justify the title of Fantastic Beasts.

In addition, there seem to be few lasting consequences from the previous film.

In the original Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, New York is destroyed, the

magical world is exposed to the public, Credence the obscurial is thought to be dead, and Grindelwald is captured. However, between the ending of the previous film and the first 10 minutes of the sequel, New York is rebuilt, the non-magical world has their memories of the magical universe erased, Credence is discovered to be alive, and Grindelwald escapes. Even Jacob Kowalski, one of the main heroes of the story who had his memory of the magical world wiped in the previous film, has his memory restored with little explanation.

Although these flaws do detract from the quality of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the movie is still enjoyable overall.

Like most of the Harry Potter films, this installment is visually stunning and has excellent, intense action sequences. This combination makes this movie a worthy watch for both die-hard and casual Harry Potter fans.

By ERIC HWANG Sophomore, Staff Writer

Best festive Christmas activities to enjoy in Seoul The background blur of orange and yellow has been replaced with blinking lights and glistening ornaments, and our breath now rises in visible puffs as we speak. Even if you do not partake in Christmas traditions, there are certainly ways to celebrate the holiday season in Seoul.

Grand Hyatt Seoul, a quintessential venue that is one of Seoul’s most iconic winter destinations, has unveiled its ice rink once again for the season, welcoming guests through the end of February. You can enjoy the liberating sensation of gliding across the rooftop of Seoul, surrounded by music and breathtaking views of the city. Located in the lobby of Grand Hyatt Seoul, a Christmas tree spangled with colorful lights illuminates its surroundings, creating a festive Christmas aura and serving as perfect backdrops for photos.

“The ice rink at Grand Hyatt Seoul is like no other,” Edward Ahn (10) said.

“Aside from the joy of ice skating, the rink also offers a variety of savory foods and snacks, namely chocolate cotton candies, heart-shaped ginger cookies, and sweet hot chocolate, all of which warms both your body and soul.”

Those wishing to revel in the winter spirit do not need to look further than the Korean Children’s Center in Gwangjin. Its subsidiaries facilities not only include sledding courses for both children and adults but also provide a frozen pond where families can enjoy smelt fishing and traditional folk games.

If sledding is too childish, surrounding Seoul is a multitude of ski resorts. In particular, Konjiam Resort boasts eleven double-width slopes, three ski lifts, and a maximum occupancy rule that keeps lines short.

In addition, there is a spa for people to relax in after exerting energy going down the trails.

“I enjoy and miss spending weekends or taking a day trip to various venues over the winter months with friends to tear up the slopes,” said Allyson Lee, Chemistry and Environmental Science teacher.

“Regardless of how cliché it may sound, the best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.”

The ice rink at Grand Hyatt Seoul, one of the most popular sites for Seoulites to enjoy their winter, offers visitors a two-hour admission ticket for 26,000 won.

Photo by EMILY OH (10)

By EMILY OH Sophomore, Staff Writer

cured their name within the music community. Critics praised the album for its simple but sweet songs, and public reception was also favorable—the album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200. Although it is easy to consider Volume Two a summer album because of its nostalgic elements, Deschanel’s soft vocals, heartened by the delicate piano and guitar instrumentals, make songs like “Thieves” and “Lingering Still” perfect to listen to under the blankets on a cold winter day.

Even better, She & Him have two Christmas albums, one released in 2011 and an-

other in 2016. Although names like Michael Buble and Mariah Carey immediately come to mind as the holiday season approaches, She & Him is also a frequent experimenter of Christmas music. The first album, “A Very She & Him Christmas,” featured covers of famous holiday songs and became the third best-selling Christmas album of that year. Deschanel’s vocals were a perfect fit for quiet songs such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and the familiar carol “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was given the unique ‘70s twist that She & Him fans will be able to recognize from many of their

previous songs.

Like many indie pop bands, She & Him may not be for everyone. Its emphasis on musical creativity has its drawbacks for sure: most of the duo’s songs do not seem addicting at first. Music critics on sites such as NPR have gone as far as to admit that the group has not yet produced any music that is “mind-blowing” or “spectacular.”

Although they do concede that the songs are beautiful and rich in emotion, they point out that at times Him & Her sound bland and even monotonous.

Though She & Him certainly may not be

a crowd favorite, there are times when it is pleasant to listen to the group’s music. The single element that stands out from their songs is the duo’s chemistry. While the partnership of a famous actress like Zooey Deschanel and a guitarist like Matthew Ward may be an unlikely combination, they have managed to make it work. Perhaps their success can be attributed to their close friendship, but one other reason could be that they have blended their different styles into one unique sound that captures both the softness of indie pop and the harshness of rock.

10 SPORTS Play by Play: Tigers secure victory against Chadwick Dolphins

Expressing his disbelief at a referee’s call, Coach Munro throws his hands in the air in frustration.

Photo by LAUREN KANG (11)

Preview

On Nov. 21, the varsity boys basketball played against Chadwick International (CI) Dolphins in Tiger Gym 1. This was SIS’ fourth game into the season and its third home game. Both teams showed great sportsmanship and spirit, making the match invigorating.

Eugene Jang (11) and scoring a layup. After a quick time out called out by the Dolphins, both teams hustled but struggled to make their shots, followed by a three-pointer

by Richie. With less than a minute left on court, Bryan Hur (11) shot the ball scoring the Tiger’s last point of the first quarter for a final score of 14:6.

First Quarter

Second Quarter

The Tigers began the play with Eddie Choe (10) earning a free throw for two points.

Although the Tigers and the Dolphins both struggled to score for a while, Richie Kim (11) broke the intense crowd by scoring a layup. Although the Tigers were in the lead, the Dolphins did not give up following up with two consecutive shots; however, Tigers did not hold back as Aidan Kim (11) showed extreme ball handling, penetrating his guard by giving a clean bounce pass to

The second quarter began with Bryan scoring a layup followed up by the Dolphins also scoring a layup. Despite this, Aidan scored a three-pointer, stole the ball heading for a layup, and earned a free throw. The Dolphins fought back, scoring more points, but the Tigers came back strong with shots, free throws, and three-pointers to maintain the lead. With only three seconds remaining on court, Eddie earned a free throw, ending the quarter with the score 37:25.

Third Quarter

The third quarter began with the Dolphins earning a foul from the Tigers and scoring a free throw. However, Tigers come back stronger as Eddie immediately scored a three pointer and even earned a free throw scoring both of the shots. Soon after Richie scored a shot with free throw followed up

by Eddie’s 3-point shot. The Tigers hustled to the end of time, ending the third quarter with Brian’s free throw finishing for a score of 53:34.

Fourth Quarter

The Tigers took the lead in the fourth quarter with Calvin Lee (11) scoring a layup followed up by Richie and Youn Hwang (10) scoring a fast break layup. While the Dolphins seemed to struggle to build their points back up, Austin Jeong (12) received a long pass from Richie scoring a clean

shot from the side. Although Tigers were in the lead, Tigers continued to focus on their offense continuously attempting to score layups and receive free throws. The Dolphins did not turn back and continued to score several shots and layups; however, with around 10 seconds left in the game, the Tigers and the Dolphins gear down and shake hands ending the match with the score 70:51.

Overview

At the end, SIS secured the victory. However, regardless of the score, the Dolphins of Chadwick also displayed great hustle and teamwork overall, displaying a great match and adding anticipation to the next match they will have against the Tigers.

By LYNETTE KIM Junior, Staff Writer

Rumors and discussions arise regarding Lakers

B

asketball seasons hosted by the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the US are enjoyed universally, with many die-hard fans of all ages rooting year-long for their favorite teams. Fans all over the world watch either in excitement as new star players join their favorite teams or in horror as the best players are traded off. Since these roster changes can have substantial impacts on the performances of the respective teams, several discussions and predictions begin to take place until the trade deadline on Feb. 8. This year, since the start of the season on Oct. 16, such rumors have begun to arise, further influencing many fans on SNS to commence heated discussions about the possible outcomes of the Los Angeles Lakers.

“The first few months of the season are

always a bit confusing,” said Andy Kim (10), JV basketball player. “However, once the teams start to get solidified and the players begin to conform to the team chemistry, the season gets really intense and interesting.”

One of the most recent issues regarding the Lakers was the entry of star player Lebron James into the team through a 4-year contract. His transfer has both deeply saddened the Cleveland Cavalier fans and delighted the Lakers fans. James first began claiming he would make his move from the Cavaliers to the Lakers during the off-season in the summer, and the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player was transferred to the Lakers at the start of the season; he has since been demonstrating proficient performance. Throughout November, he scored 50 percent of his three-pointers,

scored a leading average of 28.8 points per game (managing to reach 51 during the Nov. 25 game), and ranked third in layups/ dunks.

“I’m quite sad that I had to abandon the Lebron James Cavaliers jersey that I bought in the states,” said Eddie Choe (10), varsity basketball player. “Nevertheless, I’m satisfied that he has finalized his move and is doing well on the Lakers. He is potentially the best basketball player in the world after all.”

Unfortunately, despite the seemingly greatly beneficial contract with Lebron James, the Lakers has not been doing well this start of the season. As the team continues to lose many games, it has been recommended certain trades by many experts and fans alike, currently leaning towards Bradley Beal. Bradley Beal is currently under a

contract with the Washington Wizards, and several people such as Colin Cowherd, a famous sports anchor, suggested that the Lakers make a trade deal for Beal. He is considered a great player on the court at the moment and Lakers fans hope that he can be traded into the team to bolster its performance.

“Bradley Beal would be a good pick up, but I think the Lakers might go for another high profile player to complement Lebron James midway into the season,” said Coach Fischer, JV basketball coach. “Lebron also has a pattern of under-performing at a new team, so I predict the Lakers will boost their performance during the second half of the season and make the play-offs.”

By THOMAS SONG Sophomore, Staff Writer

Tiger Times December 2018

College star struggles to shine in NBA June 23, 2017 was supposed to mark the end of years and years of torment for Philadelphia basketball. With the acquisition of the highly coveted Markelle Fultz in the 2017 NBA draft, as well as the development of young stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers seemed destined to rule over the league.

But things fell out of place with a shoulder injury for the rookie, which initially worried no one given that both Embiid and Simmons had also missed entire seasons through injuries.

To many, the episode seemed like a mere speed bump to the dynasty that the 76ers were headed towards.

“When I saw Markelle Fultz getting drafted to the 76ers, as well as Joel Embiid’s amazing transition into a legitimate superstar, I knew the league would be in trouble,” said Alex Hyun (10), JV basketball athlete. “A big three of Embiid, Fultz and Simmons would have the perfect balance of height, shooting, defense and athleticism. Additionally, they were all also extremely young and had lots of room for even more improvement, and they looked like they could dominate the NBA for even a decade.”

After months passed with no encouraging updates and worrying videos of terrible jump shots, rumors began to spread that this injury was different. Toward the end of the season, it was speculated that Fultz had not just suffered a shoulder injury, but had caught the “yips”: an extremely rare condition in sports where an athlete suddenly loses fine motor skills that they have been performing automatically their entire lives. Fultz now struggled to execute a simple free-throw shot, let alone the three-pointers that he had launched without hesitation in his college career. Later on, in early December, a doctor diagnosed that Fultz contracted neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, which weakened the muscles around his shoulder and made a jump shot much more difficult.

Alex continued to note his opinions on the situation. “When I first heard about Markelle Fultz’s injury, I wasn’t worried at all as you can easily recover. However, after watching the videos of him shooting airballs in empty gyms, I knew that this was no ordinary injury.

This was the first time I had ever heard about someone forgetting a skill they had performed for such a long time and I can only imagine how challenging this has been for Fultz.”

Fultz spent the entirety of the following summer with a personal trainer, focused solely on regaining a serviceable jump shot, and Philly fans had high hopes at the turn of the 2018-19 season. Unfortunately, he has shown little improvement from that fateful year, averaging only eight points a game, attempting only 0.7 three-point attempts per game, and continuously passing up opportunities to shoot the ball––all of which signaled his lack of confidence with his shot. With the arrival of All-Star Jimmy Butler in November, acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Fultz now found himself stuck on the bench with a severe minutes reduction.

“For Fultz, his chance of making it in the NBA all depends on his jump shot. Being his size, he has to be able to shoot and that’s the one thing limiting him right now,” said Timothy Munro, physical education teacher. “Right now, his chances of becoming a superstar is low but he still has time to develop.”

While the odds are decreasing with each passing day, Philadelphia fans will still cling on to the hope that Fultz will one day reach his immense potential. But with Philadelphia’s increasing demand for a championship, patience is thinning for a team whose mantra is to “trust the process.”

By BRIAN HAM Sophomore, Staff Writer

SPORTS SPORTS PHOTO PHOTO OF THE THE OF MONTH MONTH

Running across the court, Elin Min (10) passes through the players to make a shot during their first game against KIS. Photo by JOCELYN LEE (12)

Duke continues to dominate NCAA basketball

Following the departure of five of its star players due to the 2018 NBA draft, the Duke Blue Devils have quickly managed to rebuild a championship-caliber roster for the new NCAA season. During the offseason, the team was able to successfully recruit the top three highest ranked high school basketball players in the nation: Rowan Alexander “R. J.” Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cameron Reddish. The Blue Devils currently stand 7-1, and are first in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 21st season. Duke is off to another strong start to the NCAA season, and the college basketball juggernaut’s repeated success has divided fans at SIS. “Duke is such an interesting basketball team because they achieve great success with a completely new roster every year,” said Christine Kim (10), JV basketball

player. “It does get boring to watch Duke blowout teams year after year, but the extremely talented group of freshman that Duke brings in every season is so exciting to watch. It is almost like watching a movie that has the same plot, but different characters, again and again.”

The phrase, “the rich get richer” could not hold more truth in the NCAA. Top schools across the nation acquire the overwhelming majority of top recruits, mostly due to their championship history. In an interview with ESPN, Williamson stated that the main reason he decided to commit to Duke was because he wanted to “build a brand” at one of the most storied franchises in college basketball history Without any checks and balances to limit the clumped dispersion of superstars, it seems that Duke will be able to successfully acquire top high

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school recruits for years to come.

“I don’t think that the NCAA would be able to take any action that would restrict or limit the number of top recruits a college could acquire,” said Timothy Munro, varsity basketball coach. “However, I think this problem is mitigated by the fact that many of these top recruits only stay in college for one year before moving on to the NBA, meaning that many of these superstar-loaded teams are mostly comprised of inexperienced freshman. As a result, teams that have better chemistry and have more juniors and seniors, such as Wisconsin and Gonzaga, are able to beat teams like Duke.”

The Blue Devils are paving the road to another national championship, and they are doing it in style. In six of their seven victories, Duke has blown-out opponents by margins greater than 20 points. Accord-

GRAPHIC BY LYNETTE KIM

ing to the NCAA’s website, the Blue Devils are leading the league in blocks and are in the top ten in terms of scoring. With such spectacular performances, they have managed to sell out Cameron Indoor Stadium for the 440th time in a row, and have won the hearts of many SIS fans.

“This season, I would have to say Duke is the most exciting team to watch,” said Bryan Hur (11), varsity basketball player. “R. J. Barrett has been nothing short of a human highlight reel this season, and he is perfectly complemented by Zion Williamson, an absolute freak of nature. It is extremely rare to see teams acquiring such astronomical levels of talent, but anything is possible in the NCAA.”

By CHRISTOPHER SHIN Sophomore, Staff Writer

12 SMALL TALK “School uniforms”…

…are standardized clothing mandated in an educational institution.

Students purchase these uniforms at the beginning of a school year and wear them daily on campus. Often, such outfits consist of formal attire such as a collared shirt, tie, blazer, and even formal shoes. …prevent unnecessary distractions: While the advantages of school uniforms exist on several grounds, their greatest benefit helps fulfill the fundamental purpose of education: academic success. Through the elimination of trivial concerns for fashion each morning and unnecessary distractions in class, uniforms direct focus toward education. When students wear revealing clothing or embrace eccentric styles of fashion, they inevitably attract an overwhelming amount of attention—regardless of their intentions. Enforcing uniforms eradicates such issues, contributing to significant boosts in academic behavior and performance that have been corroborated in multiple studies. For instance, aside from increasing attendance by over 20 percent in southern US school districts, uniforms have also been correlated to an increase of three percentile points in elementary school language test scores, according to a study by the University of Houston. Hence, uniforms allow students to truly focus on

their lessons, retain learned information, and ultimately pursue successful academic careers throughout high school. …promote schoolwide unity: Additionally, uniforms constitute an integral part of a school’s identity and unity. By offering a sense of belonging, such symbolic attire can reduce peer pressure and foster communal bonds within the student body. Raising school spirit and creating an egalitarian space are goals that schools should strive for and achievements that implementing uniforms can help attain. Not only do uniforms help eliminate distinguishing characteristics between students, such as economic disparity, but a shared dress code also instills positive perceptions of community spirit. In fact, a study from Oxford University found that uniforms "often directly contribute to a feeling of school pride."

Much like school colors, mascots, and slogans, uniforms play a pivotal role in schools, for they unite students under a common form of representation. And at SIS, such unity is what the faint traces of orange, black, and white comprising the “tiger spirit” currently need.

After all, considering their intrinsic value and communal benefits, uniforms may not rank any less in importance than the TIGER values themselves upon implementation at SIS.

NINETY-NINE

Compliments for the World

BY JUNIE YE JOON KAH & HANNAH KIM

Every day, the world is working to become a more efficient place.

This can be seen in numerous aspects of our lives that we do not perceive, from being able to order almost any good online and have it be delivered within days in front of our doors to the numerous taxis available in almost any part of Seoul. Particularly in Korea, efficiency is maximized due to the meticulous and rather impatient nature of the general population. Beneficiaries of these characteristics are all those who can maximize utility and reduce wasted time and resources due to such a system that is established.

More important than the preexistent societal order, however, is having a forward-looking mindset, constantly looking to improve people’s lifestyles in the smallest ways. One of many examples is the recently launched Kakao carpool system. This system takes a very similar model to Uber’s carpool service; people are able to take car rides for lower fees than taxi rides in turn for taking a rather indirect route to their destination.

One of the greatest benefits of this system is the fact that people can decide for themselves what they prioritize: speed or saving money.

Thus, consumers are given a wider range of choices based on different priorities and value systems.

Technology has also been an important tool in such transformations of lifestyles to

becoming more efficient. For instance, the siren order option at every Starbucks across the country allows people to reduce wait times to pick up their drinks. Another example is being able to check when buses and subway trains will arrive (with accuracy close to the second) on mobile devices, which allows people to be engaged in their personal tasks until the very last minute while waiting for their ride.

Even a couple of years ago, such aspects would not have been obvious in people’s everyday lives. Yet with the fast pace of development in the current day, our lives have become and are becoming more and more efficient without us being able to perceive it. Another similar example is the recent change in the SIS lunch line.

With student initiative, the lunch lines have been portioned to allow the students to reduce their wait times as much as possible. Not only are the lines shorter, but students are also able to access the line schedule on the online menu page beforehand.

Yet, instead of waiting for changes to be made, it is important that we continue to perceive and work to improve our lives in ways that we may even consider insignificant ourselves. This is the way we have achieved progress, and the only way society will become a better place for all. At the end of the day, nobody likes their time wasted.

…are an essential form of teenage expression:

Although often downplayed, individual fashion constitutes an important form of expression for numerous students. Such conveyance is not limited to “looking nice;” one’s clothing can send messages regarding support for social causes, role models, gender identity, and more. In 1970, Robert Richards exemplified this stance in a heated dispute with his high school principal, which culminated in the case Richards v. Thurston. Suspended on the grounds that his “Beatles haircut” was untidy, Richards ultimately won the support of the US First Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that “compelled conformity to conventional standards of appearance” is not “a justifiable part of the educational process.” Not only do schools serve to teach students specific concepts and skills, but education should also facilitate students’ self-actualization. Allowing them to choose how they want to look on a daily basis is an empowering message that maturing students are entitled to self-determination and autonomy. …do not correlate with academic performance: Contrary to the conventional wisdom, mandating school uniforms does not improve

students’ scores or attendance. PhD David L. Brunsma, sociology professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), sophomores from each state of the US and concluded that there were “no effects of uniforms on absenteeism, [the frequency of ] behavioral problems . . . academic preparedness, and peer attitudes toward school.” Later expanded to include data on elementary school students as well, the study reached the same conclusion: uniforms have no direct impact on academics. In fact, research suggests that implementing school uniforms could produce the opposite effect. A 2009 study conducted by Syracuse University collected information on samples from two age groups— students in 2nd and 10th grade. On average, those with uniforms scored lower on reading, mathematics, and history examinations than the students allowed to choose their clothing.

Photo of the Month

Austin Jeong (12) plays his violin alongside the Ladies Choir in a Winter Concert performance.

Photo by Fiona Cho (11)