Tiger Times Volume 47 Issue 4

s e o u l i n t e r nat i o na l s c h o o l

Tiger Times N ov e m b e r 2 0 1 5

VO L U ME X LV I I

ISSUE 4

Progress ahead: SIS adopts AP Capstone

How many APs will guarantee an Ivy League spot? In keeping with the rumors whispered in the halls, the number currently rests on the upwards side of ten. According to James Gerhard, high school principal, the leadership team is attempting to change these perceptions at SIS through the upcoming implementation of the AP Capstone program.

The program, which was launched by College Board in the fall of 2014, consists of two separate AP courses: AP Seminar, a course offered to juniors, and AP Research, to seniors. According to the leadership team, SIS is hoping to encourage college-level critical thinking and collaboration among students through this program.

“AP Capstone is a unique program that adds to the overall academic curriculum here and increases opportunities for students who wish to acquire real-life skills and work with others,” said Gray Macklin, Director of Testing Services.

AP Capstone is an innovative diploma program that provides students with an

opportunity to engage in rigorous scholarly practice of the core academic skills necessary for successful college completion.

The key word in the statement above, published in College Board’s website, is “completion.” Rather than preparing students for “successful college admission,” this course prepares students to be successful once they are enrolled in a college, which, according to Mr. Macklin, was one of the major pulling factors for the leadership team.

However, there may be more to this curriculum than all of its well-documented benefits. Dr. Gerhard, Mr. Macklin, and Michael Colaianni, Director of Schools, have acknowledged challenges which span two general areas: student involvement and logistical issues. According to Mr. Macklin, the first issue with student involvement is the inevitable epidemic of senioritis that rushes over seniors after their college results are more or less finalized.

“If SIS is an AP Capstone-certified school but rarely graduates passing students in the

+ AP SEMINAR

“Leading the way in educational innovation ” - James Gerhard, principal

course because they fail the AP Research course in their senior year, its status may be revoked by the College Board,” Mr. Macklin said.

The other issue regarding student involvement stems from the fact that AP Seminar will be largely founded on collaborative principles, with group projects and group grading dominating much of the curriculum.

“An important question to ask here is this: will SIS students accept group grades and work to improve those around them?”

Dr. Gerhard said. “Hopefully our students will learn how to work with one another and acquire such crucial skills.”

In terms of logistical challenges, Dr. Gerhard and Mr. Colaianni have acknowledged two major impacts this program may have at SIS. According to Dr. Gerhard, the leadership team is currently in the process of drafting numerous possible solutions.

The first of these potential impacts lies with the faculty. The AP Capstone program does not encompass one particular

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AP RESEARCH

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4 AP COURSES

subject; rather, it reflects personal content preferences that deal with varying and potential diverse subject matter. Therefore, the teachers of the AP Seminar and AP Research courses must be able cope with concerns that lie outside their areas of expertise.

“We may assign English teachers to the AP Seminar course as it focuses mainly on literary elements,” Dr. Gerhard said. “For the AP Research course, we can pair students individually with an expert on their subject if they need specific feedback.”

Second, there are potential effects the program can have on the current curriculum. According to Mr. Colaianni, there may be scheduling conflicts between courses with low student enrollment and the AP Capstone course, which is projected to command a healthy turnout.

Continued on page 4

By Andrew Ham Sophomore, Staff Writer

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Ad Di van pl ce om d a

Graphic by Grace Lee

Editorial

Appreciating diversification of student interests

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raditionally, students at SIS have not been overly involved in performing arts. While there were always a couple of people per class who would take drama classes as an elective in high school, the great majority of students who were engaged in the arts were either a part of the strings and band orchestra, the choir, or taking a course in visual arts. However, as demonstrated by the immense number of students from both the middle and high school who participated in the recent SIS production of “Sound of Music” this November and the even larger number of students, faculty, and parents who attended the two performances from Nov. 19-20, a positive change is apparent in students’ interest in the arts. That such efforts to bring about this evolution in the SIS drama department exist is noteworthy and deserves a word of praise.

The surge of interest in performing arts started nearly two years ago, when the middle school decided to incorporate drama classes as an elective for its students. The current sophomore and freshman students, who were the first to take such electives, were instructed by Simon Williams, drama teacher in both the middle and high school, and introduced to the different concepts of acting, backstage work, and more. The change in policy allowed students in the middle school to experiment with a type of art they were formerly unaware of and eventually allowed this interest to be translated into the high school as these students committed themselves to drama, while other upperclassmen who had limited exposure to the performing arts chose to invest their time in sports or other extracurriculars.

In addition to the increase in exposure, the additional improvement in equipment further facilitated the ability of students who were interested in performing arts to learn in the best environment they possibly could. The creation of the black box theater and reconstruction of the auditorium allowed flexibility in the different sets and stages students could use, further enhancing the quality of the productions every year. It is a great example of how actions taken by the school’s leadership may not necessarily have an immediate effect on the student body. But eventually, two to three years later, the efforts of the school, the directors of the production, and the students that contributed to the upgraded SIS drama department are no doubt deserving of praise and applause.

The rising popularity of these drama productions has also been able to generate a greater sense of unity not only within the high school but also at SIS as a whole. With students from both the middle and high school participating, preparation for the production has become a rare opportunity for middle school students to interact with high school students. More importantly, each successful performance by the drama department serves as an occasion to spark school pride and acts as a remedy to one of the student body’s most frequently mentioned complaints: the “lack of school spirit.”

Through this editorial, we hope to show our appreciation for the collective effort shown by the faculty, teachers, and students to blow life into the former lack of interest students had in performing arts, our gratitude for the unifying effect their performances have had on the student body, and our excitement for the bright future of the SIS drama department.

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

2 VIEWPOINT Redirecting the Starbucks red cup “controversy” Who knew that our beloved company that specializes in producing the aromatic nectar of life for late nights and early mornings, Starbucks, would one day go over to the dark side?

Or at least that’s what evangelist Joshua Feuerstein and hundreds of thousands of others seem to believe.

And this is all because Starbucks decided to get rid of prancing snowmen on its annual holiday cups and instead opted for a minimalist red cup design. The anger and protest first exploded when Feuerstein uploaded a video on Facebook about how Starbucks has waged war on Christmas by getting rid of its holiday decorations, which millions of people saw as a symbol of all holiday fervor and quite many supported.

In the video, Feuerstein urged Christians all over the US to tell baristas their name is “Merry Christmas” (so that the words appear on their cup), take a picture, and share it with the hashtag #MerryChristmasStarbucks, hoping to revive the lost Christmas spirit. The hashtag was shared enough to become a trending hashtag, and even set off another hashtag, #ItsJustACup, by people against the crew of evangelists.

Before getting lost in the “massive” scale of this controversy, it’s important to remember that this whole debate concerns some red ink on a paper coffee cup, because some smiling snowmen packed their bags and moved off from the annual holiday cup. Religion is a fundamental part of many people’s lives, but

hundreds of thousands of people complaining together in a movement against Starbucks because of smiling snowmen is a bit too far.

Taking respect for religion aside, Starbucks is not a religion, nor is it a religious company. Starbucks’s job is to provide consumers with the fuel that makes us move, and as long as people get their morning brew, not many of us particularly care about the container it comes in. Starbucks’ duties do not include supporting the Christian movement, and people should not be looking for spiritual fulfillment at Starbucks.

Yes, being disrespectful to any religion is wrong, and to that Starbucks actually completely agrees—it claims to have made the blank cup to “create a culture of belonging, inclusion, and diversity” by welcoming “customers from all backgrounds and religions in [its] stores around the world.” At the very least, just because the festive decorations are gone doesn’t mean Starbucks is against Christmas, and the few decorations they did have were not “Christian Christmas” decorations anyways, unless reindeer represent the Holy Trinity.

Feuerstein and everyone else taking part in the #MerryChristmasStarbucks movement are clearly making a big deal out of nothing, because their attack against Starbucks simply does not make logical sense.

Instead of blabbing about a coffee cup online, they could be doing so many other things; going back to the heart of what the anti-Starbucks Christians want, Christmas should not be the season for bad feelings and

complaints but rather for the spirit of giving and happiness. Instead of having such heated debates on the disappearance of pine trees on a red cup, we should mourn deforestation in real life. Instead of posting #MerryChristmasStarbucks, people should celebrate Christmas by actually saying “Merry Christmas” to their loved ones. Or at very least, properly tip the baristas who are just trying to do their jobs.

Hopefully, the anti-Christmas crew is happy with their protest on social media against a problem that doesn’t even exist, because Starbucks has actually gained revenue from all this publicity—from people who buy drinks to make baristas write “Merry Christmas,” from people who couldn’t care less about the cups, and from people who are just curious about what the controversial cups look like.

Many people all over the world value Starbucks as a company that brings them physical and emotional warmth both inside and out. We should leave it as a company that serves good coffee (regardless of the cup) and transfer our energy to become heated about actually helping to improve important issues such as poverty, homelessness, or abuse.

Tis’ the season to be jolly, so maybe share a piece of happiness by buying someone in need a warm, flavorful cup of coffee, whether you ask your barista to put “Merry Christmas” on it or not.

By Soomin Chun Sophomore, Staff Writer

Letter to the Editor This letter is in response to the viewpoint article published by staff writer Andrew Ham in Tiger Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 3.

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he difference between fairness and justice is often ignored by all age groups, simply because these two words are used interchangeably in colloquial language.

Nevertheless, there is a major distinction that has to be made between these two terms. While fairness simply means to give equally to both sides, justice means to make a legitimate decision to help others in sacrifice of one’s own needs.

Granted, the parent council can make improvements in terms of how booths can be justly arranged among clubs. One simple method can be to allow smaller clubs to have control over the higher paying booths, while larger clubs can regulate those that are relatively lower paying. Nevertheless, to simply state that there are absolutely no measures of justice in our school’s annual Family Fun Day is to ignore the efforts of a few clubs.

More specifically, National Honor Society, an affiliation for juniors and seniors who represent academic excellence and TIGERS values has endeavored to manifest a sense of justice in this year’s Family Fun Day. Due to technical issues regarding the selection of booths for clubs this year, NHS was not able to have its own booth. To seek an alternative, it decided to share a booth with China Care Club, which is a significantly smaller club than NHS. While NHS has a total of sixty-six members, China Care Club only has twenty-one, less than one-third of the total number of individuals in NHS. These two clubs divided the shifts exactly into halves, which means that each of the clubs regulated the Fishing Gold Fish booth for four hours each.

To have played it fair, NHS and CCC should have each received half of the funds earned from the booth.

Considering that Fishing Gold Fish was the second most popular booth in this year’s Family Fun Day, both associations could have earned a significant sum of money. Nevertheless, NHS decided to give 75% of all funds to CCC, meaning it

only kept half the amount it should have received. Since NHS receives a relatively high amount of support from the school, similar to HSSC, it decided that giving a large portion of its savings to a smaller club would become a ‘win-win’ situation. While CCC can earn a significant sum of money for its future endeavors, such as its trip to the Chunhui Orphanage in China, NHS can support other clubs, which is exactly what this organization stands for.

The idea of justice is not an element that has to be solely initiated by the parents. In fact, the pragmatic method to demonstrate change in our school’s annual carnival is to make the clubs themselves become more open-minded toward other affiliations. It is the responsibility of all students to not make their academically competitive mindset affect the altruistic visions they have set forth for their respective clubs at the beginning of the year. After all, justice is what brings prolonged development within our school community.

From Kevin Shin Senior, NHS president

Tiger Times November 2015 Tiger Times Newspaper

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.

Editors-In-Chief Jean Cho Christine Seo

Copy Editors Jaeha Kim Ariel Lee

Managing Editor Jungho Daniel Choi

Graphics Editor Eunie Jang

Reporters Claire Kim Nicholas Kim Sarah Kim Diana Nakyoung Lee Marie Park Grace Yang Andrew Ham

Photo Editor Kelly Kim

Advertisement Claire Yun (Rep.)

Production Editor Sang Ho Lee

Tiger Times Online Photographers Ryan Jang April Kim Daniel Shin Layour Artists Justin Chang Rachel Kang Grace Lee Joyce Lee Soomin Lee

Editor-In-Chief Heejin E. Hong

Graphics Editor Yeaji Park

Project Editor-In-Chief Michael Kim

Copy Editors Eric Song Angela Yoon

Managing Editors Hareem Kim Dahyeon Kim

Reporters Soomin Chun Alice Lee

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Tiger Times Magazine Editors-In-Chief Sarah Y. Kim Nagyon Kim Managing Editor Angela Yoon Production Editor Patricia Song

Graphics Editor Yeena Yoon Copy Editor Cody Kim Photo Editor David Choe

Adviser Mr. David Coleman

Diversity of mechanism, increased student input needed in feedback process

“Whatever mechanisms are used, all involved in the process need to be convinced of the benefits of gathering feedback and the processes involved.” —Collecting and Using Student Feedback

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By Eric Song

xchanging feedback is an essential step in any path toward improvement: customers to developers on how to improve their products, coaches to players on how to enhance teamwork, parents to children on how to behave socially, and more in every facet of society. Similarly, students are provided with opportunities to give feedback to the faculty, as their feedback ultimately serve as invaluable tools for teachers in honing their art and improving their professional practice.

In order to realize these benefits, the leadership team formalized a student feedback system last year by implementing a standardized semesterly questionnaire.

Unfortunately, the general response from students was largely lackadaisical, as they did not clearly understand the purpose of the feedback system, perceived the exercise as mere ritual, and had little to no reason to believe that their feedback would result in actual change. Although some may argue that this feedback system has not had enough time to properly establish itself in the school culture, its challenges are rooted in several fundamental shortcomings that must be addressed.

Foremost, the questionnaire mechanism has inherent limitations in the breadth and depth of information it provides. Although students’ survey responses can expose concerns in the status quo, they do not necessarily reveal the rationale behind the feedback, thereby inhibiting the teachers’

ability to properly reflect and seek improvement. Also, because many students are too accustomed to this unreliable form of feedback, the questionnaire often elicits mechanical responses that may be insincere or poorly thought out.

Furthermore, standardization, though it allows for comparative analysis and benchmarking, does not take into account the varying concerns that ought to be applied to different subjects. Blanket questions that are characteristic of standardized feedback forms not only hinder teachers from collecting constructive feedback on their content and curriculum but also tend to lower the faculty’s level of commitment to the process of collecting and analyzing student responses as they are less inclined to take ownership of the survey if it is not individualized to their respective courses.

It is clear that the status quo has several key challenges to overcome. The feedback mechanism implemented by the leadership team last year is not without flaws, and students are left to wonder why they are being asked to fill out a form that seems to have little measurable influence on the quality of their education. Fortunately, if all parties involved—the students, faculty, and leadership team—take the right steps toward effective reform, the feedback system can be improved and brought to its full potential.

The first step to change needs to be an improvement in the students’ perception of the feedback system itself. Their overall lack of concern and understanding of the feedback system’s purpose and impact is the primary concern. In order to ad-

dress this, there are several ways that the students, faculty, and leadership team can cooperate. First, students need to be convinced that their feedback is being taken seriously and that the student body’s interests are taken into account by the system. One of the ways to establish this trust is for the three parties to engage in a healthy discussion regarding the clarity of the feedback process and the impact that the survey carries. Secondly, the student body should be given more representation in the feedback system. The leadership team can seek out a group of students to serve as student representatives in an official student-staff liaison, with the student representatives actively contributing to the process of formulating feedback questions and cooperating with the faculty and leadership team on other related decisions. This method would ultimately help demonstrate the independence and confidentiality of the feedback system, achieving better response rates and more sincere answers from the student body.

After having established increased student representation, the three parties should collaborate in coming up with a creative combination of mechanisms that would ensure the reliability and efficacy of student feedback. As discussed in “Collecting and Using Student Feedback”, a study conducted by the Center for Higher Education Research and Information, each mechanism, whether it be a questionnaire, discussion group, or seminar, has its benefits and drawbacks.

The discussion group method—in which students share their views and experiences

on specific topics with the assistance of a facilitator independent of the faculty and leadership team—engages students in an active dialogue, provides a rich source of information, and explores issues in depth; however, it is often resource-intensive in terms of time and techniques required to interpret data, is not properly representative of the student voice as some students may be too intimidated to speak, and compromises anonymity.

Similarly, the previously mentioned student-staff liaison also possesses both benefits and drawbacks: it provides an on-going formal interaction among the three parties and serves as a symbolic measure to represent the confidentiality of the system, but again does not fully represent everyone in the student body and requires an extensive amount of time and resources to ensure that student representatives are effectively trained in the necessary communication and interpretation skills. Thus, the best strategy would be to combine these mechanisms in a strategic manner, so that each one can complement the other’s strengths and weaknesses.

With these two steps to reform the student feedback system, we are not merely aiming to create an elevated platform through which students can provide teachers with feedback. By diversifying feedback mechanisms and increasing student representation, we—the students, faculty, and leadership team—are essentially laying the foundations for an educational system in which the teacher-student relationship is no longer a one-way street but a crossroads of mutual success.

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NEWS

ZEITGEIST

By Jaeha Kim

Russian plane crash highlights lack of airplane security Russian flight 9268 was on its way to Sharm el-Sheikh, an Egyptian resort, when it went off radar 23 minutes into the flight. Although there were no distress calls or emergency signals given to air traffic controllers, website Flightradar24, which tracks aircrafts all around the world, stated that it received data from the Russian plane suggesting drastic changes in altitude and sudden decreases in groundspeed just before the time of the crash. The Russian-owned Interfax Company also mentioned that the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) captured uncharacteristic sounds moments before the disappearance of the plane.

According to CNN.com, the pilots may not have been able to send a warning signal, as the emergency presented was “unexpected” and “nonstandard,” possibly indicating a plane bombing.

“A lot of officials have different opinions on what exactly caused the plane crash,” said Jeffrey Park (11), MUN member. “Although more research needs to be done regarding the incident, I personally believe that the crash was caused intentionally, as the plane’s maintenance records showed no previous mechanical problems regarding the plane. Again, however, this is only a theory and must be confirmed with more scientific evidence.”

The possibilities discussed by Russian aviation experts have ranged from human error, on the part of the pilots and airline crew, to a terrorist attack in the form of a plane bombing. According to Metro Jet official

Alexander Smirnov, the airline would most likely have exploded mid-air due to external factors, as systems on the plane would have prevented technical problems and human error from leading directly to a plane crash.

On the other hand, many aviation experts initially agreed that technical failure, such as engine failure, is the most likely reason for the crash.

“There has been a general increase in airline accidents over the past few years,” said David Moon (12), MUN chair. “Regardless of whether the accidents are accidental or intentional, these accidents demonstrate a necessity to generally increase awareness and policies regarding airline safety within the international community.

As soon as exact information is found regarding the crash, it is of utmost importance that governments of all nations ensure better measures to prevent such accidents from occurring in the future.”

According to the Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamel, the Egyptian committees investigating the Metro jet plane crash finished fieldwork on Tuesday evening, Nov. 3. Although the committee mainly believed the crash to be a mechanical fault in the plane at the beginning of the investigation, scientific evidence has since pointed to an intentional bombing. As of now, one of the main theories surrounding the incident is that the Islamic State planted the bomb right before its takeoff from the Egyptian airport. Egyptian authorities are still looking into the incident to confirm the specifics of the crash.

Race to 2016: From Trump to Shining Trump

The Donald

Real estate developer Television personality Business author Presidential candidate Donald Trump faced the cameras after his most recent debate performance, the third of such events held by the Republican Party, and generously shared his words of wisdom with the American public.

“Marco Rubio is the one that sweats the most ...

He’s the youngest but I have never seen any human being sweat like that.”

Rubio, a Republican presidential candidate for 2016, replied, somewhat petulantly: “I drink water. So what? And I only sweat when it’s hot.”

Other than essentially summing up what seems like the most pressing concerns of the Republican Party in this presidential election, this exchange embodies Trump’s unpredictable campaign, which has been marked with notable quotes and significant entertainment value. Over the last two months, Trump has attacked Rubio, a rising rival, no less than seven times on the latter’s supposed extreme inclination to sweat. There may have been more pressing political issues at hand—perhaps the current immigration crisis—but not to the candidate who labels all Mexicans as “rapists” and attributes a woman’s behavior to “her time of the month.”

Putin’s going to look at him and say, ‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’”

The one and only—this column is named after him, after all—Donald Trump led the polls as the surprise candidate (a trump card of sorts?) for the first months of the election, unleashing a political revolution in the Republican Party; the rise of the “tell-it-like-it-is,” new-look politician.

It hasn’t been all fun and games for Trump during his time at the top, however, as he has attracted criticism from all directions. For example, President Obama ripped him last week, noting how Trump had criticized him for not

being able to handle Putin when “it turns out [the Republican candidates] can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators [in the presidential debate].”

“He can’t handle the country,” Trump fired back the next day, displaying one of his most prominent fortes—spitting one-liner zingers that gift newspapers their headlines for the next morning. However, bombast and show can only be interesting for so long. Trump’s rapid and unsustainable trajectory had always predicted a downfall, and it has come now with fellow political outsider, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, overtaking him in national polls.

There are three things The Donald will need to do if he wants any chance at parading his glorious hair in front of the American public this coming year: First, he needs to form a substantive, mature, and consistent message that will connect with voters. Trump has successfully riled up his constituents, but in order to convert that into votes, he needs to show that he can do more than offend.

Second, Trump needs to build up a financial base and official endorsements to carry him throughout the presidential marathon. The next months will drain from his resources, and the last man standing will be the one with the largest and deepest war chest.

Finally, Trump needs to organize his campaign in order to survive sustained attacks from both sides of the political spectrum. The Donald certainly has the appeal to carry him through an increasingly ridiculous and laughable election, being a reality show star and all (talk about a résumé!). He just needs to hang around until 2016—it’s going to be awhile.

By Andrew Ham Sophomore, Staff Writer

Progress ahead: SIS adopts AP Capstone

Continued from front page “Some courses may have to be dropped or merged with others,” Mr. Colaianni said. “We will have to determine exactly how much student interest there is for the smaller courses and whether or not those students can be convinced that this program would serve their interests in a similar way.”

On Nov. 18, the leadership team unveiled this program to parents of current sophomores, and to the sophomores themselves the next day. In both meetings, questions and concerns were plentiful as students expressed their doubts about the program—many of which reflected precisely the challenges the leadership team itself has acknowledged.

“Any skill-based course takes reliance away from textbooks and a set curriculum,

News Briefs

By Nicholas Kim Sophomore, Staff Writer

to the teachers that handle the course,” Wonjai Lee (10) said. “Frankly, the faculty at SIS ranges from the intensely engaging teachers to the less so, and therefore the quality of teaching required for this course must simply be higher—otherwise, the entire course fails.”

Parents raised similar concerns to those voiced by their children, again revolving around the issue of teachers. During their meeting, many questioned the leadership team on how it would ensure student success and deal with potential issues with classroom dynamics.

“I think that the main concern among [the parents] is that we do not know which teachers will be teaching the program,” said Jiyun Jung, member of the High School Parents Group. “AP Capstone seems to be a very personalized program, in which teach-

er-student relationships are crucial when developing research and analysis skills. We are worried about whether teachers will be able to help fulfill their students’ potential.”

According to CollegeBoard, it is recommended that the AP Capstone program is composed of 20-22 students in each class.

However, many students expressed concerns with the large class sizes that the program will command.

“Even if the course is taught by absolutely phenomenal teachers, their effectiveness is decreased if there simply are too many students to develop,” Wonjai said. “We learned in the meeting that AP Capstone classes will have higher numbers of students. Most of the schools who have experienced success in this course have implemented mentor programs alongside the Capstone program. If we have one teacher

in charge of twenty students, the results may not be as positive, and therefore I feel that smaller classes are necessary for the skills-based AP Capstone courses.”

Despite the aforementioned challenges and concerns raised from the rest of the SIS community, the leadership team agrees that the implementation of the program holds positive implications and will eventually bring similar effects.

“SIS students prefer not to work collaboratively, but if we just accept that, they will never change,” Mr. Macklin said. “We’re pursuing this course in order to give students the chance to participate in genuine learning that results from collaboration— just like they will in college.”

By Andrew Ham Sophomore, Staff Writer

FBLA attends first tournament at APIS The SIS Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club will be attending its first tournament of the season at Asia Pacific International School on Nov. 14. As this is its first year as an official school club, FBLA hopes to expand upon its achievements as an unofficial club from last year with awards in different and new categories such as the most creative business idea.

“FBLA members need to experience the importance of communicating with people from various schools with different ideas,” said Garam Lee (12), FBLA president. “While in the past, we focused on business strategies, this year, we are trying to expand upon our successes from last year, and focus on interacting with different schools by attending more competitions.”

Tiger Times November 2015

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CSC hosts annual teacher auction to raise funds From homework exemptions to in-class pizza parties, the Teacher Auction hosted by the Community Service Club (CSC) on Nov. 19 offered various prizes that left students and teachers with empty pockets but a bag full of liberties. By broadening the list of things money can buy to encompass services that students could only dream of, CSC successfully raised funds to continue their humanitarian endeavors.

“We knew from past experience that a homework pass is a lot more valuable to students than a bag of chips,” said Brian Kim, co-president of CSC. “By applying that knowledge in this year’s Teacher Auction, we were able to successfully raise funds and Photo by Ryan Jang (left), Daniel Shin (below) Announcing the auction items, Mr. Arthars and Mr. Slachta, commentate in the annual CSC auction on Nov. 12. The auction items included banana bread, one day pass to become the principal, pizza party and others.

receive support from both students and teachers.”

The items CSC sold ranged from Mr. Lopez’s specialty banana bread and Ms. Jesudass’s homemade Indian meal to the right to turn in a research paper one week late. The appeal of these unique “opportunities” garnered much interest in the event.

“Usually I play basketball during activity period but on Oct. 19, I decided to visit the Teacher Auction rather than go to the gym,” Paul Namkoong (11) said. “I heard there would be many interesting prizes like a homework pass which was something I knew I needed to get.”

Some of the big hit prizes were the various extensions for projects and exemptions from homework and tests teachers promised to the winning bidder. Students from all grade levels bid for the chance to relieve the burden of work off their shoulders but alas, there could be only one winner.

“Although I really did want to win an exemption from one of Mr. Koester’s AP Bio test, I was unable to purchase it. The bidding was still a great experience that was intense because every bid meant a higher price,” Eugene Chung (10) said. “Even though the prices were high, I was willing to pay upwards of 50,000 won because all donations would go to a good cause. I would have paid a larger sum for this cause but was unable to do so since I ran out of money midway” While prizes that eased academic excellence were popular, other items that were geared towards food and entertainment garnered interest from students as well as teachers. These unique prizes included Ms. Jesudass’s homemade Indian meal, which Dr. Amy Valerio purchased for the price of 40,000 won.

“I certainly wanted to bid on something because its for a good cause and when I

heard that Ms. Jesudass will be selling her incredible Indian food, I was excited,” Dr. Valerio said. “The bidding was a little stressful because you want to win but you don’t want to spend too much money. I, of course, have the added burden because I don’t want to take away from students what they might want. ” But even more sought after was the biggest prize of them all: the chance to be the principal for a day. This year’s winner, Junyong Jang (9), will have the opportunity to skip all classes and will instead partake in meetings as the principal of high school.

“I found this opportunity to experience being a principal my main motivation for bidding and winning this prize,” Junyoung said. “Although I was hesitant on raising the price to over 260,000 won, I bid another 2,000 won to win the prize because I wanted to experience being a principal by attending conferences like adults do on a daily basis.”

CSC will use the funds collected through the Teacher Auction to further their humanitarian projects, one of which will be to purchases food and supplies to donate to the homeless people at Seoul Station.

“CSC will use the funds from the auctions to buy 200 rolls of kimbap, 200 bottles of water, and 200 blankets. We will bring these to Seoul Station in the beginning of the second semester and hand out one by one to the homeless people,” said Nick Yeo, co-president of CSC. “Because students seem interested in buying items such as homework passes, homemade brownies, and a plethora of other items, we will be more than glad to have another auction next year with much more advanced and interesting items.”

By Justin Chang Sophomore, Staff Writer

English department welcomes Common Core standards

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s part of a five-year evaluation cycle, the high school English department has decided to adopt Common Core standards starting next year, aligning its curriculum with that of 42 US states.

Passed in 2002 as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, Common Core refers to one of many standards used in the US to evaluate student learning. Learning standards outline skills students should have mastered by each grade. As of now, the English department uses Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) standards from McREL International, a non-partisan and non-profit educational research organization. Common Core, on the other hand, was developed by US state governors and educational representatives.

“Common Core has been both a blessing and a curse in the US,” said Ronald Slachta, English teacher. “The idea is that every student of one grade will have had a similar experience, so the next level of teachers would know what to expect. However, it’s under fire from many groups for many reasons.

Common ones are that it promotes unnecessary testing and takes away creativity. But because of the transient nature of international schools, the utopian idea is that if we all adopt Common Core, students moving from, say, SIS to an international school in Singapore wouldn’t miss a beat.”

The Leadership Team and teachers use a five-year cycle to reevaluate math, science, and language arts standards. During this cycle, the English department aimed to fix inconsistencies between standards used in

the elementary, middle, and high schools.

“In the elementary and middle schools, we use Readers and Writers’ Workshop,” said Peter Kahl, Administrator for Instructional Services. “That’s a program built around Common Core. We should have switched to Common Core five years ago. I don’t know why we didn’t. But that a couple years ago the middle school made the switch, it made sense to use a standard that aligned more.”

In addition, according to The Atlantic, new SAT and AP standards are beginning to resemble Common Core objectives. The leadership team hopes to ensure that the material students learn align with content they need for standardized assessments.

Following Common Core will also open access to teaching resources like vertical

maps that have already developed by 42 US states.

Though the 2013 adoption of College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM) textbooks following the introduction of Common Core math sparked controversy among students and parents, the switch in English is predicted to have minimal everyday impact.

“English is not a content subject—it’s a process subject,” Mr. Kahl said. “The standards used in English language arts are pretty common across the board. Some examples are clear writing, close reading, and correct grammatical usage. I would be surprised if students noticed a change.”

By Diana Nakyoung Lee Sophomore, Staff Writer

SIS to host KAIAC Forensics tournament

High School Band to travel to Hong Kong

The SIS Forensics team will host the second KAIAC tournament of the year from Nov. 20-21. KAIAC schools share hosting responsibilities amongst themselves four times a year, with SIS last hosting the competition in 2013.

According to team mentors, the team will seek improvements such an efficient judging system and runner-based delivery system.

Seeking more international experiences, the Advanced Band class will be traveling to Hong Kong in Nov. 24-28 to participate in performances with other Hong Kong schools. Previously, the High School Band performed only in domestic festivals including the Korea International Music Educators Association (KIMEA) National Honor Festival.

“It is important for the band to go

“SIS has always played an instrumental role in the KAIAC Forensics tournaments, so it is especially appropriate that our school is fulfilling its duty to host this year,” said Jiwhan Moon (11), Forensics member. “Our entire team will be helping out with the responsibility of hosting regarding providing food and supplies, and will help the tournament run as smoothly as possible.”

to international events and experience the different cultures and musical styles of other regions,” said Michael Ganus, band director. “Students will attend not only the music festival, but also participate in a leadership workshop. My hope is that these students will come out with a better understanding of how music works differently in other schools and nations.”

BACK TO THE PAST by t u o Lay e Lee c Joy

Hoverboards in “Back to the Future,” a movie set in 1980

MOVIES

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the highest grossing movie of the 80s, E.T. The extra terrestrial.

Working “hoverboards” were developed

by Lexus in 2015.

the 2015 reboot of the “star wars” series, “The Force Awakens.”

The star wars series first launched in 1977.

PAST VS. PRESENT VS. FUTURE

BY RYAN JANG Humans have never had the ability to predict the future; despite this, curiosity has always driven us to wonder what the next few months, years, or decades hold in store. We are always trying to answer questions about our future; however, our speculations are often incorrect as seen through our predictions from the past. When we live in the present, it seems that the changes we experience in our everyday lives are miniscule, inconsequential, and trivial. However in the grand scheme of things, our world is going through constant evolution that can only be seen with the passing of time.

One film that attempted to predict the future was the iconic movie “Back to the Future.” In this 1989 film, the two main characters Marty McFly and Emmett “Doc” Brown travel through time to the date of Oct. 21, 2015. There, the two characters witness things they have never seen before, such as hoverboards, self-drying jackets, flying cars, and power laces on shoes. According

to the movie, the year 2015 should indicate the use of these inventions.

However, these gadgets simply do not exist in our world today, and our attempts to create them are large, clumsy, and ungainly. Clearly, technology must undergo significant enhancements before our visions can be actualized.

“In the movie I remember that there were many different things from our reality,” said Sue Choi, math teacher. “For example, I saw that there was a coexistence between futuristic cars and humans in the future, and this is not the case in our modern day. Also, [Robert Zemeckis’] depiction of the future is different from our reality; people’s outfits in the movie are very bright and colorful, which is not really the case today. I didn’t live in 1989 and I was not the one predicting the future, however I can see that there are many differences in the world today from those predictions.”

Despite the fact that certain technological inventions have not been developed yet, the world has

seen exponential development in all fields of study. Over a few decades, we have witnessed the introduction of both tangible and intangible innovation. Social networking systems have created a closely-knit and global intellectual space. Medical breakthroughs have saved countless lives and significantly raised the quality of life especially for the disabled and injured. Also, efficient transportation methods, like Japanese levitation trains, have paved the way for convenient and eco-friendly commute. Such technological innovations are just the tip of the iceberg, with many discoveries waiting to be realized by humankind.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of the movies that I have watched in the past year have attempted to portray our future,” Jay Lee (10) said. “We try to predict the future as humans, and I’m really excited to see what comes true and what doesn’t. For example, the movie “Iron Man” predicted that we would have full body armor, and from what I’ve seen in the news,

we’re close to making a fully functional exoskeleton. We can’t really predict what will happen in a few years, but we can always expect and hope for the best. New inventions we never even thought about are going to be thought of, and I can’t even image what our world is going to be like in a few decades.”

Like the film “Back to the Future,” many recent movies deal similarly with the subject of the future of the human race. Predicting the end to humanity, movies such as “The Maze Runner,” “The Hunger Games,” and “The Matrix” portray a dystopian future where technology and society grind to a halt. On the other hand, movies such as “Interstellar,” “Transcendence,” and “Wall-E” entertain the thought of a world in the future with technological and scientific enhancements never seen before. Seen through our constant push for knowledge, our generation is as curious as the generation before, and humans will continue to attempt to predict the unknown to the best of their ability.

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“KING OF POP” Michael JACKSON RELEASEShisalbum“ThRILLER,”which remains the best selling album of all time.

MADONNA’S fashion, consisting of SHORT SKIRTS, FISHNET STOCKINGS, AND BRACELETS, BECAME WIDELY POPULAR.

CYCLIC TRENDS EVIDENT IN FASHION

BY SARAH KIM

Every day is “Throwback Thursday” for the current young generation. From long-time favorite movies to fashion styles from the 1980s, fads from the past are now met with levels of popularity equivalent to, if not greater than, the hype they received in their heyday. Though this latest upsurge in a yearning for the past may seem rather unexpected and sudden, it is part of a cultural cycle that repeats itself every few decades.

The most prominent indication of the “blast from the past” trend is the recent releases of remakes or sequels after lengthy hiatuses.

For example, director of the iconic film series “Star Wars”, George Lucas decided to produce sequels “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983), as the first film received wide critical acclaim in 1977. After a 6-year break, Lucas announced that the next film in the series, “The Force Awakens,” would be released in the upcoming December. Similarly, “Terminator,” first released in 1983, returned to

box offices this July six years after its last sequel in 2009.

“I think the return of old movies to the film industry is quite refreshing,” Toby Han (12) said. “Many of these movies were breakthroughs in the film industry and to see them come back beats watching any movie Hollywood produces these days.

Seeing old-time movies readapted with modern technology, yet still retaining the same characters or settings also adds an interesting aspect to the story.”

According to Jeremy Jahns, Youtube movie reviewer, movies such as “Goosebumps” or “Mission Impossible” that have a long history of sequels compel the older generations to watch the new films that incorporate their childhood passions. Jahns elaborated that this inadvertently draws in the younger generations as well, as they could watch films that their parents are interested in on family movie nights.

“In a sense, the idea of bringing back the past in terms of the film industry caters to audiences of

all generations,” Jihoon Yang (12) said. “I think this has great societal benefits—these movies were extremely popular decades ago when the adults of today were teenagers, so why can’t they be just as popular with our youth?”

Fashion is also heavily influenced by the cyclic waxing and waning of social patterns. Fringe is just one of the many fashion elements that was a ubiquitous and popular part of the Beat Generation and counterculture movement of the 1960s. Although it gradually faded away and was considered obsolete by the mid-2000s, fringe recently reappeared as a trend in the fashion world with esteemed designers such as Joseph Altuzarra introducing fringe in their runways.

Likewise, flared jeans were archetypal of the 1960s hippie movement and the disco era in the United States. They re-evolved in the 1990s for a brief period, with Jnco as the major stakeholder leading the change of trend. Though flared jeans eventually died down with the invention of skinny jeans in the late

1990s, slightly altered modern flares have been emerging in the Spring 2015 runways, as various designers introduced clothing with baby-bell silhouettes and mini flares.

The media played a huge role in the return of fashion from decades ago, as television shows such as the “Reply” series depicted the hype of 1997, 1994, and 1988—all times of distinct cultural phenomena in Korea. The immense popularity of such shows contributed greatly to the increasing enthusiasm for a type of retro fashion known as bokgo, which trended in the 1980s in Seoul.

“The popularity of vintage in modern society can be the result of a fashion paradox—people want to stand out while fitting in at the same time,” said Caitlin Lopez, high school art teacher. “Clothing styles from the 80s or 90s are clearly distinguished from more recent fashion, yet they transcend time since they do not seem out of place even if worn today. The trends represent the people’s desire to express their individuality through clothing.”

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LIFESTYLE

Finding Gina Lee:

A day in the life of a (literal) drama queen “My mother says that I was a drama queen as a child.

People are often hesitant to try drama because they’re scared of being judged. But for me, the fear of being judged is outweighed by my need to express myself.”

In an auditorium filled with rows and rows of students, teachers, and parents, all eyes are on Gina Lee (12), basking in the spotlight and immersing herself in the music while she sings and walks across the stage. As the instrumentals swell with the notes that many in the audience are familiar with, Gina walks forward, ready to sing the most famous lines from the most famous song (“The Sound of Music”) from the musical of the same name; the hills are alive with the sound of music, as the auditorium is with Gina’s voice.

Although she is now taking classes in Advanced Drama and performing as the lead of the school musical, “The Sound of Music,” Gina’s drama career started when she was a mere kindergartener who wanted to spend more time with her crush at the time, who was trying out for the male lead in a small Christmas play. Since the boy was playing Joseph, her friends had pushed her to “audition” for Mary, the process of which consisted of being chosen as the best of three girls who auditioned for the part.

Since then, Gina has played a multitude of riveting characters, including a Jewish grandfather who survived the Holocaust, the spirit of a girl who committed suicide in a mental hospital, and, most recently, Maria Rainer, the lead role in the production of “The Sound of Music.” As she is often onstage during the production, it is crucial for her to be constantly in character, and know her character inside and out.

“Maria was one of the more three-dimensional characters I was able to portray,” Gina said. “It wasn’t just ‘I play a strict schoolteacher’—I’m playing a whole person with a whole myriad of personality traits.

Before I play any character, I usually prepare by conducting a full-blown character analysis. It’s nothing too strenuous, but after doing so, I develop a better sense of who my character is and how I should act

him or her out. After that, I read the lines the way I think Maria would say them, in a more feminine way. That is when I start the fine tuning process, thinking of things such as intonation of speech or what I can add to appeal more to the audience, such as humor elements.”

Playing different characters means that Gina must pretend to be people that she differs from in her actual life. For example, as Maria is a rather feminine character, both in the film version played by Julie Andrews and in Gina’s interpretation, Gina had to intensify the femininity in her words and actions, which didn’t pass without difficulty. However, the more time she spent as Maria, the easier it became for Gina to play the happy, feminine, and innocent character.

“Playing Maria made my skin crawl at first,” Gina said. “She was just so happy all the time! It was a challenge for me, as Gina, to buckle down and get over it. I’ve played many characters in the past that don’t encompass my day-to-day personality, and every time I play a character like that, a part of my personality gets stretched. I don’t think a trait has been added—it’s just that I was able to exercise it and now I am in touch with it. Playing Maria, I feel like I got in touch with my feminine side.”

Through playing such a vast variety of characters, Gina has had more time and opportunities than others to explore and analyze different personalities while trying to portray them. This in turn allowed her to develop more empathy skills and be able to step into the shoes of other people.

From this more thorough understanding of people, the responsibility that Gina feels she possesses as the lead actress motivates her to excel and set a good example. Since most of the play will be focused on her character, she acknowledges the fact that her conduct affects that of the entire cast.

Because of this, she puts in her best effort

Gina Lee rehearses and performs as lead character, Maria Rainer, for the school production of “The Sound of Music.” The musical was performed on Nov. 12-13.

to be a good lead, not only in the way that she acts on stage but also in the way she prepares herself and stays on task. “‘High school drama student’ does not even begin to describe Gina,” said Paul Namkoong (11), who played opposite Gina in the school production of “The Sound of Music.” “I worked with a true professional.

She’s so incredible and consistent at what she does; she never gets embarrassed. She took more responsibility than anyone else in memorizing her entire script three days into rehearsals (I memorized mine two weeks before the first performance). She was always there to encourage other cast members with their lines if they forgot theirs. She carried the entire musical to the

great success it now is.”

Though her responsibilities as a lead and her wish to help others develop their drama skills, Gina’s passion for drama, cultivated over many years, pushes her to continue and be superb in the path she is taking.

“My mother used to say that I was a drama queen as a child,” Gina said. “Not necessarily in a bad way; I was just a very expressive child. I think that a lot of people are hesitant to try drama because they’re scared of being judged. But for me, the fear of being judged is completely outweighed by my need to express myself.”

By Marie Park Sophomore, Staff Writer

Newest installment in “Reply” series continues streak of success

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hrowing yet another generation back into its past, tvN began broadcasting the latest installment in its “Reply” series on Nov. 6. Starring Hyeri Lee, Jeonyeol Ryu, Kyungpyo Go, Bo-gum Park, and Donghwi Lee, “Reply 1988” is a comedic drama, set in 1988, that tells the story of five families living on the same street.

“Reply 1988” is expected to bring another wave of nostalgia over “Generation X,” those who were born in the early 1960s to 1980s, as it is set in the years when they were in high school and college. Previous installments of the “Reply” series have received acclaim for the cultural accuracy of the two time periods they had portrayed in the past, 1994 and 1997. The series includes even the smallest of details, even using oldstyle snack packaging as props, to increase

its authenticity.

“Just like the previous dramas in the series, “Reply 1998” incorporates humor and human drama,” said Yejin Seo (11), viewer.

“As for disappointments in expectations, many people expected less out of the lead actor Hyeri Lee, because she was an idol star, not an actor, but were proven wrong in the first episode.”

In episode zero of “Reply 1988,” watchers were given a guide to the series that introduced why the drama focused on 1988.

It was a year of both turmoil and celebration; while the year is remembered mostly for Seoul’s hosting of the Summer Olympics, it was also a year of chaos. The rapid economic expansion after the Korean War built pressure on the Korean society that was released in the form of violence. “Reply 1988,” however, chooses to focus on the

communal alley culture of a still economically developing South Korea, where neighbors would spend their days and nights chatting with each other on back streets, and frequently share dinner.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how ‘Reply 1988’ is going to integrate the cultural difference between then and now, especially because I’m in the same age group as the main characters in the story,” said Seungwon Gam, “Reply” series viewer. “Even though we all still live in the same places that the story takes place in, the culture and ideas of that time were vastly different compared to what they are now.”

Producing constant watch percentages over 5 percent, the series as yet to fail on delivering nostalgia to older individuals, reaching such levels of popularity that it was cited as a “syndrome” in Korean society

Photos by Kelly Kim

by various media sources. In contrast to the previous installments, “Reply 1988” goes back more than two decades from the present day, reaching out to an older audience than those targeted by the last two dramas.

Before the airing of the first episode, this was seen as a concern—however, with a viewing percentage of 6.1 percent, the possibility of failure seems slim.

“Even if we [the younger generation] can’t relate to the Korea that’s depicted in the series, the ‘Reply’ series uses comedy to bond the generations together,” Yena Lee (10) said. “I think that’s the main reason that the drama has the ability to become so popular across multiple age groups. It can lessen the generation gap.”

By Joyce Lee Sophomore, Staff Writer

Tiger Times November 2015

Discovering omniscience: To infinity and beyond

Thinking at 0 m/s

T

he infinite monkey theorem states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will type any given text, even the complete works of William Shakespeare.

In this context, the “monkey” is not an actual primate, but a metaphor for an abstract device that produces an endless random sequence of letters and symbols.

Here’s what many people forget—the English alphabet is essentially finite. For any given space, there can only be 26 possible characters that could be used, and if we limit the number of characters to, say, 3,200, there can only be a finite number of combinations of those characters. Granted, an exceedingly large number of combinations will be complete gibberish, but some will be legible, a rare few will be grammatically correct, and some will even be

cogent. In fact, there will be combinations that could pass for doctoral theses.

The Library of Babel is a website built

by Jonathan Basile that offers, on demand, everything that has been or could be written. Divided into pages, the library produces and locates on demand any 3,200 character combination of English letters, comma, space, and a period. Basile organizes these combinations into hexagon-shaped rooms, each with four walls of books containing five shelves with 32 volumes of 410 pages each.

Please refer to the diagram as I explain the algorithm. Each page is given a unique sequential page number in base 10. The text on each page is then encased inside this number. An algorithm Basile created uses the page number as a seed to generate a unique big number. That output is then converted into base 29 so that it can be

History, art classes incorporate fieldtrips for in-depth learning

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n an attempt to provide students with real-life applications for their learning, SIS classes are becoming increasingly interactive, as various subject areas, from history to art, have introduced new field trips. On Oct. 28, Alex Barton-Lopez, history teacher, took his AP World History class to the Korean National Museum in Yongsan to see an exhibit on Buddhism. This was the first year Mr. Lopez took his class to the exhibition, which showcased the spread of Buddhism from India to China to Korea, one of the major concepts of the AP World History course.

“The museum was extremely beautiful and contained valuable information on different types of Buddhism,” said Hyjo Shim (10), AP World History student. “It was fascinating to see how culture, geography, and philosophy influenced the way that different civilizations thought about Buddhism. Looking at religion from the perspectives of various civilizations was fresh and informing.”

James Gerhard, high school principal, has had a big influence in the increase of academic field trips, as he has been supportive of any ideas by teachers or students that plan trips adding to the learning experience. AP World History students put their field trip to good use, taking careful notes on the artwork to incorporate the information into an essay assignment where they compared the spread of Buddhism to the spread of another religion, such as Islam or Christianity.

“I am a big supporter of experimental learning because it helps students see the curriculum through real life,” Dr. Gerhard said. “When students in the classroom come up with ideas for a field trip, I want to be supportive. The Buddhism exhibit that the AP World History students went to is a world-class exhibit that came to Korea only for a short period of time. It is hard to say no when the best resources are right at your doorstep, and there are phenomenal learning opportunities all around you.”

On Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, Mr. Lopez’s

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regular world history class will also go on a trip to the Korean National Museum in an effort to expand students’ knowledge of Korean history. Mr. Lopez hopes the experience will be engaging as students use the exhibits to find answers to questions about the Silla, Goryeo, and Joseon dynasties.

“I feel like [going on field trips] is an interesting approach to learning history because we get actual physical constructs instead of some paragraphs in a textbook,” said Shelley Jeon (9), one of Mr. Lopez’s world history students. “I’m excited to go since I think it will be different from the usual classroom lecture and students will more easily remember what they’ve learned.”

However, not only are the history classes using museums to convey new information, but the foreign language classes such as Chinese III and AP Spanish are using field trips to gain experience applying skills as well as cultural awareness. The art branch of SIS uses field trips for yet another function: to be inspired by the work of professionals. AP Art History, AP Drawing, and AP 2D Design classes also went on a full-day trip to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the Daelim Museum, and the Leeum Museum on Nov. 4. According to Caitlin Lopez, art teacher, the purpose of the trip was to experience professional contemporary art that students could use as examples for their own projects.

“This [one-day art trip] was started last year by Cheryl Lambie, and I continued it this year because I thought it would be very valuable,” Ms. Lopez said. “I wanted students to compare what we learned in class to real life. For example, AP Art History [students] looked at the architecture of Gyeongbokgung palace to be able to compare the Korean palace to others when we learn about palace complexes such as Versailles and the Forbidden City.

I hope the field trips were able to serve as inspiration for the students to take initiative with their own AP projects.”

By Soomin Chun Sophomore, Staff Writer

represented using every letter in the English alphabet as well as the comma, space, and period. Basile ensures that the algorithm will produce every possible combination, and that the same page number will always create the same output. This means that each page is already predetermined. So in a way, every page already exists—it needs only to be looked up.

The mind blowing fact is that the contents of a page can be converted into base 10, sent through the inverted algorithm and plugged in to give you the exact page number they are found on. This essentially means you can find the permanent location for any 3,200 character text. You can find in this library your college essay, your literature book, your future lab report, and a description of your death. It’s all on the website.

The Library of Babel blurs the line

between invention and discovery. Did you really invent something, if a detailed description of your invention was already on the website? Or did you merely discover something that has been there for a long time? The good news is that it will be nearly impossible go through the library as there are 105000 different pages that are up on the Library of Babel. To put things in perspective, there are only 1080 atoms in the whole observable universe. In case you want to keep a memo of this article, we’ll make it easy for you. This article can be found in the Library of Babel: 19xeyyc8ndxsdl32b7c5shvpxpmiit42rbaa5vv...-w4-s1-v20 OR bookmarked link: https://libraryofbabel.info/bookmark.cgi?library:4

By Michael Kim and Sang Ho Lee Senior, Project EIC and Production Editor

Adele’s comeback album after long hiatus sets high expectations

With the release of her third album “25” on Nov. 20, Adele Adkins, Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, received a significant amount of attention after her pre-single, “Hello” nabbed the number one spot on Billboard. Despite the fact that this was her first single in three years, Adele has not actively participated in the promotion of her album. “‘Hello’ can be simply expressed in one word: phenomenal,” Sunny Oh (10) said. “The piece is phenomenal not only because of her emotional voice, but also because I could relate to the entire song that was centered on finding your own identity. Although only one song of her album was released so far, I can almost guarantee that the rest of ‘25’ is going to be as spectacular.”

The album’s title, “25,” marks Adele’s age when she began writing the songs in it. Before “25,” Adele released “21,” which sold 30 million copies and set the record as the top-selling album in the world in both 2011 and 2012. Likewise, Business Insider is expecting “25” to be yet another success, projecting that one million albums will be sold in the first week after the release date, and end up with about two million copies sold overall.

“Personally the reason why I love singers like Adele is that when they sing,

it sounds as if she is actually crying and incorporating all of her emotions,” said Debora Kim (12), Tri-M president. “By listening carefully to her style of singing, I learned how to integrate passion into singing. Like Adele, I want to become an influential singer who people can sympathize with to carry out the underlying message of the song.”

Because Adele’s past singles such as “Someone Like You,” “Rolling in the Deep,” and “Set Fire to the Rain” have garnered the attentions of millions around the world and swept music awards, some retailers believe that such prospected sales for “25” motivated Justin Bieber and One Direction to change their release dates to avoid clashing with Adele.

“Adele has a very passionate way of singing, mainly known for her low tone of voice,” said Kallina Chin, choir director. “Although I am looking forward to Adele’s comeback, I really hope she does not overwork herself like she did last time, causing her vocal cord injury that significantly slowed her down. I hope she learned to take better care of herself and produce more remarkable music all at the same time.”

By Alice Lee Sophomore, Staff Writer

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SPORTS

Annual KAIAC cheer clinic held at SFS

Varsity basketball teams compete in KCT

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ig Tide, Korean professional cheerleading team, hosted its annual KAIAC cheer clinic at Seoul Foreign School (SFS) on Nov. 14. Unlike previous years, this year’s was hosted at SFS due to a location overlap with the Korea Classic Basketball Tournament for varsity basketball teams.

The clinic consisted mostly of learning different load-in and dismount stunting, such as the twist up, handstand up, cartwheel down and front down. According to Andrea Goodrich, varsity cheerleading coach, the clinic served as an opportunity for the junior varsity and varsity teams to become more motivated to prepare and place well at the KAIAC competition, which will be held on Jan. 30, 2016 at Chadwick International.

“The clinic was very helpful in successfully starting the season because of the positive influence Big Tide has on our cheerleaders,” Coach Goodrich said. “Because Big Tide is a well-known team in the Korean cheer community, our cheerleaders look up to them and admire them for not only their techniques but also their spirit. I could see that they were working hard during the clinic to learn challenging skills to make use of during the season. Our teams also got to see the teams they’re up against, so it turned on their competitive edge and made them determined to work harder. I really enjoyed watching the teams work together and build up their team spirit.”

Last year when the clinic was held at SIS, the school did not impose an additional fee on Big Tide for renting the gym. However, because SFS imposed a gym rental cost, the clinic price went up from 22,00 won to 40 thousand won. According to Yunah Han (10), varsity cheerleader, the change in price made some athletes hesitant in wanting to attend the event.

“At first, I wasn’t as excited as last year to attend because of the price change,” Yunah said. “But because the clinic was mandatory, I had to go and I am actually glad that I did. The Big Tide cheerleaders helped my stunt group advance, and thanks to their help, I tried a basket toss for the first time. I think it was more effective holding it at SFS this year because they have a larger facility.”

The participant of the clinic was the greatest, with a total of 130 cheerleaders from SIS, SFS, Korea International School, Korea Kent Foreign School, and Daegu International School. Big Tide had to alter its usual clinic schedule due to safety reasons. Due to many participants and little Big Tide members, the one to one tumbling session was replaced with extended stunting sessions. The cheerleading teams also learned different warm up and conditioning routines to use throughout season to stay in shape.

At the clinic, cheerleaders were not only able to improve their individual skills, but also their teamwork, according to Sabin Macklin (11), varsity cheerleader.

“Our team bonded because we were able to spend more time doing harder stunts together. I honestly think that stunting is impossible without seamless teamwork, and with the sharp development of our stunting ability even within that day, it is fair to say that we grew together as a team.”

By Soomin Lee Sophomore, Staff Writer

The varsity boys and girls basketball team participated in the Korea Classic Basketball Tournament hosted at SIS on Nov. 14th.

The boys team placed first out of four teams for three consecutive years, while the girls placed fourth at the tournament.

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he varsity basketball teams jumped into the start of their winter season by participating in the Korean Classic Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 14. The Korean Classic Tournament is an annual series of pre-season friendly games between SIS and other international schools such as YISS, KIS, and TCIS. The results of the games do not count towards the final conference ranking, but the tournament is valuable to all involved teams nevertheless.

The SIS varsity basketball teams began to participate in the Korean Classic Tournament three years ago. This year, SIS is hosting the tournament for the first time.

The Korea Classic Tournament gives the teams an opportunity to prepare for the official winter season by playing three games. This provides an experience unlike the practices held daily after school, as the tournament reflects a more real-life game situation.

“The tournament is like a mini-summative,” said Coach Koester, varsity girls basketball coach. “I can see what the girls can do under pressure, what they do when playing against someone other than

themselves. During the games, even if the score wasn’t turning out so good, we never gave up, which is the most important quality—no quitting is allowed. Today was all about experimenting. If the girls stay healthy and get coached up, good things will happen in our future games.”

Although the tournament is an annual occurrence, each year brings a new experience for the varsity basketball teams, as the members of the teams change every year, whether it is because of graduated seniors or because of an appearance of talented players.

“Though a lot of us have played together before, we lost some players and gained some new players, which changes the dynamic of the team,” said Michael Sun Jr. (12), varsity boys basketball captain.

“We had to learn some new plays, and a lot of adjustments were made accordingly. At the tournament, we got to see how the team operates, to figure out the flow of how we play under certain circumstances.”

The boys won all three games, placing first in the tournament. The girls lost all three games, placing fourth. Despite the results, the varsity girls basketball team

Photos by April Kim (left). Ryan Jang (right)

had a positive overlook on both the tournament itself and the season they are to play in for the next few months.

“The tournament was a great opportunity for us to start the season well,” said Joomin Chung (12), varsity girls basketball captain. “We know our strengths and weaknesses now. For example, we have a lot of individual talent, but there can be issues when we have to play together as a team. Basketball is a team sport, so we need to have more communication, chemistry, and time to practice together.

I have a good feeling about this season because I think we had a better start than any other year that I’ve played basketball at SIS.” With a tournament-full of experience on their backs, the teams will spend their practices polishing their plays to make sure they know precisely where to go when they need to, along with further honing the technical skills involved, such as making sure their passes are sharp and exact in order to execute the said plays properly.

By Marie Park Sophomore, Staff Writer

Think about the one person you trust the most. What kind of person is he?

He can admit his mistakes and keep his promises.

Isn’t this the kind of person he is?

One you know will always follow the rules.

This is the kind of person you can trust.

Tiger Times November 2015

Doosan wins Korean Series

T

he Doosan Bears became champions of the 2015 Korean Series on Oct. 31, defeating the Samsung Lions four games to one.

This victory marks the first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) championship that the Bears have won in 14 years and its fourth overall.

According to the Korea Times, this year’s championship was one rife with controversy. Three of the Samsung Lions’ strongest pitchers were allegedly involved in illegal gambling and match fixing, and they were not placed on the pitching roster. Due to the absence of the team’s starting players, the Lions relied on a new pitching lineup, relying on substitute pitchers to fill in the gap.

“The pitching controversy definitely harmed the Samsung Lions quite significantly,” said Alix Kim (11), Samsung Lions fan. “The Samsung Lions lost their three best pitchers, and with a lot of negative publicity, the team’s morale went down and the lineup was forced to undergo major shakeups.”

According to the Joongang Daily, the Doosan Bears have not been without struggle. Losing in four consecutive runs to the playoffs, the Bears had consistently failed to reach the final goal of gaining the title.

After their falter at the beginning of a best of seven series, critics questioned the ability of the Bears to maintain their offensive edge, a strong point in their play. The Bears persevered, however, emerging victori-

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Sports Photo of the Month

ous in the next consecutive four games to receive the title.

“I have been a Doosan fan since elementary school and I always watched their games, studied how they played, and just loved how they won,” said Alex Minki Kim (10), a Doosan Bears fan. “Honestly, when Doosan barely made it to the semi-playoffs, I doubted that they would become the champions, but surprisingly, the team managed to work together really well. For someone who watched the team end up being second place for four times during the past years, I was very proud to be a fan of Doosan. I hope that they hustle through to claim another victory in the future.”

The annual playoffs drew an estimated viewership, according to the Korea Times, in the millions, according to the Korea Times. According to Alex, similarly in SIS, a student fan base creates renewed attention toward the games annually.

“The playoffs draw a wide fan base, because much of the student population has followed the teams since elementary school,” Alex said. “We have friendly competitions amongst underclassmen and upperclassmen, and such a fan mentality really becomes apparent in playoff season.”

According to Yonhap News, the Doosan Bears has declared its intention to continue to pursue its goal of defending its title in the 2016-2017 baseball season.

By Nicholas Kim Sophomore, Staff Writer

Hitting a half stunt with assistant from professional cheerleading team, Big Tide, Genie Jang (10), Claire Yun (12), Ellis Kim (12), and Angela Jang (12), practice at the cheer clinic on Nov. 12.

Photo by Daniel Shin

SK Telecom T1 wins in League of Legends World Championship

S

KTelecom T1 (SKT), a professional League of Legends (LoL) team from South Korea, won the final match by 3-1 at the 2015 League of Legends World Championship held in Berlin, Germany on Oct. 31. Over 600 participants from all around the world took part in the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) this year, and it has become an increasingly popular source of entertainment among South Koreans over the past decade.

“Although South Korea was always in the lead in regards to gaming, one can see how people nowadays are viewing the electronic sports championships in a much more serious manner,” said Chloe Choi (12), LoL player. “Also, people nowadays do not only view electronic sports (Esports) in a serious manner, but they also play the games at

PC rooms themselves to get even more involved and accustomed to the dynamic spirit of the game. ” According to the New York Times, Esports started to become popular in South Korea during the late 1990s in response to the Asian financial crisis when the government focused on developing telecommunications and Internet infrastructure.

The first game that successfully launched in South Korea was StarCraft, an online game released by Blizzard Entertainment in 1998. Eventually, many more people started to play such games in PC rooms, facilities that allowed the gaming culture in Korea to become even more widespread.

“Honestly, I was proud and satisfied as SKT was such a favorite among all people, but it was actually a rather obvious result

and I wanted it to be slightly more thrilling and action-packed,” said Brian Chun (9), LoL player. “This year’s playoff mainly depended on the two team’s representative players, MaRin from SKT and Smeb from the KOO Tigers. Although MaRin made the first kill within the first 30 minutes, Smeb surprisingly won the game for SKT by picking up a triple kill soon after. Overall, I was really impressed when SKT entered the finals undefeated 12-0, since no other team had been able to accomplish such a feat in the whole history of the League of Legends World Championship.”

Now that the 2015 LoL World Championship is over, both SKT and the KOO Tigers plan to start preparing for the upcoming 2016 LoL World Championship to maintain their reputations, while other teams are

likewise getting ready to confront such skilled and competent opponents.

“Over the last two years, South Korea has established itself as the nation with the best players of LoL,” said John Yuu (10), LoL player. “Due to such a preeminent status South Korea withholds, I have high expectations for the upcoming game next year for I am aware that such teams will prepare for this one game by investing a lot of their own time as they had done in the past. Hopefully, South Korea will continue to be acknowledged for its appreciable techniques and proficiency for not only LoL, but all types of Esports in the following years.”

By Alice Lee Sophomore, Staff Writer

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SMALL TALK

eat. tag. love. arielandgrace Pepero Day 11/11/2015 arielandgrace #Pepero #Day Pepero Day has evolved into a Korean, fall version of Valentine’s Day over the years. Some claim that Pepero Day came about when a couple of high school girls gave each other peperos in the hopes of “becoming skinny like peperos” back in 1994. Others claim that it was popularized in 1995 when students gave each other peperos the day before Soo-neung, Korean SATs, to wish each other good luck. Either way, contrary to popular belief, this cultural trend was not first brought about by Lotte, the company that makes pepero. Lotte simply marketed a small tradition into a widely popular holiday. arielandgrace Today, many friends and couples celebrate Pepero Day by not only sharing peperos but also giving each other gifts and sweets. We decided to seize the opportunity to revel in the peak of excess consumerism and enjoy Pepero Day to its fullest. arielandgrace #DIYpepero #1 Put the chocolate in a zip-up bag and melt for 5 minutes in warm water. #2 Dip the pepero stick in the chocolate. #3 Lightly sprinkle cookie crumbles on the chocolate-covered stick. Done! arielandgrace Sounds easy, right? That’s what we thought when we first ordered the “Love Deluxe Pepero Kit” for 25,000 won online. We thought we could make 50 beautifully coated and decorated peperos in less than an hour. Well, it turns out that the makers of this “deluxe kit” forgot to include some important side instructions. But don’t worry. We have created a new set of instructions, just for you – in case you feel adventurous next Pepero Day! arielandgrace Although we ended up with four chocolate-covered hands and a very messy kitchen, we succeeded in making 39 peperos, hastily made but filled with lots of love.

FAUX NEWS

Government encourages elementary school testing

Fair and Balanced The Super Annoying Tests (SATs) and the Another College Tests (ACTs) are two standardized assessments that have traditionally been taken by high school students. However, a coalition of US cram schools named Hysterical Administration Giving Willing Objective Nagging Suggestions (HAGWONS) recently surveyed various schools in order to make recommendations regarding educational standards. One of their primary suggestions in their report was that these schools, Seriously Intense School (SIS) included, should have students begin taking SATs and ACTs in elementary school. The US government strongly approved of this new finding, and decided to make the suggestion as an official recommendation for all elementary students.

The US government, in their most recent push for standardization of education, is currently implementing a new set of education standards called Crazy Criteria (CC) that emphasizes the importance of making students take at least 2500 standardized assessments in their K-12 education. In accordance with this, the government was highly supportive of the conclusions presented in the HAGWONS report regarding the necessity for elementary school students to take the SATs and ACTs. “This administration firmly believes in the value of testing to all students,” said Rick Bribes, Secretary of Education. “Some independent politicians in the administration have expressed concern regarding the number of standardized tests in CC standards, but we establishment politicians who

listen to the cram school lobby know that HAGWONS is correct.”

SIS parents have responded positively to this proposal from HAGWONS. Though most middle school students had already taken both the SATs and ACTs in preparation for college, many elementary school student parents have resolved to have their students take the examinations as soon as possible.

“The HAGWONS report has finally confirmed what I knew all along!” said Injeong Gam, first grade student mother. “I need to make sure that all my children take the SATs as early as possible so that they stand a chance in college admissions in the future.

I think we can spend the rest of first grade in cram schools, so [my son] can get through about 10 of them before he enters middle school.”

High school students such as John Bee (10) who had to take these tests this year were also supportive of this new initiative to push for standardized testing back to elementary school.

“I’ve suffered enough through middle and high school taking these tests,” John said. “Finally, it’s their turn now. Let them feel my pain. The five years they spend in elementary school will be the best and the worst of their lives. They will be pushed to their breaking point. This is their arena now.

It’s not just me now!”

Elementary school students were surveyed about the proposed changes using a standardized test in which they were asked to choose from options A to E. None of them were able to respond.

BY JUNGHO DANIEL CHOI

Our Tips pepero Y I D r o f 1. Put the chocolate in a ziplock bag (and make sure to close the bag tightly).

2. Melt for five minutes in (very very hot) water.

3. (Pour the chocolate out into a tall cup) 4. (Hurry! You have ten seconds to dip ten pepero sticks before the chocolate hardens.)

5. Dip the pepero stick in the chocolate. (Beware: may not turn out as smooth as advertised.)

6. Lightly sprinkle cookie crumbles. (10% on the pepero and 90% on the tabletop. Make sure to set up a workbench.)

“SOUND OF MUSIC”