Tiger Times Volume 34 Issue 6

Tiger Times seoul international school

volume xxxiv

j a n u a r y 2011

issue vi

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Christian students seek God’s presence within school walls

By Jonathan Yun

“In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen” is unusual and uncommon to hear at a secular school, such as SIS. Yet, Joshua Camp offers students the opportunity to connect with God in the midst of a busy schedule at school.

Joshua Camp is an unofficial Christian club that aims to allow SIS students, both Christians and nonChristians, to come together with God and realize the value of Christianity.

I t

was founded in 2008 by John Eun, Alex Park, Andrew Lee and Hannah Kim, who are all from the class of 2010. By Jan. 2009, Joshua

Camp started.

“The fellowship started with about five people; we first started meeting outside of school once in a while to just share each other’s struggles, testimonies, and joy in our Christian life,” said Hannah.

“We thought it would be a great idea to bring this fellowship into SIS and open it up for anyone else, so we approached Ms. Choi and formed a club. It was really pleasant to be able to connect with my friends in a religious way, something we would normally never do. ” Every Tuesday, during activity period, members of Joshua Camp sing hymns, read Bible verses, and pray afterwards. They also share what goes on in their lives and pray for each other.

“I think [Joshua Camp] is a good experience for Christians to sustain their faith towards God,” said Benny Char (9), a member of Joshua Camp. “How we act in church is different from how we act in school, and having this club at our school prevents Christians from changing their personalities.”

Although the group r e m a i n s rel at ively

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

SISers unmotivated to follow Asian Cup While soccer fans were busy rooting for South Korea during its game against Bahrain on Jan. 11, SISers rather chose to study. Students uninterested in sports did not know that the champion of the 2011 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup held in Qatar would be qualified to compete for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil until the news of Korea’s victory flooded television broadcasts.

During the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Iraq was the champion, Saudi Arabia the runner-up and Korea finished third. According to The New York Times, however, Korea is likely to be the champion in the 2011 tournament based on its performance in the 2010 World Cup and previous Asian Games.

“Korea has a good team,” said Erik Custer, physical education teacher. “[The athletes] have a chance at winning. Their only disadvantage is that the games are in Qatar, an environment those in the Middle East are probably more familiar to.”

Despite the possibility of victory, students opted to study rather than watch the games. They perceived news of Korea’s recent victory against Bahrain on television but were not able to witness the triumph live. “[Although] I’m a huge soccer fan, I was too busy with my schedule [on Jan. 11],” said Joshua An (9). “By the time I came home from swimming, the first half of the match was already over. But [as an alternative] I

intercepted the news about the victory through the newspaper.”

Indeed, the game was broadcasted live on television at 1:15 a.m. and the next two games were both scheduled for 10:15 p.m. on Jan. 11 and Jan 18 against Australia and India, respectively. Most students were either sleeping or up late finishing their homework at the time. Yet according to Christy Kim (12), there was another reason for not following the game: a lack of advertising.

Turnov laptop er of in elicits mitiative reactio ixed ns

small compared to other clubs, the number of members is growing steadily each week. Joshua

By An gela Camp participants are tryCho ing to invite more people to the Christian gathering. Yet, despite these efforts, the school does not recognize Joshua Camp as an ofWhile some ficial club. clenched their fists up “[The reason why the club is un- high, noting approval of the adminofficial] goes back to the very begin- istration’s decision not to implement ning,” said Ms. Choi. “The students the laptop initiative next year, others, made the decision, and they didn’t deeply disappointed by the turnover, want it official. However, I wanted it gritted their teeth. official and known to everybody.”

Last year, the administration This year, Joshua Camp is striv- proposed a 1:1 laptop initiative, ing to reach out to the community. which would require all students to The Christian fellowship is con- purchase MacBooks. After opposisidering visits to orphanages and tion from high school students and schools, including Daniel Leaders parents, however, the administration School, which is an institute that decided not to implement the proteaches Christian values. gram in the high school next year.

Joshua Camp is identified as a The initiative will be enforced in Protestant-based group as opposed middle school, and all middle school to Catholic or Orthodox. However, students will be required to purchase the club is open to everyone and and use Macs. However, the mobile Ms. Choi urges students, especially computer labs will be exclusive to Christians, to join the fellowship. high school students. Then, based “I know there are Christians out on the performance of the initiative there, but they need to be more pro- in middle school, the administration active,” said Ms. Choi. “I understand will determine whether or not to enthat it is difficult to show that they force the system in high school. are Christians. Kids should not be “We believe [middle school] is afraid to identify themselves the best place to start our initiative,” as Christians. If you’re a said Peter Corcoran, high school true Christian, then you principal. “That’s where the initiashould be proud to be tive began two years ago, so [middle one.” school] teachers had the most train-

Freshman Patrick Chin prays silently to God as one of Joshua Camp’s Tuesday lunch sessions comes to a close.

By Angela Cho and Lydia Kim

Tablet Craze: Students begin to utilize handheld computers for study and recreation.

Page 9

She was not informed about any of the matches until she had heard the news on the victory.

“I haven’t heard of events at city halls to celebrate the Asian Cup,” said Christy. “If it were better advertised, I’d be more aware of it and follow the games. But I expect boys to be better informed than girls because the male divisions of sports are hyped better and sports used to be [exclusive to] guys.”

Although John Han (10) disagreed that men are more avid sports fans, he agreed that the Asian Cup was under-advertised.

“Lack of advertising led to unpopularity,” said John. “But I don’t think ads will catch [people’s] attention anyways since the tournament’s limited to Asians, who aren’t always the best at playing sports.”

Nevertheless, students congratulated Korea’s victory.

“I didn’t watch the match, but I think it’s great that we won,” said Christy. “I wasn’t following it closely because I didn’t know that the match was on or that the rounds for the Asian Cup had started.”

ing. We also put the most technical support there.”

Upon the proposal of the initiative, the SIS Parent Association (SISPA) distributed surveys to gauge its appeal to high school students’ parents, a majority of whom were opposed to the program. They believe that the process of adjusting to the new system has the potential to harm students’ GPAs. Not all SISers have met the initiative with disapproval, however; using Macs has its advantages.

“I bought a MacBook partially because I heard the school will require students to buy one,” said Jane Jun (10). “I’m disappointed that we won’t be implementing the initiative. If everyone uses the same computer and educational programs, the school will be more unified.”

The administration believes that laptops are an important educational tool, enhancing access to new ideas and information. According to Mr. Corcoran, Macs are the leader in education because of the availability of educational programs like iWorks, iMovie and Keynote.

“I am a strong supporter,” said Mr. Corcoran. “In the next 10 years, the educational trend will move towards online. I believe [Macs] will fundamentally change the teaching and learning at school.”

viewpOint 2

JAnuary 2011

Calculators hinder students’ ability to apply math skills

Editorial

Overuse: Too much reliance on scientific calculators brings more harm than good.

puterized gadgets to do their work.

Just as watching too much television hinders children’s development, using the calculator too much can dull one’s ability to think. Soon, a continued reliance can result in an incapaBy Elizabeth Song bility to do math as simple as 9 x 7.

However, this does not mean In the middle of a lecture, the that TI calculators should be banned algebra teacher asks his class a rela- altogether. According to Michael tively simple question: 20 x (2 + 1). To Castellani, math teacher, these gadthe teacher’s surprise, the students, gets have many benefits because they instead of solving the problem men- give students multiple representatally, scramble for their calculators. tions for checking their work algeThis situation exemplifies how braically, analytically and graphicaloverreliance ly. TIs also on calculaallow stutors can pose dents to problems. finish long While Texas calculaInst r u me nt tions quick(TI) calculaly, which tors find logs, can be roots, deterquite useminants and ful during other values timed exthat are imams, quizpossible to be zes or tests. deter mine d The probby hand, once lem arises students start when studepending on dents use these tools, their calthey use them culators for even for the more than most basic just vericalculations fication. that actuTeachally take less ers should time to solve establish manually rules that or mentally. allow stuThe overdents to use use of calculatheir TIs tors also preonly when vents students confirming from applying their annewly-learned swers and concepts. performTIs, particuing com*100 students surveyed larly the TI 89, plex compuGraphic by Elizabeth Song contain many tations. They advanced mathcan ensure ematical functions, this by requirincluding graphing, solving showed work. This ing matrices, evaluating exponents, way, students will have to process solving multi-variable equations mathematical concepts thoroughly and integrating, making it easy for before turning to their calculators. students to answer questions simSome college courses and ply by punching in numbers—a Chemistry SAT II do not permit skill that even 8-year-olds possess. calculator usage. Teachers can preThe key to excelling in math is prac- pare their students for these futice; students who use their calcula- ture situations by forcing them tors for every mathematical equa- to work with their own brains. tion will never master the subject.

Especially in a world in which True, some students may fre- technology is constantly upgradquently use their TIs simply for con- ing, it is imperative to realize that venience, not necessarily because we should not solely depend on they do not know how to do the cal- machines for success. Otherwise, culation. But as this practice turns in the future, the world might be into habit, students become lazier left with only pea-brained indito use their brains and want com- viduals who claim that 2 + 2 = 5.

Editors-in-Chief Yuri Han Chris Kim Managing Editor Peter Moon Production Editor Kristine Oak Graphics Editor Stephanie Song

Students need to keep up more with current events The world is on the verge of welcoming a new nation in Sudan.

Thousands are being displaced as floods continue to submerge Australia. The east coast of the US was paralyzed by its worst snowfall in decades.

Yet, students are more interested in happenings concerning various celebrities. In fact, the majority of listings in top 10 search rankings for such Korean portal sites as Naver and Daum are, consistently, names of celebrities. One of the few times a world news event showed up in these rankings was when North Korea shelled a South Korean island back in November. Even that lasted only a couple weeks at most.

The lack of awareness today’s teenagers have regarding world news is not a problem unique to SIS or Korea, and an argument in defense of Korean teenagers’ lack of global awareness is that they are relatively more aware than their

more accessible—manner. The Onion, a satirical news source, and Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” are but two examples that fulfill the task of reporting the news in a fun way. The only downsides to these are, unfortunately, that they often require readers and viewers to have prior knowledge of current events if they are to appreciate the humor.

School can encourage students to be more aware of happenings in the world. Classes such as Introduction to Publications require students to keep up with current events. Teachers of other subjects can do the same as well, for instance, those of science courses, by integrating the newest discoveries and advances into lessons whenever appropriate.

All this is not to say that students should stop surfing the web for celebrity gossip, an activity they undoubtedly enjoy. They simply need to spend a little more time keeping up with all types of news.

Minor change to exam schedule goes unnoticed

By Stella Kim

During the exam weeks of previous years, the hallway outside the gym swarmed with students frantically studying at the last minute.

The scene was virtually the same this year. Although the schedule was changed so that exams would be taken over five days, students still put off studying until the last minute.

Before the schedule was changed, students took their all of their exams on the first three days of exam week. Thursday was makeup day— otherwise a day off for students who did not need to make up any exams.

On Friday, students usually attended their classes, during which they went over their exams with their teachers.

Copy Editors Angela Cho Eunice Lee Stella Kim

Photographers Joshua Kim Linda Heeyoung Park Jessica Song

Reporters Lydia Kim Michelle Kim Elizabeth Song

Marketing Director Jasmine Park

Layout Artists Jason Huh Elizabeth Kim Lucia Minah Yang Jonathan Yun

Advisor Ms. Carolyn Brown

Cartoonist Daniel Lee

American counterparts. This is no excuse, however, for students to neglect reading up on the news once in a while.

It is first of all not difficult to keep up with current events.

Students do not need to purchase newspapers; all the news they could ever hope to read is published on the web. For those disinclined to read at all, news is broadcast on television and radio. With such resources available at the push of a button, it takes all of several minutes to keep up with world events.

Even so, many students do not keep up with current events as much as they should, primarily because they find it boring. Why read about political leaders and corrupt businessmen when there are celebrity scandals to check up on? In this, the internet provides a solution as well. There are numerous websites that, instead of reporting the news straight-up, do so in a more entertaining—and perhaps

The new schedule was initiated so that students would have more time to study. It also gave teachers much more time to mark students’ exams, making the process less stressful for them and also giving them the chance to be more thorough in grading students’ work.

Despite the school’s efforts, most students did not take advantage of the new schedule. The less perceptive among them did not even notice that the exam week was two days longer than before.

In some ways, the lengthened week backfired. When a student has the assurance that he or she has more time to study for an exam, he or she is bound to relax too much.

Only a select few took the chance

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

to invest more time in studying.

Along with the drop in the motivation to study, the change took place at the price of another advantage of the three-day exam schedule—the chance for students to go over their exams that very week. This year, students had an almost month-long gap between taking their exams and going over them. Naturally, exam material was not as fresh in their minds as it would have been only a few days after the date of writing.

The change was made with all the right intentions and teachers will no longer have to rush to have students’ exams marked by Friday.

Whether the students take notice of the extra two days and take advantage of it or not is their problem.

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

january 2011

3

viewpOint

Demanding game schedules should be balanced

By Michelle Kim

Students are discouraged from procrastinating, and for good reason; it causes all-nighters and agonizing stress.

A superfluous number of games have the same outcome, especially when they are scheduled on days when athletes need to focus on school. For example, there were two games during down week, and because games end late in the afternoon, or at night, athletes had less time than other students to study for exams for the following week. In addition, a game was scheduled to occur on the day of the January SATs. Athletes that are taking SATs that day are too exhausted to compete, and they will want to have the day off for respite.

Sometimes, the games are scheduled unevenly, putting strain on the athletes. During the first half of the season, from November of last year, there were only two to three games a week. Now there are up to four games a week. For example, the first week back from winter break, athletes had four games—two in a single day. Such a tight schedule wears athletes out, which can also hinder their performance at school.

To prevent this from happening, games should be scheduled evenly throughout the season instead of being pushed back to the second half.

In addition, the games this year were scheduled to take place in between Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conferences (KAIAC) and the Association of International Schools in Asia (AISA).

KAIAC schedules clash with those of AISA, making it difficult for athletes to organize a manageable schedule.

The major concern is that because athletes have to participate in AISA, KAIAC, and in regular games, agendas are overwhelming. Some may claim that the athletes should balance schedules on their own, but rigorous agendas make this difficult.

These factors can result in something unfortunate: athletes may come to forget how enjoyable sports are. They have to play one sport constantly, sometimes to the point of exhaustion; the athletes will be too tired to appreciate sports. If

this continues, the majority of SIS athletes may be reluctant to join sports teams in the future.

This is not to say that games should be taken out completely, but rather that AISA, KAIAC, and regular game schedules be better organized. Many athletes already have trouble balancing school with extracurricular activities and clubs.

If their schedules become more demanding with clashing sports schedules, athletes will have trouble keeping up.

Life Sports helps students discover leadership and athletic interest

By Lydia Kim

Shooting lay-ups, dribbling soccer balls and tossing serves are the usual physical education (PE) activities, but balancing on slippery ice or exerting the right amount of force when throwing a bowling ball are not part of most schools’ PE curricula. By offering a variety of activities, Life Sports not only helps students find sports that they can enjoy lifelong, but it also develops leadership in them while they benefit from exercises’ effects.

According to The New York Times, motivation is an important factor for exerting healthy amounts of energy in physical activities.

However, when students are forced to participate in basketball or soccer games during PE class, their only source of motivation to “move around” might be when their teachers look in their direction so that they can receive full participation points for the day. Consequently, the rest of the class time may be wasted.

However, while Life Sports includes the usual sports taught in PE such as basketball and soccer, it also offers new activities such as yoga, ice-skating and bowling. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation,

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Holding onto the rails, Stephanie Liu (12), Stacy Yun (12) and Bridget Kang (12) rest their feet from their skates. On Jan. 24, Life Sports students went to Garden 5 to iceskate. bowling ranks as one of the eight sports women most enjoy. Offering a wild variety of sports allows students to experience sports that they never could have experienced. For example, Shannon Hambleton, head of the PE department, said that many of her male students never tried yoga before because of the stereotype that

yoga is a “girl” sport. However, she was surprised by how many boys responded to her by saying that the yoga unit helped them feel relaxed amid the stressful exam schedule.

Experiencing a wider spectrum of sports helps students find a lifelong exercise that they can enjoy.

Life Sports also creates the rare

opportunity for students to go on field trips. Skating at Garden 5 and bowling at an alley in Moran are the trips in the course so far, but Ms. Hambleton said that she hopes to include more. The PE department’s efforts should be praised for looking for an appropriate golf course for two years and searching for poten-

tial rock-climbing gyms.

Not only does Life Sports help students find exercises that they really enjoy, but it also builds leadership in students. Athletic Services Hours (ASH) activities are opportunities for students to be positive role models for exercise. For example, some students chose to coach sports as an ASH activity, and discovered their talent and enjoyment in them.

While students are building fitness and leadership during Life Sports, research by the Saginaw State University in Michigan showed that the effects of exercising may also indirectly be raising students’ grades.

Research results showed that those who regularly participated in physical activity had higher Grade Point Averages (GPA) by an average of 0.4 on a scale from 0 to 4.0.

Without required courses for physical activity, it is highly doubtful that students will make room in their busy lives for regular exercise.

So although the class is required, during the year in which the course is taken, students maintain regular exercise by various forms of activities, find an exercise that they can enjoy lifelong, build leadership skills and may even be boosting up their GPAs to a mild degree.

nEWS 4

january 2011

NEWS BRIEFS UNICEF shares Christmas spirit with Cambodian Children Marna Knoer awarded PAEMST

by President Obama On Dec. 15, Marna Knoer, sixth grade math teacher, received her Presidential Award for Excellence for Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) from President Barack Obama. Established in 1983, the program bestows PAEMSTs to kindergarten to 12th grade science and math teachers for exceptional teaching.

Recipients are awarded a statement of praise from Mr. Obama, a trip to Washington D.C. and $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.

“It was nice because [Mr. Obama] asked a personal question to each recipient,” said Ms. Knoer. “People were taking notes when they asked what we thought about the education reform bill, so it felt nice to be heard.”

Courtesy of Marna Knoer

Ms. Knoer receives the PAEMST from Dr. John P. Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Drama Club performs adaptation of “Cinderella” From Jan. 24-28, the Drama Club hosted its production, “Cinderella Ella Ella” in the auditorium. The final performance on Jan. 28 was held for parents, athletes and other invited guests.

The play is a pantomime of “Cinderella,” starring Cynthia Rhee (11) as Ella. Unlike the original, the play is about a singing competition hosted by the prince.

Ella’s two stepsisters want to participate in the contest to marry the prince, so her stepmother tries to prevent Ella from attending the audition. The performance included much dancing, singing and audience interaction.

UNICEF to hold alternative fundraiser in lieu of Field Day Traditionally, UNICEF prepares Field Day from 12:30-3 p.m. for high school students not only to provide recreation but also to raise money for charity. However, this year, UNICEF will break from this tradition due to complaints from teachers who do not want class time taken away. Members are currently brainstorming a new fundraiser that will not cut into class hours to substitute for Field Day in early spring.

By Elizabeth Song

By Eunice Lee

Although there was no snow to celebrate a white Christmas, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) members helped inspire holiday spirit on their community service trip to Cambodia, which took place Dec. 19-22.

The club visited two schools— the Lake School and the Tteuksulai—where they made Christmas cards, decorated a felt tree and sang carols with native Cambodian students. Benjamin Paulson, adviser, and his brother Dan Paulson joined UNICEF members.

“The Lake School was originally built by members of the UNICEF headquarters,” said Mr. Paulson.

“The Tteuksulai is a much bigger school, and there we donated the clothes we received from the SIS UNICEF Clothes Drive. My brother was really impressed with the club’s leadership, and we both had a lot of fun.”

Unlike the previous year, UNICEF focused on bringing concrete change to the two schools, which were dilapidated upon arrival. Using headmaster Dr. Hyung-Shik Kim’s donation of 300 million won, received last year as a reward for UNICEF’s dedication to service, members fixed bathrooms, repaired water pumps and installed a proper volleyball court and cafeteria for students at Tteuksulai. They also used their funds to purchase over 2,000 dollars worth of school supplies for the children.

Photo by Stephanie Song

During a visit to a Cambodian house floating on a lake, David Park (12) takes a photo of Julia Lee (12) and the grandmother of a student currently attending the Lake School.

“In addition to playing with the children, we made a lot of new improvements this year, and rebuilt areas that needed some fixing,” said Erica Han (10). “The improvements made the trip more meaningful.”

The sunny weather allowed for various recreational activities outdoors with the children as well, such as jump-roping, soccer and volleyball. Members also toured major

Cambodian historical sites such as Angkor Wat. “[During free time], we went outside to the field with the kids to just run around and chill,” said Hiro Watanabe (11). “We played simple games like Duck Duck Goose, musical chairs and limbo.”

UNICEF members agreed that their achievements made the trip even more rewarding than those

of previous years as a result of the Cambodian children’s enthusiastic response, despite the language barrier, to the club’s efforts.

“It was a little tiring at some points, but I still feel happy that I was able to help these kids, who are currently living in poor conditions,” said Hiro. “I hope they know what Christmas feels like, and I hope I gave them some kind of hope.”

taught by new art teacher Judy Anderson.

“It would have been nice if the seniors had the opportunity to take the new course,” said Jaimi Kim (12).

“I would have wanted to take any three of those courses. My brother is a ninth grader right now, so he’ll have the opportunity.”

Tony Hurt and Shanna Hurt, history teachers, proposed AP Human Geography, which introduces students to patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding of Earth and its resources.

The course will be combined with the already existing Global Issues class, which will consist of one semester of each course.

“Almost all colleges require at

least one semester of geography,” said Mr. Hurt. “My wife and I both taught the AP Human Geography at our previous schools, and published an AP test prep book for the course, too.”

Together, Global Issues and AP Human Geography will be considered a two-credit course and opened to grades 10 and above. Although AP Human Geography will smoothly transition into the school’s curriculum, AP Art History and AP Economics may force the administration to make changes to existing courses.

“It is inevitable that new courses will have an impact in other areas,” said Peter Corcoran, high school principal. “For example, they can

impact the number of sections another course has. Right now, there are four sections of AP Psychology so the number of sections might reduce from there, or [be put] in different places.”

Nonetheless, the new courses are expected to benefit students by offering a greater variety of collegelevel courses in their areas of interest.

“I am interested in taking AP Economics,” said Kevin Han (10).

“I want to pursue a career related to business, but our school as of now lacks a strong program that will foster that. I’m glad that the school is offering a more courses because they can be relevant and helpful for our future college majors and careers.”

Administration approves new AP courses

By Lydia Kim

Renaissance artists usually painted Virgin Mary blue. The US national debt is 14 trillion dollars.

Cereals, rice, corn and wheat constitute 60% of the human food supply.

Though these facts may be unfamiliar, three new AP courses—AP Art History, AP Economics and AP Human Geography—that will be added to the curriculum next year will give students the opportunity to learn such material.

AP Art History was proposed by the art department to add more academic options for art students, considering the large number of students who decide to attend art schools each year. The course will be

꽃 피 네

Beautiful flowers on sale!

For friends and family Seoul International School

Bokjeong Station Exit 2

명인만두

꽃피네

PH: 019 356 3537

january 2011

MAT guides middle school students Emerged: The newly formed middle school math club arouses interest.

nEWS

Zeitgeist

Tension rises in the Korean Peninsula

By Kristine Oak

Mu Alpha Theta (MAT) was once the only major math club at SIS. However, a new math honor society has emerged in the middle school, called Chi Alpha Mu (CAM).

Approved by the administration, CAM became official in August 2009. Michael Castellani, math teacher and MAT adviser, dedicated his time to promoting middle school math. Although CAM does not have specific qualifications for students who wish to join, students are expected to make commitments to participate in competitions.

“I wanted to start this program to give the middle school kids a chance to compete in competitions and prepare for other future activities,” said Mr. Castellani. “Middle school students can engage in further mathematical learning through this club.”

CAM started out small, participating in a few competitions including the American Scholastic Mathematics Association (ASMA) and American Mathematics Contest (AMC). CAM’s most important event is the National Middle School Math Competition held in April.

Middle school students from many

5

Photo by Joshua Kim

Young Joon Kim (8) listens to the lecture set up by MAT executives Derek Jung (11) and Eric Ahn (11) after school. international schools participate during this event.

“We expanded CAM over more competitions and now hold more preparation sessions for middle school students,” said Mr. Castellani.

“Now, this club is not just for taking math tests but became a mass circle, in which students can also prepare for future math competitions.”

MAT helps CAM in various ways, including organizing fundraisers, helping middle school students sign up for different competitions and motivating students to further participate in math. MAT regularly holds prep sessions for middle

school students for competitions such as AMC 10.

With the help of Alana Keith, eighth grade math teacher, and Marna Knoer, sixth grade math teacher, CAM is growing bigger and increasingly more active. Such development encourages more middle school students to further explore their interests in math.

“Being in this club is not like being in my other ordinary math classes,” said Christopher Ahn (8).

“In CAM, I get to participate in various new and interesting activities such as puzzles, which are different and more exciting to solve.”

The two Koreas greeted a new year amidst high tensions. Last year was eventful for the Koreas especially after the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March, which resulted in 46 deaths. While the South blamed the North, the North vehemently denied its involvement. In December, it shelled Yeonpyeong, a South Korean island, directly attacking civilians. The subsequent holiday season was filled with news about the Koreas throwing threats back and forth—the North to restart the Korean War and the South to continue military drills.

The South prepared its residents for the worst, holding the largest-ever civil defense drill on Dec. 15. Sirens went off for 20 minutes, in which all traffic stopped and people were instructed to move into underground facilities.

The drill was more intense in Paju, a city near the border, where people wore gas masks to practice in case of chemical, biological and radiological attacks from the North.

“I was really scared during winter break because my older brother is doing his military service right now. We talked on the phone and he told me he had to be in his uniform, prepared for an emergency at any time,” said Christine Jung

(11). “He told me he wasn’t scared but I could sense that he was just saying that to comfort me.”

International media coverage on recent North Korean hostility has been extensive. US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warned that the North is a direct threat to the US, with its reported development of missiles that can easily reach North America.

Only recently has the North started to cooperate, comparing the continuation the Korean War to a nuclear holocaust, according to a CNN report. Earlier this month, the North called for better communication with the South. It also did not follow through with its threats of war to the South’s military exercises, choosing to issue a stern warning instead.

“Right now I’m not [as] panicked as I was during winter break,” said Christine. “But because I have a brother in the military, I pay much more attention to the news.”

According to another CNN report, the North’s aggression was just a show and the regime was “[flexing] its military muscle” in light of the transition of power from the current leader Kim Jongil to his son Kim Jong-un, who is widely predicted to be his successor.

By Stella Kim

Students respond to government policies on foot-and-mouth disease

By Jason Huh

Since the outbreak of the footand-mouth disease earlier this month, about 1.4 million pigs and cows have currently been buried alive in South Korea as a result of an inadequate supply of medication to euthanize infected animals. According to seoul.co.kr, the outbreak has incurred a 1.26 billion dollar loss thus far.

The foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious virus that had occurred periodically for decades in North America and Australia. The disease starts as a fever and causes blisters inside the animals’ mouths.

Although the disease infects only cloven-hoofed animals, it has im-

Clothes Drive

pacted students’ eating habits.

“Whenever [my family] wants to eat meat, my mom always mentions the foot-and-mouth disease,” said Connie Yoon (10). “So we have currently stopped eating meat.”

However, according to Benjamin Paulson, biology teacher, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the chances that people will contract the disease are slim to none. “[The disease] is really something that does not infect humans at all,” said Mr. Paulson. “And [the disease] pretty much has no risk of contraction from eating contaminated meat produce. So it is not really a human health concern as much as it is human agricultural concern.”

NOW!

Despite the reported harmlessness of the foot-and-mouth disease for humans, the government has taken major action in response to the outbreak. The slaughter of over a million heads of livestock has caused meat prices to skyrocket. Students felt that these losses could have been prevented had the government taken precautionary steps to halt the spread of the disease.

“I think we are killing a lot of livestock,” said Kevin Seong (11). “It is obviously going to have a pretty detrimental effect on the meat industry and if the government had taken care of it in the first place before [the disease] spread, I think we would not have had to kill all those valuable resources.”

Remember to visit:

om/

s.c pres

rd

.wo hssc

sis

:// http

007005

007005

donate your clothes to cambodian kids!

FOOD CART

during break!

Behind the Biggest Broken Promise:

By Peter Moon Graphics by Kristine Oak

“

Dieting

Especially before Snowball, because it’s in the winter, girls tend to eat more and gain weight.

It’s like the hibernation season. For Snowball, we try to be as pretty as possible. Especially for younger girls, Snowball is their first formal party and they want to look as pretty as possible.

- Elisa Han (12)

Jessica Alba’s daily diet

Dieting scale Why we diet

Teenagers and adults are often awed by celebrities and their fit bodies. The diet methods of these celebrities often encourage the general public to follow the methods. When actress Jessica Alba diets, she limits herself to eating foods that are low in fat. Her trainer says that the key to her diet is “portion control”.

Fiber: berries, vegetables Protein: eggs, chicken breast, beef filet, salmon Carbohydrates: potatoes, oatmeal, popcorn Fat: Almonds

“Overall this is a healthy diet but she is a celebrity and she has restrictions. People will definitely follow this diet if they have low self-esteem. If a skinny person is going to follow this diet, they’re just going to get skinnier and skinnier and become anorexic. Eat what’s right for you and don’t necessarily follow celebrities. You should know your own nutrition requirements first before you follow other diet methods.”

-John Kim (9)

In an effort to focusing their effort been concocted but still peo Amber and other experts, weight loss through dietin

Many different diet methods exist on the Internet and other information sources.

Here are some of the followed diets: Banana diet:

Twinkie diet:

In this diet, one must consume at least one banana before each meal. The logic behind it is that one will eat less because of the banana consumption and therefore, one will consume less net calories per day.

Source: CNN

Atkins diet: Source: ezinearticles.com

Instead of eating three proper meals a day, this dieting method suggests that one eats a Twinkie snack every three hours along with a few other supplements to provide the necessary nutrients. Professor Mark Haub of Kansas State University embarked on the Twinkie diet, eating Twinkies and other ‘junk food’ for two months. He was 27 pounds lighter at the end of his diet.

This is a dieting method that aims to lower one’s net calorie consumption per day by limiting one’s carbohydrate consumption.

Source: atkins.com

MYTHS

1.

Dieting is the key to healthy weight loss.

Fact: Dieting helps you lose weight, both fat and muscle.

The Catch: Although it depends on the dieting method, relying on only dieting can lead to the general weakening of the body because the body

2.

Well-being or low-fat food items help you lose weight.

Fact: These foods are generally healthier than most other food items that have higher levels of fat, sugar and sodium.

The Catch: These food items DO NOT help you lose weight. Control is needed, even with these food items. Eating three “health” bars instead

often times loses muscle as well. The body may even begin to store fat if the food intake falls drastically. Also, this encourages one’s metabolism to fall, meaning that gaining weight is now made easier. Statistics show that dieters gain back the weight lost and more in the long term.

Source: medicalnewstoday.com

of one Snickers bar does not make a difference. The American obesity has risen in the past two decades, the same two decades during which low-fat foods have become popular.

Source: helpguide.org

3.

The scale is the best indicator of one’s weight loss and overall health.

Fact: Scales are devices that spit out one’s instantaneous weight.

The Catch: The peril of scale-dependence is that one becomes sensitive to the slightest changes in one’s weight. Weight can vary throughout the

4.

One should rely on the body mass index (BMI) when one considers one’s weight and health.

Fact: BMI shows one’s body fat percentage.

The Catch: BMI was developed by and suited more for Caucasian people. For SIS students who are mostly Asian, this system may not be the best

day depending on food and water consumption. Also, a weight gain could indicate muscle gain from exercise, which is a positive result.

Source: kidshealth.org

indicator of health and body fat percentage because the BMI system tends to reveal that Asians are underweight.

Source: healthguidance.org

What the health experts say… o look better, more people are Nurse Younock An said that students do not directly ts on dieting. Thousands of methods have come to her about weight issues but there are signs: stomach aches, headaches, low self-esteem, exhaustion. “Make up your mind and ople have misconceptions. According to Rich avoid eating fatty meals,” said Nurse An. “Then it becomes a habit , there is a great disparity between successful and then you won’t go for fatty meals. A healthy eating habit is the basic and most important thing. Start today, don’t wait until tomorng and the establishment of a healthy lifestyle. row.” As opposed to the negative symptoms of students with weight and health issues, she said that healthy students will exhibit good time management, clear thinking and high self-esteem.

Success Stories Andrew Eom (11)

In the summer before sophomore year, Andrew Eom (11) proceeded with a diet and exercise regimen that led to his shedding of 27 kilograms. He was inspired to embark on this regimen after he did not make the boys’ varsity soccer team.

“I went to a fitness center and signed up for a personal training program. They told me about what I should avoid eating and what kinds of exercise I should do. [For example], even after heavy exercise, they told me that [sports] drinks are for professionals who lose significant amounts of nutrients. In the morning, I ate four or five boiled eggs and kiwi. For lunch, I ate a lot of [chicken breast] salad and I sometimes ate bread with milk when I got hungry. For dinner, I ate rice but only half of what I usually ate. For exercise, I did 30-40 minutes of treadmill and then I did weight training, working on different muscles every time. Then I did 30-40 minutes of the bicycle.”

Advice: “Resilience. Tenacity. [You can lose weight when] you really want this to happen. If you don’t do it now, you won’t be able to do it later. Also, I looked at the nutrition facts and I told myself ‘if I eat this, then I have to do this many minutes of the bicycle to lose those calories’. It made me eat less.”

Wei Ying Lin

“In high school I always had to study and I had a lot of stress. When I get stressed I eat a lot and I became big. Once I went to college I saw lots of skinny girls and I decided to lose weight in a healthy way. I did yoga and also there was a good [exercise] facility at Wellesley where I played intramural squash. I had to take a required PE course where I played golf. In terms of eating, I cut down on my consumption of chocolate and sweets. Also, I don’t really eat meat unless I’m out with my friends. But I love carbohydrates and I think eating it is important.

I eat multi-grain rice and I love noodles. I still managed to lose 20 pounds over 4 years. [My weight loss] wasn’t drastic. I still exercise 3 times a week and I eat lots of fruits, vegetables and carbohydrates.”

Advice: “Eat regularly and cut down on sweets. Eat carbs, especially teens who are still growing and need the nutrition and energy that come from carbs. And definitely exercise.”

Photo by Stephanie Song

lifesTYLE 8

January 2011

SIS welcomes three new freshman students

By Elizabeth Song

While waking up at 6 a.m. every day tops SIS students’ lists of thingsto-do, Joanne Lee (9) is not used to this daily routine. The two other new freshmen this semester—Julia Jeong and Jane Byon—face similar challenges after coming to SIS at the start of the second semester. Their sudden move was largely due to their fathers’ jobs and SIS’ reputation.

“My mom didn’t like the education I was receiving in Korean schools, so I chose to come to SIS because I heard it is a good school” said Jane, who had been attending a Korean school until about six months ago. “I came in the middle of the year because I thought it would be better to come here sooner than later in grade 10.”

The shift in schools at first created social barriers for the girls, but they were able to adapt to their new surrounding with the help of their “buddies” whom Gray Macklin, High School Student Council (HSSC) advisor, had instructed to give them a warm greeting. Even

Photo by jessica Song

Photo by Nicole Chun

Freshmen listen to their peers give impromptu speeches during Communications class, of which newcomers Julia Jeong, Jane Byon and Joanne Lee (left to right) are a part.

Jane from Kazakhstan who is not quite used to the Korean majority at SIS is now getting more comfortable.

“My classmates helped me out

with everything, especially with directions, [where to eat] lunch and [opening] my locker,” said Jane.

“I bet at least half of my grade

Yoonha had always wanted to do since she was in second grade. For Yoonha, while others played instruments, her instrument was sound.

She set up an audition with a prominent Korean singer’s manager before she became a singer.

“He really liked my voice,” said Yoonha. “We decided to work together and signed a contract, and then I got busy right away.”

Yoonha first made her name known to the public when her song “You Are My Everything” was chosen as one of the original soundtracks (OST) for the Korean drama “Secret Garden.” The OST album was released on Dec. 27, 2010.

“It was weird,” said Yoonha.

“My voice and songs were out in public and people were able to buy and download them. I was glad to hear many positive comments

about my voice, and I heard some of my friends at school humming or singing my songs. I said to myself, ‘Wow… so this is what it feels like to be a vocal artist… Cool!’ ” Following the release of the “Secret Garden” OST album, Yoonha released her first single album, titled “Secret Garden,” on Jan. 13. She plans to be a vocal artist as her main career, but she also expressed interest in other professions.

“I definitely plan to be a vocalist for the rest of my life,” said Yoonha.

“And, hopefully, I soon want to write my own songs and record them, but as I learn more about music composition, I am interested in learning and becoming a movie music director. I hope people will continue to support me and have interest in my music, as I release my second album this year.”

Senior releases music album

By Michelle Kim

When young children are asked on what they want their career to be, it is common to hear the words “celebrity,” “actor,” “model,” and other careers in the entertainment industry. Once the children mature, however, only a handful of them actually fulfill this dream. In December of last year, Yoonha Chung (12) became part of this group with her debut as pop singer Chung Ha Yoon.

Yoonha is currently with BaekEn Entertainment and practices with her voice coach two times a week.

“Other than with my voice coach, I also practice by myself,” said Yoonha. “Breathing, vibration, scales, and a song of my choice; these four things are the basic routine for every voice lesson and homework.”

Singing was something that

What is the real world like?

By Jasmine Park

Todd Oh currently attends Korea Digital Media High School. Besides his academic career, Todd has stepped into the professional realms of the international technology (IT) business and is supported by many established companies, such as Microsoft. He hopes to, perhaps, become the precedent to many high school students who are interested in IT and want to enter the professional world as quickly as he did.

What is your job?

Basically I’m a high school student. But, I’m operating my startup company with three American students.

My startup is currently building a location based product for the market in the United States and it is planned to be launched in the first quarter of this year. We’re working together remotely at this moment, but will move to San Francisco around May and June.

How did you get start your company?

I started out with the pure interest and love for computers since I was 10 years old. As a result, I learned computer programming at a young age, and I won a gold and silver medal in the Korea Olympiad in Informatics when I was 14 and 16, respectively. Both my interest and such awards encouraged me to make a startup. As for the startup itself, I was the organizer of Startup Weekend Seoul* last year, and there I met many San Francisco Bay Area people, who introduced me to the Bay Area “geeks”. I found some great guys who were willing to work with me and we developed our project by keeping in touch via Twitter and Facebook.

What would you like to suggest to other teens in your shoes?

Positioning is important nowadays. Keep yourself busy with a lot of activities that you are interested in. Try to find whatever best suits you. Position yourself on different clearly line and distinguish yourself. Drive your own way, and keep trying to be the best of it. ‘Just a good employee of big company’ is somewhat boring, isn’t it?

knows my locker combination now. They were all extremely nice.”

Although the newcomers surmounted this social ob-

stacle, they still need to get used to several differences between their previous schools and SIS. “[My previous school] was a private school, so I wore uniforms,” said Joanne. “It feels so amazing not to wear uniforms [here] because they were so annoying.”

Despite the changes the girls must get accustomed to, all three are doing well in class, according to Melanie Kempe, general literature teacher.

“So far, they have been fairly outspoken and confident in my classroom,” said Ms. Kempe. “I’ve been very impressed with their participation considering they don’t know their peers well. They also seem confident with their seating and working with their [classmate] neighbors.”

Julia hopes to gain cultural opportunities and valuable memories by attending SIS. “I decided to come to SIS because of its good reputation as an international school, and I also think the experience of going to an international school will be a good one,” said Julia. “[My move to Korea] is nice for me to get a sense of the Korean culture.”

January 2011

3-D entertainment poses dangerous health risks Precaution: Students should be aware of the potential harms of 3-D media.

By Eunice Lee

Ever since the third “Spy Kids” movie, “Game Over,” was released, the entertainment industry has been experiencing a boom in 3-D media, from 3-D movies to 3-D games, televisions and laptops. However, companies are now warning their customers about the harms of 3-D entertainment.

On Jan. 3, prior to the release of the Nintendo 3DS, the newest addition to Nintendo’s line of handheld gaming systems, Nintendo advised children against playing 3-D games. Although the Nintendo 3DS does not require users to wear funky goggles to play games in three dimensions, it may cause nausea, dizziness and seizures.

Samsung and Sony have also warned their users about the potential health risks of 3-D entertainment and advised gamers to take a break once every 30 minutes.

Apart from games, 3-D movies and television shows have been found to impair vision, hindering

focal abilities and causing blurred vision. According to Martin Banks, professor of optometry at the University of California at Berkeley, 3-D media causes eyestrain because it forces people to simultaneously focus on things near and far.

Students admitted to have suffered physical discomforts for the sake of entertainment.

“The entire movie [“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage on the Dawn Treader,” released Dec. 2010] was about boat riding, and it was really dizzy because it was 3-D,” said Brian Kim (10). “The movie was really bad, and I took off my glasses most of the time because I couldn’t’ focus on the movie. I had to focus on me not getting dizzy.”

These risks pose an even greater threat in 4-D Image Maximum (IMAX) movies, which combine 3-D media and a customized theater with moving chairs that give audience members the sensation of moving into the screen, as if they are part of the movie.

“I don’t really have anything against IMAX movies because they’re still pretty new, but IMAX will become old later especially since people will start getting sick because of the bad symptoms of these movies,” said Jacob Jeong (12).

9

Lifestyle

DJ Lee’s Monthly Mix

January is the month of admiration.

There were complaints in mainstream music websites such as Pitchfork and Metacritic about how little we pay attention to musicians who deserve more respect.

These critics couldn’t have come at a better time. As the month of admiration is upon us, the “underappreciated” musician that deserves more acclaims and respect in Korea is The Shins.

The Shins have published three albums so far, each one solidifying the band’s identity more and more. The first one, Oh, Inverted World, is a definitive indie rock album of the 2000s not just because of its thoughtful, tuneful songs, but also because of the vivid portrait it paints of the indie culture. Chutes Too Narrow, the band’s sophomore album, demonstrates that the band could become far more personal and emotional with their tunes.

Wincing the Night Away is a mix of old Shins songs and tracks that take their sound in subtly different directions.

Examples. Although Oh, Inverted World was well produced as a whole, the one groundbreaking song that truly caught everyone’s attention is “New Slang.” The song

tempers a desire that turns into bitterness with a beautiful melody and a ghostly falsetto backing vocals. It’s ghastly yet weirdly wonderful. After all, Natalie Portman confidently claims that “this song will change your life” in her hit film “Garden State” in 2004.

The underrated song in the band’s second album that proved that the band was improving and exploring is “Mine’s not a High Horse.”

The chord progressions in this tune are not entirely original but surely unique; and James Mercer successfully turns the mixture of unlikely major chords into a solid individualistic tune. Lastly, the song in the third album that epitomizes the mixture of old and new sounds is “Sleeping Lessons.” The album’s opener contains familiar keyboard chimes and acoustic sounds and also layers of electronics and hardcore beats towards the end that

show us the band’s new approach to their sounds.

More appreciation and admiration will follow as we listen to The Shins as a whole. Though too many people claim that music is dead with all the superficial and sell-out mainstream musicians, such is not true. Good music is always out there because The Shins show us just that. We just need to dig deeper to discover them.

Tablets start new era of technological revolution

By Elizabeth Kim

Following its success with the iPhone, Apple released the iPad, a tablet computer. With the iPad’s arrival, Apple became the world’s biggest technology company.

In response, Samsung created the Galaxy Tab. Other m a nu f a c turers also are eager to produce

Photos by Linda Heeyoung Park

better tablets for the public. Now, they are popular for their convenient features.

In the beginning, however, Microsoft’s first tablet PC did not gain much popularity. The public quickly lost interest since it offered no unique functions.

On the other hand, Apple sold over 4.2 million iPads, which have finger-friendly touch-screens to browse the web and offer an unlimited selection of applications.

“At school, I usually use it for looking at documents,” said Christine Jung (11). “You can save paper.

During exam week, I used it to look at a review that was several pages long. At home, when I first got it, I didn’t use my laptop for a week.”

After other companies released

tablets packed with better functions, more students became interested in these tablets. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab also supports Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint and acts as a cell phone.

In addition, students are able to use the tablets for educational purposes. Galaxy Tab contains free educational videos. It also allows readers to easily purchase e-books, annotate them and adjust the text size.

“I think there are times we could use it especially when we’re doing research,” said Sandra Goldsborough, English teacher. “Being able to send students links for what we’re reading [would be useful]. There’s power in teaching students since this generation is inundated with information.”

Likewise, more tablet PCs will affect the public since experts pre-

dict that they soon will prove to be a useful device to the public.

“If you want to turn on the computer, it takes time,” said Jane Jun (10) I usually check my email with it. It’s easy to find something quickly. I also play games with it. I use it with my computer. So, I just like it the way it is.”

The new digital age mostly focuses on touch-screens and unique applications since the tablet’s release. Laptops now have additional features in an attempt to add on to the trend.

The school also took advantage of the new technological trend by incorporating new MacBooks in classrooms and adding Macs in the library that have new features in them.

“I think technology and education is an important topic,” said Ms. Goldsborough. “It’s about the upkeep of them [tablets]. It’s about training teachers in ways to successfully integrate technology. I think it could open up social networking to be a classroom tool. Tablets open up those possibilities.”

Say Ciao to Cafe Tiamo Waffle, Sandwich, Gelato, Espresso Caffe Tiamo Bokjeong Station Exit 2

Italian Gelato & Coffee

Seoul International School

sPORTS 10

January 2011

Cheerleaders strive to place in KAIAC tournament Sacrifice: Cheerleaders practice over winter break.

By Linda Heeyoung Park

Breaking away from the typical hagwon marathon of winter vacations, the junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders met three times at the gym and fitness center to practice and learn new moves. .

It was not the first time the cheerleaders met outside school. Vacation practices are arranged every year, and unofficially have become a tradition of the cheerleading teams.

The purpose of these practice sessions is the same every year: to keep the team in shape and to prepare for the KAIAC tournament.

“Since cheerleading season includes winter vacation, we were all going to be in danger if we didn’t practice over the break,” said Grace Song (9), JV cheerleader. “We may lose our flexibility and capability to work out, which gives us the muscles to lift flyers up and to be constantly stiff when cheering.”

Although practicing over winter break was essential, arranging meetings was not an easy task. It required

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Holding their pompoms, Rachel Nam (12), Clara Shim (12), and Danbi Kim (11) cheer for the Lady Tigers who played against the Seoul Foreign School Crusaders on Jan. 14. smooth communication and cooperation between teammates because every student had her own plans for

the break.

“Putting it together was a bit of a challenge to me,” said Jeein Jeon

(10), captain of the JV Cheerleading team. “[A] Few people were not there because of the UNICEF Cam-

bodia trip, and others could not attend due to family trips.”

During practices, team captains tried out different strategies to teach the new moves to cheerleaders. They took videos, coached members individually and reviewed their theme songs, “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love Again” by Usher and “Get Up” by Ciara, together.

“I taught the dance routine step by step to the members,” said Rachel Nam (12), varsity cheerleading captain. “We learn the steps first, try speeding it up, then try the dance with the music—the moves have to be really clean, so it can be very difficult when you have a lot of complicated moves along with a fast song.

We sent out a video of the cheer routine to members who weren’t there at the practice so that they learned them at home.”

All these efforts were taken for the teams’ ultimate goal: the KAIAC tournament that will be held on Feb. 2.

“Our goal this year is to place at the competition,” said Rachel. “We’ve been working out at every practice, and started earlier on our competition routine. We’re hoping this extra effort is going to help us achieve successful results in February.”

Winter sports provide thrill for students during break Ecstasy: Students enjoy the high going downhill.

By Joshua Kim

Biting winds and temperatures that went as low as negative 15 degrees Celsius did not stop students from enjoying their winter break by visiting various ski resorts in Korea.

“It was a great way for me to

relax right after exams,” said Jason Park (10). “I guess a lot of other people went to [Phoenix Park] as well; we met a lot of familiar faces during our trip.”

Skiing and snowboarding on the slopes of Phoenix Park and Yongpyong Ski Resort, two of the most prominent and popular ski resorts in Korea, were some common ways for students to burn away the stress accumulated during first semester and exam week.

Most of these resorts also provided alternative leisure activities for students to enjoy, such as karaoke and saunas.

“Usually my family likes to go [Yongpyong Ski Resort] every year,” said Hyun Jea Kim (11). “Skiing and snowboarding are not the only things to do in Yongpyong [Ski Resort]; one of my favorite things to do is hang out at their great bowling alley.”

The appeal of these winter

sports also includes the exhilaration that many students feel as they rush down slopes.

“One of my favorite slopes is the Rainbow Paradise Slope in Yongpyong,” said Sukyeon Won (12).

“It is one of the longest slopes, so I can enjoy the adrenalin of rushing downhill the most.”

However, colder weather and risk of injuries kept skiing and snowboarding at a minimum compared to other years. The dangers of

skiing and snowboarding, according to the Risk Assessment by the World Health Organization, include maladies such as hypoxia, broken joints, retinal irritation and brain trauma.

“I avoided going to Yongpyong [Ski Resort] with my friends because I wanted to stay injury-free,” said Bryan Cheun (9). “Because I play tennis so much, an injured wrist caused by catching [myself] from falling is not something I can really afford.”

Orange versus Blue: Lady Tigers play againsthe Falcons on Jan. 21

On Jan. 21, the Junior Varsity Girls Basketball team played against the Seoul American High School Falcons. They lost the game 26-4.

(Far left) Rushing towards the basket, Meg Kim (11) attempts to score a layup against her opponent.

(Left) Min Ji Kim (11) hesitates and looks for an open teammate to pass to.

(Above left) Performing a group split, the Junior Varsity Cheerleaders show their support for the Lady Tigers.

(Above right) Grace Song (9) performs a split in midair as a part of her cheer routine during the home game.

Photos by Joshua Kim

January 2011

11

sPORTS

Two seniors to continue swimming competitively in college Commitment: For seniors Aline Kim and Seraphina Kim, high school will not be the end of their swimming careers.

By Eunice Lee

It is uncommon for SIS athletes to continue competing in varsity sports after graduation; yet seniors Aline Kim and Seraphina Kim hope to commit to both competitive swimming and academics starting their freshman year in college.

Aline has already been accepted to Amherst College as a student swimmer this past December. Amherst College is a Division III school in the National College Athletics Association (NCAA). “[College swimming as part of the NCAA] is a new experience I’m really looking forward to,” said Aline.

“Because I have swum for so long, I curricular bonus. Sports alone did didn’t want to stop swimming after not get me in MIT because sports high school. Also, my brother [Al- are not big at MIT. Still, wherever I exander Kim, Class of ’09] really en- decide to go, MIT or not, I will conjoys playing tennis at Amherst Col- tinue to swim in college.” lege, so I hope swimming will bring Both Seraphina and Aline’s the same feeling of enjoyment.” dedication to swimming made them Meanwhile, stand out among Seraphina, who the applicant pool was accepted earof prospective stuly action to the dents this year. For Ma s s a c hu s e t t s example, Seraphina Institute of Techhas competed in nology (MIT), various swimming another Division competitions, the III school, was most notable being not accepted as a a tournament hosted definite student by one of Korea’s athlete. major broadcasting Aline Kim (12) will be swim“I was re- ming at Amherst College. companies, Munhwa cruited by some Broadcasting Center schools but I did not commit to any, (MBC). so I was not accepted as a student “I am not so sure that my swimathlete to the schools that accepted ming records and participation in me,” said Seraphina. “The schools tournaments were crucial to my acaccepted me based on my academ- ceptance to MIT, but I’m guessing ics, with swimming as just an extra- they made me unique from other

potential candidates,” said Seraphi- College’s admissions, but I applied na. “The MBC competition was also to schools based on their academics a trial for the Asian Games, and I as well,” she said. “In order for the placed [in the top ten] in the divi- coaches to support me, my grades sion for high school and college ath- had to be qualified. Swimming was letes.” not the only thing that got me in.”

The girls also swam with the US While both girls swim nearly Terrapins swim every day, they know team during the that swimming will summer. Accordbe even more deing to its homepmanding at college age, the Terrapins than it is now. Neverteam “offers a theless, Aline predicts c o mp r e h e n s i v e that college will be the program for novend of her swimming ice through Olymcareer. pic hopeful ath“I swim because letes.”

I really enjoy swimAline also Seraphina Kim (12) has been ming, and I’m ready stressed that her encouraged to swim at MIT. to train much harder academic records than I do now,” said had to be up to par with college stan- Aline. “I have a passion for the sport dards for Amherst College to offer and thus I’m more than excited to her a spot in its upcoming freshman swim in college. I look forward to class. the challenges of being a student “I was recruited and supported athlete. However, I think college will by the swimming coaches at Amerst be the last four years I swim.”

JV boys basketball team defeats strong opponents

By Jessica Song

Only six seconds left on the clock, Chris Lee (10) passes the ball to Gary Kim (9) who does a layup.

The audience start to holler as soon as the ball goes in the net, finishing the game 40-38 against Seoul Foreign School (SFS). With seven wins and three losses so far, the Junior Varsity (JV) boys’ basketball team has developed a stronger defense and offense. Compared to last year, when the team had two wins and thirteen losses, this year it won seven games in a row and defeated schools that it lost to the previous year.

Last year, the JV boys lost to schools such as Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS), Seoul American High School (SAHS) and SFS by a big margin. However, this year, the team beat those schools.

“The players in our team not only play basketball within the school, but [also] play a lot of club basketball which keeps them stay in shape when basketball season begins,” said Cory Willey, JV boys’ basketball coach. “Most importantly, the players in the team love to play basketball and the sophomores have

Photo by Jessica Song

Guarding his opponent, Shawn Kim (9) spreads his arms wide in an attempt to intercept the pass. The JV boys beat the previously undefeated SFS Crusaders 40-38. good leadership whereas, the freshmen have good work ethic and are very talented.”

As a team, it is difficult for the

YOUTHECA

JV boys to practice because of individual players’ commitments. Despite these conflicts, when the team works together, it plays better.

“I feel much better and feel proud of the fact that we have improved so much as a team,” said Gene Park (10), JV boys’ basketball

team player. “I learned that working as a team is very important when running the plays. There are different plays for opponents in different formations. We don’t have specific names of the plays but we just call them ‘one,’ ‘fist’ and ‘Viking.’”

In addition, the team has had optional basketball practices during winter break. They met on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from 2-3:30 p.m. in Tiger Gym 1.

The open gym was held for the players to stay in shape for the six upcoming games after break. During the first week back to school, the JV boys had four games against Osan American High School (OAHS), SFS and Korea International School (KIS). As a result, the team lost two games against OAHS but won the games against SFS and KIS. “The main reason we have been so successful is what we do during practice,” said Chris, JV boys basketball team co-captain. “We run so much and do so many suicides. We’re like machines during the games, not getting tired. This year we are playing more aggressively and we are not intimidated this year as much as we were last year.”

MB:미보한우 High Quality Korean Beef

A+ youth·e·ca / ′yüth-′e-ka′/ n. A gathering of inspired youth leaders to create a global network WWW.YOUTHECA.COM

등급 한우

Bokjeong station, Exit 2 Walk straight towards Seoul International School

Small Talk

JANUARY year’s new resolutions

12

january 2011

Photo of the Month

In celebration of beginning a new year, millions of people annually set out to jot down their goals of the 12 months ahead, only to quit after three days of admirable effort. Here are a few—the top fiveresolutions that many people promised themselves, probably surfaced on yours as well.

1. Set a record for how late I can stay up to start homework.

2. Eat as much junk food as possible and become a potato. A couch potato.

3. Empty the bank account I’ve been filling up for two years to buy a new iPod, and use it for one great, crazy day of shopping spree. Carpe diem!

4. Quit trying to quit smoking/biting nails/other annoying habits; I probably can’t do it anyway.

5. Lead a single life. Love is not for me.

Setting goals, may they be short-term or long-term, is efficient and motivating. No harm could possibly come from them. However, I find the tradition of writing New Year’s resolutions to be a bit silly and cliché. A “year” is a concept human beings have created, to mark Earth’s full revolution around the Sun, which means that we are celebrating Earth’s return to the a random spot in the universe. Scratch that; the Sun is actually moving as well, so we never really return to the same spot!

My point is, don’t write your 2011 New Year’s Resolution for the sake of doing so, and forget about it.

Put some serious thoughts down and some fun ones as well, stick it on your wall, and remind yourself. If you meet most of those goals, that’s great. On the other hand, if you only managed to keep one, go sit in a dark corner and be emo...

JUST KIDDING!

By: Lucia Minah Yang

Photo by Stephanie Song

At the Tteukslai school, Benjamin Paulson, UNICEF adviser, watches the students play the traditional Cambodian version of the game “Steal the Bacon.”

Waffle, Sandwich, Gela

to, Espresso

Caffe Tiamo Bokjeong Station Exit 2

Seoul International School