Tiger Times Volume 45 Issue 7

Charity Party:

New organization, STEH&LO, hosts fundraiser. Page 5

Perserverance:

Cheerleaders compete despite difficulties. Page 11

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

Tiger Times volume X X X XV

issue 7

F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 4

ttonl.org

Habitat for Humanity holds student-led fashion show CSC auction

raises money for homeless

By Claire Yun

By Jungho Daniel Choi

Throughout the first few weeks of February, students saw members of the National Arts Honor Society and other volunteers designing their own apparel, including shirts, dresses, skirts and crop tops. On Valentine’s Day, students, teachers and staff members went to the auditorium during activity period, where these hand-made clothes were displayed in the third annual fashion show, hosted by Habitat for Humanity (HFH).

“We host the fashion show because we feel that it is important for us to have a big project every year that allows us to raise money for Hwahweh Maeul, a village near our school in Bokjeong,” said Caroline Kim (12), HFH president. “We use money that we raised from our fashion show to help the people in Hwahweh Maeul in many different ways. We go to Hwahweh Maeul on Fridays after school. We usually massage them, talk to them, dance and sing for them to [entertain them].”

The show began with a performance by the Dance Club to the song “Partition” by Beyoncé. Then, there was a catwalk which was followed by an auction of bracelets, in which both staff and students paid bids ranging from 30,000 to 150,000 won to purchase them. As the only

Photo by Yeni Cho

While other models were busily changing into their outfits and making final touches to their makeup backstage, Jenny Lee (9) and Ellis Kim (10) applied a glitter body balm to prepare for their catwalk. male model and also the final model to walk in the fashion show, Dong Gi Park (12), taking off part of his shirt, received much of the spotlight.

“I did not know that I was the only male model until the day right before the fashion show,” Dong Gi said. “The incentive that first attracted me to try modeling for the show was [Shanna] Hurt’s offer of a revision in my AP Economics test.

It will surely be a memory to look back at, so I decided to take [my participation] as a good opportunity

to challenge myself and overcome one of my greatest fears, stage fright.

Looking back, I wished I had more time to physically prepare for the event, but I have few regrets and I’m glad to have tried it.”

According to Caroline, the show generally went very smoothly with several setbacks. In order to continue raising money for the local inhabitants in Hwahweh Maeul, HFH plans to continue their yearly tradition of holding a fashion show even after this year.

“Making the clothes was definitely hard work, and I hate to budget my time to finish the clothes on time,” said Kate Moon (11), “This year, [the other designers] and I had a hard time managing time. Both designing and creating the clothes took longer than we thought it would take, and we also learned that we should start long behorehand the actual show. Overall, it gave me a headache but at the end it was all worth it. I want to pitch in as a designer next year too.”

SIS hosts third annual National History Day in Korea

By Celine Hwang

From the effects of yellow journalism to the Red Scare, various topics relating to the theme of “Rights and Responsibilities in History” were presented on Feb. 22. For the third annual National History Day (NHD) in Korea, students from SIS and nine other international schools gathered at SIS to showcase their projects. Like last year, high school students who placed first and second in their respective divisions will be given the opportunity to compete in NHD in Washington, D.C. In addition to the competition, author Suzanne Crowder Han engaged in an interactive session during which she spoke about her experiences in Korea and answered questions from audience members. “[From my speech], I hope that students can learn to have an open mind and positive attitude,” Ms. Han said. “Sometimes you have to

Photo by Kelly Kim

Jennifer Huh (10) and Yeonjae Han (11) present a performance about Japanese biological experimentation during World War II on Feb. 22. be somewhat opportunistic because random events can lead to a lifelong journey. Although I did not choose to come to Korea, I was fascinated by its customs, tradition and art.”

This year, SIS students won awards in almost all categories, with Sara Shin (11) and Lauren Jung (11) placing first and second respectively for individual website and sopho-

mores Patricia Song and Christine Seo placing second for group website. For the individual performance, Eugene Yang (11) won first place while Sydney Ko (12), Gina Lee (10) and Togo Tamura (11) won second for group performance. Bason Park (11) placed second for individual research paper, Kathleen Joo (11) won first for individual documentary and

sophomores Chloe Choi, Jenna Kim and Kevin Shim won first for group documentary.

“This was my third year participating in NHD and I decided to take a unique approach,” Sydney Ko (12) said. “My group focused on whether or not Alfred Nobel had the right to create something violent and whether or not it was his responsibility to repair the damages he caused. We involved the audience in our performance by simulating a game show.”

Although this is the last year Tony and Shanna Hurt will be organizing and hosting NHD at SIS, SIS students will be given the opportunity to participate in NHD at another international school next year.

“In the future, I would like to see more quality over quantity in NHD projects,” Mr. Hurt said. “This is an opportunity for students to work on a history-related project because they love [the subject] and are passionate about it. Hopefully, NHD will help to develop a lifelong interest in history.”

A winning bid of 200,000 won was made by Jaehoon Choi (9), immediately before Tony Hurt, auctioneer, declared the prize of a film with snacks sold. On Feb. 5, Community Service Club (CSC) held its first teacher task auction to raise money for the homeless in Seoul. At the auction, teachers offered prizes that students bartered for. Proceeds not only went to directly helping the homeless, but also to a homeless shelter called Anna’s House.

Prizes included food items such as a Texan lunch offered by Shanna Hurt, history teacher. Other teachers also offered services for students.

Sean Syverson, English teacher, volunteered to hold a film viewing session, while Cheryl Lambie, art teacher, offered her design services.

In total, CSC raised about 1,345,000 won from the auction. “[Jarret] Lambie, [high school principal] asked clubs to implement more innovative fundraisers besides bake sales,” said Erin Hogshead, CSC adviser. “We remembered that the HSSC used to do teacher auctions in the past, so we decided to do one.”

With Mr. Hurt and Ms. Hurt moderating the auction, students bid for the 16 prizes offered.

“Initially, my friends came over and told me that they’d pay a small portion of [the price], so I started bidding,” Jaehoon said. “I now regret it, because I ended up paying the large bid alone, even though my friends said that they’d help pay.”

According to Ms. Hogshead, CSC members have already gone to Seoul Station to hand out scarves and kimbab for the homeless that were living there. CSC also will be trying to help Anna’s House, a homeless shelter that was chosen for its accessibility and because it was the one of the few shelters that gave out dinner to the homeless.

“While walking around Seoul subway stations, I would always see homeless people being ignored,” said Tina Shin (12), CSC co-president. “Rather than focusing on relief work outside of Korea, I thought it would be more beneficial to the community if we could focus on our immediate surroundings.”

CSC plans to organize another teacher auction next year, as they were able to raise money without undergoing any financial losses.

VIEWPOINT 2

FEBRURARY 2014

J&J Catering deserves praise for efforts to provide quality service

Editorial

Structural, curricular changes needed to combat senioritis Senioritis is characterized by a decline in motivation to perform or work hard in school once college applications are finished. At SIS in particular, seniors are known to skip many days of school, experience a sharp decline in grades and sleep through major exams. Such extreme behaviors, however, do not occur due to each student’s declining academic dedication, but rather due to a lack of respect, something completely unrelated to senioritis. In fact, it is natural for seniors to slack off to a certain degree, since they have completed what seems to be the primary purpose of SIS—sending students to college.

SIS is a college preparatory school where students are equipped for a college level learning experience. Much emphasis is placed on achieving high scores on standardized tests for college, namely AP exams and the SATs. As a result, the culture of SIS is one in which students burden themselves with challenging courses and extracurricular activities. Once the incentive of getting into college is gone, seniors in general are no lon-

ger driven to work as hard in the things they previously invested.

People are motivated primarily by incentives. Thus, seniors lose motivation to work hard during second semester, since one of the primary goals of high school has been accomplished. Senioritis also stems from the burnout seniors experience from working hard for the past three years of high school.

The massive workload of college applications, school assignments, clubs, etc. can be overwhelming; it is no surprise, then, that the level of effort from seniors declines in the second semester.

Furthermore, students at SIS are often criticized for overburdening themselves with school and hagwons. Yet, once seniors start to pursue passions and interests during second semester instead of focusing solely on academics, they are unfairly criticized as having senioritis. Granted, it is unacceptable for seniors to blatantly ignore their responsibilities at school— seniors should not feel entitled to sleep through AP exams or skip multiple days of school. However, it is also contradictory to criti-

cize seniors for not putting all of their eggs in one basket, once they choose to explore their different passions and hobbies with their new spare time.

Instead of attempting to forcibly change the mindset of seniors, the administration should look to implement projects that will give seniors reasons to fully participate in the final semester. For example, some US schools require seniors to complete projects which they are interested in. Handing down leadership responsibilities to juniors and fellow underclassmen at an earlier time is also a potential solution to growing senior disengagement. Thus, it is understandable that seniors do not give their best effort following their first semester; all people, without incentives, lose motivation to work hard at something they feel is no longer as important.

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

By Heejin E. Hong

Pleasing students, especially their palettes, is a difficult task. Students have been quick to criticize J&J Catering, the school’s catering service, for its redundancy and taste.

Yet, those denouncing J&J have not noticed its improvements over the recent years. The catering service now provides quality food and service, and should be recognized for its development.

J&J Catering is well aware of the importance of satisfying its customers and uses diverse methods to reach out to students. It frequently utilizes surveys to receive feedback regarding menu variety, food quality and service. Furthermore, the organization has introduced foretaste sessions to showcase small samples of prospective recipes to students.

Furthermore, in recent years, J&J has introduced various cuisines.

Fitting to the environment of an international school, J&J has held special days such as World Food Day and days dedicated to particular countries, using food to help students experience various cultures.

The service also campaigned healthy eating through its informative pamphlets, the introduction of the salad bar and the In-Body check, an event held a few years ago for students to identify their body composition to receive workout advice.

Contrary to students’ vocal disapproval of repetitive menus and ingredients, J&J actually provides a wide variety of dishes. During the week of Feb. 10-14, the Korean menu served pork, chicken, beef, seafood and fish—not repeating a single protein ingredient throughout the entire week. In addition, J&J Catering has recently attempted bold endeavors to further expand students’ food options. The deli, for example, introduced an assortment of baked goods such as macarons, cupcakes and cheesecakes in addition to its typical drinks and snacks.

Unfortunately, many students find fault with J&J’s service without considering its significant development. J&J Catering has diversified its menu and events, and has more frequently requested feedback. As it has continued to cater to students’ needs over the last few years, more improvements can be anticipated from J&J.

Greater emphasis on cultural experience required to enhance international trips

By Nagyon Kim

Though cultural experiences are integral in a student’s learning process, international trips are often the only way for SIS students to experience a foreign culture, along with participating in other activities they are passionate about. Many clubs and other school-affiliated organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity (HFH), Model United Nations (MUN) and various sports teams, travel to other nations to compete in different tournaments and competitions. In order to provide students with valuable firsthand experience of diverse cultures, the school should lengthen the duration of these international trips.

In particular, international trips to Japan for Association of International Schools in Asia (AISA) tournaments have not given students sufficient time to engage in cultural activities. These trips are usually only four days long and are jam-packed with activities and competitions, leaving students with only a few hours to explore the foreign culture. According to Ellis Kim (10), a varsity swimmer who travelled to Osaka last year for the AISA Editors-in-Chief Jiho Peter Kim Mark Kim Jr. Managing Editor Min Ji Suh Production Editor Dasoo Milton Yoon Graphics Editor Christine Lee Website Editor Darin Son

Copy Editors Celine Hwang Daniel Kim Sara Shin (Web) Helen Song Photographers Yeni Cho Hollis Hwang Kelly Kim Advertisement Amelie Koo (Man.) Claire Yun (Rep.)

swim meet, the only time the varsity swimmers were able to come in contact with the culture was during their short trips to the Japanese local convenience stores. Ellis further mentioned that she had expected cultural tours to be a part of the trip, but was disappointed that they came straight back home after the competitions were over. At these AISA tournaments, students do not have time for a free day to explore because they spend most of their time competing before coming back home.

Fortunately, it seems that the administration is trying to resolve this issue. The 21 students who recently travelled to Boston for the annual Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) conference were given one day to explore Boston the day after the flight. On that day, MUN advisers Courtney Caldwell and Ronald Slachta took students on a brief tour around Boston, where they explored various historical sites on a tour bus.

However, for this particular trip, the administration did not realize that one day is simply not enough for students to be able to take part in a cultural experience especially because they may be jet lagged after a long flight. Due to these factors, students came back from the Reporters Jean Cho Jungho Daniel Choi Nagyon Kim Sarah Y. Kim Christine Seo Website Reporters Heejin E. Hong Christine Jeong Hareem Kim Michael Kim Rosie Dahyeon Kim

trip without having explored the historical roots of Boston. Although it is good to see the administration consider students’ perspective, the administration must consider further lengthening the duration of the trips, especially if it is a longdistance trip. In the case of Boston, a city with deep historic and cultural roots, the touring days should have been more than one day.

According to Ivan Atanaskovic, Activities & Athletics Administrator, although the administration wants to give students time to tour, it is difficult to extend international trips due to time constraints. For AISA trips in particular, due to the strict schedule of sporting conferences, students naturally cannot participate in many cultural activities. Still, although it is understandable that the administration’s objective is to have students miss as little school as possible, learning about different cultures must also be considered an important aspect of the travelling experience. Therefore, the school must understand that students will be learning things that they cannot learn in the classroom. Only when the administration lengthen the trips for cultural experience can they say they are educating their students to be global citizens.

Cartoonist Yeaji Park Layout Artists Jaewon Choi Eunie Jang Bason Park Patricia Song Yeena Yoon Adviser Mr. David Coleman

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

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.

FEBRUARY 2014

Loopholes in attendance policy encourage illegitimate absence

By Rosie Dahyeon Kim

By Christine Seo

The former attendance policy used until two years ago focused on preventing students from skipping school for any reason, ensuring that no one would get away with absences for unacceptable purposes. The current policy permits students to miss seven days and still receive full credit for a course, which opens up opportunities for students to excuse their absences with false reasons.

The problem with the current policy is that it has too many loopholes, which allows parents to excuse their children with invalid reasons. Because a doctor’s note is only required after three consecutive absences, parents can call in and excuse their child with false reasons. Theoretically, a guideline for the number of classes that can be missed is beneficial. However, practically speaking, the limit can actually encourage students to fill up that limit because they know that official proof for an excused absence is not required as long as a parent calls in.

Not only can students skip school, they can have unfair advantages by receiving an extra day to work on projects or study for tests.

Two years back, a missed assesment due to an absence would automatically mean a lower grade. However, students with a call from a parent or a doctor’s note can now make up exams without point deductions.

When SAT exam days approach, some students can also skip school to cram for their exams, taking away from valuable in-class experience and partcipation. The Student Handbook states that there is a no substitute for direct instruction. In nature, the attendance policy attempts to emphasize the importance of class experience. However, students are actually using the loopholes to get out of class, which goes against the initial intentions of the policy.

In order to fix the policy’s loopholes, it should address the problem of excusing students without valid reasons for absences. By tightening the policy, there will be a clear distinction between those who merely aim to get out of class and those who legitimately should be excused.

IS THE ATTENDANCE POLICY’S FLEXIBILITY BENEFICIAL

YES Tiger Times investigates the ATTENDANCE POLICY’S FLEXIBILITY

VIEWPOINT

Attendance policy flexible while supporting class participation

NO

VS.

3

Before the implementation of the current attendance policy two years ago, the administration prohibited any student from being absent without specific permission.

The rigidity of this policy resulted in frequent phone calls from students and parents asking if they could be excused for funerals, weddings and other occasions. In order to prevent such incidents, the administration implemented a new attendance policy, allowing students to have seven A day and B day absences excluding school function events such as KAIAC competitions or Association of International Schools in Asia tournaments. This increased amount of flexibility enables more independent decision-making while prompting students to take the importance of school attendance into account.

According to the SIS Handbook, students must be present in 85 percent of all classes. Because this policy is relatively lenient, it gives students the ability to make decisions about international trips and competitions. Learning to prioritize certain activities is crucial for students to become independent thinkers. In addition, students who want to attend international competitions not supported by the school, such as The Hague International Model United Nations, now have the ability to do so without being penalized for their decisions. The current attendance policy clearly supports academic and cultural experiences outside of school, allowing for more diverse educational opportunities.

Although the attendance policy gives students more choices regarding international trips, it still ensures an academically rigorous environment. According to Jarret Lambie, high school principal, the purpose of school is not to place an extensive emphasis on tests, but to emphasize the importance of collaborative efforts and an open-minded approach to classroom activities. This makes sense considering that classes such as literature and history encourage students to share ideas with their classmates in a more discussionbased classroom environment. In addition, math classes now fully rely on the College Preparatory Mathematics curriculum, which takes students through step-by-step procedures with their group.

Understanding this, the administration requires students to attend the majority of their classes. Students who simply make up missed assignments are able to receive basic content from other students and their teachers but often miss out on class discussions and hands-on learning.

The current policy sets a bar so that students are present for those classes. It is impossible to ensure that all students have perfect attendance, but the policy encourages students to be present in enough classes to secure the appropriate amount of content required from each class.

By discouraging absences while simultaneously giving students the flexibility to set different plans, the current attendance policy sets the middle ground for students. Students can now participate more freely in extracurricular activities while engaging actively in classroom activities.

Moodle breakdown demonstrates necessity for better communication

By Jean Cho

Ever since the one-to-one Macbook Initiative was implemented two years ago, the student body has become accustomed to using Moodle, an online resource that teachers use to upload classroom materials.

However, students were unexpectedly cut off from accessing assignments when the website went under maintenance for three school days, from Jan. 24 to Feb. 3. In order to prevent such inconveniences, more efficient communication between the IT office and the student body is necessary.

According to Marilou Pagarigan, Technology Integration Specialist, Moodle was put on maintenance mode intentionally after middle and high school teachers reported that the site was not working. The server had been updated to a newer version on Jan. 22, but in the process, information on the website had not been copied correctly from the original version. As a result, Moodle stopped working on the next day. In addition to the incorrect copying of codes, the server had been overused due to it being shared by three of SIS’s websites: Ti-

ger Times Online, Moodle and the SIS homepage.

Students and teachers should be prepared to deal with temporary technical difficulties because Internet sites have the potential to malfunction on occasion. However, a shutdown without any warning can hinder the progress of classes, especially if teachers rely heavily on

Moodle to inform students about various assignments. During Moodle’s recent shutdown, both the students and teachers were hesitant to take immediate action because they assumed that the problems with the website would be resolved within a couple of days like any other technical difficulty. Since they had not received a message explicitly stat-

ing that Moodle would be down for a specific number of days, many shrugged off their inability to access the website as a temporary problem aand simply waited for it to come back up. But Moodle had been put on maintenance mode for a longer time than expected, which inevitably resulted in a loss in classroom productivity.

Moreover, although students were told that the site would be back up by 7 p.m. on Feb. 2, Moodle did not work until a day after the promised date. According to Paul Kang, IT Coordinator, due to the lunar holiday, the hosting service had taken a longer time than expected to fix the server. Furthermore, the delay during the holiday season made it impossible for students who were away in Boston for the Harvard Model United Nations conference to catch up on their schoolwork during and after their trip. Not only were students and teachers not notified that Moodle would be unavailable for an uncertain number of days, but they were once again not informed about the delay. For classes such as AP courses that have a great amount of content to cover in a limited time period, such hindrances can cause a delay in the entire outline of the course.

A simple message through the Daily Bulletin or the SIS homepage could have prevented a great amount of confusion. Because students and teachers have become greatly dependent on Moodle ever since the Macbook Initiatwive, faster and more intentional communication is necessary to avoid mass rescheduling and other inconveniences.

NEWS 4 NEWS BRIEFS Ambassadors performs Valentine’s Day songs

Photo by Kelly Kim

Debora Kim (10), Jiwon Yoon (11) and Eunice Kang (11) sing as a trio in the Valetine’s concert.

The Ambassadors choral group held a Valentine’s Day concert led by Dennis Darling, choral director, on Feb. 13 in the atrium during activity period. The choir sang five songs that ranged from the 1600s to modern pop tunes.

A female trio consisting of Jiwon Yoon (11), Eunice Kang (11) and Debora Kim (10) performed “A Moment Like This” by Kelly Clarkson.

“I was excited and nervous to perform in front of everyone at the concert,” Debora said. “I thought that the harmony was nice to listen to, and it was a great opportunity for the choir to set up a trend of choral groups performing songs that they might sing during the actual Spring Concert.”

Debaters compete at Forensics tournament held at GSIS

Several SIS students took part in the KAIAC Forensics tournament held at Gyeonggi-Suwon International School on Feb. 7-8, bringing back prizes from various speech and debate events. Daniel Choi (10) placed third in extemporaneous speaking, while Angela Yoon (10) and Rosie Kim (10) placed second and third respectively in impromptu; Gina Lee (10) placed second in prose, and Jiwhan Moon (9) was a finalist for the Lincoln-Douglas event.

“I felt satisfied with my performance, but I believe I can improve my speaking style and organization,” Angela said. “Moreover, this tournament was just like every other tournament we did throughout the season, so I was comfortable with the procedures and it was another good experience for me.”

Avian Influenza spreads in South Korea The avian influenza was first detected on Jan. 13 in Korea. The country imposed a lock down on poultry farms, prohibiting poultry farmers from traveling. The Agriculture Ministry confirmed that the virus was the cause of the recent deaths of several birds, and that the flu is spreading across the nation, closing down farms and hurting poultry businesses.

“There has already been one middle school student diagnosed with the influenza,” said Soonja Cho, school nurse. “The school has already sent out notifications to the parents, and we are taking further measures by sending out more of these emails warning parents and students about symptoms of the flu and how to treat it.”

By Yeaji Park

FEBRUARY 2014

Students travel to Boston for HMUN conference

By Michael Kim

Traveling halfway around the world on a 16-hour flight, 21 Model United Nation (MUN) members participated in the 61st Harvard MUN (HMUN) conference held in Boston, Massachusetts from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3. This was the first time MUN members participated in the HMUN conference, which is the second largest international MUN conference.

The conference took place at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, where all participants were housed. The hotel was adjacent to the nearby Prudential Center, which gave students access to restaurants and shopping opportunities.

Along with 216 schools and over 3,000 students, HMUN was a new experience, even for veteran members. The conference followed UN parliamentary procedure, which differed from the debate procedure at Seoul MUN (SEOMUN). Nevertheless, Jaewon Choi (11) received the best delegate award in his committee during the awards ceremony.

“Many of us didn’t understand that it was so important to be vigorous in negotiation and very active

Photo courtesy of HMUN Press Corps

Representing Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufou at the Ad Hoc Summit of the Economic Community of West African States, Christine Kim (12) listens attentively to the arguments of other delegates at HMUN. with interacting with other delegates,” said Kevin Kwon (10), delegate of the Narcotic Drugs Committee. “I later found out that some people stayed up until 3 a.m. brokering deals.”

In addition to adjusting to a new debate procedure, students also explored foreign cultures as students from over 36 countries attended the conference. As well as learning

about other cultures through interaction with other delegates, students took the Old Town Trolley-tour of the historical sites in Boston including the Old State House museum, Historic North End, Copley Square, Fenway Park, Beacon Hill and Boston TD Garden.

“The cultural experience and the shopping spiced up the trip,” said Jihoon Yang (10), delegate of the

Special Political and Decolonization Committee. “The conference itself, however, was frustrating due to the unfamiliar procedures of HMUN.” HMUN also gave MUN members a clear view of the difficulties involved with preparing and hosting a seamless MUN conference. SIS will host the 17th SEOMUN conference in 2015, following the 16th conference at Seoul Foreign School.

Science department to modify Moodle shuts down for week curriculum, course standards due to complications with PHP

By Jungho Daniel Choi

The science department will be implementing changes in courses next year. Non-AP science classes will use a new set of standards, called Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that not only encourage an interdisciplinary teaching of science, but also emphasize inquiry over memorization.

According to Jarret Lambie, high school principal, the NGSS standards will allow students to apply their knowledge. Current high school students will use the old standards until they graduate; while new students will take science courses using the NGSS standards.

“We will still have biology, physics and chemistry [classes],” said Peter Kahl, Administrator for Instructional Services. “But what’s taught in those classes will change, because the focus is going to shift.

Students probably won’t even notice, but the way that teachers present the material will be different.”

According to Erik Anderson, science teacher, the current integrated science course moves too rapidly.

These new standards will allow for a more intense coverage of inter-

Lash Perm

disciplinary science over two years.

Freshmen will take a course called “Biology and Ecology,” and sophomores can choose between “Chemistry and Physics” or “Environmental Science.” AP science courses can be taken starting junior year, if prerequisite courses have been completed.

“Students will be experimenting first, and then having class discussions,” Mr. Anderson said. “These new standards and courses will allow me to ensure that students can prove that they understand concepts, because there’s more time to delve into concepts.”

In addition, the College Board has divided the AP Physics B course into two separate courses called AP Physics 1 and 2. Students will not be required to take an introductory physics course, allowing for more student discovery in class.

“The AP Physics course has been a nightmare for decades now,” said Brian Mellon, physics teacher.

“The College Board didn’t want colleges to have a problem with what the course was teaching, so they tried to fit everything into a oneyear course. It was like sticking your mouth wide open, and getting a fire hose full of physics shot into you.

Essentially, what they’re doing is that they’re fixing the course.”

All shoc cara

Volume Curling Long Lash Waterproof

By Sarah Y. Kim

Students were unable to access Moodle from Jan. 24 to Feb. 3 due to an unexpected database shutdown that the information technology department was unable to control. It was the second prolonged Moodle shutdown that occurred this school year, the first one having taken place in the beginning of the school year.

According to Paul Kang, Information Technology Coordinator, Moodle’s server was recently updated to a smaller, newer Virtual Private Server (VPS) version, due to the technological difficulties that a larger, more populated server presented.

“On a server shared by so many people, there is only a certain number of resources you can use up,” Mr. Kang said. “Moodle uses up a lot resources, and if the website uses more than the portion of resources we bought, the site shuts down. That way, the server isn’t taken advantage of.”

The new server, however, presented other difficulties. Moodle requires PHP, a server-side scripting language used for web development, and the PHP Moodle required was

not provided by the VPS. “There are a lot of variations [of PHP],” Mr. Kang said. “The server has newer versions of everything, and the new server only had PHP 5.5. Moodle has to use PHP 5.2, and that’s why the website went down.

The problem was out of our control because only the server’s hosting company can change the PHP.” While some students took advantage of the shutdown as an excuse to not complete homework, those who went to international events such as the Harvard Model United Nations conference struggled to access their assignments and classwork.

“Most of my teachers rely on Moodle [to distribute] digital copies of missed work and material,” said Jeffrey Park (9), a MUN member. “I had to ask other friends who were actually in class while I was gone for assignments so that I could get the missed work and catch up. That was really frustrating.”

Despite the shutdowns, the high school will continue to use Moodle next year as its main online learning management system.

“Moodle is free,” Mr. Kang said.

“Everything else we want costs about 6,000 dollars a year. Any system can go down, not just Moodle.”

FEBRUARY 2014

5

NEWS

Middle school teacher opens Interscholar charity club hosts first benefit party institute for Korean adults

By Patricia Song

By Sara Shin

Determined to increase awareness about global issues while teaching English, Brian Devine, middle school English teacher, has chosen to leave SIS at the end of this school year and help his wife, Su Jin Jung, manage their English-teaching institute called One World English Institute. The institute aims to help adults working at large Korean corporations improve their English through classes including Business English.

With an office based in Pangyo, Mr. Devine has been preparing the institute for its February opening.

“Being able to call my own shots and make my own decisions based on what I think is most valuable is something that I have always wanted to do,” Mr. Devine said.

His motivation to be independent led him to decide to work at One World English Institute. Although the overall goal of this institute is to help adults brush up on their English, in the long run Mr. Devine hopes to teach Korean adults more about global environmental issues. By making discussions about world issues a key part of advanced classes, such as the Global Topic Discussion class, Mr. Devine hopes to spread his passion for community

service to others.

“My eventual hope is to spread awareness about shared humanity, sustainable architecture and environmentalism,” Mr. Devine said.

“For example, we are working with employees at General Electric, a company that build appliances; if we teach them about sustainable architecture and energy, hopefully they will start to apply those ideas to the objects they are creating.”

Attempting to promote such community service values throughout the student body, Mr. Devine advised the middle school and high school Global Issues Network (GIN) and initiated a variety of classroom activities such as drama productions and a media unit. However, with Mr. Devine leaving SIS to focus on his business, responsibilities for clubs and activities he introduced to the school will be passed on to new teachers and advisors. GIN, for example, will be advised by Cherly Renwick, middle school science teacher. “[The Devines] are my neighbors and I know that they have worked very hard on [the institute] for a long time,” said Amy Thompson, counselor. “I’m so glad that they finally have the opportunity to make their dream come true. I wish them all the luck in the world that they succeed in the future. Mr. Devine will be sorely missed next year.”

Consisting of students from various international schools in Korea, Sending Them Every Hope & Light Organization (STEH&LO) is a unique organization that promotes basic needs and sanitation for North Korean children. Students from different schools have come together under STEH&LO in order to raise funds to purchase and donate vaccinations fo children in North Korea.

Hannah Kang (11), GyeongiSuwon International School student, founded the organization with the purpose to donate these medical supplies in 2015. To raise awareness about STEH&LO’s cause, Hannah decided to organize a benefit party on Feb. 14 at the JBK Convention Hall, which approximately 110 students attended.

“I wanted all of the voices of international school students to join and form this organization called STEH&LO,” Hannah said.

“The message that we want to send is that the many things that we, international school students, take for granted, especially basic medical treatment, are not available to most young North Koreans. We are focusing on solving the two most common causes of death of children under the age of five, diarrhea and the common cold, by donating vaccinations to UNICEF, which is one of the only organizations allowed by

New computer software Naviance to enhance counseling program at SIS

By Christine Seo

Starting from the upcoming 2014-2015 school year, teachers, students and parents will be able to communicate and obtain information through the computer program, Naviance. A two-year roll out system will be used, meaning that the program will first be implemented in the middle school and ninth grade next year. The second year, tenth graders will also use Naviance, and by the third year, all grades from six to 12 will be utilizing the site.

Naviance will change the current career-counseling site and the college-counseling program by switching from Career Cruising to an included program in Naviance, which will help determine potential careers for students. The collegecounseling program in the site includes a Learning Style Inventory, where students will be able to determine their learning techniques, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

“When you learn what your learning style is, you can determine where your potential weakness are and focus on developing them,” said Gray Macklin, middle school counselor and site manager. “Naviance will change how counselors and teachers relate to students because the teachers will be able to directly communicate with students. They

Sources: Naviance.com, Prepme, LikeLive, x2Vol

graphic by Bason Park and HOllis Hwang

Career assessments for students to discover interests and career options Personalized learning solution to focus on PSAT, SAT, ACT scores

NAVIANCE

101

Research colleges and explore scholarship opportunities will give them accurate and personal input about things they need to be aware of, so that they can get the most of out of their time and effort.”

The site also lets students keep a running record of their resumes throughout their high school career.

Through it, students can send teacher recommendations, transcripts and Common Application information directly to colleges. To help with communication between colleges and students, Naviance is currently working on a more efficient integration with PowerSchool.

“I first had my doubts about Naviance because I didn’t see the need

Set personalized learning goals plan and create to-do lists online

Custom reports for staff on learning styles, future goals and career choices to overhaul the current system,” Yoon Lee (10) said. “However, since Naviance is such a widely used program in many American, as well as other international, schools, it seems like a dependable program, which is why I don’t see the reasoning behind the two-year roll out program. Making sure that the program fits our school’s needs for one year seems reasonable, but designating three years for full integration seems a bit over the top.”

The professional development of Naviance will begin in March, and the site will be available for use at the beginning of the next school year.

Photo by Yeni Cho

Taking a short break after dancing on stage, Maggie Goodfellow (11) and Eugene Yang (11) converse in the back of the JBK Convention Hall. the North Korean government that can directly give vaccinations shots to the citizens.”

As the SIS representative, Sora Park (11), promoted the event to SIS students by sharing online videos and advertisements on social networking sites. She also sold entrance tickets to the benefit party beforehand to students at school.

“The first annual benefit party serves as an introduction to explain the organization’s cause, as well as a social event for international school students to gather in one place to more deeply understand the problems in North Korea,” Sora said.

“One of the ways the organization tried to attract more attention was by hosting the event on Valentine’s Day, when many ‘solos’ have noth-

ing to do.”

Since STEH&LO was established during the summer of 2013, Hannah has been raising more awareness for the organization’s cause and working to increase student participation.

“We plan to keep the representatives of other schools active by hosting more benefit parties, concerts and events in the future,” Hannah said. “Because the organization is not school sponsored, unlike other organizations, we only have an online-based advertisement system. Through events like the first benefit party, we hope to gain more interest from students and expand our organization to more international schools that are not currently involved.”

ZEITGEIST Ukrainian protests successfully change government Despite reaching a deal with opposition leaders on Feb. 21, President Viktor Yanukovych fled the capital only hours later. In response, the Ukrainian Parliament voted on Feb. 22 to remove him from office and hold elections on May 25. The Parliament also released former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, an arch-rival of President Yanukovych, from jail, fulfilling protestor’s demands.

Denouncing these actions as a coup, former President Yanukovych later appeared on television to announce that he had not resigned. Such continued instability suggests that the ideological differences between Eastern and Western Ukraine remain. According to the BBC, Eastern Ukrainians support greater economic integration with Russia while Western Ukrainians oppose such policies.

“There seems to be a huge fear among activists from Western Ukraine of being too tight-knit with Russia due to the historical legacy of the Soviet Union,” said Courtney Caldwell, English teacher who has a friend who currently lives in Ukraine. “As a result, they would rather see Ukraine become more integrated with the [EU] [in order to] gain access to long-term economic opportunities.”

In response, Russia an-

nounced that it would delay its promised $15 billion aid package until a new government is formed.

According to Ms. Caldwell, such a decision shows that Russian officials are uncertain whether the new government will pursue proRussian policies.

“Russia was willing to cultivate stronger ties with Ukraine through aid because the provision of assistance comes with the expectation of loyalty,” Ms. Caldwell said. “However, Russian officials want to wait and see if there is greater economic integration with the EU before delivering the aid.”

This prolonged standoff has been particularly damaging to economy, with the value of the hryvnia, Ukraine’s currency, declining to a five-year low on Feb. 19. According to Dustin Yoon (11), a Government and Politics student, the new government would probably prioritize restoring peace in order to bring stability to the economy.

“I have learned that protests often lead to uncertainty in the markets because investors dislike investing in politically unstable countries,” Dustin said. “The new government has to satisfy both the pro-Western and pro-Russian faction to avoid a continuation of unrest.

By Jaewon Choi

THE ESSENCE OF M

MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN FACE SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION

By Amelie Koo With a two-percent increase in marriage-based immigrants every year, Korea is steadily transforming into a multicultural country. According to a survey conducted by the DongA Times, approximately 74.7 percent of Koreans view their country as a multicultural nation. Despite such progress, immigrants and their multiracial children still face various hardships living in Korea due to problems concerning language, education and financial stability.

“Although I attend an international school, I have not had many chances to see multiracial children,” Elizabeth Huh (11) said. “I have heard that the foreign and multiracial population has been increasing steadily, but since I have not met them face to face, it is hard for me to abandon existing stereotypes.”

As of 2013, the number of interracial teenagers attending public schools in Korea increased six times compared to that of 2006. Despite such an increase, the general Korean public has been tentative about accepting these individuals as Korean.

According to a 2013 survey by the National Statistics Office, about 13.8 percent of multiracial children said they had faced discrimination from their peers, teachers, strangers and neighbors. As a result, many of these children have been reluctant to pursue their educations beyond high school in Korea, and some teenagers even have opted to move to other countries where multiculturalism is more accepted.

“The economic instability of many multiracial parents is a critical factor that hinders their children from concentrating on their studies,” said Tina Shin, Community Service Club (CSC) co-president. “When I visited the multicultural library, Modu, on a CSC volunteer activity, I was surprised to see that many half-Korean children were having difficulty communicating with their own parents from countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam or China. This lack of

w

communication makes it hard for the parents to supervise and guide their children, so most of these children spend their time playing rather than studying.”

Due to lack of social attention, in 2012 a multicultural high-school dropout and victim of severe discrimination committed serial arson. As a RussianKorean, he had been ostracized both in elementary and middle school to the point where he needed psychotherapy to treat his depression. His crime reflected the degree of discrimination he had to face as an interracial student.

On Jan. 15, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family implemented several new policies to alleviate such discriminatory problems. However, disputes have arisen concerning the efficacy of these changes. On Feb. 12, employees of local multicultural centers nationwide gathered in Yeoido, Seoul to protest against these policies. The protesters claimed that the new reforms actually hindered immigrants from learning Korean because they removed Korean language classes from the multicultural centers, in which many immigrants were able to easily receive Korean language lessons as well as counseling sessions about private issues such as domestic violence and unemployment. Furthermore, the protestors criticized the lack of policies that were aimed at transforming, reforming and improving the social perceptions of multiculturalism.

“When I walk down a street with my Korean wife, I get a lot of stares from the older generation,” said Sean Syverson, English teacher. “However, an increased tolerance for multiracial families among the younger generation gives me hope, especially because I am expecting a child, that Korea will steadily grow more accepting of diversity. Based on what I experienced for five years, I believe that Koreans’ attitudes towards foreigners will mature in time.”

MULTICULTURALISM Layout and Photos by Patricia Song

The growth of multiculturalism in different countries raises questions about the acceptance of foreigners and multiethnic people.

Particularly in Korean, individuals such as multiracial children face discrimination on a daily basis due to differences in skin color and language barriers. Government officials who recognize such issues have implemented policies in a futile attempt to ameliorate the situation. Similarly, advertisers in corporations are attempting to enhance their respective businesses by representing people of various ethnicities and backgrounds. Despite persistent efforts, multiethnic individuals still face obstacles in their everyday lives.

LACK OF MINORITY REPRESENTATION CAUSES MISCONCEPTIONS

By Yeena Yoon In the midst of numerous commercials for Super Bowl XLVII, General Mills, food-processing company, released a controversial Cheerios advertisement featuring a multiracial family consisting of a black father, white mother and a biracial child. Although the general response to the commercial was positive, General Mills was forced to disable comments on its YouTube video due to racist comments from a portion of the viewers.

What separated Cheerios from a majority of other brands was that it had made an attempt to represent a part of society regarded as the minority. The controversy that followed can mostly be attributed to the apparent lack of minority representation in media. A study conducted by the Broadcast Education Association revealed that 31.8 percent of television commercials broadcasted in the US included African Americans, while Asian Americans and Latinos were found at 8.4 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively. In contrast, Caucasians were portrayed in nearly every advertisement, making appearances 98 percent of the time.

“We have to ask ourselves the question, do the [minority] groups have certain bias and prejudice against each other?” said Gray Macklin, middle school counselor. “People may not like the overrepresentation of white people, but they are okay with it more than the representation of other races. The whites are used as a default, since even if people don’t like them, they’re used to it; it’s the one that has the least negative impact.”

In addition to lacking minority representation, mass media promotes particular racial stereotypes. According to Stephen Balkaran, professor at Central Connecticut State University, African-American teenagers are often portrayed as gangsters or drug-dealers living in the ghettos, associating the black community with criminal activity. Many TV shows also portray generalizations of

different ethnicities; for instance, popular comedy-drama, “Glee” featured an episode titled, “Asian F,” in which an Asian character receives an A-, only to anger his father and thereby emphasizing the stereotype of smart, Asian nerds.

“It’s very important that characters with different backgrounds don’t necessarily conform to stereotypes,” said Peter Valerio, film enthusiast.

“Growing up and watching movies in the 1970s, the biggest difference between movies then and now, is that when characters of different ethnicities are introduced, it’s not a big deal. Race doesn’t play into the plot as much.”

With media propagating such stereotypes, society has increasingly accepted these generalizations as truth, leading to issues such as racial profiling. For example, New York City’s stop-and-frisk policy enabled police officers to question random pedestrians and frisk them for contraband or unauthorized weapons. Statistics used in the Supreme Court case, Floyd v. The City of New York, revealed that between 2004 and 2012, the police had conducted 4.4 million stops, of which 88 percent were found to be completely guilt-free. Yet numbers showed that 83 percent of these cases involved the stopping and frisking of a black or Hispanic person.

“There are actually a lot of racial stereotypes that I notice, especially in American shows,” Sabin Macklin (9) said. “They usually show African-Americans committing crimes more often, or generally living in poorer neighborhoods. But [in many cases], these stereotypes are used for comedic purposes so it doesn’t bother me that much.”

Corporations such as Cheerios have been making progressive efforts to change the fixed image of racial stereotypes established in society, and different races are being more actively represented today. However, the media still has yet to make more steps in order to combat racial discrimination prevalent in society.

LIFESTYLE 8

FEBRUARY 2014

Unique themes, catchy sound track stir international ‘Frozen’ frenzy

By Yeni Cho

Over the Lunar holiday, “Frozen”, the 53rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, surpassed “Kung Fu Panda 2” as the highest-grossing animated feature in South Korea. The film, which is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” reached the box-office milestone in 18 days after its opening on Jan. 16.

The three-dimensional computer-animated musical fantasy about two estranged sisters on a winter adventure embraces modern humor, plot twists and extensive digital effects. Initially, “Frozen” was criticized for its resemblance to “Tangled” in terms of character appearance and plot. However, according to Bona Koo (12), unlike other Disney movies, it incorporated progressive themes such as female bonding and women empowerment.

“I think the movie was especially successful because it had a more modern approach than other Disney princess movies,” Bona said.

“I especially felt inspired when Elsa sang ‘Let it Go’ after she runs away and realizes her real capacity.

When she walked glamorously with a new-found confidence, there was an evident message on independent womanhood and girl-power.”

Rated number one on the Gaon

Music Chart, “Let It Go,” sung by Broadway star Idina Menzel, gained popularity through videos such as the official Disney release of “Let it Go” in 25 languages and covers by Demi Lovato and Hyorin of Sistar, a Korean idol group. The popularity of other songs on the “Frozen” soundtrack is apparent from the numerous covers and parodies on social networking websites.

“At first I had no intention of watching ‘Frozen’ because it is a princess animation movie, which is not exactly a teenage-boy thing,” Eugene Park (11) said. “But then it became very popular among my friends and parodies of the movies started to fill up my Facebook newsfeed. In school, every one was making knocking noises and following Anna’s ‘do you want to

build a snowman?’ Its popularity intrigued me to watch it and the movie unexpectedly turned out to be good.”

After the movie hit high notes in box office worldwide and won the Golden Globe award for bestanimated film, Walt Disney CEO and chairman Bob Iger revealed plans to turn “Frozen” into a Broadway musical.

“I think [the movie] will transcend to the musical format very well because all the musical numbers are written in Broadway style,” said Brenda Darling, math teacher.

“Additionally, I would look forward to the dancing, because both Olaf ’s dancing in ‘In Summer,’ and the trolls’ dancing in ‘Fixer Upper’ are what, in the business, we call a good dance number.”

What is the “real world” like? Kindergarten teacher pursues interest in K-Pop Michelle Kim, class of 2006, majored in Psychology and Neuroscience at Middlebury College and currently studies at a law school.

She recently visited SIS to interview students who applied to Middlebury College.

1. How did your major in college help you at law school?

Law students focus on understanding the clients, so my background in psychology helped me with the counseling and therapy aspects of law. Since law is such a comprehensive topic, gaining a variety of knowledge would only help those pursuing legal careers.

2. What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

I help the North Korean refugees and asylum seekers with legal procedures to grant them citizenship. Also, I play the violin in orchestra. I believe these extracurricular activities not only give you a break from studying, but also make you a more interesting person.

3. How does it feel to come back to SIS for college interviews?

Every year, I am surprised by the level of students I interview.

I feel that going to college has become a more difficult process because all of the students are brilliant and unique in their own way. Often times these interviews makes me look back to my high school years and ask myself if I was that smart in high school.

4. How was your study abroad experience?

I have studied Chinese both in high school and in college.

Therefore, I decided to go to China and focus on learning the culture and language more in depth. At the end of the course, I wrote a paper related to my major [completely] in Chinese.

This really helped me gain knowledge of the legal jargon in Chinese. I hope all of these experiences will contribute to my future career when dealing with international clientele.

By Amelie Hayoung Koo

By Christine Woo-Kyung Jeong

Ever since her first encounter with K-Pop in 2009 at a local Korean market, Eva Levine, junior kindergarten teacher, has been a KPop fanatic. After hearing the songs “Abracadabra” by Brown Eyed Girls and “My Ear’s Candy” by Ji Young Baek, Ms. Levine instantly felt an attraction to Korean songs.

“I always thought that the Korean language was beautiful, and in the market, I realized that I enjoyed listening to people singing in this language that I could not even understand,” Ms. Levine said. “The upbeat music and unique melodies that these K-Pop songs had put me in a great mood and helped me keep my energy up. So when I went back home, I watched music programs such as ‘Pops in Seoul’ and ‘Showbiz’ on Arirang TV to discover new K-Pop artists.”

Ms. Levine’s interest in K-Pop grew rapidly, as she also went online on iTunes and Facebook to ‘like’ the pages of Entertainment agencies so that she could discover more artists through her newsfeed.

According Ms. Levine, she has collected almost 100 K-Pop songs by different groups such as 2NE1, UKiss, EXO and TVXQ. “Ms. Levine likes K-Pop so much that she owns posters and pillows of her favorite singers,” said Sarah Clabots, ESL teacher and

Photo courtesy of Eva Levine

At her first Big-Bang concert, Eva Levine, Junior kindergarten teacher and K-Pop fan, poses with her teaching assistant, Sun Nam Lee. close friend of Ms. Levine. “She always gets so excited when she talks about K-Pop and from what I heard, she had a really great time at the recent Big-Bang concert.”

However, Ms. Levine’s love for music goes beyond the K-Pop genre. Ms. Levine considers herself a huge music lover, and has attended various concerts held by renowned artists such as Frank Zappa, Ziggy Marley and the Beatles.

“Music enhances how I feel in the present and takes me back to the past,” Ms. Levine said. “When I hear certain songs, I am reminded [of] events that I have done back when the songs were popular and I can live back certain moments of my past. For example, whenever I hear ‘Abracadabra,’ I think of my

first year in Korea and SIS, when Korean culture and K-Pop was so new to me.”

Ms. Levine asserts that she will pursue her passion for K-Pop. Meanwhile, she is looking forward to seeing her favorite K-Pop groups, Big-Bang and 2NE1, perform in future concerts.

“Being at K-Pop concerts with young people screaming and dancing makes me feel young,” Ms. Levine said. “At the Big-Bang concert, I was surrounded by fans pushing each other around. However, when I looked around, I didn’t notice how old I was compared to everyone else, but I felt just as young! I am so proud of my love for K-Pop and will absolutely do my best to keep up with K-Pop music.”

FEBRUARY 2014

SIS graduate returns to South Korea, opens first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu martial arts academy in Seoul

By Sarah Y. Kim

In pursuit of his passion for Jiu-Jitsu, Jason Park, Class of ’04 and New York University (NYU) graduate, has opened Korea’s first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy on Feb. 21 at Seochu-gu, Seocho-dong. The academy, which is headquartered in Torrance, California, is comprised of certified training centers from all around the world and is notable for its development of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. “[Dealing with the responsibility] is not easy, especially when it comes to managing finances,” Jason said. “Rent in Seoul, especially in Gangnam and Seocho, is very expensive, and sometimes I have nightmares about paying rent. I’m so excited to teach and share my knowledge of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu techniques and philosophy though that [the busy work] is not affecting me whatsoever.”

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is unique in that it is designed so that physically weaker and smaller people can effectively defeat larger and stronger assailants through the use of leverage technique. According to Jason, it is the most appropriate martial art for real life confrontations.

“By learning Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, you learn how to defend yourself against giants,” Jason said. “This

opens up so many doors in your life, because you realize that there’s nothing in life that’s impossible. If I can defeat a giant what can’t I overcome in life? You develop such a powerful degree of confidence, and I hope to share that confidence with as many people as I can.”

Jason began learning Gracie

“

The best part of learning jiu-jitsu was sharing it with those who need it the most—the weak, the frail, the bullied, the abused. It’s about changing people’s lives and helping those most in need,” Jason Park said.

Jiu-Jitsu during his college years.

Because he was living in New York, he was unable to train at Torrance, but still managed to become familiar with the techniques and curriculum through Gracie University’s online portal. He also received personal training from Ryron and Rener Gracie, third generation Gracie family members who are now the head instructors at Torrance’s Gracie Academy.

Mukbang presents diversion from traditional online entertainment

By Eunie Jang

In 2009, Afreeca TV, a Korean online live streaming broadcast program, created a new sensation with mukbang, where people livestream themselves eating a variety of diferent dishes for the entertainment of the audience. In these online eating broadcasts, broadcast jockeys (BJ) make money from people who enjoy watching them eat. Mukbangs are made interactive; viewers are able to give hosts feedback through chat or send them cyber balloons, which can be turned into cash.

Park Seo-yeon, known online as The Diva, is one of the most well-known mukbang BJ. She earns $9000 a month eating in front of thousands of viewers for three hours a day. After realizing that she earns more money from her show than her day job, she quit working as a consultant in order to concentrate on her channel full-time. According to CNN, Seo-yeon spends an average of $3,000 per month to purchase food for her show. Each meal, she eats enough for five adults, which attracts even more attention because of her thin appearance.

“I have never seen anything like [mukbang] before, and I think [the show is] very fascinating to watch,” said Courtney Caldwell, English

teacher. “It felt creepy watching it.

I think we all have a strange desire to watch everything a person does.”

Furthermore, television programs have gained popularity by airing mukbang. For example, “Happy Together,” a popular Korean entertainment show, added a segment where popular actors and singers demonstrate how to cook their favorite snacks and share them with fellow celebrities. According to a KBS entertainment staff member, people are attracted to these eating programs because the dishes that are presented are easy to make, and the stories celebrities present with the dishes are entertaining for the viewers.

Heejae Jo (11) came across mukbang when she found popular footage of mukbang being shared on social networking websites such as Facebook. Since then, Heejae has taken interest in mukbang, and has even tried filming her own with her friends.

“It’s this weird sort of [satisfaction] you get from watching others eat [that makes it attractive],” Heejae said. “The hosts are usually great entertainers [as well]. I was with my friends in McDonalds and we literally took a video of us eating fries and burgers on photobooth. I made the video private on YouTube so it didn’t get many views, but it was definitely fun to film and to watch again.”

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LIFESTYLE

“[Meeting Ryron and Rener] changed my life,” Jason said. “They taught me that the best part of learning jiu-jitsu was sharing it with those who need it the most— the weak, the frail, the bullied the abused. It’s about changing people’s lives and helping those most in need.”

In order to promote self-defense among Korean students, Jason also plans to incorporate Gracie Bullyproof, a program that is designed to instill confidence in students and deal more effectively with bullies. Students in the program learn defense techniques such as leverage-based control holds.

Once the students have thoroughly learned the techniques, the instructors teach students to be verbally assertive.

“I chose to study under and represent the Gracie Academy, because it’s not just about the techniques here or winning medals in competitions or beating other people up,” Jason said. “It’s 100 percent about improving the lives of others, either through educating students about the effects of bullying in schools or empowering women against sexual predators. If I’m not helping others and making a difference in other peoples’ lives, it just isn’t working for me. And with the Gracie Academy, I’m able to change people’s lives.”

DANIEL KIM’S SEARCH FOR

HIDDEN GEMS Toni Braxton, Babyface explore dark side of relationships Making a comeback after nine years, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds collaborated with long-time partner Toni Braxton on “Love, Marriage and Divorce,” an album mainly focused on broken relationships.

The sound of the album is a return to the signature Babyface pop-R&B sound of the late 80s and 90s, in which he produced hits for the likes of TLC, Boyz II Men and Whitney Houston.

The album is not groundbreaking or sonically revolutionary, but provides a fresh perspective on relationships.

The title of the album itself is aberrant in the pop industry; “love” is common and “marriage” is understandable, but “divorce” is a subject rarely touched upon, especially in mainstream pop music. The album’s focus, however, is on this latter topic. This makes sense as both Babyface and Braxton have experienced breakdowns in their marriages and have

distinct opinions regarding the subject. The sentiment is reflected in songs such as “I Wish,” a power ballad in which Braxton sings “I pray she gives you a disease, so that you will see. Not enough to make you die, only to make you cry, like you did me.” As shown in these lyrics, a more complex point of view sets the album apart from the more simplistic love songs today.

In terms of content, the album is filled mostly with ballads, alongside a couple of old school dance tracks. Although in theory, this makes for a monotonous album, the ballads work out because of Babyface’s knack for melodies and production. While the second single, “Where Did We Go Wrong” centers on acoustic guitars and soft falsettos, songs such as “Reunited” evoke a clean-cut 80s sound, similar to that of R. Kelly’s throwback albums, “Love Letter” and “Write

Me Back.” In the midst of varied production methods, Babyface’s instantly memorable melodies always manage to shine through, especially through Braxton’s firm voice.

One potential flaw in the album is that it is easy to draw comparisons to Babyface’s previous works in terms of style.

However, this is understandable because his work is so prolific, with credits on hundreds of hit songs. If some lack of innovation can be tolerated, “Love, Marriage and Divorce” makes for a generally pleasant listen.

SPORTS 10

FEBRUARY 2014

Sports Photo of the Month

Photo by Hollis Hwang

Leaping up, Sabin Macklin (9), varsity soccer goalkeeper, reaches for the ball during practice. “I want to get better and hopefully be good enough to fill the graduating seniors’ shoes,” Sabin said.

Varsity basketball boys end season undefeated

By Hareem Kim

While their one loss prevented them from having an undefeated season last year, the varsity boys basketball team reached that goal this season, winning every single game, including the games at the KAIAC tournament held on Feb. 8 at Gyeonggi-Suwon International School.

“I think this is the best team SIS has ever had,” said Tim Munro, varsity boys basketball coach. “It’s difficult to [be undefeated since] there’s always a bad day when it’s hard to win the game. However, this year, we had a pretty smooth season without any obstacles. We also did not have any senior discipline issues involving them slacking off. Everyone contributed with their best effort to the team’s success.”

At the KAIAC tournament, SIS played against International Christian School-Uijongbu (ICS-U) and Asia Pacific International School (APIS). According to Coach Munro, the tournament was more intense as the seniors played especially hard to end their high school basketball career on a high note. SIS beat ICSU 55-41 and headed on to the finals where they beat APIS by a score of 45-25.

“In the tournament, we just had

Siblings place first in Figure Skating Synchronzied Japan Open Competition

By Kelly Kim

to finish the job,” said Gary Kim (12), varsity basketball player. “We just got out there and proved that we are the best team in this league.

There were no changes made [at the tournament] other than our mindsets; we were more determined than ever to finish this season off on a good note. In my opinion, [being undefeated] was the best possible way to end [my last season of] basketball. It could not have gone better.”

received the Best Rebounder, the All-Tournament and the All-Conference award. Mark Kim Jr. (12), co-captain, won the All-Conference award and Isaac Kim (12) won the All-Tournament award.

“To be undefeated the whole season makes me feel like I’ve taken part in SIS history,” Alex said. “We had eight seniors on our team, and most of us have been playing basketball together since seventh grade. It takes a lot of hard work and hours of practice with one another to create such a bond that extends into game time. Not only that, but our coaches have created a style of basketball perfectly suited to our abilities that have allowed us to succeed in our four years of high school basketball.”

According to Gary, there will be huge changes to the varsity team as most of the players will be leaving for college next year and only four athletes will remain. However, he still believes that the team can repeat its undefeated feat next year, if the remaining members establish themselves as respectable leaders for the other players coming up to varsity from the junior varsity team.

“I think we will be more motivated next year to continue [the seniors’] legacy,” said Michael Sun Jr. (10). “Their shoes are big [to fill] skill-wise, but we are planning to use this summer break very efficiently to go beyond what they’ve done.”

“

There were no changes made [at the tournament] other than our mindsets; We were more determined than ever to finish this season off on a good note,” Gary Kim (12) said.

In addition to winning first place in the KAIAC conference, tournament and Association of International Schools in Asia (AISA) tournament, athletes won individual awards as they displayed great skill during the KAIAC tournament. Gary received the Most Valuable Player and the All-Conference award; Alex Son (12), co-captain,

WELCOME TO THE

OLYMPIC FAMILY Introducing eight new winter sports to the 2014 Sochi Olympics

Members of Team Blessing, one of the two top national synchronized skating teams in Korea, Sydney Ko (12) and Bethany Ko (10) left for Japan to participate in the Figure Synchronized Japan Open Competition on Feb. 22-24 and came back with successful results, placing first in the competition.

Sydney has been a part of Team Blessing for four years. According to Sydney, she found that synchronized skating was beautiful because of the speed and charismatic nature of the sport. She also enjoyed ther ability to expose herself to Korean culture by learning how to perform traditional fan dance on ice. On the other hand, Bethany has been figure skating for six years and joined Team Blessing two years ago because she liked the routine effort. Recently, Sydney and Bethany performed in the 2013 Pyeongchang Special Olympics Opening Ceremony.

“My first competition was an awesome experience because I never knew that an international competition could be so fun and relaxing,” Bethany said. “Though we were opponents, the Japanese teams were very nice to us. Also, I gained a feeling of accomplishment as our team carried out a clean performance as we practiced for the past few months, and won first place.”

This was the first overseas com-

LUGE RELAY TEAM One of the fastest Olympic sports, with riders exceeding 145 km per hour. Made up of three events: mens single's, women's singles and men's doubles

Photo courtesy of Sydney Ko (12)

Proudly displaying their gold medals, synchronized skating team, Team Blessing, poses for a team photo after the competition.

petition for Bethany and the first competition in Japan for Sydney.

Seven teams participated in the Figure Synchronized Japan Open Competition, and Team Blessing took part in the novice section. In order to compete in Japan, the team practiced every weekend on and off the ice.

“When it came to the score break down, our team did the best on skills such as traveling wheel and triangle intersection,” Sydney said.

“I noticed in this competition that the Japanese teams value a clean program over quality element. However, we looked less synchronized as a body because we don’t put much importance on hands and face extensions.”

After performing for several years in foreign countries such as Thailand, Sydney has decided to end her career in synchronized skating. According to Sydney, she plans

to stop skating after the tournament because of the beginning of soccer season, and does not plan on continuing this hobby in college.

However, Sydney continues to show her support toward synchronized skating by encouraging people to sign petition to help make synchronized figure skating an Olympic event in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. According to Coach Seyoung Yoon, Sydney is a great skater who shows leadership among her fellow skaters, setting a model with her serious attitude.

“I feel relieved because skating was an enormous stress upon my life for the past six years and I’m okay with it coming to an end,” Sydney said. “I hope the team, along with my sister, continues to improve and goes out for competition. The synchronized skating team needs all the support it can get to participate in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.”

FIGURE SKATING TEAM EVENT Made up of one male, one female, one pair and one ice dance couple

MIXED BIATHLON RELAY Teams will comprise of two men and two women

MEN’S & WOMAN’S

MEN’S & WOMAN’S

SKI SLOPESTYLE

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE

Skiers combine airs and tricks featuring rails and a variety of jumps before being scored

Athletes descend a 655 m course consisting of rails and a variety of jumps, as they combine big airs and technical tricks into one run.

WOMEN'S SKI JUMP Marks the first time that women will compete in ski jumping at the Winter Games

MEN’S & WOMAN’S

SKI HALFPIPE Athletes perform an array of big airs and other tricks in the halfpipe before being judged Graphic by Christine Lee

MEN’S & WOMAN’S

SNOWBOARD PARALLEL SLALOM Athletes perform an array of big airs and other tricks in the halfpipe before being judged Sources: Olympics.org

FEBRUARY 2014

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SPORTS

Varsity cheer team pushes through in spite of unexpected injury

By Hollis Hwang

Making last minute changes to the routine, the varsity cheer team experienced its most hectic day of practice one day before the KAIAC competition that took place on Feb. 8. Due to main flyer and captain Scarlett Kim (12)’s unexpected injury during the cheer showcase on Feb. 7, several cheerleaders had to change positions and learn new skills.

Despite the sudden lack of time to prepare for the competition, varsity cheerleaders surprised themselves by making significant progress during their last practice. Judy Kim (11) changed her stunt position to back-base, Bona Koo (12) flew a basket toss for the first time and Rachel Lee (12) replaced Scarlett as a flyer.

“Although we were worried that we would not be able to do well in [the competition], we also felt very upset about Scarlett not being able to perform, especially since it was her last year as a cheerleader,” said Yanis Park (10). “[At practice], I made a goal for myself to work really hard so that we could make Scarlett

Photo by Hollis Hwang

Brimming with confidence, Stephanie Cha (10), junior varsity cheerleader, poses in front of the audience and judges at the KAIAC cheerleading competition at Yongsan International School of Seoul on Feb. 8. “We worked really hard on getting the dance routine to look just perfect,” said Coach Thompson.

feel proud during the competition.”

Although the varsity cheer team did not reach the finals, Jeanne Han (12) feels their efforts still paid off in the end.

“I knew that Scarlett’s level of expertise was needed in order to

place in KAIAC,” Jeanne said. “But I’m still proud of my team efforts.

And going through the ups and downs definitely did make us bond more because we really felt we were all in this together.”

The cheer teams, however, did

Varsity boys soccer team hopes to continue legacy

By Jean Cho

Having ended their previous season on a high note after winning the KAIAC Soccer Tournament, both the coaches and athletes of the varsity boys soccer team expressed their determination to not only improve as individual players but also to carry on last year’s legacy as champions. Players met several times during off-season in order to stay in shape and to get used to playing with each other.

“I couldn’t wait for tryouts to begin, even though I was a bit nervous because it had been a while since I played soccer with the team,” said Jae Cha (11), varsity boys soccer player. “Because we had a really successful season last year, we have really high hopes for the 2014 season and want to bring back the AISA and KAIAC championship trophies home.”

According to Shanna Hurt, varsity boys soccer coach, due to this year’s senior-laden team, there

were relatively less spots open on the team for the underclassmen. With 10 seniors on the team and most of the players already experienced members, only four freshmen were able to join the team.

“I am very honored to be a part of such a prestigious soccer team and am looking forward to working with all the experienced upperclassmen,” said Joonhee Han (9), varsity boys soccer player. “Although the other freshmen and I do want to have as much playing time as possible, we know we will be able to learn a lot simply by watching the more experienced athletes play. We’re just happy to be a part of this team.”

After last year’s successful season, members of the varsity soccer team, such as Sangwon Kim (12), realized the importance of having good stamina and energy on the field. Even though most members did not play full time, it was important for all of them to be ready to play at any time and to be able to release all of their energy when they were on the field.

“We mostly focused on getting

into shape and engaging in game play during the first few weeks of practice because we didn’t have a game until the third week into the season,” Sangwon said. “The continuous suicides and other exercises we did during practices did make us extremely tired but we didn’t complain because we knew they would pay off in the end.”

As their very last season as coaches of the boys soccer team, coaches Tony and Shanna Hurt claimed that this season would be the most emotional because they had come in with the seniors as freshmen and have seen them mature into skilled individuals on the field.

“Leaving is always a bittersweet thing,” Coach Shanna Hurt said.

“You always are worried about leaving, but my experience is that things usually pick up if you are able to implement a program that is organized before your departure. [Coach Tony] Hurt and I believe and hope that our juniors will hopefully carry on the legacy we leave behind and lead the team next year.”

not come home empty-handed.

Eunie Jang (10), varsity cheerleader, placed in All-KAIAC, an individual section of the competition, while the junior varsity (JV) team placed second among the six JV teams. Having finished their routine only four days

before the competition, Angela Jang (10), JV cheer co-captain, notes that the cheerleaders did not have high expectations for the results.

“Because almost half our team was new to cheer, we did have some [concerns] from the start of our season,” Angela said. “We had to push ourselves to perform stunts that would [allow us to] compete with other teams. We honestly did not even expect to place because all the other teams’ stunts were so complex, but because we succeeded at the pep rally, we were more confident at KAIAC.” Amy Thompson, JV cheer coach, attributes the team’s successful performance at KAIAC to its mistake-free dance routine. For next year, she hopes to have male cheerleaders and Big-Tide Korea Cheerleaders, Korea’s national cheerleaders, assist the team.

“The cheer clinic really helped,” Coach Thompson said. “We implemented a few stunts we learned at the cheer clinic into the routines and we’re going to have our girls go every year. I would also love to see more guy cheerleaders on the JV team.

They can move onto varsity at some point and make the [cheer] program stronger.”

MC SPORTS

COMMENTARY This column is a short commentary on sports events that are happening around the world. The commentators, Christine Lee and Milton Yoon, express their opinions about these sports events. This particular episode is about an athlete named Yong-dae Lee, a Korean badminton player.

Milton: Hi everybody! Welcome back to MC Sports Commentary!

Christine: Today we’ll be talking to one of Korea’s superstar athletes. Everyone, please clap your hands for badminton player Yong-dae Lee! Lee: Hi! It’s a pleasure to be here - I simply love you guys!

Milton (blushing): Thanks so much! So, to begin with, how did you start your badminton career?

Lee: I started the sport at the young age of eight and trained until I joined the national team when I was only 15.

Christine: Your rise as a player didn’t stop there: what happened after?

Lee: I admit it took a long time.

Other than all the practice required, the most important thing was to find a partner for doubles; it was a frustrating process and after several misfits, I finally found the right person. With my partners I have ranked first in both mixed doubles and men’s doubles.

Christine: Very impressive!

But I heard that your career has had a slight bump in the road in recent weeks.

Lee: What happened to me is extremely unfortunate. The Badminton World Federation has banned me from all com-

petitions for one entire year on the accusation that I was doping. This will prevent me from competing in the upcoming Incheon Asian Games, which I was really looking forward to.

Milton: What exactly happened there? I’m sure that you aren’t the type to use illegal substances.

Lee: It was all a big misunderstanding. My official address is known as the Korean National Training Center. Obviously, I move around and don’t always stay in one place; I have training sessions overseas and other events that I have to attend to. Officials apparently came by the Training Center three times for mandatory drug testing—all three times, I was away from the Training Center, and thus, I was suspended from my beloved sport.

Christine: And they didn’t even tell you about their visit?

Nor that you missed a test?

Lee: They told me nothing!

Hopefully the Korean Federation will be able to overturn the decision.

Milton: I’m sure that all Korean fans are hoping for that to happen.

Christine: Well, looks like this is all the time we have for today. Thank you for joining!

Lee: No, no. Thank you!

Disclaimer: Although this column is based on facts, the interviews are entirely fictional.

SMALL TALK F F U T S

E L P O E P SINGLE SAY ON VALENTINE’S DAY

3

FEBRUARY 2014

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Why stress about not having anyone to celebrate Valentine’s Day with? Feb. 14 is just another day – it’s nothing special.

Obviously Feb. 14 should be no different from Feb. 15, and yet, why is it that on this day every year you find yourself alone watching old romantic comedies playing on cable television while eating chocolate?

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I hate having to watch all these lovey-dovey couples exchanging flowers and chocolates and just generally being happy. Ugh. To cheer yourself up, just think: after spending all this money in February on jewelry and romantic meals, how many of these couples will be exchanging Peperos in November, or even exchanging chocolate on White Day in March?

By Bason Park

FAUX NEWS

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If you buy me a Val-O-Gram, I’ll make sure to buy you one!

In a desperate attempt to feel popular and loved on this “special day,” we’re willing to barter for chocolate and candy. Remember though, all the sweets will not fill the empty hole in your heart.

4

Meet Helen Song!

I’m so lonely all by myself, I’m so bitter and all alone, I hate my life…

Instead of dwelling on your lack of a significant other, why not spend this day realizing how much love you get from your friends and family? How about realizing that being happy on your own is more important than having someone else make you happy? Or you can always continue your pity party; have fun with that!

Celebrities granted “pre-amnesty” status from atrocious violations

Due to the overwhelming number of requests by celebrity fan clubs, the national Department of Security made a decision allowing the sale and purchase of pre-amnesty tickets, which will pardon celebrities of all major offenses or crimes against humanity.

After this implementation, it was reported that the crime rate amongst celebrities had increased by 950 percent.

“This is essentially a win-win situation for everyone,” said Finkel Madison, Department of Security head. “We make millions with every ticket we sell and use it to improve the security of our nation, while celebrities enjoy an increased degree of personal freedom. Besides, this new system is beneficial for the fans who know that their idols would never go to jail!”

Three hours after the department announced its new policies, popular popstar Yustin Siever purchased one of these tickets and decided to put it to use. On Valentine’s Day, while transitioning between his third girlfriend and his fourth for the night, Yustin was caught by the police and charged for drunk driving and stealing a bright pink Ferrari. However, he was excused after shining his pre-amnesty ticket at the police officer.

“I want to thank our government for this new opportunity to express my free-

Disclaimer: All comments are in good fun. Please don’t hate. Appreciate the humor.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

dom and actually have fun with my life,” Yustin said. “Once again, I thank my fans for always supporting me no matter what I do. I will try my best to continue buying my ‘pre-amnesty’ cards so that I do not have to cause any worry or anxiety within my fan club. Love you all, peace!”

Although these pre-amnesty tickets were used initially for misdemeanors, as time passed, celebrities began to gear towards more violence. Kris Galsaek, for instance, while singing a duo with his lesser known partner Lyanah, started to randomly bash her on the back of her head with his guitar because she did not sing properly.

After around 524 swings, Kris was caught by the police and unfortunately charged with murder because he had lost his ticket.

However, a passionate fan club called Kris Always Risks (KAR) formed an alliance with the FBI security squad to force the government to absolve Kris of any of his criminal offenses.

“Next time, I expect not only KAR, but also other fan groups to help me get rid of societal blame,” Kris said. “This incident has taught me one of the biggest life lessons: to always have a ‘pre-amnesty’ ticket with you wherever you go. Fans, prepare yourselves for more fun!”

Photo by Bason Park

Performing their solos in the atrium during the Valentine’s Day concert hosted by Ambassadors, Deborah Kim (10) and Eunice Kang (11) sing Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This.”