Tiger Times Volume 47 Issue 8

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

Tiger Times VO L U M E X LV I I

M a rc h 2 0 1 6

ISSUE 8

T T O N L . O RG

TIGERS GOT TALENT UNICEF hosts annual teacher-student talent show

(Left to Right) Hinged at the limbs, Hyeyong Min, Cheryl Renwick, Irene Deshazo, Alyssa Shelby, Yangmin Ko, Cindy Presse, Andrea Goodrich, and Sara Brodhead perform the finale for the UNICEF talent show.

Photo by Daniel Shin

Raising over one million won through the event, UNICEF hosted its annual teacher-student talent show after school on March 24 in the auditorium. While the majority of the proceeds will be used to fund the building of a house in Siem Reap, Cambodia, a portion will also be used to improve access to medical aid and education for the Cambodian children of the Tteukslai School.

“We hope that our small donations will eventually have a long term impact on the lives of these students,” said Sung Park (10), UNICEF public relations officer. “Even though they are living in very difficult conditions, the Cambodian kids we helped last year never lost their smiles. Since we are much more privileged, we are more than able to help. Even the smallest donations and actions can go a long way, and we hope that, by providing school supplies and medical aid, we can help these kids pursue their dreams.”

In the publicizing process this year, UNICEF went beyond promotional posters and videos; they took a completely new approach in advertising by holding a flash mob in the atrium. Students watched and laughed along as UNICEF members and their advisers danced to Pharrel Williams’ “Happy,” and Shaggy’s “Boombastic.”

Many individuals of the SIS community performed this night, showcasing their hidden talents. Members of D$Q, the SIS dance club, performed their routine, while five other students demonstrated their impressive vocal skills. This year, there was more variety in the types of performances the students put on, deviating from the usual singing and dancing to gayageum performances and slam poetry recitals.

“Initially, I was pretty worried,” said Yoon Lim (9), who recited slam poetry. “I know that people don’t usually recite poetry at

school talent shows, but I heard from my friends at boarding schools that they had slam poetry clubs, and I thought that maybe we could have a change in our own talent shows. The piece I performed, “So Like Whatever,” was my favorite piece even before I decided to participate in the talent show.

I edited the lines to make sure it was more suitable for an SIS audience, and I focused on conveying my own beliefs about how girls shouldn’t be using filler words and trying to be petite and feminine to seek approval and to fit in. The talent show was an outlet for me to raise awareness amongst the audience.”

Although the student performers succeeded in impressing the audience, they were not the only stars present at the talent show. Faculty members also performed and surprised students by showing a side to their characters that differed from their attitudes in the classroom. Some, such as Irene De Shazo, Sara

The unexcusable nature of excused absences

Reflections: BEIMUN explores identity

Public reaction to scientific growth

A swimmer’s experience in two cultures

VIEWPOINT by Justin Chang

NEWS by Grace Lee

FOCUS by Soomin Chun & Angela Yoon

SPORTS by Ariel Lee

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Brodhead, Andrea Goodrich, Cindy Presse, Alyssa Shelby, and Hye Yong Min, performed a black and white illusion dance, while others, such as David Coleman and Lee Piscioneri sang and played their guitars.

“The talent show works in a lot of ways,” said Caitlin Lopez, UNICEF adviser. “It’s a fundraising event that not only helps us raise funds for the school in Cambodia directly but also advertises the fundraising projects we do throughout the year, allowing students to know why they see the bake sales and the coffee sales each week. The talent show is also a fun opportunity for our students to showcase their talents. Not only that, this time of the year is when all UNICEF members come together as one big group: every member had an important role within the system.”

By Marie Park Sophomore, Staff Writer

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Editorial

Addiction to aids: Thinking others’ thoughts

J

ust a decade ago, teachers fought to keep electronic aids out of the classroom, fearing the distractions that would arise. Today, early adopters fight to bring them in, augmenting education in more ways than one.

Videos and diagrams allow students to visualize their learning. Websites such as Sparknotes and GradeSaver aid students by summarizing concepts too esoteric for the casual reader. Following the guidance of these trailblazers, students have readily accepted these changes. Yet there is a fine line between using these tools effectively and abusing them, and the success of these supplementary sites in stunting education.

The oldest argument against augmented education is that using these sites can result in a series of negative repercussions, some of which have already emerged at SIS - especially in literature courses, where students are expected to make their own unique interpretations. When reading classics in these classes, students are expected to not only follow along with the plot and trace the growth of characters, but also take note of the beauty of the language itself. With the growing reliance on easy summary sites, a common pitfall is that students can begin to neglect the artistic aspect of the work, losing sight of the beauty of literature in the process.

More importantly, overdependence makes it difficult for students to make unique personal connections with texts and derive unique interpretations, which is far more integral to the learning process than mere comprehension. Such dependence robs students of the opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills. These online tools spoon-feed students with analyses that eliminate the most important step between the question and the answer - the thinking. With many prominent academic institutions espousing the development of critical thinking over simple understanding, it is folly to become addicted to the easy bypass of difficult analysis.

Clearly, there is a wealth of benefits that come with the use of technological aids. The Internet is a modern-day Library of Alexandria. But in the scramble to keep up with the technological age, we have sacrificed good judgment for the allure of knowledge. The entire library is worthless without the scholar to judge it.

In fact, some teachers go as far as to include trivial details from books in order to check if students actually read the texts on assessments, instead of asking questions that delve into the themes and lessons. This too is a knee-jerk reaction, for it is harmful in the long run to tailor the class and its assessments to material that should be supplementary.

When assessments are made only to check if a student actually read, it diverts the purpose of the class.

In order to promote a true academic setting where discussions include differing opinions, teachers should encourage an environment where students freely express themselves. Classrooms should not be filled with silence when a teacher asks a question but instead come to life. We must hold neither an irrational fear of Sparknotes, nor a readiness to sacrifice analysis for understanding.

Februrary 2016 Issue 7 Retractions and Corrections: Leo Lee was listed as co-president of Habitat for Humanity but is actually vice president of the club.

Tiger Times apologizes for the inconvenience.

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

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VIEWPOINT

Common applications to common summer schools “Hi [science teacher], can you write me a recommendation for my summer camp application?”

“Sure, is this for RSI?” How did this science teacher immediately know that this student was planning to apply to this specific summer program? Did she develop psychic powers? Does she have a telepathic connection with this student?

Or, more realistically, did eleven other students already approach her with requests for letters of recommendation to the same exact summer camp?

As the last summer break before college applications approaches, juniors are desperately searching for summer programs that they hope will boost their chances of getting accepted to their dream school. And, of course, everyone has to apply to only the most rigorous and competitive summer camps available. After all, those are the only programs that really matter… right?

Wrong. It is easy to get caught up in the notion that only the most highly regarded summer programs are worth attending, which would explain the damaging, yet unsurprising trend of many students applying to the same summer programs. But this logic is deeply flawed, as there are plenty of less selective summer camps that can provide more benefits for a student than can all of the most competitive ones combined, depending on the student’s field of interest.

Research Science Institute (RSI),

Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP), and Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) have become the Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford, or “HYPS,” of summer programs—their selective nature makes them extremely popular among students at SIS. It has become strange for talented writers not to apply to TASP, or for aspiring scientists not to apply to RSI. This inclination for students to prefer well-known summer camps simply because of the name value comes with unprecedented consequences. By choosing to apply to the same programs as everyone else, students voluntarily entangle themselves in a web of competition. They have to compete with their peers to write the highest quality research report, to come up with the most appealing personal statement, or to be labeled as a “great student” instead of a “good student” in their letters of recommendation—all before they even begin writing college applications. They go on a trial run of the struggles they will have to face during their senior year, which only adds to the level of stress they face.

This search for only esteemed summer programs branches out from a deeply rooted problem in the mindset of students, namely, that summer camps are simply opportunities for them to fill an extra line in their college applications.

Attending a summer camp is usually considered an opportunity for high school students to explore different

fields of interest and develop a solid foundation in a particular subject in preparation for college. However, for SIS students, summer camp seems to have become merely a way to make their college application shine a little bit more brightly than those of their competitors.

Such a problematic and disillusioned perspective makes it nearly impossible for students to escape the vicious cycle of unhealthy and detrimental competition when applying to summer programs. Most students have similar extracurricular activities and tend to produce seemingly identical applications that many application officers find difficult to differentiate, and this only perpetuates a system of internal competition within an already-competitive pool of SIS students.

It is crucial that students change their mindset to become more proactive in searching for a wider variety of summer camps. A writer’s workshop program at Smith College is not any worse than the writing program at Harvard simply because of the difference in name value. By being more open-minded in applying to summer camps, students will be able to find summer camps that fit their needs rather than simply hop on the bandwagon of attending programs that are surface-level prestigious.

By Sarah Kim Junior, Staff Writer

Democracy’s Salvation: The Art of Filibustering

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n recent weeks Koreans watched its government take a sharp turn.

Lawmakers from the nation’s opposition party filed into the National Assembly one day, started talking, and — literally — just kept going.

Among the tearful renditions of songs and speeches and clips read from George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” nearly 40 members of parliament were able to keep a new anti-terrorism bill on pause for nine consecutive days before collapsing under external pressure and allowing the parliamentary procedure to continue unimpeded. The bill, they warned, would provide unprecedented access to private communication to the National Intelligence Service (NIS), an organization notorious for its previous breaches into private life.

At first glance, it seems as if the opposition lawmakers are, in a way, “party poopers” unnecessarily obstructing this perfect vision the majority party has for the nation. However, despite the Park administration’s efforts to portray the opposition party as a group of “do-nothing politicians,” it remains clear that the filibuster, a political mechanism designed to magnify the voice of a minority, was used effectively and justifiably by Korean politicians.

There is no denying, however, that

an underlying stigma of filibustering remains among Korean citizens and politicians. This may have originated from the havoc it has wreaked in other nations, most notably the United States, where the Senate needs 60 votes even to start the day. Watching this eternal gridlock from the other side of the ocean, the message is clear: do not do what the Americans have done.

But such a situation abroad is representative of the larger underlying problem of growing partisanship, a Republican-Democratic slugfest that abuses filibusters in eternal struggle.

The problem, therefore, is deep-rooted polarization rather than filibustering, and while on the surface it is easy to blame what we see, it is important to remember what caused it.

As long as such a strong divide does not exist among the two sides of the political aisle, filibusters can be rare and used with good judgment—and this is exactly how it can be in Korea.

The filibuster ensures that a majority cannot simply repress the minority, that if the Republican Party holds a strong dominance in the Senate it cannot introduce and immediately pass any bill.

In this regard the recent political situation in Korea has resembled Congress after recent elections, with the ruling party capturing enough

seats in parliament to pass bills on its own accord. In other words, Korea has become less democratic, with one party virtually in control of the nation’s legislative matters. Allowing the weaker party access to a rare platform to express its views and explanations improves the diplomatic discussion present in the nation without opening up parliament to exploitation.

Other ethan the comparative lack of polarization, Korean politicians must also have legitimate reasons for a filibuster and speak on relevant matters (rather than a bedtime reading of “Green Eggs and Ham” as Senator Ted Cruz has in the US), welcome signs of regulation and restraint.

As congressional scholar Norman Ornstein notes, “From its earliest incarnation the filibuster was generally reserved for issues of great national importance, employed by senators who were passionate enough about something that they would bring the entire body to a halt.”

Let us keep it this way in Korea, where lawmakers have the chance to make things right from the very beginning. Only then can we preserve even our smallest voices, furthering discussion and democracy for all.

By Andrew Ham Sophomore, Staff Writer

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S

tudents enter half-empty classrooms and are greeted with a peculiar sight: unoccupied chairs.

Trying to find familiar faces, they realize many aren’t present. Then they notice the teacher’s face and his look of annoyance. “Who’s missing,” the teacher says, knowing already that half the class is either at home “sick” or in another country, and promptly proceeds to take attendance: “She’s sick, he’s at the game, she’s at the concert, he’s in another country….” It’s a peculiar sight, indeed, but it isn’t one that out of the ordinary.

We all see it and know it to be true.

Students are missing class. Whether it’s because they are helping build houses in poor countries or because they just don’t want to take a test, the reason, frankly, is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is, they’re gone and problems are arising because of it.

“What’s bad about half the class missing?” you may ask. That’s when most teachers will answer, “It messes with the schedule.” Although some students think there really is little preparation involved in developing class material for a one hour 20 minute block period (I know I did), there is a lot of work teachers must do. That includes making PowerPoints, planning lectures, writing tests, and, of course, creating a schedule for the class beforehand by deciding on which days to have lectures and on which days to have tests.

With students disappearing either

randomly or with very short notice, it’s hard for teachers to cope. All of a sudden a teacher needs to make multiple forms of the same test - one for the actual class, another for the retake, and the last for the make-up. They also need to schedule dates for the make-up sessions (for both tests and lectures), which both puts a burden on our teachers and messes with the initial schedule they had for the class. It’s obvious that this is a problem. But an even larger issue than the burden on teachers is the intentional disappearance of students.

Let’s paint a scenario. A student mysteriously catches a disease on the day of a big test, then even more mysteriously appears the next day, looking as healthy as ever, and skips the test until their makeup maybe a month later. The obvious explanation for this peculiar series of events is that students are exploiting the attendance policy in order to dodge tests which they know they aren’t prepared for and which they know they will fail.

Frankly speaking, this is unfair. While more honest students diligently appear on test days, whether they feel prepared or not, the more cunning ones lounge at home studying further for the test they should have been taking that day. Not only does this allow for some students to have a clear advantage, with the increased amount of time they can study for the test, they also get to skip school.

Appalling as the issue is, it doesn’t end there. Has anyone even begun to realize that our school’s nurse is visited by a large number of students who ask to be excused from class on certain days that miraculous-

ly coincide with test dates? Even if students aren’t able to skip school altogether, many successfully skip classes, tests, and sidestep the retake score they would’ve received if they weren’t absent- and almost gets away with it.

This has grown from being a simple nuisance to teachers to a blatant attack on ethics, on the school’s honor policy, and on SIS itself. It isn’t your conventional ‘look-over-someone’s-shoulder’-cheating but if some students, based on their free will, choose to give themselves an unfair advantage over others, that is the dictionary definition of cheating.

Then again, it’s unfair to categorize the whole of SIS’ student body as cheaters because not everyone mysteriously disappears on test days- it’s only those one or two bad apples that are to blame. As James Gerhard, principal said, “there is less of a problem in our school than in other schools.”

To blame these select “bad apples” for all the problems, however, is also wrong as some faults lie in the school’s extracurricular activities as well. While there are students who willingly skip school, there are others who are more or less “forced” to skip school. In the first three months of this semester alone, there were three international trips: MUN’s Netherland conference, MUN’s Beijing Conference, GIN’s visit to Thailand, and the NEMAC competition held in Shanghai. If you ask my opinion, that’s a lot of travelling for 45 school days.

“The rest of us” who sadly never missed a school day this semester realize that,

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

Adviser Mr. David Coleman

The Unexcusable Nature of Excused Absences

By Justin Chang

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because of these trips and events, there are much less students actually present in class. And then it’s the same story all over again- since students aren’t in class, students can’t learn and teachers can’t teach.

We have other problems that arise from these growing numbers of extracurricular activities, mainly because teachers are required to accompany the travelling students, leaving a missing place to fill in back home. On the days of trips, the rest of us in class don’t have a teacher. Substitutes are a viable solution, but they aren’t the effective solution - we as students know that productivity is halved when a substitute teaches the class. We the students need our teachers in our classrooms.

Of course, I’m not trying to bash any of these events especially because I see great importance in all of them and so does the school. But no matter how enriching the experiences are, if it starts to undermine school itself, then it becomes a problem.

But of course, a solution for this complex and deeply rooted issue is not readily evident. On one hand, the school’s current policy both on excused absences and extracurricular trips need revision and must become stricter so that the number of trips students can take and the number of classes students can miss are decreased. But the shadier side of the problem involving those who exploit the policy to skip classes is exponentially harder to resolve. Since the culprits remain in the shadows and the current authorities are unable to catch them, the process of receiving absences, both from the school’s nurse and from outside school doctors, must be reimagined.

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NEWS

Rho Kappa excels at Korea History Bee and Bowl

The Korea History Bee and Bowl Championships, hosted on Feb. 20 at Dulwich College of Seoul, was a landmark step for Rho Kappa into the realm of international history competitions in more ways than one. Although this is Rho Kappa’s first year as an official SIS club, not only did teams SIS A and SIS C place third and fourth in the History Bowl, Daniel Kang (10) and Paul Namkoong (11) also placed first and fourth, respectively, in the Varsity History Bee. The Championships also marks Rho Kappa’s first time participating in an official tournament.

“The purpose of this tournament was to not only to give students a much deeper understanding of history, but also provide the chance to retain that knowledge and apply it in different situations throughout their lives,” said Nolwenn Madden, 2016 Korea History Bee and Bowl Championships Coordinator. “When we launched [this program] in Korea three years ago, I don’t think there had ever been such an English history competition in Korea. I hope we can attract more students so that they can meet at our tournaments and bond over their love of history.”

According to Ms. Madden, the questions were designed to draw from as many different aspects of history as possible, including the history of the arts and of the sciences. For example, at one stage of each round, teams had to answer as many questions as possible from a category they had selected, their topics ranging from Otto Von Bismarck to Chinese New Year.

“We practiced during club meetings by solving practice sets following official rules and regulations,” said Michelle Lee (9), member of team SIS A. “At first, everything was daunting. The freshmen members were mostly awed by how the more experienced members could answer so many questions, especially since we had not taken an AP history course yet. However, the more we practiced and became familiar, and the more history that we would’ve otherwise forgotten resurfaced in our minds.”

Teams that placed first to fourth, including SIS A and SIS C, were invited to compete in the 2016 Asian Championships hosted at Khao Lak, Thailand on June 10-12. According to the International History Olympiad (IHBB), teams that place in the top half of the six divisional championships held in Asia, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and US will be eligible to compete in the 2016 IHBB, hosted on July 17-24 at Honolulu, Hawaii.

Teams SIS A and SIS C qualified for both competitions.

“I think history bees and bowls are unique in that you need to trust your teammates much more than at any other competition,” said Brian Kong (11), member of team SIS C. “Since team members cannot communicate with each other once they press the buzzer, we had to learn to trust our teammates’ ability to answer and comfort them even if they got it wrong.

When it was announced that my team had qualified for Thailand and Hawaii, I was overwhelmed with joy, not necessarily because we had placed, but because our teamwork had finally paid off.”

By Diana Nakyoung Lee Sophomore, Staff Writer

Reflections: BEIMUN explores identity

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ho am I? Every day, many of us ask ourselves this critical yet difficult question. At the Beijing Model United Nations (BEIMUN) Conference held from from March 9 to 12 under the theme of “Identity in the 21st Century,” more than 500 students from over 20 different countries around the globe gathered to give voice to the oppressed people of the Earth: the people who are unable to comprehensively and honestly answer this extremely essential question, due to persecution and oppression that they suffer. In a world where individuality is so often replaced with conformity, it has become ever more important to establish tolerance, acceptance, and harmony amongst different groups. But how can we determine this identity? In truth, the answer to the question does not really exist.

“Our failure to answer the question of our identity is the beauty of our generation,” said Sangwook Park, the Under Secretary General of this year’s BEIMUN. “In an increasingly more globalized world, where we are interdependent of one another, our identities are long-winded and opaque.

We now come across different cultures, customs, languages and people from the world, thanks to globalization. The difficulty and complexity of this year’s theme is what makes it so enriching and valuable. As we progress to find our identity, we will realize that we are people of privilege.”

With such privilege also comes the responsibility to help those in dire need.

The first step in combatting intolerance is recognizing that our own scope of viewing the world is very limited. Each of us are trapped by our own worldviews.

Many people in developed nations rarely experience maternal death or starvation because 99 percent of such deaths occur in developing nations. In Human Rights Council I (HRCI), the delegates attempted to shift the focus away from just ourselves to others in need—those who live under the fear of countless lifethreatening circumstances. This year, the HRCI mainly discussed the violation of human rights by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, maternal mortality in various developing nations, and the well-being and rights of citizens in the Palestinian territory.

“To me, Human Rights Council is the most important committee in MUN,” said Thomas Rhee (12), the delegate of

News Briefs

By Soomin Lee Sophomore, Staff Writer

Michelle Ahn (9) participates as the delegate of the Russian Federation in Human Rights Council II.

Photo by Grace Lee

Curtis Lee (9) lobbys for a resolution discussed by the Human Rights Council I.

Photo by Grace Lee

Namibia from the International School of Beijing in HRCI. “The forum really battles the core issues of MUN. Ensuring human rights is most essential and crucial in combatting economic and political problems. The issues in the HRCI excited me and many other delegates as they dealt with issues that are so common in the world, yet foreign to many of us. For instance, it is hard to see mothers passing away in childbirth in Beijing; however, that is a serious concern for many mothers in developing nations.”

As such, this year’s BEIMUN was an opportunity for all the delegates from numerous ethnicities and backgrounds to overcome their differences and address key global issues that exist in the world outside of their previously narrower worldview. In the beginning, delegates were hesitant to raise their

placards and debate on these various topics. However, as the minutes and hours and days passed, more delegates actively participated in debate and in HRCI, some delegates even raised their voices as the debate heated up. But BEIMUN was not only about passionate speeches and heated debates. Delegates often came up with original and creative ways in order to express themselves fully to their committees. In accordance with this, BEIMUN also included humorous analogies—as the delegate of Pakistan said about his experience at the conference, “MUN without cooperation among the international community is cheeseburger without the cheese.”

By Grace Lee Junior, Staff Writer

Annual KAIAC Case Competition takes place On Saturday, March 5, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members took part in the annual KAIAC Case Competition held at SIS. Two out of the three SIS teams that participated in the event, SIS 2 and SIS 1, won first and third place respectively. This year’s Case Competition took place on one day, unlike last year’s where teams had two consecutive days to complete the prompt.

Garam Lee (12), FBLA president, believes

the competition was successful due to hard work of the participants.

“I was proud of the teams that entered this competition because they showed so much growth and skill throughout,” Garam said. “In just a week, they managed to think of creative yet plausible business solutions, and I attribute these accomplishments to the time and effort the participants invested even in the midst of their busy schedules.”

Tiger Times March 2016

ZEITGEIST Ebola. MERS. Now ZIKV. A new disease has plagued the global community. The Zika virus, scientifically known as “ZIKV,” is a viral infection transmitted by the daytime-active Aedes mosquito that primarily resides in the Zika Forest of Uganda.

Scientists have discovered that the virus preys primarily on pregnant women of all ages, as well as children with weak immunity. This virus has recently been discovered in various parts of America and therefore has since sparked fear in many Asian countries, such as South Korea, Japan, and China. Various news and media outlets emphasize that the ZIKA virus is a potential threat to Korea. But exactly how worried should we be? Let’s first take a look back at the origins of the virus.

First discovered in the 1950s, the Zika virus occurred within a narrow geographical range between Africa and Asia. In 2013, the virus spread eastward across the Pacific Ocean to Mexico, Central Ameri-

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Zika virus: How concerned should we be?

ca, and South America. Despite the fact that various governmental organizations warned against travelling to areas that were already plagued with the virus, infected tourists repeatedly breached the US border and as a result the Zika virus has appeared in Florida and Michigan.

In order to protect populations at risk, several organizations have started vaccination projects for the Zika virus.

Governments have funded vaccination development projects, including one conducted by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. However, despite these efforts, no successful cure has been yet discovered, and various news portals have reported that the virus may potentially toll on those with weak immunity. As part of an effort to stop the free flow of this virus between borders, several countries such as Jamaica have advised civilians to temporarily avoid pregnancy.

From the aforementioned information,

it may be assumed that the virus will eventually “detrimentally” affect South Korea. However, it is not likely that the virus will affect Korea to the extent that it did other regions of the world.

This is because the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already put the virus on its top priorities list. As a result of this initiative, medical institutions will be required to immediately report cases of the Zika virus to health authorities, allowing for systematic monitoring and diagnosis.

In addition, the virus can only be transferred sexually or through blood transfusions, both of which are not common causes of diseases in South Korea. As a nation that has fairly transparent and effective medical facilities, Korea rarely has cases of reused needles in hospitals. According to the Joongang Daily, the South Korean government has succeeded in preventing

Ebola, a similar blood-transferred disease, from striking the nation in the past few years.

However, the unlikelihood of the Zika virus to affect South Korea is not sufficient enough to stop us from taking basic, everyday preventative measures.

At the end of the day, no health institution can accurately predict the flow of an epidemic. No one expected the MERS to raise such concern on South Korea. No one expected the Ebola virus to go past South Korea. However, judging from the currently available evidence, there seems to be an inflation of media focus on the ZIKV today. Until the World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that the ZIKV is no longer a threat to our world, we must continue on with basic sanitation: washing our hands and brushing our teeth.

By Jaeha Kim Junior, Copy Editor

Career Awareness Month exposes students to different professions In order to help students lost in the maze of career options, the counseling department hosted “Career Awareness Month” from March 2-25. A number of renowned professionals from different fields visited on designated days to talk about their career backgrounds and advise the student body on making decisions. Although this was the first year that the administration implemented such program, students have show interest through their appearance in many speeches.

“Initiating programs is a different approach to exposing students to the real world,” said Hailey Ahn (10), program attendee. “While students from previous years were given the chance to look around a number of universities and have a guest speaker talk about their lives after high school graduation, this program sought to specifically talk about jobs. I think the diversity of careers presented will influence students.”

Guest speakers included an investment banker, Samsung Bio Pharmacist, corporate lawyer, professional actor, non-governmental organization worker, and a government-based worker. All guest speakers were chosen from various areas in order to introduce students to a variety of careers.

“Most students here try to stay in what is considered the ‘normal’ frame of career choices,” said Sohee Ahn (10), aspiring doctor. “This career program, however, might be able to change the trend of how people veer towards normality and instead

Career Month Speakers: David Chung, Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs Christopher Ko, CEO at Samsung BioPharmaceutical Jonath Park, Corporate Lawyer at Sheppard/Mullen Haelim Cho, Professor at Ewha Women’s University Yeonghan Choi, Director at General Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Samsung BIOEPIS CEO, Christopher Ko, speaks about biopharmaceuticals, as well as his career on March 10.

encourage them to explore areas they may not have considered before.”

Although this program was designed to offer student the new opportunity of direct interaction with those from various fields, some students were rather hesitant to attend the program because they were worried that such programs might confuse them even more about their pathways to a career.

“I’m sure that this unique approach to the future and such seemingly far-away topics was effective in some way,” said Jake Park (11), another program attendee.

KASA attempts increase in shelter trips Every year, Korean Animal Service Association (KASA) members go on trips to animal shelters to help with a variety of tasks, some of which include cleaning out waste and reorganizing beds for animals. In order to provide more opportunities for members to experience helping animals in need, executives have been trying to contact more shelters.

“This year, we had some trouble arranging shelter trips but we still tried to

provide students with the chance to gain some hands-on experience,” said Karen Joo (10), KASA secretary. “Some animal shelters only accept students over a certain age and others were shut down due to maintenance issues. Still, we hope to not only increase participation within the club, but also raise more awareness about the animals in need by continuing our efforts to increase the number of shelter trips for student participation.”

“But personally, I think the professionally addressed program might have rather confused, or even put bigger burdens, on some students regarding their future and how they’re going to achieve their personal aspirations.”

All presentations had been delivered during activity periods so that interested students could actively participate without missing class. For instance, the second Career Awareness Month presentation took place on March 8 in the library during activity period with Johneth Chongseo Park, a corporate lawyer. Even though some

Photo by Kelly Kim

students enthusiastically engaged with the guest speaker, a seeming lack of participation in general was noted.

“Even though this is a new kind of way for students to experience the ‘real’ world, it still needs more attention from students,” said Sean Syverson, English teacher. “If students don’t come to participate and listen to the guest speakers, this unique program will yet again fade away next year.”

By Grace Yang Sophomore, Staff Writer

Students receive invitation from GYLC On Feb. 19, several sophomores received mail from the Global Young Leaders Conference, inviting them to participate in any of the conferences held in the United States, China, and Europe. Despite controversy above the legitimacy of this program, the conferences aim to expand the perspectives of students and shape them into leaders by allowing students to learn how to collaborate wit students of different nationalities, according to the Global Young

Leaders Conference website.

“This conference is a great opportunity to think about one’s unique approach to leadership,” said Gray Macklin, Testing and Student Services Coordinator. “It allows students to experience something they can’t later in their lives, and I believe we should take more advantages of this opportunity. Students will learn to be not only independent, but also in command of making the right decisions.”

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C S I E R N E C V E O S S T N A R N E D C A N RDI O C Z G A T N I I O V L

U

N

EVO

is in the eye

by Jungho Daniel Choi and Daniel Shin

ntil we get equality in education, we won’t have an equal society.”

This statement by US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor captures the intent behind the “one-shoe-size-fits-all” sentiment that has dominated the US education system in recent years.

In an effort to provide equal schooling for children regardless of where they live, the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which set uniform standards across states in mathematics and English across the US, was proposed and accepted in 2009. Since then, there have been both proponents and opponents of Common Core—with some hailing it as a move in the right direction, and others considering it a costly overreach of federal power. However, with the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in 2013, the “shoe” of standardized education was stretched yet again.

Like the Common Core, the NGSS initiative attempts to create consistent education standards, in order to “provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education.” However, this multi-state effort to standardize science education across the US has sparked controversy, not only because some policymakers believe that education should not be a federal responsibility, but also because of the conservative backlash against the inclusion of topics such as climate change and evolution in the NGSS. A 2009 study conducted by The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education Center found numerous problematic discrepancies in state science standards, ranging from vaguely defined standards to discrepancies in scientific term usage. The material presented to students also differed slightly from state to state, as some states omitted certain concepts deemed less important. Such problems are part of the reason that supporters of standardized education are calling for a unified nationwide science curriculum.

“It is essential that all science students start at a level playing field, meaning that every kid across the country gets a certain basic level of scientific literacy,” said Khadjiah Mumtaz, chemistry teacher. “It is ridiculous for one state to teach an essential concept like evolution and another to omit it. In fact, I’d even go a step further and have all countries implement national curricula for all core subjects. ” The NGSS initiative has added evolution into the science standards, sparking the opposition of anti-evolution and religious groups who believe that the Specific Creation should be taught as a competing theory

in science classes. Such skeptics believe that science classes should also present the creationist perspective, which links mankind’s creation to the actions of a divine entity. While the prominent Scopes Trial of 1925 was focused primarily on the validity of merely teaching evolution, the level of discourse has expanded to whether or not this subject should be included in a nationwide education system.

“If we are going to complain that the way science is being taught in schools is ‘unbalanced,’ then it is right of us to equally present different views like the creationist theory,” said Jun Jang (9), Joshua Camp member.

“While I do not fully believe this theory, I simply believe it is important to teach not only the field of science but also the skepticism associated with it.”

According to The Atlantic and the National Center for Science Education, anthropogenic, or human-caused, climate change is another topic included in the NGSS that has drawn the opposition from certain rightwing groups. Under the NGSS, students would begin studying topics such as climate change and the effect of human activity on global warming and greenhouse gas production in middle school. Though over 97 percent of scientific studies and publications written on climate change concur that it is real and that humans contribute to it, some right-wing groups and politicians refute this claim and believe that it should not be taught in science classes.

Certain conservative politicians are just as critical of the NGSS initiative itself, as many of them view any form of nationwide standardization as an unacceptable overreach of federal authority that would not be worth the cost. Former governor of Texas Rick Perry slammed Common Core when it was first introduced in 2009, calling it “unproven” and “cost-prohibitive.” It is unlikely that such politicians who once spoke so ardently against previous attempts of standardization would receive the NGSS with open arms. For example, Maine Governor Paul LePage also vetoed Maine’s proposed adoption of the NGSS, saying that it would cost too much to implement.

“Though I am a moderate, I actually tilt slightly in favor of a standardized curriculum because that way, a kid moving between states does not have to worry about adjusting to completely different methods of teaching,” said Paul Roberts, Government and Politics teacher. “However, I also worry about the bureaucratization of education and question whether it is the government’s responsibility to tell a state what to teach its individuals.”

es of the

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I O C T N A E R T O C I S L C B I U E P N TIFI F O C Y GRO IV T A W R G

O

by Soomin Chun and Angela Yoon

n February 11, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) laboratories in Louisiana and Washington delivered colossal shockwaves to the world of science when they announced the discovery of gravitational waves, or “ripples in the fabric of space-time.” Institutions across the world lauded this day as a milestone for physics, as scientists are now able to look at the universe in terms of gravity rather than traditional light, opening up opportunities to answer questions regarding topics ranging from the Big Bang to gamma-ray bursts.

“I am very impressed about how small the waves are and how [scientists] could actually detect them,” said Brian Mellon, AP physics teacher.

“So far, it is early to see the implications of being able to detect gravitational waves, but being able to see the universe from both the electromagnetic and gravitational perspective has many opportunities for exploration in store. We didn’t know what radio waves could be used for, but now they are used in everyone’s life every single day. Science has magnificent history for finding uses for discoveries like this–on the surface, no one knows.”

However, not all scientific discoveries have been able to bask under such a positive spotlight. While the detection of gravitational waves has mainly sparked encouraging reactions from both the public and scientific community, there are countless other breakthroughs that have been met with denial and defensiveness. Religious differences and unyielding mindsets among the greater public have, time and time again, served as the primary reasons behind these responses. Although mixed sentiments are inevitable, the implications of such reactions have led to questions regarding the future of science and its relationship with mankind.

“It is always difficult to believe that religion and science can coexist perfectly,” said Debora Kim (12), Science Club co-president and Joshua Christian Camp president. “I am a dedicated Christian who believes in the words and values of her faith, yet I am also an aspiring doctor who has learned to embrace the enigmas solved and created by science. It all really depends on how individuals approach each sphere. It is important to treat science as science and religion as religion; having them compete against one another can only cause issues.”

The discovery of the Higgs boson, nicknamed the “God” particle, led to a controversy that demonstrated how a seemingly harmless scientific breakthrough could incite debate. The name alone already suggests that this discovery is associated with a number of religious implications,

particularly those regarding the origin of the universe. According to the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the Higgs boson essentially helps elucidate the existence of mass and, in turn, the existence of all life.

While this was a pivotal milestone in the realm of science, it pitched an unforeseen knuckleball at the religious community, as it challenged an age-old belief that matter and mass were the creations of a god, the basis in which Creationism stands. As expected, many people of faith were not prepared for the striking blow left by yet another scientific discovery.

“In the beginning, science and religion were one,” said Jeffrey Heo (10), aspiring physics engineer. “Going to church meant you were literate because you could read the bible. But these days, religion is clearly separated from science, and whenever [religion and science] seem to intertwine again, the public shrinks away [from those discoveries]. I like physics because it can have a direct impact on people’s lives, but when people criticize and push scientists down, society will not be able to build up.”

Since the beginning of mankind, science has been testing the limits of religious establishments and public views. From the outrageous concept of a spherical Earth in 6th century BC, to the outlandish heliocentric theory in 1543 and the agitating discovery that Pluto is not a planet in 2006–there is a clear trend: people are often unwilling to accept new findings. This is because reasoning and emotion are intertwined, and feelings spring up much before logic and conscious thoughts. According to Charles Taber, political scientist at Stony Brook University, when someone hears of a discovery that challenges their beliefs, they subconsciously form a negative response to the new information, which then guides the associations created within the conscious mind. In essence, it is difficult for individuals to transform their beliefs, especially when something as central to one’s life as religion is tested.

Granted, skepticism is considered one of the most valuable and vital qualities of a scientist because it allows individuals to test the waters before making false assumptions about any new theory. In other words, a skeptical approach to the boundless field of science draws a distinct line between reality and fantasy. It is also an understandable quality, with sensationalized and commercialized scientific discoveries not being a rare occurrence when companies can claim anything the public has no way of testing. Nevertheless, rather than being beaten back down to Earth all the time, encouragement from society can help learning soar high–a balance between skepticism and encouragement can help scientists wade carefully but steadily into the yet unknown.

8

NEWS

Northwestern University Treblemakers perform acapella, inspire Ambassadors Filling the auditorium with harmonic tunes, the Northwestern University Treblemakers visited SIS to perform for the school and conduct a workshop for the Ambassadors choir March 22. The Treblemakers helped the SIS Ambassadors refine their vocal skills and gave acapella performances of songs such as “Swing Baby” by Jinyoung Park, “Focus” by Ariana Grande, and “Gee”

by Girls Generation.

The Treblemakers—not to be confused with the fictitious all-male acapella group from the movie “Pitch Perfect” of the same name—is Northwestern University’s premiere East Asian-interest acapella group.

Founded in 2004, the Treblemakers sing in a variety of genres and different languages, ranging from American pop music to jazzy arrangements of Chinese ballads as well as songs in Tagalog, Korean, Cantonese, and Taiwanese. According to Kate Lee, the Treblemakers music director, the fact that the choral group is East Asian-interest only dictates the variety of songs that they sing and not the diversity of the group; the choir is composed of students all around the world.

“I joined the Treblemakers not only to sing but because I wanted a social community with really good friends who sing together,” Kate said. “We spend a lot of time together, not only in rehearsals, which we hold six hours a week, but also by hanging out every weekend and getting lunch or dinner together. Some of us are even roommates! Being in the Treblemakers also allows me to express myself. Acapella is a very independent, human form of expression, and there’s something really special about voices coming together to make music.”

The Treblemakers visited SIS as part of their first ever Asia tour, which started on March 17 and targeted Beijing, Seoul, and Hong Kong. The Treblemakers wanted to perform for a mix of international schools, public schools, and colleges during their tour, but they specifically chose SIS to visit during their tour because they saw that SIS had an involved music program and wanted

Apple’s Pandora The sandwiches and fruit, so pristine and fresh just moments ago, were now splattered with blood. What was once a luncheon crumbled when an extremist couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, pulled out their semi-automatic pistols and emptied 75 bullets in a mere four minutes, painting the gory details with their horrifying brushes.

In the aftermath of the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, the American government has rushed to rectify the situation and persecute those responsible, and in the process of justice they have found the need to access the phone of one of the shooters. The problem arose when federal investigators were unable to circumvent Apple’s phone security and access the information they needed,

to share a musical and cultural experience with SIS students.

Part of the tour included conducting a workshop with the Ambassadors choir, during which the Treblemakers made sure the members of Ambassadors locked in their performance skills.

“The Treblemakers focused on the mix of emotions that exists in music,” said Debora Kim (12), Ambassadors member.

“We worked on being transparent to all of the emotions in a song, not just the initial impression that we get from reading the lyrics and listening to the melody. But the Treblemakers gave us advice that goes beyond just choir and performing. They gave us the advice to be confident in whatever

we’re doing, and to do things with commitment. They said that even if you make a mistake, if you carry on with confidence, then that’s a show in itself. It’s all a part of performing.”

Kallina Chin, SIS choir director, agreed with the Ambassadors members in that the Treblemakers visit was beneficial to the Ambassadors in more ways than one. Not only were the Ambassadors able to refine their technical skills, they also received inspiration from the Treblemakers regarding. They taught the Ambassadors about the emotional aspect of music and the commitment that an involvement in music requires.

“Watching the Treblemakers

perform was a good opportunity for the Ambassadors,” Ms. Chin said. “The Ambassadors were able to take away musical aspects, such as movement, that I felt that they would be able to understand more when they saw it in person, rather than just hearing it from me. The visit was perfect in timing, as well, because though their coming to our school would be inspiring at any time, this time of the year is when people start to get tired from all of the performances. Watching the Treblemakers perform was motivational and inspirational.”

By Marie Park Sophomore, Staff Writer

The More You Know

By Andrew Ham leading to the FBI asking the company to create a new piece of software which, when loaded on an iPhone, would allow investigators to evade any firewalls and encryption put in place by Apple to protect the phone. Further, this tool could be used on any iPhone, giving the FBI a tool to investigate the private communication of suspected terrorists.

Federal organizations desire our privacy in order to protect us, but that may actually lead to two undesirable results.

First, there will be less privacy for all citizens, but second, there will be less security as well. Let me explain below.

The FBI likes to paint this picture of a modern-day September 11, of a time when the nation was gripped with fear and terror, when Americans were willing to give up their freedom in return for some comforting safety. But that’s not the real issue here. The FBI is not asking

Apple to merely unlock the shooter’s phone, but to create software that could circumvent digital security technology in general. Doing this would leave a gaping hole in firewalls surrounding mobile phones that could be exploited by all sorts of wrongdoers, from Russia and China to cyber-terrorist groups worldwide. Over the past 18 months, banks, retail stores, and even national governments have been breached by hackers worldwide who have stolen the Social Security numbers, credit card information, and fingerprints of citizens. Clearly, both our privacy and security are intertwined with our online information in this digital age.

The FBI is, in a way, “strengthening” our security by breaking the very firewalls that are in place to protect us.

Which, then, is the greater evil? What happens when we concede to what we

consider a necessary monster—and the evil asks for more? Although ordinary Americans believe that accessing the San Bernardino shooter’s information will keep them safe, they do not understand the future impacts of such a hasty action.

As Apple’s vice-president put it in the Washington Post, “security is an endless race—one that you can lead but never decisively win.”

As technology companies develop stronger and better chains for our protection, cyber-terrorists and hackers are simultaneously working to break their weakest links. Any disruption to Apple’s efforts could turn the tides into the wrong hands. We should not be impeding the people who are ensuring our digital security; if the FBI truly wants to protect us, it will surely leave our phones alone.

Tiger Times March 2016

Conan O’Brien’s trip to Korea grasps the media Faced with swarming fans and camera flashes, a conventional celebrity arriving at Incheon Airport would quickly walk towards the exit, perhaps throwing a proud smile or waving to fans along the way. Conan O’Brien, however, stepped into the gate and stood rock solid, shocked by the horde of South Korean fans waiting for his arrival. As he proceeded to take as many pictures with his fans and sign as many autographs as he could, Mr. O’Brien was already foreshadowing his entertaining and eccentric voyage around Seoul.

“His reaction to fans in the airport was absolutely attention-grabbing,” Lena Park (9) said, a fan of Conan. “I think the way he approached Korean citizens through social networking websites and photos really helped him establish a foundation for relationships with his Korean fans.”

Invited by Korean fan Sunny Lee through Twitter, Mr. O’Brien immediately booked a flight to Korea for his five-day stay. As soon as he arrived, Korean media began to cover his visit through online newspapers, blogs, and social networking sites, commenting on the unexpected reasons behind his visit. He was not a Hollywood movie star visiting to open pre-ceremonies and advertise an upcoming movie.

Rather, he came to save an octopus and keep him as a pet named Samuel, to appear on a booming Korean drama as a cameo appearance, to learn Taekwondo, to visit the DMZ, to sing on a brand new K-pop track with JYP, and to drop Samuel off in an aquarium. He was a typical tourist, though the snapshots

of his vacation roared across social networking sites.

“It has been a trend for Koreans to find attractive yet approachable celebrities,” Sean Oh (10) said, another follower of Conan. “Just as Jack Black’s presence on one of the episodes of Infinite Challenge stirred a lot of attention due to his outgoing and humorous personality, so it seems [Mr. O’Brien’s] personality acted as one of the major factors of his popularity here.”

Despite all the attention he received throughout his stay, Mr. O’Brien did come under fire for cutting his fan meeting short in order to meet the US Ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert. While the meeting was initially planned to last two hours at Posco P&S Tower in Yuk-samdong for nearly 230 Korean fans, it was cut short after only

thirty minutes without a clear explanation.

“It’s definitely difficult to always stay on time and move ceaselessly around, event after event,” William Suh (11) said. “But anyone who is responsible for official promises should be more mindful to avoid disputes.”

Although there may have been a minor issue with scheduling, Mr. O’Brien was effectively recognized as one of the few international celebrities who approached Korean citizens openly, leading to his growing popularity in Korea. According to the Huffington Post’s report, Conan’s short but packed five-day trip will be aired as a TV special .

By Grace Yang Sophomore, Staff Writer

Produce 101 gathers noteworthy attention in Korea “Hello to all you producers out there.

Right now, the fates of 101 trainees rest within your hands. So, are you guys ready to make the legendary girl group? If you are, behold... It’s show time!”

—Keunsuk Jang, Produce 101 MC Striving to create the “first” globally acknowledged girl group, Music Network (Mnet) hosted a survival show, Produce 101, which aired its first episode on Jan. 22 with a record-breaking performance of 101 trainees from 46 Korean entertainment companies. Despite the initial interest that it stirred, Produce 101 was soon targeted with negative criticism when it was revealed that CJ E&M, the conglomerate owning Mnet, had signed a contract with the entertainment agencies, consenting to video editing that unfairly targets specific individuals.

“Initially, I was both surprised at and appreciative of the fact that someone actually thought of the idea to create a program that would give 101 trainees a ‘second chance,’” said Heewon Kim

(10), viewer. “However, my opinion of the show completely changed when it was proven that the Produce 101 staff cropped out certain scenes to basically lie about the actions of a specific trainee. I noticed how such programs never end up telling the whole truth, but rather choose to make up more engaging and scandalous stories even at the risk of ruining the dreams of its participants.”

Despite the disadvantage particular girls received due to such “immoral” editing, Sports Ilgan disclosed on Feb. 16, that such girls could not take any legal action against such edits due to the contract they signed before choosing to appear on the show. According to the Korea Times, despite the negative attention from the public, the program’s staff failed to apologize, only responding with a statement that it is “regrettable that the contents of the contract were revealed.”

“Besides the fact that Produce 101 did not even apologize directly towards those who received unwanted criti-

cisms from others due to actions they did not commit at all, what angers me more is that such unfair editing has been continuing since the previous survival show, Unpretty Rapstar, which was also aired on Mnet,” said Alice Kim (12), Produce 101 viewer. “While Produce 101 can not do much about the harm and burden it has already put on its contributors, the least it can do is to give a public and proper heartfelt apology and make sure they stop such unethical editing from happenng again.”

Scheduled to air 11 times overall, Produce 101 plans to narrow down all 101 trainees to 11 trainees who will successfully debut as a girl group. In the fifth episode that aired on Feb.19, 39 lowest ranked girls were cut from the program. While it is unknown how many more girls will be cut in the following episodes, the quest to form the “perfect” girl group goes on.

By Alice Lee Sophomore, Staff Writer

9

Thinking at 0m/s

All about that mass: Lighting up Einstein At the atomic scale, one plus one does not equal two. A hydrogen atom has less mass than the combined masses of the proton and the electron that make it up.

How can something weigh less than the sum of its parts? It’s because E = mc2. While it probably is the most famous equation in all of physics, Einstein actually wrote it down differently in his original 1905 paper, as m = E / c2. That’s because at its core, Einstein’s equation is really all about mass.

You’ll often see statements like mass is a form of energy or mass is frozen energy, or mass can be converted to energy. That’s the worst one out there. Unfortunately, none of these statements is quite correct, so trying to make sense of them can be frustrating.

Instead, we can get a better sense of m = E / c2 squared means if we examine some non-intuitive facts about mass. For instance, even if two objects are made up of identical components, in general, those objects will not have equal masses. The mass of something that’s made out of smaller parts is not just the sum of the masses of those parts.

Instead, the total mass of the composite object depends on how it’s parts are arranged and how those parts move within the bigger object.

Imagine two windup watches that are identical atom for atom except that one of them is fully wound up and running, but the other one has stopped. According to Einstein, the watch that’s running has a greater mass. Why? Well, the hands and gears in the running watch are moving, so they have some kinetic energy.

There are also wound up springs in the running watch that have potential energy, and there’s a little bit of friction between the moving parts of that watch that heats them up ever so slightly so that its atoms start jiggling a little bit.

That’s thermal energy, or equivalently, randomized kinetic energy on a more microscopic level.

Now, what M = E / c2 says is that all of that kinetic energy and potential energy and thermal energy that resides in the watch’s parts manifests itself as part of the watch’s mass.

You just add up all that energy, divide it by the speed of light squared, and that’s how much extra mass the kinetic and potential and thermal energies of the parts contribute to the whole. Now since the speed of light is so huge, this extra mass is tiny, only about a billionth of a billionth of a percent of the total mass of the watch.

That’s why, according to Einstein, most of us have always incorrectly believed that mass is an indicator of the amount of matter in an object. In everyday life, we just don’t notice the discrepancy because it’s so small, but it’s not zero. And if you had perfectly sensitive scales, you could measure it. So wait a second. So, is the mass of the minute hand bigger because the minute hand is moving?

No! That’s an outdated viewpoint. Most contemporary physicists mean mass while at rest, or “rest mass,” when they talk about mass. In modern parlance, the phrase “rest mass” is redundant.

You can think of it as an indicator of how hard it is to accelerate an object or an indicator of how much gravitational force an object will feel. But either way, a ticking watch simply has more of it than an otherwise identical stop watch. So more examples might help to clarify what’s going on here. Whenever you turn on a flashlight, its math starts to drop immediately.

This article matters too much; we decided to convert the rest to electric energy.

The rest of the article can be found at ttonl.org.

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

10

SPORTS

Star athlete and famed player benched due to academic reasons

B

en Simmons, star forward of the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers and prospected number one draft pick of the National Basketball Association, was benched on Feb. 21 due to academic reasons. This star-studded athlete’s forced respite hurt the Tigers’ chances to advance to the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) playoffs in March when the team lost to the Tennessee Volunteers.

According to Bleacher Report, Johnny Jones, head coach of the Tigers, said that LSU “had to address some academic stuff with [Simmons] earlier in the week.”

Benching Simmons was meant to be a wake-up call for him, and the university hopes to see changes in his behavior and attitude in the future.

“When I first heard that Ben Simmons was benched, I was really confused,” said William Chung (10), boys junior varsity basketball player. “He is their key player, and I thought it was an unwise decision to bench him. However when I looked into the issue and found out that he was benched due to academic reasons, I understood and actually supported LSU’s decision. Even though this is a bad loss for the Tigers, it taught Simmons a lesson.”

Although the Tigers’ chances of getting into the playoffs were diminished due to the benching of their star player, the coaching staff was adamant in their decision to insert Simmons into their second unit.

Though Simmons is primarily known as a basketball player, he is a student-athlete and attends classes at LSU. Like any other

SPORTS PHOTO OF THE MONTH

student, his attendance, grades, and behavior matter. Because his academic performance did not meet expectations, he was directed to sit out for a game.

Though some believe that getting into the NCAA playoffs matters more than grades, there is a reason the word “student” comes before the word “athlete.” In light of recent events, the importance of this academic aspect was emphasized in this compromise between the roles of athlete and student, and much of the educational world concurred with the actions of head coach Johnny Jones in benching his star.

Simmons’ academic issues affected not only his team’s success, but also his personal success. His low grades jeopardized his chances of winning the Wooden Award, a decoration reserved for the most outstanding college basketball players. Though he was previously a competent candidate, he has since been eliminated from the list of potential recipients.

“Even though athletics is a really important part of school life at SIS, it’s important to keep our grades in our mind as well,” said Jeffrey Heo (10), boys varsity swim team member. “During swim season, many of us generally start to prioritize swimming over our academics. But I think that this is the wrong mindset to have. We come to school to learn and be educated, and athletics are extracurricular. We have to understand that our grades come before our activities and not the other way around.”

By Ryan Jang Sophomore, Staff Writer

Swimming the 200 meter Individual Medley, Jaywon Yi (9) participates in the KAIAC B Format com- Photo by Ryan Jang petition held at Chadwick International. The SIS girls placed fourth and the SIS boys placed first.

Teachers defend winning title at TSC basketball game

Crossing over his defender, Ryan Park (11) leads the fast break in the last quarter for a layup on the March. 11 Teacher vs Varsity game in Tiger Gym 1.

Photo by Daniel Shin

Hoping to raise school spirit and give busy students a break, Tiger Sports Council (TSC) held its second annual varsity boys’ basketball team versus teachers game on March 11. The popularity of last year’s game is what spurred the decision to host this year’s, according to Ivan Atanaskovic, TSC adviser.

According to Eunie Jang, TSC president, the experience they had with the first annual game allowed for smoother transitions and organization of the event this time. After receiving approval from former participants on the idea of the club holding another game, the club executives found a date for the game that was suitable to as many players as possible.

“The games are becoming a tradition because we’ve done it for a number of years,” Mr. Atanaskovic said. “I think the most important experience is the interaction between teachers and students outside of class.

It’s good for students to see teachers taking on different roles and for them to have fun together in a different setting.”

Mr. Atanaskovic talked of how timing was key in preparing for this event. There were many people preoccupied with their respective schedules. It was particularly difficult because of the beginning of spring season sports and events like National History Day and music festivals, not to mention that the planning for the date began later compared to previous years. Despite these minor

issues, they were able to make up for those who could not make it on the planned day.

“It’s a chance to do something where you can laugh and have fun with the guys,” said Sean Syverson, participant of the game.

“You get to be a kid again while joking with the boys and you get to be more of yourself on the court than you ever are in the class setting. It’s fun to have a little more interaction with kids in a place other than the classroom.”

The game lasted for a period of five quarters, and in the end, the teachers claimed a victory against the varsity players with a score of 60-48. Mr. Atanaskovic said that TSC plans to continue these games for the future, as they believe that it is in the best interest of the participants and SIS community.

“I wanted this event to happen especially because the teachers defeated us last year,” said Kevin Shin (12), varsity team member.

“We really wanted to redeem ourselves and show that we had improved as basketball players. Also, it is always a pleasure to play with teachers, who have more experience than us. This game taught me that though our basketball team can be considered a success in terms of our record, there are many places upon which we can still improve. The teachers taught us the nuances of basketball, and it was an honor to learn these skills.”

By April Kim Sophomore, Staff Writer

Tiger Times March 2016

11

Play-by-Play: Tigers win soccer match against Chadwick

Left: Running to track down the ball, Donging Kim (12) makes sure to clear the ball to prevent the opposing team from scoring.

Right: Kicking a corner kick, Harry Shin (10) tries to give his teammates a chance to score. Harry would later go on to score a goal from near half field on a free kick.

Preview Undefeated for the season so far, the varsity boys soccer team played against the Chadwick International (CI) Dolphins for the first time this season on March 16. As a highly anticipated game, the varsity boys’ match gathered a large crowd on the field.

First Half Both teams made aggressive plays from the start of the game, some of which resulted in several fouls. After a free kick from Jay Lee (10) missed its mark only by a narrow margin, the Tigers soon gained the upper hand, keeping the ball on CI’s half of the field. A foul from the Dolphins granted Tigers a free kick, which allowed

Harry Shin (10) to score a goal only twenty minutes into the game.

Although Kaffie Koni Kurz, CI varsity boys soccer player, caught the Tigers by surprise on several occasions when he intercepted passes and came very close to scoring a goal, Sabin Macklin (11), the goalkeeper, successfully blocked his shots every time. As the Tigers were mostly occupied with staying on the offensive, there were times when Sabin was the only player against Kurz.

The Tigers displayed solid teamwork, with Josh Kim (11) and Jay Lee (10) countering all of the Dolphins’ passes. The first half ended in 1-0 in favor of the Tigers.

Second Half

Tensions escalated in the second half as the Dolphins sought to redeem themselves and began playing more aggressively.

Tigers immediately responded by responding just as actively and aggressively to the Dolphins’ plays; unfortunately, David Yoo (10) had to be treated for a minor injury in the process. The scuffles between soccer players that ensued eventually cost the Dolphins two yellow cards.

The Dolphins came close to scoring a goal on many occasions, but Sabin successfully blocked all attempts. Isaac Lee (9) and Dongin Kim (12) also helped the defence by deterring the Dolphins’ strikes. As the match approached its end, both teams became more hostile, the ball escaping the field twice. In the end,

Photo by Ryan Jang

however, no one scored in the second half, and the match ended in yet another win for the Tigers.

Overview

Although the game was a fairly close match until the very end in terms of action, the Tigers showed impressive teamwork and defense.

“Having won all the games this season, we went into the game knowing that we had more to lose,” Sabin said. “Although we could have scored more effectively, we still tried to be confident in our own abilities and played to our potential.”

By Rachel Kang Sophomore, Staff Writer

A Swimmer’s World: Student’s experiences in two athletic cultures

H

air tightly knotted in a bun, leggings donned for comfort, and huge athletic bag packed with necessities, Jaywon Yi (9) is ready for her first friendly meet at Yongsan International School (YISS). This may be her first time at a varsity swim team meet, where different international schools including Seoul Foreign School, Gyeonggi Suwon International School, and Seoul American High School compete against each other. But from her oversized Team Santa Monica sweatshirt and wellworn flip-flops, it is obvious that Jaywon is familiar with the intense sport of swimming.

In the US, Jaywon was a part of one of the top 20 teams in the US, and she was coached by one of the national US swim team coaches. Her team consisted of about 200 dedicated swimmers practicing eight to nine times a week and attending meets every month, with championships twice a year in December and July and Junior Olym-

pics in February and January if the athletes qualified. At one point the team was also invited to the Olympic training center in Colorado to train there for two weeks.

“Everyone swam for the ultimate goal of going to the Olympics,” Jaywon said. “In the beginning, it was sort of difficult to manage my time. But after a while, swimming helped me even out life by helping me learn how to manage my time wisely and balance my schedule. In fact, in the beginning it was mostly my mom forcing me to go to these practices, but starting in middle school, I was the one who wanted to go to practice, forcing my mom to drive me to practice at 4:30 a.m.”

Here in Korea, Jaywon swims competitively both in and out of school. Not only is she a member of the girls varsity swim team, she also regularly practices afterschool at the Olympic Park. Although there is admittedly less team spirit and enthusiasm in Korea, she has come to know many different people and has learned much

from her first time swimming on a school team.

“The varsity swim team is really welcoming,” said Jaywon. “And although practices are easier at SIS than those of other programs, I think this gives me an opportunity to focus on my technique and stroke. I wish there were more practices and meets so that our team could become closer. Still, the recent friendly meet was great, and gave me the opportunity to get along with the upperclassmen and meet other swimmers from other schools.”

No matter where, swimming will always be the same sport that Jaywon has come to love. Despite the common misconception of swimming as a highly individualistic sport, swimming has become a medium through which she has met different people and cooperated under a team over the years.

Still, she also appreciates the more competitive aspects of the sport. As one of the only sports where success, and more importantly progress, can be measured, swimming

has always been an appealing sport for Jaywon.

“Although I tried other sports like dancing, gymnastics, ice skating, golf, and diving, swimming has always been my number one choice ever since I started swimming competitively when I was eight years old,” Jaywon said. “I chose swimming, not because I looked up to Olympic swimmers like Michael Phelps, but because I wanted to become a swimmer of my own and have something that sets me apart from others.”

Throughout the rest of the season and her high school years, Jaywon hopes to become and stay an important member of the varsity swim team. Hopefully, her experience with swimming in different settings as well as her love for the sport will allow her to continue to balance athletics with academics.

By Ariel Lee Junior, Copy Editor

12

SMALL TALK

I DE•A•LOG : Lookism

By Diana Nakyoung Lee

“You’ve tried diet after diet, and still can’t lose those stubborn pounds. I’m here to share the secret to the amazing body I have today. It’s called—genetics!”

- From The Secret to a Perfect Body: Genetics, Collegehumor Lookism: the ultimate, radical form of feminism for the less attractive and less successful. The lies ugly women tell themselves to justify their failures, the rationale behind blaming society for all of their problems.

Just kidding, sorry. I can only imitate bigots for so long.

Lookism, ideologically, is as deep as a concept so shallow could possibly be. It is not a fairytale syndrome whipped up by insecure women.

Neither does it only plague women. It is, rather, a vicious cycle of collective illusion.

On second thought, delusion sounds more fitting. Indeed, systemic forms of prejudice including racism and related delusions of superiority are often fuelled by, if not derived from, lookism. Nineteenth century US immigration laws, for example, treated

FAUX NEWS

white-skinned Europeans much more gently than it did the Mexicans or the Chinese, whose particular ethnic trades were deemed inferior.

In the twenty-first century, lookism also clinks its way into our tip jars. According to Determinants and Consequences of Female Attractiveness and Sexiness, by Michael Lynn, Ph.D., Waitresses’ tips “increase with breast size” and “having blond hair”and “decrease with body size.”

How can we explain humanity’s obsession with externalities? Do the endless differences in our eyes, lips, and hips overwhelm us? Does veiling the issue in the shroud of “that’s just the way it is” simplify our world enough to justify the insecurities that stare back at us in our mirrors?

Of course, stepping away from such societal norms has always been met

Drumpf victory results in mass exodus of US citizens

Fair and Balanced Over 150 thousand US citizens have applied for refugee status with the United Nations (UN), claiming that they deserve to be considered political refugees after the election of Donald Drumpf to the US presidency. This was the latest in a series of events that stemmed from Mr. Drumpf ’s victory in the 2016 election, which is now culminating in the mass exodus of citizens from the US. Now, only a fraction of the original population remains in the entirety of the continental US. The first major decline in US population occurred when Mr. Drumpf began his initiative to deport all illegal immigrants who were living in the US at the time. Though there were only an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US, he ordered the removal of nearly 50 million citizens, most of whom were Hispanic or African-American.

“Illegal immigration is a yuge problem in the US,” Mr. Drumpf said.

“We have a tremendous number of immigrants and Hispanics dragging down our economy. That’s why we’re losing to Mexico. The trade deficit is yuge; it’s just tremendous. I fixed the whole thing by telling the illegals to get outta here. But then I decided to also kick out other people who looked kinda suspicious too. Some of them had documentation, but they seemed kinda foreign to me.”

Soon afterward, many US citizens began driving across the border to Canada and Mexico to avoid the Drumpf presidency. Though so many people left the country that they could not be tracked, current estimates stand at around 100 million. Even former Drumpf supporters decided to leave,

with controversy. When Mattel “unveiled [a new line of] curvy, petite and tall” Barbie dolls this January, and when designer Nickolay Lamm unveiled his line, “Norm al Barbie,” complete with stretch-mark and acne stickers, some considered it an overreaction. Some even argued that full-sized models promote obesity and unhealthy physical lifestyles, while others claimed that a movement for natural curves undermined the beauty of naturally thin women.

Social standards are hard to shift.

Efforts to do so may seem over-theline or unnatural, and a shift may not always be in the right direction. Beauty, however, is more than the right to wink at the mirror and murmur, “You look fine today.” Beauty is about self-worth. Even more dangerous than the idea that obesity is tolerable is the much-too-

real scenario that a child looks into a mirror and only chubby cheeks or round chins in a smile. Beauty is about loving and cherishing oneself, not wanting to cut or sculpt it into pieces.

A popular social media slogan reads, “real beauty has curves.” It is not too late to create a world where curves are beautiful. And not just curves. Lines are beautiful. Edges are beautiful.

Birthing children into a lookist society is birthing them into a world where rules dictate who they are and what they are and aren’t allowed to appreciate in others and in themselves.

In whom they are allowed to search for and find love, potential, and vitality.

Defeating lookism is about opening our eyes. Shattering our box of illusions.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What beauty can you see?

b u l C e c n a D

saying that they had “come to their senses” about what they had done.

“I don’t know what came over me,” said Ray Cyst, former Drumpf supporter, who now resides in Mexico.

“I suppose I thought that the illegals and blacks were ruining America. But after I cast my vote in November, it hit me. This guy is going to be president. I mean, I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m in Mexico now, but I still hope that Mr. Drumpf lives up to his promise and builds a wall between the US and Mexico. I want a big wall between me and Drumpf now.”

Currently, over 150 thousand citizens are being removed to various refugee camps in Europe, Asia, and Africa after application for political refugee status with the UN. Though many neo-Nazi parties and extreme rightwing parties such as the National Democratic Party (NDP) of Germany, the Golden Dawn party of Greece, the UK Independence Party, and the National Front in France had opposed immigration into their respective countries during the Syrian refugee crisis, all of them supported opening their borders to the “unfortunate souls” who were fleeing from the presidency of Donald Drumpf, which they considered to be the most catastrophic political disaster to ever occur in a nation.

“Yes, I did initially oppose any form of immigration just a few months ago,” said Hip O’Krit, neo-Nazi NDP member. “But that was because it was just Syrian refugees who were fleeing war and persecution then. Now, there’s a much more pressing humanitarian concern—the Americans fleeing Donald Drumpf. That’s a cause with which even I can find sympathy.”

BY JUNGHO DANIEL CHOI

Photos by April Kim