Tiger Times Volume 41 Issue 8

volume X X X XI

march 2012

issue 8

Tiger Times s e o u l i n t e r nat i o na l s c h o o l sistigertimes.com

Students experience Chinese culture at BEIMUN

School takes measures to ‘cure’ senioritis

By Michelle Kim

By Christine Lee

As “senioritis” continues to affect seniors’ academic performance, the school is experimenting with ways to restore the competitive mindset students held before college applications were due.

Students are currently being instructed to stay after school in the administration office to complete unfinished work if they have a grade of 75 or below in a class. Each week is designated to a specific subject, and students are provided with space, time and resources to finish their assignments.

“This is detention for students who make unacceptable choices,” said Jarret Lambie, high school principal. “When students make bad choices, it’s up to the adults to make them stop. ‘Senioritis’ is an excuse for choices that reflect a negative attitude.”

Though only a minority is failing, the administration believes that “treating school like a game” after the college application process is disrespectful to teachers. The school is worried that if students do not improve their grades, their college offers may be retracted.

“There has been a decrease in the number of people whose grades have [dropped, but it] isn’t as [big] as I hope it to be,” said Erin Hogshead, World Literature teacher. “People are scrambling to get passing grades and the attitude of not wanting to do any work still exists. But if this was the real world, they would fail.”

However, some seniors find that this solution is not logical.

“I know that [the administration] is trying to get rid of ‘senioritis,’ but I don’t understand why they’re trying so hard,” said Sean Kim (12). “[Seniors] have been through four intensive years of school so we consider second semester a time to relax. We know colleges will retract our offers if we fail so I don’t understand why the school is babysitting us.”

Despite such measures, teachers think “senioritis” is still prominent.

“Students know that if they do their work, they will good grades,” said Mr. Lambie. “Not doing work is not an issue of performance but discipline. If seniors next year continue to show this kind of behavior and think that the school is going to sit and watch, the system will be implemented again.”

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Wearing the clothes borrowed from Chungkang University, Celine Chang (9) and Cynthia Rhee (12) listen to Justin Lee (12) bid for a bracelet. All products, handmade by NAHS members, were sold over 20,000 won.

HFH and NAHS collaborate on fundraiser fashion show event

By Helen Song

A

model struts down the runway, walking to the beat of the music. Instead of showcasing the latest designer brand, she is wearing clothes and accessories designed and handmade by students. This was the vision Shelby Kim (11), Habitat for Humanity (HFH) secretary, had when she decided to organize a joint fundraiser fashion show on March 23 with the school’s chapter of the National Arts Honor Society (NAHS).

“I wanted to create an event that involved all students and teachers so that HFH could be more widely known among the student body and around the school,” said Shelby. “It has always been my dream to launch a fundraiser brand like Toms shoes, so when I heard from a friend at Korea International School that the fashion club at her school had held a similar event, I thought it would be the perfect for HFH to host at school.”

HFH members designed one t-shirt that was available for people to order during the fashion show.

In addition, NAHS members produced a large collection of accessories including bracelets, necklaces and canvas bags, which were showcased at the fashion show along with

Versus: Are school trips beneficial to or detracting from learning process? Page 3

clothes that were designed and produced by freshman college students from Chungkang University. These clothes were borrowed solely for the show, and only the accessories were auctioned to individual bidders.

Each club will use their earnings toward their future endeavors, which includes repairing housing in impoverished villages in the Bokjeong district.

“Originally, NAHS [members were] supposed to make all the clothing by hand, but when we started to plan out the designs, we realized that we would not be able to get the clothes finished on time before the show because we only had a month,” said Tritia Lee (12), NAHS president. “Since they are accessories for the runway, we tried to make them bold and bright, and we think they looked great.”

The show, which started at 1 p.m., opened with a performance by the Dance Club to entertain the audience. After all the individual models walked down the runway, they lined up at the front of the auditorium to begin the auction. The bidding began at 10,000 won for every item, and the highest bid of 120,000 won was made by Sam Woo (11) for a bracelet. There were two necklaces, four canvas bags and seven bracelets.

“The event was more than successful because the members sold so

many tickets and all of the products were auctioned off at much higher prices than we imagined,” said Yeeun Chun (12), HFH president.

“I did not expect anything to be sold at over 15,000 won, but there was a lot of personal competition between some male bidders who were boyfriends of the models who walked in the show, so the price was driven up by them.”

Behind the scenes, there were several other clubs that cooperated together to ensure that the fashion show went smoothly. John Rider, drama teacher, helped with the lighting and stage setting. Students such as Jenny Shim (11) and Sangwon Kim (10) helped out backstage as well. Andrew Jeong (11) from the Cinema Club also filmed the fashion show, while Kevin Park (11) served as the DJ. Shelby also borrowed help from her mother’s friend, a professional makeup artist for T-ara, a well-known K-pop girl group.

“The DJ and music were all very good, and the Dance Club performed really well,” said Rachel Han (11), HFH member. “We honestly expected to make all the money from selling tickets at 10,000 won, but a large portion of our profits actually came from the auction itself. We tried to get as many clubs involved as possible, and as a result, we reached out to clubs like the Cinema Club.”

MATh: Honor society helps garner student interest in mathematics. Page 4

Hands yielding chopsticks reach for a plate of Peking duck on the revolving table. John Kim (12) and Annette Ahn (11) laugh as they wrap the meat and cooked vegetables in thin pancakes. This took place on the fourth day of the weeklong Beijing International Model United Nations (BEIMUN) trip March 7-13.

The annual conference was hosted by the International School of Beijing (ISB) at the Crowne Plaza Sun Palace Hotel in Beijing, China.

After a three-day conference, the representatives toured Beijing. This year, they visited Tiananmen Square, the Dirt Market, the Pearl Market and Old Gate Street. The delegates encountered the Chinese culture on these trips, some unexpectedly.

“Old Gate Street had been rebuilt so it looks more traditional,” said Alec Griffin, MUN adviser. “It had a lot of old buildings and restaurants. The goal was to walk through that to get to Tiananmen Square, but when we got there, we saw that the communist party was there too. We knew that they have meetings in Tiananmen Square, but we didn’t expect to see them that day.”

In addition to sightseeing, the delegates watched an acrobatic show at Chaoyang Theater. The acrobats pulled stunts such as spinning plates and climbing poles many feet higher than themselves.

“Last year, we went to the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace,” said Angela Erickson, MUN adviser. “It was really cold. Beijing is even colder than Seoul, so I wanted to do something that was inside, like the acrobatic show.”

When the representatives were not sightseeing and participating in BEIMUN conferences, they tasted Chinese cuisine and reunited with old friends.

“I had dinner with some of my friends,” said JooHo Yeo (11), former ISB student. “I talked with the advisers and told them where I was going.”

Looking back, the delegates enjoyed the trip because of what they learned and experienced.

“The people were very kind and welcoming,” said Mr. Griffin. “It was also interesting to see the diversity.

When you think of China, you think of one country encompassing China, but each area has its own diversity.”

Legendary: Students come together in online strategy game. Page 9

VIEWPOINT 2

MARCH 2012

Editorial Changes in course offerings reflect effort to expand academic departments With preparations for scheduling next year’s courses well underway, the school has decided to implement a series of changes to the list of courses to be offered during the 2012-2013 school year.

The addition of the afterschool Jazz Band program to the selection of regular music courses as a Jazz Ensemble class and the opening up of the AP Human Geography and AP US History courses, originally offered to juniors and seniors, to sophomores are two of the most prominent changes.

Although the addition of the Jazz Ensemble course means that students have one fewer option of the afterschool music courses they can take, the fact that jazz is now offered as a regular course is a sign that the music department is continuing to expand. Just as the formation of SIS MEN greatly broadened the diversity of the school’s choral program, the new jazz literature class will add a new level of depth to the band program.

Though most music courses focus on preparing for the winter and spring concerts, the Jazz Ensemble course will allow students to gain a better understanding of music history and theory, which is as important as honing one’s instrumen-

tal or vocal skills. It also provides practice space and coaching for those interested in forming bands or small ensembles—the costs obviously outweigh the benefits.

The same is true for the change in requirements needed to take AP Human Geography and AP US History. Current juniors and seniors who took AP US History may grumble about the extra year they spent taking regular US History, yet they are missing the big picture. If these changes are an indicator of changes to come, they mean that SIS is striving for greater curricular variety. Opening up more AP courses to younger students will help ease them into the AP curriculum, perhaps resulting in greater success in AP classes during their later years in high school. Challenge-minded freshmen and sophomores should be given the same opportunities as their upperclassmen to test their abilities.

Still, departmental reviews of individual students’ AP recommendations are necessary. At SIS, where the curriculum does not include honor classes, the AP program is considered a legitimate equivalent to what most American high schools use to gauge the high-

est-achieving students. Given the competitive nature of the student body, decreasing the number of requirements for an AP course may lead to an overflow of applicants, not all of whom may be ready to take it.

Diversifying the list of elective offerings will cater to the needs of students with special interests and encourage them to continue pursuing their interests rather than abandon them, which is too often the case for many students who have trouble finding adequate instruction and facilities to support their passions. But most importantly, having more elective courses will help students gain a greater breadth of knowledge outside the realm of the core subjects. School should provide a more holistic education, and the continuing expansion of both its academic and arts departments is a sign that SIS is moving towards the right direction.

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.

Construction makes new front gate policy necessary

By Joshua Kim

After a rigorous seven hours of school, students who participate in afterschool activities such as sports and drama rehearsals find themselves in need of nourishment to sustain themselves for the next two hours. As a result, it is common to see students rush to restaurants and convenience stores nearby in search of a quick, light snack.

All this, however, has now been put to an end by a new policy that will forbid any students who leave campus between 3-3:15 p.m. to reenter and will force all afterschool food sales to end by 3:10 p.m.

This new school policy brings numerous drawbacks; clubs will find it more difficult to keep the 3:10 p.m. deadline for afterschool sales, and student athletes will not be able to purchase drinks off campus during this time period.

What students must understand is that despite the shortcomings this new rule presents, the policy is absolutely necessary because it brings the greatest amount of good to the widest target. The best school policies are those that bring greater benefits than costs, and this new front gate regulation ensures benefits for the entire student population, not just for the high school.

Construction of the new el-

ementary school building has forced the closing of the back gate, a location parents often pick up and drop off their children. Consequently, congestion has become heavily conconcentrated in the front gate, especially during the 15 minutes before and after school.

The amount of traffic, in turn, has created a problem for bus drivers. It is necessary for all school buses to leave school by 3:15 p.m. to make sure that they are on the road during optimal traffic and students in all grade levels can get home on time. The recent addition of traffic has made this task extremely difficult for the transportation department, a problem compounded by students who often catch the bus late due to their excursions off campus. The new front gate policy helps the transportation department get students home on time by ensuring students catch their buses on time.

In addition, because SIS is acting in place of parents, student safety is one of the most important concerns the administration must consider. The amount of congestion before and after school has forced an increased number of staff members to monitor the area outside the front gate. Overall, the new school policy ensures that students stay safe during one of the busiest times of the school day.

Students’ grades result from effort, not inflation

By Jason Huh

The purpose of grades has always been to measure students’ academic merit—in some schools, differences in grades among students vary greatly while in a school like SIS, they are small. Contrary to students’ belief that high grades are a sign of grade inflation, what causes such high grades is the abundance of high-achieving students.

It is true that a great number of SIS students receive excellent grades; in the sophomore class alone, there were more high honor roll students than general honor roll students last semester. Yet this is not necessarily a sign of grade inflation because SIS is a school that consists of hardworking students who set high academic goals. With a very stringent admissions policy designed to admit students who are academically qualified, it is no surprise that students receive high grades; if anything, from a group of highly qualified students, a high average should be expected.

Alec Griffin, new social studies Editors-in-Chief Stella Kim Eunice Lee

Managing Editor Lydia Kim

Production Editor Jasmine Park

Graphics Editor Stephanie Song

Copy Editors

Alison Chang Angela Cho Elizabeth Song

Layout Artists Yong Gun Choe Jason Huh Joanne Lee Milton Yoon Jonathan Yun

Photo by Christine Lee

In the lobby, Jessica Chung (9) and Hyewon Kim (9) examine the list of students on the high school honor roll last semester. A considerably large number of students were listed on the honor roll last semester. teacher who came from a US public school, was very surprised by the quality of SIS students’ work. He was amazed that all of his students turned quality work in on time and most of his students were willing to Marketing Director & Web Designer Jeffrey Chun

Cartoonist Christine Lee

Photographers

Joshua Kim Linda Heeyoung Park Jessica Song

stay after class to ask him questions about learned material.

There are also concerns that some students earn points that they do not necessarily deserve—test corrections and extra credit, as

Reporters Mark Kim Michelle Kim Marcus Lee Helen Song Min Ji Suh Adviser Ms. Carolyn Brown

many criticize, help inflate students’ grades and do not accurately portray their knowledge and understanding learned material.

It is true that in some classes, extra points are given either through

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

a heavy curve or other reasons.

However, in most cases, teachers are rather reluctant to give out free points because this does not accurately reflect students’ academic prowess.

For example, Paloma Julian, Spanish teacher, only gives extra points to students who have legitimate reasons or if they exhibit more learning. When she gives points back for students who correct their tests, it is because the students had the opportunity to check what they got wrong and learn from their mistakes. However, she refuses to give extra credit to students who slack off in class because there is no value in helping them make up for their laziness.

For all concerns of inflation, high grades may imply a lack of challenge. It could also be a result of other factors such as help from hagwons and tutors, and hence elicit questions about grade inflation. However, students at SIS do this because they are high achievers, not because grades are inflated and boosted to misrepresent students’ work, exist.

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.

MARCH 2012

3

VIEWPOINT

New teacher evaluation format warrants significant changes

By Marcus Lee

During the third quarter, students were assigned times in class or at home to fill out online surveys regarding their teachers’ influence over their classes. First created by the Student School Improvement Committee (SSIC), a branch of the HSSC, and then fine-tuned under Gray Macklin and former school director Paul Gowans’ supervision, the feedback survey encompasses a standardized list of multiple choice and free-response questions that raises a red flag on whether or not these teacher evaluations adequately address students’ concerns.

According to Mr. Macklin, the purpose behind implementing a standardized list questions that

severely outnumber the number of free response questions in the evaluations is to ensure that students objectively evaluate classes themselves rather than provide subjective opinions about teachers.

However, it is important to note that since teachers play such a decisive role in determining the overall quality of a class, evaluations have little reason to be deliberately formatted in a way that limits students from voicing their opinions about teachers by decreasing the number of free response questions.

Conceptually, all evaluations allow for a moment of thoughtful reflection and therefore play a large part in enhancing the performance of both the receiving and conducting parties. However, the current format of teacher evaluations and

Lengthy trips defeat purpose of learning

the manner in which they are con- room for improvement certainly exducted warrant major improve- ists. The idea of the administration ments, such as review from a third overseeing teacher evaluations is party and the inclusion of more free also justified because it should be response questions. accountable Review from a for the perforthird party such as Addressing such mance of the the administration it hires. questions may in- staff will allow students Addressing to believe that their crease the number of such questions concerns will elicit increase students who com- may a possibility for real the number of change. If the only plete their teacher students who people reviewing the their evaluations more sin- complete evaluations are the teacher evaluateachers, no matter tions more sincerely. how open they may cerely. be to accept change, students will In the same way, the SSIC question whether their opinions will should revise the current evaluation be considered seriously before being format, which includes two free rediscarded. Suhyun Kim (12), SSIC sponse and fifteen multiple-choice president, echoes the consensus that questions, by focusing more on the

“

free response section. Due to their nature, multiple-choice questions limit opinions to five choices. Also, the high number of multiple-choice questions risks making the evaluations seem more like assignments to complete rather than a chance for students to give their teachers thoughtful critique. Cutting down on multiple choice and allowing students to write freely about their instructors will surely result in a healthier environment where students are more inclined to give constructive criticism and explain their opinions as well.

The concept of anonymous evaluation is a good start. However, room for improvement always exists and for this case in particular, the ceiling still remains much above the status quo.

School trips provide real world education

YES

Cartoon by Christine Lee

By Alison Chang

In light of the BEIMUN trip March 7-13, students have been split on whether or not the extended trip is for the better or worse. On this year’s trip to Beijing, students participating spent four additional days touring the city, missing four days of school in contrast to the three missed last year. Though the value of school trips abroad does, in part, come from experiencing a new culture, the administration must prioritize learning above all else and limit leisure time on these trips.

The purpose of international trips is to provide students with the opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds in a new environment. As emphasized in the TIGERS acronym, the school sponsors overseas trips to foster global citizenship and allow students to experience different cultures and broaden their academic horizons.

This is not to say that students should not be able to spend leisure time and experience the culture of the country they visit. However, students often see international trips simply as a means to leave the country, rather than as a means to learn.

Taking the BEIMUN trip, for example, students may mistakenly forget the actual purpose of the trip by going on a tour for four days while spending only three days at the actual conference. Without the administration’s regulation of school trips,

students may forget that when they leave the country, they are there to represent the school.

Furthermore, the problem with inconsistent trip durations is that it may suggest that the administration places more importance on some events than others. For example, students who went to Shanghai for National History Day were only there for two days and had to leave on the day of the competition. Offering the privilege of experiencing a new culture on certain trips and not on others contradicts the assertion that the opportunity to learn in an environment outside of the classroom is invaluable and of utmost priority on these trips. If the value of overseas events is that students can experience a foreign culture, that same idea should apply to all trips.

When students travel abroad

for BEIMUN trips or AISA tournaments for sports, that particular trip should only last as long as the number of days of the school function itself. Instead, the school shoud reintroduce the Week Without Walls program that was discontinued after 2006. This program allowed students to travel to a foreign country with the sole purpose of providing students with the opportunity to learn while experiencing a new culture. In doing so, the administration will be able to enforce the true purpose of school trips, which is to enhance students’ learning experiences, not to serve as an excuse to miss school.

VS. Do long school trips

{ hinder }

the learning process?

NO Tiger Times investigates the positive and negative effects of school trips

Cartoon by Christine Lee

By Joanne Lee

A standing quality of SIS is the variety of opportunities given to students to explore outside the classroom. Sports teams travel abroad to tournaments in Japan and Guam while Model United Nations (MUN) delegates attend conferences in the Netherlands and China, experiences that few ever come across. To limit such school trips would not only hinder the quality of the school’s extracurricular activities but also seriously deter a comprehensive education for individual students. The administration should, in fact, consider expanding the school’s travel program, which is essential to any student’s development into an independent global thinker.

Not found within textbooks, crucial life lessons are gained from personal experience in a wider world. School trips provide the chance for this exactly and can be classified as experiential education, which infuses direct experience with the learning environment and content. With greater responsibility expected of them, students gain a newfound sense of independence as well as leadership through this experience. There are no parents to act as wake-up alarms at seven o’ clock in the morning; it is entirely up to the students to avoid oversleeping by taking charge and making arrangements with their roommates or setting up a morning call by the

hotel staff. This may seem like a minor experience but where else are students to learn such basic skills if they are never given the opportunity to experience these situations.

Touring a foreign country also broadens students’ cultural and social knowledge and is just as essential in building a comprehensive education. Despite its repuation for being frivolous leisure time, it is through these tours that an individual can truly become “international.”

This is not to say school trips do not entail missing school days, a major concern raised by parents.

However, an applicable solution could be to incorporate these trips into the school curriculum. Though SIS does offer school trips through its extracurricular activities, it lacks class trips in which the entire grade can participate. If a week of the school year is set aside for experiential education, then not only will more students be able to expand their knowledge but also an overwhelming workload can be avoided.

It is also important to recognize that universities put these international experiences above everyday classroom lectures when reviewing a student’s application.

Ultimately, school trips should not be restricted but rather promoted by the administration. When students look back to their high school years, it is not the memories spent in a classroom but the ones canvassing a foreign country with classmates that will stay with them forever.

NEWS

Social studies department offers variety of AP classes

By Mark Kim

With the introduction of AP Human Geography and AP Economics last year, the social studies department made substantial changes to offer a greater number of AP courses to students. Adding to these changes, starting from next year, the department will allow rising sophomores to take either AP US History, AP Human Geography or AP World History instead of limiting their options to only AP World History. “[The reason for the change] is to give some students who are ready for it in terms of maturity a chance to take [more] AP courses so they could focus on other things in their junior and senior year,” said Tony Hurt, history teacher. “I feel pretty good about the fact that our department provides students with the best opportunities for AP courses in school.”

Although sophomores now are allowed to take a greater variety of AP courses, they still need recommendations from teachers before being considered for their AP courses. Every year in the second semester, teachers meet to decide which AP courses each student can take, and next year will be no different.

“If your biggest concern is your grades, you shouldn’t take any AP courses because it should be about rigor, critical thinking and all of those things,” said Mr. Hurt. “We decide who gets into [which course] based on how they’ve done in social studies and language arts. All social studies teachers together make careful decisions based on our meetings.”

The change also diversifies the number of students from each grade level in the three AP classes and allows students who do not feel comfortable taking AP courses to take regular US History in their sophomore year. This year, language arts and social studies teachers met to discuss and decide which rising sophomores were suited to take the respective history courses.

“I think some people will like the changes because those who get recommended for AP US History won’t have to take US History,” said Eugene Yang (9). “It’s good because it gives more people a chance to take AP classes and [sophomores] won’t be just limited to AP World History.”

According to Shanna Hurt, history teacher, the change relieves pressure on sophomores who are required to study the same subject for two years and allows students to pursue social studies classes that are best suited for their interests.

“I think it allows students who really love history to maximize their efforts without having to double up every single year, especially the sophomore year,” said Mrs. Hurt.

“They have more opportunities and they can excel.”

4

MARCH 2012

Math Week activities attract wide student interest

By Yong Gun Choe

For the students who thought that math was all about solving equations, the mathematics department tried to disprove this myth by showing the usefulness of math in practical situations. Math Week, held March 12-14, included various events ranging from lectures to competitions.

“The reason why [math] is so applicable in real life is that [math] is all about logic,” said Gayoung Park (12), Mu Alpha Theta (MATh) President. “You need logic to solve puzzles and know exactly where to stack the Tetris blocks. It might seem like there is no purpose in solving equations in class but [math] is indirectly related to many things in life.”

On Monday, twenty students competed on mobile lab computers in a Tetris competition held for a 20,000 won cash prize and the title SIS Tetris God. On Tuesday, guest lecturer Dr. Kwon Yul Ryu, assistant professor at Seoul University, gave a presentation about the practical applications of mathematics used in genetics. On Wednesday, SIS celebrated Pi Day, in which elementary and middle school students participated in active mathematic activities, such as solving puzzles, with help from high school students.

“At first, I did not want to go to

Photo by Stephanie Song

During Math Week, Jennifer Lee (11) helps organize a game of puzzles for the elementary students. High school students ran mini-booths of puzzles, Rubik’s cubes and towers of Hanoi as part of their math classes. any of the events because I disliked maths in general,” said Minho Song (11), Tetris competition winner.

“However, I heard that there was a Tetris competition and many of my friends urged me to go. It turned out to be fun and fulfilling because I enjoy playing Tetris. Last year, I even discussed with [Michael Castellani, math department head] about how Tetris is related to geometry since I try to envision moves in my head to figure out how the blocks fit in.”

This year, Gayoung organized

National History Day finalists compete overseas in Shanghai

simple activities that were more appealing to students. She also believed that the Pi Day games the middle school students played would prepare them for the middle school math championship that will take place later on in the year.

“We had a lot of complaints from the past saying the events were boring,” said Gayoung. “Last year, we did not really think about what math games students would be interested in. However, this year, we decided to have a Tetris competition

since it was something that SIS students could relate to because many SIS students stay up until two in the morning to play Tetris.”

Increasing involvement is always a goal, but Mr. Castellani does not see it as the only priority.

“The mathematics department has never tried to bribe students by giving extra credit,” said Mr. Castellani. “We are not forcing students to come because the sole purpose of Math Week is to attract students who are actually interested in math.”

ZEITGEIST South Korea, US convince North Korea to resume nuclear talks

Photo by Elizabeth Song

Awarded Best Use of Primary Sources, juniors John Han, Andrew Jeong, Edward Park and Brian Kim pose for a photo with their certificates.

By Helen Song

Thirteen students traveled to Shanghai on March 3 to represent Korea in National History Day (NHD). Although none of the entries were chosen to continue on to the next round in Washington D.C., the projects received several honorary awards of recognition.

“We got to see the competition and where we have to improve for next year,” said Shanna Hurt, adviser.

“And although we didn’t win, many of the students have become social activists for their causes, which lasts longer than one event and is something they’ll always have.”

After their experience in Shanghai, some students were further motivated to submit another entry next year in hopes of advancing further in the competition. These students are already planning their projects for next year’s theme—“turning points in history.”

“I am planning on jumping back into [NHD] next year and proving

that Korea’s got what it takes to go to [Washington], D.C.,” said Sydney Ko (10), NHD participant. “If I were to improve our entry, it would be to choose a topic that more people could relate to.”

NHD Korea organizers are also hoping to improve the quality of the projects and the event itself next year so that students can have a better chance of winning in Shanghai.

Tony Hurt, NHD Korea Executive Comittee member, is striving to develop NHD Korea so that winners will not have to go to Shanghai before America. This will be to be more fair as all of the judges at NHD Shanghai were from schools in Shanghai.

“We hope to move up the Korea event faster so that we can use the criticism judges give to actually fix their work, which we didn’t have the time to do this year,” said Ms. Hurt.

“I think people are already pretty excited about next year, and now that we understand the competition better, we’re going to do even better.”

After the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il last December, South Korean experts in the disarmament forum have expressed interest in recommencing six-party talks, which have remained defunct for three years since 2009. On Feb. 13, North Korea agreed to hold talks with the US on Feb. 23 in Beijing, but it remains to be seen whether the country will continue to cooperate in the negotiations.

Even at the urging of the other five dialogue partners—South Korea, China, the US, Russia and Japan—North Korea was at first hesitant about re-entering the talks. Its National Defense Commission laid out a series of stipulations that it wanted fulfilled before the country could reach a decision: South Korea must apologize for refusing to send an official mourning delegation for Kim’s funeral and for accusing Pyongyang of committing two attacks in 2010—sinking the South Korean warship Cheonan and shelling Yeonpyeong Island.

“The relationship between North Korea and South Korea could get even more tense if North Korea keeps requiring so many things from the South,” said Katherine Bae, North Korea Human Rights club president. “North Korea is already not very stable right now, so [being on good terms]

with the countries involved in the six-party talks would probably be best.”

Months later, North Korea reached a decision. On Feb. 29, after a discussion with the US envoy for North Korea, Glyn Davies, in Beijing, North Korea agreed to implement a moratorium on longrange missile tests and nuclear activities in return for food aid from the US. Nevertheless, countries around the world have not fully been at ease due to North Korea’s announcement on March 18 to launch a satellite, which many believe is the latest version of a missile.

According to Damon Six, Asian Studies teacher, the leaders of the US and South Korea will need to be very liberal to make sure the North abides by the compromise. He said that its refusal to resume the talks will keep it isolated from the rest of the world.

“Nuclear [weaponry] is the only language [North Korea] can use to get other countries’ attention,” said Mr. Six. “North Korea has consistently been anti-South Korea, Japan and US. It will require a lot of flexibility and openness on the other sides so that North Korea feels that it can safely give up the only defense it has. Whether the US or South Korea has that leadership now is a matter of opinion.”

By Elizabeth Song

MARCH 2012

5

NEWS

School introduces afterschool Jazz Band class into regular day schedule

NEWS BRIEFS

By Jessica Song

Photo by Jessica Song

Dressed for Tie, Tie, Thai Day, Roger Gribbins, English teacher, tells his AP English Language & Composition class about the research paper.

Students display school pride during Spirit Week

SIS participates in Pink Day for bullying awareness

Students came to school wearing ties and tie dye shirts on March 20 for Tie, Tie, Thai Day. This was a newly introduced theme for the HSSC Spirit Week, which lasted from March 19-23.

“When someone suggested tie day during a meeting, everyone got confused about what they were referring to, so we decided to just include all the meanings into one day,” said Adrian Kim (10), sophomore president. “We thought it would be catchy play on words for students to remember, and it would be easier for them to participate in.”

Other days included Pajama Day, Sports/Jersey Day and Animal Day.

The school was colored with pink on Feb. 29, as high school, middle school, elementary students students and faculty members took part in Pink Day by wearing pink clothes or accessories to school. The event originated in Canada after students took a stand against bullies by wearing pink to school.

“As I was researching for my Masters’ Degree paper on bullying, I remembered Pink Day, and I thought [wearing pink] was such am easy and simple way to take a stand against bulllying,” said Kristy Corcoran, who introduced Pink day to SIS. “It’s just getting kids to visibly acknowledge that bullying is not okay.”

By Helen Song

Though Jazz Band currently holds practices every Tuesday after school, the class will be offered as a full-credit Jazz Ensemble course next year as part of the regular school schedule. The SIS music department is providing this course for students interested in familiarizing themselves with playing jazz music and learning jazz history and theory.

“Jazz Band is completely foreign [to SIS students],” said Kris Richardson, Jazz Band instructor. “Most students know how to play classical [music] but jazz music is different.

The feel and style of the music and what you do and how you emphasize each sound is the complete opposite to the classical style.”

Unlike when playing classical music such as Mozart and Beethoven, students need to learn how to improvise when playing jazz music. They can learn improvisation if they have more opportunity to do a lot of studying, listening and playing jazz music.

This influenced Mr. Richardson’s decision to believe that two hours a week is not enough for students in Jazz Band to learn all the styles of jazz music. With this new class offered in the day schedule, he hopes that students can learn to play jazz music in more depth.

Photo by Joshua Kim

Before Jazz Band begins, Justin Lee (12) warms up his saxophone.

Warming up is key to keeping instruments in tune during rehearsals.

“I was always interested in Jazz music because of its unique sound,” said Justin Kim (11). “Although I play the violin, Mr. Richardson told me that I could try out as a jazz violinist. I’m excited to try out for something new.”

In addition, all after school music classes, SIS Men, Ladies Choir and Orchestra, will be moved to Mondays after school starting next year. This arrangement will benefit coaches, conductors and students by allowing for a more balanced schedule. For instance, the athletics department is supportive of the schedule change because it will eliminate schedule clashes between

after school music classes and sports teams’ practice time.

“There were some minor conflicts with my basketball and jazz band schedule,” said Shawn Kim (10). “So I think it’s a great idea that Jazz Band is becoming a class. Then since it’s a class rather than after school rehearsals, I’ll be able to pay more attention.”

The Jazz Ensemble course is open to students who have any interest in various music genres such as big bang, bebop, Latin, jazz-rock, blues, swing or funk. Anyone who enjoys playing the guitar, piano and other wind instruments can join as well.

Science Club hosts first annual Science Olympiad SISPA to revamp bazaar in April

By Alison Chang

Hoping to bring attention to the scientific achievements of students, the Science Club is experimenting with a brand new idea. On March 17, SIS hosted the first annual Korean Science Olympiad on to showcase those talents.

Hoping to emulate KAIAC, the Science Club came up with the idea of creating a science competition that involves several international schools. The competition will feature tests and prizes up to third place in four categories: chemistry, biology, physics and overall.

“We wanted to hold an event involving students from different international schools to bring more

attention to this department,” said Connie Yoon (11), Green Club vicepresident. “There aren’t as many opportunities for science enthusiasts to show their talents.”

This is the first time the Science Club has ever hosted an event on such a large scale before, so they are hoping that this competition will garner attention for the science department as a whole. “[The] Science Club is a bit weak in SIS,” said Connie. “In fact, science-related clubs sorely lack participants, mainly due to lack of publicity. Having this competition will hopefully change how people perceive the science department, benefiting not only the department but the students as well.”

This competition is not the only

way in which the science department is increasing its profile within the school. SIS is currently in the process of registering for membership in the Science National Honor Society (SNHS), a recognized honor society designed for students who are demonstrating a high level of achievement in all of their science courses.

“Science is an intellectual activity, so there are not as many opportunities for students to demonstrate their aptitude [and passion] for science,” said James Horn, physics teacher. “I’m hoping that through events like the Olympiad the development of the SNHS, communication between students will improve and more people will be encouraged to participate.”

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By Jeffrey Chun

Insooni will not be singing at this year’s bazaar to stir up the mood, but SIS Parents’ Association (SISPA) has made provisions to host a more promising bazaar this year.

The upcoming bazaar on April 13 will not only be more student-based by loosening up booth regulations, but it will also be more environmentally friendly with SISPA encouraging clubs and individuals to sell used goods.

“At last year’s bazaar, only clubs were granted permission to open up a booth,” said Shinah Kim, SISPA president. “Club members felt that they did not have a choice of whether to participate [or not], as all the decisions were made by the club presidents. This year, not only are clubs no longer [required] to open up booths against their wishes, but groups of three individuals also have a chance to open up their own booths.”

SISPA held a pre-sale for the bazaar this past February, and asked clubs hoping to participate to sign up by the end of last month. This year’s theme for the bazaar is “Creating Global Leaders.”

Some club executives felt such changes would give students more opportunities to participate voluntarily and contribute directly to the bazaar.

“Some clubs might not really need to raise money,” said Joanne Kim (11), Primary English Teach-

ers Association Historian. “So, the whole point of having a bazaar might have been pointless for us last year, but we participated anyways because most of the clubs were participating. This year, because the focus is not on clubs, but on individuals, we have less pressure of having to participate just because other clubs are doing or selling something at the bazaar.”

Another major feature of the bazaar is to sell more recyclable and second-hand products. Following the global trend to go green, SISPA is encouraging students to sell quality used items.

“I saw a couple of clubs selling their old and annotated Princeton Review and Barron’s test prep books [at] last year’s bazaar,” said In-won Chang (12). “I thought this was a really good idea because we can save trees and make profit at the same time. If more kids sell more secondhand goods, then even more resources will be conserved while still making money for a good cause.”

Mrs. Kim believes that recycling turns one’s trash into someone else’s treasure. The entry cost for each booth is 20,000 won, and booth owners can keep all the money they earn.

“This year’s focus is [more] on kids and less on moms,” said Mrs. Kim. “We plan on opening up 40 booths [in] total and the priority goes to the high school students. We will limit outside vendors so that the students can be more active with their sales.”

Different influences

Hallyu stars contribute to improved diplomatic rela

By Angela Cho In the wake of the growing popularity of South Korean popular culture, collectively known as the Korean wave or hallyu, four South Korean diplomats convened on Feb. 24 to deliberate on its potential to be used as a means of improving diplomatic relations with other countries.

Since Korean singer BoA inadvertently helped mend unsettled conflicts between Korea and Japan by generating interest in Kpop among Japanese fans in 2004, hallyu has emerged as a diplomatic channel. Hallyu has been employed as soft power, a type of diplomacy that aims to influence and attract others—rather than forcefully coerce—to obtain what is desired, such as improved public image of a nation. After World War II, for example, Hollywood produced movies to instill positive feelings about their own culture in the world and to undermine the Soviet Union.

“The exporting of a culture

works as a propaganda, a way of highlighting positive values and spreading good feelings about your culture among a group of people, especially among young people who are avid consumers of new things,” said Damon Six, social studies teacher. “If the exported culture is widely accepted and supported by a population, it certainly helps maintain positive vibe with that country and has an indirect impact as the young people grow up and become leaders in politics.”

The Korean wave has since taken a different path toward bridging diplomatic differences with other countries. Whereas BoA’s contribution to improved diplomatic relations was unintentional, hallyu stars have begun to deliberately use their talent and fame towards diplomatic causes.

In protest of the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors, for example, 49 Korean celebrities such as singer Ivy and actor Inpyo Cha held a concert called “Cry With Us” on March 4, during which

they issued a plea to China for the protection of the defectors’ human rights and for sustained relations between Korea and China. Koreans have in turn begun to join the protest to assure that the Chinese government responds to the plea.

“Although Korean diplomacy is not based on pop culture alone, hallyu stars have helped grab individuals’ attention and raise awareness of [issues that are overlooked],” said Jane Byon (10), who produced a documentary on hallyu for National History Day Korea. “Korean pop culture has earned notoriety in Korea through its overemphasis on superficiality, but hallyu stars’ use of their talent for generous causes will also benefit by improving the image of Korean pop culture within Korean society.”

The Korean government has begun to use hallyu diplomacy by actively seeking celebrities’ services. Last November, singer Junghyun Park was named an honorary ambassador for the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit on March

26-27, which will provide a forum for the discussion of international cooperative measures to protect nuclear materials and facilities from terrorist groups. This February, Park released “Peace Song,” a promotional song for the summit.

Korean pop culture’s contribution has been made possible by the recent increase in the popularity of Korean culture. Korean soap operas have gained popularity since the turn of the 21st century amongst Asians, who are able to relate to the rags-to-riches characters and complex family problems that appear in most Korean dramas. The K-drama phenomenon spread to K-pop, whose infectious and catchy tunes, along with synchronized dance moves, have since become hits.

Korean entertainment agencies have also contributed to the trend by recruiting foreign members into popular bands and having K-pop singers learn languages such as English and Mandarin to target the global market.

“K-pop singers are wildly pop-

ular in China, (12), Beijing N “They’re good multifaceted. T ing, dancing a fans—they’re a personally like since they ar Korean food, I’ terested in the have begun to According lish, Korean worth three bil it still remains arise as to whe tinue to have its as a soft powe culture lacks in duces works of “The lifesp and soap ope ironically the ve the Korean pop just as make it Soo Min Kang ( lyu to keep its power, it shou versified and ha

K-pop stars’ misconduct tarnishes Korean reputa

By Lydia Kim When the boy band Block B joked about Thailand’s tragic flood last month, disturbed Thai fans called for boycotts and even made generalizations about Koreans’ alleged racism. Though the group has formally apologized—member Zico even shaved his hair—its portrayal of Korea and Korean culture still remains.

K-pop stars have now made their way out of Korea and into Asia, Europe and North America.

According to Yonhap News, the Korean Wave has been crucial to expanding Korea’s culture, tourism and retail globally. Idol groups often go on world tours to reach out to their fans; European K-pop fans even organized a protest in Paris asking SM Entertainment to host another concert. The audition program K-pop Star held auditions in North and South America, Europe and Asia for foreigners. In August, Billboard launched a separate Kpop chart.

As a consequence of this spread, K-pop stars have become international public figures. According to The Korea Times, their influence can be more powerful than that of diplomats in shaping a na-

tion’s image; thus, their misconduct reflects negatively on Korea. “[Certain singers] ruin the reputation of K-pop singers, and it’s very sad because not all of them are like that,” said Amelie Koo (9). “It was very irresponsible for Block B to make such a comment. Actually, it’s not their first time because when Block B went to Japan they said that they would sweep the country like the recent tsunami did.”

In recent years, K-pop stars have also been receiving criticism for racism. On March 1, KoreanAmerican hip-hop artist Tiger JK contributed an opinion column to “All K-pop,” an Internet K-pop site for foreign fans, criticizing racism displayed on television shows.

When foreign fans viewed a video of comedians parodying African Americans on the national television show “Third Wheel,” they backlashed. Tiger JK’s argument was that K-pop stars must be better educated on behalf of the nation because K-pop has had the privilege of enjoying global attention.

“I have friends in America who know K-pop groups such as Super Junior and 2PM,” said Ashley Chung (11). “They even know the famous dances, such as Super Junior’s ‘Sorry Sorry.’ Because K-

pop is going so global, these singers are influencing the way other countries perceive Korea’s image and culture. Thus the singers need to set good examples.”

Former ESPN reporter Anthony Federico was fired for publishing a headline containing a racial slur regarding basketball player Jeremy Lin. Director Brett Ratner was banned from the Academy Awards for making homophobic remarks.

By logic, said Tiger JK, K-pop stars should sooner or later face consequences for their shortcomings as well.

For example, members of internationally popular boy band JYJ were named ambassadors of the 2012 Nuclear Seoul Summit. This honor, however, was taken away when recordings of members verbally and physically abusing their fans were published online. “[This] illustrates to other countries that our K-pop singers are illtempered and ill-mannered,” said Ashley. “They would not want to [invite] singers who hit and swear at their fans. It also makes other countries think that our K-pop singers are immature. Since the singers are quite young—many of them adolescents—people from other countries would disdain them for

their actions and believe that they are not old enough yet to develop a healthy respect for their fans, as ‘real’ musicians should have.”

According to website “Hello KPop,” this lack of etiquette and cultural awareness stems from intense training years that solely focus on packaging idol groups to sing, dance and appeal to the public. In fact, most companies produce a handful of idol groups in the hope that one of them would become popular.

“Everybody knows that [K-pop groups] are manufactured bands,” said John Rider, English teacher.

“They’re not nine girls who happened to get together. I think people like the cohesiveness of the K-pop bands because you kind of know what to expect. If there’s a group, one of them is going to be pretty, one of them is going to rap. They can’t all be singers.”

However, Ashley said that there is still an overemphasis on the superficial aspects of singers and not enough on the actual talent.

“If a K-pop entertainment company had to choose between a very pretty girl who had a mediocre voice and a not so attractive girl who had an exquisite voice, I’m 99 percent sure [it] would go for the pretty girl,”

said Ashley. “K quite thin on si mostly focuses glamour that K through media about being ca mean they’re o According Daily, the quali deteriorated in Columnist Ji-hy repeated gibbe today. For ex Peep’ repeats bo peep” about “Hot Summer” “hot summer” both songs w Song also criti cal English an most love song tain the phrase you, baby,” “I’m pretty” and “let’ “It’s emb K-pop songs around the wo ing and represe culture,” said K if good singers rest of the wo Park of K-pop S [Cable News matter becaus pop singers rui

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,” said Amy ShuYu National Day student. d-looking, nice and They’re good at singand care about their a whole package. I e Super Junior and re ambassadors for ’ve become more ine Korean culture and like Korea more.” to Al Jazeera Engpopular culture is llion dollars. Though s popular, questions ether hallyu will cons effect on diplomacy er, as the Korean pop ndividuality and prof similar style. pan of Korean pop era is very short, so ery thing that makes p culture popular can lose its appeal,” said (11). “In order for halmomentum as a soft uld become more diave more originality.”

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K-pop spreads itself inging capability, and s on the ‘showbiz’ or K-pop artists portray a. Their songs are all atchy, which doesn’t of excellent quality.” to Korea JoongAng ity of K-pop has only n the recent decade. ye Song criticized the erish found in songs xample, T-ara’s ‘Bo the phrase “bo peep t 110 times and f(x)’s repeats the phrase around 80 times— were chart-toppers. icized the nonsensind shallow lyrics of gs, which often cones “I hate you,” “I love m a bad boy,” “you’re ’s go out.” barrassing that the that are spreading orld are characterizenting Korea’s music Kevin Park (11). “Even s are publicized to the orld, just like Ji-min Star was featured on Network], it doesn’t se other ignorant Kin our reputation.”

layout by Yong Gun Choe

graphics by Christine Lee & Stephanie song

P

LIFESTYLE 8 Sneak Peek at OS X Mountain Lion MARCH 2012

Messages Game Center

Notes

Mail Calendar Messages

5

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Mail Calendar Messages

5

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The upcoming OS X Mountain Lion will bring popular features of the iOS 5 to Macs. It will allow iOS and OS X devices to be synced through iCloud.

Graphic by Jeffrey Chun, Source: Apple

Apple previews new software: Mountain Lion

By Jeffrey Chun

Shortly after launching Operating System (OS) X Lion, Apple announced its plan to upgrade Mac software to OS X Mountain Lion on Feb. 16. The new OS X attempts to bring the iOS and OS X together by allowing key features such as iMessage, Notification Center, Reminders, Notes and Game Center in the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch to sync directly with Macs.

Prior to giving a keynote presentation on the new OS X, Apple had already introduced major features and changes to its current OS

X Lion. Apple has revealed some promising features such as Mac versions of iMessage and Notification Center.

“All the activities on the iPhone will automatically be compatible and synced with the Mac computers,” said Kevin Park (11), early adopter of Apple products. “I am most excited about the iMessage application because users can have more frequent conversations as instant messaging between iPhone users and Mac users will be available. In addition, it will help us to save money since by sending texts through computers, we would not have to pay for every text sent.”

Sophomores travel to Korean DMZ for research

By Min Ji Suh

The demilitarized zone (DMZ) may cover only 0.73 percent of the Korean peninsula, but it sustains 60 percent of the peninsula’s wildlife. Since May 2011, sophomores Ik Joon Choi, David Lee, Mark Kim and Alex Son have made monthly visits to Paju, a city near the DMZ, as a part of the DMZ Youth Eco-Explorers Team to observe the ecological diversity there.

Established in 2007 by the DMZ Ecology Research Institute, the team aims to raise awareness about the DMZ’s diversity of life and changes the environment is undergoing.

“When Ik Joon’s mother told us about this project, we thought it was a fantastic idea,” said David.

“Of course we had heard about the DMZ, but we didn’t realize how important it was. I was informed that the DMZ had some [similar aspects] to [those of] other countries that are famous for their environment, such as Germany and Japan, so I thought it would be interesting to join.”

Students interested in joining the team are usually required to go through two rounds of auditions.

Those who are selected as participants are then given the privilege to cross the Civilian Control Line to observe the natural environment closer to the DMZ. However, as international school students tak-

ing part in the program for the first time, the sophomores were given an exception.

“In other schools, for freshmen to join each year, they need to go through interviews from the senior members of the team and write essays,” said Alex. “Because I know I gained this opportunity without going through that extra process, I want to make most out of this privilege to make people aware of the value of the sanctity of life, and emphasize that life can be restored if we show some care and effort.”

With the information they collect, a team of professionals helps to present their observations and data on a regular basis to Korean universities. In the long run, they hope to use observations from this project to write a research paper. The team’s results are also compiled into a book—so far, two books have been published by participants from previous sessions.

“I believe we [are planning] to continue this activity until senior year,” said Alex. “Then, by combining everything we learn, we plan to write a research paper focusing on something unique and interesting we find on our treks through the DMZ. Once the paper is finished, I believe we can submit it for an annual competition which is held in Turkey and if we qualify, my friends and I all have a chance to go.”

Despite the convenience of new applications, Phillip Lee (11) was less enthusiastic about Apple’s new software, especially because OS X Lion faced compatibility issues with OS X Snow Leopard.

“Because OS X Mountain Lion [can be] integrated heavily with iOS devices, people are required to have iDevices, causing inconvenience and expense problems,” said Phillip.

“Also, when OS X Lion was introduced, everyone who downloaded it on his or her OS X Snow Leopard faced devastating problems as it immensely slowed down the computer.”

Raymond Slapikas, AP Chemis-

try Teacher, who was already aware that OS X Mountain Lion will not be compatible with the school server, sent out a warning email to the entire high school student body. Bob Havens, technology coordinator, further elaborated on Mr. Slapikas’ warning about the OS X Mountain Lion.

“It doesn’t really work well for students to have the latest operating system on [their Macs], but not to be able to access files here,” said Mr. Havens. “If you try to log in and you can’t check into the email or space in the server, it will cause problems, especially if you have something on there last year and you really want

it again because you are taking an extension of last year’s course this year.”

With scarce information avaible on the new OS X , Mr. Havens recommends that students just wait.

“Hopefully, [they are] all just worries about nothing, but at this time, we cannot tell,” said Mr. Havens. “It’s like I am going to buy a brand new car but this car may or may not make it down the street. It is a brand new design and we are not sure if it is going to work well. I would rather wait until I know that the car was actually working well before I risk a lot of anguish purchasing it.”

What is the “real world” like?

Jung Un, class of ’89, graduated from Occidental College and currently works at a law firm, Kim Chang & Lee, as an Attorney at Law. 1. What were your college years like?

I majored in English. Initially I [studied] pre-med, but I hated it. When I graduated from high school, everyone was [thinking of] pre-med so I thought I should try it too, but it was not the right thing for me. My grades were not good and I was definitely not happy studying math and science. Later I found out that my passion was in social sciences and language. The realization was gradual. My first two years in college were a process of learning of who I was—part of the realization was that pre-med was not right for me.

2. Was the realization painful?

Yes, it was very painful. If you are really young—especially in your college years—you do not know who you really are, even though you think you do. I learned who I am by studying different academic disciplines, meeting people from different majors and seeing what I like and do not like. I think it is too early for high school students to decide what they are going to do in the future. You guys have to go through the process that goes beyond high school to realize what you really want in life and what “makes you click.”

3. Why did you decide to come to Korea despite its relatively small number of clientele?

I stayed in the United States for eight to nine years. I was born in the States, and came to Korea when I was seven. Having spent my adolescent years here, I became comfortable with Korea and considered Korea my home, a place where I wanted to settle down eventually. I wanted to have a career in which I could serve as a bridge between Korea and the outside world, and I thought Korea was the best place to do that. Besides, in terms of size of the market or country, Korea is one of the largest trading nations in the world. So I don’t necessarily agree that Korea is a small market. There are many exciting transactions happening here—Korea is a prominent country on the world stage now.

4. Did you experience any difficulties after you moved to Korea?

It was not an easy decision for me. But since I grew up in Korea, considered Korea my home and am fluent in both Korean and English, [I had] no problem adjusting [to] a Korean firm. It wasn’t that difficult. I think there are many opportunities for bilingual and bicultural people to take advantage of here.

5. Do you have any words of advice for SIS students?

If you are of Korean descent, I would really recommend that you perfect or try to improve your Korean language skills. Even go as far as mastering the Chinese characters used in Korea. Try to become as bicultural and bilingual as you can because in whatever you do in Korea, bicultural and bilingual skills will serve you as assets and take you very far.

By Linda Heeyoung Park

MARCH 2012

Activities Director recounts war experience

By Jaewon Choi

Bombs and missiles killed thousands of civilians in Yugoslavia in the spring of 1999, as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) tried to end Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic’s attempt at ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. At that time, Ivan Atanaskovic, Activities Director, was attending college in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, a region where Muslim Bosnians and Christian Serbians have clashed for centuries.

“Everything stopped; classes were suspended, major buildings such as the Chinese Embassy were destroyed, and there was no electricity,” said Mr. Atanaskovic. “The bombings lasted for 80 days and normal life resumed, but there was so much destruction, especially in terms of infrastructure.”

Though Mr. Atanaskovic was obliged to serve in the Serbian military for a year, from 1994-1995, he

had never been directly involved in the conflict because he was stationed in a more remote part of Serbia.

However, he was still exposed to this conflict through the media, which he believes fueled the conflict.

“They tried to play with people’s minds, reporting things that weren’t fully true, like propaganda, and kept trying to generate negative feelings between the Albanians and the Serbians,” said Mr. Atanaskovic. “There were massive anti-war demonstrations because the United Nations were putting sanctions on Yugoslavia, limiting the amount of daily supplies available.”

As a young man during the bombing raids on Belgrade, he said he began to understand the difficulty of finding a solution to end conflict.

“War is the most self-destructive thing anyone can do because young lives are ended and you must rebuild from zero,” said Mr. Atanaskovic. “But the NATO did not do

Students become legends in popular online game

By Jonathan Yun

Sudden Attack and Tetris Battle were once popular among the students. Recently, these games have been overshadowed by a new strategy game: League of Legends (LoL) as students have been indulged in the world of champions and team fighting in Summoner’s Rift.

LoL is a real-time strategy game in which players, or “summoners,” are arranged into teams of three or five. Each summoner chooses a champion to play with. The purpose of the game is crush to the opponent team’s Nexus, or headquarters.

In response to the growing number of students who play LoL, Jiho Kim (10) created a Facebook group dedicated to the game.

“I kept hearing that other upper and underclassmen also played LoL,” said Jiho Kim (10). “As a fan, I wanted to have a place where we could easily chat and share accounts, and so I made the Facebook group.”

According to players, LoL is a mental exercise as it improves cooperative skills, visual perception and level of potential concentration. In addition to these physiological ef-

fects, summoners agree that a unifying force exists among students from different grade levels because of this game.

“When I play [LoL], I find myself interacting a lot more with people who I’ve never spoken to before at school,” said Jimmy Ryoo (11).

“One round, I might be playing with the sophomores and another with seniors. Sometimes, there are games with sophomores, juniors, and seniors all at once. All we want to do is not necessarily win but have fun.”

While students who play LoL develop their mental and social capabilities, some do fall into the poor habit of playing late into the night even on a school day.

“Sometimes I would stay up until three in the morning just to play [LoL],” said Chungho Suh (11). “However, an escape from all the stress from all the homework is needed, and League of Legends provides this escape.”

Despite these habits, LoL is a game that summoners recommend.

“I’m a hardcore gamer, and I really want to see a serious gaming community build up in our school especially with the girls,” said Jiho.

anything to help. They justified the bombings on innocent civilizations by stating that it would actually help resolve the conflict in Kosovo. You cannot use violence to end violence.”

According to Mr. Atanaskovic and his wife Tamara Atanaskovic, who also observed the conflict, war affects not only soldiers but children as well.

“These children were not at all interested in the latest games, music, or movies”, said Mrs. Atanaskovic.

“They were watching the news instead, catching up to the newest developments in the continuing war through newspapers and rhetoric from politicians. At that time, survival was the most important thing.”

The Atanaskovics’ move to Korea in 2008 was a great change from their previous conditions.

“I do not want my daughters to have to experience the horrors of war,” he said. “I want them to enjoy their childhood, to feel safe and protected.”

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The World at the Tip of My Tongue The Holy Grail in Sushi Terms

By Marcus Lee

Whenever you hear sushi and buffet uttered in the same sentence, it’s most likely going to be a special occasion. The opportunity is rare and when the time is called for, there’s no way I’m missing out on it. Such was the case when a family friend decided to suit us up for the Imperial Palace Japanese restaurant Manyo. Luckily for us, his generous offer happened to fall on a Saturday night, one of the four meals (including Saturday lunch and all of Sunday) when the place serves a buffet.

From the outside, the restaurant certainly does not look the part. The typical buffet is designed with a focus on the food-holding stands rather than the surrounding interior. Due to this imbalance, in most cases the surroundings leave a lot to desire. However, this restaurant’s interior is on par with the elegance that characterizes its stands. The restaurant is divided

into a main dining hall that serves around 15 people with traditional Japanese rooms surrounding the area.

But let’s stop hesitating and move on to the entrée shall we?

In my dictionary, Japanese cuisine provides the universal solution to academic integrity issues because it is honest—a concept devoid of consideration when regarding cheating. Fresh ingredients, exquisite servings and variety culminate to all play a major role in assembling the refreshing and memorable taste of sushi—and this buffet, once again, just happens to exhibit excellence in all these areas.

The sushi encompasses a rainbow assortment of domestic and imported fish that have retained their freshness across their oversea voyages, as witnessed in their distinct chewiness—salmon, halibut, tuna and sea bream just to name a few. Aside from the sushi, a variety

of traditionally Japanese appetizers such as tofu dipped in soy sauce and salmon roe wrapped in squid, stand alone alongside the fruit stand and the steamed crabs stand.

Additionally, the buffet package comes with a separate dish of chicken satay, king prawns and fried rice for each table. But if satisfaction is yet to be reached with these options, you can select your own choice of fish for roasting with an additional fee.

Rather than defer quality for quantity, this restaurant boldly answers both at the price of 100,000 won per person. It’s a hefty price but a worthy investment for a dinner to remember. Just keep in mind that with the variety of options, you must choose wisely and should try to eat at a controlled pace. Though the food keeps piling, your stomach still has its limits. So remember to fill them with what you came for to truly savor the experience.

SPORTS 10

MARCH 2012

Sports Photo of the Month

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Finishing his 100-m breaststroke, DongGi Park (10) competes at the swim meet held at SIS on March 14. He set a new school record of 1:12:56.

Ji-sung Park receives captaincy for Manchester United match against Ajax

By Elizabeth Song

Despite his flat feet, which give him pain after long hours of running, Ji-sung Park is known by many as “Three Lungs” for his stamina and perseverance. Having led his Manchester United (United) team to victory after scoring the last goal against Chelsea on April 12, 2011, Park has gained worldwide recognition as one of the most skilled Asian soccer athletes. His status as a soccer player bumped another level when he was given the captaincy for the Feb. 23 match against Ajax in the Europa League.

According to Alex Ferguson, manager of United, Park possesses the discipline, intelligence and football knowledge that are needed in a true athlete. Ferguson noticed that Park tries everything to get himself involved in the game, and it was this attribute that convinced Ferguson that Park was qualified to play as captain. Many of Park’s fans were glad to hear that Park was able to advance to a higher position relatively quickly.

“I was really glad when I [heard] that news because when [Park] first got into Manchester United, people said he was just for marketing,” said Jae Cha (9). “However, that [claim] was completely [wrong] and he became the captain of one of the best

teams right now. Also, he is [paving a road] that future players will be able to take.”

Park was thrilled to receive his new title, but at the same time, he admitted that the special occasion was spoiled by Ajax’s 1-2 win. As an avid fan of Park, Eugene Kim (11) felt proud of his soccer hero but at the same time agreed with Park that the game results undermined the significance of his captaincy.

“It is impressive that he played as captain and I’m really happy for him but Manchester United already defeated [Ajax] 3-1 at an away game, so United basically already won the game,” said Eugene. “So his participation in the game [as captain] was not as important as it should have been because of the value of the game. The game wasn’t that important at all.”

Regardless of Ajax’s victory, it is still true that Park is the first Asian to be designated the title of captain

“

in an English professional club. For this reason, many of his fans believe that Park’s accomplishment overrides United’s defeat to Ajax.

“I think [Park] has been an example for other South Korean soccer players to follow,” said Tony Hurt, varsity boys soccer coach. “He’s the first South Korean soccer player to make it big outside of South Korea and has always been a loyal and dedicated player for Manchester United.”

Although Park served as captain for only one game thus far, Hiro Watanabe (12) sees a promising future ahead of this soccer star.

“Currently [as the] captain for our varsity boys soccer team, I think that true leadership does not come from your skills but from your work ethic,” said Hiro. “Showing that you are the one who works the hardest truly motivates your teammates and this is exactly what I think [Park] has done. Those who know a lot about soccer all know that [Park] is now a key player and he will continue to be an important [member].”

“Showing that you are the one who works the hardest truly motivates your teammates and this is exactly what I think [Ji-sung Park] has done,” said Hiro Watanabe (12).

Home game against GSIS proves draining for boys team

By Michelle Kim

Preview

The temperature was two degrees Celsius when the Tigers had a home game against the Gyeonggi-Suwon International School (GSIS) Knights on March 14. Fighting the cold, the varsity boys soccer team played the first match while the girls played second. Cheering was heard on both teams, and the starters on the boys team entered the field with determination. As the match was the first home game on a weekday, the boys felt the pressure to perform well and make the school proud.

First half

The home game between the GSIS Knights and SIS Tigers began at 2:57 p.m. When the starting whistle blew, players including Patrick Chin (10), Hiro Watanabe (12), Chris Lee (11), Andrew Eom (12) and Kevin Choi (12) fought with the GSIS players for the ball, resulting in continuous outs and throw-ins. In the midst of the action, the Knights took possession of the ball, dribbled it up to the Tigers’ side of the field and scored a goal just 13 minutes into the first half of the game. However, the Tigers did not lose morale. Rather, they continued to fight for and

take possession of the ball. Unfortunately, the Knights fought back for the ball just as vigorously, and managed to steal it numerous times. The constant action made the Tigers’ plays fall apart. While it had been decided that the players would adopt a flank play and use the wing players, for example, the players were unable to do so, leading to the Knights gradually dominating the game. After many attempts at the goal, corner kicks and player substitutions due to both fatigue from the game and the cold, the first half of the game ended at 4:43 p.m. with the Knights in the lead 1-0. The Tigers felt their hopes fall, but were still determined to turn the game around in the second half of the game.

Second half

Photo by Joshua Kim

Attempting to clear the ball up the field, defender Brian Shim (12) tries to gain possession before his GSIS opponent does.

The game resumed after a 10-minute break. As soon as the referee blew the whistle, both the Knights and Tigers fought for the ball with more vigor than they had in the first half. At one point, the ball was kicked with enough force for it to land on the roof on the opposite side of the field. At other points in the game, a number of collisions occurred. During one of the collisions, Kevin remained on the ground, but managed to get back up unharmed. Just when

Photo by Joshua Kim

Starting an offensive push from the SIS Tigers, Hiro Watanabe (12), varsity boys captain, dribbles through the field. the pace of the game was returning to the Tigers, the Knights made another goal, changing the score to 2-0. Afterward, the Tigers seemed to move slower and had more trouble communicating with one another. Fellow players who were watching from the sidelines cheered their team members on and encouraged more communication, but the encouragement seemed ineffective; the game mentality that the Tigers had in the first half of the game was no longer there. When the game ended three minutes before six o’clock, the victory went to the Knights at 4-0, despite the effort the Tigers had shown.

Overview

After the boys’ game, the girls also lost to the Knights by 0-3.

Although the Tigers were disappointed after their loss, they believed that the experience would give them the strength to be victorious in subsequent matches.

After the players defeated Daegu American High School two days later, they realized that the GSIS match had helped them improve.

“I believe that this could be a huge turning point, and we believe that we will continuously improve throughout the season,” said Eugene Kim (11), varsity boys wing player.

MARCH 2012

11

SPORTS

TIGER SPORTS SCOREBOARD SOCCER SWIMMING March 3 at SFS Boys: 280 points; 3rd place Girls: 284 points; 3rd place

Feb. 29 v. TCIS (Away game) Boys: 1-5 Loss Girls: 1-3 Loss

March 7 v. YISS (Away game) Boys: 2-3 Loss Girls: 0-2 Loss

March 14 at SIS Boys: 411 points; 1st place Girls: 391 points; 1st place

March 3 v. GSIS (Away game) Boys: 4-5 Loss Girls: 0-1 Loss

March 10 v. KIS (Home game) March 16 v. DAHS (Home game) March 21 v. SFS (Home game) Boys: 1-1 Tie Boys: 4-2 Win Boys: 6-1 Win Girls: 0-3 Loss Girls: 0-4 Loss Girls: 0-2 Loss

‘Linfluenza’ spreads around the world

By Mark Kim

Suppressing a scream, Alex Son (10) raises his hands in the air as he watches Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks point guard, shoot the last shot to win the game. “Lincredible,” “linbelievable” and “linspirational” are just a few words to describe Lin’s path from an unknown National Basketball Association (NBA) player to one of the most talked-about athletes in the world. In a span of two weeks, Jeremy Lin had been nothing short of “linsational.” “[Jeremy Lin’s story is great] not just because he’s Taiwanese, but because of the cultural implications,” said Kenneth Dee, Chinese teacher.

“What happens a lot of times in the Chinese family is they tell you to not play sports and not become an actor [or] a singer, and that you should always study hard first. Kids are usually asked to pursue education before anything else, but kids also have talent in things that they want to do.

[Parents] should give more support

in those things.”

According to Yahoo Sports, ticket prices for New York Knicks games have gone up 27 percent since Jeremy Lin was put into the New York Knicks’ starting lineup.

Lin’s No. 17 jersey has also become the NBA’s bestseller after the success he had in early February. Jeremy Lin’s recent play has not only captured fans in America, but has also grabbed SIS students’ attention.

“I was watching from about the fourth quarter of the Knicks v. [Toronto Raptors] game because Jeremy Lin was playing and I wanted to see if he was really worth all that hype,” said Alex. “When I saw him make [the game-winning] shot, I felt as if my entire body was flying. The game was so exciting and I was already cheering for Jeremy Lin. All I can say is, after the game, I figured one thing out—he is legitimate.”

During spring break, Minho Song (11) will travel to New York to watch Jeremy Lin play in a Knicks game against the Orlando Magic.

“My expectations for the game is a tight game with a win by the Knicks by a small margin,” said Minho. “I am excited to see Jeremy Lin play. He’s a good player all-round and has decent assists as well as a strong offensive burst. He can drive in to the hoop or even just take the three pointer under high pressure. I want to see ‘Linsanity’ live!”

Jeremy Lin’s work ethic and smart play has earned him success on the court. Lin was cut from two NBA teams before being picked up by the Knicks. Injuries to other players on the team presented him the opportunity to play, and Lin took full advantage of it. As the Knicks new starting guard, Jeremy Lin has proven false the stereotype that Asians are not good at sports. “[Jeremy Lin] is the real deal,” said Mr. Dee. “Every basketball executive, coach and scout knows that his skill set is not a one-night or short-period, ‘he-got-lucky’ type thing. He has the skills to have longterm success.”

March 14 v. GSIS (Home game) March 20 v. OSAN (Home game) Boys: 0-4 Loss Boys: 5-2 Win Girls: 0-3 Loss Girls: 0-2 Loss

Graphic by Min Ji Suh

LINSANITY:

PATH TO STARDOM

March 19, 2012: Lin gets 665,008 followers on Twitter.

Feb. 27, 2012: Lin makes the cover of TIME after playing five games with the New York Knicks.

Feb. 14, 2012: Lin breaks NBA record for most points scored in a player’s first five starts.

Dec. 27, 2011: The New York Knicks sign Jeremy Lin. Sources: Rant Sports, Forbes and Twitter

Graphic by Mark Kim and

By Mark Kim and Elizabeth Song Elizabeth Song

Korean professional sports leagues under investigation

By Milton Yoon

Korea only has four professional sports leagues: baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball. The national leagues gather tremendous local support, but the four leagues might lose the support they have been receiving for decades due to corruption scandals recently brought to light.

This chain of controversies began merely one year ago when South Korean soccer was thrown into chaos due to a scandal that led to the arrest of nearly 50 K-League players.

See you everyday at 9:25 in the Atrium

Even more chaos was created when several suspects were found dead soon after. Fed up with the recurring incidents, the government threatened the K-League to shut down altogether and enforce a stricter sports promotion law unless it cleaned up its act, believing that its new zerotolerance policy would shake off the culture of cheating within the national sports leagues.

However, despite their efforts to justify sports within the nation, more scandals emerged soon after.

This February, four players from the professional volleyball league were

FOOD

CART Aren’t you hungry?

banned for life from the game due to their involvement in a matchfixing scandal in which they deliberately made mistakes during their plays so that a middle man could earn money at gambling sites. During this investigation, one gambling broker admitted that other Korean professional sports leagues also had match-rigging issues. Influenced by this confession, officials in each sports league have been scrambling for evidence of illegal acts and have revealed that there was corruption within the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) and the Korean Bas-

ketball League (KBL) as well.

“I felt so disappointed that some of the KBL matches were fixed,” said James Lee (10). “I really enjoyed last season, but I felt like I was cheated when I found out. [It was especially] disappointing because it was the first time the KBL had internal problems like this.”

This discovery of match-rigging in the KBO was especially shocking to the Korean public. The KBO has helped establish baseball as Korea’s most popular sport and has enjoyed record attendance among all of the nation’s sports leagues for

the past three years. Prosecutors have found out that illegal sportsbetting sites have placed odds on indirect plays, such as the number of walks from the starting pitcher in baseball or the number of three point shots in basketball. Two LG Twins players, Seong-hyun Kim and Hyun-jun Park, admitted to playing along a middle man’s instructions in exchange for bribes. The Korean government currently is attempting to fish out all the controversies from the national sports leagues and hopes to reinforce laws to prevent such problems from recurring.

SMALL TALK

12

MARCH 2012

Secret underground pathways render new policy ineffective

Photo of the Month

By Angela Cho

Students were yet again a cut above the administration in thwarting new school policies. In response to the administration’s enforcement of a policy that prohibits students from leaving the campus after school, students hastily built the Underground Tunnel.

Consisting of numerous intricate infiltration tunnels that resemble those of an anthill, the Underground Tunnel is a network of secret routes that converge on one destination: the convenience store.

The construction crew revamping the gym discovered the student body’s covert movement while drilling a manhole in a botanical garden.

“When I first encountered something hard [while drilling], I thought it was gold,” said William Crude, construction worker.

“But instead I found a metal door knob, knocked on the door and was soon invited to a feast by student infiltrators, where I grabbed a light snack.”

Every day after school, thousands of students use the tunnels—hidden underneath locations such as the gym and classrooms—to make hasty runs to and back

from the convenience store.

“At last I see the light,” said John Gordo (11) as he came out of a tunnel. “It’s like the fog has lifted for the icing on cupcakes. It’s like the sky is new. It’s warm and real bright like hot chocolate. It’s like the world has somehow shifted for a doughnut.”

Though the administration tried various means, such as setting up booby traps, to dissuade students from using the Underground Tunnel, students only infiltrated deeper and successfully evaded the policy. They would simply return to school grounds, arms laden with foods purchased at the convenience store, which defeats the purpose of the new policy.

“The students are a bunch of mice scurrying about the school,” said Babo Illusion, Board of Education chairman. “But we are like a cat, ever so graceful and armed with technology needed to hunt them down, including a fire match and a lever. We absolutely have no doubt that this policy will work; in fact we’ll do anything to pursue the evaders to the ends of the earth—we’ll see who’s the winner of this cat-and-mouse game.”

The Underground Tunnel...

Cartoon by Angela Cho

Photo by Angela Cho

During the BEIMUN trip, adviser Angela Erickson, Annette Ahn (11) and John Kim (12) relish in Peking duck. “The duck was so good that our table, reserved for 10 people, ordered three ducks,” said Annette.