Tiger Times Volume 34 Issue 8

Page 1

Tiger Times seoul international school

volume xxxiv

m a r c h 2011

issue viii

w w w

.itigertimes.com

Faculty Friend Victory: Varsity boys soccer team starts season with a win. Page 11. 8

Math Week introduces fun side of mathematics to participants By Lydia Kim

While selling cake in the cafeteria in celebration of Pi D a y , Gene Pa r k

solving lecture followed by a competition. On Tuesday, professors visited to present the practical applications of math. On Wednesday, students attended a lecture on how probability applies to games of chance. On Thursday, students competed in math jeopardy. For the puzzlesolving lecture and competition, students were divided into two teams and given a handful of irregularly stacked blocks. They had to organize the blocks into cubes as quickly as possible. “I was so happy when our team found the matching piece,” said Ally

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

(10), Mu Alpha Theta (MAT) sophomore captain, attracted spectators as he solved a Rubik’s cube in less than five minutes. Math Week, held March 7-11, included various contests, lectures and games different from those of previous years that encouraged student participation. On Monday, there was a puzzle-

Chung (10). “We struggled for about 10 minutes trying all sorts of arrangements. Our prize was pie, but I was glad I participated in the puzzle game because I got to know more people.” The best-attended event from Math Week was the professors’ presentations. Professor Moonil Kim

from Korea University and Professor Dohyung Lee from Hanyang University visited to discuss the practical applications of mathematics, particularly in engineering. “I found Professor Kim’s lecture interesting because I am taking physics and calculus this year,” said Kayoung Lee (11). “He discussed voltages and Ohm’s Law, which we’re learning in physics class right now. I was able to see real life applications of the subjects I’m taking at school.” Students were also

able to relate math with games that they enjoyed playing. “Last time I played poker with my friends, I lost 20,000 won,” said Alexia Yang (10). “When Gene told me that there was going to be a lecture about poker, I decided to attend so that I can learn strategies to use the next time I play.” Gene said that Math Week also provided the opportunity to experience the fun side of math outside of the classroom.

“Math Week is probably the only week when I can solve my Rubik’s cube in public without looking too nerdy,” said Gene. “It’s like I’m doing an act for the students. I also want to show that math

i s n’ t only about solving equations. It can be more fun than that.” Although Math Week impressed participants with fresh events, John Han (10), MAT member, said that there was still room for improvement. “I think we should try doing a better job advertising and getting people more interested,” he said. “Students should explore the realm of mathematics and try to see the side that doesn’t induce students to be discouraged in striving towards mathematical success both in and out of the classroom.”

RCY engages in local, global community service By Michelle Kim

Today, life without luxury or freedom can be difficult to imagine, such as how orphans in Somang House and deported Filipinos live. In order to help the orphans and Filipinos, the SIS chapter of the Red Cross Youth (RCY) bought and delivered stationery with money raised from fundraisers to Somang House on March 6 and organized a petition for Filipinos’ rights. Somang House houses at least 20 mentally and physically disabled orphans. A number of the orphans have spent at least 18 years lying on the floor, as they cannot stand or sit. Others do not have proper hands or feet. Not having been notified of the situation at the orphanage, the RCY members were surprised when they

visited it for the first time. “We all knew that Somang House was an orphanage, but we had never known how bad the situation was there,” said Sohyun Kang (11), RCY president. “After seeing the orphanage for real, I felt bad for the orphans because some of them were so disabled that they couldn’t move or understand that the stationery we gave them were presents.” Somang House is devoid of government funding. After their visit, RCY members decided to regularly fund Somang House by helping the owner sell socks that she sold for income at the SIS Parents’ Association (SISPA) Bazaar. RCY will sell cell phone key chains and magnets as well. “The caretaker told us that the orphanage did not get any funding, so she sold socks and other house-

hold materials in order to keep the orphanage running,” said Sohyun. “We wanted to help her after hearing that we had been the first ones in years to offer volunteer service.” RCY will also hold a campaign to raise awareness on the plight of deported Filipinos from March 28 to April 1 in collaboration with Amnesty International, a non-governmental organization that focuses on human rights issues. RCY members will set up booths in locations such as the cafeteria and the student lounge and ask students and the faculty to sign an Amnesty International petition for the protection of Filipinos’ rights. By the end of the week, RCY hopes to collect at least 100 signatures. “Getting these signatures will get our club and school recognized by Amnesty International,” said

Christine Jung (11), RCY treasurer. “This is a great opportunity for our club to not only raise awareness on a global issue, but also learn to respect the luxury that we enjoy. We can [also] get recognized internationally for a good cause.” RCY plans to continue to hold events in order to raise awareness about both global issues and the club itself. According to Eunice Lee (11), RCY president, the club may help out with Japan’s earthquake relief efforts before the school year ends. “We hope that these events will make RCY more prominent within the school community,” said Eunice. “This way, we can have more members interested in doing community service next year. As privileged members of society, everyone should do at least some form of community service and help those in need.”

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Disaster in Japan draws worldwide attention By Elizabeth Song

As more natural disasters inflict suffering all over the world, people start to consider the validity of the ancient Mayans’ prophecy that the world will end in 2012. Further reinforcing the Mayans’ belief is Japan’s strongest 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the northeastern portion of the Japanese mainland, Honshu, on March 11, causing dozens of aftershocks and depriving citizens of their homes, friends and family. The earthquake also triggered 10-meter tsunamis that inundated coastal areas and crippled nuclear power plants at Fukushima, sending off radiation that killed at least 20 people. The cumulative death toll is predicted to be over 10,000. Even places a long way from Japan were affected by the calamity. For example, people in Guam were forced to evacuate to safer areas, even though the region was not severely damaged. “I was in Guam and we were under tsunami warning,” said Derek Cutler, sixth grade science teacher. “We had to go to high ground and wait until the end of the warning for six hours. Guam was surrounded by trenches, so the energy dissipated, and we weren’t [seriously] harmed.” The earthquake had a more direct effect on Stacy Yun (12), whose house is located in the area of impact. “We had to call people to fix and rebuild all the shelves, and some of the stuff inside the shelves broke,” said Stacy. Hiro Watanabe (11) also watched the newscast with worry, as his father currently resides in Japan. “I first heard about the news when I was in Daegu for the soccer overnight trip,” said Hiro. “I was worried especially because Dad wouldn’t pick up his phone. The coaches were also worried about me because I had to be mentally ready for my game the next day. Fortunately, my dad called me first and told me he wasn’t injured.” Japanese citizens far from the disaster-stricken areas do not face immediate health concerns but are still anxious about their wellbeing and optimistic about Japan’s future. “The place where the earthquakes and tsunamis hit is pretty far from Osaka, so nothing really affected us,” said Mami Takahara (11) of Senri International School. “I feel so sorry for people up north, but the earthquake is slowly coming down to the south as well. I hope everything will be back to normal soon and Japan will recover quickly.”


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