Tiger Times Volume 45 Issue 9

UNICEF Talent Show:

AISA Soccer:

Students perform in charity event. Page 3

Varsity boys team competes in finals. Page 11

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

Tiger Times volume X X X XV

issue 9

APRIL 2014

HSSC hosts first KAIAC kickoff to support athletes

By Celine Hwang

To mark the end of spirit week and the beginning of the spring season KAIAC tournament, HSSC hosted the KAIAC kickoff party on April 23 from 3:15 to 8:00 p.m. in locations including the soccer field and the asphalt area in front of the middle school building. Participants of the event cheered on student athletes and enjoyed a free barbequethemed dinner.

“We are offering food for free because we are not aiming to raise money from this event,” said Scarlett Kim (12), HSSC executive president.

“HSSC just wanted to allow students in different grades to socialize after school and support one another.

Many student athletes do not receive a lot of support from their peers during sports tournaments, so we wanted to wish them luck beforehand.”

While HSSC members prepared hot dogs and hamburgers for the barbeque-themed dinner at 5:30 p.m., students attended the AP art exhibition or watched the final soccer home games against the Korea International School (KIS) team.

“The free food HSSC offered to students was definitely one of the factors in attracting a larger audience to the soccer games,” Brian Kim (9) said. “While students are required to pay a fee to participate

Changes made to AP curriculum for next year

By Hareem Kim

Photo by Kelly Kim

Handing a cooked patty to Joshua An (12), Sean Syverson, HSSC adviser, supervises the KAIAC kickoff barbeque on April 23. Students received free food and drinks during the last soccer home game against KIS. in most school events, this event was unique in that it was mostly about celebrating SIS athletes’ successful season.”

To provide snacks for students participating in or watching the soccer game, clubs including HSSC, Korea Animal Service Association (KASA) and Red Cross Youth (RCY) sold snacks such as nachos and chicken. From the revenue they raised, clubs will support various causes, ranging from animal rights to disability rights.

“We were not able to profit significantly from selling food because students were busy watching the soccer game,” said Michelle Lee (11), RCY secretary. “Although it would have been nice to raise money for RCY’s specific causes, it was also great to see students cheering on their peers.”

Overall, though the KAIAC kickoff was hosted for the first time this year, according to Sean Syverson, HSSC adviser, the event was successful in providing students and

teachers with an opportunity to socialize outside of classrooms.

“The kick-off is simply another opportunity for teachers, staff members and kids to support each other and act as members of a community,” said Sean Syverson, HSSC adviser. “I did not have specific expectations for the event because all students could choose to join but it seemed like people were having a good time. Everything is a learning process and in the future we will make improvements”

American writer and illustrator Rosemary Wells visits SIS

By Sarah Y. Kim

Award-winning American author and illustrator Rosemary Wells held a meeting with SIS elementary students in the auditorium on April 25. There, she discussed her book On the Blue Comet, a children’s fantasy novel set in the Great Depression. She discussed about the story’s historical setting and of her book My Havana, and the processes she goes through as a writer.

Ms. Wells has been an author and illustrator for over 30 years, and has written and illustrated over 60 picture books, including her wellknown Max and Ruby series. She often uses animals instead of human beings as characters, partially to obviate any questions of ethnic origin.

For example, her book Yoko is about a cat that faces discrimination at school for her Japanese background.

Most of Ms. Wells’ picture books are built upon childhood

ttonl.org

Photo courtesy of Ryan Kim

Explaining her writing habits, author Rosemary Wells discusses the writing process with elementary students in the auditorium on April 25. experiences. One childhood experience would later inspire a major turning point in On the Blue Comet, which took thirty years for Ms. Wells to write and was published in 2010. To this day she considers it to be her greatest work.

“I remember one thing that I used to do with my brother’s [model railroad] layout,” Ms. Wells said. “I

would bend down and I would put one eye on the layout and I’d close the other eye. And I’d watch the train and the station and the little people, and it became real to me. I put my eye down and closed one eye and see the world of Lionel trains from one eye at grass level. I don’t know why, but that one little experience stayed with me.”

Ms. Wells says that such little experiences are an important part of how a writer gets his or her ideas, and that she cannot remember what exactly inspired her to write On the Blue Comet.

“Ideas are simply like small silvery planes that happen to land at my airport,” Ms. Wells said. “It is my job, and every writer’s job, to have ideas, or we would have nothing to write about.”

After she delivered her speech, Ms. Wells gave students advice on how to write engaging stories.

“The reason writing is a great mystery is that it appears to be a straightforward, learnable skill, unlike having a big voice, a natural grace in dance or a clear gift for drawing,” Ms. Wells said. “Yet few people can write clearly and invitingly, charming their readers to turn page after page, even after many years in school. Real writing cannot be taught. It’s instinctive and just as much a gift as opening your mouth and singing like Cecelia Bartoli.”

As the school year comes to an end, an assembly was held on April 1 to notify rising sophomores, juniors and seniors about AP courses available to students next year. During the assembly, Jarret Lambie, high school principal, revealed the modifications made to the school curriculum, encompassing changes made by the College Board.

AP Human Geography, which is currently offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors, will not be offered due to the lack of a suitable replacement for the course’s only teacher, Shanna Hurt, who will be leaving next year. Additionally, regular Physics will be replaced by AP Physics 1, as the College Board announced that all schools currently offering AP Physics B will have to split the class into AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2.

“The biggest reason for it is to allow more lab time,” said Brian Mellon, Physics teacher. “Right now, the lab works tend to be short and simple, because there is no time in class to have direct instructions, example problems and enriching laboratory activities. With fewer topics in the year, we can go into more depth for each topic. It will hopefully help the students tremendously, but students who struggle with concepts might have a harder time.”

Furthermore, AP Psychology, previously restricted to seniors only, will be offered to juniors next year.

In addition, juniors will be able to take AP Statistics without taking Pre-Calculus as a supplementary course.

“AP Psychology is being offered to juniors to make up for the fact that AP Human Geography is not available, and also [because] it is a course juniors can manage,” Mr. Lambie said. “The reason that AP Statistics is open to juniors with less limit is more about the student interest in finishing both AP Calculus and AP Statistics. In general, SIS is opening up more, but increase of opportunities comes with more responsibility for SIS students to make the choices on their own.”

According to Amy Thompson, counselor, the school is not planning to add more AP classes to the curriculum at the moment unless the College Board makes a decision to change a course like the recent modification to the Physics course.

VIEWPOINT 2

APRIL 2014

Letter to the Editor

Editorial

Students must develop genuine relationships with teachers Although personal relationships between students and professors are encouraged in US-based college settings, the same cannot be said for Korean high schools.

The Confucian values that are deeply rooted in Korean society emphasize respect for teachers and a certain distance between students and teachers when it comes to developing relationships in and out of the classroom. In SIS, where students with Korean backgrounds often find conflict with westernized societal views, some students hesitate to approach teachers about non-academic matters because they feel uncomfortable confiding in their teachers. Thus, in the eyes of teachers, students mainly obsessed with academics may seem robotic and uninterested. The SIS student population must live up to its international status and reach an appropriate balance between academic and personal relationships with teachers.

For the most part, teachers at SIS are approachable and friendly when it comes to communicating with students. Many teachers make themselves available to students during office hours and

after school to offer academic and personal advice. Teachers hope to develop relationships that will last even after students graduate or teachers leave. While the majority of students at SIS do approach teachers for academic help, most of them either feel uncomfortable approaching teachers or do not care to develop personal relationships with them. Thus, some teachers feel that they are being used by students for grades and for recommendation letters. Students must realize that the relationships they make in school are just as important, if not more important than the material they learn in class.

Students at SIS should therefore make a concerted effort to connect with teachers on a personal rather than simply an academic level.

Naturally, it is easier for students to connect with teachers if they are more involved in school; students who are part of sports and extracurricular activities can connect with teachers who share a common interest with them. Outof-school trips to foreign countries are great opportunities for students and teachers to get to know each other on a personal level.

Letter to the Editor At the 2006 TED conference, educationalist Sir Ken Robinson gave a talk which garnered much acclaim and support. His thesis, that schools are killing creativity, was not only well received, but was well reasoned. In 2010, he did a follow up in which he went into detail about how he believes that education now, in the 21st Century, is no longer linear, but organic.

Although many academics seem to agree with his theory, others are reluctant to even consider the idea.

The Editorial Board of the Tiger Times seems to be one such body.

In the March 2014 edition of the paper, the editorial seems to ignore the fact that society is changing. Not everyone flourishes in the “drill and kill” style of learning; why would that be held up as the model of great educational practice? What about students that don’t learn well in that system? Is it okay just to ignore those students, or should the school find a way to help them develop the talents and creativity that each student holds?

In a school where students are trying to show their uniqueness to colleges to which they are applying, calling for a teaching delivery system which only accommodates Editors-in-Chief Jiho Peter Kim Mark Kim Jr. Managing Editor Min Ji Suh Production Editor Dasoo Milton Yoon Graphics Editor Christine Lee Website Editor Darin Son

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

one type of learner is self-serving.

The Editorial Board of the paper seems to endorse an idea that striving to let all students develop their talents, through the development of differentiated instruction, has no place in the school. It is true that SIS is a college-prep school, but it is not remotely true that different learning styles should have no consideration in the philosophy or curriculum. The world celebrates the creativity of its citizens; one only has to look in their pockets at their smart phones, or look at the styles of cars on the road for proof. Why wouldn’t SIS do the same? The skills needed for the 21st Century workplace include much more than test-taking skills and rote memorization. Although there may be some, how many careers are based solely on the memorization of facts?

It is ironic that a publication like Tiger Times, which relies on design and creativity in addition to content to increase readership, would endorse a linear approach to education that does not include all students.

From Ronald Slachta, English teacher Reporters Jean Cho Jungho Daniel Choi Nagyon Kim Sarah Y. Kim Christine Seo Website Reporters Heejin E. Hong Christine Jeong Hareem Kim Michael Kim Rosie Dahyeon Kim

I was disappointed, but not surprised, to see the quote on page ten of Issue 8 about the importance of winning. That may be the prevailing view in the modern sports world, but as a lifelong athlete and coach, I feel compelled to challenge that idea. Winning in sports outside the commercial sports entertainment industry is little more than a necessary byproduct of competition. You win some, you lose some. That is about all you can say about winning.

This isn’t just cliché, the evidence is all around. Go down and look at every photo on our wall of fame. There are photos of every team in recent history posted in honor of the students who had the courage and desire to represent this school. We don’t know who those athletes are because we don’t give the records on the pictures. In short, we honor the teams and not their records. The same is true for the individuals. Their accomplishments are listed, but not the cumulative records of their season or seasons of competition.

Some may read this as me taking issue with the student quoted, but nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, I would ask the student to reconsider his po-

Student athletes also build bonds with their coaches through sports.

Ultimately, what students put into their high school life is what they will get out of it.

In order to change students’ attitudes of reluctance in interacting with teachers, the administration can support more school-sponsored events that foster relationships between students and teachers. Events such as Family Fun Day and out of school trips should be encouraged. However, more importantly, students must realize that academics are not everything in a world where interpersonal skills and relationships with others are instrumental to success and outlook on life. Afterall, while students will likely forget much of the material they learn in school, the relationships they establish with teachers will last them a much longer time.

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.

sition since an emphasis on wins and losses detracts from his accomplishments. I think he will be remembered because of his effort to achieve excellence in sports, even in defeat. He will be remembered for dedicating time all year to represent the school. All of this has contributed to the wins, but his accomplishment isn’t any less because of the losses.

Being at the top is temporary. Luck factors into who stands on that center podium as often as it doesn’t. The effort, teamwork, dedication and love of the game are what impact the rest of our lives in ways that are hard to comprehend in high school.

The reason athletics are so valuable is that they teach us to find the value of everything we do even when we don’t get the results.

In any sport, athletes train to win, but everyone knows that only one will be the champion. To quote Teddy Roosevelt, “It is hard to fail, but it is worse to have never tried to succeed.” In the end, it’s all about having the courage to try and succeed. Win or lose, we are behind all who put on the Tigers uniform.

From Gray Macklin, counselor

Less competition, more enthusiasm necessary to create enriching extracurricular experience

By Nagyon Kim

Clubs were essentially established in schools to allow students to pursue their interests in and passion for that particular club’s purpose.

Students would join these clubs to try out various activities and to gain experience that they normally would not have been able to access in classroom settings. However, unlike their original intention, SIS clubs have become a battlefield, where students relentlessly compete for executive positions to add onto their college applications. Due to the unintended consequences of this behavior at SIS, the administration has chosen to decrease the number of proposed clubs that is approved. This year, many students were left confused and dissatisfied because only only one club out of 16 proposed clubs was accepted. Although students’ concerns are legitimate in that the number of accepted club proposals is declining, students should view the situation from the administration’s perspective and understand that the club approval policy is reasonable.

By looking through the club

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

applications that are submitted every year, the administration is aware that many clubs are proposed solely to provide the presenter with a leadership position. According to Ivan Atanaskovic, Athletics and Activities Coordinator, there were certain club proposals that overlapped with already-existing clubs. For example, students already involved in the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) at school proposed art-related community service clubs that overlapped with the overall aim of NAHS. If students who proposed such clubs were truly passionate about the topics of their proposals, they would have joined the clubs that already fit their interests instead of trying to propose nearly identical clubs.

Furthermore, there seems to be a misconception that colleges regard students who are the president of numerous clubs more favorably than those who are not. However, according to Fredric Schneider, Dean of Students, those who are involved in an assortment of clubs often show a lack of dedication in their extracurricular activities. Taking part in two or three clubs is adequate in proving to colleges that one is engaged in community service and willing to

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

commit a significant amount of time to specific interests. It is difficult for students to channel all of their energy and time into multiple clubs because every club has a distinct purpose that members are expected to contribute to. Additionally, since international trip schedules for different clubs may overlap, students in many clubs have difficulty prioritizing. As a result, they fail to fully immerse themselves in any of the clubs they are involved in and show true dedication. In order to prevent these problems and encourage students to become more devoted to smaller number of clubs, the administration’s decision to accept only one club from the 16 applications submitted this year is justifiable.

In this case, it is advisable that SIS students adjust their view of clubs and no longer treat clubs merely as sources of leadership positions that will seemingly elevate their college applications, but rather as places where they can pursue their true interests and share their hobbies with other students. Instead of attempting to create new clubs, students can pursue their by contributing significantly to alreadyexisting clubs.

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.

APRIL 2014

Multiple changes to SAT exam better prepare students for future

By Claire Yun

To provide students with fair opportunities on the SAT, the College Board modified the format and purpose of this test. Hagwons in South Korea are infamous for illegally acquiring test materials, giving a disadvantage to students who do not attend these hagwons. This modified exam, which assesses the ability to think critically, is to be released in April of 2016.

According to the College Board, the redesigned SAT will revert to its original 1600-point scale, divided into three categories: evidence based reading, writing and math with an optional essay.

Some experts say that writing is a skill that you need for life. However, the College Board has realized that not all high school students are pursuing careers in that field.

Students who think they are strong writers will choose to take the writing exam whereas those who are not can choose not to. Identifying grammatical errors may not be a skill needed for people who wish to pursue graphic design or engineer-

ing. With these changes made to the exam, students will be given room to indulge in what they are interested.

According to the College Board, the modified SAT will be testing students on more “relevant words in context.” Students will no longer have to memorize words they may not use. Also, students will be asked to answer questions that relate to the world in both the reading and math portions. By solving problems that are applicable to their lives, students will be better prepared for college.

One of the most significant changes is that points will not be deducted for questions answered incorrectly. There are students whosuffer from stress anxiety, which may impede learning. If a student does poorly on a major exam then it is likely that the students will lose confidence and do poorly on any other major tests later on.

Considering all the changes on the SAT exam, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Students will be positively affected by the changes, which would help students in college and life. This grading change will also help cushion students’ scores and encourage them to perform well on future assessments.

3

VIEWPOINT

Post-AP exam assignments unnecessary, redundant of previously learned material

By Jean Cho

AP classes are college-level courses designed to give students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with more challenging academics. The program ends near mid-May with the final exam, but SIS students are expected to attend classes until June. However, due to the overall delay of the school year, the issue of how teachers will spend post-AP exam class periods has become more controversial this year.

Though teachers ultimately have the freedom to design their post-AP exam curricula, students would benefit from having free periods during which they could devote more time into other academic obligations.

The problem was exacerbated this year due to the administration’s decision to postpone the school year in order to allow elementary and middle school students to make use of the new building. This delay allotted teachers with less time to actually help students prepare for the AP exam and more time after the exam.

Post AP curriculum has been

Teachers’ negative comments, generalizations of students disrupt academic learning environment

a vaguely defined issue at SIS due to the lack of a separate policies on how classes after the exam should be taught. Although the final exam in itself is not the purpose of the class, the exam signifies the culmination of the content taught throughout the year. Thus after students take the exam, teachers have the responsibility not to waste students’ time after the culminating activity of the AP class. There is no reason for the teacher to create more assignments because the final exam serves as the final assessment of the students’ understanding of the content and because students should be allowed to concentrate more on other upcoming study matters.

Moreover, once the AP exam is over, students move on to other tasks such as preparing for final exams of regular classes or doing extracurricular outside-of-school activities such as volunteer work and SAT preparation. This is a natural process that encourages students to devote more time to other urgent issues that show colleges their true interests and strengths. Having free periods would allow students to spend more time on other activities that

Students urged to move forward in aftermath of ferry tragedy

By Eunie Jang

By Sarah Y. Kim

It is true that many SIS students are overly concerned with grades and often rely on hagwons for academic support. While students portraying this negative image are at fault, teachers should avoid generalizing all students and should avoid thinking that all Korean students are only interested in their grades. Although it is true that such students do exist, they only pertain to a minority of the entire student population.

Teachers often make comments in which they accuse students for learning class material ahead of time at hagwons, or telling them that they probably already checked PowerSchool because grades are all they care about. It is understandable that the media misleads teachers into thinking of hagwons as a place for cheaters. However, the purpose of hagwons is to provide extra help for those who need it. There are students who abuse their usage of hagwons, but it is unfair for teachers to treat all students as cheaters who rely on hagwons while ignoring class lessons.

Furthermore, the insulting comments that generalize students discourage students from interacting with their teachers. Accusing students of sharing answers or blaming them for the need to make multiple versions of tests leads to a tense learning atmosphere without trust.

If teachers feel that there is a problem with student behaviour, they should work with them in order to improve it, rather than have a closed

and narrow-minded opinion that affects the entire class negatively.

Teachers who generalize about students’ tendency to rely on hagwons are also more inclined to teach material quickly, and consequently hinder students’ understanding of important concepts. However, in its essence, a school is an organization created for learning, and teachers should fulfill their duties in thoroughly teaching their lessons.

Though it is undeniable that students receive assistance outside of school, the majority of the students who attend hagwons are in

need of extra help in subjects that they are struggling in. On the other hand, there are also students who do not attend any hagwons at all. Such students, who depend greatly upon the lessons that teachers provide in class, are therefore placed at a disadvantage by the rapid pace at which the teachers progress.

In the end, teachers must realize that their generalizations regarding students’ dependence on hagwons often cause students to feel insulted.

To promote a supportive learning environment, students and teachers should be able to trust one another.

they couldn’t spend as much time on due to AP exam preparation. Instead of trying to revise what one has already completed, it would be more beneficial for students to spend time trying to accomplish something upcoming in the near future.

Some may worry that having independent study periods after the exam might send the wrong message to students that the purpose of an AP course is only to take the exam and receive a good score for future college credit. However, most college courses do not actually continue their classes after the final exam.

Therefore, AP tests, which are summative evaluations that represent the experience students acquire from such college level courses, should portray that reality accurately.

Once the AP exam is over, students have the perfect opportunity to dedicate time to their other interests and shift priorities to focus more on other subjects. Allowing students to use remaining class periods based on their own schedules will not only foster independence in students, but will also allow them to better prepare themselves for a true college experience.

The MV Sewol sinking on April 16 has led South Korea’s Education Ministry to call for the banning of school trips as a precautionary measure until June on April 21. Seoul’s Metropolitan Office of Education has already ordered six schools to cancel planned school trips to Jeju Island and has advised other schools to follow suit. Though the government’s actions may seem like prudent security measures, they do not effectively address the more serious problems behind the disaster and could have unintended consequences as a result.

The government is doing its duty in respecting the victims of the tragedy; to allow schools to have recreational trips at such a time is not appropriate. It is also understandable that the government wants to take no chances of another incident involving children. Aside from the fact that students are probably safer at home and at school, school trips can often be costly and may prove ineffective to some students. Mandating international trips is certainly not in the interest of students, who should be given the choice as to whether or not they want to participate in something that can potentially put their lives at risk.

On that note, however, imposing a nationwide cancellation of school trips is inappropriate and excessive if done for longer than a month or so. It is not up to the government to take charge in depriving students of potentially enriching ex-

periences for a prolonged period of time; that is a privilege that should be reserved to students, their parents and school administrators. If a student sees an opportunity that may advance her education or provide a means of recreation, the government is overstepping the boundaries of control with this new reactionary policy.

School trips present students with many advantages they can hardly gain elsewhere. They promote a sense of independence, and allow students the ability to learn outside the comfort zone of school.

Students are faced with new challenges, especially if the school trip is for an international competition or conference.

Banning school trips is also an oversimplified way of addressing the serious problems associated with the MV Sewol sinking. The real problems having to do with the sinking are largely centered on the irresponsibility of the ferry’s crew, as well as the delayed rescue operations and unreliable media reports. These are the problems that the government should address. The fact that the government has to resort to mandating the cancellation of school trips in order to ensure any sense of safety implies that it is unsure of how to pinpoint the problems connected to the ferry sinking.

In the long term, banning school trips does not do anything sufficient to guarantee student safety. Though it is a show of respect, extending this mourning time for more than a month is excessive, and does not ensure that authorities are more proactive in the future.

NEWS 4

APRIL 2014

NEWS BRIEFS AP Art Exhibition provides opportunity for interaction Science Club hosts Science Week

Photo by Sara Shin (11)

William Son (9) and Julie Hwang (9), Science Club members, help out at Science Week’s Egg Drop.

Science Club organized Egg Drop on Tuesday, Launching Catapults on Wednesday, Making Ice Cream on Thursday and Science Quiz Bowl on Friday to celebrate Science Week from April 8-11. Although Science Club’s infrequent meetings and large size posed difficulties, club members coordinated applicable approaches to the subject.

“Making ice cream was my favorite [activity] and our greatest success,” said Brian Mellon, Science Club adviser. “We ended up having more people show up than the materials prepared. Science Week and Science Club still have room for improvement and I hope to develop both next year.”

NKHR attends movie screening about refugees

Five NKHR members visited a movie screening at Chungshim Girls School in Jamsil on April 12. The movie screening featured “Camp 14: Total Control Zone,” a film about a North Korean political camp prisoner’s plight, and a question-and-answer session with a North Korean defector. The event was arranged in conjunction with the official NKHR Rescue Fund organization and the Hallyuwood Film Club.

“The screening event helped me understanding what it is that NKHR stands for and what the club strives to achieve,” said Alice Rhim (10), NKHR member. “The friendly and approachable character of the North Korean refugee gave me a sense of closeness and involvement during the Q&A session. It was a rewarding experience that rekindled my motivations to make a difference.”

Dance club participates in showcase at YISS Dance Club performed a song mix of “COCO” by Gent & Jawns, “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child, “MTBD” by CL and “Raining Men”

by Rihanna ft. Nicki Minaj at a showcase held at YISS on April 19.

The showcase invited dance clubs from other international schools to perform their polished routines.

“The showcase provided a positive environment in which dancers were able to mingle and come together,” said Nicole Chun (12), Dance Club captain. “Overall, dance clubs in each schools were not as recognized as a legitimate club compared to huge clubs. It was a very important milestone in getting the art of dance known and appreciated to other audiences.”

By Heejin E. Hong

By Christine Seo

Showcasing the final products of their pieces, 29 AP 2D Design and AP Drawing students displayed various works of art to parents, students and teachers at the AP Art Exhibition on April 23. At the show, the art students were able to answer questions about their art collections and explain the meaning behind their pieces to the viewers.

Students have worked on their exhibition pieces since the first semester and chose a specific theme that would encompass all the pieces in their art portfolio. Along with five of their best pieces, the students also displayed brief explanations of their collection and the theme that they chose.

“Art needs to be shared, observed and challenged—that’s what makes it so special,” said Sydney Ko (12), AP 2D Design student. “It’s not enough for an artist to go through the visual problem-solving of translating an abstract idea onto physical mediums. What’s the point of solving a math problem if you don’t get to share the answer or even get to check with someone else? The same idea applies to art. I feel like art is the

Photo by Yeni Cho

Observing their friend’s exhibition, Sally Chung (12) and Kelly Kim (12) ask Michelle Chun (12) about the theme of her AP 2D Design concentration. Artists displayed their works at the AP Art Exhibition on April 23. one place where students are given a platform to present their own ideas. and share them.”

The exhibition, which took place in the lobby in the high school building, showcased Paul Chun’s (12) piano performance and offered refreshments for the viewers.

Like every year, Yearbook members put together an AP Art Exhibition booklet, which featured the profiles

of each artist, as well as an explanation of their theme and their display. To attract more viewers to the show, Cheryl Lambie, AP 2D Design teacher, created posters to display around the school.

“The whole point of art is to share your vision and communicate your ideas visually, which is why the viewers are so important to us,” Mrs. Lambie said. “The exhibition allows

students to experience arranging a show, communicating their ideas to the audience and receiving comments. Because art is fairly solitary, the exhibition is a bit of a hands-on experience [the students] aren’t very exposed to. It is also a way to celebrate the hard work they put into their art and realize that the feeling of satisfaction to see the artwork up for display makes it all worth it.”

Choir department to welcome GIN meeting with Founder of new director, undergo changes Nyaka spurs ideas for next year

By Rosie Kim

With the departure of Dennis Darling, choir teacher, and a significantly different number of students enrolling in high school choir, the choir department will be undergoing a series of changes in the upcoming school year. To take the place of Dr. Darling, SIS will be welcoming new choir conductor Jane Sitarz to lead the choral department.

“My expectation is that [despite my departure], the quality of the program will continue—I see no reason why not,” Dr. Darling said. “We have numerous students coming back to the choirs they were originally in, and based on the students who have chosen to sing next year, Ms. Sitarz is going to have no trouble leading the choirs. According to a survey done in SIS Men, every student not graduating is coming back, which is a very healthy sign. I have also ordered new music for next year, so there will be additions to the [choral] library that I have begun to build.”

Ever since Dr. Darling’s arrival, the number of students enrolled in choral ensembles such as Ambassadors and Ladies’ Choir have grown

extensively larger, with numbers going from 20 to about 40 or 50 students. However, with Dr. Darling’s departure, the high school choirs are expected to become smaller due to cuts in the middle school music department.

According to Dr. Darling, last year, the administration made the previously mandatory middle school music classes optional. This change resulted in the number of middle school students enrolled in choir classes to shrink from about 30 students to about ten. Because of smaller middle school choirs, teachers predict that less rising freshmen will be interested in joining high school choirs.

“Although we have an extremely strong choir program, I’m afraid that it may be ruined by a lack of interest for choir,” said Debora Kim (10), Ambassadors Choir student.

“Usually in middle school, the students that do not play an instrument take choir classes, and many of them foster their interest through taking those classes. Now that they have a much lower chance of experiencing choir, it is likely that there will be much fewer students in high school choir, but I hope this change does not affect our choirs too much.”

By Hollis Hwang

To receive deeper insight about their new theme, biodiversity and ecosystem loss, GIN members had a lunch and discussion with Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, founder of Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, on April 21.

An organization dedicated to Ugandan orphans with HIV/AIDS, Nyaka strives to alleviate poverty and systemic deprivation by improving the quality of the children’s surrounding environment and education.

During the meeting, Mr. Kaguri shared the projects Nyaka has accomplished over the past three years and discussed how GIN members can apply his experiences to their community to effectively tackle the environmental issues in Korea. “[Mr. Kaguri] brought a book he wrote which was targeted towards younger kids,” said Togo Tamura (11), next year’s GIN president. “Through the book, he tries to inform [children] about Nyaka and different environmental issues through pictures and simple sentences. I think this would be a great idea for us to try out next year in order to continue making an impact

on the elementary kids.”

Having received advice from Mr. Kaguri on possible environmental reforms, GIN hopes to transfer these ideas into actions by shifting away from its previous annual participation in the GIN conference and instead visiting Thailand next year.

“Going to Thailand is an amazing idea because it will allow the members to actually get involved in global issues,” said Lauren Ahn (10), GIN member. “GIN has always dealt with issues indirectly, but it always felt like we were just scratching the surface. Going to Thailand will definitely guarantee much more than what we have been doing.”

Although these plans are still tentative, Marilou Pagarigan, GIN adviser, has high hopes for the club next year. She expects members t work more cloesly with the school resources in carrying out projects.

“I want students be well-informed about the projects by talking with our school teachers,” Ms. Pagarigan said. “Students think what we get from the Internet is enough, but talking with the experienced teachers is helpful. We don’t have to invite inspiring speakers; we can utilize what we have.”

APRIL 2014

5

NEWS

UNICEF talent show donation extended over to Africa

By Kelly Kim

The annual UNICEF talent show was held in the auditorium on April 15. The 960,000 won raised from this year’s talent show will be used to help not only the two schools that UNICEF members visit yearly in Cambodia but also a school in Kenya called the SARU Academy, a school setup for the orphans and underprivileged students in Gachie, Kenya.

“Christine Jeong (11) personally assisted SARU Academy before she found out that the school was about to close down due to lack of funding,” said Yerin Kim (12), UNICEF co-president. “She knew that she couldn’t raise the money on her own, so she came up with a presentation listing options on how we can help out the school. We decided to buy supplies for SARU Academy because it’s more related to what we do in UNICEF.” This year’s talent show was music-oriented as performers sang, danced and played a variety of instuments. The Dance Club performed the routine they had prepared for the Inspiration Dance Showcase at Yongsan International School of

Photo by Hollis Hwang

Accompanied by Kiup Lee (11) and David Nam (11), Peter Kang (12) sings to “Home” by Michael Buble at the UNICEF talent show on April 15. It was his and many other seniors’ first time performing solo on stage.

Seoul. In addition to students, staff members and teachers displayed their personal talents. For instance, Soonja Cho, school nurse, performed a traditional Korean dance while Hye Yong Min collaborated with teachers and students while

playing the gayakum to perform a medley.

“This was one of the most wonderful musical experiences that SIS can offer,” Ms. Min said. “I wanted to mix eastern and western music and I loved the fact that everyone

Speakers place second at Forensics tournament

By Daniel Choi

Crimea, women’s rights and policies regarding zoos and suicide were among the many topics debated and presented on April 4 and 5 at Korea International School (KIS) during the final KAIAC speech and debate tournament of the school year. After a change in the KAIAC Forensics policy, which now determines school rankings by cumulative performances over the school year rather than by one final competition, the all-conference award was taken by KIS, while SIS placed second.

“We wouldn’t let the other schools leave the [KAIAC] meeting, because we were determined not to let them slide on it, or give half-answers when we asked them how they could justify showing up for just two [out of four] tournaments and winning the year-long award,” said Erik Anderson, Forensics coach. “I kept coming back to it, and wouldn’t let the meeting close until there was a

satisfactory resolution. James Burwell [KIS Forensics coach] was also interested in making a year-long award which would reflect a school’s commitment to Forensics, and he helped me with the logistics and the implementation of the new policy.”

According to Mr. Anderson, SIS placed higher in this tournament than in previous tournaments that he had attended. In the speech category, Ashley Sohn (9) placed first in oratory, while Gina Lee (10) placed second in poetry; in extemporaneous speech, Daniel Choi (10) finished first and Matthew Kang (10) placed in the finals. Angela Yoon (10) also placed third in impromptu.

In addition, sophomores Rosie Kim and Evangeline Hong were finalists in impromptu and Sarah Kim (10) was a finalist in oratory.

“A lot of the best speeches in tournaments are the ones that are engaging and interesting to watch,” Ashley said. “For example, I used body language, funny expressions and impressions to interact with the audience. To perform these actions and make it work, I had to really

give it all I’ve got and embarrass myself. It was an embarrassing speech that I’d never have the courage to perform in front of my friends.”

In the debate category, Lauren Ahn (10) and Evangeline placed first and Daniel and Matthew placed second, after debating against each other in the parliamentary debate finals. In public forum debate, freshmen Jaeha Kim and Millie Kim placed second, while Rosie and Sarah placed third.

“Winning felt great, but it was such an unexpected victory, so I was more startled than happy,” Lauren said. “The finals topic was [on] Crimea and our opponents are on the extemporaneous speech team and are huge history fans. So when Daniel gave a lengthy speech on Crimea, I thought the debate had already tilted to their side. However, I think [Evangeline] and I desperately wanted to win the round because we can only attend two conferences per year, and this was the last one. Such determination to win the round probably played a key role in giving us the victory more than our skills.”

was excited to participate when I showed them the video of Korean students playing gayakum while the other members were break dancing.

Every aspect of music was represented in the performance like beatboxing and dancing mixing the music

style together.”

Compared to last year, seniors actively participated in the event by singing in the talent show.

“It was my senior year and I’ve been told constantly during previous years to [sing], but I just set it aside because I’m not very good at singing in front of people,” Jean Huh (12) said. “Since it’s my last year at SIS, I just decided to sing in the talent show. It was nice hearing other people in my grade because they probably had the same mindset as I did.”

According to UNICEF advisers Tony and Shanna Hurt, because this was their last chance to participate in a school-wide UNICEF activity, they enjoyed their experience working with the UNICEF members and they hope that this event will continue to be well attended in the years ahead.

“The seniors have been dedicated and we wanted them to be there [at the talent show] and I thought they did really well,” Shanna Hurt said. “It’s always bittersweet that this legacy has been started, and kids look forward to it. The new teachers will probably bring in new innovative ideas and metamorphosize it to become better and better in the future.”

ZEITGEIST Japan to halt Antarctic whaling program Though an international moratorium on commercial whaling was issue in 1982, the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA II) was continued. Despite criticism regarding JARPA II, Japan repeatedly refused to stop the program, claiming that the primary purpose was scientific research. Thus, according to the International Whaling Commission, the Japanese had a permit to catch up to 1,050 whales in order to monitor the ecosystem, model competition between species and improve future management of the whales. However, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) disagreed, ruling on March 31 that the Japanese government must halt the program because of its limited scientific output. In response, Japanese officials announced on April 3 that they had abided by the decision and cancelled the upcoming Antarctic hunt for the first time in 25 years.

“Though the species hunted are not endangered, an increase in their population through conservation is still preferable to continued whaling,” said Sara Brodhead, environmental science teacher. “[An increase in population] could positively impact the maritime ecology off the coast of Antarctica by restoring the food web.”

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, environmental activist groups such as Greenpeace, which previously

challenged the scientific benefits of JAPRA II due to the fact that whale meat was sold commercially, welcomed the ICJ’s decision. They hope that the decision will be used as a precedent against whaling in other parts of the world.

“After I saw a video of Japanese sailors harpooning whales, I was dismayed that whales are being hunted [for meat] instead of being protected,” Thomas Cha (11) said. “[The court’s] decision will hopefully deter the Japanese government from continuing to issue permits for its other whaling programs, especially if they are also ruled as illegal.”

However, according to the New York Times, the ICJ decision could be only a temporary lull for whaling in the Antarctic. Japan could either modify the JARPA II program to deal with the concerns of the ICJ or withdraw from the moratorium all together. Other countries that have declared their objections to the moratorium, such as Iceland and Norway, continue commercial whaling without being bound by it.

“I think there is an economic reason to resume whaling because the industry employs thousands of people who will lose their jobs if the program ends,” Mrs. Brodhead said. “Japan is also a culture that has traditionally been very close to the sea with a long tradition of whaling. It is very hard to impose a restriction on a practice that has been occurring for a long time.”

By Jaewon Choi

Interconnected economies minimize

By Sara Shin possibility of war Having started as the European Community, dedicated solely to economic cooperation between the 28 European countries after World War II, the European Union (EU) now concerns itself with not only preserving the shared European market but also maintaining political stability in Europe. Due to the possible risk of continuous economic failures throughout Europe after one country’s financial fall, each EU member must work together and peacefully negotiate with others to protect its economy along with that of its counterparts.

With increasing international trade, more disparate countries are connected, therefore demanding more countries to maintain friendly relations and cooperate to continue economic progress. Overall, as a result of this surge in trade all around the globe, more countries are bound to economic agreements therefore preventing global-scale wars parallel to World War II. “Money makes the world go around,” said Shanna Hurt, history teacher. “With globalization, people come into contact and the world starts to trade; economics is what supports countries now. Back in the days of imperialism, the more land you had, the more powerful you were. Now, the more trading partners you have, the more powerful. The more interconnected the corners of the world are, the less likely countries are to give up these trading partners.”

According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, a group for major industrialized economies, 65 percent of the economic growth that these countries experienced was associated with international trade. To maximize economic benefits, globalization has allowed countries to exploit one another and forci-

VETO R E W PO

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bly cooperate with each other. For example, China and the US have become dependent trade partners despite contrary political backgrounds. In fact, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative, China has served as the US’ second largest trading partner, importing a total of 439 million dollars worth of goods.

Furthermore, entities such as the IMF and World Trade Organization work to facilitate international trade. With economic organizations established to place embargoes on certain countries when deemed necessary, war, as delineated in the Crimea crisis, requires losses on both sides of the conflict. With the Russian economy and other interconnected European economies expected to grow only one percent in 2014 due to the Crimea crisis, outside powers are trying to draft a feasible resolution to prevent economic stagnation in this region.

“Crimea is a unique exception to the fact that globalization reduces the possibility of war,” said Dustin Yoon, Government and Politics student. “Aside from the Crimea crisis being an anomaly, I think diplomatic solutions are the most ideal and common. Hopefully, some wars that people are predicting between Russia and the US or even North and South Korea will be resolved peacefully once both sides realize the economic sacrifices that will have to be made during and after a war.”

Since the robustness of a country’s trade indicates its influence and power, protecting trade is a country’s prime purpose in steering away from war. With advancements in transportation and communication systems, peaceful negotiations between even distant nations are made possible, thereby further lessening the possibility of war.

C T CA

IF YO Let San ’s Tr y The cti y’r ons ! e wo gonn rk a !

United Nations unable to control

By Christine Woo-kyung Jeong Crimean crisis As the only open association in the world that serves as a discussion forum for the 193 member countries, the United Nations (UN) should yield power over most political and social events taking place in society. However, such does not always seem to be the case, as has been demonstrated by the UN’s impotence to act efficiently in situations such as the Libyan Civil War in 2011 and in its recent shortcoming in regulating the Crimean crisis.

Despite the UN’s potential to extend world-wide peace with the power of congregation with which it is attributed, as admitted by the UN itself, the organization has not always been successful in exercising its authority to its greatest extent. According to Alec Griffin, social studies teacher, such an inability can be attributed largely to the veto power wielded by the UN Security Council’s five permanent member nations (P5): the US, China, Russia, France and the UK. “The way the UN is set up stops it from being able to take action,” Mr. Griffin said. “The system of veto power in the Security Council, the only sub-body in the UN capable of issuing binding resolutions, holds the general body back from doing anything, and the Crimean Crisis is a perfect example of the inefficiency of the system. Russia, a member of the P5, vetoed the UN resolution of the Crimea referendum, and thereby prevented other member nations to stop Putin from sending in troops to Crimea. This made the UN look like a big joke to the international world by proving its inefficiency to solve problems.”

According to Kishore Mahbubani, Professor of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, another, albeit less promi-

nent reason for the UN’s ineffectiveness, is its unsteady financial foundation. The UN, which is financed by contributions from its members is heavily economically supported by its developed nations, while some members, such as those involved in the Group of 77 (G77), a loose alliance of 133 developing nations within the UN, donate less than a fifth of the total income of the UN. However, as the G77 focuses on creating a joint negotiating capacity in the organization and voting on resolutions that protect their interests, wealthier countries have become frustrated by the disparity between their financial obligations and influence over matters in the UN, and donate less. Consequently, the UN’s monetary ability to mobilize peace-keeping resolutions is further decreased.

Due to such systems of the UN that render the confederation powerless in light of the Crimean Crisis, other international organizations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are now being ushered into the role of the international-policeman.

“In events like the Crimean Crisis, NATO can prove to be much more powerful than binding organizations like the UN,” said Albert Kim (11), assistant president of the Security Council in SEOMUN 2013. “[NATO’s ability to act] is the reason for which Ukraine has called for NATO’s help in defending its territory and sovereignty from Russian aggression. In response, NATO has resorted to suspending all civilian and military cooperation with Russia and increasing its presence in Poland and Russia- actions that the UN would not have been able to take with the veto power of Russia.”

E M CH

!

N A C OU Maybe we can talk this out?...

Oh Please...

Cry Me a river

A E M I CR Layout by Bason Park

LIFESTYLE 8

APRIL 2014

Avengers team films scenes in South Korea

By Yeaji Park

Marvel Studio’s plans to continue producing its comic books into motion pictures including the upcoming second Avengers film, “Age of Ultron,” which is expected to be released in 2015. The film has been receiving a lot of attention, especially in South Korea, as the film crew and several cast members such as Chris Evans flew into the country to film several segments of the upcoming movie.

The Avengers film crew filmed in major locations such as Gangnam Station, Mapo Bridge and different parts of the highways in Korea, which will give the country a chance to spread its culture and heritage to other nations. Soo-hyun Kim, a Korean actress, will also be playing a small role in the film.

According to Seoulbeats, a cultural news site, this will be the biggest foreign movie production to be filmed within Korea. In addition, the Korea film council location incentive, which strives to provide financial aid for foreign movies, will be paying for nearly 30 percent of the production fees.

“You have to think that filming in South Korea for Marvel is both an artistic and a financial decision,” said Peter Valerio, an avid movie watcher. “I believe that these films

are a great emerging culture here as they play [the movies] in most of the theaters, and I would like to think that it’s more of an artistic decision than a financial one.”

“

They always manage to nail the distinctive attributes of their characters, such as the wittiness of Tony Stark, so I’m always looking forward to these comic books to come into life. I also think that wherever the Avengers crew is going to be filming in, it will turn out great for their fans to see on the big screen” Jihoon said.

Apart from the excitement regarding the new Avengers film, Seoul had to brace itself for disruptions to roads and traffic as the areas for filming were blocked off completely. Joss Whedon, Avengers director, filmed a video apologizing for the inconvenience. Moreover, as part of that apology, the crew

opened up the areas for people to come and watch the filming as long as they did not interrupt.

“I’m pretty excited about the second Avengers film because I really thought the first one was creative, and I would love to have gone to see them actually filming inside of South Korea,” said Yujin Choi (10), fan. “Although the traffic is quite bad due to their equipment and filming, I think it’s worth going and watching the whole process.”

The Avengers film crew is also planning to travel to other countries to take the movie and expand tourism there. Recent reports have confirmed that they will also be filming in South Africa. According to Jihoon Yang (10), Marvel Studios has a big number of projects that they are set to complete as the years go by, and this is exciting for a lot of fans.

“I think that Marvel does an exceptional job of finding actors to portray its characters like Robert Downey Junior as Iron Man and Tom Hiddleston as Loki,” Jihoon said. “They always manage to nail the distinctive attributes of their characters, such as the wittiness of Tony Stark, so I’m always looking forward to these comic books to come into life. I also think that wherever the Avengers crew is going to be filming in, it will turn out great for their fans to see on the big screen.”

Avengers in Korea Publicity Effect

400 ₩ Billion

620,000

More Tourists

141

Release Date:

Hours of

filming

May 2015

Mapo Bridge

SangAm DMC Chungdam Bridge Gangnam Street Tancheon Parking Lot Moonrae Steel Complex

Graphic by Amelie Koo Source: Sports Seoul

What is the “real world” like? Windows XP terminated, networks displaced Eunice Lee, class of 2012, majors in organic chemistry at Princeton University and plans to spend this summer at Oxford University.

1. Can you briefly explain your summer program?

I am planning to go to Oxford and do developmental biology research at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. I am probably going to be working with Clustered Regulatory Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), which allows gene modification. This inevitably provides a huge step forward in biological research. I might also do a little work in neurogenesis on the side because I’ve been interested in that for a little while.

2. Why did you choose the Oxford summer program?

Princeton offers a lot of international internships every year.

The program itself is great too. However, I chose Oxford mainly because I have never been to Europe before every time my family had an opportunity to travel, I would always force them to go somewhere tropical because I really like the sun and the beach. I am very privileged to have this opportunity, but the location was the biggest deciding factor for me. I am also looking forward to travelling to Paris, maybe even Italy, Germany and Greece. Also, I have to study for the Medical College Admission Test, which I will be taking in September.

3. What are some other aspects of summer programs you are looking forward to?

I am in a special case because I am an international student wanting to go to medical school in the US. Medical school is very competitive to begin with but it is that much harder for international students. That said though, I do not think about that handicap much and instead I just try to keep looking forward, staying optimistic. If there is a will, there is a way.

4. What is your ultimate goal?

In short term, I want to go to medical school. I’m a firm believer of the idea that every person is born to do good deeds in the world, and I think my way of “doing good” is through medicine and healing others. Furthermore, I am thinking about pediatrics, so I recently started teaching art to underprivileged kids in Trenton.

One of my long-term goals is to teach biology, especially to underprivileged people or people in the humanities.

By Amelie Hayoung Koo

By Michael Eugene Kim

For over 13 years, Windows XP has dominated the computer industry. Developed in the late 1990s as part of an upgrade program for the older Windows NT systems, Windows XP peaked with a market share of roughly 76.1 percent in a business report in 2007 and still remains at a hefty 27.69 percent, according to a report by Net Applications, a private analytics company. Microsoft’s decision to phase out Windows XP in favor of newer models, therefore, represented a drastic change in Microsoft’s business plan for the future.

While Microsoft will continue to allow current Windows XP users to keep on using their systems, it discontinued customer support as well as not providing protection from malicious software on April 8. According to Tom Murphy, Microsoft spokesperson, part of this mandate means that Microsoft will be giving special discounts for purchasing its newer products to any business that applied for them.

The decision was made tentatively in November 2013 but was delayed until this year because the market share of Windows XP was too large to ignore. In December, nearly 38 percent of all desktop computer operators used Windows XP, and, in March, the number still remained near a sturdy 30 percent.

Since the announcement that Windows XP would be phased out, the

share has dropped 20 percent. In comparison, Apple’s operating system OSX retains only 8 percent.

After the discontinuation, however, market share of Windows XP dropped to the current rate.

Much of the concern comes from the fact that, without frequent security updates, Microsoft XP will be vulnerable to cyber attacks, essentially giving hackers free reign to exploit system failures and unsecured networks. As many businesses, as well as governments, utilize Microsoft XP’s networking function they will be severely affected by the termination.

“Our data indicates that less than one fifth of our customers run Windows XP but more than a quarter of infections are Windows XP-based,” said David Emm, senior research analyst at security firm Kaspersky. “Effectively, every vulnerability discovered after April 8 will become a [permanent] vulnerability.”

Despite remaining insistent on the termination of Windows XP support, Microsoft offered advice for customers unwilling to upgrade their systems to a newer product like Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Numerous posts on the official Microsoft website encouraged users to update their virus protection software and frequently update their security systems. Larger customers struck deals with Microsoft: the UK government, for example, decided to pay 5.5 million pounds to extend the deadline for service cessation in an effort to upgrade government

servers. Microsoft accepted these terms, extending the deadline for a year to the entire UK public sector.

The largest numbers of both licensed and unlicensed Windows XP copies, located in China, were similarly not replaced, but patched, which is a way of updating the operating system. China’s large population is cause for a large demand for computers, and while unlicensed illegal copies exist, the Chinese government buys its licenses for 888 yuan, or 84 pounds, following an internal crackdown on copyright infringement in 2010.

In addition to the discontinuation of support service, Microsoft also announced on January that it would not be selling new copies of Windows XP, not including the copies of Windows XP already installed on netbooks. The netbook market, which consists of small , low-performance computers designed solely for internet browsing, remains unaffected by Microsoft’s termination of Windows XP, and will be selling Windows XP copies along with netbook products until Microsoft’s next operating system release.

Microsoft recently announced on Jan. 11 that it plans to release Windows 9 in April 2015 to combat the increasing market dominance of the operating system Linux. Currently, Linux market share for internet browsing stands at only 1.5 percent, but is the prime alternative to Microsoft products, whereas Apple’s OSX is not compatible with the majority of computer products.

APRIL 2014

9

LIFESTYLE

‘How I Met Your Mother’ finale leaves fans divided Increasing severity of April Fool’s day

By Christine Seo

The popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) came to its conclusion on March 31 with its final episode, “Lost Forever,” which left some fans ecstatic and others disappointed. The finale of HIMYM gained over 13 million viewers, the highest count out of all 208 episodes. During the nine seasons on air, the sitcom has received the reputation as a fan favorite, with 72 award nominations.

HIMYM is a narrative told by the main character, Ted Mosby, to his children about the events that led to his relationship with their mother, who remained a mystery for eight seasons. The finale to the comical storyline about Ted and his companions, Barney Stinson, Marshall Eriksen, Lily Aldrin and Robin Scherbatsky, included a surprise ending that received both great praise and backlash from fans all over the Internet. To the fans’ varied reactions, co-creator Carter Bays responded with the tweet, “if you didn’t like the finale, I guess that happens. We tried something and it didn’t connect with you.”

“When I first started watching HIMYM, I thought the show was very reminiscent of ‘Friends,’ which is one of my favorite TV shows,” said Jane Lee (10), fan. “I contin-

HIMYM Catch Phrases by The Legen...wait for it...dary

Barney Stinson True Story.

Suit Up!

Challenge Accepted.

Haaave you met Ted?

When I'm sad, I stop being sad, and be awesome instead.

Graphics by Yeni Cho Source: goodreads.com...... sImage provided by Josep SoléaII m

ued to watch the show because of the humor and an unexplainable attachment I developed with the characters. However, when season eight and nine started, each episode felt forced, as if the directors wanted to merely extend the time the show was on air. Although the final episode did its job of actually concluding the story, I felt that the last season didn’t help to build up to the particular ending.”

The ending to HIMYM immediately spurred reviews and articles on various news portals and caused a frenzy on Twitter and other social networking sites. The show’s cocreator, Craig Thomas, personally

New online math puzzle 2048 sees sudden rise in popularity

By Nagyon Kim

As the popularity of Flappy Bird finally seemed to be fading, other games such as Don’t Step On the White Tile, QuizUp and 2048 have become more popular in the SIS community as well. Among these games, 2048 has attracted the greatest number of SIS students because of its simplicity and accessibility. As students aim to join tiles into powers of two and reach a tile of 2048, many have become addicted to this game.

“The thing with most viral games is that they aren’t really addictive when you just play them alone because the games themselves are not addicting,” said Eun Jin Cha (10), avid player of 2048. “However, when you have other people to compete with, the story becomes different, because that is when the game becomes addicting. Even though the game itself isn’t fun, you keep playing just to beat your opponents.”

It is not unusual for games to become fads among SIS students.

Past games that have become popular include simplistic mobile games such as Anipang, Cookie Run and Flappy Bird, as well as more sophisticated games such as League of Legends and Call of Duty. Nowadays, in addition to 2048, games such as Don’t Step On the White Tile and QuizUp have seen popu-

High Five!

larity among students.

Currently, the game 2048 is arguably the most popular game among students, with students of all ages aiming to reach the game’s objective. According to Gray Macklin, high school counselor, 2048 is particularly addictive because students know that the goal can be achieved.

They have seen their peers achieve the goal, and have therefore become more motivated. In addition, different versions of 2048, such as the Doge and Doctor Who editions have made the game even more popular.

“The phase that makes you more addicted to the game, in my opinion, is the stage after achieving 2048,” said Thomas Cha (11), another avid 2048 player. “It tests you on your limitations, because you can continue on with the game after having achieved the main objective of the game. I feel as if I have exceeded the limit of 2048 [by going even farther up to 4096].”

As 2048 gains more popularity, it is inevitable that the issue of time management arises among students. Similar to past viral games, many students struggled to focus on their schoolwork due to being distracted by the puzzle game.

Though this was not as severe a problem for 2048 as it was for other games, students still resorted to procrastination. As 2048 is a rather new type of a viral game, students speculate what type of game would become viral in the future.

thanked the viewers on his Twitter, emphasizing how much he appreciated all reactions to the finale, whether they were good or bad.

“Many people didn’t like the ending because of the surprises, but I thought that they were exactly what the grand finale needed,” said Yoon Lee (10), another fan. “The show ended with a bang, and got everyone talking about it. Whether viewers were entirely happy with the ending is irrelevant. What matters is that it caused them to keep on talking about it. No matter what, the fans who enjoyed the show from day one will remember HIMYM as one of the biggest shows of this era.”

jokes faces government regulations

By Yeena Yoon

In an unorthodox case of an April Fool’s joke gone wrong, Angela Timmons, university professor in South Carolina, unintentionally got the police involved in what was meant to be a prank. After receiving a text message about hearing gunshots inside the university, Timmons’ daughter called 911 to report the shooting. While her daughter was on the phone with a dispatcher, Timmons revealed, by text, that it had all been a joke. Timmons is facing criminal charges for disturbing the school, disrupting peace and using the telephone unlawfully.

As the parameters of practical jokes have been getting hazier, increasingly extreme cases of April Fool’s day pranks are provoking media attention. Voices have been raised to enforce laws and restrictions on these types of jokes.

“I think part of [this phenomenon] is the culture of YouTube,” said Alex Barton-Lopez, history teacher. “It’s not enough to say ‘I told a funny joke’—you feel like you have to go higher and do more to get the attention of a larger audience, a larger entity. Meanwhile, people are watching those YouTube videos, and this builds upon each

other, meaning that pranks are getting more severe.”

Recently, Korean officials have released a statement warning citizens of likely consequences that would follow disruptive behavior on April Fool’s Day. The Seoul Police Department particularly targeted those prank-calling or reporting false crimes to dispatchers on the 112 emergency line. Considered interference in execution of government duties, such jokes may be punished with a maximum fine of 60 thousand won. In severe cases, the repercussions may include a fine of 100 thousand won or jail time service of up to five years.

“Although I have to agree that prank calling major associations or emergency lines is very serious, I think that the possible punishments are a bit unreasonable,” Julia Jeong (12) said. “I have prank called a pizza chain and a few people with a group of friends back when I was in the states, but we made sure that the calls would not lead to serious consequences. It’s hard to believe that a prank caller can be sentenced the same jail time as someone who has committed a more serious crime.”

Despite those who oppose these new regulations, the Korean government has upheld its new laws claiming they only work to benefit citizens.

DANIEL KIM’S SEARCH FOR

HIDDEN GEMS Akdong Musician delivers appealing debut, ‘PLAY’ Siblings Chan-hyuk and Soo-hyun Lee of Akdong Musician (AKMU) are not like most Korean teenagers. Homeschooled in Mongolia, the two siblings came to Korea in 2013, won the second season of the audition program, K-Pop Star, and released their debut album on April 7. In contrast to their backgrounds, their songs are universally relatable, with lyrics that reflect common, trivial occurrences. Coupled with a bubbly melody, AKMU’s first album, “PLAY,” makes for an unpredictable yet solid pop record.

Along with the two singles, “200%” and “Melted,” the album is scattered with seemingly mundane songs that actually point to more profound, even philosophical, concepts. In “Artificial Grass,” AKMU relates the life of humans and grass in a metaphor; whereas artificial grass will always be green, it will never be able to experience the natural life of real grass.

Through the song’s catchy fourchord sequence and driving beat, the siblings contrast the contemplative topic with the bubbly exuberance of the instrumentals.

Another highlight of the album is “Subject,” a clever song about finding a topic for a song. AKMU’s playfulness is evident in the rap section, which is written like a script of an audition program, with the lyrics, “Love is like chocolate?

Sorry, that’s too common. Try again next time; who will be first place on Subject Top Star 2?” It’s also worth noting Soohyun Lee’s unique tone in the opening of the song. Her voice alone highlights unique melodies or compensates for some of the melodic simplicities throughout the album.

All in all, the most impressive aspect of the album is 17year old Chan-hyuk Lee’s original lyrics. Though self-taught, from the onset of the audition program last year, he has been

churning out self-composed songs including hits, “Don’t Twist Your Legs” and “Crescendo.” Despite the age of its members, AKMU has already established its distinct sound and has appealed to a wide audience. With its unconventional songwriting and expressive lyrics, “PLAY” only heightens expectations for future releases.

I wish I could continue to write about new pop music, but unfortunately, this will be the last entry of “Hidden Gems.”

Tiger Times will be back with more interesting columns, but until then, don’t stop the search for your own hidden gems!

SPORTS 10

APRIL 2014

Sports Photo of the Month

Photo by Hollis Hwang

Gary Kim (12) attempts to flick the ball over his KIS opponent as he jostles to gain possesion. The varsity boys soccer team won their last league game of the season to finish first in the conference.

Varsity tennis player recruited by Swarthmore

By Jean Cho

Always laughing and singing to himself, Bryan Cheun (12) is described by his teammates as one of the most optimistic people in the world. But when it comes to sports, he is extremely competitive, as is the case with many aspiring athletes.

Bryan has recently been accepted to Swarthmore College and its tennis team, and will be playing as an athlete of the college’s team.

Bryan has been playing tennis for at least three hours everyday for seven years, rain or shine. According to Bryan, such rigorous training had helped build his stamina and endurance, two traits that all tennis players strive to have. However, such strenuous exercise was also the cause of numerous injuries he had to overcome in order to become a more competent athlete.

“To be honest, there were many moments when I just wanted to give up on tennis,” Bryan said. “At times, my entire body ached and [playing tennis] everyday made the sport seem really tedious. But somehow I managed to persist through all the hardships and here I am now, getting ready to play even more tennis at college. I guess I do love the sport seeing that I came this far.”

After joining the varsity boys tennis team in his sophomore year, Bryan was playing first single for his first two years and also played as second single and captain of the varsity boys tennis team this year. However, according to his brother and fellow varsity tennis team player Justin

Korean national women’s curling team controversy heightens concerns over gender discrimination in sports

By Yeni Cho

Placing eighth on its Olympic debut, the women’s curling team and its two coaches represented South Korea at the Sochi Winter Olympics this February. Although the squad was knocked out after the round robin games, citizens commended the team’s notable performance in its debut for boosting the profile of the sport in the country.

However, controversy arose as all five members publicly resigned on March 28 in protest against assistant coach Min-sup Choi’s alleged verbal and sexual harassment. Another aspect of the complaint concerned the prize money, as Choi was accused of pressuring the members to donate a proportion of the money earned at the Olympics and World Championships to help buy curling equipment for public use.

“During practice and game prep talks, it is essential that coaches scold the team members in areas that need improvement,“ said Yuni Sohn (11), varsity girls soccer player.

“However, there is a fine line between constructive feedback and verbal abuse. For our team, [the] presence of our coaches is essential

in keeping the team intact and focused. However, the insults directed at the members of the curling team were offensive, because the coach took advantage of his authority and mistreated his athletes.”

After the Gyeonggi Provincial Government spoke to four of the curlers and their family members and had a four hour-long meeting with Coach Choi, he admitted that he had verbally berated the team once during a competition in 2012 when he yelled at them to be more serious and committed if they chose not to quit. The coach also confessed that he had asked the curlers if they liked it when he held their hands.

However, he insisted that he did not mean to sexually harass the athletes and offered to apologize if it were construed that way.

“As Olympic [athletes] are becoming more vocal, more people are becoming aware of the corruption and misconducts behind Korean sports society,” Lukas Kim (10) said.

“It is humiliating that our country is becoming recognized in the world for these things. The Olympic games are supposed to be friendly competitions that encourage nationalism and dignity, but the transparency of corruption in Korean hierarchical society is degrading our reputation.”

In addition to the multiple controversies Korea was involved in regarding the Sochi Olympics, the latest allegations concerning the Korean national curling team raised questions about the fundamental framework of national South Korean sports organizations, particularly because Korea will be hosting the next Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in 2018.

Striving to restore public trust, the sports ministry has launched a probe into seven winter sports federations in order to uncover any illegal activities. Unlike the investigation conducted last year on the general administration of sports associations, this year’s investigation will focus on the national team selection process and the management of facilities and equipment.

“Sometimes coaches use loud voice and different techniques to wake up players and keep them focused,” said Mr. Atanaskovic, Athletics and Activities Coordinator.

“But the language that they use is important because they cannot be disrespectful to players. Instead, coaches should be role models for their players. As a figure of authority, they play a significant role in young people’s lives, thus they should be careful not to abuse their power.”

Photo by Patricia Song

Shuffling across the court to hit a forehand, varsity boys tennis captain Bryan Cheun (12) plays against his opponent at SFS on Sept. 25, 2013.

Cheun (9), Bryan is extremely humble despite his high caliber and has been the spirit of the team: always cheering everyone up and cracking witty jokes. Although tennis itself is an individual sport, Bryan claims that all members of the team were able to form tight bonds with each other due to the fact that they constantly cheered on and encouraged one another.

“Bryan is the type of person who will always make you laugh even in the most depressing situations,” Justin said. “From when we were very young, we played tennis together and although we may not be the friendliest to each other, he has always been there to help me back up when I was down. I’m really glad that his hard work and dedication paid off.”

According to Bryan, he feels both a sense of sadness and excitement towards college: sad to be leaving behind so many good and valuable memories but excited to make even more at college. Hoping for the best, he claims his next goal is to become a better tennis player and overall, a better person during his time at Swarthmore.

“Bryan is a very athletic, accomplished, strong and consistent athlete,” said Tony Hurt, varsity tennis coach. “I’ve been able to observe his growth on the tennis court and he has always been a solid player with a better base line play than the average Korean high school student.

I’m really excited for him and I truly wish him the best at college because he has the edge and competitiveness required at college level sports.”

TIGER SPORTS SCOREBOARD SOCCER

April 5 v. APIS (Away Game) Girls: 7:1 Win Boys: 2:0 Win

April 4 v. GSIS (Away Game) Girls: 1:3 Loss Boys: 5:3 Win

April 8 v. Kinnick (Friendly Game) Girls: 0:3 Loss

AISA SOCCER (April 11-12) TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Girls: Overall 4th Place Boys: Overall 2nd Place April 18 v. ICS-U (Home Game) Girls: 5:0 Win Boys: 5:0 Win

April 19 v. APIS (Home Game) Girls: 2:0 Win Boys: 6:2 Win

April 23 v. KIS (Home Game) Girls: 1:3 Loss Boys: 5:3 Win

SWIMMING April 5 at Chadwick Girls: 289 points; 3rd place Boys: 353 points; 2nd place

AISA SWIMMING (April 11-12) TOURNAMENT RESULTS:

Girls: Overall 1st Place Boys: Overall 1st Place

KAIAC RESULTS VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER April 26 at APIS Conference: 3rd Tournament: 3rd

VARSITY BOYS SOCCER April 26 at KIS Conference: 1st Tournament: 1st

VARSITY SWIMMING April 26 at YISS Boys: 2nd Girls: 4th Overall Conference: 3rd

APRIL 2014

11

SPORTS

Varsity boys soccer place second in AISA tournament hosted at SIS

By Patricia Song

Within the first five minutes of the game against Yokohama International School on April 11, Gary Kim (12), scored a goal and pulled the Tigers into the lead. Because the tournament was hosted at SIS, students and teachers were able to support the varsity boys soccer team by cheering for them. The team went up to the finals on April 12 against Osaka International School (OIS), tying 2-2, but lost in the penalty shoot out.

“There was no guarantee of getting into the finals, but expectations were high because we have more seniors [on the team] this year and also because we’re not an underdog [team] anymore,” said Tony Hurt, varsity boys soccer coach. “Because OIS was the best offensive team in the tournament and SIS was the best defensive team, we made some adjustments in our play. Anything can happen when it comes to penalty kicks, but it was still upsetting to lose, especially because we played our hearts out.”

According to Gary, the crowd that came out to support the play

Photo by Hollis Hwang

Shielding the ball with his body, forward and co-captain Eric Joo (12) attempts a scoop turn around the defender at the first AISA match against Yokahama International School on April 11. The team won 1-0.

helped boost the players’ morale, which is how they were able to make it all the way to the finals. Although the team didn’t place first, four se-

nior players, Gary, Eric, Mark Kim (12) and David Kim (12) were individually recognized as All AISA Tournament Players.

Girls varsity soccer team suffers loss in final game

By Daniel Jungho Choi

Preview

Having lost multiple previous games against the Korea International School (KIS) Phoenixes, the SIS varsity girls soccer team anticipated a difficult final home game on April 23. The Tigers’ opponents, the Phoenixes, had already won first place at the AISA tournament in Japan. Players had worked with their coaches to develop a team that worked well together to try to oppose the Phoenixes. Both teams were on the field practicing and warming up for the game before it began.

First Half

As possession of the ball continuously moved back and forth between the Tigers and the Phoenixes, both teams struggled to outdo one another. During the first ten minutes of the game, both teams remained tied due to goalkeeper Christine Lee (12)’s successful blocks. However, in the next minute, a KIS player shot the ball from the right side of the

field and scored the first goal of the game. Despite the Tigers’ attempts to lessen the score gap, 33 minutes into the first half, KIS players once again dribbled in to score, shifting the score from 0-1 to 0-2. Afterward, although forwards Jiwoo Kim (10) and Tiffany Jung (10) were able to bring the ball close to the Phoenixes’ goal, no goals were scored. In fact, with one minute remaining in the first half, the Phoenixes were once again able to score against the Tigers, bringing the score to 0-3 before the end of the first half.

Second Half

Although the Tigers seemed to have effectively worn out the right side of the Phoenixes’ offense, KIS players made early efforts to put pressure on the Tigers. The Tigers were also able to counter this pressure. Three minutes into the second half, Sue Lee (9), forward was able to attempt a shot at the goal, although the opportunity did not lead to a point. However, four minutes in, the Phoenixes were once again able to drive past SIS defenders to score the final goal of the game, creating the final score of 0-4. After this goal,

SIS made several attempts to increase their score count, constantly attempting to bring the ball closer to the Phoenixes’ net. Although this did occur several times, no goals were scored. Ultimately, the game ended with a 0-4 loss as both teams passed the ball back and forth in an attempt to change the final score.

Overview

According to Coach Atanaskovic, despite the loss to KIS, the players worked together well to put together an excellent performance against the Phoenixes, in which many goal opportunities were created, even though none of these opportunities were turned into scored goals. The Tigers eventually went on to win third place in the overall KAIAC tournament this season.

“Although we lost, it allowed us to realize what we need to improve on,” said Kathleen Joo, midfielder.

“KIS has always been a team that we struggle against, and thus the game made us concentrate. Everyone was also quite supportive of one another, and I believe every player did her very best, and there were many successful aspects of our performance.”

“Receiving individual awards was [a great accomplishment] because all the soccer players ran their hearts out for the whole tour-

nament,” Gary said. “Even though it was disappointing that we were well rested but lost in the penalties, we did the best that we could. This year’s teamwork is the best I have ever seen in all of my years playing soccer. We feel like we are a family, and because we feel so comfortable with each other, our unity is shown on the field when we play together.”

Starting from next year, the coaches of the team as well as eight of the team’s starters, all of which are seniors, are leaving. According to David Nam (11), varsity soccer player, he feels like the team has a high chance of winning the KoreanAmerican Interscholastic Activities Conference (KAIAC) because they won most of the games, however, he is unsure of what to expect for next year.

“I honestly don’t know what our team will look like next year,” David said. “We will have to work hard to fill in the empty spaces of the leaving seniors, but the new players will most likely not be able to fully replace the graduating seniors [in terms of skill]. Even though we could have gotten first place at the AISA tournament, I am really proud to be a part of this team because we fought until the last minute.”

MC SPORTS

COMMENTARY This column is a short commentary on sports events that are happening around the world. The commentators, Christine Lee and Milton Yoon, express their opinions about these sports events. This particular episode is about a group of very special athletes.

Milton: Hi everybody! Welcome to our last ever MC Sports Commentary!

Christine: As it will be the last time we get to talk to you guys, we wanted this commentary to be special, so we invited someone that surely everyone from SIS knows!

Milton: Please welcome the beloved Mark Kim Jr.!

Mark: Hello everyone! Wow it’s been such a long time since I’ve been here.

Christine: Of course, Mark used to work here along Milton before I joined this year.

Milton: We invited Mark for this last commentary because we wanted to end this column the way we began it!

Mark: This commentary began because we thought that our paper had a duty to increase sports awareness within the school.

Christine: In doing so, we hoped that we would be able to bring interesting global sports news into your hands for the past several months.

Milton: What made this column possible were our passion for sports, Tiger Times’ passion for sports and the SIS community’s passion for sports.

Mark: For the last ever Sports Commentary, we wanted to focus on athletes within our

school border rather than on those outside of it.

Milton: Well, to begin with, we have Mark Kim Jr! Most well known for his role as a Point Guard for SIS basketball over four years, he also has provided great contributions for the soccer team the last couple of years as well.

Christine: We also have Milton Yoon, who has been a part of the soccer team since freshman year and has played for the volleyball team just this year!

Mark: And lastly, we have Christine Lee. She has been the passionate captain of the cross country team and the iconic symbol of the girls varsity soccer team, showing her dominance from the back of the field.

Milton: Well, that wraps up all the senior athletes who will be leaving lovely Tiger Times this school year.

Christine: Although we’re all sad that we won’t be able to play for SIS anymore, we’re sure that new, younger athletes will be able to fill in our shoes in our teams!

Mark: I’m sure that the future of SIS athletics will be brighter than ever!

Milton, Mark and Christine: Thank you for everything!

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

SMALL TALK 1 STUFF Y A S E L P PEO 2

12

APRIL 2014

Oh my god, that photo of me is horrible! I can’t believe they actually published that on the front page.

Our job is to report news as accurately as possible. If that’s how you looked during the event, then that’s what we’re going to publish. Thank you all for letting us put your beautiful faces in our paper!

ABOUT TIGER TIMES

3

I heard some article got censored from Tiger Times. Wow, it must have been really controversial and inappropriate if it had to be taken out.

Well, about that… [The following statement was censored by the Ministry of Truth on behalf of Big Brother].

I am so sick of being interviewed three times a month by all of these reporters!

Well, it is kind of your fault for being involved in three sports, four clubs, two musical ensembles, and giving amazingly good quotes. But seriously, we love you and appreciate you so much.

4

Hey, I found a typo in this article! The editors must be really lazy.

Sorry, we all try our best. Except Mark. Go blame it on Mark, it’s his fault.

By Bason Park

FAUX NEWS

5

Meet Helen Song!

Hey, but does anyone even read the school newspaper? I sometimes skim through the photos to check if there are any of me, but I’ve actually never read a full article…

That’s actually a really good question. I’m not sure if anyone is even reading these words right now… If you have been keeping up with this column for the last nine issues, thank you for reading my monthly rant. Peace out.

Administration implements strict high school graduation requisites

A renowned group of elite universities known as the International Vision League (IV League) has long been established as “nirvana” for students and parents at West Gregory High School. It has been recently discovered that the school administration, with increasing pressure from the parents, had implemented a traditional policy in which students can only graduate the school once they get accepted to these IV League colleges.

“When we first opened this school back in the old days, we initiated this policy mainly to attract more parents who want to send their sons and daughters to IV League schools,” said Jerald Herman, high school principal. “This policy essentially allows us to claim that 100 percent of our seniors will gain admission to elite schools.”

In an effort to ensure the efficacy of this policy, parents have urged teachers to continuously remind students that there are only eight respectable colleges in the US—the IV League schools. Furthermore, in a particular school assembly, parent speakers emphasized that the ultimate goal of life was to get into these schools; what happens after their acceptance was of little or no importance.

“To be accepted or not to be accepted—that is the question,” said Yan Suican, one of the keynote parent speakers at the

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

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

assembly. “In other words, there are two types of people in the world: those who get accepted and those who do not. I do not want my child to be one of the latter. After she gets into college, I can finally let everything go and live my own life since I will have fulfilled my duty as a mother.”

In contrast to the seemingly hopeful aspect of this tradition, reality has not been as ideal as the school has intended it to be.

With only one or two students getting accepted to such prestigious schools each year, the rest of the students had to stay in school and hope for better luck in the following years.

“It has been around three and a half decades since I have repeated my senior year,” said Malbert Jacklin (12), whose eldest son just became a senior at Gregory High.

“Half of my friends are still here with me taking the exact same courses, and I think I am older than half of the teachers here. At this point in life, I have lost all motivation to study further. Is it like this for all schools?

Why do we live?”

According to IV Board, an internationally recognized college preparatory corporation, less than 5 percent of the West Gregory students who actually attend these colleges graduate. Furthermore, the school administration vowed to never report their students’ grades once they arrive at college.

Photo by Hollis Hwang

Her gaze fixed on her violin, Alice Kim (10) performs her solo part with vigor in Fritz Kreisler’s “Praeludium and Allegro” with the high school String Orchestra at the spring concert.