Tiger Times Volume 32 Issue 9

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Staying at school

Seoul International School

While the seniors had their own trip to Incheon, the freshmen council hosted the first ever Lock-in exclusively for their class.

Volume XXXII, Issue 9 June 2009

Go to page 3 for more on Flock-in

Graduates of 2009 celebrate their experiences at SIS End: Graduates closed their high school chapter of life as they transitioned to the next. By Andrew Hwang

Parents, family members, staff and students all converged on Tiger Gym 1 on the warm and sunny afternoon of Friday, May 22 to bid farewell to the graduating class of 2009. Tears and cheers filled the room as the event went on, proving to be an emotional experience for all. The ceremony began as the notes of “Pomp & Circumstance” wafted through the air. Gentle applause from the audience as the teachers filed in, but outright whooping and hollering for the 81 students of the hour who followed them. Parents with cameras and professional photographers scrambled to get clear shots of their faces while underclassmen craned their necks to get a glimpse. Students shared a variety of feelings, of anticipation and excitement, and of both joy and sorrow as they contemplated what lay ahead of them. “Five years of my nearly twenty years is almost a quarter of my life. I have so much to miss,” said Eddie

Photo by Alex Kim

After receiving their diplomas, seniors participated in the traditional cap toss in one of the last moments the group would share together as a unified class, as the guests cheered on. Ha (12), “but then again, so much to look forward to.” Themes of the importance of friendships and the shared experiences of the grade were common in the speeches of commencement speaker Mr. Adam Jones, English teacher, Valedictorian Jean Choi (12) and Salutatorian Stephanie Choi (12).

“Every second spent becomes our past, never to come back again, but the relationships will forever always remain in our memory,” said Jean. “We are all sitting in this room as the people we are today because of the relationships and memories we have gone through, both good and bad.” Others seemed to be ready to

Students satisfied with Prom at Aston’s House Success: Themed as the Secret Garden, prom bloomed with musical performances.

All male executive council assumes duties next year Continuity: The executive council election resulted similarly to last year’s—all male.

By Michelle Yi

Large clouds drifted above Aston House on the evening of May 23. Fortunately, rain did not fall and students were able to dance and watch performances outside on the terrace. From student bands to celebrity guest singers K-Will and Baek Hwa-Yo-Bi, these performances turned out to be the biggest hits of the evening. Having paid 80,000 won per ticket, students had high expectations. Most found that their money did not go to waste. An eight course meal included delicacies such as foie gras, while the venue was festooned with gold and white. “I would say that it felt very upper-class,” said Raymond Ha (11). “Prom was great—the view and all.” One common complaint was the cold air late in the evening. However, most students still chose to stay outside, rather than retire in-

fully embrace whatever the future held for them. “We’ve been waiting since the beginning of our lives,” said Alice Jun (12) in between musical performances of senior bands Phunktion and The Circle. “It’s time to spread our wings and fly.” As seniors strolled onto the constructed stage to receive their

By Paul Cho

Photo by Jennifer Sun

K-Will made small talk with students before performing one of his most popular songs, “My Tears are Dropping.” side the house. The hotel employees also provided blankets, much like the ones in airplanes. “From the terrace, the view was incredible,” said Alice Jun (12). On the terrace overlooking the Han River, Alice Jun (12) and John Eom (12) were crowned Prom Queen and King. Eddie Ha (12) and Jane Shin (12) were voted Duke and Duchess. Students also commented that the time allotted to dancing was too short, and this year’s prom was focused too much on the performances. Only two songs were reserved for slow dancing.

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“If prom was all about watching performances, then what was the point of bringing partners?” said Joshua Cho (11). In addition, those on the dance floor were largely unsatisfied with its size. Although the High School Student Council (HSSC) had enlarged the floor, students still bumped into each other often and were “unable to dance properly”, according to David Nam (11). “By and large, our work has paid off,” said Michelle Ryu (11), HSSC member. “It seemed everyone had a good time and the guest stars amped the atmosphere.”

diplomas and awards of special recognition, they shouted out slogans of their love and gratitude to family while guests both embarrassedly groaned and cheered on. Flowers and whole bouquets were purchased by the armful by well-wishing underclassmen, who presented them with written notes and cards, for many, as final farewell gifts. “You have to face the fact that you won’t be seeing these guys for quite a while,” said David Han (12). “[But] I will be seeing my closest buds, that’s a promise.” As the ceremony drew to a close, the reality of the situation began to sink in – this could be one of the last times many would cross paths again. But in the end, the event was one for the celebration and commemoration of an era of their lives, not of mourning and sadness. “Many of you will end up in places you cannot imagine today,” said Mr. Jones in his benediction. “Class of 2009, you walked in here today as seniors, but are now graduates. Congratulations.” And with that, the 81 studentsturned-graduates erupted into cheers, throwing their caps into the air and officially marking the beginning of their life out into the real world.

The responsibilities of the executive council were passed down to a new set of members on April 30. Nick Hong (11), Albert Kang (11), Andrew Han (11), Andrew Lim (11) and Alex Kim (11) were to take on the roles of executive president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and historian respectively. The council vowed to dedicate themselves to their duties in front of the entire school. “It was a tough competition, and I’m glad I’ve won,” said Nick, upcoming executive president. “I have a lot of things planned for next year, and I hope to work to improve the student council.” One of Nick’s plans includes reformation of the council’s strike system by issuing one censure, or warning, at a time; two censures would equal one strike. He believes

these would help regulate the council by penalizing those who violate lighter rules such as being late to meetings. Nick won by a majority vote of 54 percent against Jennifer Sun (11), the current junior council president. For the vice presidency, Albert won by a majority vote of 58 percent against Michelle Ryu (11), current junior class level representative. The other positions were uncontested. “[After having worked] for three years with Nick, I’m sure he and his council can carry out the legacy as well as we did,” said JongSeok Kim (12), current executive president, at a council general meeting. “I wish him the best.” There were complications with the election process, which delayed the results. The number of students voted and the number of votes did not correspond, so the administration underwent a reconfirmation process in order to find out who voted more than once. However, the gap between Nick’s votes and Jennifer’s votes was large enough to disregard the extra ballots.

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Voting in HSSC elections should continue to be mandatory. Students and staff react to news of swine flu, or the H1N1 virus.

The Tiger Times bids all members of the class of 2009 good-bye. Delicious brunch choices are revealed in the Kitchen Taste Off.

Freshmen involve themselves in creating a new baseball team. Faux News shows how SISers really feel about seniors’ graduation.


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