Tiger Times Volume 53 Issue 7

Tiger Times Volume 53 • Issue 7 • April 2021 • ttonl.org

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layout by Yuzine Yi

2 Editorial These are a few of my favorite things by

Jenny Seo & Emily Sung editors-in-chief

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, Brown paper packages tied up with strings, These are a few of my favorite things…”

When asked to recall their time at SIS, most are quick to mention the competition, stress levels, or workload. It is, however, without a doubt that when we walk across the stage during graduation, there are many little memories that will leave us smiling. So, these are our favorite things at SIS. We found ourselves laughing at certain locations on every floor. To the right of the main entrance stands the brightly lit secondary library where students can be found occupying the infamous beanbag chairs or hosting study sessions in conference rooms. The chitter chattering in the library ironically overpowers Mr. Gardes’s constant reminders to keep it down and distracts those that use the library for its original purpose… we’ll miss this too. Climb up a flight of stairs and your eyes meet the sight of a random jungle in the middle of the school. As the only location indoors where students bask in sunlight instead of LED lights, the atrium is a breath of fresh air for all seeking Vitamin D… we’ll miss this too. Climb up one more flight of stairs and you can hurl your fatigued body onto the blueish grey couches. The third-floor lounge also provides an excellent cube racing track--the rumbling wheels of the cube stools may wake you from your slumber… we’ll miss this too.

We also found ourselves eating the best snacks and meals throughout the day. As soon as the clock hits 9:20 a.m., students rush out of the classrooms and reunite with their friends to order bapchingoos and nachos. We impatiently wait for the snacks while HSSC members scurry around to serve the neverending orders, but the Cartnivore remains an essential restaurant for our office hours hunger… we’ll miss this too. When everyone else hurries to class, you head down to B1 during your workstudy block. After your eyes scan the menu with rows of various drinks and pastries, your student ID whoops with a loud ding-dong, signaling that your order has been processed. The school cafe’s microwaved bagels might be a tad stale and the fruit smoothies a bit artificial… we’ll miss this too. The stairs rumble with footsteps as 400 students and teachers sprint downstairs to join the line stretching across the cafeteria. Before securing your spot, you must make what seems to be the most pressing decision of all time––Korean or international food. The variety of choices we are offered in the cafeteria enriches our lunches, and although the taste fluctuates by the day… we’ll miss this too. Our daily food routine ends with the school store. We contemplate between PopCorners and Takis, attempt to cut in line, and apologize to the school store ahjusshi who yells at us to pay him back… we’ll miss this too.

We met some of the best people with the brightest passions at SIS; it is difficult to find anyone without a vibrant passion. With an array of more than 30 student clubs, all students bond over similar interests they share, ranging from ceramics to debate. Every activity period buzzes with excitement as we deepen our enthusiasm for these areas… we’ll miss this too.

A team of over ten people is always by our sides as well. Student-athletes share blood, sweat, and tears with one another, literally, and connect on more personal levels… we’ll miss this too. And of course, as the editors-in-chief, the best team we’ve both been a part of is Tiger Times. Our school’s well-structured publications bring together those with unmatched skills that cooperate and create products that advocate for the student community and the student voice… we’ll continue this in our next and final editorial.

High school may not have been a bowl of cherries, but these small yet definite sources of happiness will remain in our memories forever.

“So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye.”

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

layout by Alice Lee

VIEWPOINT

Adding passion to our projects

W

ith the second semester in full swing, students have fully adjusted to their classes and the types of assignments that come with them. This type of predictability is comfortable but can quickly become repetitive.

This is especially true with research projects. Over the course of high school, students are expected to complete multiple, preparing them for all the supposed research they will do in college.

In theory, research projects are helpful.

They challenge students by allowing them to pursue topics in-depth as well as practice time management skills and discipline.

But as we repeat this type of assignment, the process loses its initial appeal.

Students sometimes fail to see the reasons behind the curriculum and default to the inevitable why question. Why do we have to do this?

“If there is no ‘personal why,’ students might be engaged in a limited and superficial way,” Jessica Terbrueggen, English teacher, said. “Inversely, if they are permitted more autonomy in the direction of their work, engagement would increase and interest would drive them into creative and action-oriented places. It is hard for students to put a lot of passion into a project if they do not understand the purpose behind it.”

The problem stems not from the

research projects themselves but rather from the fact that students might not fully invest in them. Consequently, the end result may be acceptable but is often done in a lackluster way. It might be time to consider how more student autonomy could help.

Personalizing the topics of research projects could resolve their overly academic focus. While informative, they can get tiring, especially if students are not initially interested in the class itself.

Students might be more inclined to work toward a genuine curiosity they have or spark a motivation that would not drive them otherwise. Projects could be oriented toward something related to the school community or even themselves, making for a better understanding of real-world issues.

Research projects also rarely have fulfilling results for students. Yes, finishing a research paper can be gratifying, but it usually produces a grade that could more or less make a dent in students’ GPAs. Students could accomplish something outside of their research that could lead to real action and change in their lives.

For example, Youth-led Participatory Action Research is a type of research developed in order to help students understand social justice principles in their communities. It allows students to get involved with issues in their community by researching specific, institu-

Bonjour, Salve, Guten Tag, 안녕하세요 When I was new to SIS and had to select my courses, I could not believe that there were only two foreign language courses available. In my previous American public school, one full floor was dedicated to foreign language courses. I chose French as my foreign language but the school had everything from American Sign Language, to Spanish, Chinese, French, German, and Latin.

As international students, we have been all over the world. Many of us have gone from nation to nation, experiencing different cultures and meeting people from diverse backgrounds.

And I am sure that learning a language helped us connect and adapt to different environments.

In a small community like SIS, the number of courses that the school can offer is limited. However, learning languages should not be limited by our school curriculum, and we should pursue our interests in languages. If we

have an interest, we could start small groups, foreign language clubs, and activities to share our love of a language with others.

Knowing several languages is a practical skill as it can help us connect with people around the world. Mastering a language is definitely hard and takes a lot of effort, but with that comes a great understanding of our world, and the learning process can also empower us.

Of the 7,000 languages that exist in the world, about 2,900 of them are endangered. At this rate, 90 percent of all languages will go extinct in the next 100 years. Languages contain the history, love, and humanity in them so it is our duty to remember them. Latin is a dead language, but its shadows still stretch across the languages we speak today and the subjects we learn in school.

Some students might want to improve their mother tongue as well.

Even though a lot of SIS students are

tional problems and organizing action to make real changes in their community. This could certainly be applied at SIS because many students are open to learning about social issues; others who feel less eager could at least feel a connection to the project because of the research and work they would have to put in.

Having a tangible result makes sense because students get something back: a reminder of their hard work and reinforcement that if they truly put the time and effort into something, it could lead to change in the “real world.”

So, it might be worth looking into research projects that diverge from an overly academic direction and let students have more control. School curriculums are effective in making sure students learn the basics but often forget some aspects of students’ investment. For this freedom to be successful, students must be willing to put in the work. Believe it or not, it is possible to be enthusiastic about learning. If both educators and students collaborate to make assignments more effective, learning could be more exciting for all of us.

BY: Rachel Yoon Junior, Copy Editor

ethnically Korean, we might not be as fluent as Koreans beyond our school community. Some students have attended SIS since kindergarten, so they have never been exposed to a Korean-speaking educational environment.

For those with a certain level of fluency, learning Korean literature could help us understand more about Korean culture.

For students interested in learning other foreign language courses, French and German, which are also fundamental languages in many careers and international relations, could be some options to think about.

French is an official language for many international organizations such as the United Nations, UNESCO, European Union, NATO, and the Red Cross so those interested in working in these organizations might consider learning this language.

German is the second-most used business language and science language besides English and Latin. And for those looking forward to becoming engineers, German is the perfect language to learn since Germany is a leader in engineering.

Out of the 7,000 languages in the world, why should we limit ourselves to only English, Chinese, and Spanish?

It is true that they are among the most spoken languages alongside English, but this does not mean that other languages are not valuable to learn.

So go out, meet people that share the same interests as you, make language clubs, and start events to get people interested. Then people would eventually follow.

BY: Ian Park Sophomore, Reporter

Tiger Times

Apr 2022

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Tiger Times Staff

Tiger Times 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.

Volume 53 Issue 5 February Seoul, South Korea TTONL.org a free publication of

Seoul International School

Paper Editors-in-Chief Emily Sung Jenny Seo Website Editor-in-Chief Sarah Ju Paper Managing Editor Skylar Peck

Website Managing Editors Woojune Kim Jordan Kim

Graphics Editor Jennifer You Photo Editor Alice Lee

Production Editors Website Design Bona Suh Editor Clara Lim Minjae Chun

Paper Copy Editors Rosa Suh Rachel Yoon Aimee Choi

Grace Lee Website Copy Editors Jennifer Kwon Daniel Shin Erin Choi Layout Artists Yuzine Yi Junseo Lee Hannah Kim

Reporters Katherine Suk Sunny Lee Isabelle Lee Jack Lee Hugo Lee Bin Ma John Kim Katelyn Oh Ian Park David Kim Paul Moon

Cherlin Kim Joseph Chun Jasmine Jeong Adviser Ms. Wendy Grant

Viewpoint Feature: Group projects with students of unequal skill levels often place an unfairly large burden on a few stellar students at the expense of their grades, mental health, and sanity. Minimizing the number of collaborative work, or at the very least, allowing students to choose their own groups, will have more advantages for students than the ones brought on by group projects.

What is a more fair way to assign group work?

In what situations are group projects unnecessary?

The most dreaded of them all: group projects

Tendrils of dread slowly snake up your spine as your stomach flips and twists with each thump of your heart. Holding your breath and crossing your fingers, you look up as the teacher flips to the next screen, and . . . oh God. As your friends in the class smile relievedly upon seeing their new group, you wish the earth would open up and swallow you whole—because you know these next several weeks will be ones of pain, torture, and sleep deprivation while your back breaks from carrying the grades of your teammates. Whatever will you do?

Sometimes life is just like that. It slings a whole crate’s worth of lemons at us and creates the worst group possible, all while making a different group (never yours) that you know will manage to pull off the perfect project.

Teachers might believe that skilled students with less hard-working ones will result in a mutually beneficial outcome in which they can simulate future real-world scenarios and obtain necessary collaborative skills. However, the reality is that these projects are, more often than not, mainly the work of one student rather than of cooperative effort. Even in the case when some teachers take it upon themselves to investigate the distribution of work, Google document history can easily be fabricated and peer assessments forged, which further cements the idea that group projects are working when in reality, they are not.

It is not even just about the grades—a group project like this is mentally exhausting, draining, and frustrating for the few stellar students who burden themselves with the Herculean task of even completing the project in time. Combined with the resentment certain group members feel as a result of having to do most of the work and submit it under the guise of “collaborative work,” salt is added to the wound when students that participated begrudgingly give credit to students who have not worked because their own grade depends on proof of cooperation.

It is ironic, then, to see that while original work is praised in the SIS community, these group projects that pair stronger students with weaker ones are so common in classrooms when in fact this leads to students free-loading off of the work of others.

Whether it is meant to briefly cushion the grades of less hard-working students or simply balance out groups in skill level to raise the class average, this leads to several problems within these group projects.

The biggest, most obviously pressing issue of all is that weaker students lose the valuable chance to learn the content when they are constantly set up in groups meant to “help” them. Stronger students, who do not want their grades potentially compromised by the work of others, take over the work of weaker students—meaning that if this happens continuously, the knowledge and skill gap between students

only increases and keeps students stuck in the same vicious cycle for the next group project. Even if weaker students receive a temporary bump to their grade, the lack of knowledge these students possess will be apparent on tests and future tasks—at which point it is far too late to build up necessary knowledge skills and work ethic.

As shown by a study by the University of Denver, small, individual assignments taught content to students better than larger group projects did because students learned all content instead of divvying it up amongst themselves and creating gaps in their knowledge.

Furthermore, the goal of collaboration is further harmed when members with drastically different skill levels are paired together. Underlying tensions rise as the stronger student finds themselves having to learn the content of the group project not only for themselves, but to teach the rest of their members. The Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University even advises teachers that in the case of extreme skill differences, groups should be formed by separating weaker and stronger students instead of in a mixed-skills approach.

In order to foster a sense of agency among students, one solution might be for students to create their own groups.

Though not perfect, the benefit offered is that it fosters a sense of agency among students to match up with those who they

know they will be able to collaborate with or have a similar skill level to. If teachers do not want to go this far, they may allow students to pick one or two students with whom they would prefer not to work. One potential drawback is that this may lead to everyone writing down the same students’ names, which may not make much of a difference in the end.

Even better, teachers could simply change the type of assignments they assign as group projects in the first place. A study from the University of Oklahoma found that group research papers, or group writing assignments—which are coincidentally some of the most commonly assigned projects in SIS—are the worst in promoting collaboration because of how individualistic writing is as a task in the first place. If teachers find themselves primarily assigning these types of projects, perhaps it would be wiser to keep group projects out of the curriculum in classes heavily dependent on writing regardless of skill level.

BY: Grace Lee Sophomore, Copy Editor

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SCHOOL NEWS

Students and teachers welcome spring break As the warm breeze and the sweet scent of flowers wafted through the school campus, students and teachers enjoyed a refreshing spring break during April 2-10 after a cold, hectic start to the second semester. Because past spring breaks were always at the end of March, this year’s spring break in early April was even more welcomed.

“I was happy to greet the spring weather because I am not a winter guy,” Timothy Munro, warm weather lover, said. “So I headed over to cities on the East coast, such as Sokcho, Gangneung, and Donghae, with my wife. Thankfully, the temperature was nice, so we enjoyed the weather and ate delicious seafood.”

With quarantine policies out of the way, some teachers also flew outside Korea. For instance, Leslie Gregori, travel enthusiast, went on a trip to Phuket, Thailand.

“I spent five relaxing nights at Phuket without planning on anything specific,” Ms. Gregori said.

“I brought my Kindle and caught up on reading while sitting by the ocean. The weather was very warm and mild, and I also ate delicious Thai food, like Thai curry. It was my first time traveling since last summer, so I enjoyed this trip very much.”

Similar to Ms. Gregori, some students also traveled to different countries. Riona Kim (10), former

resident of Australia, visited Gold Coast, Australia to attend her aunt’s wedding.

“Australia recently reopened its borders, so I was very happy to finally go back,” Riona said. “After I went to my aunt’s wedding, I also visited beaches in Gold Coast with my family and my dog. It was also interesting to experience autumn weather during spring break.”

Meanwhile, other students used spring break to prepare for upcoming activities and exams.

For example, Lindsey Lim (10), AP Biology student, studied diligently for the upcoming AP Biology exam in May while practicing for the upcoming high school strings spring concert.

“I worked on my review study guide that covers all the units for the AP Biology exam and solved a few mock tests,” Lindsey said. “I also practiced for my duet performance in the high school strings spring concert. But since my main goal during this break was to sleep earlier, I made sure to catch up on some sleep.”

In addition, senior students received their college application results while relaxing during their last break as an SIS student.

Ethan Choi (12), future NYU Stern student, was able to spend spring break with a smile on his face.

“I was really relieved and happy about my college application result,” Ethan said. “Finally able

to settle down and relax, I went on a three day trip to Jeju Island with my friends. Spring break was definitely a good time to also start preparing for college as I have been getting emails about housing and meal plans. It is hard to process

AP art show impresses speculators As the end of the school year approaches with the start of spring, AP art students are putting the finishing touches to their art masterpieces. On April 29, students will finally present their final products at the AP art show, an annual exhibit of AP art students’ artwork. Each art student will select four of their most quality pieces to be displayed as part of a gallery in the atrium.

“Producing these pieces was no easy task,” Vivienne Chung (11), AP Drawing student, said. “We had to

put in many hours of meticulous planning in order to figure out the optimal ways and mediums to express our theme. After this planning stage, we poured several months of drawing, painting, and refining into our artwork.”

The AP art show marks the culmination of AP art students’ many months of creating and refining their artwork. Although it may seem simple to the layman, producing artwork is a long, complex process that requires planning,

attention to detail, creative thinking, and precision whether it be the delicate stroke of the paint brush or careful molding of sculptures.

The finished artwork presented at the AP art show are remarkably diverse as they include artwork from all three AP art courses (AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, AP Drawing), such as graphic illustrations, sculptures, and drawing-based paintings.

“The art gallery is easily the single largest art event held in

Jaehyun Lim (12) eagerly shows his ceramic fountain on display at the AP Art Show.

Photo by Ian Park (10)

layout by Hannah Kim

that in less than two months, I will not be a high school student anymore, and it felt surreal that this was my last break in SIS.” Fully refreshed by a week-long spring break, students and teachers are ready to finish their last

two months of their school year.

SIS,” Hyeonseo Park (11), AP Drawing student, said. “It is the final product of all our strenuous efforts throughout the various AP art courses. I am excited to present my art to others through this exhibition and also learn from other students’ art.”

Each piece in the art show is developed around a central theme called the sustained investigation.

Prominent themes for this year’s art show include identity-based themes, social and political themes such as oppression, and even otherwordly themes like evolution. After selecting their themes, students commit to thorough research on their themes before actively working on their pieces to ensure that their artwork thoroughly reflects a deep understanding of their themes and utilizes the optimal mediums for expressing them. For example, students working with the identity theme of burnout have used charcoal paint to vividly express the burning pressure and dark despair of a burnout.

“I am particularly excited about this year’s art show,” Jane Mitchell, head of the visual arts department, said. “More than past years, students have delved deeply into the research aspect of their work with the sustained investigation. Considering the exceptional research students have put into their work, I am confident that their work will contain groundbreaking materials and revolutionary designs.”

One distinguishing feature of the upcoming art show is the displaying of 3-D art on a larger scale.

Although AP 3-D Art and Design

was first introduced last school year, few students applied for the course, resulting in only a few 3-D art pieces being exhibited in the art show. With many more 3-D art students this year, the upcoming art show will display a wider variety of 3-D art than before ranging from sculptures to architectural models as well as performance 3-D art pieces.

“3-D art is special in that it offers a physically tangible experience for the viewer that will certainly enrich the overall AP art show experience,” Hannah Ireland, AP 3-D Art and Design teacher, said.

“Like 2-D art, 3-D art also revolves around central themes including architectural themes like kinetic architecture and abstract themes like impermanence and growing up through adolescence. However, 3-D art takes the expression of these themes to a more vivid level, with some performance art pieces going as far as to burn their artwork to display the theme of the loss of childhood.”

With the addition of an extensive 3-D art collection as well as the incorporation of rigorous research in the planning stages of each piece, the upcoming AP art show holds promising potential that may exceed anything the SIS community has seen so far in previous art shows. Although attendance may be restricted due to COVID-19, the April AP art show is shaping up to be a quality exhibit full of memorable, unique artwork.

by:

John Kim

Sophomore, Reporter

by:

Hugo Lee

Junior, Reporter

SCHOOL NEWS

#RelatableStress: A physical and mental fight

By Jasmine Jeong

SIS student athletes torture themselves with repetitive drills and conditioning from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and arrive home exhausted at around 6 p.m. After taking a shower and eating dinner, they are usually in dire need of sleep but grudge through their assignments in order to jump into bed by midnight.

When they finally think they are getting used to it, an away game at TCIS surprises them with an excruciating five-hour bus ride all the way to Taejon, dropping them back home by 11 p.m. in a state of enervation. Though others may think this is a horrendous ordeal, unfortunately, this cycle is a daily routine.

Student athletes lose around 10 to 15 hours of productive study time on a weekly basis, leaving them no choice but to reduce their sleep time to catch up on their work. This is particularly debilitating for student athletes because they need sleep in order to perform well in their games, while also preventing injuries. Yet, regardless of how efficiently they use their time, the four-hour block from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. is often not enough to complete all assignments and prepare for projects.

Considering that most student athletes will only be able to sleep after midnight, they should schedule naps into their daily routine to catch up on their sleep. For example, taking power naps on bus rides is probably the most efficient way to save time and energy. As it takes roughly 30 minutes to an hour for most students to get from home to school, students can get up to 2 hours of nap time a day if they decide to sleep on the bus.

Conversely, for students who have trouble sleeping in a moving vehicle, they can use the bus rides to cram in mini study sessions and finish relatively easier formative work to save time for taking naps at home. In fact, studying on the way home may enhance the quality of work as students would have information freshly engraved inside their brains in the class from which they were just dismissed.

But on a more general note, student athletes should tailor the amount of studying they do each day based on game schedules to reduce the likelihood of injuries or general fatigue and exhaustion. Mondays are good opportunities for students to either catch up on some work or even work ahead of their deadlines, as there are no practices on this day.

Most importantly, they should take advantage of the weekends and get an appropriate amount of work done for the following week so that they do not have to work as hard during the weekdays when they have practices and games.

The lack of a good balance of rest and sleep not only affects the academic lifestyle of student athletes, but it also makes it more difficult for them to perform well during games. As it is widely known that SIS student athletes particularly have a distinct competitive edge, they should take this into consideration to ultimately help them achieve both academic excellence and athletic success.

Students prepare for course selection

I

t is commonplace to see students discuss in the halls what AP courses they are planning to take while also sharing the struggles they face as they strategize their future schedules. With the second semester coming to an end, students are now preparing to choose their next courses and decide which classes are suitable for them.

The number of AP courses that students are allowed to take differs for each grade level. For example, rising sophomores may only enroll in one AP course, either AP Biology or AP US History. Their schedule would also consist of other classes like Chemistry and Physics, or Algebra 2.

“I am planning on taking AP US History next year,” Jason Lee (9), rising sophomore, said. “After learning about US history in middle school and watching a variety of US history-related pop culture such as the musical ‘Hamilton,’ I was inspired to further develop my understanding and interest in the history and culture of America.”

In contrast, rising juniors will have much more freedom, with up to four slots open to an AP course of their choice. They were required to fill out forms to appeal recommendations from their current teachers, where students received either a score of 1 or 2, meaning that students were recommended or strongly recommended to take those courses. Many students have already discussed their 4-year plans with their guidance counselors and have decided which classes they will take.

“Next year, I will be taking AP courses from a variety of subjects,” Sahngwon Lee (10), rising junior, said. “I plan to take AP English Language and Composition to learn more about how I can be a better reader and writer and also AP Environmental Science to further develop my

knowledge about ecology.”

Along with AP courses, students are encouraged to take electives such as Design, Studio Arts, and music ensembles as well.

This allows students to freely choose and explore their creative passions while creating unique projects and learning a variety of skills. Students who take Strings or Band could also have advantages in getting enrolled into High School Orchestra.

“I am currently in Studio Art 2 and Ceramics 1 for my elective classes because I love to do art,” Amy Cha (10), aspiring artist, said. “Next year, I will be doing AP Drawing and Design 2. I enjoy creating art because it is a way to express myself, my thoughts, and my emotions.”

Students who have appealed to take more than the recommended number of AP courses are required to enroll in either a work study or a study hall period. In work study periods, students work alongside teachers to develop communication skills.

Work study has also implemented changes this year to include formative and summative assignments related to a broad range of topics.

“Work study has helped me enhance interpersonal skills,” Fabian Roh (11), current work study for science teacher Eugene Lee, said. “There must be continuous interaction between the student and the teacher for the student to gain a solid understanding of the task. As Mr. Lee’s work study, I help prepare for his lessons by bringing necessary materials or setting up a lab. Helping teachers with these tasks has helped a lot in improving my conversational amplitude.” by:

David Kim

Sophomore, Reporter

Snowball: Casino Night “Snowball was a great experience for me and I personally think it was an interesting opportunity to perform our DSQ dance. We spent a lot of time preparing for the performance and I was glad that many people enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed the activities there such as video games, photo booths, and gambling.” - Rachel Jeong (10), DSQ member

“Getting to finally go to Snowball was a pretty amazing experience! I’ve always heard about it from the upperclassmen, so playing poker with a group of friends in a completely transformed gym was surreal.” - Brandon Choi (10), Snowball participant “The planning process for Snowball involved a lot of spontaneous generation of ideas. There were many creative and original ideas being thrown around, and we ended up with a really diverse slate of activities, which made the process energizing and engaging. The event ran smoothly for the most part, although the competitive aspect of it—keeping track of people’s money—required a lot of oversight.” - Nathan Warkentin, HSSC adviser

“I think Snowball was a very interesting experience overall. As a part of the organizing crew, the event was slightly overwhelming at first because it had been a while since we had hosted such a large event. I am glad I had the opportunity to participate!” - Allison Lee (10), HSSC member

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“During Snowball, I was a dealer for Poker, and many students came to play it. I really enjoyed interacting with students in an out-of-school environment.” - Niko Lambert, Snowball poker dealer

Russia-Ukraine conflict: The long term effects of imperialism

By Junseo Lee With Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, the world was once again reminded of the overwhelming influence that international powers have over developing nations.

However, in this case, several countries saw the invasion as unjust and came to Ukraine’s aid, providing military force, supplies, and asylum to Ukrainian citizens.

In the less globalized past, powerful nations with superior militaries have been able to freely colonize foreign territories with little to no external intervention, leaving behind severe consequences and instability that have lasted even until the modern age. Yet, despite the clear differences in the global situation of the past and present, there are still many similarities between the situation in Ukraine and historical imperialism.

One of the first empires to imperialize foreign colonies was the British Empire, which became one of the most powerful and expansive empires for many centuries. First colonizing the North American continent and establishing several settlements in spite of the natives that had already inhabited the land, the British Empire later expanded to control large areas of the African continent, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

One of the most significantly affected among these was the African continent, which was the victim of imperialist policies of various European powers. From the late 19th century to the mid 20th century, the entire African continent was split between Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal, with each nation oppressing native Africans and utilizing them as slave labor after taking over their territories with superior military force.

The modern effects of the colonization of the African continent can clearly be seen from the extremely low standard of living that is present in most African countries. In fact, according to the World Bank, 41% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty, spending less than $1.90 a day. Being stripped of all of its resources by European powers, prevented from developing economically, and left

vulnerable to corrupt authoritarian regimes, these African nations have faced the consequences of European imperialism for centuries, and are still largely financially and politically unstable in the modern age.

A more familiar example of imperialism would be South Korea, which was also a victim of a brutal colonial regime known as the Japanese colonial period that took place in the early 20th century. During this time, citizens of Joseon endured 35 years under Japanese rule, suffering oppression, the destruction of culture, and forced labor.

The Japanese colonial period began in 1910 with the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1910, which officially annexed Joseon into the Japanese Empire. Similar to the current situation in Ukraine, Japan coerced and intimidated the Korean government with its superior military power to forcefully integrate them into the Japanese Empire.

During Japanese rule, Korean citizens were greatly oppressed and deprived of their freedom of speech due to the complete military control of the entire nation. Unable to speak out against their new rulers, over 220,000 Korean men were forcibly taken to Japan to act as forced laborers on railroads and the mining industry.

The Japanese government also attempted to destroy all traces of Korean culture and assimilate all Korean citizens to Japanese culture.

Korean schools and universities were shut down, prevented from teaching any Korean history, and forced to strictly teach Japanese, with the Korean language being completely outlawed throughout the nation.

The efforts of the Japanese government to completely assimilate Korea into their growing empire bears a striking resemblance to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Many experts suspect that Putin’s true intention for starting a war was to build a Russian Empire and absorb various other neighboring nations such as Poland. This is very similar to the actions of the Japanese Empire, as not only did they expand their empire by invading South Korea, but also Manchuria and Taiwan.

The impacts of the Japanese Colonial Period can be seen even in modern Korean society. Like Africa, Korea was in a very vulnerable position after World War II ended with the surrender of Japan, so the matter was dealt with by the victors of the war. Korea was split into two parts, with the North side being controlled by the Soviet Union, and the South being controlled by the US: a “temporary” split that remains even after several decades.

Furthermore, many citizens that were taken away from their families to work for Japanese companies either remain missing or live in poverty, which caused animosity between the Korean and Japanese governments.

This resentment was rekindled in 2019, when the Korean Supreme Court ruled that two Japanese firms must compensate four Korean families that had endured forced labor during the colonial era. The Japanese government refused, sparking a trade war between the two nations and a complete boycott of all Japanese products by Korean citizens, leading to worsening tensions between the two nations.

Though many believe that the age of imperialism is in the past, the effects of colonization from centuries ago can be found within modern international issues. The extreme poverty of the African continent and the resentment between South Korea and Japan are just two examples of this phenomenon among the many other aspects of our current society that have been shaped through imperialism. By developing our understanding of this history, we can draw clear parallels to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, showing us both the short and long term consequences that a Russian victory could have on Ukraine. Not only could citizens suffer oppression and a violation of their freedoms, but the entire nation could be forced into a darker future of poverty and political instability, leaving the Ukraine-Russia conflict to become another chapter in the history of imperialism.

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Present and future implications

By Daniel Shin It seemed a little too much like Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland 83 years ago: Russian President Vladimir V. Putin amassed thousands of military personnel near Ukrainian borders, declared the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, and launched a fullscale invasion on Feb. 24 to forcibly redraw the map of Europe.

It has been over a month since the start of the invasion, and Russian forces have advanced closer to Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, despite suffering heavy losses and encountering stiff resistance. High-precision cruise missiles rained down on key Ukrainian military infrastructure in the hours following Putin’s announcement of a “special military operation.” For weeks, the Russian military has indiscriminately targeted residential areas, precipitating a massive humanitarian crisis, the likes of which Europe has not seen since World War II. As Putin’s forces continue to displace millions of Ukrainians, the geopolitical and economic implications of the Russia-Ukraine War have posed several key challenges to South Korea’s foreign policy.

As Putin swiftly militarized Russian-backed separatist regions in Ukraine, the international community imposed crippling sanctions on Russia’s economy and oligarchs, many of whom have had their international assets seized. These economic penalties, however, seemed to have had little effect on Putin— Putin’s assets abroad may have been frozen, but he still wields immense power with access to the largest nuclear arsenal in the world at his fingertips.

The US was the first Western nation to impose economic penalties on Moscow, acting swiftly to deter and condemn Russia for its invasion. President Joe Biden announced plans to cut off vital gas pipelines and ties with two major Russian banks almost immediately after Russian troops advanced across Ukraine’s borders. In his State of the Union Address, Biden vowed to stand with Ukraine and continue efforts to undermine Russia’s military endeavors.

The European Union (EU) promptly joined the US in punishing Russia, rolling out a series of its own sanctions and penalties. South Korea, a close ally of the US, was one of the

few Asian countries alongside Japan and Singapore that accompanied the EU and the US in sanctioning Russia economically. In a rare move, South Korea’s foreign ministry announced plans on March 8 to freeze all transactions with the central bank of Russia.

President Moon Jae-in further declared that South Korea would restrict its exports of semiconductors, cars, and other technological products, around 10% of which are exported to Russia. Bracing for the implications of economic sanctions on Russia, the South Korean government has reserved $1.6 billion in financial aid for businesses that may be rocked by trade restrictions.

Economically, South Korea has not yet seen the dramatic effects of the sanctions imposed on Russia; however, its involvement in Russia is likely to have far-reaching geopolitical implications.

President Moon Jae-in’s decision at the National Security Council to enforce heavy sanctions on Russia reflects a change in the nation’s foreign policy priorities. Historically, South Korea has refrained from taking sides or imposing heavy sanctions on nations in an effort to protect its own economy during foreign warfare. During the Russian attacks on Crimea in 2014, for instance, South Korea refused to sanction Russia economically. But South Korea’s response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been markedly different—it was one of the few nations in Asia that imposed sanctions against the Kremlin.

Given South Korea’s decision to sever its economic ties with Moscow, Putin has been more unwilling to bring matters to the discussion table, opting to use nuclear threats to force the US and its allies to acquiesce to its actions. Putin has threatened to conduct missile strikes against nations that have sent military aid to Ukraine. South Korea is likely not on Putin’s watch list but will likely have to balance the interests of protecting itself from engaging in direct conflict with Russia and providing aid to Ukraine as per the demands of the US. Putin’s decision to put his nuclear arsenal “on high alert” in response to economic sanctions has heightened tensions not just between Russia and the US but also

between North Korea and the West.

The US has sent thousands of its military personnel to Poland’s borders in case of an unprovoked attack from Russia; with much of the US’s attention focused on Europe, North Korea has more proactively furthered its nuclear interests, conducting multiple ballistic missile tests without fear of US reprisal.

On March 24, North Korea tested its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), putting an end to its moratorium on the development of nuclear weapons.

Kim Jong-un’s provocative missile test comes at a time when relations between Russia and the US are at one of their worst. Russia is likely to veto any new sanctions against North Korea at the United Nations Security Council, leaving South Korea to find ways to punish Kim Jong-un on its own.

With the increasingly menacing threat of nuclear war, South Koreans have become more supportive of developing their own nuclear arsenal, according to a poll from the Chicago Council less than three weeks ago. With a newly-elected conservative president vowing to ditch South-North détente and take more aggressive measures against North Korea, only time will tell how South Korea will go about addressing the heightened nuclear threat in the Korean peninsula amid the Russia-Ukraine War. Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression is a test of not only the resiliency of the Ukrainian people but also the global community’s commitment to upholding the post-Cold War international order.

If Russia is successfully able to defeat Ukraine, the US and its allies will have to make new foreign policy changes to prevent Putin from setting his eyes on neighboring nations.

Countries are tasked with the complex undertaking of supplying Ukraine without escalating already heightened tensions. South Korea’s decision to support Ukraine not only reaffirms its position as a close ally to the US but also its active role in upholding international order as one of the world’s most powerful nations.

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8

GLOBAL NEWS

Treehuggers: We have all seen those pesky posts that pop up on our Instagram feed, like the ones that claim that for every repost or “like,” a new tree will be planted or donations gathered to fund a new cause. Perhaps you have even managed to notice that many of these posts come from one particular account—specifically, @plantatreeco.

While at first glance these acts may seem like the perfect example of social media being harnessed for a greater cause, this form of environmental “activism” often does more harm than good. These sporadic, one-off Instagram posts do not raise awareness—not when the majority of those looking at their social media feed are scrolling through the site to find updates and leaks of the latest Donda 2 album or stalk their celebrity crush rather than actively participate on civic issues. Social media’s main purpose is leisure, not activism, and people are likely paying little attention to

@Plantatreeco and suspicious online charities

whatever cause you virtue signal amidst the more entertaining posts they could be viewing.

Even worse, while the reposts people make online to support causes may seem harmless at worst, it actually further compounds the issue by adding a facade of solvency.

Participants begin to believe that they have done their individual part as they naively believe these account’s claims that their reposts are funding donations towards issues like California’s wildfires and planting trees around the world–– when in fact, real activism extends much beyond clicking the button to “add post to your story.”

The problem is that these Instagram “charity” accounts are not transparent in any way regarding how they are getting funds from people’s reposts to plant trees, nor about the distribution of their funds towards specific programs.

Legitimate charities, in contrast, often have a breakdown of their

Yoon Suk-yeol becomes president

O

n March 10, the right-wing People’s Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol was officially voted in as the 20th president of Korea.

The election was one of the closest in Korean history, with candidate Yoon winning by an extremely narrow 0.8 percent margin over his opponent, Lee Jae-myung of the liberal Democratic Party. The election of Yoon marked the first time presidential power changed hands between the liberals and conservatives in 5 years.

“I am shocked that presidential power transitioned so quickly from the Democratic Party to the People’s Power Party after just one term by the Democratic Partypresident,”RichardJung(11),devout supporter of Yoon, said. “Hopefully, this quick shift of political power to the Yoon administration is a sign of further changes to come and a potential alleviation of Korea’s domestic problems.”

The 20th Korean Presidential Election was held starting from Feb. 23 with an early voting period that lasted until Feb. 28. The latter drew in an exceptionally large number of voters, accounting for over 30 percent of the population.

Following the early voting period, the main elections took place on March 9 during which an additional 47 percent of the population voted, amounting to a total voter turnout of 77.1 percent. After the vote counting overnight, candidate Yoon was officially announced as the electee on March 10, having earned 48.56 percent of votes compared to Lee’s 47.83 percent.

“This year’s election was special in that it was remarkably close,” Morgan Miller, government and politics teacher, said. “The pandemic and recent spikes in cases definitely played a role by undermining previously high confidence in the Democratic Party, but I think the most prominent factor that played into this was because of the last minute decision by People’s Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo to join hands with Yoon Suk-yeol, leading to a lot of crossover voters.”

The narrow margin was rather unexpected for many, as most pro-

layout by Bona Suh

jections saw Yoon winning by a considerable 10 percent margin over Lee. Speculation quickly arose over possible election manipulation by the Democratic Party with many claiming that Yoon’s votes were swapped for Lee’s by election workers in the early voting process. Nevertheless, Yoon emerged victorious.

“When citizens are plagued by worsening financial issues, public support for the incumbent government tends to wane,” James Kowalski, AP US History teacher, said. “Understandably, with the ever-increasing housing prices over the past few years, Koreans may feel frustrated by the lack of visible progress in the housing market as homes are essential for starting new, independent lives.

They may feel that a new government will bring better change and improvement to their lives and favor transferring power to a different political party.”

With his election, the conservative Yoon strives to bring radical changes to the current Leftist policies set by the Democratic Party dominated Moon administration. A large factor behind Yoon’s election was the dissatisfaction citizens had with skyrocketing house prices and general living costs. Yoon aims to address this by significantly reducing the high property taxes, the primary culprit behind high house prices. Along with these domestic policy changes, Yoon also aims to adopt a more hard-line policy toward North Korea after the Moon administration’s lenient foreign policy failed to bring tangible improvements in inter-Korean relations.

“I am optimistic about the new conservative government,” Peter Kim (11), avid politics enthusiast, said. “Conservative governments are usually moderate with their economic policies and allow the economy to recover gradually by itself rather than directly intervene, so I think it will help stabilize the undermined post-pandemic Korean economy.”

BY: Hugo Lee Junior, Reporter

funds, detailing what percent goes towards administration, projects, and research so that donors are aware of their operations and judge for themselves the effectiveness of these organizations. So nothing ensures that these virtual “donations” go where they are supposed to; the owner of such charity accounts might as well be a random online netizen spamming an Instagram post every time they see something they think will draw in the reposts and likes.

Most prominent of all examples would be @plantatreeco’s tree planting pledge, in which they promised to plant trees for every repost—which then, according to a post addressing the issue, had gone out of hand and was promptly deleted, and was later modified to ask for donations to plant trees.

They raised tens of thousands of dollars and supposedly began planting 6,500 trees in 2020 to try and eventually reach four million

planted trees. Two years on, the link on their Instagram “bio” shows the same number, with no updates or explanation as to why the statistic has remained stagnant.

Even if we were to give these accounts the benefit of the doubt and assume that @plantatreeco will one day manage to plant a tree for every repost, this sets up the flawed expectation among Instagram users that other Instagram accounts similar to this one would be legitimate.

These accounts fail to provide transparency on their financial workings to the implementation of their products, as they constantly latch onto the latest global event to garner donations when it is unclear where those funds are going.

So how can you tell whether the organizations we donate to are legitimate apart from the few examples above? Simple. There are tons of websites to check the legitimacy of charities, such as charitynavigator.org, charitywatch.

by Grace Lee

org, and give.org. To make sure your donations make a worthwhile change, first search up what they are, what they do, and check their tax status to determine that they are registered as a nonprofit charity in the first place (which are labeled as 501(c)(3)). To make the most informed choice you can as a donor, dig around a little and find their policies regarding their internal spendings, or choose to donate to already verified organizations like Earthjustice, Union of Concerned Scientists, and National Environmental Education Foundation.

Admittedly, it is a little overwhelming. But if you want to make sure to donate to a real environmental organization that you care about, a little research will go a long way in helping to save the Earth rather than reposting a seemingly innocuous social media post that could misdirect others.

Global oil prices soar in wake of Russian invasion

Global oil prices have recently skyrocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The last update from Trading Economics, a popular economic database, displays that the price of crude oil rose from around $80~$90 per barrel in the beginning of the year to above $100 today. The price rose as high as $128 on March 8, the highest it has been since the past 10 years.

Russia, the world’s second largest exporter of oil, stands in the center of attention for the surge of oil prices.

This is partially due to the invasion, causing disruptions in Russia’s export of oil to other countries and reduction in the global supply of oil. However, the main reason for this decline of oil derives from the sanctions that countries around the world placed on Russia in an attempt to stop the invasion.

“Rising oil prices are unintentional results from the Ukraine-Russia conflict,” Shane Paek (11), AP Statistics student, said. “We cannot avoid these short-term consequences if countries choose not to remove sanctions on Russia, as this is the most effective way to stop them without directly joining the war. Although rising oil prices have become an issue, we should try our best to seek alternate

solutions and hope for the situation to improve.”

The US in particular imposed strong sanctions on Russia. On March 8, the same day the price of oil reached its peak, the Biden administration announced a ban on importing oil and other petroleum products from Russia. Although Russia only makes up about 8% of US’s oil imports, about 672,000 barrels a day were still imported into the US from Russia in 2021. Furthermore, large oil companies like Shell, BP, and Exxon pulled out of their deals with Russia, halting the global supply of Russian oil.

Most recently, the Biden administration announced on March 31 that about 180 million barrels of oil from the US oil reserve will be released—an unprecedented action in US history. The board also plans to penalize oil companies for not increasing oil production in unused federal land. While maintaining a firm stance against Putin’s actions, Biden also warned oil companies to not take advantage of the pandemic and the war for their own profits.

“Rising oil prices will likely hurt the global economy in a lot of ways, mainly due to high inflation,” June Choi (12), AP Economics student, said.

“If oil price goes up, the price of transportation also goes up, meaning that

the price of other goods will naturally rise as well. When inflation happens on a global scale, international trade will be disrupted and an economic crisis is likely to occur.”

This rise in oil prices is a major problem for many, especially after the economic crisis that occurred due to the pandemic. The recession in the demand for oil in 2020 due to lockdowns and travel bans had already rocked the global economy.

However, as people began to return to normality, demand for oil rose along with its price, making its shortage a significant issue.

“The 21st century is not a time for brutal warfare, but is rather a time for diplomatic actions,” Sean Kim (12), MUN member, said. “Although Russia tries to use its unique position as a non-member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to secure oil supply chains during the Ukraine crisis, sanctions on Russia mainly target state-owned enterprises, so it is a very effective measure. With the sanction in place, countries including Russia should come to an agreement to regain peace.”

BY: Hannah Kim Junior, Reporter

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

9

Jennifer Kwon: stan for life

Photo by Alice Lee (11) Surrounded by flashing lights and flying confetti, Jennifer Kwon (12) screamed the lyrics to her favorite song by NCT Dream, her voice fading into the crowd.

In that moment, she forgot all the worries in her life as her heart beat to the rhythm of the blaring bass and her ears melted into the sweet vocals of her favorite artists.

“K-pop concerts are more than just the experience of getting to see my favorite celebrity,” Jennifer said. “There is something about the vibe and the experience of a concert that is truly enlightening because I get to sing my heart out to my favorite songs without being judged by anyone. But I also think that the idea of being part of a crowd that shares a common passion for K-pop gives me a sense

of belonging that is really difficult to find anywhere else.”

Jennifer’s passion for K-pop blossomed when she was in the fourth grade. She initially became interested in K-pop due to the influence of her friends, and at the time, it was trendy to be a K-pop fan as the genre was growing more popular internationally.

But unlike her friends, who soon became tired of this global trend, Jennifer’s interest in K-pop deepened and transformed into a genuine passion.

“I used to buy albums every time they came out so I could collect photocards of my favorite idols,” Jennifer said. “Unfortunately, I cannot spend as much money on these collectible goods but I still express my passion

through listening to their songs or watching their videos for hours on end because I just love being able to watch some of my favorite celebrities being relatable in reality shows, while displaying a completely different charismatic side on stage.”

After watching thousands of videos of a variety of K-pop idols with a permanent satisfactory grin plastered on her face, Jennifer realized that there were just some K-pop artists to whom she felt an immediate attraction. Though she appreciates all K-pop artists for their unique characteristics and performances, her favorite K-pop artists are NCT Dream and Enhyphen, two K-pop boy groups that are famous for their overall strengths in singing, dancing,

and appearance.

“My favorite songs are ‘Life is Still Going On’ by NCT Dream and ‘10 Months’ by Enhyphen,” Jennifer said. “Honestly, it was a coincidence that I came across these songs when I was looking for something new to listen to, but I love these songs with a deep-rooted passion because they not only have a catchy tune, but they also convey a message about how it is okay to struggle in life through the lyrics. I usually look for a lot of meaning in the songs that I listen to and I think these became my favorite songs because they are so relatable especially when I am going through a rough patch in my life.”

But not everyone appreciates K-pop like Jennifer does. There

Photo by are often times when others look down upon K-pop fans and perceive them as people who waste a lot of money and are extremely obsessed.

“Though there are some negative perceptions of being a K-pop fan, being one means a lot to me because I think it is valuable to express unconditional love and support for someone else,” Jennifer said. “Channeling my dedication towards a K-pop group helps me realize that I am capable of being passionate about something, regardless of how others perceive me.”

BY: Jasmine Jeong Junior, Reporter

10 SPORTS & LIFESTYLE

SPOM

Blocking the KIS player from touching the ball, Henry Hatridge (10) dribbles the ball and prepares to pass to his teammate during the KIS home game.

sports photo of the month

Photo by Ian Park

Disney faces “Don’t Say Gay” bill controversy On March 10, CEO of Walt Disney Company Bob Chapek clarified that the company is against Florida’s new Parental Rights in Education bill signed by Governor Rob DeSantis.

Also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, it prohibits teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity to students in kindergarten up to third grade and limits mention of such topics to primary students in fourth grade and higher.

“I was not surprised about this bill; Florida politicians have consistently tried to push back on any progressive step the US has taken in regard to gender and sexuality rights,” James Fischer, former resident of Florida, said. “This bill is really more about politicians scoring political points with the voters of the district than it is about protecting elementary students from learning about these topics. It has no real bearing on the classroom.”

Chapek’s announcement comes after Disney’s theme park workers, production employees, and LGBTQ+ advocates in Florida protested Disney’s history of political donations to supporters of the bill, including DeSantis. After donating over $100,000 to the committee Friends of Ron DeSantis and failing to provide a clear stance regarding the bill, Disney received criticism for supposedly supporting anti-LGBTQ+ policies. The company has temporarily halted these donations.

Chapek claimed that the company initially remained silent because he believed Disney would make a larger impact through its content than through corporate statements. He also called DeSantis to express concerns regarding the harmful mental

Wordle scrambles SIS Five letters, six tries, once a day.

Those who have been keeping up with social media trends have noticed a rise in people posting random rows of green, yellow, and black square emojis. Often represented by odd fractions out of six, Wordle—the viral word-guessing puzzle game—has caused quite a stir not only on the world-wideweb but also in the SIS community.

Calling all strategic guessers, the online phenomenon invites players to guess a common five-letter word with deceptively simple combinations of letters. After each guess, the row of five tiles offers a hint, coloring itself green if the letter is in the correct spot, yellow if it is present but in the wrong spot, and gray if it is not a part of the word at all. The aim is to decode the secret word with the fewest guesses.

“I was never the type to play word puzzles like crosswords or Scrabble, but Wordle really hooked me,” Anna Piscioneri (10), avid Wordle player, said. “Because all you have to do is type a few words to enjoy the game, I am motivated to play every day. In fact, my Wordle streak is now over a month.”

layout by Alice Lee

Whether it be after finishing an assignment or during a short break just for the game, it is commonplace to see SIS students and teachers unleash their inner dictionaries to guess the daily Wordle.

“Recently, I saw many people playing Wordle at school,” Amy Cha (10), new Wordle player, said.

“I started playing after I heard one of my friends and a teacher discussing their favorite strategies and starting words like ‘ADIEU’ and ‘OUIJA,’ and the game turned out to be as fun as everyone made it sound.”

The popularity of Wordle is not groundless. Thanks to the puzzle’s unpretentious intentions, the simple user interface void of flashing advertisements is a perfect response to common burnouts.

This game has perfected the formula to foster mass participation from people in desperate need of communal experiences and connections.

Wordle does not want an intense relationship with its players. While other games tend to issue notifications hoping people will return for another round, the unique puzzle is not hungry for attention. By

limiting players to one game per day, Wordle engenders a sense of scarcity, leaving people ironically craving for more.

Its presence on social media too is difficult to ignore; with millions of people sharing their daily results through mysterious colored tiles, the game attracts more new players wanting to be included in the trendy conversation.

“Wordle is really addictive,” Megan Lee, English teacher, said.

“People all around the school play the game, and it seems as though its popularity comes from the engaging, low-stress gameplay.

But most of all, I think people appreciate that there is something for just fun amid the collective, and perhaps global, sense of burnout.”

BY: Katelyn Oh Sophomore, Reporter

and social implications of the bill on LGBTQ+ youth.

“It is no surprise that companies hesitate to touch upon political controversy, given the potential backlash,” Eunie Choi (11), LGBTQ+ rights advocate, said. “However, some companies, like Disney, seemingly address LGBTQ+ rights through rainbow washing and superficial advocacy but do not provide tangible support during times of crisis. Those companies should stand up for LGBTQ+ rights not just through merchandise or marketing but through advocacy and aid.”

Controversies deepened as the public noted past instances when Disney films failed to represent the LGBTQ+ community. In particular, employees of Pixar Animation Studios, a subsidiary of Disney, protested the removal of scenes involving gay characters from Pixar movies during the editing process.

Dana Terrace, creator of the widely praised Disney animation show including many LGBTQ+ characters, “The Owl House,” also claimed in October 2021 that Disney canceled the show because it did not match the brand. In response to such claims, Disney announced on March 18 that it had restored a deleted scene of a same-sex kiss in Pixar’s upcoming film “Lightyear.”

“I definitely think Disney should prioritize LGBTQ+ representation in their films more,” Lauren Kim (11), LGBTQ+ rights supporter, said.

“It is incoherent for Disney to say LGBTQ+ content does not fit their brand image because I imagine Disney as a company that provides happy memories and experiences for everyone and anyone regardless

of their background.”

Disney’s controversy exemplifies a larger debate regarding the role of the entertainment industry in social or political causes. While some believe that the sole purpose of companies like Disney should be to purely entertain, a growing number of people point out companies’ responsibility to serve as a moral guide for the millions of children who consume their content.

“I do not think Disney should be completely responsible for educating children about social issues,” Yoonseo Kim (11), avid fan of Disney films, said. “However, because it has a large audience, Disney needs to pay attention to representing LGBTQ+ characters as much as possible because the entertainment industry nowadays has a great impact on children’s beliefs and attitudes.”

Chapek acknowledged that the company had made a mistake and apologized to Disney’s workers through an email, though in a manner still unsatisfactory for many. As Disney employees and LGBTQ+ rights activists continue to hold in-person walkouts and online protests, tensions within Disney and the state of Florida are nowhere near subsiding.

BY: Aimee Choi Junior, Copy Editor

MULTIMEDIA

Conspiracy Corner: How real is climate change?

Just 30 years ago, children imagined the future to be a scene straight out of “Back to the Future.” Flying cars, hovercrafts, and massive cities seemed to be just around the corner, with each year containing an even more fantastic world than the last.

But adolescents in the 21st century have come to realize the terrifying truth: the future will likely be a downward spiral from the modern day. Rather than the utopian, idealistic view of the future that was shared by previous generations, the realities of a society marching toward an environmentally destroyed dystopia have settled over the modern generation like ominous dark clouds on the horizon.

Among the millions of individuals desperately fighting for a better future, there are several who choose not to believe in climate change. These people have spread the first climate change conspiracy theories, spreading misinformation on the climate crisis and convincing people that it is not a serious threat.

These “climate change deniers'' have one core belief: climate change is a hoax. They believe that scientists and government authorities have been faking the signs of climate change and challenge the mountain of scientific evidence that shows that climate change is not only a severe issue, but one that will rapidly worsen if immediate action is not taken.

Despite sharing this core belief, most climate change skeptics use various justifications for their disbelief of the climate crisis. For example, many claim that even if global warming were real, it is a completely natural occurrence unrelated to human activity. Drawing parallels to the Ice Ages from 2.4 million years ago, they suggest that climate change is merely a natural phenomenon.

Like with many other conspiracy theories, many of

these theorists also claim that the reports on the severity of climate change are connected to the “deep state,” and that the government is utilizing fear-mongering propaganda to force “climate-change lockdowns” onto the public. Meanwhile, others claim that climate change is a result of a government experiment known as the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, a research program funded by the US military, to manipulate weather patterns.

Most of these conspiracy theories are spread on various popular social media websites, with Twitter being the largest platform. In fact, the Guardian reported that a quarter of all daily tweets related to climate change theories posted are produced by bots, which are social media accounts that are controlled by software to spread mass misinformation to millions of people across the Internet, furthering the cycle of deception.

However, the contagious nature of climate change conspiracy theories is not their most dangerous attribute. Instead, the true threat is how the misinformation spread by these conspiracies actively exacerbates the climate crisis.

The idea that climate change is a hoax or that it is a natural phenomenon not only draws less attention to the severity of the issue, but also may have prevented several important pieces of legislation from being passed to protect the environment. Especially in the US, many of these ideas are spread by pro-business conservatives who want to maintain the “American way of life,” which includes the deregulation of industries in favor of a laissez-faire economy.

For example, in the 2020 US presidential election, fossil fuel industries provided the Republican candidate with over $18 million and $8.5 million to support Republican

Congressmen. This was because the Republican Party is generally against regulating businesses to prevent climate change, and many conservatives even spread misinformation to support their cause. For example, previous Republican President Donald Trump claimed that climate change was a hoax, eventually pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement, an international treaty that lowered global carbon emissions.

This trend likely prevented dozens of laws such as the cap-and-trade bill and the American Clean Energy and Security Act from being passed earlier under the Democratic Party, which could have forestalled irreparable damage done to the environment. This further demonstrates how the idea that climate change is not a serious issue may allow for these laws to remain unpassed and for corporations to lobby politicians for their own economic benefit.

To prevent this situation from worsening, it is important to limit the spread of misinformation. Social media sites such as Twitter are already attempting to prevent bots from spreading fake information by providing more credible sources and regulating posts to ensure they contain accurate information. Furthermore, immediate political action is imperative, as government regulation can lower carbon emissions and increase transparency for fossil fuel companies. By remaining vigilant on new environment-related information and supporting change in government policies, the effects of global warming can be mitigated to create a better environment for future generations around the world.

BY: Junseo Lee Sophomore, Reporter

…But good music never gets old. With the arrival of this vibrant season, people all over the world celebrate with a variety of traditions. Some clean their homes in a big “spring cleaning,” while others go outside to see the blooming flowers, especially cherry blossoms here in Korea. And, like for many other occasions, many enjoy playing music in the background to make the moment feel even more special.

To fit your musical needs, the staff here at Tiger Times have compiled a handmade playlist from the SIS community centered around the concept of spring for your everyday use.

The first song on the list is “Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms” by IU, suggested

by Shane Paek (11). The melancholy lyrics lamenting the loneliness of a single life combined with the bright instrumental background create a bittersweet contrast akin to the fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms, arguably the representative flower of spring.

“The lyrics of this song are in the perspective of a single person who is watching people go on dates around cherry blossoms,” Shane said. “I chose it because I find it really relatable to my own life, and also because I just really like cherry blossoms and IU. Plus, the bright tone of the music and IU’s semi-high voice contributes to the spring atmosphere and makes it very attractive, even if the lyrics are sad.”

Next up is “Orange” by Japanese artist 7!!, which appeared as the second ending song for the anime “Your Lie in April.”

Like Shane with his pick, Jennah Yoo (11) suggested “Orange” because of the bittersweet emotions that it invokes.

“I chose this song not just because of the title but also because I happened to watch the anime in spring!” Jennah said. “The song also has a nostalgic feel that helps

me imagine cherry blossoms flying in the air like a bittersweet spring memory. I know it is a bit hard to understand, but the beats and the lyrics remind me of the end of spring when school is wrapping up.”

Some students recommended well-loved spring classics. Songs from Western artists like “April Showers” and Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” were common suggestions, as well as songs commonly associated with spring here in Korea.

“I think arguably the most representative spring song among Korean students is ‘Cherry Blossom Ending’

by Busker Busker,” said Sally Lee (11). “The lyrics and the instrumentals have a bouncy and flowery vibe, which reminds me of spring flowers.”

Others suggested hidden jukebox gems that may sound new to many SIS students. Jessica Terbrueggen, high school English teacher, suggested a plethora of songs; one of them was “America” by Simone and Garfunkel, which although does not explicitly talk about the season, still encapsulates the hopeful feeling of spring.

“The characters in the song are on a train ride across America, and they are young and they have their whole lives ahead of them. Also, the refrain ‘they

have all come to look for America’ speaks to the ideal American dream and a time in American culture when these ideals were still very palpable,” said Ms. Terbrueggen. “Spring feels like possibilities and new beginnings, and in many ways, the concept of the American dream (even though it is an ideal and not a reality) also represents these same feelings and concepts.”

To end this article, I want to provide a song of my own. Like many of the people I interviewed, spring for me is a bittersweet season; although it makes me feel excited at the prospect of new beginnings, it also reminds me that time is passing beyond my control.

The song “Nan Chun”—which means “chaotic spring” in Korean—by the band SE SO NEON describes the ambivalent feelings I have for the season. Spring, like the title suggests, is chaotic, especially when there are constant challenges like looming deadlines and upcoming AP assessments to worry about. It can sometimes feel like the turbulence will never end. “Nan Chun” encourages the listener to face the chaos, because in reality, it does end.

That concludes the playlist! You can find the complete list of songs at tigertimesonline, Tiger Times’ official Spotify account.

BY: Rosa Suh Junior, Copy Editor

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LITTLE LENS, LARGER ENDS

Not your friendly neighborhood virus: musings from COVID-19 case 7 million On March 14, I celebrated the return to campus after two weeks of online learning with . . . more time at home. The preceding Friday, I had come down with a sore throat accompanied by extreme fatigue, but my COVID-19 self-test had turned out negative; naturally, I attributed the symptoms to byproducts of the usual academic stress. Yet the following day, I experienced abrupt bouts of coughing, difficulty breathing, and even heart palpitations. This time, my self-test result showed me two lines—and my subsequent PCR test came back positive as well.

Based on what I had heard about the experiences of other teenagers who had previously contracted COVID-19, I had expected that the pandemic disease would hardly feel different from a common cold. The week of March 14 could not have left me more unpleasantly surprised.

The breathing issues, heart palpitations, and fatigue soon escalated to the point that I found I could not do much of anything other than lie in bed. The next week, in the few classes I attempted to attend online, I noticed a trifling 20 minutes of concentration would almost seem to activate a signaling pathway in my brain that

The Seeds of Korea:

culminated in a scorching thirst for sleep. But sleep did not bring comfort, either; one night I woke up shivering and trembling violently, and my inability to control my body for the next half-hour had me genuinely fearing for my life for the first time.

It is not incorrect that contracting the virus is less dangerous and worrisome for youth in general: young people are at a reduced risk of hospitalization or death due to COVID-19. However, compared to the early stages of the pandemic, the virus has now come to affect young people at a higher rate, and though they are less likely than other age groups to die from COVID-19, it is certainly more than possible.

With the current spike in cases in Korea, COVID-19 has become less of a faraway threat and more of a real, tangible phenomenon, as we have directly seen within our school community as well. Though some SIS students have reported that their experiences with COVID-19 have been bearable or even asymptomatic, others (like myself ) have had their expectations subverted.

We have recently passed the two-year anniversary of the pandemic’s commencement, so it is more than natural to feel fed up with the prolonged isolation and

By Skylar Peck

desperate to enjoy our few remaining teenage years that we have not yet lost to COVID-19. Nonetheless, especially in light of the recently skyrocketing cases, we must remember that the virus is a force to be reckoned with.

It will do us well to be better prepared mentally if—or when—it affects us directly.

By Aimee Choi

Kimbap: the ultimate soul food To any Korean familiar with the kitchen, the steps are like second nature: gently place a sheet of dried seaweed on a rectangular bamboo mat, spread a thin layer of rice, stack long slices of any type of meat and vegetables you want, then roll everything up.

For extra presentability, polish the exterior with sesame oil and cut the log into smaller pieces. A procedure so simple yields a meal that is healthy, tasty, and filling all at once.

Kimbap has arguably been the ultimate soul food since the late 1900s. The appeal is clear. The only required ingredients are dried seaweed and rice, and the rest is all up to our creativity. We can eat it sitting at a table, standing up, at a picnic, and even in the car without much inconvenience. Even at school, we spot SIS students walking around with a roll of kimbap in their hands, inviting jealousy from their peers.

As much as it holds endearing value to Koreans, kimbap and its origin have been a consistent source of cultural controversy.

Some claim kimbap is a clear evolution of Japan’s norimaki rolls, or futomaki rolls in particular. Kimbap, in the form that we know, grew commonplace in the 1950s, meaning that it likely spread during the Japanese colonial period. At first glance, the striking similarities between the two foods—rice wrapped in dried seaweed, the use of bamboo mats, and the variety of ingredient fillings—make the connection plausible.

Others are unconvinced. Considering that kimbap consists of ingredients quite different from those in futomaki rolls, uses rice coated in sesame oil rather than vinegar, and is not eaten with soy sauce, many claim the two foods are indeed highly distinct. An alternative theory is that kimbap evolved from bokssam, cooked rice fully wrapped in

layout by Yuzine Yi

dried seaweed, which appeared in a Joseon book in 1819.

The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Food evolves from many different sources, non-linearly. Even if kimbap carries colonial influence from the early 1900s, the unique Koreanness of kimbap does not change.

Like many other Korean soul foods, kimbap has taken countless different forms, some being minimalist and others being extravagantly creative. Chungmu-kimbap, which contains nothing but rice and dried seaweed, is a prime example of the former category. Such simple forms of kimbap are usually paired with spicy side dishes such as kimchi or stir-fried octopus.

Modern brands have demonstrated the opposite. Take Witch Kimbap, the brand of the kimbap SIS students are usually seen eating at school: their menu consists of options ranging from the ordinary tuna kimbap and chili kimbap to the questionable corn dog kimbap.

The possibilities are truly endless. All you have to do is place a certain food—pickled radish, shrimp tempura, pork cutlet, you name it—inside a roll of rice and dried seaweed and name it accordingly. We do not have to be chefs in order to create a delicious roll of kimbap ; for those of you who want to start making your own food but don’t know where to start, kimbap is a great option.

The simultaneous versatility and dependability of kimbap highlight one of the biggest perks of Korean cuisine: you can put together nearly any ingredient and the result can be mouthwatering.

photo of the

month

With fingers gently touching the keys, Leo Byun (10) plays the piano in the atrium during activity period.

Photo by John Kim