Tiger Times Volume 39 Issue 5

volume X X XIX

december 2011

issue 5

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

HFH provides aid overseas

KAIAC league may split

By Stephanie Yi

By Min Ji Suh

According to its website, Habitat for Humanity’s (HFH) mission is to create “a world where everyone has a decent place to live”. In order to fulfill this mission, seven SIS HFH members traveled to China on Nov. 25-27 and cooperated with American International School of Guangzhou (AISG) students to build homes for Shuiweidong Village inhabitants.

During the 3-day trip, students dedicated thei time to different activities, ranging from constructing new foundations for houses to improving farming conditions for villagers.

“We did road repairs, dug ditches for the foundations and helped to pour cement for the construction,” said Allan Algar, eighth grade teacher and supervisor of the trip. “We also moved bricks, built walls and helped the elderly with some of their farming [as well as] weeding around their shrubs and orchards.”

HFH has been organizing international trips since last year, when it was first established as a club. This year’s visit to China allowed students to learn how to become directly involved in the process of construction, a learning experience not yet fully available in Korea.

“In Korea, because we have no full rights over the homes, contractors tell us what we can and cannot do, preventing us from really remodeling the structure of the buildings and the homes,” said Annette Hong (10). “[But in] this year’s trip to China, I was more involved in the process of building and helping out the entire village rather than just making the finishing touches to individual buildings like we do in rural places here.”

Despite the absence of former HFH adviser, Donna Spisso, who organized last year’s trip, HFH members continued to keep in touch with the AISG students and were able to organize this year’s trip. The community service trip also brought students from both schools closer together through their common goal to help poorer communities.

“Over the course of three days, we spent so much time with [the AISG students], and I was able to make a lot of friends,” said Kelly Cho (10). “The SIS community got a little bit closer overall [as well], and it was a time I felt we were really making a difference in people’s lives.”

Photo by Stephanie Song

Reading “Hooway for Wodney Wat” by Helen Lester out loud, Kayoung Lee (12) teaches students about bullying in Manon Harrison’s classroom on Nov. 28 during the second annual Bullying Awareness Week.

Second annual Bullying Awareness Week focuses on responsibilities of individuals

By Joanne Lee

S

tudents found the words, look, listen and care, printed on giant banners that hung from the school’s front steps and atrium in light of Bullying Awareness Week.

Nationally recognized throughout schools in North America since 2003, Bullying Awareness Week was celebrated at SIS for the second time from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. This year’s theme focused on how individuals can make a difference by combatting bullying and apathy within the student body.

“Students experience a sense of powerlessness in such an academically-driven environment,” said Gray Macklin, the week’s organizer and counselor. “Bullying Awareness Week helps counter these negative feelings. It reminds students that they are independent and have the power to make a difference.”

This year’s Bullying Awareness Week was a decentralized effort. It was not headed by a single group, so students and clubs were only encouraged to contribute to the campaign. Connie Yoon (11) designed the banners while work-study students read books on bullying aloud to elementary school students. Rath-

“Oops!”: What do prospective candidates’ mistakes say about the US’s future? Page 2

er than give a drama performance like last year, the Cinema Club filmed public service announcement videos, which were sent to teachers and shown in their classes.

“We took on a lot of different bullying [issues],” said Ju Hohn Lee (12), Cinema Club co-president.

“For example, while some of us filmed the cliché [scenario of an] upperclassmen bullying underclassmen for money, [Justin Kim (11)] directed an advertisement on cyber bullying. We tried to make advertisements that would both impress and relate to each and every individual in the audience as much as possible.”

The week also featured a High School Student Council (HSSC) Leadership Panel Discussion in social studies teacher Shanna Hurt’s room on Nov. 29. Three guest speakers, seniors Jasmine Park, Sabina An and Eunice Lee, spoke not only on bullying but also on building leadership and fighting student apathy.

“There was this misconception that the panel was purely about bullying,” said Sabina. “I was chosen to speak because I am currently leading UNICEF, which is the largest community service club at our school with 56 members. I focused on how UNICEF works together and helps the school. There is a variety of personalities from each grade, and we

Symphony: Music department introduces changes to annual winter concert. Page 3

make sure the underclassmen can approach us freely with their ideas.

Because of this diversity and openness, everyone participates and contributes.”

Though Bullying Awareness Week included several events, it had lower turnouts than other schoolsponsored events such as Science Week. The student body complained that this lack of participation was due to the insufficient advertisement by the administration.

“Bullying Awareness Week seemed really out-of-the-blue because none of our teachers had even mentioned it before,” said Lina Chang (11). “I was walking up the front steps and suddenly noticed the huge Bullying Awareness Week banner. The only other information I got was from the Daily Bulletin. I think that’s why no one really knew about the events that were going on. around the school.”

Despite this general lack of participation by the student body, the goal of the week was achieved, according to Mr. Macklin.

“The idea behind the whole thing is not the week itself but really trying to get people to openly think and talk about the issue,” said Mr. Macklin. “It’s a good opportunity to bring awareness. [Bullying] is a problem here, but it has also been getting better.”

With nine teams participating in KAIAC Division I, each playing a total of 14 games per season, students often miss class and stay up all night doing homework after games. To avoid hindering athletes’ academic performance, the KAIAC board is considering the idea of dividing the league into three divisions and reducing the number of teams participating in each, consequently decreasing the number of games.

“Currently, it is not possible for all [nine] schools in Division I to play with each other, [given] the number of days available,” said Jarret Lambie, high school principal.

“So when the heads of schools met, there was a desire to perhaps realign KAIAC into three divisions so that you’re playing eight to ten games rather than 18 to 20 games.”

Members of the junior varsity boys basketball team, which currently stands undefeated, expressed disappointment at the possibility of having to compete with less challenging teams in Division II. “I hate the possibility of this new change,” said Gary Kim (10), junior varsity basketball player. “This year, we already beat [Osan American High School] and [Yongsan International School of Seoul], by more than 20 points, but my friends tell me that they will be in Division I. Sports are all about challenge. Winning is just as important, but there is no fun when you win against people that are obviously lacking in skill.”

As of now, tennis and swimming have one division. According to Ivan Atanaskovic, activities director, this causes complications because in the fall season, tennis games run simultaneously with volleyball, a multi-division sport.

“It’ll be different but it’ll be manageable,” said Mr. Atanaskovic.

“What we’ll probably [do] is split volleyball and tennis, because if schools in the division that we belong to don’t have tennis teams, then we can’t even have a conference. So, [buses] could just depart at the same times but to different destinations.”

At the same time, the administration stressed that any changes are merely possibilities and have yet to be confirmed.

“Until we have a decision, we shouldn’t be concerned,” said Mr. Atanaskovic. “Academics are our main focus. We are trying to do what is best in the students’ interest, which is our only goal.”

Multitalented: Junior bassist, guitarist and drummer showcases his talents. Page 6

VIEWPOINT 2

DECEMBER 2011

Criticisms of lackluster 2012 presidential campaign justified

By Yong Gun Choe

When asked to recall one of the three federal agencies he wanted to eliminate during the November Republican presidential debate, Texas governor Rick Perry answered, “I can’t remember the third one, oops”—not a response one would expect from a presidential candidate.

During the months leading up to the 2012 presidential elections, numerous nominees have made blunders that suggest their incompetency. Apart from Rick Perry, Herman Cain has also been under fire for his failure to thoughtfully respond to questions about his views on President Barack Obama’s foreign policies regarding Libya.

In fact, Cain announced on Dec. 2 that he is no longer running for the presidency due to the recent sexual scandals that he was charged with.

The overall weaknesses of these candidates call into question the legitimacy of America’s future executive government.

Media and social networking sites have actively derided and satirized the candidates, further provoking the public disapproval. For example Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, made a parody video mocking Rick Perry’s inexperience in politics and speech. Stewart frequently made funny impressions of Perry in his “Oops” moment, suggesting how the presidential campaign is like a circus. Even though these insults may seem disrespectful to the candidates, such affronts are legitimate because none of the Republican candidates has been convincing enough to earn the public’s respect.

It is hard to imagine such incompetent candidates running for

the same presidency that charismatic leaders such as John Kennedy had once run for. If inept candidates do ascend to the presidency, it would strike a suffering blow to not just Americans but also the rest of the world—strong leadership is key to a country like the US, which has a vast influence on global affairs, and poorly made decisions are too much of a risk to take.

It is becoming more evident that the country needs an effective leader who can shrewdly handle crises such as the economic recession, Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement. For example, the ongoing recession was triggered by former President George W. Bush’s myopic descision to spend astronomical amounts of money on national defense. Had Bush been an insightful president, he would have focused on paying off the national debt instead of raising the debt surplus by buying weapons for the Iraq War. Given the recent international crises that have arisen, the US cannot risk suffering from another poor decision.

The nation needs to a president who is intelligent enough to deftly solve these issues and make careful decisions.

Criticisms of the 2012 presidential candidates are perfectly justified. None of the Republican candidates have distinguished themselves as candidates who would be able to effectively handle political and worldwide issues. If candidates continuously show incompetence, the American public will start to lose respect and interest for the government, just like what happened after President Nixon and the Watergate incident. Until candidates strive hard to deserve the voters’ respect, disapproval towards presidential candidates is rightfully accounted for because the presidency is some-

Editorial In Korea, numbers matter, especially when it comes to academics: Korean high school students must repeat their entire senior years if their College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) scores do not suffice for college admission, and class ranks are often posted on bulletin boards for everyone to see.

This emphasis on numbers is also present at SIS, where students strive to reach that 94 percent or 2300 mark on their SATs. While the competitive nature of Korean society has given birth to a generation of highly overachieving, grade-obsessed students, the school’s grading system should also be revised to reduce this pressure and place a greater emphasis on learning and understanding over “scoring”.

Under the current grading system, all assignments are evaluated with numbers. This system both condones and facilitates Korean

parents’ and students’ obsession with grades, diminishing the importance of the processes that lie behind the numbers.

Evaluating students’ performance with just numbers makes it difficult for teachers to take both effort and knowledge into consideration. Students argue that effort is subjective, and thus cannot be quantified or justified. Likewise, number grades are often not accurate indicators of knowledge due to other factors such as cheating.

At the core of this grading system is the importance of giving students the chance to reflect and improve. For example, having students write multiple drafts and peer edit each other’s work before turning in their final drafts is more effective than skipping these intermediate steps and just having them turn in final drafts. This processes—self and peer assessment—help

relieve the stress of having to be “perfect” on the first try.

Not only will this help students reflect on their performance in school, but it will also encourage closer interaction with teachers.

Students must learn to value feedback from their teachers and view them as mentors, not as graders.

Besides, this is the prevalent environment at most colleges in the US, which is where most SIS students are headed to. Classes are feedbackand discussion-based and grades are largely based on one exam taken at the end of each semester.

The irony of the current grading system lies in that while it places a significant amount of importance on numbers, the numbers do not say anything beyond a mere percentage. It is imperative that both students and teachers are aware that scores are meaningless without feedback.

Additional rehearsals benefit, not burden, students

By Helen Song

A group of frustrated students groan and grumble as they grudgingly walk to their second music rehearsal of the week. Multiple ensembles have been required to attend practices in addition to their regular classes. Although students complain, a large number of them even neglecting to practice individually, these extra rehearsals have proven necessary.

In addition to the regular Thursday afterschool practices, the High School Orchestra (HSO) held two extra rehearsals on Monday afterschool and once during Parent Teacher Conferences. These practices were needed to make up for rehearsals missed on days with no school and prepare the orchestra for the KAIAC Festival on Nov. 1, in

which SIS won first place, despite it being early in the year. Nevertheless, they could have been avoided if students had practiced and perfected their parts.

Students have complained about these rehearsals because many of them felt they were unfair.

This complaint is reasonable, as most students have multiple commitments and are unable to go to irregular practices. These rehearsals were also announced only a few days in advance, often only via email, giving students little time to change their schedules. This caused many conflicts for athletes and students involved in other afterschool activities.

These practices were essential, however, because the actual class rehearsals were often spent on fixing the parts of individual sections.

The reason for practicing altogether

is to work on group sound and balance. This cannot be fulfilled if students do not have their portion polished and ready for the rehearsal, defeating the purpose of the entire orchestra meeting as a group.

When students signed up for HSO at the beginning of the year, they were committing to regular hours of practice. When this basic requirement is not met, the need for extra practices arises. Instead of having these additional rehearsals, members of the ensemble should be perfecting their parts independently. Only then will they be able to perform well with others, and the purpose of rehearsals will only be to fix group harmony, not individual notes. Taking this initiative to practice individually would render these extra rehearsals unnecessary and allow directors to effectively use regular class time.

ASH for athletes fairly distributed by athletics department

By Joshua Kim

Athletic Service Hours (ASH) have always been part of the Life Sports curriculum. These mandatory hours require students to invest at least ten hours of volunteer time into the athletics department. Athletes who participate in varsity or junior varsity teams get an automatic five hours per semester as a reward for their commitment to extracurricular sports.

What often comes into question, however, is whether five hours is enough to reward these athletes for their efforts. For example, one day of refereeing at a middle school jamboree can get a student two to three hours more than a varsity athEditors-in-Chief Stella Kim Eunice Lee

Managing Editor Lydia Kim

Production Editor Jasmine Park

Graphics Editor Stephanie Song

Copy Editors

Alison Chang Angela Cho Elizabeth Song

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

lete who dedicates nearly an entire semester practicing and playing games as representatives of SIS. The reason for this discrepancy is the athletic department’s main motive behind giving athletes five hours—these five hours are not necessarily a reward for athletes’ services to the school. Students are required to try out to earn spots on varsity or junior varsity teams, and hence representing the school is a privilege, not a service; a voluntary decision to dedicate oneself to a team does not mean the athletics department is suddenly indebted to the student.

Athletes must remember that their participating in a school team is making the choice to commit, and Marketing Director Jeffrey Chun

Cartoonist Christine Lee

Photographers

Joshua Kim Linda Heeyoung Park Jessica Song

not to receive credit. Other voluntary clubs such as Mu Alpha Theta do not “award” their members for time spent working on respective club activities for the same reasons; students volunteered to be a part of

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

Cartoon by Christine Lee

these organizations in the first place, and so should not expect to be rewarded for doing what the club requires of them.

Rather, the five hours athletes receive is compensation for the time

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

they have to spend outside of school playing games and attending tournaments, which cuts away from the time they can spend fulfilling their ASH requirements. By the time a season ends, students are left with less than half of the ASH opportunities, something that puts athletes at a clear disadvantage.

In the end, even though there is a discrepancy between hours “served” and hours given, students must remember that athletic participation is voluntary. The five hours were never intended to represent the amount of time invested in representing the school; that much dedication was expected when a privileged few were chosen to play for SIS.

The Tiger Times exercises the right to report on and editorialize all topics, events or issues, including those unpopular or controversial, insofar as they affect or interest the school, community, nation and world. We refrain from publishing material that advertises illegal products or services, is obscene, libelous or invades privacy. We refrain from publishing material that creates a clear and present danger or the immediate material and substantial physical disruption of the school.

NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS Cinema Club helps promote event weeks

Courtesy of Ju Hohn Lee

Before the filming of his movie “The Fourth Wall”, Ju Hohn Lee (12) tries to memorize his lines.

Within the span of two weeks, the Cinema Club made promotion videos for both Science Week and Bullying Awareness Week.

Through this opportunity, teacers and club leaders have realized that they can turn to the Cinema Club to promote various school events.

“From what I’ve heard so far, the responses were really good,” said Ju Hohn Lee (12), Cinema Club president. “Although I have been getting more proposals lately, I couldn’t really respond to them well because I was busy with college applications but after that I’m willing to do more if it can make Cinema Club more known to the general population.”

Facebook develops smartphone Although it has yet to announce a release date, Facebook plans to launch a smartphone to directly give Facebook users direct service. The purpose of this phone is to bring in-depth and “powerful” social experiences to more people around the world, but students did not respond positively.

“Even though Facebook has joined hands with [HTC, an electronics company that makes smartphones], the fact that there might be a ‘Facebook Phone’ is probably just to boost interest and potential buyer because of its name.” said John Kim (12). “A Galaxy S or an iPhone can as easily interact people with Facebook application and so what difference will this make? It is technically another HTC phone.”

Students and local business host bazaar for Thailand Ten SIS students and companies such as Samyang Food held a bazaar at Banyan Tree on Nov. 19 where they sold goods such as ramen, hand cream and bread.

The Youth Philanthropy Network, made by Jeffrey Chun (11), plans to donate all these proceeds to the flood victims of Thailand.

“A lot of people in the hotel came and bought stuff and the hotel helped us a lot by promoting the bazaar at the front of the hotel, and providing a silent auction for a massage session, a room and a brunch ticket,” said Katie Han (11). “And what was really surprising was that the Ambassador from Thailand was interested in what we were doing to help the flood victims and so she gave us candies and pencil cases from Thailand to help us out.”

By Jason Huh

3

DECEMBER 2011

Music department changes to diversify program

By Michelle Kim

The last movement of Vivaldi’s 12-part song “Gloria”, “Cum Sancto Spiritu”, resonated in the basement after school each Wednesday since November. Yet in addition to singing, one can hear students playing instruments. This harmony is created by the Ambassadors and a chamber orchestra consisting of eight players, who performed together for the first time.

The weekly meetings are in preparation for both the winter concert and a performance at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Dec. 8 and 9, respectively. The opportunity to perform at the hotel was obtained by Irene Photo by Stephanie Song De Shazo, Director of Admissions.

During the winter concert, the Ambassadors Choir sings “Angels We This performance marks the AmHave Heard on High” under the direction of Dennis Darling on Dec. 8. bassadors’ first performance outside songs gave the most contrast. And ferently than before. Rather than of school. Dennis Darling, choral nine is very short, so it does not go have one group perform all of their director, decided to have the Amon too long.” songs at once before taking their bassadors perform movements one, The music department also leave, all eight performing groups nine, and 12 from Vivaldi’s “Gloria”, made changes to the staging of the took turns playing their respective which are “Gloria”, “Qui Tollis Pecwinter concert performances. For pieces at different intervals. cata Mundi” and “Cum Sancto Spirexample, rather than singing on the “What we have is all kinds itu”, respectively. risers, the Ladies Choir and SIS Men of things going on; there is no “The first movement was choperformed at the back of the audi- dead time,” said Kris Richardson, sen because it is the most welltorium. In addition, instrumental- high school orchestra conductor. known movement, and it is a ists such as flutist Kayoung Lee (12) “Things are constantly happening wonderful piece that every choral were encouraged to try playing in- everywhere. It is boring and takes a student should know,” said Dr. Darstruments different from their own. lot of time to have all eight performling. “The reason for one, nine and For instance, Kayoung had briefly ing groups move in and out of the 12 is because, in baroque tradition, played the piccolo for a number of auditorium and set up. We will start if you do three movements, you do a songs. The concert was also run dif- with a prelude and have groups perfast, slow and fast song. These three

CSC Korean artifact fundraiser brings holiday spirit to teachers

By Christine Lee

With the winter holidays coming in the next week, the Community Service Club (CSC) has started to feel the Christmas spirit of giving. It launched its annual Korean artifact fundraiser on Dec. 5. However, unlike the last two years, it gained more popularity amongst teachers than previous years due to its unique purpose of spreading Korean culture.

“What we did in the fundraiser is that we bookmarked tons of items from a website that sells cool Korean products and then sold them to teachers,” said David Cho (10), CSC member. “I knew that this year [the fundraiser] would be a good one because there were a lot of new teachers who are interested in Korea and its culture.”

Lyuh Kim (12), CSC president, first came up with this idea in her sophomore year when Donna Spisso, former SIS teacher, asked her what she should get as gifts from Korea for her family members in America.

“When Ms. Spisso asked me for recommendations [for presents] I thought that maybe we could turn this into something profitable [for our club],” said Lyuh. “I then started researching websites where we could buy such products and help people at the same time, which is how I found the Shop of Korea website.”

The Shop of Korea is the store from which CSC buys its products for the Korean artifact fundraiser.

The company employs disabled Koreans and gives 80 percent of its profit to the workers. The remaining 20 percent goes to other charitable organizations like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

CSC sells these products at relatively the same price as they were bought and gives teachers a variety of products to choose from such as key chains, post-its and memo holders.

Teachers found this event helpful and convenient because students provided them with local Korean products that they would otherwise have had to travel to places like Itaewon or Insa-dong in order to purchase. “[This fundraiser] was definitely helpful because with everyone busy with finals and the weather getting cold, it gives us [teachers] a chance to shop at home on the Internet which is something we can’t necessarily do here in Korea,” said Erin Hogshead, English teacher.

CSC saw this function as an opportunity to increase awareness about the club. The club focuses on the local community and involves mostly CSC members so Lyuh hopes that this fundraiser and other future events will help increase the club’s presence in the school.

“I want to change CSC,” said Lyuh. “Ms. Hogshead was the CSC adviser in her previous school and this year we’re going to be doing a lot of cool events, so I hope that people will participate as much as they do in UNICEF or Habitat for Humanity events.”

form at different intervals in different parts of the auditorium. This will make the concert more interesting.”

Dr. Darling also arranged for the SIS Men, Ladies Choir, Ambassadors and Concert Choir to sing “Personent Hodie”, a Latin carol, together. They practiced their respective parts separately and rehearsed together after school on Dec. 6.

“I thought it would be difficult to enter the auditorium and go to our places because we’ve never done anything that involves all the choir groups in the past, but Dr. Darling sorted everything out,” said Nari Rhee (12), Ambassadors soprano.

Through all of these changes, the music department hoped to encourage students to be more engaged in music programs offered at SIS and explore using and singing different instruments and songs. By doing so, the music department will expand and have diversity in its programs.

“We want the kids in this school to be more involved,” said Mr. Richardson. “It will also make the ensemble better. An ensemble will not sound good if all instruments are not exceptional. One exceptional player will not make the ensemble sound good; it will only make them sound good. Through these changes, too, students will be more enthusiastic about music. and have more to say about their involvement in music.”

ZEITGEIST Robots to patrol prisons starting next year Back in 2004 when the film “I, Robot” was released, the prospect of robots performing chores for their human masters was still quite far-fetched. Almost every character in the film owned a “robot servant” of his or her own, but this was nothing more than fiction at that time. However, now, the use of robots to carry out human tasks is slowly becoming a reality in South Korea, as the government plans on replacing jail watchmen with automatons.

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Asian Forum for Corrections (AFC) will invest one billion won in a project to develop four-wheeled security robots that will make night rounds, watching for “abnormal behavior” such as suicide attempts or physical attacks.

“I think that [the use of the robots] will be good at night because robots don’t get tired, but there will be [disadvantages] because robots are not as intelligent as humans,” said Eugene Yang (9). “They are programmed to do certain things but cannot think on their own. So I don’t think the change will be a very big improvement.”

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute and other robot manufacturing companies will make three robots by next March. The mechanical

turnkeys will be equipped with surveillance cameras as well as microphones and speakers to allow communication between prisoners and guards. Roughly 150 centimeters tall and 70-80 kilograms heavy, each robot will also be able to speak a few sentences so that it can report unusual happenings to the central control facility.

Upon completion, the robots will be sent to a prison in Pohang for a one-month trial. The Ministry of Justice will then decide whether or not they will be used in other jails.

According to AFC chairman Baik-chul Lee, the change will not only enable human jailers to focus on more difficult problems, such as rehabilitation work and counseling, but will also ensure better safety in prisons. Even though Jason Han (11) is skeptical of Mr. Lee’s prediction, he commends the government’s attempts to better the prison system.

“It’s not like prisons will become much safer all of a sudden just because the government starts using robot [patrols],” said Jason Han (11). “But the government is making an effort to bring change to prisons, and the trials might actually even show positive results.

Until then, people should wait and see [whether] the robots will prove to be [effective].”

By Elizabeth Song

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ADDICTION : -

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GAMING REFLECTS UNIQUE CHARACTERSITICS O

By Alison Chang

Millions waited in anticipation of the newest video game Skyrim, which sold 3.5 million copies in just 48 hours. The constant evolution and improvement of these games have continued to intrigue enthusiasts all over the globe. Though video games have become popular worldwide, gaming has become an especially integral part of Korean society.

The collectivist nature of Korean society can explain Koreans’ preference of online games— in which players compete with and attempt to defeat other opponents—over personal video games, which are more popular in countries

such as Japan and the United States that value individualism.

“Online games aren’t seen as a group activity in the States,” said Damon Six, psychology teacher. “Games aren’t really a mainstream activity in America, where there is a greater sense of individualism. In a collectivist society like Korea, interaction is more important, which is why we can see people bonding over games.”

The widespread popularity of online games in Korea led to the outgrowth of PC rooms, where individuals pay to gain faster access to games. As of today, there are over 30,000 of these rooms nationwide. This trend began mainly as a result of the sweeping popularity of the game StarCraft, which was introduced to Korea in 1988. In

addition to facilitating the access to computers, PC rooms offer a social environment that allows for interaction between gamers, which reflects the interactive values of Korean society.

“PC rooms are great because you get to play games with your friends near you, and that increases the competitiveness that makes online games so fun,” said Minho Song (11). “When [my friends and I] go to PC rooms, there’s an additional social factor involved that goes beyond just the purpose of playing games.”

The gaming industry also has a significant impact on Korea’s national economy. In 2008, Korea’s video game industry generated over 1.8 billion dollars, a number that will most likely continue to rise due to government subsidiza-

Layout & Graphics by Joanne Lee

VIDEO GAMING ADDICTION BLURS THIN LINE BETWEEN REALITY AND FICTION

By Jessica Song

During the week before her final exams in junior year, Meg Kim (12) played Tetris Battle for 12 consecutive hours every day. Whenever she looked at her exam study guide, the words became blocks and she started to fit the pieces together. This is known as the Tetris effect, a common sign of game addiction.

Like Meg, gamers who are exposed to continuous and long hours of game play may become unable to properly distinguish between reality and the virtual world. In roleplaying games (RPGs), gamers may become attached to their virtual identities because they assume the roles of their characters by developing and making decisions for them.

“I play at least 10 hours every

week,” said Jiho Kim (10). “For RPG games, a certain amount of dedication is important to train your character. Also, since there are a lot of other people playing as well, I play with them and chat with them too.”

In South Korea, gaming companies lure customers into buying their products by making the graphics of their games visually appealing. In addition, in-game shops that allow gamers to buy virtual goods such as avatar attire and digital pets may make gamers more obsessed—they would want to add more items to their inventories and change their avatars’ appearances.

“As I got more addicted to Maple Story, I wanted to change my character because I didn’t want it to look the same as the other characters,” said Jason Lee (11). “I spent real money to decorate and buy weapons for my character and

noticed that I used around [one million won] in the game.”

As gamers dedicate significant amounts of their time to improving their characters’ skills and modifying their appearances, some may lose sense of their real identities.

Gamers like Jason see no problem in spending real money on fictional characters because they consider these virtual beings as projections of themselves.

Even though Tetris is not a RPG, Robert Stickgold at Harvard Medical School has found that some addicts suffer so severely from the Tetris effect that they even dream of the game in their sleep. In Mr. Stickgold’s experiment, more than 60 percent of the 17 people who played Tetris dreamed about the game later that day.

More extreme forms of addiction can affect gamers’ lives on a bigger scale. In 2009, a Japanese

man who goes by the username Sal9000 married virtual character Nene Anegasaki in a Nintendo DS game called LovePlus after they “met” in September that year. He took her to Disneyland, a Guam beach resort and around the streets of Tokyo. He streamed their wedding ceremony live online on a popular Japanese video site Nico Nico Douga for his real-life and computer friends. The man had no problem marrying a fictional character because he identified himself as his own game character.

“This guy has the game addiction disease,” said Gray Macklin, high school counselor. “He has lost touch with reality. People who play games need to apply what exists [in those games] into real life. They need to get over the fear of uncertainty and pull their characters into real life where they can find more courage and opportunities in life.”

OF KOREAN SOCIETY AND CULTURE tion. Former president Dae Jung Kim and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism tried to stimulate Korea’s electronics industry by lifting the ban on video games in 1988 and developing a Korean Game Development Institute, which offers low-interest loans and marketing support to private game companies.

“In 1988, democracy became a reality and with that came more freedoms,” said Mr. Six. “People were exposed to cultural influences from America and Japan, which were already developed countries. Not only was Korea trying to develop economically, but the people were [also] looking for ways to express their newfound freedom.”

With support from the government, these

companies have expanded their operations. Today, video gaming is considered a professional occupation in Korea, and pro-gamers garner high publicity for their achievements. Sponsors spend about 1.5 billion won annually to support gamers, some of whom are paid an average of 100 million won a year, which is more than the average 71 million won Korean professional baseball players earn. There also are television channels that solely broadcast Starcraft competitions between pro-gamers.

“Korea is a pretty advanced, digital society,” said Minho. “With companies like Samsung and LG becoming more prominent now on a worldwide scale, there is a greater public demand for these electronic items and products. Korea

prides itself in its electronics, and I think the media feeds on the public’s likes and fosters that competitive spirit.”

This competitive spirit may be one of the main reasons online games have great appeal in Korea. Competition exists not only in business but in school as well, and games serve as a stress reliever. “[People get] stress from school, stress from work, stress from dysfunctional relationships,” said Dennis Park (12). “Koreans take life very seriously and games provide a way of escapism from difficulties through the virtual realities we move our character in. We’re rarely satisfied by our own accomplishments so we try to fulfill this in another world.”

LIFESTYLE 6

DECEMBER 2011

The World at the Tip of My Tongue Look At Me for a swell burger

By Marcus Lee

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

At Tigers Got Talent, Joe Kim (11) improvises his bass guitar performance. Despite technical difficulties, he won first place on Nov. 23.

Junior pursues musical interest

By Lydia Kim

Although Joe Kim (11) won first place at Tigers Got Talent on Nov. 23, he said that the performance was one of his worst. In addition to the malfunctioning of his looping machine, his bass guitar slipped out of his hands in the middle of the song, forcing him to play with the instrument lying on his lap.

He improvised his performance that night, just as he does for all his performances. In fact, if Joe had to characterize his performances in one word, he would describe them as being “impulsive”.

“I unconsciously play new things,” he said. “I don’t even think, ‘I’m going to play something different.’ My fingers just start moving. I don’t think over what I would play beforehand. One time at my old school, I started playing the bass with my teeth. It just happens.”

Joe said that he never plays the same music twice because he wants to keep the performance entertaining for himself and the audience.

“Playing the same thing I did at the audition might have bored the HSSC members,” he said. “The fact that I don’t play the same music twice is also self-satisfying. It shows that my music has variety.”

This natural performance appealed to Tigers Got Talent judge Shanna Hurt, history teacher.

“The equipment didn’t work as planned but Joe was able to rise above that that,” she said. “It takes a lot of courage and talent to keep go-

ing despite technical difficulties and keep the audience involved. Some acts feel prescribed and orchestrated—for example, K-pop music—but he went with the energy of the audience and put himself out there.”

On the night of the Thanksgiving Feast, Joe also played the drums in a band. In addition to the drums and bass, he plays the electric guitar. Of the three instruments, he has played the bass the longest—for three years. He was inspired by bassist Michael “Flea” Balzary of Red Hot Chili Peppers, his favorite band.

“Flea invented a new branch of the slapping technique, which I was attracted to,” said Joe. “That’s what I did at the talent show. In general, I like experimental underground and indie music. They incorporate styles from jazz to heavy metal, which inspires me to expand my ideas for composing music. They use unique melodies, unconventional code progressions, complex chords and different time signatures.”

Joe hopes to compose his own songs, record them and release albums in the near future. Meanwhile, he pursues his musical interests by performing for crowds.

“My most memorable performance was for the opening of a fashion show sponsored by the charity foundation Momentum,” said Joe. “I felt proud that I was doing something I love for a good cause. Café performances are always fun too.

I get paid 10,000 to 20,000 won an hour for playing four or five songs— also simply doing something I love.”

It is noon. Just woke up after another long Friday and find time for a meal in during a brief window of freedom? You are in luck, Apgujeong natives: Look at Me Burger is near you at the heart of Garosu Road, serving up two worthwhile patties. Meet the Ireland Fine Hill and the Cowboy Huk. The most expensive burger on the menu, the Ireland Fine Hill debunks diners’ preconceptions of burgers. As if it were sliced sideways and opened in the middle, the Ireland is served in two buns—one for salad and the other for meat. As such, it demands a more formal approach of forks and knives rather than the two-hand wolfing used

regularly by Big Mac fans. Though unconventional, this allows for more ingredients to pile up on each bun, answering the needs of avid salad eaters and burger lovers alike.

And then there is the burger portion of the burger. Covered in sweet sauce and tanked with a trio of onion rings, another trio of pineapple rings and a tender Hamburg steak sizzled in melted cheese, the burger patty lends itself to the more traditional image of steak. Even so, the Ireland Fine Hill has a lightness to it. Upon finishing the burger, expect a satisfied stomach without the usual stuffiness. With a height around the size of an outstretched index finger, the Ireland Fine Hill

customers should also notice that fitting in a bite involves an ineffective process of picking out the onion rings before cutting into the pineapples and the meat.

If the Ireland Fine Hill is the fresh featherweight, the Cowboy Huck is a class one sumo.

From first sight, the Cowboy Huk is redolent of the ideal American diet—thick, juicy and simple.

Slabs of bacon, a thick steak oozing in grease, huge onion cuts and strong-scented barbeque sauce, the Cowboy Huk spells for delight.

There is no questioning that the Cowboy Huck seems to “fill her up” more in comparison to the Ireland Fine Hill.

What is the “real world” like?

By Linda Heeyoung Park

Stephanie Kwak, class of ’10, attends The Juilliard School and is pursuing her career as a flutist. She recently performed at the Berliner Philharmoniker in Germany.

1. Please describe your experiences at Juilliard.

I had never been at an art school, so doing what really helps me become a better musician is amazing. In Juilliard, you not only play your instrument, but you also get the opportunity to compose pieces, which is amazing as well. I have written fugues, motets, flute-violin-viola-cello quartets and songs for tenors and pianos. You learn music in so much depth. At the same time, being a musician in New York, specifically at Juilliard, is a very lonesome path to walk.

2. How did you start playing the flute? How did you pursue your interest?

Frankly, I never wanted to play the flute because I wasn’t interested in becoming a musician. But then, the principal of Berliner Symphoniker came to Korea for a music festival when I was 12, and told me that if I was not going to become a musician, I should give my talent to those who want to become instrumentalists. Then, I started to see the world through the eyes of a musician.

3. How do you feel when you stand on stage before performances?

These days, it is a little different than how it used to be. I get a little nervous 10 minutes beforehand, but that’s all good because if you are nervous, you focus more. When you get on stage, you have to immediately get into your bubble of music. Focusing on every single note, breath and phrasing is what you should do as soon as you get on stage after you bow. Who cares who’s there in the audience?

4. I heard you are performing in Berlin. How do you get the chance to perform with such ensembles?

I was tremendously lucky—usually, nobody gets to play at that hall. Nobody here has gotten to play there yet either. It is the best hall so far because this hall is that of the Berliner Philharmoniker, one of the best orchestras in Europe. There originally was a trio concerto, which fell apart three weeks before the concert. They auditioned for a substitute, and I made it through and earned the opportunity to play there.

5. Is this the lifestyle that you dreamt of in high school?

No, this is better than what I dreamed of. I like being alone. Not that I don’t go to parties or anything here, but when you are alone, you get a lot of things done and you become creative with everything. In high school, I probably wanted an easy-going flute player’s life in New York City, but reality is completely different from what I had expected, and I love being who I am right now. Some of my friends here jokingly say I am an “inaccessible woman”, but that’s fine.

Academic social websites find their networks at SIS

By Jonathan Yun

In a world in which the Internet dominates daily lives, many people find social networking websites to be one of the most effective and efficient ways of keeping in touch with others. With the rising popularity of private domains owned by teachers, the technology department has decided to persuade teachers to use Moodle, a social networking site for schools, starting next fall.

The technology department encourages teachers to create web-

sites under the same domain. It strongly suggested Moodle, a free web application that teachers can use to create a virtual learning environment. While other websites, including Weebly and Wikispaces, do allow educators to generate online classrooms to post extra classroom resources, they lack the many functions that Moodle offers, such as unlimited storage space.

According to Bob Havens, technology director, if teachers and administrators come to a consensus on using Moodle, all high school teach-

ers will be required to utilize it.

Though Moodle offers functions such as a grade book and student information system (SIS), Moodle will not replace PowerSchool. Instead, it will be seen as a replacement for the previously used Edline, which differs from PowerSchool in that Edline can be customized like a webpage. Mr. Havens also noted that adopting Moodle will be an economical decision: the technology department will save up to 7 million won that it used to pay for the Edline software.

Like Moodle, Edmodo is a social networking website developed for educational purposes. Edmodo is currently utilized by all middle school teachers. Through Edmodo, teachers can assign homework and post grades while students can submit their homework online. Caitlin Lopez, ceramics teacher, is the only teacher in the high school faculty who uses Edmodo. “[Edmodo] allows me to explain homework and answer [questions about homework] easily,” said Ms. Lopez. “And it lets me share links,

which I like. Especially with the ceramics students, I can share ceramic artists’ websites and Youtube videos that I think are interesting.”

Students in ceramics class have praised the website for making the assignment procedures more efficient and improving student-teacher relationships.

“I think [Edmodo] will be a revolutionary program at schools,” said Katherine Bae (11). “It allows me to view and submit assignments quickly. But more than that, I feel as if Ms. Lopez and I are getting closer.”

DECEMBER 2011

Basketball fans express relief as NBA lockout ends with consensus

By Jeffrey Chun

After a 149-day lockout, the National Basketball Association (NBA) league renewed the terms on Nov. 26, as the NBA players and team owners negotiated the contractual issues. Although NBA fans were both nervous and disappointed about the 2011-12 season’s delay, they were excited about the end of the lockout, anticipating a shortened 66-game regular season.

“Usually, there is a countdown clock on the NBA website before every season,” said Seung Yun (11). “In July and June, I usually check NBA. com everyday to see updates before the season. This year, when I read about the lockout, I was really saddened. I was worried that [I might not be able to watch] NBA highlights every night.”

As the lockout ended in favor of the owners, students debated who was responsible for the delay. Some, including Isaac Kim (10), placed the blame on the players because they believe the players should have put less emphasis on money. The conflict would have ended fast had they been truly passionate about playing basketball.

7

SPORTS

Sports Photo of the Month

“I really admired all NBA play- less recognized players do not. They ers, especially Lebron James,” said still get paid millions [of dollars] per Isaac. “It’s not that I don’t look up year, but [people should understand to them anymore, but I wish they that] they have a very short career could just play basketball instead of plan.” arguing over money. They are my Leaving the controversy berole models, but the fact that [the] hind, NBA fans are no longer enmoney issue made them reluctant gaged in heated debate over who is to play is kind of to blame for the disappointing to I feel as if I’ve been prolonged lockme.” out. They are just reborn. I want to jump glad that the seaOn the other hand, son has not been up and down the Kirk Kim (12), cancelled.

Alex streets of Korea and a self-confessed Son (10), who had start telling [basket“basketball mabeen frustrated nia,” who spends with the lockout, ball fans] to watch the more than an now look forward NBA and that the lock- to the 2011-12 seahour a day reading about NBA, son. out’s over,” said Alex find the team “I felt like Son (10). owners responall had been lost sible, more so when the lockout than the players. He believes that had started,” said Alex. “Watching the players were willing to negoti- highlights from NBA games was one ate their contracts with reasonable of the few comforts in my life and, terms from the beginning of the suddenly, Poof! It was gone. Howlockout. ever, now that the lockout is over, I “Obviously, the owners are at feel as if I’ve been reborn. I want to fault,” said Kirk. “I think it is their jump up and down the streets of Kogreed cause this whole lockout. rea and start telling [the basketball Even though superstars make a lot fans] to watch the NBA and that the of money, bench players and other lockout’s over.”

“

Photo by Linda Heeyoung Park

Leaping past his opponents, Kirk Kim (12) scores a point. On Dec. 2, the Tigers beat the GSIS varsity boys basketball team 48-46 in an overtime home game.

Hapkido teaches sophomore mental and physical discipline

By Mark Kim

Panting hard after engaging in a series of flips and jumps, Taejin Kim (10) grits his teeth as he prepares to do the routine again. Taejin holds a third-degree black belt in hapkido, a Korean martial art that emphasizes self-defense through kicks, punches, joint locks and other techniques. “[Hapkido] gives me my identity and confidence as it really sets me apart from others [who] I know,” said Taejin. “It gives me the time to exercise outside of school sports. It’s pretty hard, but it’s worthwhile.”

For seven years, Taejin has been practicing hapkido five times a week for an hour each day and has won a total of seven medals from break falling and sparring competitions.

These competitions involve landing safely by rolling on the floor after jumping over heights and fighting opponents one on one.

Photo by Joshua Kim

Practicing a series of movements from the Korean martial art hapkido, Taejin Kim (10) continues to prepare for upcoming tournaments.

“I remember winning the gold medal and seeing that my skills had improved a lot, and I was pretty happy,” said Taejin. “For the break

falling competition, the people who I used to think were better than me started to look so easy to beat after [I practiced] like crazy and it felt good

that my efforts had paid off.”

Taejin’s dedication to hapkido has also inspired other students to participate in the sport. Upon seeing a picture of Taejin doing a hapkido stunt, Søren Darling (SK) started hapkido last year to learn self-defense and communicate in Korean with peers of his own age. This year, Rowan Darling (JK) will also start hapkido. “[Hapkido] gives them an appropriate place to express themselves physically, and as boys, that’s important,” said Brenda Darling, math teacher. “At the end of a long school day, where they’ve been sitting and have [had] to do all the things that school requires, it’s good for them to go somewhere where they can be active, and [where] that’s acceptable and looked on as something positive. It will help them with their confidence as well as their physical skills and strengths.”

During practices, Taejin develops a variety of skills such as gymnastics, break falling and sparring.

Apart from improving his physical skills in self-defense, Taejin also learns patience and self-discipline through hapkido. “[Hapkido] is like a daily habit that helps me control my time,” said Taejin. “It’s at a set time so it helps me organize [my] exercising time and it helps me study afterwards.”

Taejin is able to commit much of his time to hapkido because the gym where he practices is right in front of his house. However, according to Taejin, hapkido will have to end when he goes to college.

“The main reason I started was because [the hapkido gym] was near my house, but it influenced me greatly as I came to love sports,” he said. “[I know] that will continue on as I will try new sports when I go to college in the States.”

브라운 스튜디오는 ‘편안함’을 드립니다. 브라운 스튜디오는 ‘즐거움’을 드립니다. 브라운 스튜디오는 고객의 ‘친구’가 되어드립니다.

See you everyday at 9:25 in the Atrium

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SMALL TALK

8 DECEMBER 2011

School improves facility, degrades learning expectations

Photo of the Month

By Angela Cho

The Nay High School administration fully recognizes the importance of prioritizing.

To improve its facilities and remain in the competition with other local high schools, the Board of Education decided to demolish its 30-year-old, dilapidated Lioness Gym 1 (LG1) at the beginning of finals week, revising its original plans to begin construction during winter break.

“We sincerely believe that starting the demolition four days earlier than planned will make a huge difference in making the new gym ready for use more quickly,” said Jim Wolverhampton, vice principal. “As a result of the revised plan, the new gym will be available one day earlier two years later.”

Inadvertently, the administration contradicted its learning expectations, degrading academic integrity instead of promoting it. To accommodate some 500 students in the less spacious Lioness Gym 2 (LG2), the administration decided to arrange the desks with no space between them. As a result, students had an easier time making last attempts to raise their semester grades by violating academic integrity while taking the 90-minute exams.

“Thanks to the smaller gym, I was

able to solve all of my exams with my best friend,” said Louis Howsham (10). “I completed the first half of the exams, while my friend did the second half. As an alternative, another friend stood by the window on the third floor of the gym and showed me the answers through the window.”

In addition to demoting academic integrity, the administration also ignored student athletes’ needs. From January 2012 until the completion of the new gym construction a year later, all sports games will be held as away matches.

“The good deal of travel time to and from other schools will allow me to miss one additional hour of school every game day,” said Ming Dua (11). “And I love the fact that both varsity and junior varsity teams, girls and boys alike, will be practicing in one tiny gym, which will improve the upperclassman-underclassman relations.”

Meanwhile, the school has already completed building botanical gardens to improve the scenery of the school.

“I love how couples here always occupy the gardens,” said John Joe (12).

“These sketchy corners, rendered exclusive to couples, will surely improve our school scenery.”

Cartoon by Angela Cho

Photo by Christine Lee

During the Leadership Discussion Panel on Nov. 29, Sabina An (12) elaborates on a video about engaging people to take action for a cause.