News Briefs
HSSC Freshman council elections
The High School Student Council (HSSC) recently welcomed the new freshman council—Leona Gohde, Michael Jang, Minjoo Kim, Ethan Park, and Jay Yoo—on Sept. 4 after a highly competitive election process. Over the past month, the freshman members attended weekly meetings every Monday and volunteered in the Snack Shack, familiarizing themselves with the activities of the HSSC.
“Because the atmosphere is generally productive with matters taken more seriously, I think there are a lot of responsibilities on the representatives,” Minjoo Kim ’27, HSSC freshman council member, said. “This motivates us to work harder and adopt a better work ethic, which comes as a benefit because that gives us more pride in being an HSSC member and in helping our peers.”
With a long year ahead, the freshman have plenty of opportunities to participate in planning events to make students’ high school experiences more memorable. They have been preparing for the Fall Festival on Nov. 1, gathering necessary materials, designing posters, and sending out surveys for students’ preferences on activities.
Student leader workshop session with NC4RJ
Two members of the National Center for Restorative Justice (NC4RJ) in Seattle visited SIS on Sept. 30, meeting with student leaders and faculty to share insights about various topics: the use of restorative practices in schools, constructive ways to approach conflict resolution, and strategies for being a more effective student leader.
“I think I learned an important lesson in this event because it helped expand my knowledge on the need for society to function well, especially regarding the topic of comfort zones,” David Lee ’27, participant of the student leader workshop session, said. “To do so, I learned an important lesson that it is necessary for us to get out of our comfort zones and mention experiences that are uncomfortable for us to reflect on those experiences and learn from them.”
Throughout the day, the HS student leaders met with the NC4RJ team, engaging in seminars and interactive activities. Upon completing a Google Fwworm, students were designated to participate in hour-long sessions during either office hours to the start of their B2 class, lunch to activity period, or their B4 class for HSSC members.
By: Jason Chung Sophomore, reporter
layout by Minju Chung
TSC hosts SIS’s first Media Day
On Sept. 20, the Tiger Sports Council (TSC) hosted its inaugural Media Day event, celebrating individual and team achievements in SIS athletics. TSC collaborated with the Aperture club and the Media Club during the event to take photos and videos of the fall season’s sports teams and varsity athletes. The executives of the aforementioned clubs hope that Media Day becomes a recurring event that makes the school athletic talent more visible through social media.
“Schools like SFS’s and YISS’s sports councils are very focused and inclusive of athletics unlike SIS which is more focused on academics than sports,” Grace Choi ’25, TSC executive, said. “So, we are trying to develop similarities with them by including more individual photos, rather than team photos, so that we can spotlight specific athletes’ achievements and highlights each game. For TSC, Aperture and Media club we are trying to make some memorable memories for the athletes and since this is a new system for us, we want to try and make this event an opportunity to appreciate the graduating seniors even more.”
During activity period, the tennis teams had their photos taken on the Green Top, while
the Varsity Golf teams waited until after school for theirs.
The Varsity Volleyball and cross country teams went to Tiger Gym 1 and the fitness center to take photos.
Both JV and varsity took team photos, but only varsity members had personalized individual shots taken. They headed to either the recording room and Mr. Desmond’s room (A500) to take photos, using sports-related props like golf clubs to match each team’s theme.
“It was a huge honor to be part of this event,” Raymond Kwon ’27, member of the golf team, said. “It showed how far our golf team had come at SIS. I hope to say that our team’s discipline, friendliness, and
drive was highlighted during media day as golf requires a lot of mental focus rather than huge athleticism, which I think sets us apart from the other fall varsity sports. I am most excited for this media to bring more people to see the dedication and fun we have during our intense golf games with other international schools.”
Following the success of the event, SIS’s team will be able to gain more attention by leveraging social media platforms like Instagram. SIS has previously been unable to attract attention to its athletic talent and engagement due to a lack of media coverage.
Following this iteration, the school expects improve -
ments on the recognition of our athletes’ efforts on and off the court, reinforcing our Tiger Values of being effective communicators and global citizens.
“I believe that the media day will overall help promote the sports community in SIS, allowing sports to become a more approachable topic for many students,” Alex Ko ’27, member of the yearbook, said. We hope to continue media day throughout all sports seasons this year, helping athletes to showcase themselves and their spirit as a team, as well as their individual passion for the sport.
Tiger Films grows club after rebranding
The Tiger Films club, previously known as the Youtube Influencers Club (YIC), has recently been transformed into a new club at SIS, changing the overall club’s purpose. Due to the recent rebranding, their club has become much more active, bringing in 30 new members this school year.
“I learned about Tiger Films during the club fair last month,” Doha Kim 28’, new Tiger Films member, said. “I decided to join because I saw the opportunity to promote school sports when I am not playing. Also, I wanted to learn more about cameras.”
Before the Tiger Films club’s rebranding, YIC mainly focused on helping students hone social media management, content creation, and online influencing skills. They also hosted events, such as relay races and squid games, and would film and edit clips from these
events. Most of the club’s duties were mainly focused on their events, but their rebranding has changed this club into more of a SIS film club, where they focus on large events hosted by other clubs.
“The club felt a bit outdated and the videos didn’t seem like it was meant for our target audience of SIS students,” Sylvia Lee ’26, Tiger Films club president, said. “I also wanted to create more publicity surrounding our school, capturing high schools’ many colors through high-quality and fun-towatch videos. I decided to rebrand the club after gaining a strong interest towards filming and editing in my sophomore year, and each and every one of our videos are made with multiple cameras, a lot of research, and cycles of editing.”
After the transition from YIC to Tiger Films, the club has become more active,
uploading edits of sports and events almost every week and focusing on producing media content for the school as a whole. Instead of creating edits of their own events, they have been mostly focusing on creating highlight videos of SIS athletes, using higher-quality cameras to produce clips for the athletes and students. This increased club productivity has also led to a quick increase in club membership this school year. After viewing examples of their edits, students have become much more excited about joining their club, hoping to learn more about filming and editing.
“Overall, I really liked how the video came out because they were able to make it similar to the highlight video that I had in mind,” Noah Ko ’26, boys varsity volleyball player, said. “Not only did they come to our home and away games, but they also put in the effort to
record and choose the best moments of the game to put into the highlight video. I strongly recommend other athletes to also sign up for highlight videos because it is a chance for them to get a high-quality video of yourself.”
Tiger Films has also recently frequently collaborated with clubs like Tiger Sports Council (TSC) and the High School Student Council (HSSC) to cover and document key school events like the Korean Classics Volleyball Tournament or Freshman Late Night, giving students a peek at what these events were like. Overall, the rebranding of this club has allowed their small group of editors to expand into a school-wide media platform, engaging both the members of the club and the student body.
By: Chloe
Junior, reporter
Photo by Yumin Jeon ’27
By: Yumin Jeon Sophomore, reporter
The HSSC implements new ordering system in Snack Shack
On Sept. 2, the High School Student Council (HSSC) implemented a new digital ordering system to mitigate the issue of delayed orders. Since the inception of the Snack Shack, HSSC workers have struggled to remember customers’ specific orders. As a result, complaints from the student body have been prevalent
“The biggest problem with the Snack Shack is the options for the main products that are sold most frequently such as the cupbabs.”
Minho Chun ’27, frequent enjoyer of Snack Shack, said. “This makes the process an endeavor for the HSSC members to solely focus on serving the main products. I believe diversifying the spectrum of foods available will be amusing for both the members and the students.”
The new system requires the students to scan a QR code that is hung outside the Snack Shack. Once scanned, the students are taken to an online survey in which they select the type and quantity of food
HSSC re-hosts Assassin
Assassin, a game where participating students “assassinate” other participants by taking selfies with their designated targets, was hosted by the High School Student Council (HSSC) from Sept. 9-13. To enter the competition, participants signed up through a Google Form. Afterward, participants received their targets on the morning of Sept. 9 and were required to find and take a selfie with their respective targets to advance in the game.
Assassin featured prizes for the top three longest-standing participants, the funniest photo, and the best photo. These prizes included a JBL speaker, a digital camera, and Starbucks gift cards. The event also provided students with opportunities to talk to peers they had not yet met.
“While participating in Assassin, I was able to talk to people I probably never would have talked to, especially seniors,” Noella Shin ’27, Assassin participant, said. “I feel that this doesn’t just apply to me but to everyone who participated, so I think that Assassin helped bring SIS students closer together.”
Indeed, as Assassin allocated targets to participants randomly, they could receive targets from any grade level and were encouraged to meet and talk to others whom they may not have otherwise interacted with. Such an opportunity to meet new people within the high school community was one of the reasons for Assassin’s popularity. Assassin also saw acclaim for providing students an opportunity to have fun and take a break from the competitive academic environment at SIS.
“Assassin has always been one of the most popular events at SIS,” Tyler Castaño ’25, HSSC member, said. “I think it’s because it combines SIS’s natural competitive environment with a break from dayto-day academics and formality.
they want, and the system automatically calculates the price for them. Then, the results are sent to the order-taker through Google Sheets with the exact time the order was made.
The HSSC has made numerous failed attempts to alleviate the problem of unorganized Snack Shack orders in the past. For instance, an ordering system where students mark their orders on paper previously failed due to its impracticality. This problem motivated the HSSC advisers to create a new ordering system.
“I think [the new system] simplifies the ordering system a lot and makes our job a lot easier,” Tyler Castano ’25, HSSC member, said. “Without having to explicitly remember an ever-growing number of faces and orders and tracking who paid and what they owe, it all pops up on a little screen next to somebody’s name. It’s taken a lot of stress off of us so far, but it’s still early to see how it works after a while.”
With the new system, numerous changes have been observed in the Snack Shack area. When orders were previously taken verbally, organization problems arose: high amounts of food were wasted due to custom-
ers leaving before receiving their orders, everyone waited in front of the cashier due to the uncertainty of the order of their order, and frequent arguments occurred as to who ordered what first. Now, because the exact time and name of the order and customer are recorded and available to the order-taker, there have been seemingly fewer cases of wasted food
The HSSC hopes that the new system will create a more roomier, cleaner Snack Shack area with customers waiting outside. The decrease in waiting time is expected to lead to a reduction in the overall crowdedness of the area.
“While it [the new system] won’t completely mitigate the chaos of the Snack Shack, I believe it is a step in the right direction,” Russell Jin ’26, HSSC member, said. “Sometimes the staff is inundated with too many orders, but with this system, we can keep track of them effectively. Also, it should help to prevent people crowding around the counter, as they can order on their phones.”
By: Joseph Lim Sophomore, reporter
However, some safety regulations had to be put in place because we recognized sooner or later someone could get hurt.”
While Assassin—contrary to what its name implies—is designed to be a safe game, the HSSC reinforced safety regulations this year in response to reports of unsafe conduct among participants. The safety rules, which were shared by the HSSC through email, their official Instagram page, and various posters throughout the HS building, reminded students that they should not run, take photos or hide in
bathrooms, or use pysical means to secure pictures. Participants were also instructed to report any violations of safety regulations to the HSSC in order to maintain the integrity of the game.
“There were safety regulations in place during previous years,”
Russell Jin ’26, HSSC Assassin coordinator, said. “However, the participants were very passionate this year, and would sometimes go to great lengths to secure a picture. We felt the need to remind them in order to mitigate accidents, and I believe the council
will be more proactive during next year’s Assassin to ensure the safety of all students.”
Ultimately, while games such as Assassin may present a fun experience to make new friends and take a break from stressful academics, students should remember that such games are only possible if participant safety is upheld.
By:
Charlotte Eunseo Kim Sophomore, reporter
Photo by Yumin Jeon ’27
Photo by Hyunjoon Rha ’27
Climate change threatens Korea’s kimchi industry
Kimchi, one of Korea’s most famous dishes, is faced with an unprecedented challenge: climate change. Kimchi is primarily produced with the ingredients napa cabbages, radishes, and a mix of spicy seasonings; however, due to shifting weather patterns and the overall rising temperature, the conditions essential for efficient napa cabbage production–which is usually cooler weather–have been disrupted, placing the Kimchi industry in danger.
“I noticed that the heat this year has been abnormally high, but I never knew that it was affecting the kimchi industry,” Winston Chen ’26, kimchi enthusiast, said. “If there is a kimchi shortage, I would be incred-
ibly sad because I wouldn’t be able to eat kimchi bokkeumbap, which is currently one of my favorite foods. In general, I think most of my daily meals would feel empty, especially since I am Korean and Kimchi is a major part of our culture.”
The production process of kimchi relies heavily on its surrounding climate; therefore, slight changes to the temperature could mess up the whole process. Traditionally, kimchi is fermented in a process called “kimjang,” which ensures the kimchi retains its crunch and flavor without spoiling. This must be done during cooler months, around 5 to 15 degrees celsius, because it helps regulate the fermentation process. However, the rising temperatures
South Korean military official leaks information to China
In June, a 49-year-old South Korean official from the Korea Defense Intelligence Command, South Korea’s top military intelligence agency, was suspected of leaking classified data that included blueprints and lists of Korean spies to a Chinese intelligence agent. The South Korean official was initially blackmailed by a Chinese agent in 2017, forcing him to send photos and memos of classified documents. However, the South Korean official was paid 120,000 dollars in return; after the first payment, the Korean official sent more files in return for a sum of 300,000 dollars and continued this back and forth for years.
Although there were criminal charges brought against the official, South Korea’s military still ended up in a state of chaos. Afraid that North Korea would learn more about the South Korean military’s strategies, the Defense Intelligence Command called the undercover South Korean agents based overseas back home. Due to China and North Korea being allies for a long time, many suspected they were working together to get information about South Korea’s military, putting them in a state of fear. Evidence that suggested North Korea and China were sharing information was found with the help of a local hacker when South Korean authorities found a list of South Korean undercover agents on a North Korean computer network.
“Because South and North Korea have had tensions in the past as well as now, this issue could lead to more contention for the two countries,” Steve Nave, Asian Studies teacher, said. “However, since South Korea has a much more advanced military and technological infrastructure it is unlikely that North Korea would be able to gain any valuable information through hacking that South Korea could not thwart fairly easily.”
The leak from the South
have caused Korea to experience warmer winters, making it difficult to properly ferment the kimchi.
“I love kimchi,” Kate Kim ’26, kimchi lover, said. “Kimchi goes with everything and it is the food I miss and crave most when I am abroad. Although I have not deeply considered how climate change has been affecting our food on the table, I do see that climate change has some influence on the food because it changes the growing seasons and richness of the environment, ultimately shaping the food.”
Climate change not only affects the availability of kimchi, but the shortage of healthy cabbages in Korea has also inflated kimchi prices, making domestic kimchi
unaffordable for many households. Because of this, many households have turned to buying cheaper Chinese-made Kimchi instead. This year, kimchi imports have increased by a record seven percent compared to last year, representing how many have turned away from consuming domestic kimchi.
“I haven’t noticed the prices of kimchi rising myself, but I remember my grandma mentioning it during Chuseok,” Hannah Park ’27, South Korean, said. “So, during the break, my family and I made a lot of kimchi for the upcoming month.”
Specifically, the average temperature across Korea has risen by 1.5 degrees Celsius over the past few decades. Although this number
may seem small, it has significantly impacted the kimchi preserving, growing, and fermentation process because it causes the kimchi to spoil quickly.
Due to these rising issues, the government has recently been trying to prevent kimchi shortages by storing napa cabbages in climate-controlled storage spaces, laying out plans to lay out two cabbage storage systems in the near future. Scientists have also been trying to develop varieties of cabbages capable of growing in warmer climates and resisting fungal infections, allowing the industry to combat global warming.
BY: Chloe Kim
Junior reporter
Korean moms register for Suneung to help children score higher
Korean official has raised lots of questions related to the possibility of South and North Korea’s relations becoming worse, as the information related to expanding military intelligence was leaked when South Korea had already formed alliances with the United States, and North Korea had also formed alliances with China. This issue brought even more fear for the military agency when there were indications that the Chinese agent may have been a North Korean agent in disguise.
“Since China is a close ally of North Korea it makes us vulnerable when it comes to data security or top secret military information,” Timothy Ro ’26, HNKR member, said. “This incident wouldn’t really mark a clear change or a transition on the current relations between South Korea and North Korea, but it would still add meaning to the mutual tensions between the two nations in terms of military strength and security.”
This has not been the first time, however, that military information was leaked from the inside; in 2018, a military officer sold classified information to Chinese and Japanese officers through a retired South Korean intelligence officer. These leakage cases have raised concerns about the ethics of agents and the military’s ability to respond to future attacks.
“This leakage could have been prevented, but our government’s blundering mismanagement bestowed detrimental results to the issue, showing the instability of the system through the incident,” Seungwoo Oh ’26, former MUN member, said. “We need to incentivize the prevention of these issues by implementing severe punishments that could hugely harm such criminals to ensure that such crime is never going to be repeated in the near future.”
BY: Yeonjae Kim Junior, Copy editor
The Korean College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) or Suneung is a standardized test that assesses students’ readiness for college-level study and plays a key role in the university admissions process, making it the most crucial exam for Korean high schoolers. Because of the Suneung’s significant role in determining a student’s academic career success, a large number of Korean moms have signed themselves up for the 2025 Suneung to help their children score higher on the Suneung by lowering the overall average.
The wave of registered parents surged starting from Aug. 28, when a post captioned with the hashtag, “#Parents’ College Scholastic Ability Test You Could not Imagine” caught the attention of netizens, urging other moms to join them in taking the exam to boost their children’s standard scores.
Although some believed that the large number of students taking the CSAT would prevent the moms’ tests from significantly impacting averages, experts noted that subjects with fewer test takers could see a drop in the average score. To target this, moms are selecting specific subjects that are important for their children.
“I think there should be some intervention by the Ministry of Education to safeguard the integrity of the exam,” Chris DelVecchio, high school assistant principal,
said. “Manipulation of a standardized test erodes the concept of merit for higher educational opportunities. Unlike Korea, some countries that have similar systems have been more proactive in considering modernization or adjustments to the system. So, if there is widespread dissatisfaction among parents, instead of trying to manipulate the system, they can push for change.”
Registration appears to be most common among parents whose children are aiming to apply to medical school. For example, the subject Science Exploration 2 has a small pool of test takers, meaning the standard score can fluctuate significantly with small changes in the number of examinees.
“Even though a lot of moms taking the exam may impact the overall score, I feel that this will have little to no impact on the motivations of students because Suneung is a test that only comes once a year and the Korean education system almost revolves around it,” Noella Shin ’27, medical school aspirant, said. “But also, I believe the Korean educational board’s approach to Suneung is wrong because their way of sorting students into levels from one to eight makes the whole test even more competitive. This compares to the SAT because for the SAT, students get a score out of 1600 but Suneung is more of a relative
evaluation where you must score higher than others to get a good rank and go to a good college.”
The Ministry of Education recognized that having moms take the exam could impact test scores depending on the subject, but it acknowledged the challenges of restricting them from taking the CSAT. This is an arising controversy as some people argue that this is not morally correct while others claim this has already been ongoing and that there are no laws against it.
“I believe that it is not fair for Korean moms to register for Suneung because not only are they defiling the intent of the test but also deteriorating a valuable resource to evaluate a student’s capability,” Andy Lee ’27, SAT taker, said. “By registering to lower the average, the moms are hindering their children to be assessed more accurately based on the high school curricula. Additionally, even if the parents manage to lower the average scores, what’s the point if all students receive a boost in their grades? Everyone would still be competing against the same group of students, all with slightly inflated averages.”
BY: Catherine Ryu Sophomore, reporter
layout by Yeonjae Kim
FAFSA controversy over delay
On Sep.13, 2023, the US Department of Education officially made an announcement declaring that they will not send Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data to colleges until the beginning of March every year, a few months later than usual, starting from 2024.
“The change seems to be significant so far because it’s essentially supposed to be a streamlined, easier process compared to previous years,” James Kowalski, high school history teacher, said. “Generally it seems to be the US Department’s intention to make FAFSA a simplified, easier form to fill out. I am not exactly sure the extent to which that is in fact the case, but I certainly hope it is, considering the significant impact that the delay has caused for both students and universities.”
This change was primarily due to the redesign of the FAFSA system, including a reduction in the number of questions on the form from 108 to about 46, simplified language options in the forms, and expanded eligibility for the Pell Grant, a federal financial aid that was primarily designed to provide assistance for the low-income undergraduates to have more flexibility when paying for their college tuition fees, which simplified the college application process.
The department determined that a delay would benefit future applicants, establishing a straightforward approach to FAFSA submissions.
As FAFSA is an international system used to determine the set budget of college financial aid offices, a delay in the procedure has also raised concerns for financial aid officers. Previously, such officers had been given a few months in advance to plan and award financial aid packages to relevant students, which was considered to be a relevantly reasonable time stamp. The new changes, however, could potentially cause uncertainty for colleges in terms of the amount of monetary aid and support that they may need to provide to students.
The extended processing timeline raised concerns for high school seniors as well. As many students rely on information regarding financial aid when making decisions about the affordability of colleges, receiving early aid offers has been a necessary part of the college admissions process. Due to the nebulous insight that is offered as to what colleges may be an affordable option, the delay of FAFSA has significantly impacted decisions for students submitting their college applications.
“I think that the FAFSA conflict has a significant impact,
not on all students, but for a large number of students whose only chance might be FAFSA,” Tyler Castaño ’25, current senior, said. “Especially with the competitive job market, middle and lower class students who can’t afford fees will probably have to turn to other stuff like student loan programs. Or in the worst case, they might be unable to get a job, too.”
As there has been currently a lack of consequential data collected on the potential implications of this change, it is unclear in what approach the change may impact future students, especially considering that the program is the main source of financial aid that students typically apply for.
“As of right now, I’m envisioning some potential benefits and some possible drawbacks with this whole change,” Yoonji Huh ’27, future college applicant, said. “I would say that it’s best to watch how things end up, especially because I think FAFSA itself is a privilege and a huge benefit for so many students. I think for now there’s no reason to complain yet because we haven’t seen the results.”
BY: Leah Kim Sophomore reporter
Brazil cancels X after suspension order
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Aug. 30 after the billionaire failed to meet a deadline to name a legal representative in the country. De Moraes gave internet service providers and app stores five days to block access to X, making it largely inaccessible on both the web and through mobile apps. The ban escalated the monthslong feud between de Moraes and Musk over free speech, far-right accounts, and misinformation.
“I think the Supreme Court’s decision to block X in Brazil was unnecessary because it was biased by a long feud between Elon Musk and de Moraes,” Sean Chung ’27, politics enthusiast, said. “Going against democracy and freedom of speech, it shows how dangerous judge bias can be, considering that this decision was based on a single Supreme Court justice.”
In order to ensure someone can be notified and take any requisite action, Brazilian law requires companies to have legal representation. However, X shut down its representative office on Aug. 17 after de Moraes threatened to prosecute its local representatives if X did not comply with orders to block users. This behavior came as a result of Brazil’s ongoing investigation on X about its spread of misinformation and hate speech undermining the country’s democracy. De Moraes’ defenders said his actions aimed to protect democracy at a time under threat have been lawful.
“Although every country has their own set of laws that companies have to follow, X showed total disrespect for Brazilian sovereignty by violating its conditional agreement and refusing to comply with the Supreme Court’s orders, which suggests that the company has no right to be in the country,” Joseph Kang ’27, X user,
Female physician’s murder in India sparks protests
A 31-year-old female Indian physician’s body was discovered in a seminar hall of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, India, on Aug. 9. The police soon uncovered that she was a trainee doctor who had been sexually assaulted and murdered and promptly arrested Sanjay Roy, a civil volunteer at the hospital, as a suspect in the crime. While the case was initially in the hands of the local Indian police, it was soon transferred to India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after criticism from the public of the lackluster investigation.
“The murder of the female physician is not unique to India,” Tim Gardes, Amnesty International adviser, said. “Unfortunately, this type of violence against women in
general, and medical professionals specifically, also occurs in other parts of the world. That said, India seems to be especially struggling as a society with the issue of violence against women, who appear to be second-class citizens in their own country.”
In response to the murder of the female physician, more than tens of thousands of women calling for justice peacefully protested in West Bengal on Aug. 15. Doctors have also been advocating for more government protection, with more than one million physicians participating in a nationwide strike on Aug. 17. Physicians and other health department officials demanded the removal of Vineet Goyal, Kolkata’s police commissioner, and while the larger protests have died down, thousands of
junior doctors refusing to return to work, defying the court order urging doctors to return to work by Sept. 10.
“Despite the attention it has received, societal problems like this, which have been around for generations, can be especially difficult to deal with due in part to cultural inertia,” James Kowalski, History Honor Society adviser, said.
“Perhaps with the amount of critical attention this most recent sexual assault and murder case is receiving, and the public pressure exerted from the recent large-scale protest and strike, enough urgency will be generated to move new legislation through the Indian Parliament, or at least sufficiently enforce existing legislation.”
The recent homicide brought light to past incidents that reflected
said. “Even if there may be judge bias, the decision made by the Supreme Court, which represents the government, was justified.”
Being a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” Musk opposed de Moraes’s actions and characterized him as a dictator and tyrant. Claiming they amount to censorship, Musk asserted that “free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes,” proving his disobedience to the country’s authorities.
“I think there were definite political reasons that went into why X was canceled in Brazil because while its current government tends to be very liberal, moving in a liberal-communist type of direction, X under the leadership of Elon Musk has become a lot more conservative,” James Dillhoff, former Brazil resident, said. “Meanwhile, failing to name a new legal counsel sounds more like a bogus reason, so I think Brazil did not need to cancel X.”
As Brazil was one of the biggest markets for X, with roughly one-fifth of the population accessing the social media platform at least once every month, the suspension of X significantly impacted the nation. Until X complied with all court orders and paid existing fines, the ban seemed unlikely to be lifted.
However, X became accessible again to many users in Brazil on Sept. 18 after the platform updated its communications network to circumvent the court-ordered block. Cloud services offered by third parties were used to recover Brazilian users, allowing them to take a route outside of the country. The recovery of X further escalated tensions between Elon Musk and de Moraes, leaving the future of X in a state of uncertainty.
BY: Jason Chung Sophomore reporter
the persistent issue of gender-based violence in India. Since the 2012 Delhi gang rape, the Indian government instituted harsher punishments for violence against women such as longer and harsher criminal sentences, but there has not been a noticeable improvement in the situation. Critics have pointed out that the law was not fundamentally the problem–it just was not properly applied to necessary cases.
To address the widespread criticism and anger, the Indian government has implemented a number of new measures such as CCTV-monitored areas within hospitals, more security staff, and a National Task Force dedicated to safeguarding healthcare workers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also publicly condemned the murder and the
violence towards women, vowing to take action by implementing more legal protections.
“There is no simple answer to the issue of gender violence in India,” Caleb Kim ’26, Amnesty International vice president, said. “The first primary measure would be directly challenging the prevalent legal impunity of the Indian government and its failed due processes of law in holding accountable perpetrators. However, significant change can largely only be achieved through the actions of the Indian people, as history has shown us the importance of citizens rallying behind causes they deem necessary for a country they desire.”
BY: Carey Kim Junior, Copy editor
6 SPORTS
South Korea to host international dog dancing competition
South Korea hosted its first International Dog Sports Dancing Competition (DSD) on Sept. 28-29. Dog sports dancing refers to the dogs and their owners working as a team to perform a choreographed routine with music, and the competitions also commonly feature other activities like obedience and tricks.
The competition took place at D. Forest, Korea’s largest dog park located in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, and was organized by the DSD Operating Committee and the Animals and People Association. The purpose of the competition was to promote dog sports dance in Korea, as well as celebrate the talents of dogs.
“I think the event has a unique concept in that it attempts to find
beauty in the movement of dogs,” Woosung Choi ’26, KASA President, said. “I think the event successfully shows the learning capabilities of dogs, which is very interesting to see. However, I do believe it could be more interesting to show off the hunting aspect of dogs as they once were hunters. Nevertheless, dog dancing is interesting and I may keep up with its news and popularity in Korea.”
The competition classified participants into five different categories: the Puppy Party Class for younger dogs under 12 months old, the Beginner Class, the Open Treat Class, the Open Class, and a Trick Class. Dogs of any age, breed, and gender were welcome to participate.
Are professional athletes overpaid?
Sports superstars have been earning salaries unimaginable by the average working class. As athletes like Shohei Ohtani or Stephen Curry sign contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the gap between earnings continues to grow. An individual being paid such large amounts of money for doing something quite simple begs the question: are professional athletes overpaid?
Some believe that athletes are undeserving of this large sum of money, claiming that people should be paid based on their impacts on society. They reason that there are other career paths that have a larger impact on society, such as doctors or teachers. Furthermore, they maintain that some of these careers, such as teachers, are relatively underpaid compared to athletes who have an arguably smaller impact on society.
“I think that people who have a higher impact on society, such as doctors, lawyers, and other traditional careers should be paid according to their impact,” David Lee ’27, sports fan, said. “This is also why I think that sports players are incredibly overpaid, despite liking sports. They don’t bring much to society, they just play in their own part of society and don’t interact with other parts of it. I think it doesn’t make sense that important jobs such as teachers are underpaid.”
However, it is important to realize that the salary of athletes is determined by how much fans are willing to pay. As countries around the world undergo rapid economic development and citizens are able to spend more time and resources into leisure activities, there has been a natural increase in the amount of money spent on sports. This has increased the salary of athletes, and especially so for those who are more market-
Many also looked forward to seeing the main judge, Lucka Plevová, a Czech dog sports star. Plevova had previously conducted a dog sports seminar where she taught dog sports lessons in June at D. Forest in preparation for the September competition.
“With such a variety of categories like the Puppy Party Class and the Trick Class, I think there’s something for dogs of all ages and skill levels,” Sarah Kim ’26, dog owner, said. “I’m also thrilled that Lucka Plevová, a top dog sports star, will be judging. Her expertise really brings a high level of credibility and excitement to the event, especially after she hosted a seminar earlier this year.”
While musical freestyle for dogs kicked off in the 1980s when a Canadian trainer and her Border Collie performed at a seminar, historical records have traced dog dancing to ancient times. Dog dancing gained traction in 2006 when a video of a woman dancing with her dog went viral. It then began receiving major attention after Ashleigh Jade Butler and her mixed-breed dog Pugsy performed on the famous talent show Britain’s Got Talent.
Although dog sports dancing is still relatively unknown in Korea, it has been enjoying popularity across the globe. For example, Crufts, the world’s largest dog dancing competition held annually in the United Kingdom, attracts more than 28,000
dog participants and 160,000 human visitors. Additionally, there are multiple global organizations dedicated to spreading awareness of the sport, including the Canine Freestyle Federation and the World Canine Freestyle Organization.
“I think this event is a great way to increase the popularity of dog sports,” Minseo Kim ’25, KASA member, said. “If the event is accompanied by sufficient promotions and advertisements, I think it will reach a lot of people. For instance, the videos from the competition might get really popular in reels or TikTok.”
BY: Carey Kim Junior, Copy editor
Celebrated athlete Rebecca Cheptegei killed
able to the public.
“If athletes make money for the owners for the team, then it is an investment that is worth the return,”
Steve Nave, basketball fan, said. “It wouldn’t make sense economically if, say, Lebron makes 25 million dollars a year, if he doesn’t bring that much money in for the Lakers, they aren’t going to pay him that. For what athletes do, it sounds like a lot to pay them, but economically, it’s a return on investment teams made.”
Furthermore, those who believe that professional athletes are overpaid must realize that athletes do not have a long career. Most athletes retire before the age of 40 and face risks of injury that can end their career even before that age.
Even after retiring at such an early age, it is difficult for them to pursue a job afterwards due to difficulty in transferring the skill set of being an athlete into other careers. This means that athletes have to make enough money for their entire life during their short career.
“Athletes often justify high pay due to the short span of their careers and the physical risks they face, including injuries that can have long-term effects,”
Justin Yu ’28, a fan of multiple sports, said. “Their earnings reflect both their peak performance period and the high-demand entertainment value they provide, compensating for the uncertainty and potential impact on their post-retirement lives.”
Athletes are ultimately investments made by teams in order to generate revenue for the team. Therefore, if athletes are able to have a large impact in their short careers and also are supported by fans, their pay becomes justified.
BY: Jiwu Lee Sophomore, reporter
On Sept. 5, Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei passed away following complications from burns received in an attack made against her four days earlier. She was rushed to a hospital but her burns proved too serious to treat.
Cheptegei was born Kenyan, but represented Uganda as an athlete, as she was offered more opportunities. She was a former national record holder in the marathon category and placed first in the 2021 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, as well. She also competed in the Women’s Marathon in the 2024 Paris Olympics, placing 44th. Cheptegei’s illustrious career made her a respected member of her community, which deepened the shock when she died.
The deadly assault was perpetrated by her ex-partner Dickson Ndiema Marangach. Ndiema allegedly set fire to her with petrol. He also sustained burns and died the following day. Cheptegei’s neighbors heard her and Ndiema arguing and cited a conflict over land possession as the reason for tension. Cheptegei was reportedly supporting Ndiema and the two children she had with him after the two had separated. However, on the day of the incident, Ndiema had claimed that he deserved part of her land, a claim disputed by Cheptegei’s father. The quarreling escalated to shouting, before Ndiema attacked Cheptegei,
according to their neighbors.
“Cheptegei’s death was an absolutely heinous occurrence,” Sieon Kim ’25, cross-country runner, said. “No one deserved such an unfortunate and untimely death. The world has lost a greatly talented runner, and I hope her ex-boyfriend is served the justice that he deserves.”
This is not the first time this has happened. In 2021, Agnes Tirop, two-time bronze medal winner for the 10,000 meter category, was found stabbed to death. The authorities suspected that Tirop’s husband, Ibrahim Rotich, was behind her murder, following a domestic altercation in Iten, Kenya. Rotich was remanded for two years, but was granted release with bail in 2023. Not much later, Damaris Muthee Mutua, a Kenyan-born runner competing for Bahrain, was found strangled in Iten, with her boyfriend taken into custody as the main suspect. This makes Cheptegei the third female athlete to be killed in Kenya in a span of three years.
“Although there are a number of reasons, I believe the main one for these acts of violence is money,” David Lee ’27, cross-country runner, said. “Through their endeavors, athletes can earn fame and sponsorships. This makes them vulnerable, especially in countries not fully developed.”
Others attribute sexism to these murders. Traditional notions of patriarchy in Kenya are being chal-
lenged as female athletes prosper through sports careers. Spiteful partners are venting their frustrations with the shifting gender and power dynamics with violence.
“I think there’s a disconnect,” Tim Gardes, human-rights enthusiast, said. “When female athletes go to competitions, those competitions are generally the most bias-free or gender-affirming places they could be, so when they go back home to their reality with misogyny and discrimination, it’s not the same.”
Despite the perennial nature of the problem, various groups are working to combat gender-based violence. For instance, after Agnes Tirop’s death, her father and local athletes founded the NGO “Tirop’s Angels.” They aim to stop gender-based violence, by educating local women and setting up trusts for women who need to flee dangerous domestic environments.
Individual protesters and activists have also cried out against Cheptegei’s death. Hundreds attended her funeral in Uganda, which received full military honors, as she was a sergeant in the Ugandan military. Clearly, many are remembering Cheptegei’s legacy. Ultimately, her death represents an opportunity to prevent violence and vindicate its countless victims.
BY: Anders Christensen Sophomore, reporter
layout by Chloe Kim
ture
Nikocado Avocado: “Two Steps Ahead” NewJeans voices concerns for their fu-
On Sept. 11, globally recognized K-pop group NewJeans shocked fans when they took to their personal YouTube channel to speak out against the alleged mistreatment they have faced from their company, HYBE.
NewJeans, a group under All Doors One Room (ADOR), a HYBE subsidiary, was formerly led by Min Hee-jin, who was recently forced out of her position through a unilateral decision in a board meeting on Aug. 27. HYBE had previously accused Min Hee-jin of attempting to seize management control while Min Hee-jin accused BeLift, another subsidiary of HYBE, of plagiarizing NewJeans. Although she has been removed from her position as CEO, she will remain in ADOR as an inside director. The ongoing disputes have significantly affected the group’s music production, relationships with fans, and daily lives.
“I support Min Hee-jin because even though Min Heejin may have said some odd things during her press conferences, it seems like HYBE’s treatment of Min Hee-jin is worse,” Joshua Han ’27, NewJeans fan, said. “Some of Min Hee-jin’s actions I do not condone but I believe that Bang Si-hyuk’s actions were even more unreasonable.”
The unnotified livestream covered the various forms of
mistreatment NewJeans faced, including insufficient support from the new management under newly appointed CEO Kim Ju-young, such as when another artist in the building was forced by their manager to ignore Hanni in front of her. Furthermore, Hye-in argued that HYBE not only deleted their music video director Shin Woo-seok’s content but also prioritized publishing negative articles about Min Hee-jin instead of promoting NewJeans before their comeback. While they expressed their concern about the consequences they may face for the livestream, NewJeans emphasized their main worry: the future of the five of them.
“Initially, I was aware that NewJeans was facing internal management issues with the company,” Justin Chun ’27, avid NewJeans fan, said. “However, after watching the livestream, I realized that the situation was worse than I thought as the members revealed that they were treated poorly and expressed frustration from the changes in the CEO of ADOR.”
NewJeans concluded their livestream by demanding that HYBE reinstate Min Hee-jin as CEO of ADOR by Sept. 25, expressing that this was the only way to restore their relationship. Industry insiders are speculating that NewJeans may
file for an injunction on their exclusive contracts with ADOR, in which they could have the option to sign with a different agency of their choice. However, if the court does not support their case, the group might face a penalty of up to 300 billion won to terminate their contract with ADOR.
Two days after the livestream, HYBE responded by stating that they would deal with the issue of the livestream and NewJeans’s request based on company rules, indicating that it would be highly unlikely that Min Hee-jin would be brought back.
Fans voiced their opinions on the issue after the livestream. Some encouraged NewJeans, saying they had great courage to reveal what they have been going through. On the other hand, other fans said that NewJeans was emotional and made a hasty decision, even leading to their possible disbandment.
“Personally, I believe the future for NewJeans will continuously improve,” Claire Park ’27, public relations officer of D$Q, said. “HYBE’s future responses to this will explain the misconduct behind the company’s current mistreatment scandal. Still, I believe the popularity of NewJeans will gradually increase.”
BY: Catherine Ryu Sophomore reporter
Rap icon Diddy arrested amid scandal
American rapper, record producer, and founder of “Bad Boy Entertainment,” Sean Love Combs, also known as Diddy, was arrested on Sept. 15 for charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. Diddy, 54, was an influential figure in hiphop, producing popular titles such as “Mo Money Mo Problems” and making stars out of rappers like The Notorious B.I.G.
This arrest is the latest in the series of legal controversies against Diddy. Diddy was first charged with domestic abuse by his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura in November 2023. While Diddy initially denied all accusations, he soon apologized publicly after security footage showing him assaulting Ventura surfaced. Over the next nine months, legal pressure mounted as
more lawsuits relating to sexual assault and misconduct were filed, specifically targeting the Diddy Parties.
“The arrest was a huge blow for Diddy’s music career,” David Lee ’27, Diddy fan, said. “It surprised me to see such a big name in the industry facing such allegations. I thought the Diddy controversy died down after his settlement with his wife, but after his arrest, I instead saw reels about the Diddy party. A lot of people including me listen to his music regularly, it’s hard seeing one of your favorite producers embroiled in such a conflict.
Diddy Parties were parties Diddy hosted where he invited high-profile celebrities like Beyoncé, Jay Z, Kim Kardashian, and others, all of whom have now come under scrutiny amid
YouTuber Nicholas Perry, also known as Nikocado Avocado, posted his first video on Sept. 7 after a 7-month hiatus titled, “Two Steps Ahead.” With over 40 million views on the video, Perry revealed to his audience of over four million subscribers that he had lost 250 pounds across his 2-year weight loss journey.
“I think his change from a vegan lifestyle YouTuber to a mukbang content creator made his mental state unstable as he gained a lot of weight,” Yegene Hwang ’27, mukbang viewer, said. “If you watch his old videos compared to his newer ones you can see a very clear behavioral change. However, he did gain a lot of money from his content, so it makes him stuck in between a dilemma of potentially quitting his main source of income.”
Perry’s husband first encouraged him to start a channel centered on vegan lifestyle vlogs and violin performances in 2014. However, in 2016, Perry switched to making mukbang videos and deleted his previous videos relating to veganism except for a video that criticized vegans for using it as an excuse to justify unreasonable vegan expectations. Perry first started making generic mukbang videos, but switched to more extreme content such as the “10,000 calorie Zombie NITRO Takis Fuego Challenge,” gaining him immense popularity.
Currently, Perry has announced plans to abandon his excessive eating challenges and start mukbangs on his second account, “Nikocado Avocado 2,” focusing more on interactions with his audience.
He claimed his weight-loss reveal was part of a social experiment meant to criticize society’s attitudes towards obesity. He argued that his audience was driven by hate about his stature and weight, and did not have individual distinction in their opinions.
“I believe that his audience is mad
legal controversies surrounding the rapper. These parties, dubbed “Freak Offs,” allegedly involved drugged performances with male prostitutes and females forced to partake against their will. After the sex trafficking allegations, former employees of Diddy’s estate reported Diddy’s possession of “freak off” supplies, resulting in Homeland Security raiding his property on Sept. 18 and seizing over 1,001 bottles of baby oil, narcotics, and firearms, giving more weight to the testimonies regarding Diddy.
“There’s really no party like a Diddy party,” Joon Ho Kim ’26, hiphop enthusiast, said. “Hearing about the freak offs and all the allegations made against him completely changed the way I see him. What once seemed like one of the most
exclusive celebrity parties turned out to be very disturbing, especially with all the baby oil and other freaky things the police raid uncovered at his estate.”
Prior to his arrest, Diddy was fined $100 million on Sep. 7 for failing to show up to court. The sexual assault lawsuit involved Cardello-Smith, who alleged that Diddy had groped his buttocks at a party in June 1997. Prosecutors said in court papers that they had interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses and used travel records, electronic data, and videos of the “freak offs” to prove their case, leading to Diddy’s arrest on the 15th.
“It’s so hard to believe that such an icon of the hip-hop industry was involved in such a scandal,” David Yeo ’28, former Diddy fan, said.
because they can no longer shame his weight,” Siheon Kim ’28, Nikocado Avocado sympathizer, said. “Now it is a personal issue because Nikocado Avocado, the person who was a prime example of what not to do in turn had actually changed ways and self-improved.”
Recently, Perry uploaded a YouTube short on his third account, “Nikocado Avocado 3,” titled “I Lied. .. I’m still Fat.” This new information, although not confirmed, adds heavy suspicion to the legitimacy of his current situation. Some viewers hypothesized he used Ozempic, a diabetes medication that could be used for excessive weight loss, and after this video’s release many on the internet now refer to him as being “4 steps ahead.”
“On TikTok, a lot of people are debating over if he actually lost weight,” Yegene said. “He did this apple dance trend that went viral this year, leading to a lot of people saying that he is telling the truth. But, people doubting him is not far-fetched, as I feel like a pre-recording is a possibility and something he would do.”
Despite the skepticism associated with Perry’s videos and audience speculation, his drastic weight loss has sparked inspiration within the weight loss community, with his transformation showing proof of dedication. However, this reveal has also fueled debates over transparency in the fitness and weight loss community.
“Before watching his videos, I was slightly concerned for Nikocado Avocado because he was reaching dangerous levels of obesity,” Chong Min ’25, Nikocado Avocado fan, said. “But now seeing him 250 lbs lighter I am amazed at his journey, making him a huge inspiration to anybody struggling with health issues like this, despite all the criticism he is getting.”
BY: Yumin Jeon Sophomore, reporter
“First Drake and now Diddy, all my favorite artists are getting involved in scandals one by one. It makes me question other artists within the hip-hop industry. I don’t think I can listen to Diddy’s music and see artists in the industry the same way I did before.”
The indictment describes Diddy as the head of a criminal enterprise that engaged in sex trafficking, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice. As allegations continue to grow, Diddy now sits in the Metropolitan Detention Center, his career entangled in a web of criminal accusations.
BY: Carson Park Junior,
reporter
The rise of brain rot
By YUMIN JEON ’27
Etymology, the study of the historical development of words, helps capture the evolving nature of our language, providing insight into the rapidly changing terminology of 21st century children. In an era where the internet connects a globalized world to an endless stream of content, the exposure to social media platforms like X, TikTok, and Instagram has sparked a surge of trends that have altered our language. This has led to the creation of new forms of expression, often dubbed “brain rot,” by Generation Alpha and Z for its seemingly purposeless and intellectually detrimental foundations. Despite that, these innovations have helped younger generations communicate more effectively even within different communities, cultivating one singular culture.
“We’ve used slang throughout time, changing across each era, and being influenced by the vocabulary and words we used at the time,” Daniel Gohde ’27, a frequent online user, said. “For example, I know that my parents have their own vocabulary with a vast difference. Instead of being called slang as it was in the past, it is now known as ‘brain rot.’ And, I think that this ‘brain rot’ definitely creates a community and has meaning with people on the internet, since the specific terminology generalizes something that can be understood quickly.”
Language is constantly changing. When people engage in informal language practices, like using memes, slang, or internet jargon, they are often experimenting with new forms of expression. “Brain rot” is the same. But additionally, it highlights the linguistic creativity and playfulness of Generation Z and Alpha.
A prime example of this is “sigma.” A term that
originally rooted from the 18th letter of the Greek alphabet, it represents the number 200, summation, and unknown angles.
However, in 2010, a writer named Theodore Robert Beale first used the word in an online manosphere as a satirical term to address John Wick as an archetypal “sigma male.” Ever since then, it has continued to gain popularity on the internet and is now a common example of “brain rot.” Used originally to describe a “lone wolf,” it now commonly describes someone with a deserved high self-esteem. “Sigma” is one example of how “brain rot” and slang has adapted to have connotations to certain people, showcasing the cultural adaptation that occurs on social media.
“I believe that most of the time when someone uses ‘brain rot,’ they are expressing themselves differently,” Brennan Park ’28, ‘brain rot’ user, said. “Like shown in social media and the word ‘sigma,’ ‘brain rot’ was able to unify people all around the world with different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, and sex, showing how this new language can help bring different communities together with a common understanding.”
Despite criticisms of “brain rot” terms superficially sounding absurd, Gen Z, who primarily constitute short-form content creators, have theorized and showed that “brain rot” is contributing to changes in our cognitive flexibility and adaptability. As individuals engage with fast-paced digital content, including memes, abbreviations, and new linguistic trends, they are required to quickly process information and adjust to new social contexts. The new slang, thus, is a solution that reveals the mental agility, creativity, and capacity for adaptation that the new generation is employing.
These evolving expressions like “sigma” or “skibidi” act as a bridge that transforms abstract ideas into a shared language. By achieving this instantaneous understanding between communities, it shows the common pattern throughout history which makes our thoughts more fluid by adding new terms to accommodate the changing conditions which could not be verbalized with existing words.
“I think that ‘brain rot’ is an example of duality,” Daniel said. “For some people, like the younger generation, it is a form of escapism because ‘brain rot’ could add more variety to our vocabulary and complexity to the words we use. Furthermore, the use of ‘brain rot’ is interesting, because it displays the difference with how different generations interact with each other. For example, my sister uses the word skibidi on a daily basis for a way of social confirmation, as you can connect to something online and have a sense of familiarity without having a very dense conversation.”
“Brain rot’s” uniqueness stems from its permanence. From history we have observed that many slang words come and go, never fully being incorporated into our language. But “brain rot” seems to stay; originally beginning over a decade ago and being popularized in more recent years, it still continues to evolve with new words being added with different trends. With these changes, the English language may experience fundamental changes, where slang words are formally implemented and used throughout our future generations.
The fall of Gen Alpha
By HYUNJOON RHA ’27
Skibidi toilet. These two words alone mean nothing. When put together though, the nonsensical phrase forms the quintessential example of Generation Alpha’s slang—the type of language that occupies the average school hallway nowadays. It all began in February 2023, when a 12-second video named “Skibidi Toilet” was posted on YouTube. Despite its limited screen time, the frantic and animated video made a widespread impression on the global social network. In fact, it has become embedded in the English lexicon of many young children, along with words like “Fanum tax,” “Rizz,” and “Mewing.”
When talking about Gen Alpha’s idiosyncrasies, it is crucial to acknowledge that slang has always existed. It is human nature to want to communicate information as quickly and as effortlessly as possible, considering it has often been life-saving in situations that demand quick decisions. The contraction of phrases and acronyms—which even Shakespeare used in his work—exists for that reason. However, older generations and even communities on the internet at large have criticized Gen Alpha’s new set of terminologies as less sophisticated and less purposeful. Many underscore the cult-like infatuation of seemingly empty-minded terms among children, to the point where even the very mention of Gen Alpha reminds people of the typical “Skibidi Toilet” frenzy—as they seem to lack any meaning, many feel as if they do not facilitate communication, if not, even hindering it.
“I think it’s been so ingrained in me that I use it for normal terms everywhere now,” Aaron Chin
’29, consumer of Gen Alpha slang, said. “But when it’s super serious, I don’t really. I think half is from social media and half is from my friends. I guess newer generations kind of adapt and change words that you would normally use. I think these brain rot terminologies are pretty okay to a certain extent, but now we can’t even describe some basic things without using them, so it’s kind of concerning.”
The theory of brain rot argues exposure to short-form content on the internet at or before adolescence hinders the adequate psychological development needed for healthy and independent critical thinking. Among online patrons, the phrase is used prolifically as a dose of cynicism. Alleged symptoms of brain rot include poor attention spans—which have been decimated to the unit of seconds—addiction to mindless scrolling, excessive outcry when devices are confiscated by a guardian, and a generally obnoxious disposition outdoors among the extreme outliers. Since Gen Alpha is the first in history to have access to a mobile device since birth, they have become an experimental group for the effects of having access to the internet at the reach of their arms. The outcome seems clear: research has repeatedly suggested that the connection between screen time and the level of brain rot is evident. Now, for those who are skeptical about the correlation, the consequences are gradually coming to light in the educational scene.
“Everyone uses it, everyone sees it, and sometimes it’s a gap between the students and the teachers,” Juney Jung, Middle School language arts teacher, said. “During class time, they know they
should be focusing, but when it’s recess, when they have that little bit of a gap between their classes, or even during their class time, that’s when you see some students slightly distracted. The difference with current eighth graders is during COVID-19, instead of interacting with each other, basically, they were more on social media.”
But how does language factor in this situation?
Brain rot has specifically been connected to slang because brain rot terms employed by Gen Alpha are mainly used as flashy, eye-catching interjections; they are inherently inadequate for sophisticated storytelling or communication, due to their largely witty yet meaningless nature. In fact, there is an argument to be made that recent slang terms serve a near-identical purpose to the use of emojis, such as the skull emoji or the cry-laugh emoji. They are a stylistic accent, a sort of fancy exclamation mark to emphasize the comedic nature of a comment. But if one were to ask if they withhold any information by themselves? The answer would be no.
While many blame Gen Alpha for engaging with brain rot content and slang, the origins lay in Gen Z content creators and addictive social media platforms that are tailored for that very purpose of creating brain rot content. Yes, slang has existed and contributed to the evolution of languages for much of humanity’s history. History repeats itself, except that this time children were born into a much more meticulous form of attention-seeking material, which carried with it particularly detrimental effects. Only time will tell the true scale of this phenomenon. For now, it continues to grow, unending.
SIS hosts second annual Terry Fox Run
Amid shouts of encouragement and people running in unison, the Terry Fox Run was held for the second time at SIS on Sept. 13. The Terry Fox Run, named after Terrance (Terry) Stanley Fox, is a run to honor all cancer patients, inspired by Terry’s attempt to run across Canada on his prosthetic walking leg. Diagnosed with cancer at just 18 years old, Terry eventually had to have his leg amputated and was forced to stop his run when the cancer later spread to his lungs and eventually caused his death at 22 years old.
As an annual event held at SIS, the continued participation served as a symbol of hope for those who directly or indirectly suffered from the impacts of cancer. This year, faculty, students, and parents alike ran the path around the school in an effort to emulate Terry’s intentions, as well as raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
“My best friend had cancer,” Joonho Kim ’26, Terry Fox
Run participant, said. “It was a really big life event for me, and so the run was a great symbolic event. I’m glad people were able to celebrate it together.”
Considering the massive success of last year’s event in terms of participation, many had high hopes for this year’s run. Expectations did not fall short; the high school raised more than 3 million won, which is 2 million won more than last year, and in total the school raised over 10 million won. Previous issues of lack of events organized by middle school and elementary school leadership were resolved by incorporating opportunities for them to organize assemblies and come up with new ideas. The relay race involving diverse fun missions and grade-specific collaboration was another new event, enjoyed by many students. Another new feature that many found especially heartfelt was the filmed interviews of members of the SIS com-
munity with cancer stories of themselves or their loved ones, organized by the middle school student leadership class. Despite what could have been a vulnerable and uncomfortable experience for those who shared their stories, the student body opened up warmly and appreciated such stories.
“For high school, we prepared our leadership council group starting May of last year, so those students had some more time to think of the event so that helped a lot,” Danica Derksen, Terry Fox Run adviser, said. “Because we did it last year, we could fine-tune the event a lot better. For example for middle school and elementary we had more lesson opportunities for them to learn about Terry Fox. The video of personal cancer stories created by our middle school student leadership group was another thing we did, for the purpose of integrating cancer into the community .”
Yet there is still room for improvement, as identified by many students. One common struggle was the confusion and delay with email announcements regarding scheduling, donations, and club booths up to the day of the event. For instance, the actual schedule of the event was released on the day of.
“One of the struggles that occurred when we planned the events was how to make the run more new and fun this year,” Seungwoo Oh ’26, Terry Fox Run student council member, said. “As we already have done a run last year, we wanted to make the event more outstanding this time. By proposing and implementing fun-run ideas such as open races amongst grade levels, our team was successful in launching the event.”
The student council has endeavored to improve the event. While planning an event to accommodate the larger number of students compared to last year, the
council battled against the unpredictable weather and student complaints.
In terms of future improvements to the event, many hope that there can be more exposure to student stories from around the world. Being able to inform the student body earlier on and integrate potential new ideas is something the council plans to prioritize.
“I think as it was our second year hosting Terry Fox there are still a lot of holes we are finding and covering up,” Sylvia Lee ’26, Terry Fox Run student council member, said. “But I can say that by each year we are getting better. For the future, I envision a system that we as a school can find and make to help the event run smoother and ultimately bring our school closer together while boosting our school spirit.”
BY: Jian Hong Junior, Copy editor
Photo by Carey Kim ’26
Carly Wessels: Defying age and exhaustion
Within the SIS community are a variety of exceptional people; from stories about internationally-ranked ice hockey student-athletes to Tiger’s Den cafeteria ladies, there is no end to unique and compelling background stories. However, one of the most impressive career journeys that often goes unseen is that of swimming teacher Carly Wessels, a former professional water polo player with Olympic-level credentials and a current marathon and CrossFit amateur athlete. These descriptions, however, do no justice to what people characterize as her unimaginable workouts and athletic careers.
Ms. Wessels was introduced to water sports early in her childhood by her father, a water polo coach, and the rest of her family, who were water sports enthusiasts. Unsurprisingly, she grew up to become one of the top water sports athletes at her school, joining her school’s varsity team at the age of 13 years old and the National Team when she was 17 years old.
“I think being a part of the swimming community 24/7— always at the pool as a little kid—gave me the spark to try out swimming and ultimately water sports at a young age,” Ms. Wessels said. “My childhood experiences also helped me implement more rigorous training schedules in high school and as an international player. For instance, every day, I had morning, after school, and evening training, so I was basically spending all my time outside of school at the pool, but I loved it.”
In concurrence with her high school team’s season, during grade 11, Ms. Wessels qualified and became a member of South Africa’s national water polo team. She went on to participate in numerous international competitions, including Olympic qualifying games against some of the best teams in the world, like the US, Spain, and Australia. Some other competitions include the European Games, the Tri-Nation tournament between New Zealand, Australia, and South
Africa, and the African Water Polo Games.
“I was playing as a full-time athlete, but unfortunately, South Africa’s Water Polo program is at a tier two level,” Ms. Wessels said. “This meant all our program selections, training camps, and international competitions were self-funded. It was not a very ideal situation.”
After playing several years for South Africa’s national team and then with various international club teams, including teams in New Zealand and Hungary, Ms. Wessels retired in 2019. This concluded her 10-year career filled with MVP and Best Defender titles, along with other distinguishments and awards.
“I moved on as I felt I had reached my peak and it had been a long 10 years of funding myself throughout my water polo career, Ms. Wessels said. “However, retiring from professional water polo did leave a big gap in my life, and really for the first time, my life was not revolved around the next tournament.”
Without goals or a workout
plan to keep her occupied and motivated, she felt a huge sense of restlessness and purposelessness. She soon discovered what rejuvenized and motivated her; CrossFit (functional/hybrid training) and running. Through a rigorous and extensive workout plan, she soon became in good enough shape to compete in CrossFit challenges, marathons, and in the future, a 24-hour Jeju mountain marathon run.
For Ms. Wessels, marathon running has become more than just a casual hobby. The thrill of competing to break down the unknown limits of the human body inspires her to continue training and slowly chip away at her marathon time—currently at 3 hours, 26 minutes. Weekly, Ms. Wessels runs 100-120 kilometers, and on Saturdays, she frequently runs 20 km around the Han River.
Competitively, Ms. Wessels has run six full marathons and two ultra-marathons, 53K and 100K respectively, and has built herself up to a 19-hour 6000meter elevation mountain run.
Her next challenge: a 24-hour marathon, the ultimate running endurance accomplishment that she has always perceived as impossible, followed by two Hyrox competitions and the JTBC Seoul Marathon. Nevertheless, the drive to accomplish the impossible continues to propel her to push her limits and perform at an elite level.
“The most important thing I have learned about training is that there has to be a desire and belief to really want to achieve a goal, not just as a cliche New Year’s resolution…and it comes down to your habits, solid training habits,” Ms. Wessels said. “For me, when there are days when I don’t want to train, I habitually force myself to put on my running shoes and run for 10 or 15 minutes. If you can get yourself to start and push past the initial mental boundaries, you will find success, even outside the athletic realm.”
BY:
Sean Kim Junior, Copy editor
Photo by Carey Kim ’26
12 POLLS/MULTIMEDIA
How well do you truly know your friends? Can you identify them based on a few characteristics?
If so, Tiger Times presents a challenge! Guess who our mystery readers are based on the clues below and email the answers to Mr. Shifflett (shiffletts@siskorea.org) for a chance to win an invitation to the Tiger Times end-of-semester party! Each mystery student will reveal: their favorite snack, a club they are in, a sport they enjoy, their favorite movie, one thing they hear from others, one word they would use to describe themselves, and their favorite article from the current issue. Good luck guessing who they are!
Club - Habitat for Humanity
Sport - Volleyball
Night snack - Malatang
Movie - Home Alone
One thing they hear from others - You are so loud
One word to describe themselves - Nice
Favorite article - Nikocado Avocado, #trendingnow
Club - Medical Society
Sport - Volleyball
Night snack - Ramen
Movie - None
One thing they hear from others - Tall
One word to describe themselves - Intelligent
Favorite article - New Jeans and HYBE, Assassin, TSC Media Day
Club - Science Club
Sport - Basketball
Night snack - Ramen
Movie - Top Gun: Maverick
One thing they hear from others - Good at
sports
One word to describe themselves - Extroverted
Favorite article - Snack Shack digital menu
Club - Seoulite
Sport - Badminton
Night snack - bung tweee gim (Korean Puffed
Grain Snack)
Movie - Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse
One thing they hear from others - Hardworking
One word to describe themselves - Competitive
Favorite article - Nikocado Avocado
Club - Society for Behavioral Psychology
Sport - Soccer and Volleyball
Night snack - Chips
Movie - Despicable Me 4
One thing they hear from others - Entertaining
/ funny
One word to describe themselves - him
Favorite article - P Diddy case
Club - Forensics
Sport - Hiking
Night snack - Vegetable noodles
Movie - Titanic and Cinema Paradiso
One thing they hear from others - Caring
One word to describe themselves - Children’s best friend
Favorite article - Dog dancing or Climate threatens kimchi or Deepfake and misinformation
BY: Jian Hong & Minju Chung Junior, Copy editor; Sophomore, reporter
Korean culture strongly emphasizes the idea of a hierarchy in a parent-child relationship, often giving parents the authority to enforce advice to their children about everything from shaking legs to sleeping with a phone next to their head. While these beliefs were once accepted as common sense, they are now often met with skepticism, especially among young people, as modern research has debunked much of this “advice.” Still, parents often mention these myths out of habit as they are a deeply rooted part of Korean culture and parental teachings.
51.3% of respondents voted that when parents say that everything is because of social media they were the most annoyed. Along the same line, many students have said that they often hear their parents telling them to study harder to go to a good college, often comparing their child with other students. Many parents still often say traditional advice such as not sleeping with a phone next to their head, leading to students only recently learning they were myths. Despite students finding it annoying, most parents say these out of care for their children, even if they may not be scientifically true.
BY: Yeonjae Kim & Kayla Kim Junior, Copy editor; Sophomore, reporter
by Yoon Choi and Jason Lee
editors-in-chief
South Korea is currently grappling with an epidemic, but one very different from the COVID-19 or influenza viruses that previously shocked the country. Meet the newest outbreak: “zero-calorie” and “zero-sugar” products.
Any given convenience store in Seoul is filled with items that adhere to this trend, from the classic diet coke to modern Korean adaptations like zero-sikhye (a sweet Korean rice beverage). This widespread proliferation of “zero” foods reflects the increase in body-conscious thinking in Korea, especially among younger generations. More Koreans seem to be focused on maintaining a fit physique, hitting the gym, going on runs, and, most importantly, being conscious of their diet. Many see this increased focus on physical fitness as a positive trend for Korean youth, who may have previously opted for sedentary video-gaming sessions or lengthy studying sitting instead of exercise.
However, “zero” products are problematic despite their potential health benefits. The issue’s root lies in one of the trend’s central motivations: self-consciousness. Much of the sudden Korean shift into fitness was hyper-accelerated by COVID-19. While many were stuck at home and consequently gaining weight, content creators like Physical Gallery and GYM JONG KOOK shared their elaborate workout routines; their popularity stemmed from people wanting to stay fit during a time of forced inactivity and unintentionally targeted physical insecurities that individuals had.
This desire to be fit is heavily motivated by strong preconceptions about what constitutes an appealing body in Korea, set unrealistically by mass media attention on K-pop idols and other public figures. Indeed, it is fantastic that people are trying to improve their physical health, and their efforts should not be undermined. However, the body consciousness of younger generations and their increased desire to live a healthier lifestyle leans closer to trend conformity rather than for actual health purposes. Overtly fake social media posts, poor gym etiquette, and lack of sincerity in consistency and devotion demonstrate much of the superficial attitudes the trend has created.
Zero-calorie foods are merely one of the many shallow representations of the trend. Another harsh reality beneath them is that companies are trying to exploit naive consumers who have been overexposed to the rising ideology that they need to eat healthier. The label of food being “zero-calories” is extremely enticing at first glance, hypothetically satisfying both hunger and flavor with no consequences on the body.
However, zero calories does not equate to healthy. Many zero-calorie foods lack essential nutrients needed for the human body to function. According to a scholarly research article from the British Medical Journal, although diet soda has no calories, sugar, or fat, it has been linked to the development of typetwo diabetes and heart disease; just one serving of an artificially sweetened drink per day is associated with an 8-13 percent higher risk of type-two diabetes. The solution to good health and a more attractive physique would be to eat naturally low-calorie, healthy foods rich with necessary macronutrients. Of course, us editors-in-chief are no Adonises—quite far from it. However, in our experiences of losing over 20 percent of body fat in the last five years, zero-calorie snacks leave you with even worse sugar cravings and low energy due to a lack of substantive nutrients.
Obsessing over quantifiable macronutrients—calories, grams of sugar, grams of fat—is a whirlpool that is easy to get sucked into. But behind the superficial numbers is a toxic culture of impossibly skinny beauty and an obsession with being as light as possible. Zero-calorie treats may temporarily satiate your empty stomach, but beware of the pernicious side effects of loading up on artificial sweeteners and chemicals instead of the hearty nutrients that come with natural foods.
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 San Schwede
Embracing a new Chuseok
The chilly winds herald the arrival of Chuseok, one of Korea’s most important traditional holidays, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Chuseok was initially made for families to celebrate their abundant harvest, but now, it is a time for joyous family reunions. However, in recent years, the increasing presence of technology during Chuseok has become an area of contention among different generations within Korea. As technological developments are becoming more and more catered to the needs of the Korean population, technology inevitably has more of a presence in traditions and customs. Instead of resisting the change, the Korean public should embrace technology and work towards finding a good balance between traditional customs and technology.
As a traditional holiday, Chuseok has a multitude of different customs including charye, which is a custom where family members come together to remember their ancestors. One of the most symbolic elements of charye is food preparation, where family members, often the women, come together to cook a wide range of representative foods such as rice cake soup, pajeon (scallion pancakes), beef soup, and seasoned vegetables. However, recently, younger generations have resorted to ordering charye foods sold online, as women
increasingly wish to avoid the burden of having to cook for hours on end.
Another indication of the digitalization of Chuseok is gift giving, which is considered to be an integral part of the holiday. Previously, family members would come to family reunions bearing gifts like fresh fruit and meat so they could exchange them with other family members or friends. Now, the more tech-savvy generations have been turning to alternatives like mobile gift-giving. According to Samsung Card, the digit gift-giving service increased by 38% during the week of Chuseok compared to the daily average in 2022. Younger generations view mobile gift-gifting to be much more convenient, and as product quality is ensured, they feel less of a need to have to deliver them in person. The online Chuseok resale market is also booming, as people are selling unused Chuseok gifts they received at lower prices.
“In a way, I’m jealous of this change,” Hailie Lee, traditional Chuseok celebrator, said. “It takes away the exhaustion because for us it’s always the women who are in the kitchen. But at the same time, coming from such a traditional family, I feel like if we do that, that’s part of a culture being lost, which is maybe because I’ve been doing this all my life, so I’m very in-between in this issue.”
The older generation has been
Deepfakes: Unsafe or undervalued?
From videos of politicians announcing legislation completely contradictory to their stances to videos of soccer players speaking multiple languages fluently, deepfakes have spread rapidly throughout the Internet. Deepfakes, pieces of AI-generated audiovisual media that can imitate existing works on the web, are created through deep learning AI techniques, which manipulate existing sources to create a synthetic piece of media.
The ability to create fake pieces of media is both revolutionary and alarming. Whereas the rise of deepfake technology may pose a turning point in human technological advancement, as of late, such technology has been utilized for identity theft, cyberbullying, disinformation, propaganda, and more.
Another threat is that deepfake technology keeps improving. It is getting increasingly challenging to identify whether a given video is real or AI-generated—a problem that will only worsen over time as AI continues to advance. For instance, the social media platform Telegram, which does not share data or
quick to criticize such practices, arguing that the process of food preparation and selecting and gift giving in itself is an expression of gratitude towards ancestors and family that is an essential aspect of the tradition. They view purchasing or delivering pre-made food and gifts as laziness and a lack of respect for ancestors, as well as a threat to the preservation of such traditional rituals.
However, with the rapidly changing views on traditional Korean holidays like Chuseok, along with the escalation of technology, it can be unrealistic to maintain traditions exactly as they were decades ago. Instead, Koreans have been trying to devise solutions that preserve traditional rituals but are also tailored for the younger generation to enjoy as well. For example, the Sungkyunkwan Confucian Association has proposed a simplified charye ritual that involves fewer dishes and preparation, prioritizing familial harmony, but also making such rituals more approachable for new generations. Additionally, there has been a steady improvement in gender equality during Chuseok, as the burden of duties like cooking is becoming more evenly distributed, which is a step in the right direction.
information with governments, faced controversy over the spread of explicit images. This issue was exacerbated by the rise of deepfakes, which were used to generate explicit and sexual content of people without their consent. As a result, many feel like deepfakes can be used to violate the privacy and safety of online users.
Indeed, it is a well-established fact that deepfakes pose substantial harm. Yet despite these colossal drawbacks, deepfakes may also pose some benefits. However, the main issue lies in the fact that mainstream media primarily discusses the drawbacks of deepfakes, such as how they may be utilized to spread disinformation, used as a political tool, and abused to threaten people and their humanity. This, in turn, influences public opinion—for instance, 90 percent of all Americans believe that deepfakes generate confusion regarding current events. Although deepfakes may indeed be abused, it is also important to shed light on the benefits that they may provide. Deepfakes, when used properly, have the potential to
positively impact society.
Deepfakes pose multiple benefits: some are used in the entertainment industry, some exist for comedic purposes (such as a video of Joe Biden publicly announcing that “[he] got kinda cooked in that debate” following his poor debate performance in June), yet most importantly, they can be used for educational purposes.
For instance, deepfake technology has already been used to create AI tutors who provide customized and tailored lessons, speak the same languages as students, and so on. By being able to do so, deepfakes in an educational context pose a step forward in improving upon the accessibility, inclusivity, and quality of education, as AI tutors and other deepfake-based educational resources have the potential to support individuals who do not have access to education or educational technology at this time.
Although deepfakes have immense drawbacks and may pose great dangers to the stability of the digital sphere, it is important to note that these harms may not be without potential solutions. For example, the European Union recently ratified the Artificial Intelligence Act of 2024, setting strict transparency requirements and legislative limits on the use of deepfake technology. Once such regulations become increasingly adopted, society may be able to maximize deepfakes’ prospective benefits while maintaining transparent and favorable usage.
A key step forward in ensuring that deepfakes are utilized for the greater good is implementing similar stringent policies beyond the European Union. However, it is important that people understand that deepfakes have the potential to be used for positive causes. Ultimately, with the right strides, deepfake technology may have the potential to greatly and positively impact the digital sphere and beyond.
by: Charlotte Eunseo Kim Sophomore, reporter
by: Carey Kim Junior, Copy editor
Breakfast Bar for students and faculty
Throughout the school day, while some students use office hours to take a break from studying, conference with teachers, or chat with their friends, many use it to buy food before second and third period. As many students do not eat breakfast, often in a rush to leave the house, they take office hours as an opportunity to do so instead. Now, out of habit, students purchase snacks everyday because they do not want their stomachs to make noise during class and cause a distraction.
While students and teachers have access to the school store, cafe, and even the Snack Shack during office hours, most food items sold are not nutritious or filling. Due to the lack of variety in the menu, many students often express complaints, bringing about menu changes at school facilities; however, the changed snacks are not healthy options either, continuing the problem of a lack of nutrition. Furthermore, while students are provided lunch at school, studying for tests and other schoolwork often occupies their precious lunchtime.
Despite breakfast being known as the most important meal of the day, a lack of time results in students eating chips or sweets during class instead; even teachers eat desserts or non-nutritious snacks before their classes, as a quick alternative to breakfast. However, not only are such snacks unhealthy, but many teachers find eating and making noise during class disturbing or disrespectful, caus -
ing students to stay hungry throughout the day.
“I don’t allow eating or drinking in the classroom because it is a hazard,”
Glen Monaghan, physics teacher, said. “Since we have a science lab it is easy to mistake a chemical to what students are drinking and accidentally drink a chemical, which would be hugely problematic. Secondly, students at SIS seem to have trouble cleaning up after themselves and instead throw their garbage into the desks and leave them there. I’ve found moldy week-old fruit in the desks, and I was tired of cleaning that up.”
Sometimes, even the chance to get a snack can be unavailable; long lines at the school cafe and excessive orders in the Snack Shack cause students to not be able to buy something to eat.
“I often find myself buying Bapchingu or nacho chips at the Snack Shack, and most of the time, everything goes smoothly,” Isaac Lee ’25, regular customer at Snack Shack, said. “However, I’ve noticed that when the place gets busy, it can take a while to get my order. If it [the breakfast bar] is free, a lot of students would come to the salad bar during office hours to eat regardless of the food and quality. Having items like fresh fruit and yogurt could be a popular choice, especially for those looking for a healthier alternative.”
Because students are often either hungry or tired during morning classes, they usually struggle with focusing—
therefore, eating a nutritious breakfast at school would help them stay concentrated and energized in class. Studies from the University of Colorado have shown that breakfast enhances cognitive performances such as memorization, which would be useful in the learning process. Breakfast also provides necessary vitamins and minerals to help the body function properly, improving physical and mental health conditions such as their mood. As many students are overwhelmed by the amount of school work and often don’t get enough sleep, gaining energy through a meal is even more important.
“Since you have been fasting all night, eating breakfast helps replenish energy and necessary nutrients such as calcium or Vitamin B in the morning,” Niko Lambert, AP biology teacher, said. “People who do not eat breakfast everyday may have a lack of fiber and vitamins to survive the school day.”
In order to provide the students and faculty with a source of breakfast at school, turning the salad bar into a breakfast bar before lunch would be a useful alternative. While opening up the salad bar as a breakfast bar earlier in the day may seem like tedious work for the cafeteria staff, there is actually not much that has to be prepared; everything that is laid out during lunch just has to be brought out a few hours earlier. Items such as bread, cereal, and fruits are often not eaten during lunch,
Viewpoint Feature:
Though there are in-school facilities for students and teachers to buy snacks from during the school day, many still find themselves being hungry before lunchtime. Buying snacks at school everyday has been incorporated into their daily activities, increasing the amount of junk food they consume.
Why is breakfast an important part of students and teachers’ day?
How can we reduce the number of distractions and inconveniences caused by hunger in the morning?
usually ending up in the waste. Alternatively, opening the bar earlier in the day will lead to more people utilizing the salad bar without spending more money on preparing the food. Even if many people do not utilize the breakfast bar, it would not have a big impact on costs for preparing lunch, as the bar could just be prepared according to the original schedule again.
Not only would it be convenient for students, but teachers and faculty would also be able to enjoy breakfast at school. As most teachers arrive at school at least thirty minutes before school starts and they do not get breaks as often, having the breakfast bar open would allow them to grab a quick and free breakfast to stay energized for the day. The breakfast bar can also clear up the long lines, and reduce the number of students and faculty who are unable to satisfy their hunger because of over-orders.
Having healthier and more filling breakfast options that will keep them energized in the morning will also help them maintain a regular eating pattern, improving their diet and metabolism. As students and teachers sometimes are not able to buy food at school because of reasons such as long lines or not bringing money, the breakfast bar will be a helpful alternative for people who are hungry.
by: Yeonjae Kim Junior, Copy editor
Point Counterpoint
By Sean Kim and Charlotte Kim
Success in high school…
…does not have a one-size-fits-all definition. However, differing definitions of success in one’s high school career may be roughly categorized into two groups. The first, which often echoes throughout the SIS community, is defined by the achievement of near-perfect grades and the ability to attend the best colleges. The second, on the other hand, focuses on individuals developing relationships and soft skills.
…is best defined by high academic achievement.
Every year, SIS seniors gain acceptance into some of the most esteemed and prestigious colleges across the globe. When it comes to Ivies, Ivy-adjacent schools, and other internationally renowned universities, none are free from SIS students’ radars. However, SIS students’ collective hype for these schools does not exist without reason—indeed, many parents posit that achieving top grades and matriculating at those top colleges ensures success in later life.
#trendingnow: Catch! Teenieping
By Minju Chung and Leah Kim
Who is your favorite Teenieping?
How many of them do you know?
“Catch! Teenieping” is a 3D magical animation series produced by SAMG Entertainment. The story revolves around Romi, a 10-yearold girl who hides her identity as a princess of the magical Emotion Kingdom and goes on a journey to collect all Teeniepings—magical fairies each with a unique power.
The production introduces the audience to a wide range of Teeniepings—the kind-hearted Heartsping, the optimistic Shashaping, the selfish Egoping who transformed the innocent Happyping into a villain named Giggleping, and much more.
The diversity of Teeniepings is still growing with the addition of new episodes to the show. New Teeniepings are introduced in every season, with each of them representing a unique theme and power. From seasons one through five, there have been numerous classifications of Teeniepings, including Emotion, Jewel, Key, Dessert, Constellation, Royal, and Legend.
“Heartsping is my favorite Teenieping,” Dana Chung ’25, avid Teenieping fan, said. “I like how it is adorable and pink. It gives off main character vibes and is bright, so I think it also resembles my personality as well.”
At first, the show was merely another addition to the long list of children animation series in Korea; when the first season was launched in March 2020, the production only received interest from children who were fascinated by the flashy characters. However, the popularity of Teeniepings has rapidly increased in recent months, reaching a wider audience including teenagers and even adults.
Due to the sudden rise in popularity, various trends related to Teeniepings have arisen. For instance, streamers such as Calm Down Man (Chim-chag Man) have actively posted videos of themselves guessing and memorizing the characters’ names,
earning more than one million views on average. Further, with the launch of the new movie “Heartsping: Teenieping of Love,” the production was able to attract a wider scope of audience by casting Winter, K-pop star of Aespa, to sing the theme song.
“It brought back childhood memories of hanging out with friends and watching animated movies,” Yena Kim ’27, audience member of the movie, said. “It was really interesting because the storyline was more complex than I thought it would be and it was actually really fun to watch. I went after school with friends and we talked about the movie so much and it was a really good experience. If I had the chance, I would go watch it again!”
The production aside, there are websites detailing the description of each Teenieping, quizzes to match their names, and personalized tests that reveal the Teenieping one resembles the most. The variety of entertainment presented by the show has rendered Teeniepings more attractive for older audiences.
While some question the large number of Teeniepings, their diverse representation of complex emotions has been a key marketing strategy for garnering such great attention. Although it has already achieved a rare feat of achieving unparalleled popularity given it targets young audiences, the show is attempting to reach the global stage by releasing its toys and movies abroad.
Seeing that the popularity of Teeniepings has yet to fall, is it time for us to create our own outgoing journalist Teenieping for the paper?
While pursuing one’s passion may lead to success, studying holds less risk in ensuring a stable economic life in the future. The opportunity cost of not studying is great, considering one’s adolescence poses a critical period for growth. If that passion goes astray or withers away, that means that precious time is lost—time that could have alternatively been spent investing in a more economically stable future.
Many parents, who have been in children’s shoes, are aware that passions often change, and therefore encourage their children to be academically successful. Indeed, by performing well in school, students can have better access to more opportunities later on—including matriculation into prestigious colleges and, in turn, better job opportunities.
Ample data supports the correlation between prestigious colleges and high wages. Indeed, renowned schools such as MIT, Princeton, UPenn, and Caltech are within the top 10 schools in future salary potential. With significant competition for a limited number of high-paying jobs, one method that companies use to filter through applications is by looking at the prestige of applicants’ universities as an indicator of diligence and intelligence.
Whereas the idea that individuals should pursue their passions is optimistic, it is likewise impractical. Ultimately, many passions are ephemeral, and individuals cannot construe clear-cut paths to success with something that is bound to wither with time.
…centers around relationships.
From an early age, many parents emphasize that high academic achievement is the only path that guarantees success for children. However, this narrow approach does not always ensure success in both the short and long term. Instead, it can hinder relationships and relationship-building with friends and family.
The issue with a parenting system rigid around academic-oriented goals is that its principles are internalized by children, in turn preventing children from feeling free to extensively socialize and develop relationships and connections. While it is understandable that parents set such goals and expectations to ensure their child’s success, they often neglect the development of critical soft skills and relationship building, which are often practically more important.
“Is it necessary for parents and students to define success in a way where academic performance is the only metric?” Gray Macklin, high school principal, said. “Students at SIS sometimes forget that being focused on academic performance at the expense of caring for others and creating relationships within their community is diminishing a huge part of the high school experience.”
Consider a broader definition of human success that dates back to our ancestral roots: survival, reproduction, and longevity—primal instincts that continue to constitute our perception of success. To achieve this, strong relationships are crucial, evident from a meta-analysis of 148 studies covering over 300,000 participants that concluded individuals with strong social ties had a 50 percent higher likelihood of living longer. Another study worth noting is that social isolation contributes to a 26 percent mortality increase.
While parents can and should encourage strong learning habits, it is equally, if not more, important that youths understand that a good life is not constructed solely of impressive credentials and academic accolades but also by the bonds that shape our society. If students and parents forget that nurturing family and friendly relationships is part of learning to be responsible and positive human beings, then they have lost sight of what success means.
…is unable to be confined to one strict definition.
Success is not something that society should or can measure, nor are there any metrics or set paths of success to follow. Whether it is defined by achieving top grades and attending a prestigious university or by nurturing great relationships with family and friends, success is an inherently subjective and personal term that people ought to define for themselves.
As the leaves change color and the days shorten, Won Gyeom ‘25 and Gray Macklin, High School Principal, put finishing touches to a growroom for the new school garden.
Photo by Sean Kim ’26
photo of the month