Taipei American School | 800 Chung Shan North Road, Section 6, Taipei, Taiwan | blueandgoldonline.org | VOLUME XXIV, ISS. 05 | March 23 2018
AP Studio Art students prepare for a professional exhibit in April
By Kelly Phil (‘20)
The Taipei American School AP Studio Art Exhibit will take place on April in the Multi-Purpose Room. The exhibit will feature pieces from the students in AP Studio Art, a year-long course where students complete one of three portfolio options: drawing, 2D design, or 3D design. The AP Studio Art students have to be prepared to do a significant amount of work outside of regular class time either after school, during free periods or at home. A minimum of 24 pieces of art are required to complete a portfolio.” Teachers and students work closely to develop the portfolio, but the student must be able to work independently and devote their full attention to making art. Student work is assessed as to whether it reflects college-level thinking in terms of the use of composition, cohesion, use of class time, craftsmanship and creative solutions. Students explore ideas and record their reflections while maintaining a blog. In order to assist them, students are introduced to different aspects of the Adobe Creative Suite to create sophisticated imagery that goes beyond the simple application of filters, layer blending and special effects. Students are also encouraged to use a workbook to plan
compositions throughout the year; their works can be seen on the AP Studio Art website. The students need to have three portfolios in order to complete the course: Drawing,
2D Design, or 3D Design. The Drawing Portfolio addresses broad interpretation of drawing issues and media. Students can complete this requirement by drawing two-dimensional
medium or process including graphic design, digital imaging, photography, collage, fabric design, weaving, illustration, painting, and printmaking. The 3D Design Portfolio is a
sculptural requirement that can involve interactive art pieces or architecture. Students are expected to have a consistent theme in all of their works. When choosing
a theme, students often look towards their interests. Yuka Miyazaki (‘20) chose sports to represent her art. She says, “my theme is sports because I thought it would be interesting to express movement with paintings. So I painted people playing volleyball, swimming, and dancing. I think that the way art interacts with motion is really interesting, so I thought that it was worth pursuing for my project.” Fellow student Ashli Huang (‘18) says, “I chose nature to be my theme because I think that a lot of art is reflective of nature and the world around us. Also, because nature encompasses a broad topic, it can be interpreted differently depending on the artist. The wooden structures I want to present use wood as a symbol of nature and my design is suppose to emphasize its beauty.” Students also explore different artistic styles in their works. Ashli says, “I do 3D design and material structures among other things. I think this style is particularly interesting because it allows me to go beyond what a pen or pencil can do by using technology and expressing myself through physical structures. I think that the 3D apsect of my design also helps with my theme by making nature look more three dimensional and interactive and not just static.”
Beginning next year, semesterlong introductory courses will be more specialized: Broad introductory computer science courses have been replaced with courses on narrower topics like microcontroller electronics and game programming. The department made this move to allow teachers to teach topics with more depth over a short span of time, and allow students to learn about topics that might more fully complement their interests. “Student interests are diverse,” says department teacher Dr. Allan Bayntun. “Someone
interested in learning about a specific topic or building a mechanism can do so more efficiently, and spend more time doing things they’re interested in.”
concepts using simple math language, and I enjoyed giving students a little bit of exposure to cool ideas that students will see in their lifetime.” These ideas will range from machine learning to quantum computing, and will give students introductory insights into high-tech innovations of the future. “What I’d like to do is introduce students to what that means and how you can access that without going into fourth-year undergrad in physics,” Dr. Bayntun says.
In the English department next year, Mr. Henry Chuang will open two new English elective courses: the Writing Workshop & Seminar and Honors Writing Workshop & Seminar. The course will follow the format of a traditional writing workshop, where students discuss their original creative writing and learn about literary craft. “There are incredibly strong writers at Taipei American School that don’t have a consistent opportunity to share or receive feedback for their work—at least, not in the capacity that a sustained writing seminar
would offer,” says Mr. Chuang. “And creative writing is something that I hold very close to my own heart.” He is a poet by trade, but hopes to further discover prose work over the course of the seminar. Mr. Chuang hopes to support TAS’ young writers by offering a supportive space for original work. “I want to place an emphasis on building an accountable and supportive community,” he says. “Most stereotypes of writers involve something along the lines of being lonely or isolated. I don’t think it has to be that way at all.”
Yuka Miyazaki (‘20) (left) and Ashli Huang (right) (‘18) create art for their AP Studio Art class. [TAS
UPPER SCHOOL ART WEBSITE]
New classes added to the Upper School curriculum By Shereen Lee (‘19)
Every year, the faculty at Taipei American School expands its fields of instruction to offer students access to new aspects of learning, from piano performance to technological innovation. Take a look at some classes that will be added in the 2018-2019 school year.
Microcontroller Electronics, Mechanical Engineering, Media Arts & Technology, Robotic Engineering, and Java Graphics & Design
The computer science and robotics department has heavily reworked classes.
Keep in touch with the Blue & Gold!
Honors Computer Modelling
Advanced courses are also being rebooted in the computer science department, in the form of next year’s Honors Modern Topics in Computer Science course. “The course came out of another advanced course I’m teaching this year,” says Dr. Bayntun. “Throughout the year, I found that it’s possible to teach these very high-level physics
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the blue & gold march 23, 2018
Upper School team PowersUp at robotics competition
Next stop: “Raid Zero” is headed for Hawaii for their last regionals. [PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN HSU]
By Christine Lin (‘19) For the 2018 FIRST Robotics Competition season, the Taipei American School robotics team, “Raid Zero,” attended regional competitions in Utica, New York (Feb. 28-March 6) and Sydney, Australia (March 9-14). They are also attending a final regional for the season in Honolulu, Hawaii (March 21-24).
At the Central New York Regional in Utica, the team ranked second after the qualification rounds but lost at the semifinals. On March 13, “Raid Zero” won the Southern Cross Regional, qualifying them to compete at the FIRST Championships in Detroit. “Raid Zero” is attending the Hawaii Regional taking place this weekend.
FIRST stands for “For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.” The nonprofit organization was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, a man more commonly known for developing the Segway. According to the organization’s website, Kamen’s vision and mission for the organization focuses on developing a STEM
engagement program. Comentor of the TAS “Raid Zero” team, Dr. Allan Bayntun, says that FIRST intends to create a platform for students in science and technology that cultivates the same and excitement as one would see in school athletics. FIRST has four different programs and leagues: FIRST Lego League Jr., FIRST
Lego League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition. The last program, most commonly known in TAS as FRC, is the largest and most well-known program. Under a themed objective and limited resources, teams of students design large robots of around 100 pounds in a six-week challenge that changes every year. This year’s theme, called “POWER UPSM” takes inspiration from old-school video games. Essentially, teams are required to design robots that can lift boxes, known as Power Cubes, around the sizes of milk crates to different locations of the match arena. Each 175-second match takes place in an enclosed field around the size of a standard Upper School classroom. There are a few ways a team can earn points, but a team earns the most points by lifting the Power Cubes onto its side of the seesaw: A point is earned each second the seesaw is tipped in the team’s favor. Over the course of the six weeks leading up to the New York Regional, “Raid Zero” has been working through a cycle of brainstorming, prototyping, designing, and fabricating, with the fabricating step, the physical building of the robots, taking up the most time. On the team’s development of the robots, Dr. Bayntun says, “It’s never smooth.” FRC gives out these challenges each year and “prides itself on making students
fail,” as the organization strongly believes in the idea of “learning success through failure.” To Dr. Bayntun, one of the biggest setbacks, besides the technical obstacles of making the robots, that the team members face is actually dealing with the fact that they are making something no one would use. Since the robots are made specifically to perform the tasks required by the challenge, they do not perform functions outside of the competition criteria, and this fact could sometimes discourage some members. On the team dynamic, Sharon Kuo (‘19) says, “FRC is like a big crazy family as we practically live in the lab for six weeks straight during build season, surviving on Texas Rangers, Red Bull, and memes.” Over Chinese New Year , “Raid Zero” members were in the lab almost every day well past midnight, “sometimes even going until 3:00 a.m. and then coming back the next day to do the same thing.” Everyone becomes bonded by their determination in these long weeks: “The amount of commitment and dedication everyone has to the team is unlike any other team I’ve seen,” says Sharon. The multiple trips to regionals in the month of March serves to help “Raid Zero” test out its robots’ abilities against different schools, as the more it competes, the more experience the robots and the members gain.
Parent community votes on key changes to Board structure
Posters with the tagline “Strong Slate, Strong Board, Strong School” have been put around TAS in recent weeks. [PHOTO COURTESY OF TAS.GOV]
By Julian Lee (‘18) On March 19, Taipei American School parents voted on the Strong Slate Referendum, which put forth two major amendments to the structure and election of the school’s Board of Directors. The TAS Board consists of nine elected members, who must be parents of current students, and four appointed members, who are not current parents. The Board holds elections for up to three open
elected member positions every spring. At present, the Board’s Nominating Committee is required to nominate at least two candidates for each open position, guaranteeing that an election will occur. Once elected, members can run for as many consecutive three-year terms as they wish, provided that they will still have a child at TAS by the end of their term. However, the Strong Slate Referendum proposed substantial changes to these regulations, effective from the 2018-2019
school year onward. A two-thirds “Yes” vote with a minimum of 50 parents participating was required to pass the referendum’s two amendments. The proposal moved firstly to allow the Nominating Committee to nominate only one candidate for each open position; and secondly, to impose limits on how many consecutive term Board members may serve. According to Mr. Joseph Hwang, Chair of the Board Governance Committee, “The Strong Slate Referendum is
Clockwise from top left: Board Chair Tina Koo, Governance Committee Chair Joseph Hwang, Audit Committee Chair John Hwang, Management & Resources Committee Chair Timothy Chang. [PHOTO COURTESY OF TAS.GOV]
one further step in the Board’s ongoing efforts in recent years to strengthen its governance structure to keep pace with the school’s continued growth as a leading school in Asia and the world.” He says that the purpose of having only one nominee for each position is to increase the pool of willing candidates, because currently, the competitive election process guaranteed by the two-nominee requirement discourages many candidates from running. If passed, the first amendment
would mean that on some occasions, vacant Board positions could be filled with no election. Nevertheless, Mr. Hwang says, “We want to emphasize something that will not change. And that is if you are a parent who is interested in running and were not nominated, you can write in [as a candidate]. All you need is 50 parent signatures to sign a petition to support you, and you are on the slate. In that case we would have a Board election as we have in the past.” The second amendment, if
passed, will limit elected Board members’ service to a maximum of three consecutive three-year terms, and appointed Board members’ service to a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms. After this maximum is reached, Board members will then have to take a hiatus of one year before being eligible to return. A statement on the official referendum website says, “The Board is looking to evolve in a smooth and orderly fashion...term limits [will] create a predictable and stable method of bringing on new Board members.” The referendum as a whole, according to the Board’s website, looks to improve the structure of the TAS Board in line with the governance models at the top independent schools in the United States. “The great independent schools that everybody knows about—like Exeter and Harker—are selfperpetuating,” says TAS Upper School Principal Dr. Richard Hartzell. “The board members themselves select new members... their goal is to preserve and improve their institution.” At the time of print the results of the Strong Slate Referendum were not yet known. The results were announced on March 20, and now can be found on the TAS website, tas.edu.tw.
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the blue & gold march 23, 2018
TO THE EDITOR:
Earlier this year, The Blue & Gold opened a letter writing contest to the student body —either an open letter to the Taipei American School community or a response to one of our previous articles. Here are two of our top entries:
Let’s get real By Alex Huang (‘18) and Niralee Shah (‘18)
We rarely ever hear what it really feels like to be a man in our social hierarchy. Behind the composed façade of Taipei American School’s men, do the guys here really have it together? What would happen if we were to discuss men’s issues with the same openness as many now do with women’s?
We need to talk about why men don’t feel comfortable being authentic and vulnerable.
Pictured: Alex Huang (top) and Niralee Shah (bottom). [KEVIN LEE/THE BLUE & GOLD]
As far as we’ve come over the years, most of us still face the pressure to police ourselves per an imagined high school social hierarchy, compulsively comparing ourselves to idealized versions of our sex. But whereas
feminists have shed light on the pressures women confront, people are all too quick to let guys’ issues slip under the radar. We rarely realize that exaggerated high school hierarchies fail men, too. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the social culture at TAS still puts stock in the outdated notion that the men must compete with each other on physical strength, confidence, assertiveness, and sexuality. Seldom do we notice the plight of guys of all stripes who aren’t quite stereotypical men—the dorky and timid, or bubbly and expressive, or short and chubby, or queer guys. They live in a culture that subtly but surely tells them that they are simply not up there on the gender hierarchy, so to speak. For many guys, vulnerability and emotional expression have become signs of weakness or
even downright unmanly, while an iron grip on one’s emotions seems to be a feat of strength in and of itself. Whereas women are increasingly told they can be anyone and do anything, all but a small group of guys are held back by masculine ideals more appropriate for 18th century Vienna. But more importantly, exaggerated high school hierarchies fails all of us. It is hard hearing our friends force themselves to commit to traditional gender norms for social advancement, losing themselves to a superficial reality—one where all of us are simply pretending. All of us have male friends who we know, but no one really understands deep down. When we accept that manhood can take one and only one form, when we accept that real men put up a front to
maintain their composed facade, we create an environment where people cannot be honest with ourselves about who we really are, let alone live in our own skin and develop rich and authentic human relationships. What’s at stake here is the rejection of superficial ideals— it’s about our right to be human and true to ourselves. Now more than ever, we are conscious of the ways women and girls are told, whether explicitly and implicitly, that their sex limits who they can be and what they can do—and we make the effort to tell them otherwise. But we need to do the same with guys. We need to talk about why men don’t feel comfortable being authentic and vulnerable. And we need to break down the superficial ideals that bar us from a more genuine and open culture at TAS. So let’s get real.
Wellness: a work-in-progress By Annabel Uhlman (‘18) and Claire Young (‘18)
Pictured: Claire Young (top) and Annabel Uhlman (bottom). [KEVIN LEE/THE BLUE & GOLD]
Here’s something most people don’t know about us. We have both been in Taipei American School for over six years, and during this time, we have struggled with how to deal with overwhelming negativity or numbness. Both of us have developed different relationships with depression. We’ve felt like we couldn’t speak up about what we were going through, and have turned to unhealthy coping habits. We want to share our experiences because we are not the only ones dealing with these issues. There was never an easy time to talk about not feeling okay in school, because it seemed unacceptable to be sad without a reason. The counselors and administration have resources for support and encourage students to seek help. However, the problem is the stigma that surrounds asking for help. When you run out of class to cry in the bathroom or hide the cuts on your wrists, it seems that most students turn their heads and look away. They may want to help, but they do not know how and
they are afraid to say the wrong things, so they say nothing at all. Mental health is an invisible issue at TAS. When Annabel came forward to ask for help, she felt invaded and small. Even though she found help in therapy, a safe space to talk, she felt like she was always hiding something at school. Worst of all, she felt like something was wrong with her, and it seemed like she was the only one struggling. Claire had similar experiences. She often felt that school was a lonely, cold place where few people were willing to listen. She realized that even willing listeners were more focused on giving advice than understanding her. She thought she had to always be strong, in the same way that she had to always be a straight-A student. Reaching out for help was difficult, especially when she knew that other high-achieving students disapproved of it. The topics of depression, anxiety, or simply not feeling okay were never discussed at the 2017 Wellness Convention, where attendance was optional. While wellness is part of
TAS’s new Strategic Plan, it seems like an afterthought to academic reputation and sports medals. Over a year has passed since TAS announced its intention to focus on wellness, but little has changed. We are still sleep-deprived and coping with stress unhealthily. We need an education that cultivates not just “intelligent” minds, but healthy ones. This requires a cultural shift to be a more accepting community, but also a better mental health education. We need a school where all-nighters and full schedules aren’t worn like badges of honor. Where health education isn’t simply a Powerpoint on STDs, but also discusses depression, anxiety, self-care habits, and more. Where we learn to be kind to ourselves, recognize the effects of mental illnesses, and identify toxic thought patterns. Where we do not feel the need to hide our scars. We, as students, also need to be more accepting of struggle and more willing to help. It’s no secret that institutionalized competition is inextricably
intertwined with TAS life. We are a school of highly-academic, intelligent adolescents, and it’s time for us to realize that feeling tired, stressed, and burned out every single day should not be the norm. We stretch ourselves thin to get the perfect college application by participating in sports, service clubs, honor societies, and more. We need to realize that it’s okay to not do it all. Our academic careers should not come at the expense of our mental health. We need to be aware of how we silence those around us, even unintentionally. We often invalidate other’s experiences by labeling them as weak, thinking that they’re fishing for sympathy or that they can’t handle it. We’re complicit in contributing to this culture of shame, of suppressing our negativity until it becomes overwhelming. Instead, we need to become a community that’s comfortable with accepting and voicing our struggles. It’s time for this invisible issue to become more visible, and for us to become healthier, happier people.
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the blue & gold march 23, 2018
TWO BLUE & GOLD WRITERS DEBATE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, WHICH ALLOWS UNIVERSITIES TO CONSIDER RACE AS A FACTOR IN ADMISSIONS. CURRENTLY, THE LIMITED USE OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IS LEGAL, BUT RACIAL QUOTAS ARE DEEMED UNCONSTITUTIONAL BY THE SUPREME COURT.
Say “affirmative” to affirmative action By Julian Lee (‘18) Eight hours of SAT classes, every day of winter break. Stacks of homework from your nine AP courses. A constant barrage of harshly graded in-class essays. To many Taipei American School students, these may sound more like punishments from hell than privileges. In college admissions, however, the truth is that these practices are actually educational resources that give students a massive advantage—an advantage that is too often denied to blacks, Native Americans, and Hispanics. Critics of affirmative action policies argue that college admissions should be judged purely on “merit,” that it is unfair to reject the white student with a 1500 on the SAT for the black student with a 1400. However, these critics fail to understand—or perhaps purposely overlook—that many privileged white and Asian students, with their fancy prep classes and well-run schools, enjoy a huge head start towards their impressive scores. In contrast, according to research conducted by the United States Department of Education, almost 20 percent of black students do not even have access to AP classes in their school, let alone expensive tutoring outside of it. Thus, the truly unfair policy is judging scores and grades without context.
Goodbye, IASAS Hugs: a fun but flawed tradition By Julian Lee (‘18)
Spread across the U.S. and the world, there are thousands of black, Native American, and Hispanic high school students who are just as talented as their high-achieving white and Asian counterparts. Yet, many of these promising students lack the financial and educational support to improve their GPAs and SAT scores.
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RACE-CONSCIOUS ENROLLMENT IN THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS RACE
The problematic effects of affirmative action By Barron Tsai (‘19)
I would not want to be labelled a racist or a bigot, so let me make this clear at the outset: I am not against affirmative action. I am cognizant of the fact that many minorities face potential discrimination from the rich and powerful within American society. They deserve all the help that they can get. But even as I embrace the good intentions and principles behind such a system, I cannot help but wonder about affirmative action’s place in the “master plan” to create a unified yet diversified American society. Affirmative action seems like a purely beneficial endeavor on the surface. After all, American society today, for all its positive improvements, still suffers from racism, discrimination, or bigotry. It is therefore necessary—good, even—to turn that around with the positive discrimination that defines affirmative action. Or so the argument goes. But the truth is, affirmative action has many problematic effects. As kids in the classroom, some of us may have felt resentment towards a so-called teacher’s pet. Blow that up on a macro scale, and you have affirmative action. The beneficiaries of affirmative action tend to engender resentment from non-minorities who feel as these minorities are
given preferential treatment in college admissions. Whether or not minority candidates actually deserve the coveted university spots they get does not matter to the resentful non-minority students who lose out in the admissions race—it is the perception that counts. And this, and the widely-held perception that minorities get preferential treatment serves only to heighten racial tensions in an already tension-filled society.
By giving disadvantaged minorities more leeway in the numbers game, affirmative action helps to maximize their potential, as Mr. Dante Benson, an African-American TAS social studies teacher and Pomona College alumnus, can attest. “Affirmative action was an important, contributing factor into getting me where I am today,” he says. “I came from a low-income community outside of Philadelphia. I never had an SAT tutor. But the schools being able to take account variations in socioeconomic status—it definitely helped me out. And after graduating from Pomona, I can say that I was just as capable as any other
student at that school. If I had never got to Pomona, I would never have known that I was capable of achieving success on the level of those students.” As if the tiny benefit of promoting racial equality were insufficient to justify it, affirmative action also gives us the gift of diversity, one of the most appealing aspects of attending university in the U.S. As Ms. Nancy Chien, TAS College Counselor, says, “When you bring in students of color, you can understand students from other backgrounds, from lower-income families, from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.” Moreover, the diversity brought about from affirmative action is not just a diversity of culture, but a diversity of character. An underprivileged minority student who struggles to make ends meet and works part time after school to help support her family will bring her resilience to her college campus. And in doing so, she will add more to the student body than yet another academic overachiever. One day, our society may become so fair that all races will have equal access to quality primary and secondary education. On that day, I will be the first to call for these policies to be abolished—but until then, long live affirmative action.
In addition to creating the notion that overqualified minority candidates only succeed because they are objects of the government’s charity, affirmative action also creates situations where underqualified candidates are put into a situation that unfortunately, proves to be too challenging for them. At some institutions of higher learning, unqualified minority students may end up gaining admission not on the basis of merit but on the basis of their skin color.
Instead of setting them up for success, affirmative action has set these students up to fail. Perhaps, it would be judicious to suggest that affirmative action should not be based on skin color at all. It should instead be based on socioeconomic status. A rich black kid or a rich Latino kid already has plenty of opportunities and chances in life to succeed. They do not need the benefits that come with affirmative action. Conversely, a poor white kid could very much benefit from policies like affirmative action. Affirmative action has the right intentions—to help the disadvantaged—but it should not be based on race at all. So, as I made clear at the beginning, I am not against affirmative action. I do, however, think it is an imperfect solution to an imperfect situation. Affirmative action creates a multitude of situations where it has the antithetical effect from what its creators intended. At the end of the day, the goal is to created a unified and meritocratic society. But how do we achieve that? And is affirmative action ultimately helping or harming the process? I cannot claim to be brilliant enough to answer these questions—but I do know that they need to be asked.
Some call it “table-banging;” others know it as “IASAS Hugs” or “IASAS Crush.” Whatever the name, this long-held tradition at Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools sports tournaments features teams chanting an athlete’s name and pounding on tables, until that unfortunate soul succumbs and asks their IASAS crush for a hug. This rowdy spectacle dominates IASAS closing banquets—or at least it used to. Earlier this month, however, IASAS Hugs were banned from IASAS second season tournaments. Some students view this move as an
overreaction. Susanna Hyvonen, an athlete from the International School of Kuala Lumpur, says, “I personally think that the tradition was misunderstood by adults...it was an innocent act by the IASAS participants, and was never intended to be harmful in any way.” Admittedly, from personal experience, IASAS Hugs can be incredibly fun. Teams from different schools have the opportunity to bond as they gleefully take on the role of matchmakers for their friends, and after a hug concludes, an uproarious cheer goes up from all in attendance.
Yet, beneath all the laughs, IASAS Hugs was a deeply flawed tradition. For one, it is a textbook example of peer pressure. Of course, male and female athletes can both be called up for this ritual. However, just for an example, visualize dozens of teenagers, all screaming for Bob Chen at the top of their lungs to get up and entertain them. Obviously, saying “no” is not a popular option. And if it is difficult for Bob to stand up against such pressure, it is virtually impossible for the object of his affection to turn down the hug. The girl Bob picks may not want to hug him, or anyone else
for that matter, but in IASAS Hugs, her consent rarely factored into the equation. In short, the tradition also represented a form of physical harassment. These are serious accusations: Many would simply say that IASAS Hugs is not that big of a deal. For the most part, I agree. I believe that it had innocent intentions, and I have never heard any IASAS participant seriously complain about it. Nevertheless, innocent intentions do not guarantee innocent results. So if IASAS Hugs has ever caused anyone true distress or discomfort—as I suspect it has more than once— then it is time for it to go. As Ms.
Kim Kawamoto, Taipei American School Athletic Director, says, “It does not align with our values as a conference, and as a school.” We now enter a hug-less era of IASAS. It is, indisputably, a morally better era. And while we are sacrificing this one source of entertainment for our principles, Joshua Aho, an International School of Manila athlete, summed it up best when he said, “IASAS will still be IASAS without it. It’ll still be full of fun, excitement, and amazing memories.”
“I never had an SAT tutor. But the schools being able to take into account variations in socioeconomic status— it definitely helped me out.”
As kids in the classroom, some of us may have felt resentment towards a so-called teacher’s pet. Blow that up on a macro scale, and you have affirmative action.
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the blue & gold march 23, 2018
EDITORIAL
RESPONDING TO THE I
n October 2017, #MeToo exploded on Twitter. Activist Tarana Burke coined the phrase in 2006, but it was able to gain traction because it coincided with accusations of sexual misconduct against prominent producer Harvey Weinstein. Actress after actress spoke out, and the hashtag took off. Within just a few months, the #MeToo movement has led to the naming and shaming of hundreds of highprofile men, a media maelstrom of confession and commentary, and now a growing backlash accusing it of creating an anti-sex climate
of male fear and female disempowerment. Though it has not quite yet passed into the realm of past tense, and the outpouring of outrage has not been completely exhausted, it has reached a stage of maturity where we can consider what it means for us as Taipei American School students. At TAS, girls are visible and celebrated. Girls are scientists and athletes and leaders of all stripes, as the Blue & Gold’s allfemale Editorial Board attests. In this secure and overtly genderequal environment, it is easy to fall for the illusion that sexism has largely been eradicated, that any remaining concerns amount to nitpicking and overreaction. For most of us, #MeToo has taken place far away, and if we are aware of it, it has touched
#Me Too our lives by dint of our presence within certain o n l i n e media bubbles. But #MeToo is not j u s t about Hollywood. #MeToo is about you—male or female. With its cascade of sexual harassment allegations against powerful men, #MeToo shows that privilege does not provide its bearer immunity to the hazards of living in a woman’s body. Those hazards range from being forced to watch a comedian masturbate, to discovering that your colleague sitting in the next cubicle over is a serial harasser. Those hazards are real no matter how wealthy your background or how successful your career. No one is safe from such bizarre and
degrading situations. Sexual predators cannot succeed alone; they live in quietly accepting communities. They and their facilitators are not born; they are made in homes and in schools. At TAS, many students practice a policy of selective personhood, in which a friend’s sister may be more than the sum of her “f— able” parts, but that freshman in a tight shirt is not. A girl is human when you ask her for homework help, but not when you secretly distribute photos of her through social media. Students rate others out of 10 in the cafeteria, and label girls fat or flat wherever and whenever they feel like it. Some may protest, but most eventually give up when time after time they find their voices brushed aside.
MOVEMENT Even those who have never engaged in such disgusting behavior may be guilty. You are guilty if you have stayed silent. You are guilty if you have laughed along. You have made locker rooms, hallways, and group chats safe places for misogyny to root and thrive. What is at stake is not just the occasional off-putting remark or off-color joke. What is at stake is whether you will permit your friends and classmates to treat disrespect toward girls as a badge of masculinity. It is no accident that perpetrators often perform repugnant modes of talking about sex and sexual attractiveness in front of large groups, and the social pressure that could be directed toward standing up for gender equality
instead suppresses dissent. This sinister normalization of objectification, this steady blurring and crossing of lines, is exactly what has enabled so many people exposed by the #MeToo movement to get away with sexual misconduct for so long. As #MeToo fuels a public discussion about the prevalence of harassment in workplaces around the world, we too must begin a public conversation about our complicity in the sexism endemic in our student body, because every sexual harasser, every victim, and everyone who turned a blind eye was a student once.
BELIEF
ALVIN LING STUDIES PHYSICS RELIGIOUSLY By Catherine Lin (‘19) Alvin Ling (‘19) sees evidence of religion everywhere: in cell membranes and photons, in the quirks of animal biology and in the laws of motion. So when I interview Alvin, he is, fittingly, in the physics lab, doing extra work for the Taiwan Young Student Physicists’ Tournament and searching for truth. Like his family, Alvin is primarily a Taoist, and also incorporates aspects of Buddhism into his thought. But he is open to religious influences from a variety of sources, particularly Gnosticism, a group of early Christian movements that believed in salvation through knowledge of a supreme being. “My temple’s interpretation of Taoism is that we all are basically fallen angels,” he says. “We’re here so we can regain our divinity.” That divinity is achieved through knowledge. Alvin’s religious practice does not merely consist of conformity to a set of rules; it also requires a continuous effort to understand the nature of the universe. For him, that entails combining the insights of both science and world religions. “Different religions see what is true from different angles,” he says, comparing this to quantum mechanics, in which light and matter can be treated both as a wave and as a particle. Both interpretations are “true,” but each are useful in different situations.
Alvin’s current religious views emerged largely during freshman year, when a period of personal struggle and distress prompted him to reconsider his beliefs. The physics lab and the temple were his two safe havens, and he found solace in his faith at a time when he had faith in little else. At first, he would go to the temple every week to ask for advice about academic and social issues from the interpreters who explained the meaning of burned incense.
“AFTER GOING THROUGH TRAUMA, I BECAME MORE RELIGIOUS AND LESS SELFCENTERED, FOCUSING ON THE JOURNEY TO REALITY.” “I’ve always been spiritual, but the purpose was different. When I was young I thought that deities were just there to help me achieve small goals,” he says. “After going through severe trauma, I became more religious and less self-centered, focusing on the journey to reality.” Despite his certainty in the existence of a supreme being, he constantly reiterates that there is much he does not and cannot
HANNAH SMITH FINDS CONVICTION IN DOUBT know. “I don’t know what the supreme being is. All I know is that the supreme being exists,” he says. At another point, he compares humanity’s search for truth to a two-dimensional object attempting to grasp the concept of a three-dimensional world: “You can only try to imagine it, but you really can’t perceive it.” But to him, doubt can be beneficial. “I still have doubts every day. The doubt is a way that you can gain knowledge,” he says. Part of what makes quantum mechanics so compelling to him is its assertion of the limits of human knowledge. Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, for example, states that it is impossible to accurately know both the position and momentum of a particle at the same time. In a world where objects can have mass without volume, or simultaneously exist and not exist, quantum mechanics makes a mockery of any presumption that science is capable of categorizing, labeling, and defining the world in neatly comprehensible boxes. In such a mysterious universe, the search for reality, whether through religion or science, is a difficult battle. To seek it, Alvin says, one must “worship in temples to find inner peace and assistance from the lower beings, and control oneself to focus on knowledge acquisition.”
By Shereen Lee (‘19) “When my grandma died in first grade, and we buried her in the cemetery, my mom told me to 拜拜 [pray],” says Hannah Smith (’19). “We were praying, and I didn’t see any gods, or feel their presence. I looked up and I was like, ‘What are we doing? Why are we doing this?’” Looking around, Hannah observed other family members as they prayed and realized that their experience was radically different from hers. “I looked at my sister, and realized there was a significance that these prayers were supposed to release. But it just wasn’t like that for me,” she says. That was when Hannah realized that her ways of looking at the world were different from the convictions that her Christian and Buddhist family held. Over the past 10 years, she has seldom doubted her conviction that a higher being does not exist. “I’ve had moments when I wanted it to be true,” she says. “Because it would be so nice. But I know that I can’t bring myself to believe something I know isn’t there.” For Hannah, the idea of morality being linked to religion is nearly incomprehensible: instead, she believes in constructing her own ideas of justice. “Once
someone asked me, ‘What gets you going every day? What makes you live your life if you don’t have God?’ I think it said more about her than it did about me,” she says. “I’m constantly figuring out what kind of person I want to be, all the dreams I have for myself.” Yet, she still considers herself a deeply spiritual person. Hannah finds a sense of awe particularly from learning more about the world and the people around her. “I never harbored any illwill or resentment to people who were religious because I’ve been able to find a similar sense of wonder through knowledge sometimes,” she says. From biology to art history, her educational experiences have imbued her with a sense of awe that she considers almost religious. “I get this feeling I get when I’m connected to learning, to the world and all the people in it. That feeling makes me want to do this type of learning for the rest of my life,” she says. “I could be an academic, maybe.” However, her spirituality is distinct from religion in several fundamental aspects. She has often felt isolation from organized religious beliefs and activities. “Denominational religion always has an aspect of attachment to a god’s name. But what I feel is much more
vague than that. It’s a feeling of bigness. It’s a feeling that the universe is so much bigger than all of us can possibly imagine.” More than knowledge, Hannah fundamentally sees her life’s journey as a pursuit of truth. “I want to live my life as a constant revolution, always figuring out what truth and beauty is in all aspects of the world around me,” she says. At the same time, she emphasizes the importance of finding truth independently in all areas. “Nobody should say what your truth is,” she says. “You need to find that. Find that feeling. Hold on to it.” “I keep saying the world ‘truth,’” she says. “I don’t have any synonym.” While her independent nature was a product of her own personality rather than her religious beliefs—or lack thereof—she believes that her atheism has shaped the way she thinks about life. “I’ve always been assertive and independent,” she says. “But I know I have the power to make my life what I want it to be. I know that I have the power to try, even if I fail.” Ultimately, her life revolves her loved ones, learning, and the lives of other people around the world. “The last one is important,” Hannah says. “We have to take care of each other because there’s no god to take care of it for us.”
Four students at Taipei American School share their thoughts on divinity and faith. PHOTOS BY SHEREEN LEE (‘19)
THE JERGENSEN TWINS ARE MORMONS FOR LIFE
CINDY LEE ASPIRES TO CHRISTIAN DEVOTION
By Daniel Wang (‘18)
By Coco Lee (‘19)
Before most Taipei American School students arrive at school, Daxton and Brecken Jergensen (‘19) are already in a classroom to study their religion: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, or Mormonism. Every morning, from Monday to Friday, the twins arrive on campus at 6:25 a.m. for a 50-minute class to study scriptures and to talk about the commandments. Along with seven other Upper School students, they are taught by an adult from their church. Daxton and Brecken’s religion is something they share with their family. “We were born into a family where both our parents were Mormon so we never knew anything different,” says Daxton. “We’ve just always been Mormon.” In Mormonism, followers believe in and read both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. “The Book of Mormon tells us how to interpret the Bible and they act together to tell us what to do,” says Daxton. As Mormons, Daxton and Brecken view the set of commandments and rules that they have to follow as a vital part of their lives. Beyond the Ten Commandments from the Bible, specific rules also come from latter-day prophets for the Mormon Church. These include rules forbidding the consumption of alcohol, tea, and drugs. While these rules appear to restrict what he can or
cannot do, Brecken says, “Each one actually makes us more free. If we break one of these commandments you can easily become addicted to certain things and that restricts you in certain ways.” Daxton agrees and adds, “All the rules and everything kind of shape me to be the best person I can possibly be in this world.” When the twins first moved to Taipei from Logan, Utah in 2015, the twins had to face completely new obstacles. “In Utah, it’s hard to find somebody who isn’t Mormon. It’s completely different...All the students here didn’t know what Mormonism really was, so that was really hard,” says Brecken. One example sticks out in Brecken’s memory. “When people swore, I was kind of like, cringing. I’ve tried to tell people not to.” Daxton completes his brother’s sentence, saying, “But we didn’t really want to force them to.” The brothers say that they now appreciate the culture shock they faced because they grew to become more accepting of others in Taipei. “I think it was amazing,” says Daxton. “It would’ve been a bigger shock if we were older and learned a lot of these things.” The twins dedicate a significant amount of time from their lives to practicing Mormonism. Daxton and Brecken already go to religion class, called seminary, every weekday morning, but they also
read at least a couple of verses or a chapter of either the Bible or the Book of Mormon every day on their own. On Sundays, their family goes to church in the morning for three hours and follows the rules of the “sabbath,” which the Bible designates as a “day of rest.” “The main thing is just don’t have somebody work for you on Sundays,” says Brecken. Daxton elaborates, “As a family we try our best not to buy anything or be with friends, but there are days where you have to go to the store or something so there are exceptions.” Basketball, however, is not one of those exceptions. When the twins traveled to Okinawa for a basketball exchange with the boys varsity team in January, they did not play on the Sunday of the exchange. Both agree that it was difficult, but Daxton states, “I have gone my [entire] life telling myself that I will not play sports on Sundays...it makes my decision a lot easier.” While the twins believe it is difficult to be a devout follower of a religion, they both state that they have also experienced the blessings that come with their faith. “It gives me more of a purpose,” says Brecken. “I know what my ultimate goal is, which is to be as good as I can be in order to go to heaven and return to our Heavenly Father after we die.” Meanwhile, Daxton smiles and says, “It makes me happier because I know what I’m doing here.”
Every Sunday morning, Cindy Lee (‘19) wakes up early to go to church. In her current church, Taipei Korean Community Church, she attends the Christian Youth Group, where she worships with other Korean middle and upper school students. “We usually start service around 11:00 a.m. by singing songs and listening to a sermon,” says Cindy. As the current student leader of the Youth Group, Cindy spends her Sunday mornings leading worships and planning activities. She has been attending church since birth, as she comes from a devout Christian family. The world’s biggest religion with around 2.1 billion followers, Christianity is a religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible, a holy text containing the Old Testament—selections from what Jewish people call the Torah —and the New Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus rises as the son of God and the promised messiah sent by God to save humanity and eliminate their sins through his crucifixion. Since Cindy is a Christian by birth, many have asked if she is pressured by her family into her religion. Cindy always responds that she continuously makes the choice to worship Christianity, and she never feels forced by anyone with her faith. “If I choose to abandon my faith, [my parents] will probably
discourage it. But they will try to understand me and first ask me why.” Cindy’s favorite part of attending church is the opportunity to meet new people and socialize. Once every year during August or September, the Youth Group of Cindy’s Church organizes a retreat, where they will spend two days at a beach or a camping site on a mountain. During the day, the students will have fun and socialize with others church members. During the night, everyone will spend time reflecting on their Christian faith.
“I STILL NEED TO TRY HARDER. NO MATTER HOW INVOLVED YOU ARE, YOU CAN ALWAYS DO MORE TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY. The Youth Group also reaches out to its local community by sending small gifts to the nearby police station, fire department, and local people living near the Church during special days such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. During last November, the Youth Group also collaborated with a local Taiwanese Church to spend
a day socializing with Taiwanese students and worshipping the same God under two different languages. In the Youth Group, Korean college students studying in Taipei and other adults volunteer as mentors to the students. “Our mentors allow me to reach out to them when I have concerns.” They also help lead the worships every week, organize activities, and guide students in deepening their understanding of their faith. Cindy’s faith is not only limited to Sundays. During the week, Cindy continues to practice her religion by trying to read the Bible every day and remembering to pray her thanks to God for the day before going to bed. Although religion plays a big role in her life, Cindy never feels pressured in balancing her schoolwork and practicing her faith. Rather, because of her busy schedule, Cindy is used to being efficient in using her time and getting her work done. “What I actually like about Christianity is how its teachings are applicable in my daily life,” says Cindy. “It encourages me to be thankful for everything I have and appreciate all the people around me.” Despite being very involved in her Church community, Cindy still believes she is not yet considered a devout Christian. “I still need to try harder,” says Cindy. “No matter how involved you are, you can always do more to help your community.”
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the blue & gold march 23, 2018
Students of the Cultural Convention The annual Cultural Convention, where over 200 high school students traveled across Asia to exchange ideas about their artistic endeavors, took place from March 1-3. Get to know five talented individuals across the International Association of Southeast Asian Schools who represented their schools during the Convention. By Shereen Lee (‘19)
Abbi Yuniarto, Stage Technician Jakarta Intercultural School Two years ago, a section of Jakarta International School’s dance performance involved the dancers flinging paint around the entire stage, so the technology team was tasked with finding a way to make it work. Eventually, to solve the issue of paint getting on the floor, the team constructed a tarp that was a stunning 100 kilograms heavy.
We had to cut up a hundred kilos of tarp, carry it to Taipei, then reassemble it there. The trouble arrived when the team was due to move that tarp over 3,000 kilometers, from Jakarta to Taipei, for the Cultural Convention. “We had to cut up a hundred kilos of tarp, carry it to Taipei, then reassemble it there. All of the JIS delegates had to pitch in.” says tech delegate Abbi Yuniarto. This is not uncommon for the team, which has spent the past four years going to extreme lengths to “make it work” behind the scenes. Inexperience was also a challenge for Abbi and the tech team, who often must make do by learning new techniques as they go without formal instruction to help them. “When I became a sophomore, the old tech crew all graduated, so we sort of had to learn to do everything from scratch,” he says. “Relearn the equipment, get used to the stress.” Their team decimated, they were forced to build a new base of skills quickly. “We were sort of on our own, but we did it, and the show wasn’t horrible, so I guess we made it.” As Abbi reaches the end of his senior year and begins to train the new generation of tech delegates, he looks back fondly on all the triumphs and trips which made up his experience as part of the team. “One dude summed it up as ‘we had so many bants together,’” Abbi says. He stops himself for a moment. “Not sure if you can include that in the Blue & Gold, but I concur.”
Priyanka Ayer, Speaker Singapore American School
Maya Gan, Dancer International School of Kuala Lumpur
“I’m not sure if I can pinpoint a particular piece that convinced me I needed to write,” says Original Oratory delegate Priyanka Ayer. “In all honesty, every book I’ve ever read has cemented that fact in my mind—I need to write, the same way some people need to paint or mentor or play basketball. it’s just one of those things I know in my bones, sure as breath.” As part of her school’s OO team, Priyanka spent months preparing a speech for recital at the Cultural Convention at Singapore American School. Her love of literature from early on in her life encouraged her to join OO for her last year of her high school career, an event which cemented her identity as a writer. Writing on the topic of softness as savagery, Priyanka refuted the pervasive societal norm that sensitivity and fierceness are mutually exclusive. “I think for me it’s another one of those things where this topic just means everything to me, and it has for a really long time,” she says. “As someone who is both desperately sensitive and incredibly ambitious, it’s hard to balance this pervasive notion.” While these individual speaking events are not often known as team sports, Priyanka considers the help she received from her fellow team members as essential to the speech’s development. “The speech changed a lot over the course of the year—my teammates were phenomenal when it came to knowing how to push me hard, get at the heart of the vulnerability of the speech rather than hide behind poetics, as tends to be my default defense mechanism,” she says. “Without them it absolutely would not be as vibrant or nuanced as I hope it is.”
Dance has always been a source of stability for Maya Gan, who has been dancing since she was four years old. “I think back then it was just something all the girls did and I kind of just wanted to jump on the bandwagon,” she says. “But that changed when I first performed on a stage.” The burst of energy she experienced when she performed her first routine in front of an audience pushed her to expand her horizons. “I had this super colorful dress with my hair teased up,” she says. “And as cheesy as it sounds, I think that’s what really kept me going in dance.” She kept dancing throughout her elementary and middle school years, becoming a star dancer in her school. But when she moved in her junior year of high school to ISKL, she was once again unmoored. Dance became her rock yet again when she joined the dance team, enabling her to meet other students who shared her passion. Through the dance program, she met new people and gained access to experiences she would not have otherwise. “When you’re the new kid, seniors are so daunting, but over time I got know them through dance and now I am so close to them,” she says. This year, Maya and her fellow team members have continued in previous traditions for their choreographies, relying equally on emotion and technique to build their piece. A highlight for her this year is the opening of their piece. “It’s so powerful compared to anything I’ve done before,” she says. The team worked over the course of the year to perfect a fast-paced and precise choreography. “You have to make eight different dancers look exactly the same even in small things like the angles of legs when we had to kick,” says Maya. She hopes to continue her work for dance in the future. “As of now, I will not be going taking dance as a major in college but I definitely want to join a dance team or dance classes in college,” she says. “I don’t ever want to lose it, so even though it may not be my career path, it is something I know that will be in my future in some shape or form.”
Shubh Mahtani, Actor International School of Manila As an elementary school student, Shubh Mahtani took his first drama class out of a sense of obligation. “Back then we had the choice to either take art or drama, and I wasn’t good at drawing,” he says. “But I loved making up stories when I was younger, so I decided to try it.” He soon found his strength in acting, especially comedic characters. While he enjoys playing characters with diverging personalities, being able to reveal his true personality feels like coming home. “I was a funny character at IASAS this year,” says Shubh. In the original screenplay that ISM created this year for the Cultural Convention, he played a character that initially rejects his Indian culture and personality, but slowly accepts it over the course of the play. “I was happy to bring a bit of myself out onstage,” he says.
“But I loved making up stories when I was younger, so I decided to try it.” High school drama has exposed him to other disciplines as well. “We made this song and all had so much fun singing it, it was loads of fun because we were all enjoying and we really got to bond with each other,” he says. “We also add in the tune of that song into our piece!’ Throughout high school, Shubh has spent considerable time working on his skills in various areas in drama. “I’m a senior, so I’ve already taken theater for my whole high school career,” Shubh says. His bond to the theater students has also helped him. “The members of the team have become some of my best friends.”
Cheryl Loke, Artist International School of Bangkok At the Cultural Convention this year, Cheryl Loke’s exhibit was met with gasps and stares. Her work “What’s for Dinner?” depicted a sculpture of an animal’s bloodied carcass torn apart and placed on a plate. “Some people expressed pure disgust of the sculpture,” says Cheryl. “I had some people say ‘why would you make that?’” As a vegetarian for several years, Cheryl was inspired by the cruel and inhumane treatment that animals faced before reaching the dining table. “I believe those negative reactions to my artwork just proves my point that if we are able to see the full animal and not in a packaged in a meat aisle, then more people wouldn’t eat it.” Cheryl herself had been a meateater before she realized the inhumane conditions that animals were subjected to in the slaughterhouse. She initially considered becoming vegetarian at her friend’s encouragement, a little bit reluctantly. However, after watching a documentary on the lives of animals, she became fervently opposed to meat-eating. “I had never seen what goes into making meat, I thought of it as just food on a plate instead of a living life. And I feel once people really realize that there are real animals behind their food, it can change their perspective,” Cheryl says. For her, art is a way for her to express her feelings on social justice issues and to start a conversation. “Art gives an open-ended, new perspective on topics which can help shed light on topics that people may find taboo,” says Cheryl. “Over time, I’ve developed a dark humor, and an art style which mostly deals with controversial topics.” The process of the sculpture itself was less exciting than her conception of the topic and her advocacy for the cause. “It was really tedious. I spent around three weeks making it and at some points I felt like giving up,” says Cheryl. “But that’s just a part of the art process. And the reaction this piece received made everything worth it.”
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the blue & gold march 23, 2018
Uncovering the past lives of teachers By Vanessa Tsao (‘19)
Dr. Hsieh: working tirelessly for patients On her first day of medical school, current Upper School biology teacher Dr. Stephanie Hsieh was presented with a trunk filled with bones— “Pirates of the Caribbean style,” she explains. Not only did she have to learn everything about the bones, she also had to assemble them. Having a life-size human skeleton on her dorm bed was definitely not normal, but it was part and parcel of being a medical student. “The bones were real human bones, and they had crumbled a little, so I had bone crumbs on my sheets,” says Dr. Hsieh. Dr. Hsieh studied and worked in patient care at Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital for five years, sometimes with
around 100 patients under her care. It was so hectic she said that she constantly felt the need to be in multiple places at once. Her patients came in with a myriad of conditions, yet sometimes what seemed like a straightforward case could pose unexpected challenges. An elderly patient once came in with delirium, imagining that there was sashimi in the air and trying to reach for it. “It was easy to treat with a hypertonic saline IV drip because the hallucinations were caused by low sodium in his diet,” Dr. Hsieh says. However, on the day he was to be discharged, he had a stroke. “[The incident] reminded me that a patient’s condition can change in minutes and that you can never be complacent.”
Despite loving the problemsolving aspect of her job, the reality of being on call all night was far from easy. Despite being warned by others that it was very tiring, she did not expect just how bad it would be. “It’s not like when you pull an all nighter just doing one thing; you’re drifting off to sleep but called every five minutes to tend to your patients,” she says. Still, there were many meaningful moments for her. One of her patients came from Pulau with pyoderma gangrenosum, a rare immune disorder that resulted in painful, bleeding ulcers all over his body. During his stay at the hospital, she had casually chatted with him in English, not realizing it would make a huge impact on
him. She received an email from him after he had left the hospital, which was full of gratitude and even said, “God blessed me through you.” Dr. Hsieh says she was surprised when he first wrote to her, as she was not a high-ranking or famous doctor, but it was touching to know that such small gestures could drastically change the experience of a patient struggling with a tough condition. She says, “A stranger allowing you to touch him, to put tubes and needles in him, to cut him open just because you’re wearing a white coat, would be a bizarre violation in any other context outside medicine. The opportunity to learn about the human body so intimately was an incredible privilege.”
Dr. Hsieh working at Kaohsiung Medical University. [PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. HSIEH]
Mr. Matlock: particle physics researcher AP statistics teacher Mr. David Matlock was not passionate about physics as a child. After picking up some popular science books, though, he was filled with awe and wonder for the world of science and particle physics. Years later, he worked at the prestigious European Organization of Nuclear Research, or CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory. Mr. Matlock’s one and a half years at CERN yielded many opportunities to work on exciting, state-of-the-art projects and to exchange ideas with top minds in the world of physics. During his tenure, Mr. Matlock worked on the Compact Muon Solenoid detector for the Large Hadron Collider. The Collider is a large
machine situated 100 meters underground between the border of France and Switzerland that reveals the secrets of the universe by examining its tiniest particles. The job included testing to ensure equipment worked properly and developing simulations to predict undiscovered physics, though Mr. Matlock worked mostly on the former. He also checked on the consistency of the data: “The electronic detectors ares shaped like pizza slices on the wheel. But these slices overlap some,” says Mr. Matlock. “The idea is if you see an event in one of the electronic detectors where two detectors overlap, you should also see it in the other. I wrote code to check this.” Some of
the data summaries he created were used by leaders of the CMS project in their talks. He enjoyed figuring out solutions to the puzzles presented by his tasks, and had to learn new skills on the job. “You have to know about plumbing and basic electricity and electronic gadgets, which I didn’t know about. So I learned as I went along,” he says. His time at CERN allowed him to meet many brilliant minds, and he says that having lunch in cafeteria allowed him to see Nobel Prize winners and to hear many interesting conversations. Mr. Matlock had even got the rare chance to meet Stephen Hawking when he attended a talk Hawking gave at CERN. “He is really funny, and after the talk, I noticed some people
getting in line to get a photo with him. I decided to join the line, but right as it became my turn, his assistant said he was too tired to take more photos. So close!” Mr. Matlock says. However, one small downside for him was always feeling like he was the only one who did not understand what others were talking about, common when conversing with many brilliant people. Luckily, his love of learning never let those feelings hinder him. “Later in life, I realized that I learned more things more efficiently when I was willing to admit that I didn’t understand something in front of others. This willingness to be embarrassed is something I wish [I’ve] had my whole life,” Mr. Matlock says.
Mr. Matlock worked on the Compact Muon Solenoid detector at CERN. [PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. MATLOCK]
Mr. Openshaw: apartheid documenter From filming in a desert in Namibia, to being stationed as a soldier during apartheid in South Africa, Mr. Tobie Openshaw has lived through many exciting experiences. Mr. Openshaw, a South African citizen, worked for the National Theatre of Namibia after university. There, he became interested in the storytelling aspects of documentary and filmmaking. His budding career opened up many opportunities, particularly wildlife filming. One of his first nature documentaries was “Water Hunter,” which documented the scientific search for water in the desert. He spent most of his time filming out of a helicopter overlooking the desert, where he had to jump in and out of the vehicle with
his bulky broadcast camera. During his time there, he visited indigenous communities suffering from severe water shortages and observed how they managed their low water supplies. This eventually sparked his interest in indigenous rights, which would lead him on to projects such as his indigenous rights project in Taiwan. “When I met the people in the desert, I really got a feeling of how they belong there; that was their space; they occupied it,” he says. Mr. Openshaw’s return to South Africa coincided with a tense period of its history: apartheid’s downfall. He says, “I did shoot and document the first free and fair democratic elections; it was a very emotional and exciting
time.” He was also there for the momentous 1995 Rugby World Cup, saying: “Everyone, black and white, forgot their differences and came together as a nation. If you ever saw the movie ‘Invictus,’ it’s all true.” Mr. Openshaw explains that he had military obligations to fulfill, so he spent three months stationed in a black township. “I could see firsthand the struggle that my fellow [black] South African citizens face, since I could not have any meaningful interaction with them previously because of apartheid,” he says. His time in the military led him to profound realizations. “It made me aware of what white privilege meant. It made me understand that while I could live in a suburb in a decent
house and be driven to school, in black townships there was a lack of mobility so it was difficult for people to get educated or to get to and from work,” he says. Still, his position as an outsider seeking to document other people’s stories both in South Africa and currently in Taiwan often poses obstacles in establishing credibility. He has to overcome the question people have in their heads: “Why are you trying to tell our story?” But the process of filmmaking has been rewarding. Today, Mr. Openshaw says he enjoys his job at Taipei American School: “Part of my job is preserving people’s memories, shooting school events … and when they are old and gray with grandkids that’s going to be their memories.”
Mr. Openshaw shooting from a helicopter in Namibia. [PHOTO COURTESY OF MR. OPENSHAW]
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the blue & gold march 23, 2018
Rollin’ into spring with spring rolls By Kevin Lee (‘18)
By Barron Tsai (‘19)
Modern, light and fast, crispy, Taiwanese, or Vietnamese—spring rolls come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Here are three tasty spring roll options to try in Taipei over spring break.
Cyclo ($$) No. 9, Alley 75, Daan Rd. Section 1 Located in the midst of Taipei’s bustling East District, this restaurant offers great food and ambience. Cyclo’s spring rolls ($180 NT) are cut into four pieces, laid out like sushi topped with caviar, and sit on a spicy honey mustard sauce. The caviar explodes in your mouth as it coats the shrimp with a little extra salt. The spicy honey mustard equalizes the saltiness of the caviar, calming its flavor. And finally, as the temperature rises in the spring, their lemon iced tea definitely helps wash down the spring rolls. Cyclo is definitely a premium option for a luxurious and more modern take on the classic spring roll. [KEVIN LEE/THE BLUE & GOLD]
Hung Luen ($) No. 12, Alley 5, Tienmu W. Rd.
[PHOTO COURTES Y OF HUNG LEUN]
Hung Luen is the definition of Vietnamese fast food. With rapid serving time, this restaurant is perfect after a sports game. The spring rolls with sweet and sour dipping sauce offers a refreshing palate. One unique feature of Hung Luen’s spring rolls is that they are customizable with either rice noodles or starch noodles. Rice noodles offer a lighter bite while the starch noodles offer a richer taste as the starch absorbs the umami from the shrimp and the ham. These spring rolls, at only $100 NT for six generous pieces, offer the best bang for your buck.
Thai Town Cuisine ($$) 7F, No. 68, Alley 5, Tienmu E. Rd.
[PHOTO COURTES Y OF THAI TOWN]
Book recommendations from Ms. Abigail Chen
Located throughout Taipei City and New Taipei City, the chain restaurant Thai Town Cuisine serves up deliciously crispy Thai egg rolls ($180 NT). Often overshadowed by their trademark Golden Shrimp Cakes, the crispy spring rolls are definitely underrated. This dish comes with a side of their secret soy-based sauces, and unlike the crispy spring rolls from Cyclo or Hung Luen, this has a more Taiwanese taste from the sauce, bean sprouts, and napa cabbage. The Thai egg rolls are a great starter and can be complemented with their lemon iced tea ($99 NT) or their Thai milk tea ($99 NT).
“I think of reading as medicinal,” says Ms. Abigail Chen, Upper School English teacher. “What emotional state are you in right now? What do you need in this moment? Reading can be a way to uplift yourself, to anchor yourself, or even just to comment on a situation.” When I asked Ms. Chen what books she would recommend students at our school to read, she was at a loss. “I’ve moved away from books that are plot-driven. I now prefer to read more introspective books, because I enjoy the internal monologue that creates. But I’m not sure students necessarily enjoy that as much as I do.” Eventually, she settled on these three books that she read in her formative years.
Enid Blyton, “Naughtiest Girl in School” George Newness, 1940 Enid Blyton was a popular children’s book writer who wrote in the first half of the 1900s. Ms. Chen acknowledges that “Naughtiest Girl in School” has questionable literary merit when she looks back on it, but at the time, she felt that it was an eyeopening read. “It’s about this girl named Elizabeth who is devilish, mischievous, and basically a terror. When her parents send her off to boarding school, she tries to get expelled and sent back home.” The book also introduced Ms. Chen to the idea of restorative justice; instead of facing expulsion by the school administration for her transgressions, Elizabeth is forced to face her peers and make amends with those she has wronged. “Even today, this has informed the way I see my classroom,” says Ms. Chen. “I try to think about the philosophical underpinnings of disciplinary actions.”
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, “The Little Girl at the Window” Kodansha,1981 In “Little Girl at the Window,” Totto Chan gives an autobiographical account of her kindergarten years attending an unconventional school, which she attends after she gets expelled from a public school for being disruptive—as all kindergartners are. As a student, she learned to respect others and herself for their unique traits and dreams. Ms. Chen says, “It was kind of a school for students who didn’t fit the norm for what a good student should look like. However, the school is filled with nothing but joy and enthusiasm: Students have no schedule and get to pick what they want to do every day. It’s a school that gave its pupils the space to be children. It’s left a deep impact on me and my teaching philosophy in terms of giving students agency.”
Madeleine L’Engle, “A Ring of Endless Night” Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1940 “A Ring of Endless Light,” in contrast to Ms. Chen’s previous recommendations, is a heavier, darker book. Its primary theme is confronting death and continuing to not only choose, but to appreciate life in the face of it. Readers are introduced to Vicky Austin, a 15-year-old girl who is spending summer vacation on an island with her family— including a grandfather dying of leukemia. The plot is full of twists and does not shy away from raw emotional experiences. For Ms. Chen, the book proved an incredible read due to its potent combination of intellectual discussions with a romantic bent. “Ring of Endless Light” not only discusses issues like the intersection of science and religion, but also raises many questions about death: What is time? What is death? Is our existence finite? “It really pushes at the limits of our comprehension,” says Ms. Chen. Ms. Chen absolutely recommends “Ring of Endless Light” for an eye-opening, contemplation-inducing read.
Game for watching “Game Night”: a hilarious action-comedy By Charlotte Lee (‘20) “Game Night” is a predictable yet hilarious mystery comedy about a couple, Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams), who love to have their friends over on weekends to play harmlessly fun games like Pictionary and charades. Both are incredibly competitive, which is part of the reason why they are so cheesily well-matched. One night, Max’s older, more successful and more attractive brother, Brooks, shows up in town and offers to host next week’s game
night—where hired actors “kidnap” him and everyone else has to follow clues to save him.
The wide spectrum of jokes ensures that everyone will eventually find something funny. “Game Night” uses occasional blood spatters and a larger range of characters to successfully distract viewers
from multiple plot holes and a repetitive script. Riddled with pop culture references, hyperbolic stereotypes, and semi-slapstick humor, the wide spectrum of jokes ensures that everyone will eventually find something funny. This movie is unapologetically mainstream and reminiscent of other actionbased comedies featuring B-list actors. Some familiar faces you might recognize are Chelsea Peretti (Gina Linetti from “Brooklyn 99”), Lamorne Morris (Winston Bishop from “New Girl”), and Jesse Plemons (Todd
Alquist from “Breaking Bad”). Despite the repetition, the Bateman and McAdams duo keeps the movie lighthearted and fast-paced, preventing the plot from stagnating as it tends to do in many more forgettable comedies. Just like a game of charades, writer Mark Perez seems to want to shove as many acts as possible into the movie’s 100-minute runtime—so if you are looking for a good laugh with a group of friends, “Game Night” would be up there as one of the best movie choices to please a large audience.
[PHOTO COURTES Y OF WARNER BROS]
the blue & gold march 23, 2018
A taste of Greek paradise Bird of Paradise / No. 12, Alley 28, Lane 166, Section 2, Zhongcheng Rd., Shilin District PHOTOS AND TEXT BY SHEREEN LEE (‘19), CHRISTINE LIN (‘19), AND VANESSA TSAO (‘19)
Bird of Paradise is tucked into a street corner and has an eye-catching blue and white, Santorini styled decor. The interior is airy and comfortable, with windows lining almost every corner. Directly across from a small park in the Tianmu neighborhood, this Greek restaurant is a nice location for a slow Sunday lunch. Cream Sauce Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms ($300 NT)
Moussaka ($300 NT)
The mushroom risotto did not taste like traditional risotto, since the rice was slightly overcooked for the typical risotto style. The consistency was a little more mushy than I would have originally expected. That said, the mushrooms were fragrant, and the dish as a whole very well-seasoned. The pepper and asparagus on the side were a refreshing and light addition to the dish. I enjoyed this risotto more than I do most risottos in Taipei, but since this is not a specialty dish and there are many better options on offer, it is probably best reserved for a second or third visit.
Moussaka is a traditional Greek dish composed of potatoes and meat stacked into a square lasagna-like form. In Bird of Paradise’s version, delicate mashed potatoes and thick slices of potato are sandwiched in a delicious layer of ground meat and roasted zucchini. The two different textures of potato add an interesting element to the dish, with the mashed potato being exceptionally smooth and creamy. While the top layer appears to be coated with a thick layer of cheese, it actually only has a light hint of cheese, so that the fragrant meat and zucchini layer still takes the spotlight.
11 Danshui’s best eats By Kelly Phil (‘20) The air is filled with the aromatic mix of soy, rice wine, sesame, spices, frying oil and grilling meat. Clouds of smoke waft above the dozens of small stalls that make up Taipei’s Danshui market, all brightly lit, beckoning customers to tables loaded with food. Here, we give you three of Danshui’s most mouthwatering snacks. Ah Po Iron Eggs The Ah Po iron eggs are one of the most famous staples of the Danshui market. The stall is over 50 years old, and has developed a loyal following, with swarms of people lined up outside the building during busy hours. The eggs themselves are small and black, wrapped in tight plastic packages. The taste was salty and sweet at the same time, with a hard outer shell. Sweet Taro & Sweet Potato Quaint stands around the market offer pieces of sweet potato and taro, fried in oil and then candied with a layer of syrupy sugar. As you are handed the pieces of potato and starch fresh off the frying board, you are immediately hit with a sweet and comforting smell. From the satisfying crunch as you bite into the sweet outer layer to the soft starchy interior, this is a comfort snack that you cannot miss.
Baklava ($160 NT)
Souvlaki with Pita Bread ($340 NT)
Paradise Bird’s take on this traditional Greek classic is an amazing pastry, layered and fresh out of the oven. While most baklava is served plainly, this restaurant sandwiched ice cream between the layers of puff pastry. The dessert is crusted with pistachio, walnut and almond at the bottom, and is topped with adorable minimarshmallows. This was our first time trying the dessert, so we cannot speak much to cultural accuracy, but we found Paradise Bird’s baklava appetizing, with just the right amount of sweetness.
Souvlaki is a popular Greek dish of seasoned meat skewers, using either beef or lamb. The dish is often paired with pita bread, chips, grilled vegetables, and Greek yogurt dip. I am usually a big fan of grilled meat, but the beef souvlaki we ordered at Bird of Paradise was quite underwhelming. The beef was quite tough and the pita bread was too dry. On the other hand, the fries, crispy and golden, and yogurt dip, smooth and lightly seasoned with garlic, made up for the flaws of the meat component.The dish was mediocre as a whole.
“Truly Devious” By Maureen Johnson Katherine Tegen Books, January 2018
By Shereen Lee (‘19) By Vanessa Tsao (‘19)
A thrilling mystery novel by Maureen Johnson, “Truly Devious” is a captivating read that I finished in no time. The plot follows Stevie Bell, a high school junior admitted to a prestigious and secluded boarding school named Ellingham Academy. Stevie, an aspiring detective, is determined to solve two murders that occurred at the school decades ago. Ellingham’s own school campus lends itself to mystery, as it is full of shadowy secret tunnels that have been blocked off to students since the morbid incidents. Clever, highly observant and self-aware, Stevie is hard bent on solving the murders, a challenging task many have tried before her and failed.
She pays attention to details and employs authentic crime investigation methods—along with some unorthodox ones. Her rebellious nature, coupled with her dedication and level of self-awareness, makes her a perfect investigator to follow around. Her challenging task is also set against the backdrop of navigating the social scene of Ellingham, where her peers are all very unique and accomplished—but sometimes weird—high school juniors and seniors. Still, that makes the interactions between her and her newfound friends dynamic and authentic, despite Stevie’s slight social awkwardness. However, I felt that the dash of romance that appears in the
Fried Squid Juicy and perfectly seasoned with a liberal amount of seasoning sprinkled on, fried squid is the perfect snack to enjoy while biking around the river or taking a walk through the parks by the waterside. Since one popular squid stand is located at the gate of the market, a small portion of this delicacy can also act as a good appetizer for the meals to come.
book was a little out of blue, adding a strange dynamic to Stevie’s already bizarre life, although it does not affect the overall story negatively. The narration of “Truly Devious” jumps between past and present, ranging from FBI interrogations taking place in 1936 when the original murders were committed, to present-day school drama and Stevie’s own investigative process. Different perspectives on the murders make the plot particularly exciting and suspenseful, and the parallels between past and present made the atmosphere even more eerie. It is impossible to guess who is guilty of the crimes—both past and present—so be prepared for plot twists and cliffhangers.
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the blue & gold march 23, 2018
Seniors prepare for Division III sports By Anya Lai (‘19)
and a DIII college would give her that. She says, “The coaches at DIII schools truly understand that academics comes first, and they will even work the team practice schedule around everyone’s schedule.” Despite her excitement for playing golf in college, Chansie acknowledges how mentally and physically demanding golf is. “It is an individual sport that takes four to five hours, and when something happens in the middle of a game, only you can fix it and there is no one else to
LEIBOWITZ
T
hree-year IASAS gold medalist and two-year captain Chansie Yang (‘18) is about to head into her last season of golf at Taipei American School. However, her golf journey does not end here: Wellesley College in Massachusetts will be admitting Chansie into their Division III program, allowing her to continue pursuing her passion for golf. Although Chansie was also recruited by a Division I school, she knew that she wanted a balance between golf and academics,
keanu
chansie
YANG
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANSIE YANG (‘18) & KEANU LEIBOWITZ (‘18)
blame for whatever happens,” says Chansie. “You learn to react and solve the problems independently, while keeping yourself emotionally stable.” As Chansie heads towards the next step in her sports career, the girls golf varsity team will still be cheering Chansie on and supporting her from Taiwan. Team members Caroline Chou (‘19), Rowena Lu (‘19), Christy Cheung (‘18), and Shana Yang (‘20) say, “We wish Chansie all the best as she takes this next step in her life.”
T
he Division III college search for Keanu Leibowitz (‘18) was surprisingly simple— the school he wanted to attend, Babson College, happened to have a DIII track program. Keanu browsed through the school website and found out that he could potentially run for them. He met up with the coach over summer, and was recruited to the Babson team. Even though he is currently injured, Keanu will be preparing for his sports journey at Babson College in his last track season
A look into the fitness trainers’ diets By Kevin Lee (‘18) Fitness is one of the most important lifestyles that everyone should adopt. However, strength and stamina do not only come from continuously lifting weights. For athletes, their diet is the key element in becoming more healthy and agile. Here are some tips from the Taipei American School fitness trainers for students and athletes. Journalist Mara Schiavocampo’s adage,“Great
bodies are built in the kitchen, not the gym,” accurately describes the gym junkies who hit the gym day and night, but do not watch what they eat. Fitness trainer Mr. Robert Mitchell says, “Calories in vs. calories out is the main determinant of food consumption.” This means that the calories burned from must be replaced with the same or even more calories, or you will lose your gains. To student athletes, it is very important to
maintain the current progress that they have made in the gym. Dietary restrictions such as vegetarianism and veganism may seem to be a downside in food selection for strength and stamina building. However, former Olympic athlete and pro athlete trainer Mr. Anthony Poole follows a vegetarian diet and says, “If you train smart and efficient, your metabolism will eliminate anything the body doesn’t
need to use the rest as fuel.” Overall, the most important aspect of a fitness plan is to have a solid dietary foundation. If you consume lean protein and healthy carbs, you will have great energy output. That said, junk food lovers need not be too distressed, as long as they treat themselves in moderation. As Mr. Mitchell says, “It’s OK to have a Twix bar every now and then...but it all comes down to self-control.”
at TAS as soon as he recovers. In his freshman year, Keanu discovered his passion for hurdles, high jump, and sprints when he joined the track and field team and realized he did not want to just run the curves and lines. Although it took Keanu a couple of years to learn the three-step technique for the 110-meter hurdles, he managed to get it right in his sophomore year. “Sticking through the painful conditioning workouts and listening to my coaches
helped open up some DIII opportunities,” says Keanu. Despite the fact that running can be physically and mentally tiring, Keanu says, “It provides the temporary remedy to whatever is going on in life. I learned how to build resilience and perseverance through grueling running workouts.” A close friend and teammate of Keanu, Timothy Fuh (‘18), recognizes his talent and will be supporting him. “Keanu has a lot of potential...I know he’ll definitely succeed in DIII.”
Coach Mitchell’s Diet
Coach Poole’s Diet
Breakfast: Eggs, meat, bread, coffee
Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruits and cinnamon
Lunch: Protein, carbs (Sashimi box)
Lunch: rice bowl with veggies and peanuts
Dinner: Starch, vegetables, protein
Dinner: Broccoli and cauliflower pasta
TAS Athletics’ New Website:
A one-stop shop for everything athletics-related By Audrey Kong (‘18)
Check out the TAS Athletics website for game schedules and photos. [SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF TAS ATHLETICS]
As of this school year, Taipei American School athletics has its own website. The website is linked on the TAS website homepage under the tab “Athletics” and can be found at https://www. tas.edu.tw/athletics/home. The website features TAS’ varsity and junior varsity sports teams, athlete portraits and action shots, the Athletics Council, exchanges and Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools events, as well as results and scores. It also provides weekly competition updates, student-athlete parent
handbook files, and information on sports summer camps. With the Athletics Department’s input, the website was designed by Finalsite, an online learning and communications platform company based in London. “We owe a lot of thanks to Mr. Dan Hudkins, Chief Information Officer, and webmaster Mr. Danny Wong, who were able to push the idea through,” says Associate Athletics Director Mr. Mike Corsini. “We launched on a very short timetable and their efforts enabled
us to get to the finish line.” Athletics Director Ms. Kim Kawamoto says, “We’re trying to be relevant in this age of social media...I hope athletes, students, parents, and the TAS community visit it a lot.” Mr. Corsini adds that he hopes the Athletics website will be a place where “students can follow along with their own teams or their friends’ teams, and parents can easily keep up with what their children do on their field of play.” “We try to keep [the website] updated constantly and there really are great photos of our
student-athletes,” says Ms. Kawamoto. “I’m really proud of that.” Mr. Corsini says, “We try to get as many action shots of our student-athletes as possible, creating mementos for athletes and parents. Basically, we want people to be able to follow all the exploits and efforts of our athletes here, and reward them by promoting what they do a little bit more.” If anyone in the TAS community has ideas of things they would like to see on the website, Mr. Corsini would love to hear from you.