FINAL

=**Student Life:**=


 * What do students listen to?**
 * by Jay Jeong**

Music is a form of art, and within it are hundreds, or even thousands of genres, and within those is an incredible number of artists, and within that is a number of songs too large to count. Therefore, with so many choices, we all have, and are entitled to, our own opinion on what is good music and what is not.

** Eric Park (11) ** Favorite genre(s): Hip hop, Electro Two favorite artists: Dynamic Duo, Feed Me Most played song on iTunes: 나란놈은 답은 너다 by 리쌍

** Jerin Lee (11) ** Favorite genre(s): RnB Two favorite artists: Adele, U2 Most played song on iTunes: Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift

** Lizzie Jeon (9) ** Favorite genre(s): Pop Two favorite artists: Katy Perry, LMFAO Most played song on iTunes: Don't Cry by 박봄

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Colin Shin (10)** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Favorite genre(s): RnB, Hip hop <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two favorite artists: 김연우, Brian McKnight <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Most played song on iTunes: Officially Missing You by Jayesslee

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jaeook Lee (12) ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Favorite genre(s): Rock <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two favorite artsits: Nemesis, Buzz <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Most played song on iTunes: 베르사유의 장미 by Nemesis

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Leisure time <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Jay Jeong

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “time free from work or duties,” leisure time is “the hardest thing to obtain” according to **D.K. Lee (12)**. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Jack Kim (11)** remarked, “If plotted on a graph, leisure time would look like a cosine graph” (level of math required to understand what was just said: Pre-calculus). <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Leisure time definitely comes in small amounts, and since it does, what are some of the favorite ways in which students spend it?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**XXXXX (XX)**: “XXXXXXXXXXX.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**CCCCC (CC)**: “CCCCCCC CCCC.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**QQQQQ (QQ)**: “QQQQQ QQQ QQQQ.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**YYY (YY)**: “YYY YY YYYYYYY.”

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are many ways to spend it, but all of the interviewees agree on one point – that leisure time is when they feel the happiest, free from all of school’s and society’s pressures. “True leisure, however, is scarce, especially in an environment like the one in which we live. We must consistently worry about test grades, homework, projects. Though, most of all of this worry disappears once you are accepted into college – so do your best until then, and have fun afterwards!” – **XXX XXX (12).**

=**Junior Feature**=

11. Now, get a hot date. CH..ECK? By Rachel Lee
 * Prom Committee: CHECKLIST**
 * 1) Set the date: sometime warm and cozy. CHECK
 * 2) Get the venue: somewhere in Gangnam, somewhere luxurious, somewhere with chairs CHECK.
 * 3) Choose the menu: everyone wants to eat some steak, right? CHECK
 * 4) Look for a DJ: someone famous? DJ Limzi! CHECK
 * 5) Decorations: flowers, candles, banners. CHECK
 * 6) Post the posters: in the cafeteria, on the stairs, in front of the bathrooms. CHECK
 * 7) Make an advertisement video: a visual always helps. CHECK
 * 8) Sell the tickets: No students, NO prom! CHECK
 * 9) Make a last call to the venue: confirmation is absolutely necessary! CHECK
 * 10) Buy the dress and tuxedo: no jeans, no flip-flops! CHECK

Juniors are ready to rule the world. With many leaders and officers of various clubs and organizations, the class of 2013 possesses great strength in its leadership of the entire high school. From donation kings and queens to math geeks to talented musicians, the leaders of our junior class manage to take in charge of fundraising events, concerts, competitions, and even conferences held around the world with over 100s of other students from many other different schools. Now, here we go with what some of these leaders do in their clubs and organizations, in ONLY 11 words:
 * Leadership**

Claire An (11) Tri-M: “We strive to civilize the indigenous tribe of the musically challenged.” Rachel Lee (11) Amnesty International:“Our Amnesty club will continue until everyone can enjoy human rights.” Peter Park (11) Math Competition: “As mathletes, we strive to have fun and try our best.” Nicole Kim (11) Key Club:”Our <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">Key club seeks to build character and leadership through service.” Jenny Jang (11) MUN: “MUN fosters understanding and insight about the world beyond our community.” Jerica Yoon (11) & Susie Kang (11) Junior Civitan:“We cooperate, organize, and fundraise for unfortunate children around the world.” By Rachel Lee

We each have our own ways of dealing with a situation. Many people may disagree with our ideology, but as is the case with all multifaceted situations, there will always be the conservative, moderate, and the conservative solutions. Here are several scenarios and dilemmas, along with the ways in which some of the juniors would deal with them:
 * What would do?**

1) Friend's birthday party vs date with your girlfriend/boyfriend, girl/boy with whom you hope to start a relationship (your friend and your (desired) girlfriend/boyfriend hate each other)

What would you do, **Ian Chang (11)**?

"I would go to a friend's birthday party because all high school relationships are pointless. Naive high schoolers start relationship as if they are in love, but they don't know what true love is."

2) Guessing on multiple-choice questions: guess in all the same letter vs vary it up

What would you do, **Freddy Shim (11)**?

"I would vary it up a bit, so it at least doesn't look like i didn't study. It's all about the impressions, baby."

Note: Guessing the same letter every time gets you more correct answers, statistically, than varying it up.

3) I love your new hairdo vs I don't really like it

What would you do, **Sally Yu (11)**?

"White lies are what help society function, and telling the truth all the time would only diminish others' self-esteems. Especially if it's something they can't do anything about, such as an already-done hair-do. If they were wearing something really ugly, they I'd tell them, since they can go home and take it off and never wear it again."

by Jay Jeong

=**Events**= The NHS KIStival is the 1, and only, Christmas festival available at KIS for all grades. You can see and hear countless of things here: Food, music, cheer, fundraising, and dance. Amidst all the excitement, 1 thing steals the spotlight: Beats by Dr. Dre. These expensive, luxurious, and popular headphones motivate all KISians to buy tickets and use them at the booths since, the more tickets you use, the more likely you are to win the Beats. "It's the Beats that sells most of the tickets. I think it's the best campaign anyone can ever think of," confessed Eric Park (11).
 * KIStival**

As tickets are drawn from the box by the NHS president, Se June Han (12), everyone neatly aligns his/her tickets on the floor to check for any matching numbers. 431, 289, 2340, 189, 146, and several other numbers are called, and while it seemed that nobody had won, 5 people hold up their tickets in wild celebration. With disappointment and curiosity, the rest of the audience waits for the blessed individual to be announced. After awarding a Starbucks gift card, a pair of socks and blankets, a tumbler along with some chocolate, a USB stick, and These come from trees stickers, the Beats is awarded to to the lucky star of the night: Ms. Dunning.

by Rachel Lee

A 55-kg, 175 cm boy enters the stage with confidence. As his first soliloquy comes to an end, everyone in the audience claps after a moment of silent awe. After his inspirational introduction, the whole crowd waits for him to appear on stage once again -- I did, at least. Despite having to recite lines thousands of words long, including Italian food names like bagna, zuppa, funghu, scaloppine al limone, he never shows a glimpse of nervousness or unease: “I repeated the same passage over and over again until it was glued to my mouth!” So-called Truffaldino in the play, he grabs our attention throughout the whole performance with his endless talent. While he is only a freshman, Truffaldino doesn’t seem to be timid at all; in fact, he stands out as the most quirky, joyful, and cheerful actor of the entire cast. “When I first heard about the play, I hurriedly looked it up on Wikipedia and found out that it was the perfect chance for me to finally step up on stage. Quite contrary to my seemingly scholarly and serious character, I’m actually very loud and jocular!”
 * __Fall Play Feature: The Servant of Two Masters__ **

Having been witnesses to perhaps one of the greatest plays in the history of the Phoenix Theater, we all give our special thanks to this special kid; the “Chinese master”; the “skinny freshman”; the “spotlight of the year”; the servant of two masters: ** Jae Hyun Park (9) **.

by Rachel Lee

= Winter Sports =


 * Boys JV Bball **

Next year, after the departure of seniors Brian Kwon, Terry Kim, and Hoon Ho Chung, there will be at least three available spots on the prestigious KIS Varsity Boy Basketball team. Who better to fill these spots than the members of the Junior Varsity team?

The Junior Varsity team finished pretty strong, with a record of 1 wins and 9 losses. "It is not the record that matters -- it is the experience we've had and the things we've learned that does," said Co-captain Pilwon Jeong, who holds the number "1", as well as the word "captain," on the back of his hood. The other captain, Reece Kim, is #5, and the back of his hoodie reads "Captain villain."

While, for example, the members of the varsity boys basketball team have only their numbers on the back, each member of the JV team has his unique nickname on his hoodie as well. Some notable examples include: Philip Bae, #11; "Houdini": Houdini is a world-renowned magician -- and Philip is the Houdini of the basketball court.

Ming Gu Kim, #23; "We are all witnesses" : This is a slogan on a Nike poster of Lebron James; thus, those who watch Min Gu in play are "witnesses" to his magic.

Katie Kim, #0, Christine Lee, #0: "Water shuttle," "4 Dimensions" : These are the nicknames of the two managers. (4 dimensions, in Korean, is sa-cha-won, which refers to somebody who is so weird that they don't exist in the present, 3-D realm.)

Let us once more congratulate the members of the JV basketball team for their effort, and hope that they will do better next year!

Cheerleading is a sport that requires much more than expected. It’s more than pretty bows and uniforms, glitter and make up, cheers and dances – it’s all about practicing and working out. In fact, cheerleading is perhaps the toughest sport compared to any others. Taking risks is nothing for the cheerleaders, who participate in collisional activities and constantly tumble over, making it all the more necessary to work out and stretch on a regular basis. The season is never really “over”, as the girls are required to attend pre-season and off-season workouts and expected to work out on their own during winter and summer breaks. Unlike last year’s varsity squad, this year’s included many underclassmen, some of whom were new to cheerleading. With many strong tumblers and fast learners, the season began strong for the girls. Aside from cheering during the home and away games, the girls had to spare time to practice for the KAIAC Competition. Although their sophisticated routine initially stirred confusion and concern in the squad, the girls were able to overcome the difficulties and were ranked in the top four squads. Starting from the lock-in night, first home game against SIS, Facebook inbox message threads, halftimes and cheers, 6 o’clock practices, to the KAIAC Championship round, the girls experienced an unforgettable season full of memories.
 * Varsity Cheerleading: Cheer For the Win**

Cheerleading is more than just a few cuts and bruises. Both Varsity and JV suffered a series of major injuries that jeopardized their performance. In the varsity squad, Captain **Lynn Moon (12)** surprised her fellow team mates by twisting her ankle while performing a stunt. Soon, the squad also lost its main back spot **Sara Ha (10)**, who broke her nose, also while performing a stunt. Two weeks before the competition, flyer **Christina Suh (10)** hurt her ankle when she fell from a stunt. The JV squad also experienced critical points JV cheerleader **Min Ji Kang (9)** could not practice for the first two months because of her twisted wrist. And midway through the JV’s season, **Jessica Oh (9)** had to quit when she learned about her back injury. Given all this panic, the team’s achievements become all the more impressive.
 * Feature**

Basket toss, round-off smoosh stunt sequence, extensions, and ground-up liberties – this year’s JV squad emerged as a force to be reckoned with. JV cheerleading was mostly comprised of freshmen and sophomores who were new to cheerleading. “It was difficult handling the responsibilities all alone,” confessed Captains **Jane Han (10)** and **Haebin Kim (10)**, “but I enjoyed being in a leading position and had fun with the other JV members and felt proud to see them improve.” The girls definitely set a new standard for a JV squad as they were capable of advanced tumbling and stunts by the end of the season. At the annual KAIAC Competition, the girls impressed the judges as well as the other schools by performing a flawless routine. They were able to show what they accomplished all season without leaving behind any regrets. With endless practices, the JV members are ready to take steps forward and take over.
 * JV Cheerleading: A Cheery Bunch**

Academics
**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Social Studies Feature 2: DMZ Trip__ ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here I am in this gloomy humid weather, with my fellow students yawning and rubbing their eyes. Waiting for the Korean War veterans to arrive, some of us just hope for the day to end as soon as possible while others feel nervous about meeting the veterans. Truthfully, I am scared to talk to a foreign, elderly group of people about such a sensitive topic: The Korean War. I straighten my clothes and tidy my hair. When the buses finally arrive, we are each assigned to a specific veteran couple. The veterans immediately welcome me with a big, long hug and a “How are you, darling? Such a beautiful day, isn’t it?” As expected, wartime stories began to fill the air with unease and tears. “We didn’t know why we were killing those men out there,” one veteran says, “we didn’t know why those people had to die.” Before I knew it, our conversation drifted to hobbies, future dreams, school life, and even secret crushes. “It felt like talking to my own grandparents,” expressed Michelle Park (11), “the wall between us gradually faded away to eventually form a cozy atmosphere”. After arriving at the buffet for lunch, I offer the couple sandwiches, kimbaps, and desserts. We continue our conversation over lunch and laugh together, when suddenly Mr. Wood calls the day to an end. With disappointment and despair, the veterans look at me for the very last time before they go off to enjoy their remaining visit in Korea; I, to my ordinary life of school and home. To them it was never the “Forgotten War” – perhaps it was never meant to be forgotten. **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Rachel Lee **

__1 Short of Platinum by Jay Jeong__

The song came to a tranquil finish, the entire auditorium silent. Nobody applauded, at least for a while.

This "silent applause" is, to Mr. Londgren, the best kind. It means that the song was so beautiful and so flawlessly executed that the audience members lost themselves in the music. It goes without saying that soon after, the audience erupted into wild ovation.

The song, O Magnum Mysterium (band version), has the humblest and subtlest of beginnings, and relatively few notes. When students in the class first received it, they were surprised by the lack of anything immediately appealing. It is not a hard piece to play per se, but how it is played is extremely, EXTREMELY important. How any song is played is always important, but to this song in particular, it is of gargantuan importance.

That was the first of two songs we played at the SIS-hosted KAIAC Band competition. The next one was a completely different song, entitled Armenian Dances, a 10-minute masterpiece divided into 5 movements. It has, especially those close to Jaeook Lee (12) and his cymbals, the loudest of beginnings.

The 3 judges took their time, and later, we found out that we had scored only 1 short of platinum, the highest possible rank. Nonetheless, we did better than the rest of the schools! Hopefully, next year, we'll achieve that coveted platinum rank.

__English Feature 2: Logically fallacious__ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you argue a lot with your family and/or friends? If your answer is yes, then your arguments should always be air-tight and fallacy-free.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The logical fallacy unit of the AP English Language and Composition class kicked off with **Mr. Longbotham**’s favorite question, “Did you stop beating your mother?” This is an example of a false dilemma, because there are more than the two choices of “yes” or “no” but the question is phrased as if only the two exist. (Both answers indicate that you beat your mother.)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Here is another example: you tell your friend that the Earth is in the shape of a triangle, and your friend replies “Well, you’re crazy, and you always come up with these stupid theories.” At first, your friend’s reply may seem true to some point (and it probably is), but analyzed more closely, your friend has made use of a common logical fallacy: __ad hominem__. Ad hominem is an attempt at countering an argument by not addressing the issue, a triangle Earth, and attacking the person, you, instead.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> After a long day of dealing with your friend’s fallacious arguments, you return home to find your dad waiting in front of your room, and he does not look too happy.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Son, I heard you skipped hagwon.”

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Yeah, but my friends were all doing it!”

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Oh, so if your friends started jumping off buildings, you would do that too?

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Your father has also just made use of a logical fallacy: __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> reductio ad absurdum __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, or “reduction to the absurd.” He has stretched the logic of what you had done to absurd proportions, and then attacked the newly-stretched logic.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> These are just some of the logical fallacies that we learn in AP English Language and Composition class. With these new logical fallacies equipped, you should never lose an argument (with an irrational person) ever again!

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Jay Jeong

__ IT: 01001001 01010100 __

Ever wondered what it’s like to make your own website and fill it with your own content? On second thought, no one probably ever wonders about that, but nonetheless, students of the Web Design class went through weeks of hard work to throw together a personalized web site full of bits and pieces of their lives. ** Yeunseok Lee (12) ** said that“It was interesting to sit down and organize the details of my life through my own web-pages.” Most students also included stories from their childhood, fancy background photos, and a very organized bunch of HTML codes that gave their pages life and layout. “I finally learned how to compile different elements to make something that actually looks like a typical website,” said ** Eric Kim (12) **. Most of these took quite a long time to design because it turns out HTML codes involve many trial-and-error adjustments, and planning to the pixel degree. However at the end of the year, what Mr. Ross ended up with were a couple dozen well-crafted web sites that show off individual taste and spirit. And then, of course, he grades them (sigh).

__ 5 Unspoken Rules of the Chinese Classroom __ Do NOT leave your Macbook’s sound on during school (Beware of the unexpected iChat video call invitations – they happen at the worst times). Do NOT shuffle to “Party Rock” in the middle of class (self-explanatory). And most importantly, do NOT leave your Macbook open when you go to the bathroom, (or at least log out of Facebook). These are a few of the many unspoken rules that help you get by. No one really says them out loud or posts it around the school. You just know them. In Foreign Language classes, there are more unspoken rules than you may think. Here are 5 Unspoken Rules that will help you get by in a Chinese classroom.

1. Speak Chinese in the classroom. Seriously. It seems hard, but this is the best way to get better at Chinese. All it takes is a little bit of effort. Next time you ask someone for a pencil in Chinese class, just try it out. Your friend might be confused, but I guarantee you that your Chinese teacher will be impressed. 2. Know the tones. Don’t be monotonous when you’re speaking Chinese. It may be a pain to learn, but the tones are more important than you think. Who knows – the next time you go to China you might end up selling instead of buying something just because you happened to use the wrong tone for “mai”. 3. Always have your textbook. You will always need your textbook. They are fairly light compared to your other textbooks, so just carry it around every day if you can. Make it your new best friend, eat lunch with it, hug it in your sleep – it doesn’t matter. Just make sure you always have it. 4. Always have a Chinese notebook on hand. The paper’s different. You can’t write Chinese on a sheet of A4 loose leaf. It’s just not right. Make sure you have one of these in hand. In fact, have two. That way, even if you have to turn in one of the notebooks, you will always have another one. 5. Learn the phrase “老师我可以去厕所吗 (Laoshi, wo keyi qu cesuo ma)?” Knowing this phrase could save your life. Many students have been unable to go to the bathroom just because they did not know how to ask in Chinese. Your teacher will not let you out if you can’t. Learn the phrase, have it memorized, never forget it. Trust me, you’ll thank me one day.

At some point, every high school student enters a science classroom – whether it be Chemistry, Biology, or Physics. Despite its apparent popularity, several things go unnoticed. Bet you haven’t noticed Mr. Joo’s pack of seemingly unlimited incense, or Mrs. Christenbury’s little orangutan doll in the corner that sheds around 2 tons of hair every hour. Goggles, test tubes, microscopes, periodic tables (or even Rolling Stone posters for Mr. Joo’s case) are interesting, perhaps enough to steal your attention away from appreciating the basics. But the next time you walk into a science classroom, try giving the following some thought.
 * __Science Feature: The 5 Things You Take for Granted in Science Classes__ **

1. The swivel chairs: No one cares about the chairs, yet they are the most interesting and accessible objects in the whole classroom. The flexible backrest adds to its “multifunctionality”. It is not uncommon to see students comfortably spinning around in circles during the lecture. Pro-tip: There’s a lever on the side that makes it go up and down. Just try not to be too distracting to the rest of the class as you display your human top skills.

2. Power plug: Ever complained about having to move all the way to the other end of a classroom, miserably plugging in an extension cord, and dragging it all the way back to your desk? Fear not, the power plugs in the science classrooms are at your fingertips! Given, some of them don’t quite work, especially those in the H building. But the ones that do work are there to prevent wires from running across the lab floor, tripping people over and causing general chaos, madness, and humiliation.

3. Double doors: Enter like kings (and leave in a stampede). Let the double doors open before you as you walk into the kingdom of science! In reality, one of the two doors is always locked, but if it isn’t, you might as well use both of them. Why not give yourself some more room? As far as function is concerned – to your dismay – a truer purpose lies behind these double doors. Have you ever asked yourself, How did that cart in the corner of the room end up in here? Well, the double doors are your answer. An unnecessary luxury for inanimate objects indeed.

4. The sink and shower combo: What do you do when you spill a chemical on your hands? It would be preferable if you didn’t get it on your hands in the first place, but assume you did. Well you’re in luck (not really)! Go run to your nearest sink, wash it off, and hopefully you’ll be fine... BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! They also have showers in store for bigger spills, god forbid, that may happen amidst an intense experiment. Walk in the room, pull down the lever, and voila. That’s assuming that the shower room isn’t full of clutter and unused stuff already. Potential to be the most public and embarrassing shower you can possibly ever have. Good senior prank, I suppose.

5. Storage rooms Everyone probably knows what the intersection of a Venn diagram looks like. Well the storage rooms are sort of the same deal. Two teachers from their respective rooms pile all their cool but unused supplies in these rooms, making them potentially some of the most interesting areas on campus. Usually they’re full of chemicals, equipment, or late quiz/test takers. Sadly, students are not supposed to be in these rooms unsupervised. What a bummer.

KIS is a school known for small classes which average about 15-20 people in a room, but there is one class that pushes the outer limit: Mrs. Longbotham's AP Spanish class. This class contains not 10, not 5, but only 3 students – who happened to be all seniors. These lucky people get the full attention of everything going on in class (not that it would be hard to spot ⅓ of the class sleeping). On one hand, this can mean they have no breathing space. It can be stressful knowing that the teacher is watching you throughout the whole class. But on the other hand, this means that they can receive undivided attention, as testified by Jaeook Lee (12): “No one gets left out. It’s a really tight community, and we can concentrate on what we are supposed to do in class.”
 * __Spanish Feature: 3-strong__ **

You can call them the elite 3, or be all fancy and call them “los tres mosqueteros” (the three musketeers) but either way, it is perhaps one of the distinctive classes on campus. Under the careful eyes of Mrs. Longbotham, this trio of students managed to plow through the rough lands of AP Spanish. At least they do not need to call out “here” every class for attendance, need massive review sessions, or worry about getting a bad seating chart.

Floating Quotes: “I think it can be compared to sort of a family. It isn’t as intimidating as other classes” Sangwoo Song (12).

“I really like it because we get more time with our teacher.” Dongmyung Lee (12)

__Theater: Silent 10__ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At first glance, pantomimes and mimes appear to be mute clowns who just wave about and give occasional laughs. It seems as if they only appear in streets of bustling cities with gloomy faces and depressing clothes, tugging on invisible ropes and being trapped in invisible boxes. Well some decided to prove this wrong. Last October, Theater 1 students practiced said waving about and giving occasional laughs to express emotion and non-verbal communication.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I think everyone's performances were outstanding. We all did our best and tried to exaggerate every movement.” – Rachel Kim (10)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The grand performance took place in the couch section of the cafeteria during lunch, and many students donated precious lunchtime to watch this hilarious performance put forth by fellow classmates. Acts included A typical day of a modern ninja, when the clock strikes 12, and some more. Creativity was the word to describe all these performances as senior Hyunwoo Kim was attacked with a toothbrush, ninja stars, and many home appliances while junior Eric Yoon had a Pygmalion-like crush on a mannequin.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I was amazed how everyone understood the storyline with lots of giggles, even when the performers did not say out a single word.” – Hyeunjin Jin (11)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Overall, the “speechless” performances presented by the Theater class gave students a pleasant lunch once again.

Did you know that we have Spartans-in-the-making in Korea? No really, we do.
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Brandon Koo **
 * __Athletic Conditioning: 18 Laps to 3 Miles__ **

The new Athletic Conditioning class pushes you through hardcore training to make you the ultimate juggernauts of sports - this is Sparta. A typical day of Spartan training includes working out with two 10-kg free weights and a 14-lb medicine ball, 2 circuits of bridges, reverse crunches, squat jumps, and knee touches, and if that’s not enough, running 3 miles around the soccer field. If you’re like me (a normal person), then you probably would have stopped after the work with weights. Would you rather run 15-18 laps around the field, 9 laps around the field running for half and walking for half, or run up and down the hill 12 times? The Spartans-to-be of this class have this choice (or really, lack of choice) every day at the end of class. These numbers aren’t even set in stone, and increase over the semester. Whether they choose endurance running, interval training, or the hill, surrendering to Ms. Osbourne’s shouts of “Faster, faster!” guarantees the best quality athletes you can expect from such a rigorous training course. “At first, the exercises we did in Athletic Conditioning felt like it killed every cell in my body,” testifies Eric Kim (12), “But now, 18 laps around the field feels like a walk to the bathroom.”

__Social Studies Feature: "Sociology for KIS":__

1. What do Kisians do in their leisure times? (**David Kim 11**) -->boys: play games (28%) -->girls: study (27.41%)

2. What activity do Kisians vs. Americans spend the most time on? (**Wooyon Shim 12**) -->Americans: playing sports (4-6 hrs) -->Kisians: studying (6-8 hrs daily)

3.How many students vs. teachers pick up trash? (**Minae Kwon 11**) -->Students: 0.07% picked up trash -->Teachers: 0% picked up trash

By Rachel Lee

__MATH: What Would You Do With $200,000?__

<span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Formal attire – check. Panel of judges – check. Client – check.

With all calculators, textbooks, pencils, and looseleaf papers out of sight, this class would look like any other class but math to the unassuming student or teacher. Students enrolled in Precalculus classes accepted perhaps the biggest challenge of the year: investing a client’s $200, 000 in a requested area to maximize profit. Integrating simple variables – principle, the natural number e, rate, time – the students were responsible for formally presenting three options within the 8-minute time limit.

$200, 000 is a large sum of money; a few students can already find themselves fantasizing over what they could use it for. But matters get serious when it comes to business. In fact (or as expected), many groups ended up pulling the traditional day-before-due-date-all-nighter. “We were so lost and sat around for hours, plan-less,” admitted Eric Park (11). For students who have yet to face this assignment, consider the following words of wisdom and avoid some of the top common mistakes.

1. Talk to your client. Communication is crucial. You want to know the desired area of investment, time span, risks he/she is willing to take, and target return. Keep your client updated whenever you can! After all, he/she will be the one deciding whether the suggested option is satisfactory.

2. Discuss, discuss, discuss! Don’t know where to start? Discuss the direction your client is aiming for. Is your client a risk taker or risk averter? Are there specific categories within the topic to allocate the, funds to? Make sure all of your group members know exactly what to calculate. Assign specific roles and make a to-do list of things to complete before the next group meeting.

3. Back it up with numbers. Now comes the math part of the project. Remember that you cannot make up numbers. Show how you reached the numbers through clear steps and equations. Whether it is the interest rate, value of stocks, certificate of deposit rate, or tax rate, always have a credible source and make sure the data is recent.

4. Keep your Keynote simple. Bullet points, charts, graphs, pictures – use anything but a full sentence. Don’t make your audience read from the Keynote. You should be the person under the spotlight. Effects are nice, but don’t overdo them (especially the typing effect...remember that the clock is ticking!). Make sure that your color is visible (pastel tone over neon) and bear in mind that the colors shown on the projector may be different from those you see on your MacBook screen. Try to avoid red, dark blue/purple, and bright yellow.

5. Look professional. Believe it or not, a presenter’s appearance is one of the most important aspects of a presentation. It’s what your client notices first – you don’t want to look like someone who just got out of bed or someone who is ready to throw a party. Put away all tennis shoes, jeans, and hoodies. Gentlemen, take out your ties and belts, pull on your dress shirts and black trousers, along with a pair of black or brown dress shoes. Ladies, wear your blouses and either a skirt or dress pants, along with matching flats or heels. In order to win your client’s heart, you have to make a good impression by looking neat and business-like.

Always keep in mind that preparation is key (especially for this project – don’t even think about cramming!). Remember to print your Roles and Citations sheet, be fully dressed before class starts, and have your Keynote open and ready to run. These criterion may be the most basic and obvious ones, but they are also the hardest to keep. Once you’ve mastered these 5 tips, go ahead and spellbind your audience.

by Diana Lee

__ French Feature: The Rescuer: Monsieur Plamondon __

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Bonjour, tous les mondes!" (Hello, students!) is what a student will hear when he/she enters Madame Moline’s class. But Monsieur Plamondon is a little bit different -- he greets them with a DOR (Date Objective Review): a preview of that day’s class. Monsieur Plamondon's zeal does not end here; his interview gives us insight into his one-of-a-kind background.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Bonjour, Monsieur! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A: Bonjour, Mademoiselle.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Where were you born and raised? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A: I was born in the small town of Plamondon (Oui! Same as my last name!) located in Alberta, Canada.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: A town called Plamondon? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A: Believe it or not, my great-great-grandfather founded the town of Plamondon. I went to school in that town for 12 years, and taught my first year in the very same school.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: So you lived in a town founded by your family! Do you have any other experiences teaching abroad? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A: After teaching for 2 years in Canada, I taught 2 years in Egypt. Afterwards, I taught at IIS (Indianhead International School) for 9 years as well. Last year, I taught at DIS (Daegu International School), and now, here I am!

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: As a French teacher, what does the French language mean to your life? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A: French is my family’s language; it’s a huge part of my family history. I also believe that French, of course, is a beautifully-spoken language. In fact, they say it’s the language of love. Une belle langue! (What a beautiful language!).

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Rachel Lee

__English Feature 1: 75% of Voters' Least Favorite Book__

All throughout high school, we are assigned books to read. Some students love reading them; other students hate reading (or don't read them at all). Whichever category you fit in, it is clear that the least favorite book among high school students is, unfortunately, Beowulf.*

Mr. Stephens believes that this is so because of the "complex language, historical culture, and narrative structure" of the book. He believes that being exposed to such a "beautiful work of art" at a young age is good, and that one day we will come to appreciate Beowulf.

On the other hand, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley received the most votes for favorite assigned book. Insun Choi (11), an advocate of this book, said, "I really enjoyed this book because I could completely relate to it, as it reflected on many of the issues in our society, such as consumerism and identity." At least you have this to look forward to, rising sophomores!

by Jay Jeong

**Fall Sports**
__Girl's Volleyball Main: 6 Striving for 25__ 8 sets of stairs, 5 laps, 50 push-ups, 3 rounds of crab walk, yet 1 water break (which barely lasts 20 seconds): members of the Varsity Girls Volleyball team endured a harsh conditioning process every single day. **Chanel Kim (10)** "wholeheartedly" remarked, “I love the stairs, they are...my best friends!” Even after this Spartan routine of conditioning, members filled the gym with laughter and pictured the sweet victories to come. Once the game began, the girls were unstoppable. “It always feels great to see the number 25 on the scoreboard,” said setter, **Christine Choi (11)**. Captain **Erin Kim (11)** always saw the team as the team with exemplary spirit. Before every game, the six girls on court huddled and shouted “3,2,1, Team!” and started their climb toward point 25.


 * by Rachel Lee**

__Girl's Volleyball Feature: Rising Niners__ 9, 10, 11, and 12. Familiar numbers to us, high school students, but we rarely see all of these grades together in a varsity sports team. Yet, this year’s Varsity Volleyball Girls team was an exception. With all grades in the team (there is 1 senior, but that still counts) accompanied by Coach Day and Coach Suk’s rigorous practices, the girls represented the entire high school of KIS. From this unique team, the so called freshies stood out during both practices and games. With shaking hands, shivering legs, and sky-rocking pressure, **Tisha Kwon (9)** and **Raina Song (9)** entered practices and games upon the aura of the team’s upperclassmen. As a starting setter of the team, Raina led the games with beautiful sets for the power hitters to smash the balls into the court. “Sometimes, I get nervous because I’m one of the youngest on the team, but I’m also the setter of the game. Yet, I see improvement in myself while playing with a bunch of experienced upperclassmen; that’s the cool part”, said Raina. As a first-choice libero for the team, Tisha Kwon threw her body onto the court to successfully dig the spikes coming from the other vigorous teams. With both of these amazing freshmen, the whole team felt proud and confident about the team’s future: “It’s amazing how our future is so bright with these girls; they’re certainly going to become the best of the best with this year’s experience”, added Coach Day.


 * by Rachel Lee**

1. Number of stairs: 560 stairs 2. Number of push-ups daily: 50
 * By the Code:**

__JV Girl's Volleyball: Ace and Attack__ “10 push-ups, let’s go!” With Coach Wolf’s stringent practices, the JV Girls Volleyball Team finish over a hundred of push-ups every practice without giving up. Led by captains **Diana Lim (10)** and **Yena Kim (9)**, this year’s young team push themselves towards the sweet taste of victory: “Diligent explains us all; we don’t know how to give up”, remarks Yena. Even though most of the girls were in their freshmen year, they had already learned the importance of being diligent and how they could apply it to volleyball. Starting from the basics of volleyball -- bump, set, spike --, the girls reached all the way to digging the balls on the court, and even magically tipping it over to the other team. “It’s like magic. We’ve improved so much that I’m surprised by our girls’ skills”, said Diana proudly. The girls clearly proved to the school that the future of KIS’s Girls Volleyball Team was bright and successful.
 * by Rachel Lee**

__Girls Tennis:<span class="text_exposed_show"> 1st Come, 1st Serve __ When the bell rings at 2:45 P.M., the Varsity Girls Tennis team members immediately grab their racquets and leave for the Sunae tennis courts. Serving, smashing, and slicing the ball under the scorching sun may appear to be a well-mastered routine for them, but this time around a radical change greeted the team. Pressure, concern, change – the girls had to undergo them all. With only 2 battle-hardened veterans from previous years remaining (Doubles Captain **May Kim (12)** and Team Captain **Jessica Chang (12)**), the Phoenix Girls Tennis team experienced a shaky start during the first few weeks of the season. Although they began as an unexpectedly young and inexperienced team, the girls showed impressive gradual improvements, especially those in doubles teams as they learned to work side by side with their partners. Doubles **Kyla Page (11)** and **Stella Yun (11)** indeed demonstrated the fruits of their labors when they topped off their season with a clean 5-set victory, for the first time, against Daegu American High School despite an arduous 2-hour wait for clearance. "Although the season was not full of many wins, I'm very proud of the girls for coming this far," said **Coach Page**. Times were tough, but the girls fought hard – numbers on a scoreboard are too meager a unit to define and capture the memorable season this team had.


 * by Diana Lee**

__Boy's Tennis: First Flight__ 6 guys gear up with tennis racquets, polo shirts, and dandy shoes. Determination always lingers in these boys as they pounce around the green court jumping around, and putting all they have in sending them over the net. The metronome-like back-and-fourth actions and the squeaks and shuffling of shoes form an almost melodious sonata, conducted by the Boys Varsity Tennis team. The boys push themselves hard in the hopes that this season will be better than the last. Constant improvement has been their goal since the beginning of the season. **Coach Osborne** tells the boys during practice, “What goes on the paper may be your scores, but tennis is not all about numbers.” Team bonding builds on this green box of competition: players bring each other water -- while jokingly pushing each other during the hottest parts of the day. These boys proved the statement “Tennis is not a team sport” wrong. They manage make the sport seem like a big ranking list, as they constantly look to rise through the rankings. But underneath this trend lies the philosophy that competition is the best way to improve. That’s why these guys have yet to leave the rubber court: tennis is too friendly a sport to be harsh.


 * by Brandon Koo**

__By the Code__ Average hits per player per point(excluding doubles): 6 Average time taken for a single rally: 16 seconds Average number of vertical lines tennis racquets for the team: 16 Average times a player grunts in last quarters: 3 Average number of balls put in a players pocket before rallies: 2 Number of practice balls: 154 Number of double faults in first game: 17 Number of empty drink bottles found after first game: 6 Time taken for first game: 2 hours 13 minutes

Tennis guys feature: __Endless Excuses__ Some thing people really don’t want to do. Lets face it, everyone lied at one point to get out of said undesirable event. They range from the very generic “I’m sick” to “I must go save the world”. Well the boys varsity tennis team is no exception when they really don’t want to be productive.

Practice is not always rainbows and sunshine, sometimes it’s the last thing they would want to go to; say it’s a Friday before a weeklong break. Oh god. And as the popular tennis players they are, their classmates tempt them. “dude tennis is there even after break!”. What would they tell the coaches to give them a pass to freedom? Here is what some of the players had to say.

“my dog ate my racquet and shoes I swear.” – Junwoo Ha (12)

“I met my true love, Natalie Portman. So I cant go to practice sorry.” – Ian Chang (11)

“I was afraid that the rapture might happen when I was in shorts, and my religion says I cant do that. So I couldn’t change out of my jeans” – Philip Jeong (10)

“I broke my ankle” – John Jung (11)

by Brandon Koo


 * JV BOYS QUOTES**
 * "Don't get mad at the 9th graders!" -** Coach Cope

__JV Boys Volleyball: A Winning Streak__ Everyone is silent. Hearts pound. **Colin Shin (10)** draws a deep breath, and serves the white ball with determination and accuracy. His teammates let out a sigh of relief as they watch the ball perfectly fly over the net. It’s simple: this intensity and zealousness is what unleashed the untarnished stature for the JV boys. Trouncing SIS at the first home game predicted a winning streak that would follow – and follow it did. “The game against TCIS was especially intense because both teams were undefeated,” testified a satisfied Captain **Won Woo Jung (10)**, “until we won and took first place.” The boys continued to defeat every other Division I school in KAIAC, earning new respect among the schools and no doubt within our own. “Winning the first set is really important because each game has three sets,” said **Kevin Chung (10)**, “so far, we’ve won every first set of each game.” This invincible team has savored the taste of glory after each triumphant match, all of which has morphed the season into the best one yet. As a brand new addition to the Phoenix volleyball team, the JV boys bravely augured a new journey that would mark them as the finest for years to come.


 * by Diana Lee**

__XC Boys Main:__ __Maximum Heart Rate__ BREAKING NEWS: SAHS has been defeated. Well, not really "breaking" news, for it was inevitable, considering the amount of hard work the members of the Boys Cross Country team have put in. In addition to the KIS Varsity Basketball team defeating that of SFS last year, the superstar runners of KIS have finally brought down their SAHS counterparts. In fact, it was the first time any sport in KIS had defeated its counterpart in SAHS.

Apart from the race, how have the members been doing? **Albert Park (11)** describes it as exhibiting "fruitful growth," as does the rest of the team. **Eric Jho (11)** replied with a wall of text too long to quote; shortened, he said that the team members are supportive and that everyone works hard.

The beautiful thing is that when 1 team member works hard, the rest will follow. If 1 member suddenly shaves 10 seconds off his/her time, the rest will go out of their way to do the same, as if there exists some kind of metaphysical competition between 1 member and another. And through all of this, the team and its members have improved greatly and marked the end to the (statistically) best year in KIS Cross Country history.


 * by Jay Jeong**

__XC Boys Feature:__ __Frenemies__ The idea of a sport is to compete against an individual or a team, and from this competition arises great rivalries: Barcelona v.s. Real Madrid, New York Yankees v.s. Boston Red Sox, etc.

Equally great is the rivalry between **Kyu Park (11)** and **Kangwoon Kim (11)** of the Cross Country team. For three years, they have worked to outrun each other -- though never forgetting to exhibit good sportsmanship and, most importantly, that they are best friends. “I try my best to run faster than him, but if I fail to, I congratulate him,” said Kyu. “It’s not the fake, forced kind; it’s genuine, because I know he really worked hard to beat me.”

A truly great rivalry involves extremely close and varying results. In their first year of Varsity Cross Country, they were neck and neck -- probably why this rivalry began in the first place. In their second year, Kyu dominated for the most part. However, in their third year, Kangwoon has been pulling ahead.

We will have to wait until the end of their senior year to see who will graduate as the "winner," but I doubt that their rivalry will end there. Forever they will be the best of friends and the greatest of rivals.


 * by Jay Jeong**

__XC Girls Main:__ __From One End to Another__ They run and run, seemingly to no avail, and just as somebody is about to give up, another member comes and bring them back to their feet. And when the race ends, the girls celebrate their score of 12 points, even when other schools scored 30. Wait, why? It is because in Cross Country, scoring the least amount of points is the objective. A runner coming in first place earns the team one point; second, two points, etc. -- thus emphasizing the importance of teamwork in this seemingly individual sport. Yet, even if the scoring system were like that of basketball, the girls would still celebrate their individual accomplishments as well as the accomplishments of their teammates. While boys in a football team may fight over losing a game, the XC girls can finish last 11 times in a row without their team morale ever going down – “because in the end, we may lose the competition against other schools, but we still have ourselves to race against. If I had run 5 kilometers in 2 hours the first time, and ran 5 kilometers in 2 minutes less the next time, my teammates will still explode into celebration ” said **Seohyun Kim (11)**.

by Jay Jeong

__XC Girls Feature:__ __'97 Superstar__ Cheerleading, cross country running, figure skating -- **Sophia Yu (9)** does them all, and she does them well. She is the fastest on her team, boasting a 23 minutes 45 second record on a 5 km track. She wakes up at 5 A.M., skates, and then comes to school. Yet, her athletics do not get in the way of her academics. Here is what she thought of her XC season so far:

Just how fast are you? My fastest time for a 5K run so far has been 23:45. (not sure of the exact time, but its probably about right!), but I'm trying hard to get a faster time!

I understand that you skate too? When did you start skating? I started skating in 4th grade, just for fun with my friend. I'm not planning on becoming a professional skater or anything, but I enjoy learning new jumps and spins. I also skate in a junior synchronized team. When you try to learn a certain jump, sometimes it feels like you'll never get it. But, you just have to keep jumping, falling, jumping and falling until you finally land it. cross country is the same. You just keep running and never give up then you will be at the final line. It feels GREAT!!

How has the XC Girls team been doing this season? The Girl’s XC team has been doing great this year. Already, we’ve improved so much since the beginning of the season, and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season!

What is your favorite thing about XC? Unlike other sports you can do this sport anytime anywhere with anybody or just yourself. During break or at night, I enjoy running with my friends. I think it makes running so much more fun!

What has been your best/funniest experience in XC so far? So far, the best experience we’ve had in XC was the race at ICS. We ran well as a team and it was a good race for everyone.

What advice can you give for people who are contemplating whether to join XC? In xc, your will is more important than skills that you have. You can depend on your team. You’re not alone. We all run together as a team and cheer for every runner whether you’re in the front or at the very back of the group.

by Jay Jeong

__Boys Varsity Volleyball Main - A 6 Pack__ Kicking off the KAIAC season, the Boy’s Varsity Volleyball team introduced new additions –new coaches, new players, new uniforms, new bags! Everything about them was brand new. With just two weeks to get to know each other and learn to play, the boys jumped into the KAIAC season, going against other more experienced teams that have played together for years. Still, the boys held their own: hits, bumps, sets, PD’s, this team started with the basics and built their way up. They ran 3 sets of stairs everyday: running down from the upper gym all the way up to the Phoenix gym, and back again. Missing a serve or failing to call “mine!” guaranteed 20 push-ups. Although in the beginning they made mistakes and failed to work together, as the season progressed they learned to trust one another, call “MINE!” and work together to play for every point. They focused on the aspect of being a team. Every point they won and lost presented them with another lesson to learn. Their proud captain, **Justin Lee (12)**, stated, "With every game, we made better passes, we had better blocks, and became a formidable team."

by Jae Lee

__Boys Varsity Volleyball Feature - 2 Heavy Hitters__ Outside hitter **Eric Park (11)** and middle blocker **Jaemin Shin (11)**** became a part of the volleyball team for the first time this year, and both have been placed in starting positions right away. Although it is their first year, they both improved rapidly throughout the season and became strong players with great court presence. Jaemin had several blocks and hard hits throughout the season, and Eric developed a powerful serve along with strong drives.

1. Why did you start playing volleyball? 2. How do you feel you developed over the season? 3. How has the team developed over the season? 4. Favorite memory? 5. One thing you’d like to improve on for next year?

Jaemin 1. I like sports, but cross country seemed too hard so I chose volleyball instead. 2. My hitting timing got better, as well as my passes. The coaches helped me so much throughout the season. 3. We make less mistakes during games. 4. My spike at the TCIS game. 5. I’d like to win more and spike more.

Eric 1. Ms. Harris told me I had potential so I got interested in volleyball. 2. I've gotten much more insight into the whole game flow. 3. We've gotten so much better at working as a team. 4. Almost winning in Daegu. 5. I'd love to improve my hitting and serving.

**Senior Retreat**
__Two buses, One night, and a whole lot of hotdogs__ If there were one class on campus that can be described as “extremely diverse”, it would be the class of 2012. The seniors had the chance to go to Seoraksan National Park as test subjects for a new retreat location. Nobody knew the reason for this change in the retreat destination; nonetheless everyone seemed satisfied by the fact that we didn't have to share a single bathroom as did the previous classes of seniors. Indeed, time goes by quickly when you’re having fun. Or maybe that might be because it lasted for only two days. Regardless, the senior class had some smashing fun, engaging in all sorts of activities and events. Starting with the rafting course all the way to beach shenanigans, from the mafia games to the CHICKEN, we happened to notice that the trip was much more than an excused absence on a Friday. The stories told overnight in the rooms, the helping hands for people floating down the river, and the drinks and seats shared on the mountain all helped form a more solid and tightly knit relationship. These new links and genuine camaraderie proved that being diverse does not equal being distant, that unified diversity is not a paradox. If last year’s seniors were known as the close-knit group, we are the diversely close-knit class. Emphasis on the word “diversely”.


 * by Brandon Koo**

__A Look into the Senior Retreat__ Interesting things people brought on the trip torch, painkillers, spirit, Burgerking recycled note, 8 t-shirts 5 shorts 5 towels 4 socks and 4 pairs of shoes, my black book, extra pairs of everything, foam cleanser, eight pairs of underwear, McDonald's, bread, ONE old and torn shoe

What did you think of the rafting experience? 1. It was the scariest moment of my life. My raft flipped. When you're being devoured by the crashing water with no chance to breathe, you feel like you're going to drown. 2. I felt so grateful that I managed to survive. It was scary. I would never do it again. 3. It was fun but more boring than expected. Our team was ace, but I kept getting yelled at every time I did something :( 4. Our boat tipped over! I was scared to death, but in the end it was fun!

Interesting room stories? 1. No Response 2. My room people turned of the light and all danced. 3. Se June's snoring was GG 4. Ryan was really mad in his sleep and was shouting at Yeunsok saying that Yeunseok’s foot was in his face. 5. SOMEONE SNORED SO NO ONE COULD SLEEP. 6. My roommates and I freaked ourselves out by letting our imaginations run wild when the lights started flickering outside.... lots of screams. 7. Triangle love story. 8. One of the kids fell asleep faster than the others after we turned off the lights at like 2, so we got a flash light and turned it on in front of his face. He got mad and started hitting all of us with a pillow. 9. I snored so much Andrew Yoon went to a different room. We woke up and he was gone so we freaked.
 * CHICKEN APPLIES TO EVERYTHING


 * by Jae Lee**

**New Teacher** Quotes List
__What impressions did you get from KIS or Korea?__ Mr. Robert: “It feels really great to be in a country that has its own culture, traditions and cuisine.”

Ms. Chang: “Just a shock! So many Korean students who carried not one, but MANY MANY pencils to school!”

Mr. Meszaros: “My favorite things are the dilligent and well-behaved students, helpful colleagues and outstanding facilities.”

Mr. Van Moppes: “Students...Amazing! Food...Amazing! Karaoke...Amazing!”

Mr. Boyce: “The students and the faculty are the best that I have worked with. Everyone is focused on education and learning. I am excited for a great year.”

__Any first day bloopers or interesting experiences?__ Mrs. Boyce: “Getting lost on my way to the PAC!”

Ms. Pool: “Ms. Williams and I unintentionally ate intestine soup our first week in Korea...the waiter translated the name of the dish while we were eating it :( Now I just try all the new foods I see in Korea!”

Mr. Cope: “I'd give myself a 9 out of 10 in terms of learning names, but still struggle sometimes on with my Joon Wons and my Won Junes (so apologies to these students).”

Mr. Plamondon: “Since about 2002, I have been the supervisor of several student rock groups in the international schools in Korea. I was lucky enough to play with teacher musicians over the years and perform at school.”

__Where did you work before coming to KIS?__ Mrs. Hamilton: “Most recently I was working at the KIS Gaepo campus with Kindergarten students! The jump to HS has been wonderful and I'm really enjoying it.”

Mrs. Cope: “I have been teaching overseas for 10 years and this is my fourth International School. The last one was British International School of Jeddah, Saudia Arabia.”

Mrs. Christenbury: “I moved up from the KIS middle school where I taught grade 7 and grade 8. It is fun to see my former students, especially the juniors who had me the first year in 2008.”

Mrs. Larue: “This is my second glorious year at KIS. Last year I was solely in the Middle School teaching 6th and 7th graders in the Social Studies department. Before that I was in Kuwait.”

Teacher Features
__1. What was the most interesting excuse you had from students for not completing their homework?__

Mr. Wood: "I had to watch 'Glee'" "My dog ate my homework" (But the student literally brought in what was left of his homework after the dog attacked it...) "My dad ran it over with his car" "My boyfriend broke up with me," (later in the day, I saw the girl making out with the her boyfriend in the hall - I guess they got back together) "I had to have emergency surgery to remove a hangnail." (Again, this was true, but I had to laugh at the kid...)

Mr. Londgren: Student: "I don't have my clarinet today" Me: "Why not?" Student: "I left it in the bathroom." Me: "Well go get it!" Student: "Well, I would but I left it in the bathoom... at Emart."

Mr. Halpin: “There was a plane in my backyard.”

Mr. Morton: “Biology isn't a real subject” “I don't speak English” “I was temporally deported”

__What was your most interesting job?__

Ms. Mithaq: “In one of my schools, I taught one class of grade 2 PE, one year I also taught a class of grade 7 Geography, both not even close to my major – so weird.”

Mr. Wood: “I worked as a camp counselor. What made this job so awesome is that there was this really hot chick that worked there and I spent the better part of two summers working my magic and trying to get her to fall for me. If you want to see a picture of her, well, just go down to the Junior Kindergarten room and ask to speak to Mrs. Wood.”

Mr. Joo: “Asian cowboy at Frontierland restaurant in Disneyland.”

Mr. Plouffe: “I worked on Korean television for about six months (if that) I was paid to be a talking head and a half bit actor demonstrating the lines from a book written by Jo Ha Yoo. It was called Megooksaengwolyoungah.”

__If you had the choice, what other subject would you like to teach?__

Mr. Wood: “If I didn't teach social studies, I'd probably be an English teacher or a music teacher.”

Mr. Plouffe: “Career and Life Management or 'C.A.L.M.' That's right, a course designed to develop life skills.”

Mr. Morton: “Let's face it. If you can't teach biology, why teach?”

Ms. Dunning: “The least obvious one? Physics: the common sense science.”