Edited

Academic
__Theater: Silent 10__ To those who don’t know, Pantomimes and mimes are just mute clowns waving about, giving occasional laughs from abstract humor. They only appear in streets of bustling cities with gloomy faces and depressing clothes. They’re usually just tugging on invisible ropes and making invisible midair boxes. Well, some decided to prove this stereotype wrong; over the couple weeks of early October, Theater 1 practiced said waving about and giving occasional laughs as training for their expression of emotion non-verbal communication.

“I think everyone's performances were outstanding. We all did our best and tried to exaggerate every movement.” – **Rachel Kim (10)**

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.

“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)**

Overall, the “speechless” performances presented by the Theater class gave students a pleasant lunch once again.

by Brandon Koo

__Korean Language: The Hidden Trio__ How many actually knew about the existence of a Korean class in the curriculum since last year? Almost every student you know is probably enrolled either in a Chinese, Spanish, or French class – anything but Korean class. Located on the 3rd floor of the high school building, this group of 3 began as the invisible class and has only begun to unmask itself this year as Korean II. In this classroom, no one competes for the spotlight – or, the other way around, remains as the wordless “class serial killer”. **Cindy** (“Busan saturi”) **Lee (10)**, **Jasmine** (“banana”) **McCarthy (10)**, and **Bobby** (“newbie”) **Choi (11)** agree that the chief advantage of being involved in a small class is the ability to talk to the teacher without being embarrassed and freely communicate with the other 2 students. Aside from learning the culture and language of their current country, the students learn to establish something deeper: to connect to and explore their Korean side. “All of us somehow have roots in the Korean heritage,” said Jasmine, “For me, I like learning Korean because it helps me communicate with my mother.” Wherever these individuals are from, whatever their motivations may be, their passion for the Korean language and culture is without number.

by Diana Lee

__Social Studies Feature: 30 Students Fall in Love with the 50 Veterans__ Back to 1950, into the bitter reminiscences of the Korean War. The APUSH students headed to the DMZ for their once in a lifetime date with veterans of the Korean War. Starting with the one-hour bus ride, the students spent every moment together with their very own veterans: they toured the DMZ together, shopped together in the souvenir shops, and ate at the luxurious buffet together. **Bobby Choi (11)** remarked, “It was a priceless experience. If you think about it, every one of the ten skyscrapers I see from my window wouldn't exist had it not been for our veterans." Despite the gloomy, rainy weather and the agonizing memories of war, the students and the veterans talked throughout the whole trip about their family lives, personal hobbies, and future dreams. “It felt like talking to my own grandparents. They looked at me with the warmth that my own grandparents have in their eyes”, expressed **Christine Choi (11)**. In the midst of the endless, emotionless paragraphs of war explanations in their textbook, the students were able to feel the real pains of war through their veterans.

by Rachel Lee

__French Feature: The Rescuer: Monsieur Plamondon__ Due to an increasing number of students joining French this year, the French department has vastly grown to total 92 students. To save **Madame Moline** -- the only French teacher until last year – from all 92 students worth of hassle, a new teacher has finally arrived: **Monsieur Plamondon**!

Where is your hometown? I was born in the small town of Plamondon (Oui! Same as my last name!) located in Alberta, Canada.

Wow! Is it coincidence? Any interesting facts about your town, Plamondon? Actually, it may be unbelievable, but my great great grandfather founded the town of Plamondon. I went to school in that town for 12 years and also taught my first year in that same school.

Then, where did you move afterwards before you came to KIS? I taught last year at DIS (Daegu International School). Prior to that, I taught at IIS (Indianhead International School) for 9 years. I also taught 2 years in Egypt and started my teaching career teaching 2 years in Canada.

Last but not least, what does French mean to your life? French is my family; it’s actually a huge part of my family history. I also believe that French, of course, is a beautifully-spoken language. Une belle langue!

Music Feature: What Percussion Really Is To most non-musicians, the word "percussion" may be foreign. Even those slightly familiar with the word will simply describe it as "drums." However, drums are not the only percussion instrument. Anything that is struck to make a sound is considered a percussion instrument -- broom stick, vacuum cleaner, typewriter, etc. are all considered percussion instruments. KIS musicians have seen and played their fair share of obscure percussion instruments. In the beginning of Incheon, directed by Robert W. Smith, beads inside a pan are moved around the mimic the sound of the ocean. In Sleigh Ride, directed by Leroy Anderson, a slapstick and sleigh bells are used. Simply put, a song cannot be complete without percussion. It is capable of controlling how fast the entire band plays, which is something not many instruments can do. Percussion is so important (arguably) that there is an entire course dedicated to it, called Percussion Ensemble. In this class, students -- under Mr. Kvam's supervision and mentorship -- learn to play all sorts of percussion instruments.

Being a percussionist requires an incredible amount of patience. Many times, a percussionist will have less than ten notes to play during an entire song, but this means that every single note is just that much important. One of the school's leading percussionists, Arnold Hwang (11), a member of the school's elite Phoenix Wind Ensemble, remarked: "Many people, even musicians, think that the percussion section/rhythm section is not very important. However, anyone can see the big dissonance in band when the music is played without percussion."

__Art Feature: Department Revamp__ This year, the school's Art Department underwent a complete reconstruction. The result? 8 different classes: Digital Photography, Art I 2D/3D survey, 2D/3D Studio Art II, 2D/3D Studio Art III, and finally, AP Studio Art 2D. With so many different classes, only a certain number of students can distinguish between them. Survey? Studio? 2D? 3D?

First is the most easily recognizable-by-title, Digital Photography. In this class, students use DSLR cameras and experiment with its manual settings. Jackie Lee (10) in Digital Photography II said “In class, by critiquing photos taken by fellow students, the most important thing I learned was how to receive criticism, as well as give constructive criticism.”

Next, there are survey classes and studio classes. Survey classes are the ones in which students hone their basic skills to move up to a studio class the following year.

The Studio classes are further divided into 2D and 3D courses. In 2D courses, students work with pence, charcoal, conti, pastel, colored pencil, oil pastel, and paint, in the areas of Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Collage, and Design. As long as it's flat on paper, it's in a 2D class (hence its name). On the other hand, there are 3D courses, in which students work with clay, found objects, paper, and other various 3D media, in areas such as Ceramics, Additive, Relief, and Design. While most students take only one of either 2D or 3D, Kevin Kim (11), who takes both, encourages students to do the same: “ Taking both classes has been an indescribable experience. In 2D, Ms. Arno helped me see what I draw, because I lacked observation skills. In 3D class, Ms. Mullenax helped me become an even more creative artist and broadened my mind.”

by Jay Jeong

English Feature: __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.


 * Disclaimer: Freshmen, just because you are reading this does not mean you will hate it too.

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 that to look forward to, rising sophomores!

by Jay Jeong

English Feature : __A Walk in Tancheon__

On a cold, October morning, students in the AP English Language class went on a field trip down to Tancheon. To prepare for their walk, the 11th graders first downloaded Battle of the Ants by Henry David Thoreau to their music listening device. Once they arrived, students walked around and observed nature, trying to somehow link what they observed to an aspect of contemporary society. They also had to take photos, one of which they would write 250-300 words about. Some of the things students took photos of include a willow tree, a warning sign, water currents, grass on a rock, other students, etc. **Mr. Longbotham**, who was in charge of the field trip, took photographs of the students, most of which came out really well (he does, after all, teach Digital Photography). The trip was short, but after they returned, **Mr. Longbotham** showed them the photos he took through the overhead projector. **Eunice Choi (11),** a great poet herself, remarked, "It felt so refreshing to take a rest in the nature, away from all the busy city surroundings. I realized that you can learn as much from nature as you can from a class." After studying the Romantics and their poems, what once seemed so subtle and insignificant now seemed "romantic."

by Jay Jeong

Spanish Feature: __3-strong__ KIS is a school known for small classes, averaging about 15-20 people in a room, but there is one class that takes in across the line: **Mrs. Longbotham**'s AP Spanish class. This class contains not 10, not 5, but only 3 students who are all seniors. These lucky people get the full attention of everything that goes around in class; it is somewhat hard not to notice a student messing around if there are only 3 of them. On one side of things, this means they have no breathing room. It can be stressful knowing that the teacher is watching them the whole class. But on the other side, this means that they get undivided attention, and can concentrate on what they are supposed to do in a classroom -- to learn.

“I mean, no one gets left out. It’s a really tight community.” **Jaeook Lee (12)**

“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)**

Yes. That was the whole class. It is rare that an entire class gets yearbook spotlight, but here it is. It is perhaps one of the most unique classes on campus. They don’t need attendance, they don’t need massive review sessions, and they certainly do not need seating charts; there should be a plethora of chairs.

Science Feature: __Bells and whistles from G308__ Beyond the doors of Mr. Halpin’s room, located on the 3rd floor at the end of the hall, lies an entire classroom full of gadgets, tools, and other fun things to play with in general. These objects range from little springs on a stick, to a massive wall full of science equipment. It seems like every single lecture comes with a new piece of equipment to astonish the students. “It’s the best lab I’ve worked in cause of all these toys I have.” Some of the treasured toys include:

The Rollercoaster-type things: Anyone who steps into Mr. Halpin’s classroom would immediately notice these. They consist of little plastic pieces, and join together to form, if done correctly, the best display of how awesome physics can be. They are creations of previous AP Physics students; some have aged over the years as one of the rails refuses to work. Still, these rollercoaster tracks keep the students entertained while they wait for the class to start.

The Hover pod things: At first glance, they look like tiny vacuum cleaners. These, usually used during demonstrations that require minimum friction, are, in fact, battery-powered hover-crafts. They slide around tabletops with ease, sort of like hockey puck.

The Wave demonstration thing: At the moment, this particular gadget is enjoying its long summer break; it’s folded up in the corner of the room. It's very bizarre looking as well, as it's just a stand with a bunch of sticks, dipped in highlighter, tied together. Apparently, you operate it by grabbing one end and shaking it. All it essentially does is it moves and jiggles in a wave-like motion. If you ever get the chance to use it, try not to jerk it too hard because next time, it might just end up in the trashcan.

The magnetic cart-rail thing: This is also another setup that lives in the back of the classroom. Basically, it's just some toy trains (except a bit space-agey) with magnets in them. Yet, however unexciting this may seem, it is potentially the best toy within the room. Its very amusing to pushing these around on the track and watching them bounce off of the magnetic stoppers. It even has an “all hell break loose” button which causes it to shoot out a rod and flings itself, often off the rail and to the ground.

These are just some of the best, as there are many more. Nonetheless, these gadgets that circle the desks are one of the many reasons why physics can be rather interesting.

by Brandon Koo

IT: __01001001 01010100__ If you are reading this, you either attend KIS, which is extremely dependent on computers and technology, or you are rummaging through someone else’s yearbook. We, as students, are extremely sensitive to the changing technology around us; we and very savvy compared to other high schoolers. Some students can probably get a job as an IT office staff member right now. So, how much do the leading lights of computer tech-ness know about HTML, one of the most basic and elemental languages of the internet world? (Responses will be kept anonymous to save people from embarrassment). Correct answers are from the Web design class. And yes they are correct. Q: What do you think does? A: “Its used to end a line and start a new one; mostly used to start a new paragraph” The average student:

“uh… it does nothing.” “…backspace…?”

Q: When would you ever use ? A: “you use it to introduce new articles to a list; it’s like creating a new bulletpoint.” The average student:

“IT CORRUPTS THE WORLD” “it gives lithium :D”

Q: What does do? A: It's used to draw lines through words, like when you cancel it out.

the average student: “when a pitcher has bad eyes in baseball”

“when I wish to hit or punch someone…”

Q: What does HTML stand for? A: Hyper-Text Markup Language.

Pathetic attempts: “… do I really have to know this to lead a successful life?” “Hide The Milk & Lemons” “Hot TaMaLes”

We are all still students and have a lot to learn. But one thing that can be guaranteed is that the longer we all live, the greater the influence of informational technology will be on us. It only comes to show that everyone can afford to be a little bit geekier!

Science: A Catalyst for a 5 The AP biology classes of 2011 are out for blood (or hemoglobin) again, and for this year, Ms. Christenbury has joined the top deck. When asked about her expectations of the year, Ms. Christenbury stated:

“My expectations for the coming years is to encourage students to always be curious learners. I want to be able to help students be passionate about something regardless of the subject.”

AP biology is regarded as one of the most memorization heavy, brain intensive AP course the school has to offer; it tests students about the depth of understanding they have for literally everything that lives. [And with a class like this comes those who are prepared.] -?

“AP bio is my first AP ever in high school. I need to make sure I both ace the class and get a 5 on my test, just as a reminder that I didn’t waste a year!” said Scott Cho (10). Not only do they have the pressure of the actual AP test, but they must also go through many different trials like exams, quizzes, and other assignments. [It’s not always the whips,] -? however. Students [get to eat carrots in the form of labs and activities] - ?, which include yogurt making, onion cutting, dissections, and more. The occasional free time and jokes also motivate them to try harder. So, will these students prevail? The diligent students of AP bio take it step by step towards their desired score of 5.

PE: __18 Laps to 3 Miles__ Holding a 210 kg free weight and a 14 lb medicine ball each, the students of the new Athletic Conditioning Physical Education class wait for the arrival of Mrs. Osbourne in the Yoga room. Upon her arrival, the students begin training their core muscles with 2 circuits of bridges and reverse crunches, 2 circuits of squat jumps and knee touches, and work with the medicine ball. This class pushes them to their limits. After several circuits of core exercises, the students go outside and decide between doing endurance training, running intervals, or climbing the hill. The students of this class not only run through drills that exercise their core muscles, but also carry out cardiovascular exercises. Other workouts include endurance running, which entails the students to run 15-18 laps around the field, roughly 3 miles. Interval training involves them running 9 laps around the soccer field; each time jogging for half the field and sprinting the other half. Finally, the hill calls for the students to run up and down the hill about 12 times. These numbers are not set in stone. In fact, they actually increase as the year progresses. Students such as Andy Park (11) struggle to complete the ever increasing laps around the field, encouraged by Mrs. Osbourne’s yells of “Faster, faster!”. “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.”

__Chinese Moon Cake__ A 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 egg yolks, 2 cups of butter, 1 cup of flour, and 1 glass of red bean paste can provide you with a savory Chinese treat: moon cakes. Students taking a Chinese course had another annual moon cake-making session to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. Students shared the legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival, created presentations about Chinese customs of the festival, and taught each other how to make moon cakes.

Although this festival is held every year, there is always something different each year. Sometimes, different aspects of Chinese culture are presented. Students may also come up with variations of moon cake recipes that provide different tastes. “This year, I think that the presentations were very well done, and that the moon cakes tasted much better than previous years',” says Jun Woo Ha (12). “I think we’re gradually getting better at making moon cakes.” With this project, students get a better understanding of Chinese culture and the Mid-Autumn Festival. When October arrives, make sure to visit the Chinese classrooms to grab a bite of the delicious baked goods!

**Fall Sports**
Girl's Tennis Feature: October 28, the 2-day KAIAC tournament at SFS certainly provided the Varsity Girls Tennis team with a chance to prove their growth and skills. For the first time, the tournament was designed to determine each rank for each seed (single 1, 2, 3, and doubles 1, 2); last year, only the first and second places were recognized for each seed. From 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. on Friday, the girls retained their focus and kicked off a series of intense matches – their last chance to prove themselves as an individual, as a pair, as a team. The Saturday tournament was delayed to 10:40 A.M. due to the rain, but the rain indeed brought the girls good fortune. Jessica Chang (12) made it to the Singles 2 championship after facing Seoul Foreign School and placed second, Christine Song (11) placed third in Singles 1 after trouncing Seoul American High School, and Julia Kim (10) placed third in Singles 3 after a victory over Yongsan International School of Seoul. Times may have been rough for this young team, but through this KAIAC tournament they displayed their ability to stand firmly without the help of the long-served seniors.