Stage Adaptations of Shakespeare (Edward James Suh)
From the second to third week of March, Mr. Eric Burton’s English classes had their showcases at Dalton Hall. Mr, Burton’s English classes adapted the original Shakespeare plays in their own style.
Of many Shakespeare plays, sophomores adapted “Macbeth” while seniors adapted “Othello,” both the greatest Shakespeare tragedies. On March 9, 10A class performed the adaptation first. They changed the play’s setting to a general hospital, the name of Macbeth to Oliver, and the name of Lady Macbeth.
On March 11, 10B class performed the adaptation during extra-curricular period. Their main characters were Marcello and Bella, representing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth each, and most characters were part of the Italian mafia. Inspired by the famous American audition program, American Idol, 10C class performed the adaptation on March 12. Given the extra days in term 4 to prepare, 12A & 12B regular class performed their adaptation on March 17 during extra-curricular period. The play took place in New York, had some CSI resemblances, and the audience felt sympathies between the relationships between each character.
After the performance, conversations about English plays went back and forth around the school. Directors and their crews shared how they felt through Term III. “It was really unexpected to become a director.” Jae Won Shin (10B) remembered his first day he got nominated as a director. “All of the sudden people just voted for me and I was like ‘whoa, what should I do next?’ Later, I get used to being a director and I tried my best.”
While writing script, the director of 12A&B regular class Yesul Ahn (12) had faced a language wall. “As I wrote the script,” Ahn confessed, “I had to understand the entire plotline of Othello, but the language is too ancient for me, so I looked at the modern text such as No Fear Shakespeare, and it was challenging.”
Jinnie Yoo (10C), the director of 10C, thought that a modernized adaptation of the play was lot more interesting and more entertaining for kids in her age level, which allowed the audience to understand Macbeth much more easily. “Although it was tragedy,” she said, “we did add a little bit of comedy in it so that the audience could enjoy it.”
However, not everything satisfied teams. All the classes had major issues with time management. Yoo’s class had conflicts in which her classmates were and were not satisfied with the results they came up with. “It was really hard for us to collaborate with everyone, to gather opinions to make all of us satisfy, and to make sure that everyone was reading my announcement on the Facebook group or understanding what was going on, etc…”
Here is some advice from English class:
“Make sure to spend your time wisely.” – Billy Jeon, 12A Diago (Iago)
“Memorize the script in the general storyline, rather than the script itself.” – Seong Won Kang, 10A Macbeth.
“Try to be the role players, not yourselves. When spotlight is on, you are not yourself, but you are character.” – Grace Lee, 10A director
“A director should be able to assign the deadline to the crews; you should be checking on their individual progress and see how much work they’ve been doing, and how much they need to do in future. Also, work closely with tech crew and have a lot of leadership.” – Jinnie Yoo, 10C director
-04/28/2015
Of many Shakespeare plays, sophomores adapted “Macbeth” while seniors adapted “Othello,” both the greatest Shakespeare tragedies. On March 9, 10A class performed the adaptation first. They changed the play’s setting to a general hospital, the name of Macbeth to Oliver, and the name of Lady Macbeth.
On March 11, 10B class performed the adaptation during extra-curricular period. Their main characters were Marcello and Bella, representing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth each, and most characters were part of the Italian mafia. Inspired by the famous American audition program, American Idol, 10C class performed the adaptation on March 12. Given the extra days in term 4 to prepare, 12A & 12B regular class performed their adaptation on March 17 during extra-curricular period. The play took place in New York, had some CSI resemblances, and the audience felt sympathies between the relationships between each character.
After the performance, conversations about English plays went back and forth around the school. Directors and their crews shared how they felt through Term III. “It was really unexpected to become a director.” Jae Won Shin (10B) remembered his first day he got nominated as a director. “All of the sudden people just voted for me and I was like ‘whoa, what should I do next?’ Later, I get used to being a director and I tried my best.”
While writing script, the director of 12A&B regular class Yesul Ahn (12) had faced a language wall. “As I wrote the script,” Ahn confessed, “I had to understand the entire plotline of Othello, but the language is too ancient for me, so I looked at the modern text such as No Fear Shakespeare, and it was challenging.”
Jinnie Yoo (10C), the director of 10C, thought that a modernized adaptation of the play was lot more interesting and more entertaining for kids in her age level, which allowed the audience to understand Macbeth much more easily. “Although it was tragedy,” she said, “we did add a little bit of comedy in it so that the audience could enjoy it.”
However, not everything satisfied teams. All the classes had major issues with time management. Yoo’s class had conflicts in which her classmates were and were not satisfied with the results they came up with. “It was really hard for us to collaborate with everyone, to gather opinions to make all of us satisfy, and to make sure that everyone was reading my announcement on the Facebook group or understanding what was going on, etc…”
Here is some advice from English class:
“Make sure to spend your time wisely.” – Billy Jeon, 12A Diago (Iago)
“Memorize the script in the general storyline, rather than the script itself.” – Seong Won Kang, 10A Macbeth.
“Try to be the role players, not yourselves. When spotlight is on, you are not yourself, but you are character.” – Grace Lee, 10A director
“A director should be able to assign the deadline to the crews; you should be checking on their individual progress and see how much work they’ve been doing, and how much they need to do in future. Also, work closely with tech crew and have a lot of leadership.” – Jinnie Yoo, 10C director
-04/28/2015
World Languages Competition (Grace Lee)
There was a 2015 CDS World Languages Competition from March 17th to March 18th. For the Spanish part, the students were required to answer trivia questions, such as the basic knowledge of famous art works, important dates for Spanish speaking countries, and the capital cities of some of the countries.
For the Korean part, students elaborately wrote five-letter poetry. Five-letter poetry is a type of Korean poetry where the first letter of five words are used to start a line. Lastly, the Chinese part was largely based on speaking. Students were either expected to do a Chinese tongue twister, learn and recite a poem by heart, or learn and read out a text from the Chinese textbook by heart.
Waiting for his name to be called, Jack Kim (10) stood outside the classroom door where the Chinese competition was taking place. He sometimes glanced through the window and had small chats with his friends, but he surely had confidence. Soon, he was called into the room. Reading out a text from his Chinese textbook, Jack was chosen as the winner of the competition.
Jack was asked to share his thoughts on the reason why he was chosen as the winner. As soon as he went into the classroom, Jack first introduced himself and briefly talked about the text he was going to read out by heart. “I guess this introduction stood out since it gave a small insight to my speech to the judges,” marked Jack. Indeed, this way of briefly introducing oneself and the topic before speaking turned out to be an effective way of showing one’s confidence. Jack also revealed that he has been studying the text since the end of February.
“You have to invest your time in languages,” said Jack, “because they can easily be forgotten.” He recommended to practice speaking Chinese consistently, even during a short period of spare time. Jack’s opinion and recommendation also apply to other world languages. Cramming or practicing every once in a while does not give a full understanding and skills to the language that one is desiring to learn. The time going into languages is never wasted.
Along with Jack who won the first place in the Chinese part, Brain Park (12) and John Choi (10) won the first places of Spanish part and Korean part, respectively. These three figures are known as the ones who are mastering the languages, which reflects their hard work and effort as well as passion. A big round of applause to Jack, Brian, and John!
-04/28/2015
For the Korean part, students elaborately wrote five-letter poetry. Five-letter poetry is a type of Korean poetry where the first letter of five words are used to start a line. Lastly, the Chinese part was largely based on speaking. Students were either expected to do a Chinese tongue twister, learn and recite a poem by heart, or learn and read out a text from the Chinese textbook by heart.
Waiting for his name to be called, Jack Kim (10) stood outside the classroom door where the Chinese competition was taking place. He sometimes glanced through the window and had small chats with his friends, but he surely had confidence. Soon, he was called into the room. Reading out a text from his Chinese textbook, Jack was chosen as the winner of the competition.
Jack was asked to share his thoughts on the reason why he was chosen as the winner. As soon as he went into the classroom, Jack first introduced himself and briefly talked about the text he was going to read out by heart. “I guess this introduction stood out since it gave a small insight to my speech to the judges,” marked Jack. Indeed, this way of briefly introducing oneself and the topic before speaking turned out to be an effective way of showing one’s confidence. Jack also revealed that he has been studying the text since the end of February.
“You have to invest your time in languages,” said Jack, “because they can easily be forgotten.” He recommended to practice speaking Chinese consistently, even during a short period of spare time. Jack’s opinion and recommendation also apply to other world languages. Cramming or practicing every once in a while does not give a full understanding and skills to the language that one is desiring to learn. The time going into languages is never wasted.
Along with Jack who won the first place in the Chinese part, Brain Park (12) and John Choi (10) won the first places of Spanish part and Korean part, respectively. These three figures are known as the ones who are mastering the languages, which reflects their hard work and effort as well as passion. A big round of applause to Jack, Brian, and John!
-04/28/2015
The CDS Mathematics Competition (Diana Seo)
CDS Math teachers entertained middle and high school students by hosting the very first CDS Mathematics Competition. The competition provided students from grades 5 to 12 a great opportunity to explore the world of math. Different from other math competitions in which students are required to sit on a desk and take tests for hours, this one was different.
Members of math department of CDS were more than excited to see students enjoy CDS Math Competition. Ms. Sokoli, the head of math department, expressed her anticipation by saying, "It will be exciting to see what they have to offer on the day of the contest." She also added the goal and expectation by quoting, "Our mathematical minds are wondering how well will the students apply their math skills as well as how well they can perform in a group setting. To become successful in any career it is essential to be a team player and we would like to emphasize that even more in such a competitive society."
Contestants in the final rounds were chosen through close examination through the preliminary and semi-final rounds. The preliminary round was done online, with students writing a short essay-regarding their ability to cooperate together with teammates in front of audiences. After careful observation, 4 teams were chosen to compete in the semi-final round.
Members of math department happily welcomed audiences in Dalton Hall on March 26th during 5th period. The four teams that made it into final round were Ms. Han, 32, The Peps, and I Love New York. The four teams solved problem one by one from the four categories that were used in semi-final round, and all teams tried their best. Since CDS math competition was a show, the dance crew performed during intermissions, and the winners of the raffle tickets were chosen. Team 32 won first place. The teams, I Love New York, The Peps, and Ms. Han followed in the rankings.
-04/28/2015
Members of math department of CDS were more than excited to see students enjoy CDS Math Competition. Ms. Sokoli, the head of math department, expressed her anticipation by saying, "It will be exciting to see what they have to offer on the day of the contest." She also added the goal and expectation by quoting, "Our mathematical minds are wondering how well will the students apply their math skills as well as how well they can perform in a group setting. To become successful in any career it is essential to be a team player and we would like to emphasize that even more in such a competitive society."
Contestants in the final rounds were chosen through close examination through the preliminary and semi-final rounds. The preliminary round was done online, with students writing a short essay-regarding their ability to cooperate together with teammates in front of audiences. After careful observation, 4 teams were chosen to compete in the semi-final round.
Members of math department happily welcomed audiences in Dalton Hall on March 26th during 5th period. The four teams that made it into final round were Ms. Han, 32, The Peps, and I Love New York. The four teams solved problem one by one from the four categories that were used in semi-final round, and all teams tried their best. Since CDS math competition was a show, the dance crew performed during intermissions, and the winners of the raffle tickets were chosen. Team 32 won first place. The teams, I Love New York, The Peps, and Ms. Han followed in the rankings.
-04/28/2015
The CDS Winter Writing Competition (Grace Lee)
“I look towards this splendid city that lies on the horizon...As I hold a bottle of soju in my hand, tasting the bitterness of the snake’s word play, I hate myself for being tricked by those words. I was promised but now, I realize that it was all a sham.” - excerpt from The Identity of Cambodian Illegal Immigrant by Matthew Yoo (10).
Shortly after the end of the winter break, the winners of CDS winter writing competition were announced. For non-ficition, Yoobin Lee (11) got 1st place, and Dae Jung Kim (11), 2nd place. For fiction, Matthew Yoo won 1st place followed by Ryan Kim (11). Lastly for poetry, Jinnie Yoo (10) was first and Melody Hong (11) was second.
The theme for the competition was “identity”. The participants were asked to explore different identities across cultures. Matthew Yoo, the winner of the fiction section, wrote about an illegal immigrant who travelled from Cambodia all the way to South Korea with the hope of new opportunity in his heart. However, the reality he faced was very different from what he had heard in Cambodia as he realized that the life as an illegal immigrant was no better than the life in the home country. The overall mood is somber, expressing the protagonist’s depression.
“I was surprised to hear that I won 1st place,” said Matthew, “I thought I wouldn’t win.” Matthew smiled bashfully throughout the interview.
He decided to participate in the contest since he was motivated to win a prize during his high school life. He noted that descriptions are important when writing fiction and more importantly he advised that “you should put no limits on your creativity.”
The prize-winning writings exhibited a wide range of creativity with intelligence. Congratulations for the winners of CDS 2015 Winter Writing Contest.
-02/16/2015
Shortly after the end of the winter break, the winners of CDS winter writing competition were announced. For non-ficition, Yoobin Lee (11) got 1st place, and Dae Jung Kim (11), 2nd place. For fiction, Matthew Yoo won 1st place followed by Ryan Kim (11). Lastly for poetry, Jinnie Yoo (10) was first and Melody Hong (11) was second.
The theme for the competition was “identity”. The participants were asked to explore different identities across cultures. Matthew Yoo, the winner of the fiction section, wrote about an illegal immigrant who travelled from Cambodia all the way to South Korea with the hope of new opportunity in his heart. However, the reality he faced was very different from what he had heard in Cambodia as he realized that the life as an illegal immigrant was no better than the life in the home country. The overall mood is somber, expressing the protagonist’s depression.
“I was surprised to hear that I won 1st place,” said Matthew, “I thought I wouldn’t win.” Matthew smiled bashfully throughout the interview.
He decided to participate in the contest since he was motivated to win a prize during his high school life. He noted that descriptions are important when writing fiction and more importantly he advised that “you should put no limits on your creativity.”
The prize-winning writings exhibited a wide range of creativity with intelligence. Congratulations for the winners of CDS 2015 Winter Writing Contest.
-02/16/2015
The World Experience Tour (Suzie Park)
For the school year of 2014-2015, CDS is providing yet another opportunity to have a global experience through the World Experience Tour. Last year, the ninth grade students were able to travel to China and visit the city of Xian. Their trip was quite successful and the school has been keen on providing this enlightening experience to the new freshmen students again this year.
Meanwhile, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors have all missed the chance to go on a World Experience Tour last school year. Therefore, this year, the tour has grown its spectrum even more to provide the students with more choices and more opportunities to explore other countries.
The school has taken surveys from the students to determine which countries they would most be interested in travelling to. The students given four locations to choose from: Berlin, Madrid, Thailand, and South Korea. The World Experience Tour will take place from May 25th to May 30th.
In Berlin, the students will be provided with a package of European culture to experience. Berlin, a city in Germany with a deep history and culture, will definitely be an experience that the students haven’t experience before in their trips. Mr. Musselman, the high school AP Psychology teacher who will be the lead teacher of the trip to Berlin stated his excitement, “I’m stoked! I can’t wait.”
Madrid has been an option for students to travel to. Mrs. Navarro, the Spanish World Language teacher said, “The Spanish department is really excited about our trip to MADRID, Spain, my hometown!
Madrid is the heart of Spain and has tons of amazing activities and beautiful places to visit. While in Madrid you will be experiencing: the most moving dancing performance, flamenco, incredible antique buildings, the world famous Museo del Prado, and much more… In terms of food, Spain is known for its delicious paella, tortilla de patatas and tapas. Once you try Spanish food, you will fall in love forever! Weather around May will be very promising: warm days and sunny skies. We will also be going to Toledo, a middle age city with the most incredible cultural traces from its rich historical past while it was populated by Jewish and Moors people.”
Last of all, for students who do not wish to travel to a foreign country, they have the option of staying in South Korea. The trip in Korea will be substantially shorter (3 nights and 4 days).
Not all of the plans of the World Experience Tour are definite yet but CDS is sure that wherever the students visit, they will be provided with an experience of a lifetime.
-02/16/2015
Meanwhile, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors have all missed the chance to go on a World Experience Tour last school year. Therefore, this year, the tour has grown its spectrum even more to provide the students with more choices and more opportunities to explore other countries.
The school has taken surveys from the students to determine which countries they would most be interested in travelling to. The students given four locations to choose from: Berlin, Madrid, Thailand, and South Korea. The World Experience Tour will take place from May 25th to May 30th.
In Berlin, the students will be provided with a package of European culture to experience. Berlin, a city in Germany with a deep history and culture, will definitely be an experience that the students haven’t experience before in their trips. Mr. Musselman, the high school AP Psychology teacher who will be the lead teacher of the trip to Berlin stated his excitement, “I’m stoked! I can’t wait.”
Madrid has been an option for students to travel to. Mrs. Navarro, the Spanish World Language teacher said, “The Spanish department is really excited about our trip to MADRID, Spain, my hometown!
Madrid is the heart of Spain and has tons of amazing activities and beautiful places to visit. While in Madrid you will be experiencing: the most moving dancing performance, flamenco, incredible antique buildings, the world famous Museo del Prado, and much more… In terms of food, Spain is known for its delicious paella, tortilla de patatas and tapas. Once you try Spanish food, you will fall in love forever! Weather around May will be very promising: warm days and sunny skies. We will also be going to Toledo, a middle age city with the most incredible cultural traces from its rich historical past while it was populated by Jewish and Moors people.”
Last of all, for students who do not wish to travel to a foreign country, they have the option of staying in South Korea. The trip in Korea will be substantially shorter (3 nights and 4 days).
Not all of the plans of the World Experience Tour are definite yet but CDS is sure that wherever the students visit, they will be provided with an experience of a lifetime.
-02/16/2015
The CDS Public Speaking Competition (Kathy Lew)
On January 24th, a public speaking contest was held at school. The contest was the first one ever held in four years, and all participating students were required to compete in all three event formats.
For the first event, prepared speeches, participants were allowed to talk about any topic, but it had to be persuasive. For the second event, dramatic reading, competitors had to read a passage from a novel, short story, or a poem. They were allowed to be both serious and humorous, as long as the story had literary merit. The last event was the debate. Participants were supposed to form teams of two-on-two, opposing other teams with an opposite opinion.
Out of many competitors who participated in the competition, Mary Jane Chang, a senior, gladly answered a few of our questions.
Q. How was the competition, overall?
A: The atmosphere was really good. It was fun, and everything was great. We prepared speeches, acted out scenes for a short story, and debated about topics that were hard to discuss about. Only few people came though. Lack of participants was a shame, but everyone was all good. I loved it.
Q. How were they?
A: They were all great, smart people who go to MUN conferences and regularly participate in open debates. They’re not afraid of speaking in public, even in tough, stressing competitions. I think everyone also had fun because it wasn’t all about competition, but also about collaborating for debates. We had fun watching others do dramatic reading, and everyone’s persuasive speeches were inspiring, since their topics were from political issues to daily life matters.
Q. What topics did you talk about?
A: For persuasive speech, I tried to persuade people about how love can make people fat. Apparently, when people are with others who they’re in love, they try to spend more time together with them. They stay together, and their meals together increase naturally. So eventually, as a result, people gain weight and become fat when they’re in love. Other topics were about women’s rights, utopia, legalizing Marijuana, etc.
And for dramatic reading, I read Edgar Allen Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart. This story is about an unnamed protagonist who murdered an old man with a specific, carefully calculated plan. As he let the police look around the old man’s room after the murder, the protagonist grows nervous and claims that he hears the heartbeat of old man buried in the floor of the room. In the end, the protagonist becomes insane and confesses his crime. I think I did pretty well, portraying a man with madness that grows as time passes. It was fun. I enjoyed it.
For the debate, the topic we had to discuss about whether people’s service in the military should be mandatory. I was on the side that it shouldn’t be mandatory. The topic itself was a sensitive matter, but I had fun carefully approaching it.
Q. Thank you for donating your precious time. Is there anything else you would like to say?
A: CDS speech competition is a worthy and effective experience for the future. I hope this competition becomes a tradition and continues to be held onto the next generations.
-02/16/2015
For the first event, prepared speeches, participants were allowed to talk about any topic, but it had to be persuasive. For the second event, dramatic reading, competitors had to read a passage from a novel, short story, or a poem. They were allowed to be both serious and humorous, as long as the story had literary merit. The last event was the debate. Participants were supposed to form teams of two-on-two, opposing other teams with an opposite opinion.
Out of many competitors who participated in the competition, Mary Jane Chang, a senior, gladly answered a few of our questions.
Q. How was the competition, overall?
A: The atmosphere was really good. It was fun, and everything was great. We prepared speeches, acted out scenes for a short story, and debated about topics that were hard to discuss about. Only few people came though. Lack of participants was a shame, but everyone was all good. I loved it.
Q. How were they?
A: They were all great, smart people who go to MUN conferences and regularly participate in open debates. They’re not afraid of speaking in public, even in tough, stressing competitions. I think everyone also had fun because it wasn’t all about competition, but also about collaborating for debates. We had fun watching others do dramatic reading, and everyone’s persuasive speeches were inspiring, since their topics were from political issues to daily life matters.
Q. What topics did you talk about?
A: For persuasive speech, I tried to persuade people about how love can make people fat. Apparently, when people are with others who they’re in love, they try to spend more time together with them. They stay together, and their meals together increase naturally. So eventually, as a result, people gain weight and become fat when they’re in love. Other topics were about women’s rights, utopia, legalizing Marijuana, etc.
And for dramatic reading, I read Edgar Allen Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart. This story is about an unnamed protagonist who murdered an old man with a specific, carefully calculated plan. As he let the police look around the old man’s room after the murder, the protagonist grows nervous and claims that he hears the heartbeat of old man buried in the floor of the room. In the end, the protagonist becomes insane and confesses his crime. I think I did pretty well, portraying a man with madness that grows as time passes. It was fun. I enjoyed it.
For the debate, the topic we had to discuss about whether people’s service in the military should be mandatory. I was on the side that it shouldn’t be mandatory. The topic itself was a sensitive matter, but I had fun carefully approaching it.
Q. Thank you for donating your precious time. Is there anything else you would like to say?
A: CDS speech competition is a worthy and effective experience for the future. I hope this competition becomes a tradition and continues to be held onto the next generations.
-02/16/2015
The Story of a Book Apocalypse (Mary Jane Chang)
The lemonade stand and the chicken/snack bar are the first things that come to mind when a high school student hears about the book fair at Dalton.
After several days of speculation in Dalton Hall, where the book fair was held, it could be observed that the first program students, some middle school students, and a myriad of teachers mostly constituted the list of visitors and buyers.
Although it is true that most book fairs in American high schools are targeted towards the younger generation who are just starting to open up to colorful chapter books, comic books, and picture books, it is a pity that the upper-gradesmen of Dalton are not interested in the book fair when they are provided with a plethora of awesome collections that could possibly bright up their mundane lives. This is especially true because the range of books has expanded compared to last year’s book fair.
While the collections were limited to famous classics and popular YA books in the last year’s book fair, this year’s book fair was composed of a variety of books and other sources that included encyclopedias of various, specific fields, documentaries, comics for adults, etc. So it is odd that not many students stopped by the shelves as they passed Dalton Hall to go down for lunch. On the other hand, teachers were thrilled to see an intriguing selection of books of their own interests. Ms. Lee, the High school English teacher, said that she picked out a color-illustrated collection of Roald Dahl and some documentaries (DVDs). Other collections, such as the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Ring series, the Uglies series, and even the Captain Underpants series, decorated the shelves with their vibrant covers. Teachers and younger gradesmen were the only ones who were excited to spot unique or renewed versions and covers of the books they already own.
Is it just the Dalton students who became uninterested in books as they grew older, or is the rest of the Korean population too engrossed in their busy everyday routines to stop by a book store? With the development of technology, students carry pdf files as textbooks on their laptops rather than paperback textbooks, which makes a book even less of a commodity used in their daily lives.
Not only did it lose meaning as an everyday necessity, but it is also losing a place among the range of hobbies of the youth due to the domination of smartphones and laptops. It would be easier to see a pink elephant in the middle of the city than to spot a teenager with a book on his lap among all his peers who are texting on their smartphones.
With this limited opportunity to access books, it becomes harder and harder everyday for students to approach a library or stop by the book fair to pick up a book and start reading for fun. Even the supposed book worms tend to lose their touch on books when their studies get onerous and the desire to sleep just overrides any other cravings, including reading a book. Besides, it is hard to start a book when it is made into a movie the next month or so.
It is a shame that publishers now produce purposefully shagged book pages for a worn-out effect because readers simply cannot read until the pages actually become worn out due to their coming of age.
-12/01/2014
After several days of speculation in Dalton Hall, where the book fair was held, it could be observed that the first program students, some middle school students, and a myriad of teachers mostly constituted the list of visitors and buyers.
Although it is true that most book fairs in American high schools are targeted towards the younger generation who are just starting to open up to colorful chapter books, comic books, and picture books, it is a pity that the upper-gradesmen of Dalton are not interested in the book fair when they are provided with a plethora of awesome collections that could possibly bright up their mundane lives. This is especially true because the range of books has expanded compared to last year’s book fair.
While the collections were limited to famous classics and popular YA books in the last year’s book fair, this year’s book fair was composed of a variety of books and other sources that included encyclopedias of various, specific fields, documentaries, comics for adults, etc. So it is odd that not many students stopped by the shelves as they passed Dalton Hall to go down for lunch. On the other hand, teachers were thrilled to see an intriguing selection of books of their own interests. Ms. Lee, the High school English teacher, said that she picked out a color-illustrated collection of Roald Dahl and some documentaries (DVDs). Other collections, such as the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Ring series, the Uglies series, and even the Captain Underpants series, decorated the shelves with their vibrant covers. Teachers and younger gradesmen were the only ones who were excited to spot unique or renewed versions and covers of the books they already own.
Is it just the Dalton students who became uninterested in books as they grew older, or is the rest of the Korean population too engrossed in their busy everyday routines to stop by a book store? With the development of technology, students carry pdf files as textbooks on their laptops rather than paperback textbooks, which makes a book even less of a commodity used in their daily lives.
Not only did it lose meaning as an everyday necessity, but it is also losing a place among the range of hobbies of the youth due to the domination of smartphones and laptops. It would be easier to see a pink elephant in the middle of the city than to spot a teenager with a book on his lap among all his peers who are texting on their smartphones.
With this limited opportunity to access books, it becomes harder and harder everyday for students to approach a library or stop by the book fair to pick up a book and start reading for fun. Even the supposed book worms tend to lose their touch on books when their studies get onerous and the desire to sleep just overrides any other cravings, including reading a book. Besides, it is hard to start a book when it is made into a movie the next month or so.
It is a shame that publishers now produce purposefully shagged book pages for a worn-out effect because readers simply cannot read until the pages actually become worn out due to their coming of age.
-12/01/2014
The Robotics Competition (Dae Jung Kim)
On November 1st, the CDS Robot Engineers Club set off on a competition to Junghae Science Academy in order to compete with other schools. Out of the six members of the club, four members went; they were Joshua Kim (11), Kelvin Ryoo (9), Jay Kim (11) and Dae Jung Kim (11). The students played in the VEX Robot competition, which required two teams to form an alliance and play in a match. During this competition, the robots at hand were to stack and push blocks around, in order to insert the objects into certain areas to gain points.
There were two alliances, each with their own separate corners. Each team had to start off from a box with the team color on it.
Once the game started, the team members would have to step into programming mode. There were two modes for the first competition. For the first fifteen seconds of the game, the robots ran based on programs each teams had put together. Once those fifteen seconds were up, the points were counted and then the players were expected to begin the control-ling mode, within a time frame of two minutes.
In order for each team to gain points, the blocks were to be pushed into the colored area where the robots started from or put through the poles located around the arena. Since it was the team’s first time trying out, success was hard to achieve. The team members were given a short period of time to finish up the robot and weren’t as skilled in programming skills as the other, more experienced, teams.
However, this competition will luckily act as a stimulus for the CDS robotics team to further ad-vance in their skills and produce a better result in an upcoming competition held on the January of 2015.
-12/01/2014
There were two alliances, each with their own separate corners. Each team had to start off from a box with the team color on it.
Once the game started, the team members would have to step into programming mode. There were two modes for the first competition. For the first fifteen seconds of the game, the robots ran based on programs each teams had put together. Once those fifteen seconds were up, the points were counted and then the players were expected to begin the control-ling mode, within a time frame of two minutes.
In order for each team to gain points, the blocks were to be pushed into the colored area where the robots started from or put through the poles located around the arena. Since it was the team’s first time trying out, success was hard to achieve. The team members were given a short period of time to finish up the robot and weren’t as skilled in programming skills as the other, more experienced, teams.
However, this competition will luckily act as a stimulus for the CDS robotics team to further ad-vance in their skills and produce a better result in an upcoming competition held on the January of 2015.
-12/01/2014
Library Policies (Diana Seo)
CDS school library, located on the second floor, is filled with books of various genres. The library wel-comes students between 7:50am and 4:00pm during the weekdays.
Library staff members include Olivia Hwang and Linda Choo, who can be found sorting books and devouring piles of documents.
The library is a reserved place for studying, reading, and working on assignments. However, if students wish to work in the library, they have to follow library etiquettes, such as being silent, turning off cell phones, refraining from eating or drinking, and using respectful language. Disobeying library etiquette will result in consequences such as verbal warnings, detentions, and restrictions from using the library.
Students can borrow up to two books for two weeks unless they renew for an additional two weeks. Those who do not follow the basic borrowing policy will receive similar penalties.
In addition, students can use the printer and computers in the library. However, they are required to buy a printing coupon to print. A computer is permitted only for academic purposes. Breaking this rule will result in confiscation.
-12/01/2014
Library staff members include Olivia Hwang and Linda Choo, who can be found sorting books and devouring piles of documents.
The library is a reserved place for studying, reading, and working on assignments. However, if students wish to work in the library, they have to follow library etiquettes, such as being silent, turning off cell phones, refraining from eating or drinking, and using respectful language. Disobeying library etiquette will result in consequences such as verbal warnings, detentions, and restrictions from using the library.
Students can borrow up to two books for two weeks unless they renew for an additional two weeks. Those who do not follow the basic borrowing policy will receive similar penalties.
In addition, students can use the printer and computers in the library. However, they are required to buy a printing coupon to print. A computer is permitted only for academic purposes. Breaking this rule will result in confiscation.
-12/01/2014
Senior Jackets (Julie An)
In August 2014, CDS released its first seniors in history. With the start of the school year, the yearbook club had been planning to design and create the new seniors’ special varsity jackets.
A survey taken in October analyzed the favored color and design for the varsity jackets. Unfortunately, Mr. Harrison, the director of high school department, strongly disapproved of the making of the seniors’ varsity jackets.
According to Jeongyeon Lee (12), the year-book club decided to produce hooded sweatshirts in place of the varsity jackets – not just any plain hoodies, but fancy zip-up hoodies! The club is on the verge of completing four separate designs for the hooded sweatshirts.
A new survey regarding the four different designs is to be released fairly soon. Even amidst their busy schedule – with the overwhelming quantity of school work and, for some, the college applications – the yearbook club members have been dedicating substantial amounts of effort and time for the seniors’ special zip-up hoodies. Their dedication is definitely appreciated by all seniors!
-12/01/2014
A survey taken in October analyzed the favored color and design for the varsity jackets. Unfortunately, Mr. Harrison, the director of high school department, strongly disapproved of the making of the seniors’ varsity jackets.
According to Jeongyeon Lee (12), the year-book club decided to produce hooded sweatshirts in place of the varsity jackets – not just any plain hoodies, but fancy zip-up hoodies! The club is on the verge of completing four separate designs for the hooded sweatshirts.
A new survey regarding the four different designs is to be released fairly soon. Even amidst their busy schedule – with the overwhelming quantity of school work and, for some, the college applications – the yearbook club members have been dedicating substantial amounts of effort and time for the seniors’ special zip-up hoodies. Their dedication is definitely appreciated by all seniors!
-12/01/2014
Halloween Costume Party (Dae Jung Kim)
On the 30th of October, the CDS high school community hosted a Costume Day. This was a replacement for the Halloween Party that was cancelled. It was a time of freedom where students were able to dress up in any way they wanted to and become a person that they fancy. Here and there, one was likely to run into a character that they happened to know. For those who did not know, they enjoyed guessing the identities of fellow friends and teachers. Then there were prizes for the finest dressed person.
Throughout the whole high school, students were able to spot many people participating in the activity; both students and faculty members were dressing up. Several of the students transfigured themselves into several horrifying creatures or animals related to the occasion. For instance, distorted figures covered in blood, cats, and mad scientists were found to be wandering around the school. While others wore costumes that were not as alarming, they still actively participated and contributed to the spirit of Halloween.
Since this day was a free-for-all day where everyone could participate without having to pay a certain amount of fee, it brought more participants than ever before. As a result, the celebration increased the high school spirit. The students had a laugh at one another’s costumes and were astounded by their own appearances. Hopefully, this shall be a stimulus to further increase activities that can engage students to come together at the school.
-12/01/2014
Throughout the whole high school, students were able to spot many people participating in the activity; both students and faculty members were dressing up. Several of the students transfigured themselves into several horrifying creatures or animals related to the occasion. For instance, distorted figures covered in blood, cats, and mad scientists were found to be wandering around the school. While others wore costumes that were not as alarming, they still actively participated and contributed to the spirit of Halloween.
Since this day was a free-for-all day where everyone could participate without having to pay a certain amount of fee, it brought more participants than ever before. As a result, the celebration increased the high school spirit. The students had a laugh at one another’s costumes and were astounded by their own appearances. Hopefully, this shall be a stimulus to further increase activities that can engage students to come together at the school.
-12/01/2014
Senior Projects before Graduation (Daniel Choi)
Finally, CDS has its first senior grade and graduating class this year. Senior students will soon be applying to college and getting their acceptance letters in a few months. However, this does not mean that once the seniors get into college they can spend their remaining time on the computer playing games.
For every senior who plans to graduate this year, he or she is required to finish a senior project by the end of the year. So what is a senior project? A senior project is a project that challenges high school seniors to demonstrate their academic knowledge in an experimental way. Basically, the seniors have to decide what they would like to do and work on it on their own; it could be a physical project, a written project, a performance project, or even a leadership experience project.
Over the course of the year, senior students are expected to work diligently on their projects. Their projects will be assessed at the end of the year. Also, before the final deadline, on December 1st, there will be a progress check on the senior projects so the teachers ensure that the students have a sufficient amount of work done by then.
-09/26/2014
For every senior who plans to graduate this year, he or she is required to finish a senior project by the end of the year. So what is a senior project? A senior project is a project that challenges high school seniors to demonstrate their academic knowledge in an experimental way. Basically, the seniors have to decide what they would like to do and work on it on their own; it could be a physical project, a written project, a performance project, or even a leadership experience project.
Over the course of the year, senior students are expected to work diligently on their projects. Their projects will be assessed at the end of the year. Also, before the final deadline, on December 1st, there will be a progress check on the senior projects so the teachers ensure that the students have a sufficient amount of work done by then.
-09/26/2014
The New Student Council (Grace Lee)
On September 29th, the new Student Council members were elected and were officially announced around the school. James Park (President, G12), Jason Lee (Vice President, G12), Brian Park (Treasurer, G12), and Jinnie Yoo (Secretary, G10) are the new members who will be rendering services to our school from years 2014 to 2015.
“I’ll try to make a bond between the school and the students,” said James Park. The new President proposed his plan to enhance the cohesion within school. Mentioning the students’ lack of satisfaction from the last few years, James decided to approach the students’ opinions by having a fair number of surveys. Not only focused on the school-student relationship, he will also be delighted to take teachers’ advice so that he can form harmony. He added that, “even though I made a funny speech on the Election Day, I want all the students know that I’m a serious guy.”
Brian Park, our 2014-2015 treasurer who served the position last year, remarked that he will be faithful to his duty by being organized and managing money efficiently. He stated that he will pay attention to spending more money on events for students. Along with his plan to donate the leftover money to charity, he said that, “I will also have money leftover at the end of the year so that I can pass it on to the next Student Council.”
The new members of the Student Council seem like they really wish to make developments in our school. “I’m confident in making the school a better place,” said James. Now it is time to greet the precious changes that the Student Council will bring to our school this year.
-09/26/2014
“I’ll try to make a bond between the school and the students,” said James Park. The new President proposed his plan to enhance the cohesion within school. Mentioning the students’ lack of satisfaction from the last few years, James decided to approach the students’ opinions by having a fair number of surveys. Not only focused on the school-student relationship, he will also be delighted to take teachers’ advice so that he can form harmony. He added that, “even though I made a funny speech on the Election Day, I want all the students know that I’m a serious guy.”
Brian Park, our 2014-2015 treasurer who served the position last year, remarked that he will be faithful to his duty by being organized and managing money efficiently. He stated that he will pay attention to spending more money on events for students. Along with his plan to donate the leftover money to charity, he said that, “I will also have money leftover at the end of the year so that I can pass it on to the next Student Council.”
The new members of the Student Council seem like they really wish to make developments in our school. “I’m confident in making the school a better place,” said James. Now it is time to greet the precious changes that the Student Council will bring to our school this year.
-09/26/2014
The Joy and Unspoken Pains of Seniors (Jinnie Yoo)
As many of you may know, CDS now has its very first graduating class – class of 2015. Although this title may seem honorable to some seniors, it turns out that it’s not always the position they dreamed of being in.
When I asked James Park, the newly elected President of the Student Council, to comment on his high school life in CDS, he replied, “High school life in CDS is fun. Though there is a lot of homework, we learned how to cooperate and think of others first by doing various projects. And by spending a lot of time with friends and teachers I was able to feel confident and be optimistic about the school life.”
Cherry Won, another senior, had other kind words to say: “My high school life in CDS has been amazing, even though this is only my second year here. I feel very privileged about being a senior.”
Sanhae Kim, a senior acknowledged for her multi-athletic abilities had some similar words to say about her high school years in CDS. She states: “When I came to CDS, no one cared about me except my friends because I didn’t like to talk to people. But when I started to be honest to those I liked and hated, I started to like going to school. And I would have not survived if I didn’t have friends.”
On the other hand, Ebony Cho had other thoughts: “To tell the truth, I’ve spent most of my high school life worrying about forthcoming hardships, especially because I was at CDS.”
Now, to break the fantasized dreams of a senior life, here are some not-so-kind words from Cherry Won: “I am not really comfortable with the fact that we are the first graduating class of CDS because of all the expectations and the pressures we have. It is our responsibility to get into good colleges to give a good image of CDS for following graduate students.”
Ebony Cho replied in a similar, but shorter manner, “I feel responsible.” Those few words do accurately represent the hardships each and every senior at the school is facing today.
However, some seniors do not seem to feel as pressured. James Park responded, “Since I am one of the seniors who is in the graduating class, I am both very excited and sad. I want all of the seniors to go to Ivy (League) Universities. Even if I graduate I will never forget friends and teachers from CDS. I hope I can make more good memories in school.”
-09/26/2014
When I asked James Park, the newly elected President of the Student Council, to comment on his high school life in CDS, he replied, “High school life in CDS is fun. Though there is a lot of homework, we learned how to cooperate and think of others first by doing various projects. And by spending a lot of time with friends and teachers I was able to feel confident and be optimistic about the school life.”
Cherry Won, another senior, had other kind words to say: “My high school life in CDS has been amazing, even though this is only my second year here. I feel very privileged about being a senior.”
Sanhae Kim, a senior acknowledged for her multi-athletic abilities had some similar words to say about her high school years in CDS. She states: “When I came to CDS, no one cared about me except my friends because I didn’t like to talk to people. But when I started to be honest to those I liked and hated, I started to like going to school. And I would have not survived if I didn’t have friends.”
On the other hand, Ebony Cho had other thoughts: “To tell the truth, I’ve spent most of my high school life worrying about forthcoming hardships, especially because I was at CDS.”
Now, to break the fantasized dreams of a senior life, here are some not-so-kind words from Cherry Won: “I am not really comfortable with the fact that we are the first graduating class of CDS because of all the expectations and the pressures we have. It is our responsibility to get into good colleges to give a good image of CDS for following graduate students.”
Ebony Cho replied in a similar, but shorter manner, “I feel responsible.” Those few words do accurately represent the hardships each and every senior at the school is facing today.
However, some seniors do not seem to feel as pressured. James Park responded, “Since I am one of the seniors who is in the graduating class, I am both very excited and sad. I want all of the seniors to go to Ivy (League) Universities. Even if I graduate I will never forget friends and teachers from CDS. I hope I can make more good memories in school.”
-09/26/2014
How to Avoid Detention Life at Dalton (Soo Jin Lee)
Summer is over and school has started. Students can be seen groaning in the hallways as they are once again burdened with the responsibility to study and adjust their sleeping time. Some shift their eyes in anxiety, worrying whether or not they will receive their first detention of the year. Aside from finals, detention is what the students at CDS fear the most. It’s hard for us, as energetic adolescents, to oppress our urge to rebel and express ourselves in the utmost disruptive manner. But school is a small community where students get their education and learn to follow rules. We must respect the rules and at the same time, save ourselves from earning scowls from colleges.
According to Mr. Harrison, our high school director, the biggest reason for our students receiving detention is uniform violations. The boys are usually caught wearing jeans instead of navy pants and wearing a regular t-shirt under the Dalton hoodie. As for the girls, their skirt length is the major cause of catching teachers’ eyes. In terms of gender, both boys and girls have similar rate of getting in detention. However, when it comes to grade level, the supposed “leaders of the school,” the seniors, have the highest rate of getting in trouble. It has become such a serious problem that Mr. Harrison even gave a warning that if he catches another person who commits a uniform violation, the whole 12th grade will receive detention.
Each school has its own way of running detention. In our school, the students get to serve three detentions per term and do nothing but stare blankly at a wall in the detention room. Repetitive visits to the detention room later leads to a parental conference, which seems to be very effective. Compared to last year, less students are committing multiple violations and being sent to detention. But some of us still manage to get stuck in room 119 every now and then. So here are few ways to escape the dreaded detention room:
Concentrate: Concentrate on what you wear. CDS students work hard and focus on their studies. But they seem to lack concentration on following the uniform policy. Make sure to wear polo shirts, pants, and skirts that are appropriate in style and length.
Peer pressure: Avoid or persuade peers who influence you in a negative way. For example, if your friends are wearing a different type of clothing other than uniform that makes them look cool or pretty, stay away from them so you won’t get tempted. If they are your best friends, then try persuading them to not wear such clothes at school.
Think before you speak: Uniform violation is not the only reason students get detention. Speaking in Korean also leads to spending one hour in the detention room. There are challenging times when we want to say something but can’t find the appropriate words in English. So most of us use our native language to communicate. But unfortunately, teachers who are walking past hear the conversation and catch us. So think before you say something in Korean. If it helps, use a Korean-English dictionary.
Serve detention: Just get over with it quickly and make no more mistakes. Wait patiently until you get into college, where no one will tell you what to do and how to behave. But remember, no one can guarantee how you will turn out in the future. So behave before you are set free from the school rules.
Compared to the last three years, the teachers are more determined to catch any student who breaks the school rules, especially Mr. Harrison. He has already sent numerous students to detention last year and won’t hesitate to send more by checking for uniform violations at the front door. We hope to see less victims who are sent to serve detention this year. As Mr. Harrison said, “Stay out of detention. It is a waste of your time!”
-09/26/2014
According to Mr. Harrison, our high school director, the biggest reason for our students receiving detention is uniform violations. The boys are usually caught wearing jeans instead of navy pants and wearing a regular t-shirt under the Dalton hoodie. As for the girls, their skirt length is the major cause of catching teachers’ eyes. In terms of gender, both boys and girls have similar rate of getting in detention. However, when it comes to grade level, the supposed “leaders of the school,” the seniors, have the highest rate of getting in trouble. It has become such a serious problem that Mr. Harrison even gave a warning that if he catches another person who commits a uniform violation, the whole 12th grade will receive detention.
Each school has its own way of running detention. In our school, the students get to serve three detentions per term and do nothing but stare blankly at a wall in the detention room. Repetitive visits to the detention room later leads to a parental conference, which seems to be very effective. Compared to last year, less students are committing multiple violations and being sent to detention. But some of us still manage to get stuck in room 119 every now and then. So here are few ways to escape the dreaded detention room:
Concentrate: Concentrate on what you wear. CDS students work hard and focus on their studies. But they seem to lack concentration on following the uniform policy. Make sure to wear polo shirts, pants, and skirts that are appropriate in style and length.
Peer pressure: Avoid or persuade peers who influence you in a negative way. For example, if your friends are wearing a different type of clothing other than uniform that makes them look cool or pretty, stay away from them so you won’t get tempted. If they are your best friends, then try persuading them to not wear such clothes at school.
Think before you speak: Uniform violation is not the only reason students get detention. Speaking in Korean also leads to spending one hour in the detention room. There are challenging times when we want to say something but can’t find the appropriate words in English. So most of us use our native language to communicate. But unfortunately, teachers who are walking past hear the conversation and catch us. So think before you say something in Korean. If it helps, use a Korean-English dictionary.
Serve detention: Just get over with it quickly and make no more mistakes. Wait patiently until you get into college, where no one will tell you what to do and how to behave. But remember, no one can guarantee how you will turn out in the future. So behave before you are set free from the school rules.
Compared to the last three years, the teachers are more determined to catch any student who breaks the school rules, especially Mr. Harrison. He has already sent numerous students to detention last year and won’t hesitate to send more by checking for uniform violations at the front door. We hope to see less victims who are sent to serve detention this year. As Mr. Harrison said, “Stay out of detention. It is a waste of your time!”
-09/26/2014
Yearbook 2013-2014 (Edward Suh)
The New Yearbook is out!
The Yearbook Club has double checked all of the problems we had from before and tried to answer most of the complaints received last year as well. We have organized the profile pictures by House without any repetition of names, made sure that same pictures were not used twice, and created additional templates. To preserve parts of your memories, we have created a blank section at the end of the book to let your friends or teachers write comments to you. We have also added a superlative section for this year with new, interesting categories. We would like to thank all of the students who contributed in making the yearbook happen such as taking pictures and filling out the superlatives surveys. This yearbook was not made just by the Yearbook Club but by the rest of the student body as well! |
-06/19/2014
11th Grade Korean Plays (Suzie Park)
It all started out as mere term projects. Each class in the eleventh grade was told to write and perform a play. So 11A, 11B, and 11C began to furiously prepare. But as time passed on, the scale grew larger and larger. By the end of it, it wasn't a production made just for the eleventh grade; ninth and ten graders, as well as other teachers came to watch!
11A
Title: Two Souls of My Own (내 안에 두사람이 살고 있다)
Synopsis: A slice of life with a mix of comedy. A new virus has spread across the world. The victims of this illness is forced to speak their innermost private and secretive thoughts. The story follows the lives of four students, whose "ordinary" school lives are completely changed after being infected by this virus.
Link to 11A's play:
http://youtu.be/qLuR4DqSAnQ
11B
Title: Conviction (단죄)
Synopsis: A serious drama/thriller. On an ordinary school day, four students are locked inside a room. If they try to escape, their family will die. If they stay, chlorine gas will gradually suffocate them. The mysterious voice of the person, who locked them inside, gives them only one way to save themselves: find and kill the person responsible for the death of a recently deceased student.
Link to 11B's play:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FOCcm1Fx2g&feature=youtu.be
11C
Title: Put Yourself in My Shoes (역지사지)
Synopsis: A comedy that everyone can enjoy with a hint of romance (?). One particular school is ruled by four bullies who are all equally attractive and popular. The leader of the group is the most good looking and richest student in school, yet his personality is completely rock bottom. It only takes one freakishly beautiful transfer student and one mysterious old man to change these four students' lives forever.
Link to 11C's play:
(Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLoVia_YybI&feature=youtu.be
(Part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7CLzm3-A38&feature=youtu.be
The production of these three classes were done by the hard-work and effort of the students.
Thank you Ms. Sohee Aum (11th grade Korean teacher) for allowing the eleventh grade to spend their final term doing something that was both fun and fulfilling.
-06/13/2014
11A
Title: Two Souls of My Own (내 안에 두사람이 살고 있다)
Synopsis: A slice of life with a mix of comedy. A new virus has spread across the world. The victims of this illness is forced to speak their innermost private and secretive thoughts. The story follows the lives of four students, whose "ordinary" school lives are completely changed after being infected by this virus.
Link to 11A's play:
http://youtu.be/qLuR4DqSAnQ
11B
Title: Conviction (단죄)
Synopsis: A serious drama/thriller. On an ordinary school day, four students are locked inside a room. If they try to escape, their family will die. If they stay, chlorine gas will gradually suffocate them. The mysterious voice of the person, who locked them inside, gives them only one way to save themselves: find and kill the person responsible for the death of a recently deceased student.
Link to 11B's play:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FOCcm1Fx2g&feature=youtu.be
11C
Title: Put Yourself in My Shoes (역지사지)
Synopsis: A comedy that everyone can enjoy with a hint of romance (?). One particular school is ruled by four bullies who are all equally attractive and popular. The leader of the group is the most good looking and richest student in school, yet his personality is completely rock bottom. It only takes one freakishly beautiful transfer student and one mysterious old man to change these four students' lives forever.
Link to 11C's play:
(Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLoVia_YybI&feature=youtu.be
(Part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7CLzm3-A38&feature=youtu.be
The production of these three classes were done by the hard-work and effort of the students.
Thank you Ms. Sohee Aum (11th grade Korean teacher) for allowing the eleventh grade to spend their final term doing something that was both fun and fulfilling.
-06/13/2014
Sports Day Recap (Dae Jung Kim)
After three terms of tiring studies and what-not, Sports Day ran for the second time this year on May 30, 2014. Unlike the previous sports days which seemed to consist of only three to four sports (most of them quite boring and time consuming), this year, Sports Day underwent a complete revolution. In addition to sports such as softball, basketball and tug-of-war, new sports such as relay races, soccer, and badminton were added to encourage enthusiastic participation, play, and excitement.
As the games proceeded, many people enthusiastically participated in the games they signed up for, determined to shine some glory upon their house and themselves. Besides the badminton matches, the rest of the sports were played outdoors. The field was divided into different sections and several teachers supervised each location. As noon approached and each activity came to a close, everyone gathered around and the awards ceremony took place, granting medals to the first, second and third-place winners from each sport.
The winners for each category are the following:
Badminton:
Middle School: Harry Shin and Jiwon Kim
High School: Andy An and Kate Yoo
3 point shooting:
Middle School: Jiin Jeong
High School: Joshua Kim
Shot put:
Middle School: Hannah Joo and Oakley Kim
High School: Vivian Lew and John Lee
Frisbee:
Middle School: Phillip Yoon and Jasmin Reeves
High School: Soojin Lee and Jeff Choi
100M:
Middle School: Chelsea Jeong and Heumil Wang
High School: Michelle Park and Junwoo Lee
1600M:
Middle School: Alex Yang
High School: Charlie Lee
400M:
Middle School: Anna Yang
High School: Jinnie Yoo
Finally, after a long, tiring day of sports, Joshua Kim from tenth grade, stated to our correspondent, “Sports Day was tiring yet fun. However, there were some parts I wished could have made things more enjoyable. First of all, students should be allowed to choose more sports in order to promote more engagement and fun on Sports Day. In addition, a few additional sports to choose from might have helped as well. Finally, a big event like this should be divided between the Middle School and High School students for there were too many people out on the field and the time limit per sport was too short.”
As the games proceeded, many people enthusiastically participated in the games they signed up for, determined to shine some glory upon their house and themselves. Besides the badminton matches, the rest of the sports were played outdoors. The field was divided into different sections and several teachers supervised each location. As noon approached and each activity came to a close, everyone gathered around and the awards ceremony took place, granting medals to the first, second and third-place winners from each sport.
The winners for each category are the following:
Badminton:
Middle School: Harry Shin and Jiwon Kim
High School: Andy An and Kate Yoo
3 point shooting:
Middle School: Jiin Jeong
High School: Joshua Kim
Shot put:
Middle School: Hannah Joo and Oakley Kim
High School: Vivian Lew and John Lee
Frisbee:
Middle School: Phillip Yoon and Jasmin Reeves
High School: Soojin Lee and Jeff Choi
100M:
Middle School: Chelsea Jeong and Heumil Wang
High School: Michelle Park and Junwoo Lee
1600M:
Middle School: Alex Yang
High School: Charlie Lee
400M:
Middle School: Anna Yang
High School: Jinnie Yoo
Finally, after a long, tiring day of sports, Joshua Kim from tenth grade, stated to our correspondent, “Sports Day was tiring yet fun. However, there were some parts I wished could have made things more enjoyable. First of all, students should be allowed to choose more sports in order to promote more engagement and fun on Sports Day. In addition, a few additional sports to choose from might have helped as well. Finally, a big event like this should be divided between the Middle School and High School students for there were too many people out on the field and the time limit per sport was too short.”
06/06/2014 (Volume III Issue V)
2013 Spirit Week Recap (Suzie Park)
After returning from Lunar Break vacation, our student council was able to organize a week of non-uniform days for CDS’s student body to enjoy. It was Spirit Week for our school!
For the five days of the week there were specific themes that the students had to abide by. For Monday, it was crazy hair day along with color day. First of all, people livened up their hairstyles by using color dyes or tying them in an eccentric fashion. The freshmen were asked to wear blue, the sophomores were asked to wear green, and the juniors were asked to wear red. On Tuesday, it was formal day. The male students dressed in suits and ties while the female students wore dresses or skirts. Wednesday was pajama day where students were allowed to come to school in the attire they crawled out of bed in. Accessories such as pillows or stuffed animals were also welcome. On Thursday it was twin day where friends paired up with one another to dress/look as similar to each other as possible. There were even triplets or quadruplets that participated on this day. Finally on Friday it was school color day; students were expected to wear the colors blue or yellow (the two colors taken from the school’s phoenix logo). Through these activities, students were able to show off school spirit while being able to relax and enjoy the early weeks of school.
Despite the student council’s efforts to advertise and encourage everybody to dress up, not all of the students dressed in the exact way they were supposed to. Yet those who did were thoroughly well noticed. If our high school’s student council was to hold another event such as this one, I would like to think that there will be more active participation the next time around.
-02/14/2013 (Volume III Issue III)
For the five days of the week there were specific themes that the students had to abide by. For Monday, it was crazy hair day along with color day. First of all, people livened up their hairstyles by using color dyes or tying them in an eccentric fashion. The freshmen were asked to wear blue, the sophomores were asked to wear green, and the juniors were asked to wear red. On Tuesday, it was formal day. The male students dressed in suits and ties while the female students wore dresses or skirts. Wednesday was pajama day where students were allowed to come to school in the attire they crawled out of bed in. Accessories such as pillows or stuffed animals were also welcome. On Thursday it was twin day where friends paired up with one another to dress/look as similar to each other as possible. There were even triplets or quadruplets that participated on this day. Finally on Friday it was school color day; students were expected to wear the colors blue or yellow (the two colors taken from the school’s phoenix logo). Through these activities, students were able to show off school spirit while being able to relax and enjoy the early weeks of school.
Despite the student council’s efforts to advertise and encourage everybody to dress up, not all of the students dressed in the exact way they were supposed to. Yet those who did were thoroughly well noticed. If our high school’s student council was to hold another event such as this one, I would like to think that there will be more active participation the next time around.
-02/14/2013 (Volume III Issue III)
2013 Halloween Party (Daniel Choi)
After the First Program’s Halloween party on October 31st, Halloween finally arrived in CDS on the 6th of November for the middle and high school students. For the past few weeks, the Student Council has been working their best to create the best Halloween Party. Thanks to all the students who participated in the party, the party was a blast and everyone had a great time.
The party started at 5:30 at the Dalton Hall with the movie, “The Conjuring” – a very recent horror movie. While the movie was going on, students formed groups of 6 students and entered the haunted house, created by the student council on the third floor of the school building. The haunted house involved the task of the students exploring a haunted facility in order to find an antidote for the infected citizen (John Lee). The setup was excellent with big surprises and fitting atmosphere. After the movie was over, the students went down to the small theater, and got ready for the dance party. Once the movie was finished and all the students had visited the Haunted House, the dance party began with Sean Park and Luke Kim as the DJs. After the dancing, food appeared at 8:30. Pizzas, donuts, and goodie bags were prepared for everyone. After the meal, the party concluded with another round of dance. The Halloween Party has ended with great success. Majority of the participants said that this year’s party was an improvement from last year’s; especially the haunted house which turned out to be more frightening and thrilling than the prior year. We hope to see another great party next year. -11/20/2013 (Volume III Issue II) |
Dress to Oppress, or Dress to Express? (Soo Jin Lee)
In schools, the uniform is one of the hottest topics up for debate. Should the students be forced to wear uniforms for uniformity or be allowed to wear whatever they like to express individuality? Many of CDS students support the idea of wearing the clothing of their own choice. Compared to other international schools, CDS seems to suppress students’ uniqueness and freedom in fashion. Before the second term started, the student council showed mercy by permitting a non-uniform day, at the expense of 3,000 won. Although students had to buy their “freedom” in style of clothing they seemed to enjoy their rare liberty to wear what they want to wear at school.
How about now? How are we going to survive only wearing our school uniform in the winter? The polo shirts, Dalton hoodies, and school jacket wouldn’t be enough to keep us warm in the winter and it would definitely not be fashionable enough to satisfy our taste in clothing. Three of our school’s fashionistas offered tips on how to wear our uniforms fashionably. First, Joon Lee (10) suggested how to stay out of getting detention by wearing a polo shirt inside the jacket. To complete the look, he also suggested matching colored shoes. Harry Kim (11) and Eunice Kim (10) both suggested wearing baseball jackets to make it look less like a school uniform. They also encouraged following Korean school styled uniforms such as vests, jackets, pants and skirts if the school continues to require that students wear only school uniforms.
-11/20/2013 (Volume III Issue II)
How about now? How are we going to survive only wearing our school uniform in the winter? The polo shirts, Dalton hoodies, and school jacket wouldn’t be enough to keep us warm in the winter and it would definitely not be fashionable enough to satisfy our taste in clothing. Three of our school’s fashionistas offered tips on how to wear our uniforms fashionably. First, Joon Lee (10) suggested how to stay out of getting detention by wearing a polo shirt inside the jacket. To complete the look, he also suggested matching colored shoes. Harry Kim (11) and Eunice Kim (10) both suggested wearing baseball jackets to make it look less like a school uniform. They also encouraged following Korean school styled uniforms such as vests, jackets, pants and skirts if the school continues to require that students wear only school uniforms.
-11/20/2013 (Volume III Issue II)
The New Student Council (Suzie Park)
This year, along with an improved student newspaper, there is a further merry addition to our student body and faculty. Now is the time for the elections for the 2013 – 2014 Student Council. During mid-September, the high school student body participated in a voting session for the student council candidates.
There were several nominees for each of the positions – with one exception of course. For the school president we had three candidates: Angie Lee (11), John Lee (11), and James Park (11). Next, for Vice President position we had the following candidates: Andy An (11), Mary Jane Chang (11), Taehun Choi (11), Jim Kim (11). Then for the spot of the treasurer there were Yoon Sang Jeon (10), Luke Kim (10), and Brian Park (11). As for the job of the secretary, only Sarah Lee (10) applied for the position.
Each of the candidates delivered their student council speech in front of the entire student body on Thursday the 12th of September. After their speeches and a day of voting, the final results were announced the following Monday. The new high school Student Council consists of the following students: John Lee (President), Mary Jane Chang (Vice President), Luke Kim (Treasurer), and Sarah Lee (as Secretary by default).
The members of the new high school Student Council have stated their goals and expectations for this academic year. John Lee, who had taken the position of President in the previous year, has declared that our school is indeed wonderful but still has some faults. As the school President who is serving for a second time in a row, he hopes to bring only changes for the better. In the following terms, the entire student council, through its teamwork, will endeavor to bring positive changes to our school in order to bring more satisfaction and success to the student body as well as the faculty and staff. Congratulations and good luck to the new Student Council!
-10/05/2013 (Volume III Issue I)
There were several nominees for each of the positions – with one exception of course. For the school president we had three candidates: Angie Lee (11), John Lee (11), and James Park (11). Next, for Vice President position we had the following candidates: Andy An (11), Mary Jane Chang (11), Taehun Choi (11), Jim Kim (11). Then for the spot of the treasurer there were Yoon Sang Jeon (10), Luke Kim (10), and Brian Park (11). As for the job of the secretary, only Sarah Lee (10) applied for the position.
Each of the candidates delivered their student council speech in front of the entire student body on Thursday the 12th of September. After their speeches and a day of voting, the final results were announced the following Monday. The new high school Student Council consists of the following students: John Lee (President), Mary Jane Chang (Vice President), Luke Kim (Treasurer), and Sarah Lee (as Secretary by default).
The members of the new high school Student Council have stated their goals and expectations for this academic year. John Lee, who had taken the position of President in the previous year, has declared that our school is indeed wonderful but still has some faults. As the school President who is serving for a second time in a row, he hopes to bring only changes for the better. In the following terms, the entire student council, through its teamwork, will endeavor to bring positive changes to our school in order to bring more satisfaction and success to the student body as well as the faculty and staff. Congratulations and good luck to the new Student Council!
-10/05/2013 (Volume III Issue I)
Here We Come, Ready or Not (Edward J. Suh)
On August 28, CDS had a school orientation in Dalton Hall. The returning students of CDS have come back to start another new life as older students and new students have joined the party. As an original student who has attended CDs since its establishment, I feel that this year had the most changes in terms of CDS school handouts, policies, and even the number of students and faculty members.
The school gave awards to some returning students in honor of their high GPAs. Each student with the highest GPA on each department received either the Highest or High Honor. Suzie Park (11), Sooji Seo (11), Jinoo Im (10), and Joshua Kim (10) each received the highest honor on each four major subjects: English, Math, Social Studies, and Science. Congratulations to all who have awarded the honors!
There have been major changes in CDS student policies, some obvious and even surprising even to the returning students of CDS, who were also concerned about the changes. Attendance is always critical to academic success in every school hour. The students are now only allowed to wear either khaki or navy blue pants, shorts, or skirts. Changing into PE uniforms except during PE class is now prohibited. Wearing earrings is now allowed only for female students. Using laptops is now prohibited unless it is for an academic purpose. “Dalton Extra” is has been renamed as “Detention.” Any serious offense will be reported to the disciplinary committee with the offender’s house advisors. CDS hopes the campus will be kept clean to provide for a better environment. Extra-Curricular will now take three sessions to provide the students the chance to change and experience their courses.
CDS is a two-year-old toddler, and there are many more ways it can continue to improve. Although it might not yet be fully stable, we are the members of the CDS community and it is our duty to lead the school with our passions and suggestions. We create our own school which will “permanently” endure from generation to generations.
-10/05/2013 (Volume III Issue I)
The school gave awards to some returning students in honor of their high GPAs. Each student with the highest GPA on each department received either the Highest or High Honor. Suzie Park (11), Sooji Seo (11), Jinoo Im (10), and Joshua Kim (10) each received the highest honor on each four major subjects: English, Math, Social Studies, and Science. Congratulations to all who have awarded the honors!
There have been major changes in CDS student policies, some obvious and even surprising even to the returning students of CDS, who were also concerned about the changes. Attendance is always critical to academic success in every school hour. The students are now only allowed to wear either khaki or navy blue pants, shorts, or skirts. Changing into PE uniforms except during PE class is now prohibited. Wearing earrings is now allowed only for female students. Using laptops is now prohibited unless it is for an academic purpose. “Dalton Extra” is has been renamed as “Detention.” Any serious offense will be reported to the disciplinary committee with the offender’s house advisors. CDS hopes the campus will be kept clean to provide for a better environment. Extra-Curricular will now take three sessions to provide the students the chance to change and experience their courses.
CDS is a two-year-old toddler, and there are many more ways it can continue to improve. Although it might not yet be fully stable, we are the members of the CDS community and it is our duty to lead the school with our passions and suggestions. We create our own school which will “permanently” endure from generation to generations.
-10/05/2013 (Volume III Issue I)