The Spark 1st Edition, 2023
Head of School
Jason Hayter
Editor-in-Chief, Director of PR & Communications
Anne K Choe
Additional photographs provided by
ByungWoo Sung, Li Chi and Jump Kadhatong
Design & Printing Joyful Communications
Publisher
Dwight Seoul
The Spark is published semi-annually by Dwight Seoul PR & Communications. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is explicitly prohibited.
The Spark is distributed free of charge to students, faculty, alumni, and parents of currently enrolled students in a digital format.
It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Dwight Seoul’s first issue of The Spark! The Spark provides another opportunity for us to showcase exciting achievements accomplished by our students and faculty that reaffirms and celebrates the talented and inspirational community that is Dwight Seoul. The Spark will continue to highlight the community within our school, foster creativity, and promote the love of learning that takes place at Dwight Seoul.
At Dwight Seoul, our mission, to “find and ignite the Spark of Genius in everyone,” has been the driving force behind our progress, with a focus on Community, Personalized Learning, and Global Vision. These three pillars have been at the foundation of our growth and success over the past 11 years. As the school has grown, we have adapted and evolved to meet the needs of our students. We have repurposed spaces and renovated as needed; most notably with our new and innovative Spark of Genius Center. A space that reflects our students and is internationally renowned. However, our school is more than a space or campus. It delivers
world class programs that provide our youngest learners with the skills and foundation to be successful throughout their time at Dwight, and our graduates with the knowledge and aptitude to gain admission to top universities around the world. Dwight Seoul graduates will be a force and are the leaders of today and tomorrow.
While these accomplishments are impressive, what makes me most proud of Dwight Seoul is our collaborative and supportive community. With a diverse population that is ever changing, our community has remained a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone. Our community members come together in so many ways. We work hard to provide unique learning experiences for our students with parents participating in PYP Exhibition, Career Day and Dwight Presents; to name a few. We support each other through exams, library renovations and wonderfully successful Spring Fairs! And we celebrate together, at Graduation, Dwight Night and, of course, the momentous occasion of our 10th Anniversary. The way our students, staff, and families embody the Dwight way makes us more than a community, and more like a Dwight Family. I look forward to this family continuing to grow, and I am confident they will support our curious, creative, and thoughtful learners to thrive.
As Dwight Seoul begins its next 10 years, I look forward to seeing how it will continue to grow, meet and overcome challenges to make the world a better place. Our community is strong, our staff is committed, and our students are motivated. It is these characteristics that have led Dwight Seoul to be a leading International school now and in the future.
I am grateful to the Dwight Seoul community for their trust, support, and encouragement, and proud to be Head of School at this amazing institution.
Warm Regards,
Jason Hayter Head of School
Architect
John Hong, Director of Seoul National University based design lab, Project : Architecture
Yeongshin Sim, Eunseob Suh (team leaders)
Jeongsoo Lee, Dongeun You, Jinho Jang (design team)
Contractor
Sunsoo Kim, President Deok Kyung Park, site manager
Architect of Record
Kwangyup Jang, Dyne Architects and Planners
An opening ceremony was held on Saturday, April 22nd to celebrate Dwight’s newly renovated library, Spark of Genius Center, a 21st century epicenter of learning that is guaranteed to inspire, motivate, and challenge our learners to find innovative solutions to make the world a better place.
April 22, 2023
The renovation project could not have happened without the financial support from our community of generous donors. Thank you!
- Sungmin Lee & Se Joong Oh, Eunsuk Abigail ‘22
- Eun Young Kim & Sang Oh Han, Cindy ‘24
- Hee Jin Hong & Jae Hoon Chung, Grandparents of Hongjoohn ‘32 Hongjoo ‘35
- Michelle Yim & Young Hwan Bae, Yijun ‘33
- Jie Soo Tchah & Jaewoo Chung, Hongjoohn ‘32 Hongjoo ‘35
- Sora Park & Maxim Khan, Seoho Steve ‘27
- Hyera Jung & Jong Chan Park, Saran ‘31 Han ‘34
- Jungsun Lee & Seung Soo Choi, Reena ‘23
- Soo Jin Lee & Sung Soo Ha, Yunji ‘23
- Jooyeon Sohn & Seung Eun Jung, Seowon Lia ‘27
- Anonymous
- Yoonhee Hur & Donghyun Han, Luis ‘32
- Joohyun Ahn & WonKi Hong, Peyton ‘27
- Jung In Bang & Chris Myun Kim, Channy ‘27
- Youngjung Kim & Dokyun Kim, Hyunwoo ‘24
- Taehee Kim & Jongwoo Kim, Peter ‘24
- Weekyung Ahn(Stella) & Eric Lee, Doun ‘27
- Maher Alabdullatif
- Jump Kadhatong
- Kerckhove Family
- Juntaek Kim
- Chae Youn (Erin) Lee
- Jinseop Lee
- Sun Lin
- Ashish Chatterjee
- Jinsun Park & Insung Park, Minha ‘31
- Jeehyun Shin & Sukjoon Won, David ‘23 Christine ‘24
- Yeri Yun & Ray Yi, Phillip ‘32
- Heejeong Kim & Sung Ho Yi, Bella ‘27
- Hyesun Lee & Kangho Lee, Roanna ‘27, Ruri ‘32
- YunKyung Oh & Jungjun Lee, Jiwon Jianna ‘27
- Donna Kang & Sokho Oh, Sarah ‘20, Jeremiah ‘24
- Sumin Ji & Kenkichi Tokimoto, Rio ‘33
- Jumi Hwang & Sangjin Wang, William ’24
- Shelby & Jason Lim
- Theresa Michals & Robert Matz
- Sara Song
- Janet Yau
- Helen Yoon
- Jee Hee Yoon
The world responded to the pandemic by quickly deploying resources to secure our immediate future. Within a year, a vaccine was developed, health services mobilized, and trillions of dollars invested in keeping economies going. As we see the remnants of a global pandemic in the rear-view mirror, the rhythm of our days is becoming more consistent and the feelings of our community –joy, stability, belonging, gratitude, pride – are filling our hallways, classrooms, and beyond. Building back our community, after almost 3 years of mitigation measures and restrictions, is a welcoming and exciting time for Dwight Seoul.
For us, building back community means making good on the commitments to our stakeholders, i.e., students, families, faculty/staff, who place connectedness as the central value of the Dwight Community. What a difference a crisis makes. The global pandemic has illuminated that no country, no individual will be able to go this alone. “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…” This prose by John Donne, the seventeenth-century English author, resonates that human beings are connected to each other, and the importance of that connection is of paramount for the wellbeing and survival of any individual.
Returning to “normal” requires immediate attention to rebuild the community that is so central to what our staff, students, and families love about our school. Making our community a priority with the dedicated time and effort of every member of the Dwight family is helping us come back together, in many ways stronger than before.
Special event such as Grandparents Day created an opportunity for grandparents of our Lower School students to shadow their grandchildren and experience classroom learning and activities. VIP Reading Day brought special guests from our community to read to our students in 14 different languages in celebration of UN Mother Language Day. Dwight Night, Parent Workshops, Christmas Market, Family Mathematics Night, Grade 10 PP Exhibition, Family Arts Night, PYP Exhibition, the new library, Spark of Genius Center, opening ceremony, just to name a few, allowed for parents to be on campus once again, not only engaging with our faculty but also reconnecting with other parents.
As quickly and efficiently as Dwight Seoul transformed and transitioned into a digital learning platform and kept our community members safe, we now find ourselves returning and transitioning to the vibrant and engaging community we once were as we hold face-to-face activities and events. Of course, this could not have happened without the supportive and collaborative community that is Dwight Seoul. Thank you to the entire Dwight Seoul Family for your encouragement and support as we build back our community. We are seeing the positive impact of our hard work, igniting the spark of genius in EVERYONE!
“ I really like Dwight Seoul’s emphasis on giving the child control and agency when it comes to their learning. The biggest thing is that he loves learning again. I’ve seen him take more responisibility for his studies, too. He seems more confident in his abilities and has higher expectations for himself. Charlie is learning how to learn and he’s also learning more about himself and the world around him, and that’s a great foundation for the future.”
“Dwight Seoul has very high academic standards. Ian has had to learn how to manage the workload and his extracurricular activities to develop as an independent learner.”
Please click here to read more of their testimonial.
An interview with Jason Hayter, Head of School
What is Dwight’s philosophy and vision? How do these fit with Dwight’s mission and how are they applied in the classroom and school community?
The vision of Dwight School Seoul is grounded in its mission statement to “Ignite the Spark of Genius in Every Child.” This is supported by the school’s philosophy which is founded on its three guiding pillars of Personalized Learning, Global Vision, and Community. These pillars align perfectly with our mission statement as the focus of programming and all aspects of the Dwight Learning environment are designed around providing students with the best and the right learning experience for them; individually.
Our academic expectations are set high, but achievable and programs are differentiated and supported to ensure students achieve success. Dwight’s experiential and outdoor education programs take students beyond the classroom and into the real world where they can apply the skills they have learned in a practical and realistic manner.
Dwight’s arts and music programs are second to none where students can perform on a global stage at our annual Global Music Festival. Our athletics programs not only allow students to develop their physical skills and talents, but also learn the importance of teamwork. And our extra-curricular program provides the opportunity for students at any age to engage in something that is new and exciting to them; from baking to coding, our everyday learning at Dwight School Seoul truly demonstrates our philosophy and lives and breathes our mission.
What is student life like at Dwight? What strategies do you use to promote community-building, peer relationships and socialemotional well-being?
We have a vibrant student life that is full of opportunities for personal growth and community-building. As part of our curriculum, SPARK advisory program focuses on Social-emotional wellbeing, Physical wellbeing, Action and agency, Respect and responsibility, and Knowledge. The purpose of this program is to intentionally build skills in these areas so that our students are equipped to successfully manage everyday life in and out of the classroom. Dwight implements positive behavior management through restorative practices, providing students the opportunity to accept responsibility and rebuild relationships.
Dwight students have a wide variety of options to further develop their peer relationships through our Extracurricular Programs (ECPs). We offer classes in, for example, violin, baking, model airplane making, and ballet. Our Varsity and JV Athletics program provides an environment conducive to setting goals as a team while nurturing a healthy sense of competition. Numerous student-led clubs and committees, such as eco-council and mental health, are also available with the support of a faculty advisor; they use their passions and interests to bring groups of people together for a common purpose. Robotics Club is a great example of a completely student-initiated program that has achieved more than we can imagine. The team placed first in nationals in 2020 and second in 2021; qualifying for the world championships where they proudly represented our school on the global scale.
How do you integrate technology into the classroom and curriculum? What kinds of technological resources do you have and in what, if any, ways do students have access to these?
In today’s rapidly changing world, technology is a crucial pillar of all areas of life. At Dwight, we recognize that we cannot separate technology from academics; rather, we develop capacity for responsible and effective use of technology in authentic learning settings. We have a 1:1 laptop program for students in Grades 4-12, and a shared iPad program for students in PreschoolGrade 3. We also have a digital design lab and a Makerspace with cutting edge technological resources that support and inspire inquiry. We consider all of these to be resources for accessing and evaluating information, collaborating together, innovating creations, and presenting findings.
With such exciting but vast opportunities that are available to our students for learning through technology, it is critical that we collectively articulate our plan for integration in a meaningful, relevant, and age-appropriate way. We purposefully weave digital citizenship, responsibility, and safety into our curriculum so that students are able to develop and transfer their understanding to varying environments. Students learn self-management, communication, social, thinking, and research skills through technology, such as caring for devices, recognizing bias, selecting effective tools, or citing sources. By gaining knowledge and experience with the functionalities, uses, and opportunities available with both digital and non-digital technologies, students at Dwight Seoul develop deeper critical and creative thinking skills and become problem-solvers, innovators, and global citizens.
By Se Hyun Ra, Grade 10
“I am forever grateful for the experience that I gained through our school production, The Music Man. Jr. This was my first time acting as the main actress (Marian Paroo), and it definitely required much dedication, commitment, and passion. This musical journey left me with unforgettable memories that I now share with the entire production team. Nothing would have been possible without the support of our lovely directors (Ms. Bell and Ms. Vickers), teachers, backstage crew, tech crew, design volunteers, and everyone who came to enjoy our show. Lastly, I would like to thank my acting partner, Daniel Kang who played the main role, Harold Hill. It was wonderful to work with him for the last few months (even learning how to do a line dance together). Thank you for allowing me to be part of this amazing production!”
“Acting, singing, and dancing have always been my hidden passion. The Music Man Jr. allowed me to share them with everyone!”
During a special week in November, Week Without Walls, Dwight Seoul students ventured outside the classroom to experience not only diverse cultures but also the opportunity to learn through reflection on doing.
Grades 9, 10 and 11 students traveled outside their comfort zone to Siem Reap to work for Water for Cambodia, program dedicated to delivering clean drinking water in rural communities in Cambodia. They experienced the wonders of Angkor Wat while serving the local community through the service project. Another group of students explored the wonders of Seoul, experiencing the ultra- modern and historic parts of the very cosmopolitan city.
Grades 7 and 8 students journeyed through Japan, visiting Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara and exploring a similar yet different East Asian culture.
Jeremiah Oh in Grade 11 reflected on the service trip to Cambodia.
To build the biosand filters, we had to wash sandstones and pour cement into the molds that created the water filters. At first, most of us were afraid to get our clothing smothered with cement and sand. But by the end, we were all covered head to toe in cement and laughing about it; we were boasting as to who had the most cement on them. What we had originally dreaded doing on this trip had become one of the most bonding and engaging experiences we’ve had since the pandemic.
Siem Reap was hot and humid and the the work we performed was not familiar to us. But when we delivered and installed the filters in one of villages surrounding Siem Reap, not a single person in the group complained about the work or the hot and humid conditions. We all collaboratively worked on installing the filters and quietly listened to the staff when they talked about their mission and the sanitation challenges they face. Our attitude changed during a short period of time from when we first arrived in Siem Reap to when the project came to an end; we worked as a team for a collective goal, and it was great to see how these filters will impact the community.
We visited numerous well-known places in Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and Nara. During this trip, we experienced the Japanese culture by enjoying different foods, visiting many traditional temple and learning about their history.
The Tōdai-ji in Nara and the Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto are ancient Buddhist temples which are well-known tourist attractions with incredible works of art. We were able to observe the many similar traits in ancient Korean and Japanese architecture, including similar colour palettes and roofing. These similarities may be because Korea and Japan are neighbouring countries with ancient cultural influences on each other but it was fascinating to get to compare the two cultures through ancient beliefs and architecture.
The food was one of the highlights of our Japan Week Without Walls trip. Even though South Korea and Japan are both Asian cultures, their food is very different. The use of spices is the main difference between Korean and Japanese cuisine. While Japanese cuisine only uses a small number of spices to make the food more natural, Korean cuisine uses a lot of spices and seasonings. The traditional cuisine of Japan is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes. Seafood is also quite common raw or grilled. It was really interesting to eat all of these unique ingredients with innovative flavors.
Overall, this trip was a truly amazing experience for us as students, and we got to see and experience a fascinating culture. We realised that although Korea and Japan are neighbouring countries, their cultures still have many differences, and this trip was an excellent way to see those differences. Many of us enjoyed this break from school walls and we look forward to next year’s trip.
By Se Hyun Ra (Grade 10)
My group went to Ihwa Mural Village and Insadong as part of our Seoul WWW activities. We explored the artistic streets full of vibrant colors and mesmerizing sceneries. G10 just finished the Activist Art unit in English class so we were all attracted to the murals that conveyed meaningful messages behind them. We then rode our bus together to the busy streets of Insa-dong. Even if it was a weekday, the streets were filled with smiling visitors, students, and families. While exploring the hanok village, we found a fancy Italian restaurant and ate our lunch there. With our tummies nice and full, we walked around the Samzie-gill and had our dessert in a rooftop cafe. Overall, I had a wonderful time with my friends - walking, laughing, talking, and seeing wonderful scenery outside of school!
Inside the Bakerspace, you’ll find a hive of fun and excitement as kids try their hand at cooking and baking as part of Dwight’s Extracurricular Program (ECP). The lessons are designed to promote teamwork, and each hour-long class provides students with the opportunity to learn basic cooking techniques, develop their fine motor skills, and work together to make delicious treats. The end result is a magical experience that not only teaches children about baking, but also helps them develop important life skills that will serve them well in the future.
Each Bakerspace class begins with a 10-15 minute demo where a teacher goes through the different steps of the recipe, and then the kids head to their tables. They measure ingredients on their own. They do the mixing. And, depending on what they make, they might find themselves rolling out dough, grating cheese, or cutting vegetables.
The young chefs are divided into five teams: The Risk Takers, The Michelin Stars, All or Muffin, Piece of Cake, and The IncrEDIBLES. After completing the recipe, each team is responsible for cleaning up. As their goodies bake in the oven, they wipe down their tables, wash and dry dishes, and put away equipment.
Three teachers supervise each class, and they watch closely to see that everyone is being safe at all times, fully engaged, and working well with others. Each week, the teachers select Chefs of the Week, and the winners receive a special certificate highlighting their achievements in the kitchen.
It is important to note that the Bakerspace is not reserved for students in the ECP program. During the school day, all grades have access to it, and teachers in the past have used it for many reasons; to develop mathematical skills (fractions, measuring, spatial reasoning)
to improve literacy
to study physical and chemical reactions in the kitchen
to explore different cultures and cuisines
to teach students about nutrition
And, finally, to provide a hands-on-activity that children of any age would enjoy
It’s been often said that there is no classroom better –or more fun –than a kitchen.
The Bakerspace is certainly proof of that!
Dwight Schools Global Concert, “New Horizons,” brought together 180+students from across our campuses in New York, London, Seoul, Dubai, and Global Online School for a spectacular evening of music festival at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.
It was an event that culminated in weeks and months of preparation for our most-anticipated crosscampus collaboration of the year. Twenty-eight students from Dwight Seoul traveled the distance to share the stage and showcase their passion and talent with their peers from around the globe. The evening marked the celebration of Dwight’s 150th anniversary and the return of Dwight’s annual music festival in NYC in-person after three years.
During the week, Dwight Seoul students and accompanying faculty enjoyed the Big Apple in between rehearsals by visiting the Statue or Liberty, MoMA, Central Park, Top of the Rock, and Carnegie Hall, the venue of our last in-person concert in 2020, and catching a Broadway show, KimberlyAkimbo
Parents, family members, faculty, staff, and our global Heads of School were delighted when our students took to the stage as they performed music from around the world spanning genres in classical, traditional Indian, rock, pop, jazz, and Broadway pieces. Each school performed its own set with ensembles and featured soloists. Dwight Seoul students brought Frontier to life that orchestrated traditional Korean instruments with the flute, clarinet, and violin; they also performed Dynamite, a popular song by BTS.
James Jang, Dwight Seoul Music/Orchestra Director, described the experience best when he said, “As a team, our students and staff have achieved incredible things in less than a week, including overcoming jet lag, participating in sightseeing activities, meeting and practicing with new students and teachers, and performing in one of the world’s most prestigious venues. No words can describe our pride in our students.”
Eric Lee - Class of 2017
McGill University ’21
Senior Business Analyst at Capital One NYC
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericjoohanlee/
What is your best memory at Dwight? What are you most proud of from your experience at Dwight Seoul?
I think it’s hard to pinpoint one special memory at Dwight because I was involved in so many great extracurriculars and even more amazing friends and teachers. If I had to pick one, I believe my experience in the MUN program was definitely a highlight among many that I will remember forever. I particularly liked being able to debate and compromise on very difficult issues with various different opinions, then socializing after all the debating was said and done, and the following post-MUN syndrome coming after the end of each session.
I think I am most proud of the numerous experiences and friends that I encountered along the way, and always look back with a certain amount of nostalgia. Dwight was truly a time of learning and personal development for me. A deep sincere thank you to everyone in the Class of 2017.
Do you feel that the IB education at Dwight helped prepare you for college life? How did those skills impact your academic success/performance and social interactions on a college campus and beyond?
I think the transition from high school to college is akin to drinking from a firehose. It is truly a different atmosphere with different expectations and responsibilities from high school. However, I think that the IB education was excellent in preparing me for the academic rigor for most of my college classes. As a result, I was able to do well academically. I also found that my leadership skills carried over surprisingly well from high school, being able to secure many leadership positions on campus my first year. A lot of my McGill classmates also were in the IB diploma program, so we were able to bond over many uniquely IB things such as the IB DP exam period and the “Extended Essay”. I think my extracurricular experience also helped me keep up with the pace of college. I was able to develop my interests earlier than most of my McGill peers due to already knowing roughly what I wanted to do coming from Dwight.
It has been said that to be effective in the 21st century, citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and criticalthinking skills related to information, media, and technology. What are some of the key skills acquired/learned during college that helped impact your current career?
The statement is certainly true, critical thinking and functional skills are definitely necessary, but I think that the first prerequisite is to find the passion or “Spark of Genius” that guides you. For me that was finding it in solving interesting challenges in the business world. For someone else, it may very well be something very different. There is no one size fits all. After passion, critical thinking is something that is acquired over time and asking the question “why?” countless times. Being able to think independently and come to your own conclusion is an invaluable skill to have. Lastly, I think functional skills come as a result of critical thinking and passion, and that leads to being an effective world citizen. I think my work experience, college and Dwight helped me feel comfortable about asking questions and pursuing knowledge in the pursuit of an answer.
One of the attributes of the IB Learner Profile is Reflective which states “We
thoughtfully consider the
world
and
our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.” Reflection is a key component to IB learning. How have you applied reflection to succeed in reaching your goals and pursue your passion? Can you share an example?
Reflection was something that I struggled to do while at Dwight and still do have trouble now. It is never easy to reflect upon your learning and personal development because its all to easy to embellish the positives and to trivialize the negatives. But, it is important to be as objective as possible in order find your strengths to utilize them to the fullest. It is also equally important to find and acknowledge your weaknesses. By doing so, you will become a more wellrounded individual who will be able to develop at a much faster pace, due to correcting weaknesses and developing strengths whenever possible.
A good example of when I applied reflection was when I was deciding on a career path in my sophomore year of college. Up till this point, I still had a variety of interests, but ultimately knew that I needed to narrow it down in order to one profession in order to be able to build a solid foundation in my junior year in order to get relevant experience for postgraduate work. On one spring weekend, I took a few hours to jot down a list of my abilities and shortcomings and was able to narrow it down to a specific industry that matched me the best. I then listed short-term goals surrounding how to get into the industry, medium-term goals for what I wanted to learn, and long-term goals for what I wanted to ultimately accomplish from my path. Although the goals may change from now and then, it was always important to revisit them every now and them to make sure that they accurately represented my objectives. Keeping them up to date is super helpful, they serve as a “North Star” to making sure I’m heading in the right direction.
What extracurricular activities did you participate in college and why? How did your involvement in these activities help you in your postcollege paths.
In College, I continued my interest in business by being a part of a variety of clubs that focused on specific areas that I was particularly interested in. This particularly helped me in my career as I was able to meet many different professionals who were alumni of these clubs and learn more about their stories, culminating in the eventual path I wanted to take.
I was also a huge MUNer during high school and continued that passion in chair positions throughout university. I think learning public speaking and negotiations were invaluable to help develop my leadership and business skills outside of MUN. Plus, it’s always interesting to meet new people and see the small differences between each delegate in their ability to reason and debate.
What do you think employers look for in new graduates?
I think employers look for various things, which are highly dependent on the industry that you finally decide on in college. I think one thing in common is that employers want someone who is open minded, willing to take initiative (sometimes being a risk-taker) and being able to critically think. Ultimately, the employer wants someone who they believe they can work with and who they believe they can help guide to become a high performer in the industry (similar to college). The IB program helps set a strong foundation that makes it easier to transition from high school to college to ultimate goals (more school, entering the workforce, etc).
Any Advice for current students?
Enjoy Dwight and all the opportunities provided. Do as well as possible in the classroom and outside of it, but don’t be afraid to take a break to catch your breath. Find a passion or niche that you are interested in and pursue it to the fullest! You will find that you have very little to lose and everything to gain.
The Dwight Seoul university & career counseling program is designed to support students in their individualized pathway toward their tertiary education and future careers. The program’s structure ensures that each student can identify their skills, interests, and strengths and how they will work together to achieve admission to an institution of higher learning that will support their future goals. Our students are as diverse as the institutions they wish to attend, so our office has the knowledge and experience to support applications worldwide.
One of the goals of the University & Careers program is to ensure that students are supported at every stage of their university and career journey. From selfreflective practices and self-discovery lessons in grade 9 to personality/skills and career alignment in grade 10, to finally researching institutions that can support those interests in grade 11, the process to their post-secondary goals starts as early as grade 9. Although we practice a split model approach with regard to social-emotional wellbeing and university & careers counseling, the UCC office prides itself on the fluidity and openness to collaboration with our pastoral counseling program. The pastoral and UCC counseling offices have identified lessons in which both counselors contribute and lead and have also devised curriculums to support grade 12 transitions to university and beyond.
The UCC office is open for any student to visit at any time, as counseling needs should not only be attributed to times in the day when students have a free schedule. Open
appointment scheduling encourages student agency and autonomy even at the beginning stages of the UCC process. When scheduling appointments, students are encouraged to check their schedules, identify the basis of the meeting, and communicate with teachers if they miss a class. Aside from meeting with students individually and in our group sessions, we regularly invite many institutions to our campus to facilitate student engagement with their desired schools' representatives. If a school cannot visit our campus, we find alternative solutions, such as hosting a virtual session with the representative and promoting the event to interested students.
As a proud member of many counseling organizations, the University & Career Counseling office regularly participates in networking events for KISCA, NACAC, CIS, ISCA, and IACAC to stay up to date with current trends in college admissions and to continue strengthening our relationships with tertiary institutions and peer counselors. In addition, the director is a committee member for KISCA and helps organize events for international school counselors in South Korea.
We are a small yet well-supported, mighty office that feeds off the energy of our students, and we are ecstatic to be invited to be a part of such a huge transition in our students' lives.
This annual fundraiser event celebrated the 10th anniversary of Dwight Seoul on September 24, 2022. Over 160 guests from our community joined in the celebration. Funds raised benefitted the renovation of our new library, Spark of Genius Center.
Funds raised: ₩19,000,000
Donation made to KAWA by Grade 1
The Drum: Grade 3 Musical
MYP Graduation
Grade 4 Learning Celebration: Family Foods and Blues
International Spring Fair
