The Covid Times

FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | HKIS STUDENT NEWSPAPER

THE COVID TIMES

insights on COVID 19

eyecatching fiction on mother nature

mouthwatering restaurant review latest news on HKIS Spirit Week

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Editor's letter HKIS Snapshots: the latest photos for Spirit Week and on campus learning hearthrobbing story of regaining confidence to dance in connection to a friendship a story of the ocean's revenge to humans a detailed guide on how to be successful for the school year

FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

editor's letter When the word ‘autumn’ is heard, we immediately envision an earth toned setting with various shades of yellow, orange and red leaves descending towards the misty floor. We feel the chilly air, frost on the ground, and hear the crunches beneath our feet of crackling foliage. This time of the year also stems from happy memories of pumpkin spice lattes and halloween, provoking the excitement of nostalgic euphoria.

Since

our

first

meeting,

our

team

has

sat

together

and

discussed future possibilities for Covid Times. We came up with ideas of artwork collages, design template layouts, and of

course

various

—

a

medley

readers.

But

of

most

genre

writing

importantly,

that

we

will

hoped

attract for

an

ongoing dialogue with our audience, and a connection with more viewers through a digital platform. With the turnout verdict, we’ve revamped the aesthetic and model of our newspaper. To be specific, we’ve followed the gleeful time of fall while taking on a modern aesthetic, as seen through the cover and table of contents.

Through the past few weeks of discussion, collaboration, and laughter, we’ve all come to recognize the importance of unity — teamwork. Environment is crucial when it comes to writing, drawing, and taking photos, as it has a significant effect on the result of our work. An atmosphere filled with joint

effort

and

chatter

fosters

friendship,

harmony,

and

possibly loyalty. This close-knit impression evokes motivation from one another, and of course, mutual respect. We all have

diverse

talents,

strengths,

and

habits,

and

the

appearance of camaraderie bonds everyone together, much like puzzle pieces.

Our fall edition of Covid Times has finally come out and I couldn’t

be

more

proud

of

the

work

our

group

has

put

towards this issue. I am eager to share our delight with all of you readers!

Cheers,

Cindy Chen Editor in Chief

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FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

do students and teachers think the same way about zoom and on campus learning?

Back to School!

Jean Hu

W

e’re back at school! But because of COVID-19, there’ve been a lot of changes to our school. What do students think about coming back to school and online school? What do teachers think?

Teaching online is actually harder than you think. Here are some quotes from teachers, talking about how teaching on zoom has been pretty challenging.

“I got more sleep and had better food at home, but classes were boring online.� -Ryan, G7 “Best: The no plexiglass and no stupid questions like "where's PE" and no being forced to sit at lunch. Worst: Lag and your eyes implode because of staring at a screen.� -Avi, G6

“For teachers, I think it’s hard to keep students focused on Zoom for such a long amount of time, and I can’t see or control what students are doing. Also, I did a survey with my students on Zoom, and found out that they couldn’t get all the ingredients.

Because my subject (Culinary Arts) is a hands-on subject, it was very hard to teach on Zoom.� - Ms. Wong, Culinary Arts

“The better parts of online school was that your schedule was always more flexible. You could spend more time with your family, which I personally enjoyed. I loved getting exercise too. But there was a bunch of bad stuff about COVID and home learning. First of all, you couldn’t see your friends and teachers, which was the saddest part. đ&#x;˜Š Also doing everything online seemed cool at first, but now I’m really really sick of it.â€? -G6 student

“Zoom filters all emotions and help from others. Some students can function and learn pretty well by themselves, but others can’t learn themselves, and need that extra support and/or encouragement from others. When they’re alone, they don’t learn well.�

- Ms. Shen, Chinese

We also asked 55 students what they thought about coming back to school, and most of them are really excited about it! Are you excited about coming back to school?

As seen in the quotes above, teaching on Zoom has been anything but easy. Some teachers have found it hard because of their subject, other teachers have found it challenging to keep the students’ attention. Online earning has been challenging for teachers, and a poll has shown that 66.7% of teachers don’t like online school, but will still teach. Overall, teaching online is hard! Give your teachers credit!

Students don’t seem to enjoy online classes either, and are super excited to come back! From Zoom to not seeing friends to too much screen time, online school is something everyone wants to leave behind!

Both teachers and students don’t like teaching/learning online much. Too much screen time and Zoom, not being able to see anyone and having a hard subject to teach online, no one likes online school! Do you agree with what people said about online learning? What do you think about online school? Did you learn more about what teachers think regarding online teaching?

Here’s something interesting. We asked teachers whether they think online school could replace real school, a topic that has been coming up a lot lately. After teaching online, do teachers think that could happen?“ I think it may happen for some subjects, but not for mine, because mine is a hands on subject. I think it is a good thing because it allows people to have easier access to their classes.� -Ms. Wong, Culinary Arts “No, after teaching online for a good 9 months, I don’t think online school can ever replace the interactions in real school.� -Ms. Shen, Chinese Some teachers think online school could happen for subjects that aren’t hands-on, and others think that it flat out couldn’t happen at all. What do you think? We’ve covered teachers, but what are student’s thoughts about coming back? Here are some responses, regarding coming back to school. “Online school gave students relatively more freedom to plan our own time, and subsequently improved our independence and organization. However, staring at a computer all day was not only dull and repetitive, it also posed as a threat to our health.� -Cindy, G8 “REAL SCHOOL IS AWESOME EXCEPT I KEEP GETTING LOST AND THERE'S TEN MILLION FLIGHTS OF STAIRS� -Mollie, G6

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FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

hkis snapshots

caputring the smallest moments of our school life

Eva Kim

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FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

COVID-19 observations

What are Rebels Up To? Ishwar Dhanuka

Oct 13 Mask found in the bush outside 29 Tai Tam road. Who is this rebel? Not only have masks been thrown onto the streets, but people are constantly ignoring social distancing, and not sharing items are the only two things stopping the virus from moving.

Oct 14 On-campus report. Area/time 6th-grade lunch outer area. Here at this time, a trade of non-disinfected Oreos was made. The transfer distance was 1 meter. The person collecting them ate it. This shows some of us here at HKIS are rebels. Did you ask yourself, was this wrapper carrying germs? If it was, how do you think it affected everyone around you?

Oct 15 Off-campus. Outside 33 Tai Tam road, 2 dog walkers found completely ignoring social distancing. They walked exactly 6 meters before they socially distanced names unidentified. Were they thinking social distancing is a complete waste of my time? Think audience, where else have you seen this, or have you done it yourself.

If you are a rebel who doesn't believe in Covid-19, how do you think this affects those around you, including your friends? Would you want to get sick yourself, hopefully not. We can protect ourselves by not being rebels against the Covid 19 pandemic.

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FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

I Remember Dancing I remember the sad shaking of heads. Tears dropping. I didn’t cry. It wasn’t my job to be sad. I knew plenty about life and crying was just feeling sympathy for yourself. But maybe if I hadn’t been too caught up in my own hustling life, my best friend would have still been at my side.

When you lose your friend, there’s no more giggles. No more secretly giving each other gummy bears during class. No more trips to the ice cream store. No more laughing every second of your day. Your life becomes a blank canvas, waiting to be painted. Yet, sometimes, no one comes by with paint dripping off their paintbrush.

It’s been two long years since that incident. I’m still waiting to be painted.

November 30th, 2003 The dark was still casted over my room when I woke up in the middle of the night.

I forced myself to get up and went over to my window. Carefully, I pulled up the blinds and peered into the clear, dark sky. A single bright star hovered above the street, alone. I rested my hands gently on the window ledge and my eyes started to carve out the faint shape of Mila, my best friend. Before she was gone. Her hazel eyes, her mocha colored skin and raven black hair had stayed in my head, I wondered if it would ever fade away. In the midst of Mila, I could see the outline of my ballet shoes. Neglected and unused. It had been a year since I had stopped dancing. It was my fault that I was at that rehearsal, thinking I was going to achieve my dream as a ballet dancer when I grew up, that Mila had died.

“Suddenly, that ringing, eerie voice started echoing in my head again. It’s your fault. It’s your fault.

It’s all your fault Vienna. I tried to push the voice away and turned on my old radio. As I listened to the monotonous podcasts, the voice started to slowly, get pushed back to the back of my head. I swallowed hard, trying to swallow down the voice with it and laid down again, tapping my finger on my chest.

Tap, tap, tap.

December 1st, 2003 As soon as I woke up the next morning, I swung my backpack over my shoulder and exited the house, not bothering to brush my hair or say goodbye to Mom and Dad. They wouldn’t have said anything to me anyway, too busy with work. My dirty white sneakers tapped the sidewalk as I neared the school bus sign. Leaning against the pole I watched as other girls and boys started chatting with their friends, showing them their phones and laughing whenever someone said something funny. I remembered the first time I had met Mila. I had been sitting at that small table near the trash cans during lunch, and Mila had gone up to me and said, “Excuse me, are those trash cans your new friends?” I had stared at her for long ticking seconds. Before I cracked a smile and we both started laughing hysterically. Ever since then, Mila had been my best friend. My world had brightened up, more than the sun brightened the dark and the path I had walked solitary on became a road for two. She was always there when I needed her, never missing a single deadline to call or to text. But then she was gone.

7

Ha Jin Sung

February 2nd, 2004 It was official. Mila’s family was moving out from Colorado. Back to Japan. I was finishing my homework when I heard a steady knock on the door. I picked myself up out of the chair and opened it, greeted by Mila’s mother and father. Mila’s mom gave me a small pad of paper and a pink pen. I recognized those. It was the pen Mila had written all her stories with. Mila’s father nodded.

“She would want you to have these,” he said gently, but I could see the sadness in his eyes as he remembered the author his daughter was.

“Thank you for being such a good friend to Mila,” her mother reached over and squeezed my hand. “She loved you so very much.”

I could only nod without letting the tears fall out.

“Thank you,” I managed to whisper. They both smiled sadly and turned around, walking back to the moving van parked in their driveway. I shut the door. Mila’s parents were like my second parents, they were always there. How could I forget Mila’s mother’s short black bob and the friendliness of Mila’s father’s voice? And here they were, giving me their daughter’s most treasured items. It was all too much.

I took Mila’s notebook and placed it on the table and carefully opened it, finding intricate handwriting filling the page from the very beginning. I continued flipping through the pages before I stopped. Above the writing was a title that said, My Best Friend. Underneath the cursive title, my eyes saw the first word of the story.

Vienna. I choked back a sob. I couldn’t take it anymore. I swiped my arms with the back of my hand and closed the notebook. I placed the notebook on the counter of the kitchen table and tried to peel my attention back to my homework. But suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small folded slip of paper. I bent down to pick it up and on the corner of the paper, the date said, 2001, November 21st. The quadratic formula had to wait. This was three days before I had lost Mila.

2001, November 21st Dear Diary, I’m so excited for Vienna’s dance competition. She is going to win big, and I know it. I can just imagine her name pasted on the local newspaper! She deserves the world. I love watching her dance, and I’m sure anyone would get absorbed into the story she tells through her dancing.

Although I hate going out on those gloomy dark evenings, I know when I go to her recital next week, the stage will light up everything.

G’night.

-mila My eyes lifted off the paper. I peered outside, the sun about to dip into the horizon. And in that moment, I knew what I had to do. I rushed up to my room and opened unused drawers, stuffed with papers. It’s gotta be here somewhere, I thought as I shuffled through the papers. Then I saw the corner of a light blue paper and pulled it out. The Nutcracker Ballet. I scanned the date.

Auditions: 2003, February 4th, 4:00 PM Performance: February 28th, 8:00 PM This was it. I was going to do what Mila had always wanted me to do. I needed a way to repay her back. I was going to start to dance again.

The mustard colored bus pulled up in the driveway and the doors opened. I stepped inside, pushing through and sat down in the third row. The third row Mila and I always sat together on. Now my backpack took her place. A perfect companion. I rested my head on the window and the bus wheezed off to Colorado Middle School, and this routine of mine was one that I repeated over and over again. Every single day of school.

Three days later, I lifted the top of the small metal can I kept in my room and fished out 100 dollars. I pocketed the money, just in case I would have needed it later. I brushed off the dust on my duffle bag and placed my feet in my pointe shoes. They were a size too small, but they still fit. I stood on my toes to get used to the feeling, and I couldn't help but smile when I felt my toes landing on my bedroom floor. I took them off and tucked them deep in my backpack.

The same dull view fell upon us as we reached the school. One blob of red bricks.

Same classrooms, each with twenty desks along with chairs. One blackboard with a broken piece of chalk. The only place that glowed with color was the stage, where I had performed hundreds of dance performances. Twice a week. But those days were gone now. And now, I would never feel the blinding lights of the spotlights, the blackout after you struck your final pose or the eyes of the audience when you leaped across the stage. When Mila was alive, dance was alive. And when dance was alive, so was I.

When I had reached the studio, I held in a gasp. I had never seen this many students here before. The head teacher started us right away with some exercises. We were all doing the same exercises under the criticizing eyes of the teachers. Underneath the pressure of competition, I tried to point my feet till they touched the ground, I made sure the turnout of my feet was a perfect 180 degrees. I danced like my life depended on it, even though my arms ached and my legs were tired of pulling my whole body up from my toes. And just like that, the auditions had ended.

FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

I Remember Dancing Ha Jin Sung February 28th, 2004 She stepped onto the stage, dress twinkling like the night stars off the bright stage lights. Her legs and hands lifted in sync, like someone was drawing up invisible strings. Music drifted into her ears and her own walls tore down. She didn’t think about the judging eyes of the audience. Instead, she thought about the friends she had made during her journey and the people who she loved that always supported her.

For once, she was free.

She took over the stage, telling them all a story in a way that they were never told. While the stage was hers, she took over the world as she soared over seas and mountains. It was all hers and hers alone. She was invulnerable. Everything was in her control. Her body, her emotions. The steady beat of her heartbeat matched the music with every little thump. Her legs lifted and fell like a cheetah running. The audience's eyes never left the stage until they had to blink. The world was silent, yet thundering. She danced as if she would never dance again and as she leaped into her ending pose, she smiled. For Mila.

As the thundering claps of the audience rang in her ears, she knew her best friend was watching. Far far away, above the stars, past Neptune, perhaps in another galaxy, but watching. And as the stage blacked out, her emotions blacked out with it.

Grief.

Sadness.

Hate.

And hope.

“I will never forget you,” she whispered as she exited the stage. “I will never forget.”

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Angie So

FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

scenes of nature a quick escape to the authenticy of life

01

Juno Huang

Juno Huang

03 9

Juno Huang

04

02

Eva Kim

FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

"Dynamite" by BTS Angie So and Ariane Lee “Bulletproof Boy Scouts,” or more commonly known as “BTS,”(Bang Tan Sonyeondan) is a K-pop boy group consisting of seven members. Debuting in 2013, June 13th, they worked their way up to be a global sensation, with fans all around the globe known for their diversity, loyalty, and constant support for the boys. The group has attracted countless fans across the globe and won the hearts and respect of various critics in the music industry.

Since their debut, BTS has been releasing all types of songs in different genres. Whether it be hip-hop, pop, lo-fi, the K-pop group is continually putting out plenty of content. Their most recent comeback was on August 21st when BTS released a new single, “Dynamite.”

This brand new single “Dynamite” was their first track entirely sung in English. This song is an upbeat disco-pop single, consisting of light-hearted lyrics along with layered vocals. The song has a catchy chorus, plus a very funky and addictive beat. “Dynamite” is undoubtedly a summer song anyone can dance to at any time and anywhere. It was also paired with a music video heavily inspired by the ‘70s-’80s. The video is filled with either sharp and hard-hitting or bright pastel colors. In the MV(music video), BTS can be seen in a postered studded room, a warmly lit records store, even replicating a donut shop and a fast-food chain from the ‘70s-’80s. The clothing was also inspired by that era, with unique and eye-catching outfits for each member.

BTS is iconic for their inspirational lyrics, hidden meanings along with complex storylines. Unlike the other songs BTS has released, this song does not contain too many sophisticated or complicated aspects, in contrast to their other songs, such as “Black Swan” or “ON.” As BTS released this song during the global pandemic, COVID-19, the piece hopes to brighten the listener’s day while encouraging them to stay positive and resilient during these challenging times. BTS member Suga said: “We wish we could give you strength in this time of exhaustion … we hope that a lot of people cheer up and take comfort in the song.”, not only that, according to Forbes, one of BTS’s members, Jungkook, told news reporters at a press conference that, “A lot of people are going through some tough times right now. I hope that ‘Dynamite’ will be a healing song, a therapeutic song to make lots of people happy.” One Twitter user said in response to Dynamite’s release, “I’ve been thinking a lot about the art we’ve all made in quarantine. Sure, we’re not all global pop stars like @BTS_twt, but a song like #Dynamite reminds me of how healing it’s been to create something during this time. It doesn’t have to mean anything to anyone but yourself.”

“Dynamite” immediately became a hit, breaking records left and right. Starting with the biggest premiere on youtube, with roughly 3-4 million online viewers waiting. After that, the group obtained 101.1 million views within 24 hours, breaking another record. Another record that was broken on “Dynamite”’s release day was on the app Spotify, debuting on the global top 50s chart at number 1, and achieving 7,778,950 streams. BTS’s fanbase, ARMY, also focused on streaming on Itunes, and within 8 hours, “Dynamite” got 100 no. 1s, making them the fastest artist to achieve 100 no. 1s. Even with all these achievements, the most noticeable is “Dynamite” debuting first on Billboard Hot 100. The single kept its reign on first for two whole weeks before dipping to second. This makes them the first South Korean group to get first on Billboard Hot 100.

BTS has achieved many milestones with the release of their new single “Dynamite”. With its fun and happy lyrics, a retro funky music video, and record-breaking streams, “Dynamite” will be a memorable comeback to all.

illustration: Alexis Chan

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FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

The Ocean's Revenge: Part 1 Aemilia Sofia Rice Mileto

I shook and groaned, the plastic intoxicating me accumulating more every moment. My waves screamed in despair, thrashing and causing storms; my corals withered until they were only shadows of the life and vibrance they once were, now colorless pieces of white waste. My animals from all depths sobbed as they died eating plastic. I lamented in the wind as oil and chemicals were poured into my transparent jeweled lakes and beautiful wild rivers. The slithering snake of pollution was strangling me. I was angry. Angrier than life and death. I wanted revenge. Revenge on every single one of those pesky, horrid pink things, who had taken from me, and destroyed me. I wanted to make the human race suffer.

Suffer as my kingdom had. My spirit was in turmoil. Ideas of revenge and ideas of fixing my world flashed around me, waveringly. Then, something was perfect. The perfect idea. I breathed in. And let go of a whirlwind of foam, coral, waves, of my essence… And anger. And the need for revenge. Until a single, perfect form came out. Stepping out of the haze, a beautiful maiden came out. Her hair was red and curly and fire-like and fell down her shoulders like a pure-blood cascade. Her skin was whiter than the dead corals on the ocean’s bed. Her eyes were orange and had golden specks in them. A robe of golden silk seemed to float around her like a cloud. I looked in wonder at my handiwork.

] will call you… The goldfish mermaid, I said as I breathed life into the girl.She blinked but did not move, though she seemed to be breathing now. The silk quickly turned into a ruby red tail. Red was the color of anger for humans. It was the color of blood, the color of revenge. The girl was faded as if she were a blurry apparition, and her ruby red tail went from white legs to golden silk to her tail again. I was unsure what to choose as her final form. After all, she was still just the form of my idea. I finally settled on the tail. Her top half though was human. It was strange that I had chosen a half-human form to carry out her revenge, but I thought, Let the humans be destroyed by their form!

Then I blew again, and this time, I breathed meaning.The mermaid’s eyes sharpened. She gasped, my memories flooding her mind. Centuries and centuries.

Millions of years. She stood as flashes of colors passed through her mind. Years of peaceful perfection. Majestic animals, dinosaurs. The weirdest, most absurd animals, and the most beautiful and dangerous inhabited the world and my waters. I was abundant and flourished so much that the green and blue jeweled waters were transparent and reflected flashes of rainbow corals and fish. Days when my sister Mother Nature was young and vast and green and varied in forests, jungles, grasslands, mountains, and deserts. Fields of flowers flourished in thousands everywhere, the air fresh and crisp. The world was balanced, natural.

The mermaid seemed to be growing stronger with these visions, her colors more vivid, and her form more defined. She seemed real. Then the girl saw it. Humans.

The disgusting monkeys’ mother nature had created. Their evolution, their intelligence. They tamed the animals and the earth and fished in abundance. They grew better every century. Nothing could stop them. Horror and wars came out of it, humans killing their brothers and sister for the most awful and stupid things.

They divided themselves. They took land as if it was their property. They built and invented, and as half of their species flourished, another part was poorer than the driest desert. As humans invented incredible things, they treated their world poorly. Pollution enveloped the world, suffocating nature and causing my suffering, and polluting the air. Wonderful and peculiar animals no longer prowled the earth proudly, and the ones that were left were hunted to the brink of extinction. Humans grabbed everything good for them and left all the suffering to us. The Mermaid’s eyes blazed; the golden specks in her eyes turned to red sparks and her milky white hands turned into fists.

11

The Humans!

It was all she had to say. The anger in her voice made the beach tremble. I basked in the knowledge that somebody was finally understanding my hatred for the human species. We were united as one, our hate consuming us both. Mother Nature, my sweet, soft sister, who had been the one who suffered the most, did not understand. Almost immediately, the earth and nearby trees whispered,No! No! Do not hate them. They are my creation. My creatures. My beautiful, horribly imperfect, wonderful creatures. They are good and bad. Do not make the mistake to think that they are only one or the other!

But I ignored the earth. I hated that species. And I knew that getting rid of them would make the earth revive. Even then, I knew and trembled with wrath, that the world would never fully recover. It would take millions of years for everything to be all right again, but I lived in hope of that glimmering future. I needed that planet again. My yearning for a peaceful and intriguing world again was immense.

Powerful.

Yet… I knew my sister was not completely wrong. It was not easy to admit it, but the humans were by far the most intriguing species that had ever existed on earth. They had brought wonderful and jaw-gaping things to the world and learned things so advanced that even I began to wonder what future these creatures were making. But why, oh why, did they have to destroy themselves and their world while they were doing it? I decided to start with a more mild warning. I would send messages to their top people. Humans divided themselves into hierarchies. Strange because some of them might be slimy chimps and some less, but at the core, they are all equal. But no. They insist on always having someone better than them. The natural world divides itself brutally. The strong survive, the weak don’t. Predators are usually at the top. But this brutal world, as some humans might call it, flourished, and made amazing things. It also made them. When I thought about it, I realized that their hierarchies weren’t so different from the earth’s. Who makes himself king? The king. In the deep of their soul, they are brutal too. I sometimes forget that as the world they are also amazing. Go, my mermaid! Go, and bring my rage in a warning to humanity!My mermaid seemed to grow, and grow and grow. She rose like a tsunami. And then…

She was gone, in a flash, and I was left looking at a few red sparks dancing in the night sky, looking like the first drops of blood that would come from the bloodshed I had envisioned for my revenge…

If my peaceful approach didn’t work.

FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

restaurant review Kaili Trang and Jane Poon BÊP, tucked in a narrow alley off Soho, is also known to its customers as the Vietnamese Kitchen.

The restaurant is dimly lit with a low ceiling, and the scent of mints waft out of an open kitchen. Customers, young and old, are seated in upholstered green booths, pulling bamboo chopsticks out of a metal utensil holder. A middle-aged woman greets us warmly. She takes our orders, then confirms them by rereading off her notepad.

We first try the phõ chin. Boiled rice noodles with thinly sliced marble beef shank are immersed in soup, then topped with a rain of peanuts and Vietnamese herbs. A savory aroma permeates the room; customers crane their necks to see what we ordered.

The mouth-watering goi cuon is next, and its name translates literally to salad coil. It’s not actually salad, nor is it coiled, but the concoction of prawns, lettuce, and banh hoi (rice vermicelli), meticulously wrapped in fine rice paper. It comes with nuoc mam, a fish sauce with a sprinkle of chili and garlic.

For $68, we split a banh mi thit, a baguette brimming with fresh cilantro, chunky cucumber sticks, and strands of pickled carrots with radish. The grilled beef is succulent, and a sliver of mayonnaise lightens the tang. Every bite is fulfilling and flavorsome.

I find myself cutting another piece of our last dish, the banh xeo: a crispy golden rice pancake stuffed with shrimps, pork, bean sprouts, onions, lettuce, and herbs. Food prices usually range around $60-85, but dishes with more complexity, such as the banh xeo, will cost slightly more.

In English, BÊP means “homey kitchen”. Indeed it resembles the ambiance of one: simmering pots, fragrances of appetizing food, but above all, a place to gather with family and friends for an enjoyable meal.

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FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

Six Tips for Having a Great School Year!

Aria Tahilramani We have all had an unusual start to the school year, but now we have been on campus for more than a month. It’s time to start thinking about how to be successful this year. Here are six tips for how to be successful this school year! #1 Try New Things. We may want to stick to our usual interests, but don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Yes, you may be great at one thing, but you will never know if you are great at other things unless you try. Take risks, it may benefit you in the long run. For example, try a sport that you’ve never done before. You may be terrible at it initially, but with time and practice, you can improve. You may end up enjoying it, who knows? #2 Be Open to New Friends. I get it, you’ve known your best friends since you were three years old, why would you want new ones? Many of us think like this, and I have also thought about this many times before. The truth is, even though we are familiar and happy with our friends, it doesn’t hurt to make a new friend. There are many new kids at HKIS, some of who may be overwhelmed at the thought of making new friends, so reach out to them.

If you and an old friend don’t talk anymore, try reaching out to them. Be inclusive, invite other students, help each other out. If you want, try this challenge: make a new friend in every class you have. #3 Use Office Hours well. There’s a reason why the schedule includes office hours on both A-days and B-days. Office hours are a gift of extra time that you can use for whatever you need to do. Do whatever will benefit you in the long run. If you are stressed out or exhausted, use the time to relax by reading a book or putting your head down. If you have a lot of tests coming up, use the time to study. Try not to multitask. Stick to one activity; that way, you will have only one focus for the block of time.

Do whatever you need to do, but make sure you use the time well. #4 Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself. Regardless of what some people may say, grades are not the most important thing in the world. The truth is, you will have many other opportunities to redeem yourself, and no one is perfect. Many teachers allow a retest, so don’t be afraid to ask them. If you procrastinate one day, don’t beat yourself up. Everybody makes mistakes, and in a few days, weeks, or months, you will forget about it. The important thing is that you try your best and have fun in middle school. #5 Write Everything Down. Write. Everything. Down. Sounds simple enough, but a lot of us do not do this often. Don’t assume you will remember everything later when you get home. It’s better to write everything down.

This includes test dates, project deadlines, homework and assignments, and extracurricular activities. You can even create a rough weekly schedule so that you have an overview of what your week will look like. As soon as you hear about a test date or a project deadline, write it down in your planner.

Just make sure to write everything down. #6 The More You Give, The More You Get. Finally, my last tip for you is simple. The more you give, the more you get. Throughout middle school, you will have many opportunities to “give”, and it’s important to know that the more you give, the more you get. For example, the more you dress up in Spirit Week, the more house points you get. This is a literal way of looking at this. Another example is, the more you dress up in Spirit Week, the more fun you will have. This has a more in-depth thought behind it. It’s important to “give” a lot in middle school because you will have more memorable experiences if you “give” a lot. The more effort you put into a project, the better grade you will get. The more kindness you give to your friends and other students, the more happiness you will get in return. Put simply, the more you give, the more you get. To recap, remember to try new things, be open to new friends, use office hours well, try not to be too hard on yourself, and remember, the more you give, the more you get. I hope these five tips will help you in having a successful year in middle school. Have a fantastic school year!

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FALL 2020 | ISSUE 1 | COVID TIMES

MEET THE TEAM Editing Editor in Chief

Cindy Chen

Writing Editor

Kaili Trang

Writing Editor

Rachel Wu

Writing Editor

Ashley Chow

Design Editor

Ariane Lee

Writing Writer

Aemilia Mileto

Writer

Jean Hu

Writer

Aria Tahilramani

Writer

Ishwar Dhanuka

Writer

Ha Jin Sung

Writer

Kaili Trang

Photography Photographer Emily Ling Photographer Juno Huang Photographer William Liang

Illustration and Graphics

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Illustrator

Angie So

Illustrator

Alexis Chan

Artist

Aemilia Mileto

Artist

Alexis Chan

Artist

Chloe Guo

Artist

Eva Kim

Artist

Angie So

Artist

Jane Poon