The Songgok Journal A Farewell to the Songgok Journal

library in school. And the volumes of books increased every year. Mr. Yi had a secret plan to support students who came to the room to have a chance to improve their language skills with the books.

During the ten years for the Songgok Journal, we could feel ups and downs in life. When the season to recruit cub-reporters in March every year came, we could almost eat our heart out. We had enough new reporters one year, but sometimes we had to lead a club life with a small member — only one or two. After publishing the newspaper every February, we have never missed the delightedness and success: self-achievement and self-confidence.

During the ten years as Freedom Writers, we felt how important it was to express our ideas about domestic or worldwide topics. The name ‘Freedom Writers’ that we decided to name the English newspaper club after watching a movie, ‘Freedom Writers’, came from ‘Freedom Riders.’ In 1994, an idealistic first-year English teacher at Wilson High School in Long Beach in the USA, Ms. Erin Gruwell, started to change her class 203. She helped her students to read books and write their own stories, which touched her profoundly and intensely. Students wanted to call themselves ‘Freedom Writers’ after ‘Freedom Riders.’ She decided to publish their stories in a book, ‘Freedom Writers Diary.’

During the ten years with Freedom Writers members of The Songgok Journal, we have been experiencing unique articles with brand-new ideas and sincere endeavors of the reporters. We finally encounter the last volume of The Songgok Journal, sincerely feeling sorry that one of the reasons is to sharply cut down the number of fresh Songgokians who apply for the school. Of course, the situation results from the decrease of would-be high schoolers all over the country, and the case would not regrettably stop or change for the time being.

During the ten years for the Songgok Journal, we have been improving our English language skills: reading English books as many as possible, writing English articles for the newspaper, and even searching and thinking about specific topics. It was easy to find what kind of books we would read in the club room because it was like a small English

During the ten years of club activities, we have been happy to cover many kinds of topics: human rights the Japanese army sexual slavery issue and the most prolonged rally movement on every Wednesday since 1992 in front of the Japan Embassy in Korea, environmental, climate, and ecological crises on the earth, educational issues in Korea, K-cultures, the most heartbreakingly tragic accident - the Sinking of MV Sewol on April 4, 2014, and so on.

There could have been more topics and issues we would cover, but alas, we cannot help but stop here and now. No regrets. All those things we mentioned above helped us grow up, improve our language skills, and have various wide-angled points of view. Most of all, we realized who and what we are. Thank you, Freedom Writers and Mr. Yi. And Farewell to the Songgok Journal!

Ye-rim