The Banner - February 2015

February 2015 - Volume 8, Issue 2

Table of Contents Message from the School Board Chair

Page 4

Message from the Head of School

Page 5

Service and Community at SFS

Page 6

The Annual Fund Update

Pages 7-9

SFS Theatre Updates

39 Yeonhui-ro 22-gil, Seodaemun-gu Seoul 120-823, KOREA TEL: 822-330-3100 FAX: 822-335-1857 www.seoulforeign.org

Pages 10-11

Faculty Profile—Dr. Janie Brooks

Pages 12-13

Highlights from the HS Discovery Week

Pages 14-17

SFS Sports Summary

Pages 18-19

Farewell to Rob and Sondra Black

Page 20

Alumni Homecoming

Page 21

The Revival of the SFS Faculty Panto!

Pages 22-23

Seoul Alumni Reunion

Pages 24-25

London Alumni Reunion

Page 26

Alumni Interviews - Leah Chung ’10 - Seline Jung ‘10 - Michael O’Donnell ‘70

Pages 27-29

Alumni Notes/Visits

Pages 30-35

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Message from the Board Chair Mr. Peter Lunden-Welden

Dear members of the SFS community,

We have just said farewell to the year 2014 and welcomed the year 2015. Soon we will also say farewell to the year of the blue horse and welcome the year of the green sheep. Characteristics of people born in the year of the sheep are tender, polite, clever, and kind-hearted. They have special sensitivity to art and beauty, faith in a certain religion and a special fondness for quiet living. Let us hope that our senior class of 2015 will be impacted by the sheep, as this will be their last semester at SFS. Last November I had the privilege to attend the 45th East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS) conference together with the senior admin team. The theme of this year’s conference was “Walking the Talk: Putting ‘International’ into Education.” The aim of this theme was to offer glimpses of the future of education as well as practical ideas for today’s education. I must admit that I was so motivated about how our kids today can find so many new ways to learn. During my education these would have only been considered science fiction.

One of the key note speakers, Josephine Kim, who is a lecturer at Harvard University talked about when we are faced with differences, we often revert to our ethnocentric selves, acting in line with how we were socialized to think and behave. While many of us consider ourselves global citizens, none of us is 4

above bias, prejudice and discrimination. The moment we stop engaging in the process of unpacking personal bias, prejudice and privilege, we stop transcending the “single story.”

As a result, our personal views begin to bleed into our work to the detriment of the students we serve.

Teachers and administrators in international schools have a unique opportunity to derail one-dimensional views we hold as educators, while helping our students to do the same. I found this to be so true for Seoul Foreign School.

This spring, the Board is continuing the work to move forward with the ‘Master Plan’ for our new High School. We have now received almost all necessary permission from the local “gu” office and completed our selection of local

architects. I’m very happy with how this is evolving and hope that we have your full support in creating an SFS for 21st century excellence in education.

Blessings,

Peter Lunden-Welden SFS Board Chair

Message from the Head of School Mr. Colm Flanagan

Dear SFS Community,

Firstly let me wish you all a belated but fruitful New Year! You will not be surprised to hear that things at SFS are as busy as ever! The first two months of the year are recruitment season for international schools throughout the world and the Seoul Foreign Principals and I have been scouring the globe for the very best educators. School leaders have no more important role than identifying the best teachers to guide and inspire our students. I can tell you that we are very excited by the new additions to the SFS family.

Anybody who knows Seoul Foreign understands the importance of ‘Service’ as part of our School’s mission. Many students in our High School were thoroughly engaged in a variety of service activities in

countries across the world as part of last year’s ‘Discovery Week.’ Moreover we have been busy in numerous fundraising activities for our Dongdaewon project, including the return of the highly popular SFS Pantomime. Led by our indomitable theatre director, Edie Moon, faculty members performed, ‘Once Upon a Time’ – our own take on a selection of traditional tales.

I would also like to report the continued development of our Alumni Reunions.

This year’s gatherings in London, Seoul, New York and San Francisco have been resounding successes and will help further our efforts to build our worldwide network and fundraising endeavors. Please follow all updates from our newly titled ‘Advancement Office’ formerly known as the Office of Communications, Development and Marketing, working diligently to support the long-term sustainability of our

beloved school.

Finally, I wish to thank our community for engaging in the WASC/CIS Review Survey, distributed recently to our parents, students (grades 5 and above) and alumni. This survey will be invaluable in helping us improve our School during a year-long self-study process that we have just begun.

To be informed of more developments, do click on to our ever-developing website to see all of the exciting updates at Seoul Foreign School.

Best wishes,

Colm Flanagan Head of School

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Service and Community at SFS Jean Kim Christian Ministries Coordinator For nearly 15 years, the SFS Middle School and Key Stage 3 Students have raised well over US $175,000 dollars for World Vision through the 30 Hour Famine Program.

Each February and March the entire SFS community rallies together to raise tens of thousands of dollars to help Tuberculosis patients in North Korea through the Eugene Bell Foundation. The whole school assembles together each year at the Hearts to Serve Assemblies to celebrate and learn about service done by SFS students.

In the 1990’s, the Grade 1 students started fundraising to pay for the heat for an orphanage here in Seoul and supported that orphanage for over a decade until it was financially stable and not in need of the donations.

For over 20 years, high school students have been a part of service trips to impoverished countries throughout the world.

In the High School, there are many clubs that are committed to being involved in service whether it is at SFS, in Korea or around the world through the Discovery Week program.

From Dongdaewon and the Philippines Service Trip, to the 30 Hour Famine and River of Grace, Seoul Foreign School has a long history of community service.

Furthermore, from the desire to provide more service opportunities for its students at the service learning 6

level, SFS has put effort to build long term relationships with prominent service organizations in Korea such as: Eastern Social Welfare Society, Ae Ran Won, and Angel’s Haven.

Many students’ lives have been changed through service opportunities. The following is an excerpt from a high school student’s experience of service from a recent Hearts to Serve assembly:

“I found that the key to meaningful service was to connect with people. I’ve travelled to so many diverse cultures, but my greatest takeaway is that, despite apparent differences, we are essentially the same. We all have fears, needs, the desire for happiness… Learning from others, coming to appreciate the hardships they face and understand their values really helped me grow as a

person both in my self-awareness and in my awareness of the world.“ Claire Young High School, Senior And today we are faced with a very real challenge, especially for younger students, in finding ways to be involved in meaningful service projects that involve more than just fund-raising.

Rather than just doing community service, the concept of Service Learning is being explored with the hope of Enabling students of all ages to learn how they can respond to the needs around them in meaningful acts of service and then reflect on those experiences. The desire is that for SFS students, service will not just be an act that is done, but a lifestyle that is lived throughout their lives.

Traditions of Excellence The Annual fund June Kang Director of Advancement

Dear SFS Community,

We have had a very strong start to our School year with the leadership of our Head of School, Colm Flanagan who has been eager to engage in all aspects of our School, inclusive of the ‘Communications, Development and Marketing Office’. Currently the office oversees: Annual Fund, Alumnirelations, Communications, Marketing & Advertising and Capital Fundraising for the future and will be newly referred to as the ‘Advancement Office.’

Many of you may not be familiar with this term, but it is well-used throughout many international schools and higher education covering similar areas as those of our current office. A modified definition of Advancement modified for SFS use from the CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) website articulated the following:

"A strategic, integrated method of managing relationships to increase understanding and support among an educational institutionʹs key constituents, including alumni and friends, the media, members of the community and philanthropic entities of all types.ʺ

As we move forward engaging our community of parents, alumni and others to support SFS, we are always encouraged to hear wonderful feedback from all our constituents. While our office has captured a number of alumni stories over the months (in latter pages), we were thrilled to be hosting our Seoul reunion recently in January with one of our strongest turn out of alums. We had a wonderful opportunity to share conversations and provide updates of the School today. As part of these reunions, we try to inform our alumni of how they can help support the School they love, by supporting the Annual Fund.

This Fund will grow to become a very important resource for our School and its future leadership in the international community and Asia.

$100,000 USD, you could help us realize another solid year of fundraising supporting our 6th Traditions of Excellence Annual Fund.

We would love to see all members of our community participating in our Annual Fund one day!

Faithfully Yours,

June Kang Director of Advancement jkang@seoulforeign.org

At this time, we have raised $43,000 USD, double what we raised at this time last year! We continue to see returning donors and also new participants. This is an exciting affirmation of our Annual Fund growing as it has over the years. Funds raised by June 30th 2015 will be designated towards purchasing resources for the Secondary Media Center.

We will be using these funds to help off-set costs incurred in this area. As such, if we reach our target of 7

Community of donors and sponsors ANNUAL FUND DONATION 2009-10

ANNUAL FUND DONATION 2010-11

CENTENNIAL FUND DONATION 2011-12

THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Do Yoon Kim Heather and Sunny Yi

THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Do Yoon Kim

THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Jeremy & Hojung Cheung (Parents of Nathan & Eunice Cheung) Christy Joo Eric Joo Do Yoon Kim Kathleen and Rachel Lee Helena and Isabelle Park Yong Sung Park The Shin Family

RED AND BLACK CLUB Anonymous Chul Ho Chang Timothy Cho

RED AND BLACK CLUB Kay Song (BT&I) The Kwun Family John C. O’Donnell The Shin Family THE CREST CLUB Hongchul and Yasmeen Bae Christian and Benjamin Choi James and Julie Danahy John and Alice Engstrom James and Sarah Hubbard Gunberg Celine Jin Ji Yong Lee Tracy and Tim Mohr The SFS Classified Staff Shou Liang Wang Yonhee Badminton Club CENTENNIAL CLUB Anonymous Kevin, Dee and Baker Family Andrew Byun Eunhi Cho Hyun Sook Hong Warren and Robin Hudson Carol LaCroix Andy and Joanna Lee Young Sun Lee Amy Lindholm Elizabeth Lloyd Patrick O’Malley Pete and Judy Penick Elise K. Prosser Langston and Linda Rogde Harry G. Rudolph Peter and Kelly TomHon THE LEGACY CLUB Anonymous Jeff and Barbara Benson Tony and Margaret Curran Caroline Hahn Yoo Soo Kim Insil Tahk Yoojin Um Buhm Jin Yoon Youngja Yum

THE CREST CLUB Leo Cho Christian and Benjamin Choi Shirley Droese John and Alice Engstrom Josh, Ben and Jacob Everett SeungChul Peter Hyun Rachel Lee Tzu Yu Sheng CENTENNIAL CLUB Andrew Byun Rebecca Dignan The Heller Family Carol Ann Sauer LaCroix ‘71 Alice Lavina Harrison Lee Harry, Linda and George Rudolph Heidi Stallings Michael Stern Peter and Kelly TomHon St. Mark’s Lutheran School

“I give to the Annual Fund to enable other students to benefit from the quality of education and the diversity of the student body that I experienced.”

Carol Sauer LaCroix, Class of 1971

RED AND BLACK CLUB In memory of Edwin W. Crowe ’43* For our SFS children and in honor of our parents, Richard and Patricia Ashcraft and Ed and Thelma Gaylord from John and Lynn Gaylord John and Masumi O’Donnell ’70 Tzu Yu Sheng THE CREST CLUB Jinsoo and Pearl Bae Yasmeen Bae Robert and Sondra Black In honor of the MS Faculty 2011-12 from your student, Andrew Ilhoon Byun Dong Soo Byun From the Cho Family - Paul, Jiyeon, Christopher and Natalie Christian and Benjamin Choi Noah Tae-sun Chung ’95 John and Alice Engstrom Josh, Ben and Jacob Everett Rebecca Freeman Kathleen and Timothy Gray Hana Bank—Yonhi-dong Branch Hyong Min Kim Hyong Seok Kim Nina H. Kim and Peter S. Choi George Dongkyu Ko Camila and Gabriela Gonzalez Koo James and Sarah (Hubbard) Gunberg ’71 Celine Jin J&J Catering Stephan Min Jason Oh Hyungji Park ’85 Jasmine, Iris and James J. Park In memory of Christopher Mark Thomas, loving uncle of Edward Joseph Pasternak Langston and Linda Rogde Peter and Kelly TomHon Buhm Jin Yoon CENTENNIAL CLUB Jaime Cabal Anna Castagnaro Donald N. Clark ʹ61

Lydia Colston Killough ʹ81 Dan & Joneen Copeland Nick, Sally, Isobel and Estella Corben Drs. JB and Bette Crouse, Jr. Patricia Robin Evans In honor of Mr. John Gaylord, from your SFS Children of our Centennial Year Chloe Dain Han Christine Jane Han Youngsook Hahm Hyun Sook Hong Ryan Jeon Jeen and Bomsinae Kim Yoo Soo Kim John Kimm ‘84 Korea Exchange Bank – Yonhi-dong Branch Jennifer Koenig ’92* Grace and Riley Kwak Family Andy and Joanna Lee Chang Hwan Lee Haeeun Heather Lee ’05 Jaehyun Jacob Lee The Jugant Family In honor of Mrs. Mary Ellen Lee, from your 1L children of our Centennial Year Robert Lee ’60* David Livingston ’72* Monika and Ewa Marczuk In honor of Ms. Dawn Melarvie, from your SFS children of our Centennial Year In honor of Mrs. Edie Moon from the HS cast of ‘Back to the 80s’ Mitsuaki Morita ’79* John C. O’Donnell ‘70 Maura O’Donnell-McCarthy ’75* Gene Jaewoo Park Harry, Linda & George Rudolph ‘07 In Memory of Robert G. Sauer, Former Trustee & Teacher Frank Shyn ’87* Yage Song Yarene Song Hannah Summers Kai Summers Linda Wang Judi Sargent Whitmire ’78 Sen Di Ten Yoojin Um In honor of Mr. Nathan Walker from the MS cast of ‘Oliver Twist’ Morgan and Jordan Yi Youngja Yum THE LEGACY CLUB Lance, Mary, Ethan, Mason and Porter Ence Kisoon Nam Misty Skidmore

The Heritage Club $ 100,000 +

1912 Society $ 50,00

The Crest Club $ 1,000 +

Centennial Club $ 1

CATEGORIES OF GIVING: 8

Community of donors and sponsors ANNUAL FUND DONATION 2012-13

ANNUAL FUND DONATION 2013-14

THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Do Yoon Kim Tzu Yu Sheng

1912 SOCIETY Jenna Lee

RED AND BLACK CLUB Jaeho and Soojin Choi Jane Nicole Lee THE CREST CLUB Hyung & Andrea Ahn Anonymous Yasmeen Bae Robert and Sondra Black Leo Cho From the Cho Family—Paul, Jiyeon, Christopher and Natalie Christian and Benjamin Choi The Kimberly Clark Foundation John and Alice Engstrom Rob and Laura Everett James and Sarah (Hubbard) Gunberg ‘71 Haelyung Hwang & Younghee Cha Euiseok Kim & Regina Ryu ʹ87* Nina H. Kim, Peter S. Choi and Kate Kim Choi Seogoo Lee & Suyoung Nam The Lim Family Hyungji Park ʹ85 Jasmine, Iris & James J. Park Sookook Company Peter & Kelly TomHon CENTENNIAL CLUB Christina Farley Hyun Sook Hong Mr. & Mrs. Brian Hunsaker Mike & Lauren Jackson George Dongkyu Ko Alice D. Lavina Harry, Linda & George Rudolph ‘07 Jack and Rachel Shao Frank Shyn ’87* Yoojin Um James S. Weaver, Jr. Family Fund Rick Wilson

**All returning donors have been marked in red.

THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Yong Sung Park Tzu Yu Sheng RED AND BLACK CLUB Jane Nicole Lee THE CREST CLUB Hyung and Andrea Ahn Robert and Sondra Black BT&I—Kay Song Christian and Benjamin Choi John and Alice Engstrom Christina Farley James and Sarah (Hubbard) Gunberg ‘71 Haelyung Hwang and Younghee Cha J&J Catering Euiseok Kim and Regina Ryu ‘87* Roger H. Kim ‘93 George Dongkyu Ko The Lim Family The Nahm Family Hyungji Park ‘85 Jasmine, Iris & James J. Park Peter Pin ‘77 Michelle Sohn Peter and Kelly TomHon Verizon Matching Fund CENTENNIAL CLUB Olivia and Alicia Chung Donald N. Clark ‘61 Romulo H. Delmendo ‘79 Mr. and Mrs. Brian Hunsaker Mike and Lauren Jackson Graeme and Carol Kent Henry Kim Blair and Kim Lee Brian Lee Susan Pope ‘90 The Rudolph Family Joanna Seung Richard and Cynthia Seymour Frank Shyn ‘87* Michael L. Stern ‘78 Lauren, Adam, Jade and Ella Teather Yoojin Um James S. Weaver, Jr. Family Fund LEGACY CLUB Anonymous Christian Choi ‘14 Albert Kim ‘14 Kisoon Nam (Chun)

0,000 + $ 100 +

The Millennium Club $ 10,000 +

ANNUAL FUND DONATION 2014-15 THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Jenna Lee Tzu Yu Sheng RED AND BLACK CLUB Eulho Suh & KyungEn Kim ‘90* THE CREST CLUB Anonymous Alum Robert and Sondra Black Christian ’14 and Benjamin Choi Colm and Sinead Flanagan James and Sarah (Hubbard) Gunberg ‘71 Justin Jang The Lim Family - Class of ‘07 & ‘10 The Nahm Family Katherine and Justin Oh CENTENNIAL CLUB Anonymous Alum Hyun Sook Hong Mike, Lauren, Trevor & Colin Jackson The Kent Family Hugh Lee GE Star Award - Christopher Luke ‘14 Susan Pope ‘90 Carol Ann Sauer LaCroix ‘71 Juhie Suh ‘92 Yoojin Um Peter Wang ‘68 James S. Weaver, Jr. Family Fund LEGACY CLUB Albert Kim ‘14

Red & Black Club $ 5,000 +

The Legacy Club Any amount given by friends and relatives

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SFS Theatre Updates Edie Moon School Wide Drama Director

Daniel LEE , Junior in “The Arrival”

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Inspired by the experience of physical theatre training led by Butoh artist and practitioner, Mr. Mark Hill, earlier this fall and the experience of devising a variety of creative works in class, the IB Theatre Arts Year One and Two students have recently performed and produced two avant garde performances.

The Year One students selected the brilliant and artistic graphic novel entitled The Arrival by Shaun Tan and created a physical theatre performance as a means of bringing the story of the

The Underworld set in “Eurydice” in to the power of the story as they were moved to consider their own experiences with “arrival” in new worlds.

immigrant to life. As part of their

devising process, the theatre students examined their individual “arrival” stories while researching and building the story of Tan’s imaginative illustrations.

characters moved from life to death and back to life again while desperately clinging to love and memories.

Students together designed set, costumes, lighting and sound and collaborated on a cohesive vision which they developed and presented for their unique interpretation of this timeless story.

Lucy DORNBACH, Senior as Eurydice

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The Year Two students collaborated on Sarah Ruhl’s re-telling of the well-known Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice. For their performance of Eurydice, the entire Black Box was transformed into the “underworld” of Hades as

Using movement, gesture, music, film and lighting, the actors/production team members immediately drew the audience

The Arrival

Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl

SFS Theatre Updates Edie Moon School Wide Drama Director THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL!

Pink Panther Cast at rehearsals

Calling all super heroes and super sleuths! A talented group of middle school students will be soon be performing The Pink Panther Strikes Again by William Gleason. This fast paced comedy is featuring many middle school veteran actors and a few fresh faces too.

Eunjung SHIN, Theatre Assistant has designed a fantastic set for the actors to play in and Samantha STONE will direct her second production here at SFS.

‘The world’s most unusual criminologist, Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau fights for his life and for the future of all mankind 9 in the most bizarre and dangerous caper of his brilliantly successful and utterly clumsy career.’

Paula Dreyfus, once his long suffering boss, now turned lunatic, holds the world for ransom with the ultimate weapon, ‘The Doomsday Machine.’ (The Pink Panther Strikes Again, William Gleason) Dreyfus is out to get the man who drove her insane with her wicked band of assassins led by Olga, the beautiful Russian spy.

For ALL other SFS productions, please check the SFS Fine Arts webpage and Haiku page for updates, ticket information, photos, reviews and more!

Will he slip their net? Will Dreyfus beat him at his own game? Will the pink panthers actually return? These and many other inexorable questions will be answered during the

7 Edie MOON with Aidan DOBSON , Junior

production on March 13th, 14th 2015 in Robb Hall Theatre.

Sam STONE, Director

HIGH SCHOOL FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT PERFORMS THE TIMELESS LOVE STORY AIDA Winner of 4 Tony Awards, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida is “an

epic tale of love, loyalty and betrayal” chronicling the love triangle between Aida, a Nubian princess stolen from her country, Amneris, an Egyptian princess, and Radames, the soldier they both love.”

The question is asked whether

love can transcend vast cultural differences between warring nations.

With a multicultural cast of over 40 talented high school students from grades 9-12 and under the direction of Mrs. Edie MOON (director), Mr. Tom FORD (vocal director), Mrs. Marion STATTON (musical director) and Ms. Menya JEFFERSON (choreographer), this magic and passion of this story will unfold on the Lyso Center stage, April 17thand 18th.

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Faculty Profile Dr. Janie Brooks HS Head of Science National University.

She and her husband, also a professor, both intended to stay for a year as tenure professors but ended up staying here for 7 years, loving Seoul.

Prior to SFS, Dr. Brooks taught students at Sung Kyun Kwan University but was faced with many cultural challenges and l language barriers. She encountered Mr. Stuart Kent (current HS Principal) at a Forensics competition where her son was participating.

Dr. Janie Brooks

Dr. Janie Brooks is like a ‘rock star’ at Seoul Foreign High School. Students not only appreciate and respect her expertise and knowledge in Science but also her guidance and practical survival skills, which has been a great help for students going to College/ University. She is an invaluable asset to SFS and her continued passion for learning and challenging oneself is a stellar model of our SFS teacher.

Janie first came to Korea 7 years ago for a Korean government funded fellowship ‘BK 21’ project at Seoul 12

Janie was invited to teach our High School IB students. Although she had only taught at the University level, the amazing science laboratories and facilities, academically motivated and highlydriven students at SFS, coupled with IB being a Freshman level at University, drew instant interest for her to officially joined the School 4 years ago.

“SFS is a demanding place to be. IB students have 60 hours of laboratory work during their IB course which is a much stronger and challenging program than the AP program in the U.S. However, our students work very hard and

continuously challenge themselves to meet their goals and learn more. I myself as teacher continue to learn new things every day and challenge myself.

This is what I feel is important as a teacher… I cannot ask my students to learn and be challenged if I don’t practice this myself” Janie recently published, The PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) in the Science Journal and has two more in the works. Starting

in

March, she will be an Adjunct Professor at Yonsei University, Department of Life Science and Bio Technology teaching graduate students.

She still keeps connections with former universities continuing to do research and refreshing her area of expertise.

By utilizing her personal time and the professional development support SFS offers, she has always continued to keep up with her professionalism and network in her Science field.

Now as the Head of the Science Department at SFS, she would like to use her network with Korean

Faculty Profile Dr. Janie Brooks HS Head of Science

Dr. Brooks with her students in Chemistry class

universities to benefit our students and faculty. She has already planned a summer internship for an SFS alum, Irene Kim at Yonsei University and would also like to bring Yonsei graduate students into her Chemistry class for exchanges.

This exchange with Yonsei University will provide an opportunity for our HS students to have exposure to

laboratory work in college/university and also share their findings with Korean students.

Being at a Christian School, Janie is

thankful for the freedom of exploring our beliefs as well as learning accurate science to inform our lives. By learning science it gives us a better picture of looking at the world with dierent perspectives. She is grateful to the School for not mandating our faith and appreciates the support provided towards career development as well

as a balance in life.

Not only is Janie a hard learner and a scholar but a fun person to be with. She is very open to learning new cultures and exploring new things. She says that she is fortunate to live o campus so that she gets to experience true Korea as a foreigner. She enjoys cooking Korean food, traveling on public transportation and learning the day to day life of Koreans.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HS DISCOVERY WEEK

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"The Mongolia service trip

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made me realize how important it is to be grateful for more than just material things. It showed me what it means to create meaningful relationships no 4 matter your dierences in life.ʺ Lucy Dornbach, Grade 12

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6

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HS Discovery Week

“There were great people to explore

with, and fun leaders and teachers that were willing to organize it all.

While we were in the rainforest sleeping outdoors, I felt as if I was really exploring a part of the world I’d never been to before. “ Jake Lycett, Grade 10 Thailand “Elephants” Trip

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HS Discovery Week

Discovery Week (DW) is an exceptional program in our High School, which offers students myriad opportunities to challenge themselves by growing, learning, and serving others all around the world. In hopes of providing students with exceptional experiences and educational opportunities, the program is guided by Seoul Foreign School’s mission to promote Christian values, personal integrity, and responsible world citizenship. All available trips seek to provide students with various educational experiences, specifically from one of these elements: service, historical/cultural enrichment, physical challenge/skill acquisition or academic enrichment.

“We had some tough times like when we had to dig for hours on end in order to make toilets for an elementary school. However, now that I reflect back on those tiring activities, I think it was nice that I helped the community there! “ Saejin Chang, Grade 9 Fiji Service & Culture Trip

Vietnam Service Trip

“It was an academically enriching experience that I wouldn’t have been otherwise able to experience. The conferences were invigorating. It felt like I was actually a part of the United Nations, involved in actual politics and world crises. “ Alyssa Choi, Grade 9 SEOMUN

SEOMUN For a more comprehensive look at this year’s Discovery Week programs, take a look at the compiled data below:

Philippines Service Trip

“Through this experience, I realized how blessed I was with everything I have. The children I taught there at the schools were always smiling and treated us with so much love. I will never forget the faces of the children living in the village that was hit by the tsunami, when they received a cup of porridge. “

28 courses offered this year 15 overseas courses 13 Korea or local Seoul courses 293 students were part of overseas courses 213 students were part of Korea or local courses 41 students in largest course (Philippines Service trip) 11 students in smallest course (Fun with Physics and Artisans of Creation) 8,852 kilometers traveled to farthest overseas course (London) 539 kilometers traveled to closest overseas course (Fukuoka) 13 courses that included service work during the week

Cooking in Korea

Eunice Kang, Grade 10 Philippines Service Trip 17

SFS Sports Summary Varsity Boys Basketball/APAC Swim Team “This team was very fun to coach. The

chemistry was strong, the captains displayed leadership and all 12 guys bought into our system of putting the team first and relying on strong defense to carry us. What stands out the most is the teamʹs perseverance and character in the face of SFS Varsity Boys Basketball Team adversity. Many of win and never gave up, no matter what our wins were come from behind victories the score. That is something that you where we had to battle back in the 4th cannot coach and I am extremely proud of quarter. They always believed we could how these young men represented Seoul

Foreign School. Our teams are a family and this team embodied that perfectly on and off the court. I am very thankful for the hard work and dedication of this team and look forward to more successful seasons in the years to come.

GO CRUSADERS!ʺ Coach Chris Simpson

APAC Swimming Championship, Shanghai, China Coach Mark Worden

The SFS high school swim team traveled to Shanghai, China during the last weekend of January, to compete in the APAC Swimming Championships at Shanghai American School, Puxi Campus.

Four highlights stand out in relation to this meet. The team clearly bonded more closely with experiences at the pool and away from the pool, the

team set eight new school records, 90% of the team had at APAC Swim Team least one personal record and some had a positive homestay experience. It was look forward to next year’s meet. had as many as five, and everyone a fun and memorable trip that makes us

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2014 Cross Country Season Steve Dornbach Cross Country Team Coach who dominated KAIAC and established himself as the fastest runner on the peninsula this year!

The Varsity girls proved themselves strong from the start, won every race throughout the season and brought home the KAIAC season and tournament championships again! Grace Charnesky Brent in his (11) led the girls andsenior put year herself in

position for the 2nd fastest SFS girls’ time in history. Both boys and girls squads learned how to run as a team, push each other and develop into a cohesive group. The future of SFS Cross Country continues to look bright …and fast! The Cross Country records and achievements are listed below: 4

The High School Cross Country season was another one to remember! SFS has a proud history of very strong runners and many accomplishments to speak of. The 2014 campaign was shaping up to be a transition year with the loss of so many varsity seniors and the departure of long-time coach, Amos Lyso.

To the credit of the young runners, returning runners who rose to the challenge of taking responsibility and

*Girls KAIAC League Champs (22-0) new varsity coach Brett Loewen, the term *Girls KAIAC Tournament Champs *Girls KAIAC All-Conference: Grace “transition” was nowhere in sight this Charnesky, Kinga Gross, Tabitha Kim season! *Boys KAIAC All-Conference: Addison This year’s campaign started strong again, Smith, Shin Chul Moon th th with 75+ runners braving the August heat *API/Guam: Girls, 4 place; Boys, 12 place and humidity and the improvement continued each week. Both the boys and girls Open (Junior Varsity) runners dominated each race and captured many of the top 20 spots. The boys Varsity was led by newcomer, Addison Smith (11) 7

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Farewell to Rob & Sondra Black

On Saturday, November 22, 2014, a

“When you ask Rob to do

farewell gathering was hosted for the Assistant Head of School – Operations, Mr. Robert Black and his wife, Sondra Black who served as the representative for Financial Planning and Analysis. It was Rob’s 4th year being a part of the SFS faculty and Sondra’s 6th year. 50 faculty and friends joined to recognize their commitment and service to the School over the years.

something, it’ll come back in the form of a powerpoint…”, “… with back up slides!”, “…the amount of work Rob can get through is just staggering…”

couraged many students through. A gift was presented to the Blacks on behalf of the Board and the photo (below) was framed and signed by faculty and friends as a token of well-wishes from all who will miss the presence and participation of the Blacks in Seoul.

The Head of School commented on how he would miss working with Rob and his creativity, drive and passion and also thanked Sondra for her invaluable support to Rob and the School. He also made a quip regarding whether Sondra could remain with SFS despite Rob’s departure. The Board Chair reflected on Rob’s support to the Fiscal Property committee for which he once chaired and thanked Rob for his passion to support the School even as a Varsity Basketball Coach, for which he inspired and en-

Rob and Sondra are currently living in Westlake Village, North of Los Angeles and Rob is working for Oaks Christian School as their Chief Finance Officer.

The Blacks have long been a part of the SFS community and all their three sons are alumni of the School, with their eldest son, John BLACK ‘04 currently working as the Theatre Manager and married to another alum, Stephanie SMALL BLACK ‘05, current HS Biology Teacher. Wishing you well, Rob & Sondra!

The gathering was held at ‘Jenny’s Café in Yonhi dong, blocked for the special occasion. Both the Board Chair, Mr. Peter Lunden-Welden and Mr. Colm Flanagan, current Head of School, offered some words of thanks and recognition for the invaluable work and dedication that the Blacks provided the School throughout the years.

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Alumni Homecoming January 2015 2010s Daniel KIM ‘10 - Business Marketing alumni spanning the 1970s to 2014 visited Consultant the SFS campus to join in our Jeff LIM ‘10 Homecoming festivities and games, Kayla MOON ‘10 - SFS Intern where, alumni were welcomed at our Janet CHO ‘11 - Last year of College in NY alumni booth. This year, our newly Jacob LUNDEN-WELDEN ‘12 - Instituto designed alumni bags were presented to Empresa, Spain, Business Administration those at the Homecoming games. It is Roy SHIN ‘12 - US Navy always great to have alumni back on Lily HA ‘13 campus sharing their memories and their Sam JOO ‘13 current news. For those of you who are in Erin KIM ‘13 - Univ. of Illinois, Biomedical town and planning a trip to Seoul, don’t Engineering miss out on the annual Homecoming Irene KIM ‘13 - Boston College, games which take place on the first Biochemistry Friday of the week after we resume from Kristine PARK ‘13 Christmas break. Here are a list of alumni Sanghyo YOON ‘13 - Emory Univ., Math/ who signed in at the Homecoming games: Business Sangyeon CHAE ‘14 - UC Berkeley 1970s Brennan HAN ‘14 - Rice Univ.

Edie RADER MOON ‘77 - SFS Faculty Sunwoo HONG ‘14 - Univ. of Illinois, Urbana Champagne 1980s Eric H. JOO ‘14 Ginger RICHTER ‘80—US Embassy Seoul Andy H. KIM ‘14 - Emerson Univ.

Mary SPACKMAN ‘87 - Interior Designer Erin KIM ‘14 - Univ. of Penn., Communications 2000s Seon Woo KIM ‘14 - Boston College Michelle KIM ‘00 - SFS Parent Taylor KIM ‘14 - Univ. of Southern Calif.

John BLACK ‘04 - SFS Faculty Peter LEE ‘14 - UC Berkeley Michelle FROESE ‘04 - SFS Faculty Alex YOON ‘14 - Penn State Univ.

Paul RADER ‘04 - SFS Faculty Angela YOON ‘14 - Univ. of Penn.

Harrison CREECH ‘05 - YISS Faculty Stephanie SMALL BLACK ‘05 - SFS Faculty Kristen BARENNES CREECH ‘06 - YISS Faculty Steph LIM ‘07 - Law School Jennifer PARK ‘07 - PhD Program on Education Policy Hayes CREECH ‘08 - FIFA.com Kevin HO ‘08 - Medical Company Stephen AHN ‘09 Meganne BENGER ‘09– SFS Intern Derek KO ‘09 Karen LEE ‘09—Seattle Univ. grad and working for Non-Profit Org. in Colombia Willis LEE ‘09

On Friday, January 9th 2015, over 40

Angela YOON ‘14 & Taylor KIM‘14

Daniel KIM ‘10 & Janet CHO ‘11

Andy KIM, Seon Woo KIM, Brennan HAN & Peter LEE ‘14 21

The Revival of the SFS Faculty Panto!

Alumni Notes/Visits Edie Moon & Sarah Carpenter, SFS Faculty

The worlds of the ARTS and SERVICE come together with the Revival of The SFS FACULTY PANTO!

The show sold out two performances in Robb Hall and ultimately raised over six and a half thousand dollars for Dongdaewon.

The faculty pantomime has always been linked to our Dongdaewon fundraising as all funds raised from the faculty pantomime go towards

supporting the Dongdaewon initiative. Dongdaewon is a care centre in North Korea, treating patients with Multiple Drug Resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). SFS partners with the Eugene Bell foundation, which oversee the medication and treatment of the MDR patients.

Eugene Bell regularly checks that patients are receiving their medication and that the programs are being administered properly.

Nico VISAHAN, Current BS Faculty

Although it has been on hiatus for a few years, the faculty pantomime has a long history at Seoul Foreign School. This beloved British theatre form was introduced to SFS about 15 years ago by Ruth ALEXANDER, a former British School sta member. Traditionally members of faculty, sta and administration would rehearse for 2 weeks and then perform! This year we did it in 3!

Under the direction of Edie MOON and with the work of producer and Dongdaewon Coordinator, Jo BIGWOOD and numerous volunteers, over 30 faculty and administrators banded together to present a family pantomime entitled Once Upon a Fairy Tale.

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From left: Jo BIGWOOD, Patti SWANSON, & Sean CARY

The Revival of the SFS Faculty Panto!

Edie Moon & Sarah Carpenter, SFS Faculty

Each year SFS sends a staff member on one of the Eugene Bell visits to North Korea.

We not only give the gift of life with medicine, but an incredible gift of hope to patients, who see that they are cared for.

They are incredibly grateful to Seoul Foreign School and have expressed this on multiple occasions.

For more information on our fundraising, please visit our blog: http://sfsdongdaewon.blogspot.kr.

The Panto was just the beginning of many other fund raising events to come!

Criteria 1. Candidate must be supportive of the School in word and action.

2. Someone who has achieved success in their field and is committed to public service.

Please read the criteria below carefully and forward your 3. Must have attended SFS for at least two years nominations for possible candidates with their (does not have to be a graduate). achievements and the reason why you are recommending Additional Information the particular alum to Yoojin Um at th, The Alumnus Award recipient will be invited to the High yjum@seoulforeign.org no later than Friday, March 6 School graduation in June and will present the SFS 2015. Final selection will be made by the Alumni Alumni Committee Award to the winning senior. Alumni Committee. who are also currently employed at SFS can also be nominated.

2015 will be SFS’s 17th year presenting the “Alumnus of the Year Award.” Dr. Gene MOON ‘93 was the recipient last year.

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Seoul Alumni Reunion January 16, 2015 For some years now, the annual Seoul Alumni dinner gatherings have been hosted at the Head of schoolʹs residence just after Homecoming Games. This year, however, we hosted the gathering at ʹJennyʹs Cafe,ʹ an Italian restaurant near to the School a week after Homecoming.

We were thrilled to have a gathering of 36 participants, of which 28 were alumni.

The special support of class reps and alumni reaching out to other alumni helped to create the successful gathering.

A presentation was offered by the Head of school, Colm Flanagan and the Director of Advancement (office formerly referred to as Communications, Development and Marketing), June Kang. A school video (created by Kelly RIEMER CUSICK ’81* for the Centennial), was revised for use of current recruitment of faculty. This was shared to update alumni about the

24

School and also to provide an idea of material currently being used for faculty recruitment to the School.

A delicious buffet dinner was offered and alumni enjoyed exchanging stories over wonderful Italian cuisine. The HOS hosted some fun trivia games to challenge alumni regarding how well they knew information about SFS from the past and present. Prizes were also offered to members of the class of 2004 for having the most representatives participating.

Alex PAIK ʹ04 (2004 class rep) was recognized for his lion share of reaching out to members of his class. Also recognized were Claire (Juhi) AHN KIM ʹ73 and Peter UNDERWOOD ʹ73 for representing the earliest graduating class at the gathering. Both have been huge supporters to many events hosted by SFS throughout the years. Another special alum in attendance was Ginger RICHTER ‘80, who helped to reach out to a number of Seoul alumni. Ginger is the daughter of

Ron and Ruth RICHTER, Former ES Principal and HS Counselor. Ruth was also the Schoolʹs Alumni Coordinator for many years and both Ron and Ruth continue to serve on the Friends of SFS Board in the US. A draw was held towards the end of the evening, where a return trip to Jeju island was up for grabs. While Peter UNDERWOOD ’73 was the first recipient of this prize, he deferred his acceptance and another draw was made.

Mary SPACKMAN ʹ87 also deferred the prize, finally arriving to the lucky recipient, Bethany STALLINGS ʹ07.

We are grateful for all alumni who were able to join the event and look forward to hosting similar alumni gatherings for the future!

Seoul Alumni Reunion January 16, 2015

3

John BLACK ‘04, Alex PAIK ‘04 & Stephanie SMALL BLACK ‘05

4

Mary SPACKMAN ‘87, Bethany STALLINGS ‘07 & Peter UNDERWOOD ‘73

Peter UNDERWOOD ‘73 & Claire (Juhi) AHN KIM ‘73

Susan KONG ‘05, Hannah RADER– Current Faculty, Stephanie SMALL BLACK ‘05, Victoria YU ‘04 & Michelle FROESE ‘04‘

Ginger RICHTER ‘80 & Alex PAIK ‘04

Vera JANSON ‘79 with son Daniel, Ginger RICHTER ‘80 & Arthur CHOY ‘78*

From left: Vicky WON ‘03, Steve KIM ‘04, Shawn SEILER ‘04*, Paul RADER ‘04 & Philip AHN ‘04 25

London Alumni Reunion January 24, 2015

It was my fist time attending one of these events and it definitely lived up to my expectations! After a short walk from our Hotel, Colm (HOS) and I arrived at Gaon Korean restaurant and were ushered into a small private room.

In quick fashion, food and drinks were ordered and SFS alum from years past started to arrive. There were past British Governors there and also students who attended SFS from as early as the 80s to as recent as last year. It was very special to have Kevin Baker, Former HS Principal present as well.

During the meal there was lots of reminiscing and story telling about how SFS had impacted the lives of those present. Colm gave a short speech and showed the latest recruitment video, which received warm praise.

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On a very personal note it was wonderful to sit between a student whom I taught History to in my first year at SFS and who is now completing a PHD in Medical Biology and a graduate from 2014 and listen to them share memories of being at SFS. In attendance were : 1980s Victoria STRACHAN ‘82 1990s Marco PAINI ‘91 Stuart RICHARDSON ‘93 Alex KIM ‘98* 2000s Cathy KIM (Former Board) Lynn CHUNG ‘04

Kieran GRAY ‘08 Lara GODDEN ‘08* Ayano DOMOTO ‘08 Konstantin FRITZ ‘09 2010s Sammy HAN ‘14 Former Administrator Kevin BAKER, Former HS Principal Stuart/Julia RICHARDSON, Former BS Board/Governors Cathy KIM, Former BS Board/Governors Written by Stuart KENT, HS Principal

Alumni Interview Leah Chung, Class of 2010

I attended SFS from preschool to my Senior year of high school. When youʹre at the same school for 16 years of your life it becomes a love/hate relationship. You sometimes hate it because if youʹre at any organization long enough, you get to witness the fun, behind-the-scenes politics at play, as well as experience the creeping tuition prices year by year. But you also love it because you have friends from all over the world, and though they come and go, you eventually have a pretty global network at your disposal and world domination becomes a bit easier.

Leah with sister Lynn CHUNG ‘04 and Mother

under the training of Coach Joon MYONG in high school taught me how to be competitive and resilient, both physically and mentally. The 4 years of hill repeats and Indian sprints plowing through the snow are probably what gave me the mental strength to endure countless allnighters in studio as well as 8-hour critiques at RISD. To my young friends, If youʹre interested in studying or ʹdoingʹ design, know what it is first. I recommend you read Victor Papanekʹs ʺDesign for the Real World.ʺ Afterwards, reevaluate what you know about design and ask yourself if you really still want to go to design school or be in the design field. I am not yet fully immersed in the design field so I cannot tell you what itʹs like.

But if you are one of those rare breeds who are passionate about using your design talents to serve the needs of people (the bottom 90%) and planet, do know that itʹs still a nascent space in the industry and that you will not

be able to just skip along the neatly paved yellow brick road in front of you. You will have to get creative and build your own jagged path, brick by brick. If youʹre interested, email me at leahericachung@gmail.com

I was honored that Ms. Wiebusch wanted me to come in and speak to both her classes. I, to this day, fear Ms. Wiebusch in the best way possible, and for her to allow me to speak during her precious, precious class time meant a lot. To be honest, I did want to come back to

SFS in a more dramatic fashion perhaps as a billionaire or a decorated U.S. Congresswoman in a fleet of black GMCs. Nevertheless, I was happy to make it back full circle and give back to the youth.

Leah CHUNG with Cathi WIEBUSCH’s English class Being part of the girlʹs varsity soccer team 27

Alumni Interview Seline Jung, Class of 2010 I attended SFS from junior kindergarten until graduation. My experience was mostly positive, as it fostered an amazing childhood and so many memories I still distinctly hold close to me. I met some of my best friends at SFS who I will know for the rest of my life. I also understand that it really isnʹt a typical experience - being a Korean-American born in the U.S. but living in Seoul, it made for a unique dichotomy at home, and my SFS experience has taught me a lot about identity, culture and privilege among other things.

SFS definitely prepared me well for college academically. I particularly want to give a shout-out to teachers such as Ms. Wiebusch and Mrs. Moon, who I learned immensely useful skills from that would ultimately make my life so much easier in college. Itʹs the teachers that push you and expect your best as well as the ones who encourage you to explore other subjects and teach you how to think critically and analytically that continued to impact me well after I entered my first classroom in college. For that Iʹm grateful.

If there are any high school seniors who are thinking of becoming a journalist or studying journalism in college, I have two pieces of advice - firstly, think of real-world, hands-on experience as the most important thing you can ever do for your career. Experiences inform journalists, so whatever you do, you can use that knowledge to better inform your writing and provide context. Whether itʹs being a waitress, a science lab researcher, or a student teacher, trust me that they will all be useful to you in some way in the future. Jump at opportunities and get internships. I also highly encourage you to take a sociology class in college - whether itʹs about race, gender, religion, science, poverty or economy, a sociological background of any topic is crucial and so important to understanding what you are 28

writing about in the future. My sociology classes in college helped me so much to put the news into context.

Also - read a lot of news! You should always be reading the news.

Coming back to SFS and sharing my experiences with high school students was so rewarding. It was great to be transported back to my high school days, both physically as well as mentally and emotionally. I was so happy to introduce a new topic to a group of students and share my research and thoughts on a subject Iʹm so passionate about. It really was like seeing something come full-circle in a small way. It reminded me of how much Iʹve grown in knowledge and also the exciting path that these students are inevitably going to take in the next few years in college. I also always feel a little bit like a nervous teenager walking the halls of SFS nothing has changed in that way!

Some of my best and worst memories come from my time at SFS - itʹs a place where I did a lot of growing and learning. Itʹs a place that never leaves you in some shape or form; Iʹll remember it always and I know I have my SFS alum network wherever I go in the world.

Seline JUNG ‘10

BIO: Seline is a recent graduate from Boston Universityʹs College of Communication, where she majored in journalism with a concentration in international relations.

In Boston she was a writer for BostInno, a local online news site with a focus on the innovation and tech scene. Sheʹs previously worked for the Korea JoongAng Daily and currently does some stringer work for Forbes Asia. She is currently a post-production assistant for the upcoming teen comedy ʺSeoul Searching,ʺ and is loving being back in Seoul.

Seline JUNG with Cathi WIEBUSCH’s English class

Alumni Interview Michael O’Donnell, Class of 1970 On November 21, 2014, both Colm Flanagan (HOS) and June Kang (Director of Advancement) had the privilege of hosting a lunch for Dr. Michael OʹDONNELL ‘70, who was visiting Seoul to offer lectures and presentations for Yonsei University School of Health, Catholic University hospital and Kore National Rehabilitation Center seeking on health promotion and healthy lifestyles.

Michael is the first recipient of our “Alum of the Year” Award back in 1999. His brother John OʹDONNELL ʹ70 has been generously providing the International Businessperson of the Future Scholarship awarded to a recipient of the Senior class each year, since 2003. His daughter Allison O’DONNELL ‘02* also attended SFS for a year.

While we have had the pleasure of John OʹDONNELL ‘70 participating in our 5 6 Centennial Year with his wife Masumi, in addition to a past and recent New York alumni reunion, this was the first visit we have had with Michael. We had the pleasure of hearing all the precious stories of his experiences in Korea as he could recall from when he attended SFS in the 1970s. He was also given a full

is available at the local bookstores.

When we asked Michael to make a statement about Seoul Foreign School he said, “I can’t think of a better

place to form lifelong friendships, enhance core values that will guide you for a lifetime, and engage in a 3 learning process that will provide an intellectual foundation for any future opportunity in life.”

4 Michael O’DONNELL ‘70 with June KANG, Director of Advancement Michael currently lives in Michigan with his wife, Leslie.

Bio:  Michael P. O’Donnell, MBA, MPH, PhD  Editor in Chief, American Journal of Health Promotion  Clinical Professor, School of 7Kinesiology and Director, Health Management Research Center, University of Michigan

tour of the campus and commented “it’s

amazing how the school keeps developing, facilities are beautiful and students are so smart.” He said that looking at the old high school building brought back so many memories. Being a health promotion specialist, he also went hiking on Ansan, (the hill behind SFS and Yonsei University,) during his visit.

Michael recently published the 4th edition of his book, ‘Health Promotion in the Workplace: Improving Awareness, Enhancing Motivation, Building Skills and Creating Opportunities.’ This book has also been translated into Korean and

From left: Allison O’DONNELL ’02*, Michael ’70, his wife Leslie and his oldest daughter Lyndsay.

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Alumni Notes/Visits

1970s Class Rep: Veronica CREVECOEUR ‘76

Jim RATHBUN ’80 with his wife, Kimberly and children Caleb & Abigail Michael O’DONNELL ‘70 Michael OʹDONNELL ʹ70 visited on November 21, 2014 all the way from Michigan. Michael is currently the Editor in Chief, American Journal of Health Promotion, Clinical Professor, School of Kinesiology and Director, Health Management Research Center, University of Michigan. He was visiting Seoul to give lectures to universities and hospitals in Korea. He commented that it is amazing how the school keeps developing, facilities are beautiful and students are so smart.

Touring the campus brought back memories of the past and he wanted to tell the current students to appreciate the time you have at school and value the friendships formed, as they are special. He mentioned his high school friend, Bob MACKOY ’70 who he still keeps in touch with.

1980s Jim RATHBUN ’80 visited SFS with his wife, Kimberly, his son Caleb (7th Grade) and daughter Abigail (3rd Grade). His oldest daughter Hannah is in college and couldn’t make it on the trip. Jim was born in Seoul when his parents John (Former 30

Board member) and Joyce (Former Teacher) RATHBUN were serving as TEAM missionaries in Korea. All his siblings John ’75, Joe ‘78* and Joanna ‘84* attended SFS. During Jim’s HS years, he was involved in basketball, band, and performed in a play called “The Tempest” under the direction of Mrs. ROBB. He was happy to see the historical pictures up on the Centennial Timeline in the Centennial Welcome Center and was even able to spot his old home.

One of the memories he shared while at SFS was when there was a fire in Robb Hall when he was in Grade 3.

After graduating from SFS, Jim went to Wheaton College to receive his Math teaching certificate and served as a HS Math teacher and Asst. Principal in Venezuela for 13 years. He is now working for TEAM in mobilization, new member development and new church connections/relations.

Mrs. Kee Hyun SUNG, Former Staff (left) and Ginger RICHTER ‘80 (right) On October 13th, Ginger RICHTER ’80 visited SFS with Mrs. Kee Hyun SUNG, Former Staff. Ginger has recently moved to Seoul and is working for the U.S. Embassy. She commented “It’s weird to be here with all the changes but great to be home!” Ginger just missed seeing Jim RATHBUN ’80, her classmate and would like all Class of 1980 who will be visiting Seoul to contact her anytime.

Ginger’s e-mail is gingergrichter@hotmail.com

Class of 1994 - 20 Year Reunion

1990s Class Rep: David RHA ‘92 Class Rep: Renee KANG ‘94 Class Rep: Lionel CHUFFART ‘95* The Class of 1994 got together last December in Seoul to celebrate their 20 year graduation from SFS. Renee KANG, class representative was actively involved in organizing this event. They had fun gathering; sharing fond memories of SFS and their current stories. Our Advancement Office also supported the event by providing some SFS gifts. Pictured above is the Class of 1994 posing with these SFS gifts.

Heejin KIM ‘03* with her husband, Matt

visiting Korea for another wedding reception with Heejin’s family members. Heejin attended SFMS from 1992-99 and was actively involved in Band, Chorus and the Soccer team. She remembered travelling to Taejon for tournaments at TCIS. Mr. Michael NATZE and Mr. ZIMMERMAN are some of the teachers she has had fond memories of. Heejin is a 3D animator and currently resides in San Francisco, California.

(Preschool - Sr. Kindergarten) attended SFS from 1993-96. Christian currently works for ʺLʹOreal Philippinesʺ and Christine works for ʺUnilabʺ a pharmaceutical company in the Philippines. Christian recalls Jack LOWEY, Sungho GUANG and Hiroshi FUKUSHIMA being his friends at SFS. The family felt very nostalgic coming back to SFS and visiting their Kindergarten classes. It was great to have them reunite with SFS after many years.

After almost 20 years we had the DOMINGO family visit us from the Philippines. Christian DOMINGO ʹ04* (Gr. 1 - 3) and Christine DOMINGO ʹ08*

Those who were in attendance were: Jennifer CHANG, Heejoon LEE, Scott CHI, Richard LIM, Richard KWON, Eugene KIM ‘95 and Edward CHO (not pictured).

2000s Class Rep: Michelle KIM ‘00 Class Rep: Jennifer CHA ‘02 Class Rep: Michelle LEE ‘03 Class Rep: Alex PAIK ‘04 Heejin KIM ‘03* visited SFS with her husband Matt on October 7th. They got married on August 2nd and were

Christian '04* & Christine DOMINGO '08* with their parents 31

Alumni Notes/Visits

From left: Paul CHO, parent, Christopher CHO '12, Kathy LEE '12 From the top right: Hee Lang PARK' 12, Taylor KIM '14, Hanna DOH '14, and Andy Han '14.

Mark '01* & Frederik '04* VAN DEN BERG with their parents

Mark ʹ01* and Frederik ʹ04* VAN DEN BERG visited SFS after 20 years with their parents Hans and Roswitha. Mark is currently working in London in the Finance industry and has been traveling to different parts of the world. Mark shared fond memories of their Elementary years (91-93) at SFS especially Dr. Ron RICHTER, Former ES Principalʹs jokes.

He says that he has no academic memories but remembers that there was a lot of homework which really helped him prepare for everything in life. He commented that he learned the art of trading at ES by trading toy cars with his friends at school.

Frederik attended Junior Kindergarten and Grade 1 at SFS. He is in Seoul at Chung Ang University for an exchange program for his Masters at a University in Portugal. He remembers the dirt soccer field which gave him a lot of scars on his legs and the stairways that he wasn’t supposed to walk on but always wanted to, collecting insects in a cage, taking long bus trips to school from Itaewon to

10 32

Hayes CREECH ‘08 with his girlfriend, Lyric Yonhidong. He has many great memories of Seoul Foreign School.

Also at the Homecoming Games, Hayes CREECH ‘08 dropped by with his girlfriend, Lyric. They are both journalists residing in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hayes is an editor for FIFA.com and Lyric is a photo editor for CNN.

Paul CHO, Current Parent and Former Board Member forwarded us a picture of a mini-SFS reunion he hosted in Los Angeles with SFS alums attending UCLA and USC. Christopher CHO ‘12, Hee Lang PARK ‘12, Hanna DOH ‘14 and Andy HAN ’14 are attending UCLA while Kathy LEE ‘12 and Taylor KIM ‘14 are attending USC. Jiyoung Shirei HORI ‘12 and Jerry CHI got married at the Seoul Millennium Hilton Hotel in Seoul on September 21st 2014. Around 350 guests attended, including friends and family from Taiwan, Japan and the USA. The bride graduated from Waseda University and is working at Bloomberg; the groom is from Stanford and is working at Google in Tokyo. The brideʹs friends from high school and college came together for the celebration and there were many familiar faces from SFS. The wedding ceremony was conducted in both English and Korean and carried out in true international fashion with a mix of Asian and Western ceremonial elements. The couple had another wedding in Japan before their honeymoon in late October.

Vincent KILLE ‘14* visited SFS on February 2, 2015 after 7 years.

Vincent and his brothers, Sean ‘12* and Roger ‘14* (twin brother) attended SFBS and left in 2008 to go to Germany. Vincent graduated high school and is currently taking a world trip with his friend for the next 4 months, with Seoul being one of the destinations. After the trip, Vincent will be studying Mechanical Engineering and Management at Back: Jennifer CHAY, Karen HSU, Christine LEE, Beatrice University. His brother SHIH & Aileen CHOI. Front: Lisa KIM, Mrs. Myung Sung, Sean is studying Current Faculty, Jiyoung Shirei HORI, Ester LINTON Electrical Engineering in FANG & Ayano DOMOTO Karlsruhe, Germany and Roger is in Dublin majoring in While attending the Homecoming games International Business. in January, Sangyeon CHAE ‘14 dropped by the Advancement Office officially as an Vincent has very fond memories of alum! Sangyeon mentioned that as an SFS and said it was great to be back alum, he has a different perspective in his 2nd home. He was thrilled to towards SFS and so appreciates the teachers and the environment at SFS. He meet his former teachers, Dr. Tim feels like he has now adjusted to college GRAY, Mr. and Mrs. CORBEN and life and having many international his very special ESL teacher Mrs. students in the environment is very Rose ROBINSON (currently similar to SFS. Sangyeon is a freshman at Admissions Director) who he first UC Berkeley and is majoring in Molecular learnt English from. He also met with Environmental Biology. the Bus Supervisor at that time, who remembered the 3 German boys riding the bus from UN Village and Mr. KILLE’s kindness and the tasty German cookies.

Vincent KILLE ‘14* with his former teacher Mrs. Rose ROBINSON

Former Teachers

Sangyeon CHAE ‘14

What a surprise to see Amos and Allison LYSO, ‘93/Former Teachers at SFS on October 20th. Amos is currently the Vice Principal, Secondary School at Yewchung International School in Hong Kong and Allison is working part-time in the Christian/Moral Education division helping students with her musical talents. Allison commented that it’s a different feeling being at the new school and it is fun to start fresh. Both were happy to reunite

Amos ’93 and Allison LYSO, Former Teachers while visiting SFS (top) and at Christmas (bottom) with the SFS community members and many good memories flooded back. They were also glad to see the HS play ’39 Steps.’

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Alumni Notes/Visits

Wyatt and Suzy WILCOX, Former Teachers with their children Ella and Gideon

Another exciting piece of news the LYSOs shared was that baby LYSO is on the way and will be born in March 24th next year.

A huge congratulations to the LYSO family!

Wyatt and Suzy WILCOX, Former Teachers together with their family members, Ella (3 years) and Gideon (18 months) visited on October 21st from Singapore. Since the WILCOXs left SFS, they have been at the Cairo American School for 2 years, then moved to the States for another 2 years where Wyatt received his MPA. Now they are both teaching at the Singapore American School. Both commented that SFS was a very special place for them and that they enjoy hearing and seeing their former teachers and community members.

Alice ENGSTROM, Former Faculty (middle) was on campus visiting from 34

Alice ENGSTROM, Former Faculty with June and Yoojin from the Advancement Office

Dover, New Hampshire.

Alice was happy to come back home and meet with the SFS faculty and friends.

Dr. John ENGSTROM, Former Head of School made a visit to SFS while he was on a student recruiting trip in Asia.

Everyone was really excited to see him back on campus. Dr. Engstrom is currently the Head of School at Portsmouth Christian Academy at Dover, NH. Pictured is Colm FLANAGAN, Current Head of School.

Ron and Ruth RICHTER, Former Administrator and Former Teacher vacationing at daughter Ginger RICHTER聞s 聞80 condo in Panama City Beach (while Ginger

Colm FLANAGAN, Head of School (left) and John ENGSTROM, Former Head of School (right) is working hard at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul), enjoyed a really great visit with former colleague and teacher, Wanda Ward, Former Teacher and her husband, Al. Wanda taught at SFS from 1984 through 1987 and was relating that she started out substituting for Becky Payne GUTHRIE, Former Teacher because

Beckyʹs visa didnʹt come through in time. Wanda had brought pictures from that time frame and it was fun to look through them and try to identify everyone. The foursome never stopped talking the whole evening they were together and vowed to get together again with the Wards in Idaho, where the Richters have retired, for a visit to that part of the country theyʹre not so familiar with.

Steve and Barbara PRUST, Former Teachers wrote and shared their current news. After leaving Seoul in 2009, they moved to Guatemala, which was only about 4 flying hours from home in the U.S., but turned out to be a nightmare with all the violence and corruption at the school; Their next move to Ankara, Turkey was much better, and they were fortunate to spend a year BACK with the KEARNEYs. They were actually neighbors in the staff housing for a year, until they returned to Asia....to Shanghai....along with a zillion other former SFSʹers!

After 2 years in Ankara, Steve and Barabara decided to partially retire and look for jobs closer to home. Barbara took a music directorship at a church in

Ron and Ruth RICHTER, Former Administrator and Former Teacher with Wanda WARD, Former Teacher and her husband Al. Waterloo, IA and Steve then landed an adjunct professor position at Hawkeye Community College in the area.

Steve commented, “Life is very different back in the USA. I truly miss the overseas environment and all that it affords, but am happy to be back with family after 25 years overseas in 7 different postings.”

He also shared about his daughter, Jenna PRUST GLORIOSO ’03 who is now married to Adam, a businessman. Jenna and Adam have a daughter Liliana (5 months old). Both Steve and Barbara plan to make a visit to Seoul, their 2nd home in a few years’ time.

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Please contact: Yoojin Um at yjum@seoulforeign.org or 02-330-3137 35