The Banner - May 2018

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Message from our head of School Looking through the pages of our final Banner of the year, I am struck by two very clear messages. Firstly how our students, staff, faculty and parents are living out our revised Mission: Seoul Foreign School, Centered in Christ, inspires a passion for learning, pursues academic and creative excellence and is dedicated to the service of others and in particular its dedication to the ‘service of others.' Our May edition of the Banner is a reflection of the increased service opportunities that are taking place on our campus, in Seoul and around the world.

A few years ago, we asked ourselves the question ‘If SFS was to disappear, would we be missed by our local community?’ We weren’t convinced that the answer to that question was one entirely worthy of a ‘Christian school for everyone’. As a result of the commitment of many amongst our community but in particular our Christian Ministries, we are now partners with a number organizations that support the disadvantaged of Seoul. As you read through the pages of this edition you will see how our students are getting a practical education in the importance of helping others here in Seoul.

Our decision to become an IB world school, a curriculum framework that demands a commitment to service in our day-to-day teaching and learning, further embeds our aim to support the building of ‘character’ in each of our students – your children. Our teachers, who have always had a heart to serve, have embraced the increased drive to help others.

The second message is celebration. We hope that you have noticed in recent months a more regular communication of the incredible range of exciting activities that take place, every day at SFS. Jane Forster, our new Communications & Marketing Director, often comments that it is hard to fit in the vast array of ‘extraordinary’ events that happen during an ‘ordinary’ SFS school week. As an educator, Seoul Foreign School is an exciting place to walk about!

Finally, I would ask you all to keep in your prayers, David Lee and his family. David, who was involved in a very serious cycle accident this semester, has been showing gradual signs of improvements. Thank you to all those who have been reaching out in support. We will keep you informed about David’s progress and how we can support his family.

Colm Flanagan Head of School

What’s Inside

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P2 Letter from Head of School

P12-13 Dongdaewon

P3 Letter from Board Chair

P14-15 PyeongChang Olympics - SFS Stories

P4 Letter from Marketing

P16 Parent Service

P5 How to be Kind

P17 Community Service

P6-7 A Culture of Service by Jean Kim

P18 Creative Success

P8-9 SFS Service Projects

P19 Battle of The Books

P10 Faculty Serves

P20-21 Seniors Moving On

P11 Students Serve

P22-23 Work Experience

Message from our Board Chair It’s hard to believe that May is already here, bringing with it the end of yet another busy school year. That makes this the time for gratitude. So many people have given their hands and hearts to serving others over the course of the year, in many different capacities. The Seoul Foreign School Board would like to say thank you to our teachers and staff, to the PTA, and to every volunteer who has gone above and beyond! We can’t say enough how much we appreciate you and all you do to make SFS the wonderful community that it is.

We can all agree, at SFS our greatest gift is our students who flood the halls and fields each day. As parents we support them in school and out, our faculty and every administrator cooperates to instill in them a joy of learning, and our staff and general administration help create a caring and safe environment for them. The most sincere thanks we can all receive is when we see the students in turn serving others out of all they’ve learned and been given. Although we can’t tell every story in one Banner issue, we hope you’ll enjoy the accounts here of how SFS students have given back in so many ways. Thank you all for your service!

Some provision is less visible, yet equally important. I’d be remiss if I also didn’t thank the members of our SFS governance bodies – Jaedan, Council, British School Board of Governors, and the Board – for putting in much hard work and dedication for the school over the course of this year.

We are thankful for everyone, present and past, who makes up our wider community of Seoul Foreign School. We pray blessings to all of you who will be moving on, and trust you will keep SFS in your hearts as you become “alumnae.” We will miss you, but as we often hear, “Once a Crusader, always a Crusader!” Enjoy a wonderful summer!

“This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.” - 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (The Message) Penelope Kim SFS Board Chair

What’s Inside P24 Reconnect - A Student Alumni Event

P31 Behind The Scenes

P25-26 Alumni Return

P32 A Year in Sport

P27 Seoul, LA, New York - SFS Reunions

P33 A Year in Aquatics

P28 Behind the Scenes in Arts

P34-35 My Sporting Life

P29 Drama Mamas

P36 Letter from the Advancement Office

P30 Crusader Live

P37-39 Our Donor Community

P31 Theatre Goodbyes

P40-41 Departures and Arrivals

P30 Students in the Arts

P42-43 Messages from Grandparents

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From the Editor

Letter from Marketing Dear SFS Community

We are delighted to bring you this Spring issue of The Banner - the magazine for the whole SFS community from our youngest students to our most distinguished alumni.

As you will see our theme is Service. We’ve tried to give you a snapshot of the many projects that go on daily around campus. We’ve tried but will inevitably fail as no one could begin to cover everything. We’ve tried to show how service is at the heart of Seoul Foreign School. It’s in our mission statement and in our hearts and actions every day. Some projects get more attention than others. Some happen on our doorstep and some are worldwide - they are all valuable.

Service can be all about the little things. We were inspired

by Chloe in Kindergarten in the Elementary School. Her guide on How To Be Kind was a driving force when we planned this issue!

I believe that it’s valuable to hear the words of our students themselves so I hope you notice that we’ve given a voice to many of our students, faculty and parents. We have used their own words rather than editing them to preserve their individuality. They will all welcome questions, comments and interest in their individual projects and if something appeals to you, do get in touch. And share any ideas you have for school-wide projects. We’re happy to listen.

Also within the issue we celebrate our achievements. We pride ourselves here at SFS on our academic achievement and upon graduation we send our High School Seniors around the world to attend some of the world’s finest universities. You can read about some of them here. We also do many other great things. Every week we are entering and winning competitions - academic, arts and sports. Encourage all of our students to take part.

The Marketing and Communications department is here to let you know about events big and small all around school. We update you with eNews every week and on social media every day. If you have feedback then please share with us. We want to get things right! I’ve had lots of feedback from our community in the last few months and have been able to implement some changes. So drop me a line or pop into the Admin Building and share your views. Communication works both ways!

Enjoy this issue and tell us what you think. Even better, volunteer to contribute next time!

Jane Forster Director of Communications and Marketing

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While we were planning this issue, we received an email from Paul Sanderson in the Elementary School. He wanted us to see an example of the spirit of SFS in one of our youngest students.

The class were asked to write a book on how to perform a certain task. Chloe Park, Age 6, took this opportunity to teach us how to be kind. It's at the heart of what we do and how we behave.

Thank you Chloe!

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FACULTY PROFILE SFS HEARTS THAT SERVE

A Culture of Service Service at SFS has become as diverse as the community of parents, faculty, staff and students who walk through its doors each day.

From its beginning, SFS was started by a community of parents who saw the need for educating their children in a foreign land. They came together and received funding from various organizations to start this ‘community’ school which would later become Seoul Foreign School. Serving our community is in the DNA of our school’s existence.

In the last decade, service has grown to encompass both the international and local communities. Back in 2007, SFS partnered with Kids International Ministries and started the Philippines Service trip better known as PST, started by Amos Lyso (past Christian Ministries Coordinator). PST laid the groundwork for service abroad and now as a part of the high school’s Discovery week program, students are given opportunities to do service work not only in the Philippines, but in other countries throughout the world.

The school-wide Dong Dae Won fundraiser, the Middle School & Key Stage 3’s 30 Hour Famine, and the British School’s support for the Salvation Army during Christmas time all played an important role in creating a service/ fundraising culture at SFS. Presently, volunteering at the Food Markets, planting trees on Bukhansan, hosting sports and activities for adoptees and children on government funding, feeding the homeless, adopting families are just some ways SFS serves our community.

In April of 2017, SFS signed an MOU (mutual of understanding) with Seodaemun-gu to support low income elderly and families in the district.

Last Christmas, our students gathered Christmas gifts for the children of Ethel’s Maul (home for Girls started by our first SFS teacher, Ethel Van Wagoner Underwood) and the disabled people of Angel’s Haven Boy’s Rehabilitation Center.

Before sending out the gifts, I usually go through each one to make sure that all are ready to go. However, when I came to check on the gifts, someone had already come to do the tedious work of checking if the names and gifts matched and making sure the gifts and wrapping were presentable.

Later, I found out that two high school students came in between their midterms to work over three hours going through over 100 gifts...tears welled up in my eyes as I saw two loads of carefully packed boxes in the chapel. It reminded me of two shoemaker’s stories. One of course was obviously the “Elves and the Shoemaker." The other and more prominent was Tolstoy’s “Martin the Cobbler” or “Where love is, God is.”

What is the purpose of service at SFS? We serve in hopes that each student will be changed internally especially with regards to understanding the meaning of “other.”

Christ puts it so clearly in the following verses: Matthew 25:35-36 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

A school that lives out Christ’s love through serving others, is a school that is centered in Christ. We are truly blessed to be a part of a community that celebrates and supports service!

Jean Kim Christian Ministries and Service Coordinator jean.kim@seoulforeign.org

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SFS HEARTS THAT SERVE

Everyday Service

Terry Fox Run

Bukhansan Tree Planting

The Terry Fox run is a non-competitive charity event/ marathon that is held annually in many different places all over the world to fundraise for cancer research.

Hello, I’m Justin Oh and I’m currently in 5th grade in the Elementary School.

As SFS students, we were able to have the chance to hold this amazing event at SFS! We first got our idea of holding this event when we saw a certificate from the Terry Fox organization that was posted in our HS lobby back in 2003. This reminded us of the time when we ran the Terry Fox Run back when we used to live in Canada.

Initially we jokingly talked about bringing the Terry Fox Run to our school. However, on March 9th 2018, a thought became a reality and we were successful in bringing the Terry Fox Run to our very own community!

We had over 50 runners from the student, faculty and parent community. Everyone really enjoyed running and making a difference for charity.

Hopefully, next year we will be able to hold this run again. Anthony Shon and Dohun Kwon (Grade 11)

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On April 6, the whole 5th grade went to the Bukhansan Mountain to plant trees. I think it was a really cool experience, as I really enjoyed the feeling that we were doing something to give back to Mother Nature.

The tree planting itself was simple. In a small group, we would dig a hole in one of the many predesignated areas and we would put the tree sapling in and cover the hole up with dirt and water the tree. Lastly, we would write down when we planted the tree, who planted the tree and the tree’s name.

This was definitely a really cool field trip and I would do it again if I had the chance! Justin Oh (Grade 5)

My Freedom Project March 14th saw Seoul Foreign High School students once again rallying with CNN to support this cause, joining students around the world to highlight the plight of Modern Day Slavery. In addition to being interviewed on TV by Paula Hancock, SFHS students developed a dramatic performance about slavery, as well as two original musical arrangements which were performed during Community Time. They also presented an informational piece calling attention to what we, as individuals, can do to help.

This is the second year students were able to use their

individual talents in service of the greater good!

As Jules Lee (Grade 12, Project Coordinator with Justyna McMillan) said, "I decided to take part in the Freedom Project because I was already involved in similar causes as the President of the former UNHCR UN Refugee Agency club. I wanted to show that student artwork—fashion, to be specific—could be used to instigate social change in our community. I also found myself becoming the main contact person for CNN which further motivated me to participate."

Nanumi Outreach Last year, I heard a speech about North Korean defectors during assembly. After the lecture, I wanted to know more about defectors so I started to research about them.

While doing this, I found out that there were lots of North Korean defectors that aren’t able to blend into the “Korean society” because of their lack of language skills.

I felt sympathy for them. Therefore, I asked Mrs. Olivier if our school could make a club to teach English to these people. However, this didn’t work well, because we didn’t have any experience of teaching and mainly because we were too young.

After a few days, Mrs. Olivier introduced me to a charity group called Nanumi, where they serve food to homeless people. On the first day of serving, they didn’t fully trust

us (because we were too young), so they invited another group of people from church to come and help. However, when they saw that we could work hard for 3 hours without complaining, they trusted us and Seoul Foreign British School was assigned to the first Thursday of every month. I want to show appreciation to Mrs. Olivier and all the students that gave up their own time to serve the homeless.

As I participated in voluntary service, I felt more active as a community member. There is a saying: ‘Many drops make a shower’. I believe if all of us continue participating in community service like Nanumi, this can have a positive impact on our society. Juyeon (Joanna) Jung (Year 9)

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SFS HEARTS THAT SERVE

Our Everyday Heroes

Many of the projects going on everyday are student led. All involve students in many different aspects, however many would not be possible without faculty going the extra mile. They take on these projects over and above their day jobs and see all our projects through from start to finish. Here we highlight a tiny selection of our everyday heroes.

Claire Olivier is an SFBS KS3 English teacher and is also involved in many different projects. She coordinates the SFBS Student Parliament and actively supports many student efforts throughout the year. Here Claire tells us why she believes service is at the heart of SFS...

"Before the world began, there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God." For 8 years, I have had the privilege to hear the Words of God that pour from the mouths of children that are created in His image. As an English teacher, I am ideally placed to foster their faith in their ability to follow God's example and create a better world with the power of their words. We do not write exclusively for tests or curriculum requirements but because we have a creative need to share our souls and talents with others - it is a true blessing to belong to a school that empowers teachers and students to realise this powerful potential.

The scripture above continues as follows: " The Light shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not overpowered the Light."

In a dark world, 11-14 year olds have used their English skills to educate a village in Cambodia, create a library and science centre in the Philippines, feed the homeless in Seoul and provide surgery for babies in Seoul National Hospital.

But, most importantly, they have realised that they are excellent writers and they can use their education to change the world.

Jo Bigwood is an ES Grade 5 teacher and one of our key Dongdaewon coordinators. Without her many North Korean tuberculosis sufferers might go untreated...

When I first arrived at SFS, it was mid year, January and the beginning of another year of Dongdaewon. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I volunteered, nine years ago, to help out with the selling of t.shirts in the Elementary school. Since then I have been privileged to be a part of this service in our community, working alongside amazing faculty who had a heart for the patients in North Korea.

Three years ago I was able to be a part of the Eugene Bell delegate, where I travelled with a team for two weeks visiting some of the different tuberculosis clinics in North Korea, as invited guests for the National Health Department. It was during this time, when I was photographing many of the 500 patients that I realized the significance of the work that we are a part of here at SFS. As I looked through the lense of my camera, I was so removed from their day to day struggles of survival, separated not only by my camera lens, but by my wellness, my ethnicity, my lack of knowing the language, my ignorance of living with a life threatening disease but despite all of that, there was a connection; of hope, of life, of trust. As patients graduated, from 18 months of commitment to a programme of drugs, that might just cure them but also might not, I saw hope.

Since that day, I simply serve where I can and I appreciate all that I have. I have hope and I know we make a difference.

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Student Stars

Again we can only mention a very small selection of the students who contribute to making SFS the place that it is. Our students understand the importance of service from the day they step on campus. They are involved in councils, parliaments, formal groups, workshops and service projects to improve the lives of others. Here, two students tell us why...

Hello, my name is Guilherme and I participated in the Bab for soup kitchen service project. We went to a soup kitchen in Seodaemun-gu as a service project for Korean class. What we did was help the chefs cook for anyone who is in need of food. We helped the chefs by cutting vegetables, serving food, and cleaning the plates. But overall we were helping the chefs cooking the food for the people in most need, something we take for granted. What really came to my mind was the joy of the elders who saw us helping them but also the relief and happiness of the food on their plate. I think this project really gave us a new perspective of the people truly in need of food. It was very fun and I truly hope others get the chance to experience this too.

Guilherme Jardim (Grade 7)

When I first joined the KS3 Parliament, I didn’t know what I was getting into. I know that sounds bad, but what I mean is that I never experienced an environment where people had so much to give. Whether it be in making posters for bake sales, organising school dress-ups, or even reaching out on our own, the Parliament never failed to keep giving.

I joined the Parliament because I thought it would be like my other school councils, what with organising a few odd bake sales a year and leaving the rest up to the teachers. But what I got was a team full of students who ran nearly everything by themselves.

Of course, we needed our teachers to guide us through the process, but we were mostly left on our own.

I feel that we as a Parliament have achieved so much, and that's only in the time that I’ve been here. We support the children of Cambodia, kids who live miles away, but we still manage to support the people in our own country. That being said, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do if not for our student body.

We could work twice as hard as we do, but it wouldn’t matter if our students didn't care. We don’t get paid a salary, but we get paid in the thanks we get from the people we help. Tears were falling all around when we had our video call with the children in Cambodia.

The British School Parliament is one of the best school organisations I have joined. We try to help whenever we can, time and time again and we are still looking for more ways to help those in need each year. The British School is a place of giving. And I know it will continue to be so for many years to come. Amalia Carney (Year 9)

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SFS HEARTS THAT SERVE

Dongdaewon

For many years now supporting the Eugene Bell Tuberculosis Center Project in North Korea has been one of the integral parts of the SFS experience. Over the years the project has grown and thrived with leadership from many selfless teachers including Jo Bigwood who led, once more, an amazing effort in 2018. The schools begin their plans early in the year, and many of the ideas are from the students themselves. Both the British and Elementary Schools run fairs with a huge variety of stalls from eating challenges, Hide & Seek, number puzzles and many more. If you have any ideas for 2019 there will be many opportunities to put them into practice. Our teachers and students are looking for the help of parents to make it even more successful next year.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DONGDAEWON FAIR

BRITISH SCHOOL DONGDAEWON FAIR

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SFS HEARTS THAT SERVE

The little things

One of our Dongdaewon Heroes is Kathleen Gray in the British School. For many years Kate has run the Shamogram program delivering chocolates to students and faculty with personalized messages. It's a bit of fun, but very successful. Kate says...

"To celebrate St Patrick’s Day and to raise money for Dongdaewon, the school-wide tradition of selling ‘Shamograms’ was continued again this year. Our thanks go to Mylanie Alemania of Nestlé (mother of Matthew in Year 8 of SFBS) for helping us to obtain

One of the large contributions that the MS made to Dongdaewon was through the shamograms. Most of the house leaders were involved in this, though many of them volunteered. We went through the whole process around mid-March. Aryan fill us in...

One of my personal reasons for being involved is because I was never able to really be part of helping.

During this process, because I participated in Senate in the 6th grade, but I wasn’t aware of how everything worked, so I mainly stayed out of the

over 6,000 bars of Chunky Kitkats at cost price. Over 12 million KRW worth of Shamograms were purchased... amazing!

It took a community to make this event such a success: sectional organisers, generous purchasers, the money counters and the ‘leprechauns’ who wrapped the thousands of bars of chocolate with the special green messages! It has been a privilege to be involved in supporting Dongdaewon for the last twelve years and I sincerely hope that SFS carries on with this vital work."

way, but now that I’m an 8th grader, I understand the organization, the efficiency, the effort involved in making this successful. I wanted to be able to contribute to making it happen before I moved on to the 8th grade. I was mainly involved in counting the total amount of money going to Dongdaewon and the total raised was about 3,600,000 won. I feel really proud to have been part of a project that raised so much money for such a good cause.

Aryan Mistry (Grade 8)

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SFS OLYMPIC SERVICE

PyeongChang 2018

One of the biggest events to hit South Korea in the country's sporting history! In Januray 2018, the Winter Olympics came to a small skiing town west of Seoul and of course Seoul Foreign School was part of this story.

Early in Januray, High Schooler Alex Loutfy carried the Olympic flame through the streets of Itaewon earning his place in Olympic history.

Once the games began SFS sent a team of 9 high schoolers to support the massive volunteer efforts needed to make the games happen.

Our Volunteers say...

Our Student Volunteers

Su Jung "Elizabeth" Ji Min Kang Henry Seung Ju Yoo Jong Min Jung Hannah Pearce Dahee Kim Ga Yoon (Yuna) Lee The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics was an experience that will never be forgotten. Ji Yoon (Jinnie) Yoo From translating for athletes to handling certain problems or requests they might have, our one month journey was filled with stories. It was truly an honour to go as we weren't even allowed to in the first place because of our age. It gave us a glimpse of what we would have to do in the future and help build us up. This work experience could not have been as fun and exciting without the help of our teachers and co-workers. Each of our residential centres had around 5-8 workers along with 2 managers and we got really close to them towards the end that it was really hard leaving. We still contact each other through social media sometimes. I definitely do not regret going as a volunteer. Hannah Pearce (Grade 10) My volunteering experience at Pyeongchang Olympics 2018 is something I will never forget in my lifetime. Although I was in an unfamiliar place surrounded by strangers, the people in my center were all really nice. To this day, we are all still in contact. During the month we worked there, I learned the importance of having responsibility. We had to take care of our residence while working and had to catch up with school work at the same time. From this experience, I learned how to manage my time better to finish assignments on time and take care of myself at the same time. Overall, it was a really fun experience. Elizabeth Ji (Grade 10)

Throughout the four weeks at PyeongChang where I represented the country as a volunteer for the Olympics, I learned many things that I would not have anywhere else. I learned what true responsibility was through my first actual job experience, and learned what determination is through the athletes' hard work. It was very thrilling to be able to interact and get to know the athletes that each represented their own country. I can proudly say that the some of the athletes were surprised by my ability to speak and get things done. The work was very exhausting at times, but it all paid off with the amount of experience I was able to get. Overall, it was truly an amazing experience and one that I will remember for the rest of my life. Min Kang (Grade 10)

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Coordinating this student effort were Yoojin Um and Jina Lee. They ensured the volunteers traveled in safety and in style and were packed for every eventuality. This even involved a Costco run and negotiating with our maths teachers to make sure homework and exams were accomodated. We also had a number of alumni who volunteered or worked at the Olympics. Both Alex Paik and Esther Gwon served the Olympic community.

For the 2018 Winter Olympics, Alex Paik and Jimmy Park (Both Class of 2004) worked with an American medical service provider to help create and operate a medical emergency plan for private corporate groups visiting the Olympics. In the months leading up to the event, they went to Pyeongchang and Gangneung to inspect local hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies to ensure that expert care would be readily available for American event organizers and VIPs. Over a thousand employees of large Olympics sponsors like Intel and Visa were under the care of the contingency plan throughout the whole duration of the Games.

Paralympics PyeongChang 2018

Almost more inspiring then the Olympics themselves!

Our entire 9th grade were able to attend the Paralympics thanks to the genoristy of an SFS Parent who donated 100+ tickets to our lucky students. The Paralympics Athletes efforts inspired all who witnessed their strength and bravery, including Zander and Klara from the Middle School who share their experiences here...

On March 11, 2018, our family was able to attend the Paralympics and see the USA men’s hockey team play against Japan. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

We were determined to make as much noise as we could to support the USA men’s team. Once the match started, we were so surprised at how rough and rapid the play was. We were expecting the pace and the play to be slower compared to a previous Olympic hockey match. Even though the USA and Japan men’s teams were both playing in what are called ‘sleds’, they were incredibly fast, agile, and fearless. As we watched, we all talked about how impressed we were by all of the athletes on both teams. It was clear that they had a lot of courage and determination, otherwise they would not have reached this high level in sport. As the match went on, we found ourselves cheering for all of the players. This experience at the Paralympics gave us the utmost respect for all Paralympians. We are so grateful for being able to have this unforgettable chance! Zander Greyvensteyn (Grade 8)

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SFS Parents

We asked one of our parents, Robin Carney, to explain why service is so important to her. Robin's commitment to service is typical of many parents within the SFS community. They are setting an amazing example for our students.

Parent Power

I have had the privilege of living as an expat for 17 years now, first as a working woman and later as a trailing spouse. When I left my career in management consulting 2 years into our first posting in Lisbon, Portugal, I took the time to start a family with my husband, but realized soon after the birth of my second daughter that 1) I needed an outlet to exercise my brain and apply my business skills and 2) I had no interest in returning to the corporate world.

The natural choice was to turn to the non-profit sector, and a friend invited me to join the board of a breast cancer charity founded by expat women in Portugal. I have never looked back at rejoining the for-profit world since that day. I saw the impact that our organization could have on my host country, raising funds for mobile mammography units that could serve rural areas of Portugal and provide access to critical preventative care for underserved women. No consulting project had ever been this rewarding.

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Volunteering in Portugal enabled me not only to feel personally fulfilled, but to feel that I had found a way to repay my host country for welcoming me with open arms.

I continued on this path as my husband’s career took us to Belgium and then Poland; I supported an international breast cancer research network and helped them to launch a fundraising unit. Once I arrived in Seoul, I felt that I needed to continue this journey.

I found my path in Seoul by volunteering with SIWA, which supports worthy charities throughout Korea and has raised billions of won for this purpose over its 56 year history. I have helped SIWA plan and execute 2 major fundraisers annually since I arrived in Seoul in 2015. It was particularly gratifying to be here as SIWA launched a Philanthropy Project for the first time, giving 20 million won to a school that provides education and support to multicultural students in Korea, who often face discrimination and other obstacles.

Through SIWA I have also had the opportunity to volunteer in support of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic & Paralympic Games. Our team interviewed volunteer candidates for both games, and served as volunteers during the Paralympics.

It was a memorable moment for me to attend the Opening Ceremony, feeling intensely proud of my host nation, Korea, for successfully mounting such an incredible event, and knowing that I had been part of it.

It’s important to me that my daughters know the value of service and the fulfilment it can provide.

I am thrilled that they have the opportunity as SFS students to give back in many ways throughout the year. This experience with community service will impact their lives as much as the education they are receiving, if not more.

They have become global citizens and know that this comes with the responsibility of giving of themselves.

Robin Carney

SFS Parents

Our Community

It takes a community to raise a child and at Seoul Foreign School this is very true. Examples of giving span parents, faculty, our Senior Leadership Team - and their families. Here are two more stories of giving by the SFS Community.

SFS Serves is true of all parts of our community. Melissa Villa, wife of our CFO Clif Wilcox, firmly believes in the value of service. It may go under the radar at SFS but her efforts have recently been recognized in a very big way!

At the World Literacy Council Summit that took place at Oxford University earlier this year. Melissa was presented with their Albert Schweitzer Award for her work in improving child literacy in the Philippines. Melissa is the founder of projectpearls.org and has established schools and ongoing educational programs in a number of communities in the Philippines. In addition, her non-profit provides daily nutrition and medical services to the children of those impoverished communities.

The award was presented to Melissa by UNESCO Special Envoy on Literacy and Development HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands.

Contributions to our community and beyond take many forms.

Hyo Seung Lee who is the MD at Taehung Pictures is also an SFS parent. His company made the astonishing Parallel - a documentary telling a story of bravery and determination by the Korean Paralympic sledge hockey team. He gave our High Schoolers an incredible opportunity to see a preview of this Korean made documentary first. The students were immensely moved by the lessons learned. These were compounded further when they had the opportunity to go to the Winter Paralympic Games thanks to the generosity of another parent who funded over 100 tickets.

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CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS

Creative Inspiration These prestigious and long standing awards are open to students of Middle School and High School age across the USA and internationally. Many of our students entered this year and in February we heard about winners across the school who had received Regional awards in several art and writing categories.

Seoul Foreign School students from the Middle School, British School and High School had outperformed all other schools in Korea to achieve their Regional Keys. In March we heard that we had achieved four National Medals. This is an incredible achievement as less than 1% of 360,000 entrants achieve this status.

Our top winners were Jenny Im (12th grade) Silver Medal for her drawing and illustration "Light of my city”; Samantha Pyo (11th grade) Gold Medal for her story "Red Ink"; Kate Choi (7th grade) Gold Medal for her short story “What used to be home” and a Silver Medal for her poem “Watching from the Window.

Hi, my name is Kate, and I’m in seventh grade. This past March, I received a gold medal and a silver medal in the 2018 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. When I heard that I had received two national medals, I was amazed, as I hadn’t been expecting to win anything. I often submit my writing to competitions and magazines because of the valuable experience you can receive.

They can teach you how to deal with losses, or wins, and often you learn what you can do better next time. My short story (which won the gold medal) was inspired by my own

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cultural struggle between my two home countries, the U.S. and Korea, and my poem (the silver medal) was one of those spontaneous pieces that start out with a simple idea and evolve from there. In this case, that simple idea was describing what I saw outside my window (the poem is called “Watching from the Window”), and the rest was a buildup of my thoughts. In the future, I hope to be an author writing in a variety of genres, forms, and topics, including both fiction and nonfiction, poetry, books, short stories, articles, and essays.

Kate Choi (Grade 7)

Battle of the Books

The Battle of the Books competition features strongly in the British School calendar. In 2018 we had a standard to uphold. As reigning champions the pressure was on. Below team coach extraordinaire Andrew Barnas explains what happened...

Yes, we finished first and came away with the trophy, which is of course important. There was also the sense of fun and enjoyment that the team showed - they clearly value each other and take pleasure in being together. Then there was the sportsmanship and the fact that victory was not all that mattered. Next came their knowledge and their ability to recall the most obscure facts. But for me what was most impressive was their team spirit and their collegiate approach to answering questions. The pattern became familiar before long: the question would be read out and then heads would immediately move into a confidential huddle. This was done in a supportive way and wrong answers were not dwelt on! Other schools had highly knowledgeable individuals, often several, but we were certainly the strongest team. One of the most satisfying moments was after all the celebration and hullabaloo as everyone was making their way from the theatre, one of the teachers from another school stopped the SFS adults to say how impressed she had been by our school.

Thanks should go to SFES teachers, parents and students for staying to cheer us on in the semi-final and final and creating a noisy football (or soccer) atmosphere that belied the fact that we were the away team playing against the hosts.

Andrew Barnas (Year 5 Teacher British School)

How it feels to compete Overall our Battle of the Books experience was extraordinary. Our team worked extremely hard every Wednesday but we always managed to get a couple of laughs in. We had the perfect team, great coaches and determined teammates - we had the full package. Reading 10 books was the easy part, however knowing the books inside out took a lot of effort. After many practices we were finally ready!

Slowly all our teammates arrived at the host school (KIS). When we had all gathered, we shot little glances at our opponents hoping that we were going to get the better of them. By then the principal of KIS was guiding us to the classrooms. Although we were very nervous our coaches were able to

calm us down with an encouraging pep talk. During the games the team collaborated really well with one another and we managed to get all the way to the finals against KIS Pangyo.

Chairs and microphones were set up on the grand stage where we would be competing. After a gruelling battle round it was time for our specialty, the lightning round. We zoomed through all of the questions, some of which we stole from the opposing team. After all the smoke had the cleared we had come out victorious by three points!

This was the second year in a row that SFS brought home gold.

Cheonsa Wood (Year 6)

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SFS MOVING ON

And now the end is near

"I've now been at Seoul Foreign School for a year and I've been so impressed by the calibre and dedication of all the high schoolers I have encountered.

In the High School counseling team we try to give our students as much help and advice as they need to navigate the path ahead. As in previous years, our university acceptances have been amazing. Of course they include Ivy League, the top selective U.S. univsersities as well the most prestigious U.K. destinations and a host of others through out the world.

But for me, every single future is important and our students go on to do so many different things taking with them all the things they learned at Seoul Foreign School including a strong sense of service, kindness and leadership."

Joachim Ekstrom Director of College Counseling

Unlike the majority of my peers, I will not be going off to university in the fall. Instead I will be be fulfilling my military duties as an Israeli citizen for the next two years.

While much of my future is still undecided, as there are many positions available in the army and I have yet to be assigned to one, I am excited for what’s to come knowing that the next few years are going to filled with experiences I will never be able to gain anywhere else. I believe that this route is quite different to the rest of the graduating class, especially among the females, and am grateful for the opportunity to learn new things, but most importantly, help protect my country. SFS has definitely shaped the person that I have become and I wholeheartedly believe that living in a country so different from my own has led me to an open-mind which will help me adjust to my new lifestyle. In addition, the friendships that I have made during my short three years here are ones that I will always cherish and have to support me on my journey. As Robert Frost once said: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Shiraz Ben Shoshan (Grade 12) Greetings, my name is Seungjae Yu—SFS Class of 2018 and NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2022. Through this edition of The Banner, I have been asked to share some advice for the next generation of the SFHS community. While there are many that come to mind, one stands out: my hope is that our future students learn to have pride in their failures. When I received my first rejection letter from Oxford, I feared the reaction within the community more than anything. Thus, to conceal my results became my primary concern. However, I soon realized the futile nature of such thoughts. As I took something out of each experience, I only became a stronger student, and ultimately committed to one of my dream schools by April. All in all, there is no reason to be ashamed of failures because the right university will be waiting for you.

Before I exceed the word count, I want to thank everyone who helped me reach this milestone: mom, dad, sis, relatives, teachers, administrators, friends, coaches, directors, J&J, the GA, nurses, bus drivers, the counselors led by Mr.Ekstrom, Mr. and Mrs.Holcomb, and last but definitely not least, the Class of 2018!

Seungjae Yu (Grade 12)

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SFS MOVING ON

You say goodbye...

Compared to what I have been doing in high school, my coursework and research activities at college will be carried out at a higher and more rigorous level, benefitting from far more extensive facilities. I am incredibly excited about research and the laboratory opportunities offered by my college, both in and out of class. Through such experiences, I will be exposed to the rigors of scientific research at a professional level, and gradually find my specialization and career field within my major. What worries me is that I will be living away from my family for the first time, and having to take care of myself from doing laundry to monitoring personal choices. Balancing self-nurturing with academics will be no easy task. However, I believe that this balance is what I have been able to learn and hone at SFS, where the academic rigor and discipline of the IB Diploma Programme are accompanied by compassionate care and counseling. An exemplar of this is the series of seminars organized by the HS Counseling Team throughout our senior year in order to prepare students for college life. I have no doubt this balance between academics and personal growth at SFS will continue to help future graduating classes as they head off to college.

Hyong Min Kim (Grade 12)

... and I say hello.

“High school�. Two words that always had that mysterious allure about them. High school has always been an exciting prospect for me, although quite daunting in a way. Ultimately, high school is like a real-life exam that tests your skills and challenges you to fight your way to the top of the pile. I am excited to move into the new building and explore all the special features that are a part of it, and naturally a positive environment will help to boost my focus and attitude towards learning. Academically, I am most looking forward to the new educational opportunities that high school has to offer, as well as all the extra currricular events and clubs that we can participate in. It will be like a fresh new start, and I am both naturally excited and the slightest bit nervous to explore this next stage of my life.

Rachel Cho (Grade 8)

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SFS ENGAGEMENT

Work Experience

This year has seen the launch of our Work Experience program for Grade 10 students organised by Joachim Ekstrom. We’ve never run this before at Seoul Foreign School but have been able to place all our students in companies - giving many of them their very first experience of working life. We are incredibly grateful to the companies who have supported us in this and to all the employers (many of them SFS parents or Board members) who gave so generously of their time and experience. Our Marketing and Communications Dept were able to host two students and we put them to work on sharing their views with the community - and reporting on their fellow students. We know that (like us) all participants found our students to be keen, able, willing and an asset to the companies. We will be running this programme again next year and hope to expand it. So if you can help make a difference to our student experience then please get in touch!

This year, the Seoul Foreign High School Sophomores were given the opportunity to immerse themselves in a one-week internship at contemporary businesses in Seoul.

Fortunately, I was one of these students and had a chance to work with the SFS Marketing, Advertising, and Communications committee.

Being able to work on various tasks regarding the school’s social media, magazine and alumni was incredible as I was able to get a genuine sense of what work in such a field is like.

It was my first time taking part in a real business and the internship unquestionably surpassed my expectations. I attended meetings,

took photographs around campus, ran the school’s media platforms and worked directly with adult faculty.

I was stunned with the eminent confidence and trust the staff had on my amateur capabilities. As a matter of fact, I’d like to thank the staff for their strong faith in my proficiency as it greatly encouraged and stimulated my hard work and critical thinking prior to making impactful decisions. I found my experience challenging yet incredibly authentic. I’d also like to thank the SFHS Counselors for this wonderful opportunity. This week was educationally inspiring and loads of fun. I could not have asked for more. Marina Jardim (Grade 10)

I always wanted to be a lawyer because I was infatuated with the idea of using analyzing and research skills to fight for the right and justice of others. I was ecstatic when our SFS was offering students to work at a law firm, and even more thrilled when I got it.

When I first arrived, the towering office building honestly intimidated me. However, the lawyers that I got to meet were all SFS alumni and they were all welcoming and incredibly friendly. I got the sense that they were really interested to get to know us and that made put me at ease. Not only that, but we were able to look into some of the lawyers’ cases, conduct due diligence on companies and even take part in a mock arbitration trial.

The lawyers really trusted us and as the week went on, every task and

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activity we accomplished, served to validate that I wanted to become a lawyer in the future.

Nick Park constantly emphasized having a deeper purpose and backbone to what you’re working for, and not being swayed by the chaos of the world as the most vital concept you have to understand. This piece

of advice changed my view on how work is more than just paying the bills. This experience truthfully was a life-changing experience for me and I’m so grateful that I got to experience something that will play a critical role in how I will determine what I want to pursue as an adult.

Jazmine Jones (Grade 10)

SFS ENGAGEMENT

Over the week I spent in the marketing and communications department at SFS, some things became very clear to me from the beginning. A good department should work as a team, but most importantly, get along. Job titles were blurred, but I found that not drawing lines on what tasks they were willing to do was an important aspect of their success this year.

Every person was a photographer (although some more than others), and everyone had an idea who to go to for specialized tasks, such as design.

The team had good chemistry; They

seemed to like each other but didn't let that get in the way of their work.

I learned a lot from this being my first office work experience because everything made sense. I learned how to navigate myself in an office and in which manner to behave in a professional environment to maximize efficiency and minimize unnecessary barriers. Being able to observe such a functional team of coworkers was a great thing to see even for a short while, and I will take those insights with me in my future endeavors.

Andrew Chung (Grade 10)

Thank you to...

AP Communications Crave Food Cushman & Wakefield design camp moonpark dmp Geometry Grand Hyatt Seoul International Vaccine Institute Lee International Law Group LUTRONIC Ronald McDonald House Charities Samsung C&T - Fashion Group SFS British School SFS DLC SFS Elementary School SFS IT SFS Marketing SFS Library Shuttle Delivery Yonsei University College of Medicine 9 Fruits Media Hanyang University KES Entertainment Flying Off The Cliff

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SFS ALUMNI

Reconnect

You become a SFS Alumni the day you graduate (or even before if you attend for a shorter though equally significant period). We are trying to find ways to engage with and to benefit from our graduates and our newest alumni.

Jack Moon, Director of Alumni Relations and the newly formed Student Alumni Committee organized the inaugural Student Alumni event on January 10 entitled RE:CONNECT. The objective was to encourage our graduates to become active members of our SFS community.

This was a student driven event led by the Student Alumni Committee. Five graduates spoke inspiringly about their experiences entering into university life and the real world. Each alumni spoke for 10 minutes about how SFS prepared them for their future and offered all kinds of advice from learning to live on a budget and adjusting to dorm life to choosing a major and finding inspiration in all areas of student life.

First to speak was Alex Paik who graduated in 2004. He revealed that his successful and varied working career was peppered by associations with fellow SFS alumni. Alex has collaborated with many classmates on projects, events and companies over the years. He urged students to value the friendships they make at SFS and to maintain and nurture them in the years ahead.

We heard from Priscilla Chang (class of 2017) who is a freshman at Cornell studying Mechanical Engineering.

Her advice included pursuing your passions through extracurricular activities as well as academics. Priscilla also advocates volunteering as a way to build on the service ethic she experienced at SFS. She currently works with Guide Dogs For The Blind.

Cynthia Oh is a classmate of Priscilla from 2017. She’s attending Harvey Mudd College and is absolutely loving the whole college experience, making friends and challenging herself to scale new and varied heights in academics and extracurriculars. She said that her first months of university were “full of change and overwhelming experiences.

Jeanne Lee left SFS in 2015 and went on to study at Johns Hopkins University in the US. She is now a junion majoring in Public Health. She was very frank about actively searching for your passion in life emphasizing that you need to be seeking them out as they don’t just fall into your path. She feels that SFS prepared her for the challenges of university and that she is able to deal with all that happens. He advice was “The truth is, no one in college really knows what they are doing! Constantly ask questions and always be open to new opportunities.”

Finally, Daniel Lee who is at Yale, is planning to major in Art specializing in Graphic Design. He has kept up many of SFS friendships in the course of his time at Yale. He is also another student who values serving and is co-president of the Korean American Students at Yale as well as a board member at Design@Yale. Daniel also finds time to work as a designer when he is not studying.

All our recent alumni have great stories to share and are very open to your questions. If you have any questions, please contact Jack Moon at jack.moon@seoulforeign.org.

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SFS ALUMNI

Our Stories

We are very lucky at Seoul Foreign School to have many of our alumni visit us regularly. Not only do we have our regular reunions and alumni events but our past students also visit us at Graduation, Homecoming games and just to drop in and say hi. There are far too many to list here but here a few old faces who stopped by to see Jack Moon and other teachers and to see all the changes at Seoul Foreign School over the years.

Yommi Hori spent 7 years at Seoul Foreign School, graduating in 2011. After school she attended Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan where she majored in International Studies and later took a Masters.

She currently works for Google Japan.

Yommi considers the IB Programme to be a critical part of her experience. She believes the rigour and scope built the foundations for excellent study habits which helped her succeed at university and the working world.

She adds, “ SFS was much more than a school to me. It was and is a caring and supportive community that I will always remember with fondness. I still keep in touch with many friends that I made at SFS because they remain my closest friends and I consider them family.”

Timothy Cho attended SFS from 2005-2011. He then went on the study in the US attending The University of Pennsylvania gaining his BA in PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics). He now works as a Non Profit Consultant for Inspire in Boston, USA. He considers the IB programme a perfect education which teaches the student to think way beyond the subject in hand. He also loved the fact that he was exposed to fellow students and teachers from around the world and all different backgrounds.

Timothy says, “SFS is by far the most diverse school in Seoul.

We have the largest number of people coming from all over the world. We have the best education provided in Seoul and go to some of the top universities around the world."

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SFS ALUMNI

Our Stories Peter Dorow attended SFS all through his school career until graduating in 1979. He was an enthusiastic class member throughout - as Class President as well as taking part in sports, music and theatre. Peter has continued to take on an unofficial leadership role galvanising his fellow alumni to support and return to the school.

Peter has recently become a board member of The Friends of Seoul Foreign School.

Peter has worked in the States as a High School educator and then in airline sales - working for Northwest and then Delta. Now he holds a leadership position at Global Agency Sales.

Peter’s commitment to charitable and service causes is exemplary.

He serves on the board of Children’s Cancer Research Fund in Minnesota. He is involved in many fundraising activities involving cycling, flying and galas. Peter is also a mentor to High Schoolers and member of his home church, House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Richfield, Minnesota.

Stephanie Horsburgh studied at Seoul Foreign British School in 1998-2002 (Years 3-6) but considers those early years some of her most special memories. She thinks those years to have expanded her outlook and laid the groundwork for her life as an International citizen of the world.

Stephanie went on to study at Colgate University where she graduated with a BA, magnum cum laude with Honors in Peace and Conflict Studies. Stephanie now works as Head of Public Diplomacy at the British Consulate General New York and UK Mission to the UN. Stephanie says, “SFS gave me an interest in International affairs.

I’m sure my interest in Peace and conflict studies came from living in Seoul and attending SFS.”

Ben Neumann attended SFS for 8 years - along with his two brothers - graduating in 2011. He then went on to attend the ENAC (National School of Civil Aviation in France). Ben now works in marketing for the aviation industry.

Ben has many happy memories of SFS and feels very connected to the school even now. He considers that SFS has a unique and distinctive community feeling. He cites his involvement in sports (particularly for KAIAC and APAC) and his excellent relationships with his teachers as really helping him in later life.

Ben says, “ Critical thinking skills were constantly pounded into us. It helped me be more analytical in my field of study and for that I am grateful. ”

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SFS ALUMNI

Seoul, LA, New York

January was a busy month for the Alumni department of Seoul Foreign School. Jack & Edie Moon along with Head of School, Colm Flanagan traveled to the states to greet our extensive network of U.S. based alumni. Events were organized in LA and New York City and were attended by 60+ alumni. Our Seoul reunion met at Mix & Malt, a bar and restaurant run by Wendell Louis an SFS grad from the class of 1986.

Group Shot from Seoul

The purpose of these events is to reconnect with former friends (once a Crusader, always a Crusader!!) and to invite them to reconnect with the SFS community in order to help our juniors and seniors as they leave SFS and enter university life. The desire is to provide a lifeline of support to all SFS graduates, both during their college career as well as after when they are seeking to get a job and establish their career.

Group Shot in Los Angeles

New York Reunion Elisa dos Santos, Judy Kim, Seline Jung, Natalya Jenny

LA Reunion- SFS Alumnae Sarah Hahm (center), class of 2016, is surrounded by her USC classmates who she is directing in theatre 27

SFS ARTS

Behind the Scenes of SFS Theatre

Edie Moon is our Schoolwide Drama Director and along with the rest of our talented and inspired drama department is responsible for producing a wide variety of plays and musicals across the school year. It would be easy for her to simply review our productions in the 2017 - 2018 school year as they have all been amazing - from Spamalot to Midsummer Jersey; Bye Bye Birdie to The Snow Queen… Each one has given our students the chance to learn, to shine and to be part of a team. Here Edie pays tribute to those behind the scenes in the department. Without them our productions could never even get off the ground! We thank them all for their service to our school and their willingness to go the extra miles and to put in the extra hours - many of them unpaid and often unacknowledged…

Eun Jung Shin

Stage Manager/Tech Support Manager

Anyone who has worked in theatre knows that the production is only as good as the production team. It has been my privilege for the past 9 years to work with a professional and inspired production team who not only have hearts to serve but also creative vision that inspires.

I first met Eun Jung Shin 5 years ago when she came to SFS as a local hire in order to work as scenic/ stage manager, stage machinery manager, set builder, and props designer. She also plays the role of tech support manager for assemblies and concerts. Eun Jung will not be the first person you see when you walk into the theatre. She may not be seen at all but her presence is evident everywhere. After attending graduate school in theatre, Eun Jung spent several years working as a freelance designer and stage manager. She worked at the Mapo Arts Center in various capacities before she joined the SFS production team. Eun Jung shared with me that being in an international school environment has been challenging but a wonderful

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place to learn and grow. Through her relationships with colleagues and the leadership of the school, she has been inspired to travel abroad and deepen her cultural experiences. “I feel that I am doing something important here as I see how the theatre program is educationally impacting the students and their experiences. I am also loving watching the students grow up in the theatre program.” Above all, Eun Jung is an artist. Perhaps you saw the car she made from scratch that was used in the “Greased Lighting”

song for the fall musical GREASE. The car took 30 plus hours to make. Perhaps you saw the carousel horse in the spring high school performance of Midsummer Jersey which also took about 30 hours to make by hand. This is not something she was asked to do but it is work that she commits to doing whether she has time or not. You can see her inspiration in every set she designs and builds. Her quiet artistic presence is at the heart of our program. Edie Moon

SFS ARTS

Drama Mamas At the heart of the concept of theatre at SFS as an ensemble is the Drama Mamas - a group that was inspired three years ago by Mrs. Kristen Freeman and others who felt that by serving the school in this positive way, they would be empowering the teachers and directors and ultimately the students in the program.

Kristen Freeman, Sun Hye Yang, Lynden Cooper, Tootsie FortalezaTan and many others committed to supporting the costumes, props, makeup and hair design for the theatre productions whether their own children were in the production or not. Sun Hye Yang describes the experience as “a way to empathize with students and their experiences every day, a way to be creative every day in order to enhance meaning in life.” Mrs. Yang described the group as being committed to working across all sections of the school so that the name “Drama Mamas” was not tied to any one group of students.

This past winter, she and other Drama Mamas initiated a service project in honor of the schoolwide So Good

Project which was raising money for milk by making handkerchiefs for babies associated with the Eastern Social Welfare Society. For several weeks, the moms quietly sat at a table in the lunchroom stitching the handkerchiefs. Eventually, other moms, students and teachers stopped by to stitch as well and to share in the experience of service together.

A community slowly began to be created one stitch at a time until 105 infant handkerchiefs were made.

Mrs. Yang describes service as a way of allowing the recipient as well as the giver to grow. Over this past year, over 60 SFS mothers have been a part of the Drama Mamas in one way or another with about 16 mothers being at the core of the Drama Mamas over the past three years. For them, the focus is on the process as much as it is on the product. Their goal is for

everyone to see what a difference even a few minutes of time can make. Contributing despite the busyness of life has allowed them to not only discover their own artistic potential but has allowed them to get to know the students at the school and share in their experience. Edie Moon

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SFS ARTS

Crusader Live - John Black

John Black is another unsung hero of the Performing Arts Department. John attended Seoul Foreign School as a student - graduating in 2004. After studying Theatre Design at university he has now been Theatre Manager and Tech Director at SFS for 9 years. John is responsible for supporting and contributing to over 1,000 events in a school year from rehearsals and non arts programming to the big show stopping musicals and plays such as The Addams Family, Grease and The Wizard of Oz. John also runs the Crusader Live programme where he gives students the chance to start their training behind the scenes - he helps and supports them take their first steps in all aspects of set building, design, and support of our productions.

“My philosophy has always been that those who are presenting are there to present, which often comes with a lot of stress. If I can relieve all of the technical stresses from presenters, then they can focus on what they are presenting and deliver a better event. When the tech fades into the background and just “happens”, I know we have done our job well.

The role of Theatre Manager is a busy one to say the least, and I wear a number of different hats depending on what is on a stage at a given time. Though our performing arts program is very active and large, I essentially am running three “road houses” with a constant rotation of events coming and going. A day may have 3-5 different event setups on a single stage, or we may be striking a musical stage set in preparation for an event the next morning. I also perform preventative and repair maintenance on the equipment and systems. With the quantity of events

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that are booked, a system failing would have a huge negative effect on the global school programming, so I work very hard to ensure equipment and systems are functioning properly and that I have redundancies and backups in place. Eunjung Shin and I also do all of the stage design for drama productions and we use Crusader Live to bring these designs to reality. We do a lot of building in our scene shop because we only get two weeks of on stage time to finish a set before opening.

I am blessed to be working in and supporting truly state-of-theart facilities and the most active performance program that I know of. The opportunities for students to perform and to develop hard and soft skills through our programs is second-to-none. For those students who do choose to continue into technical theatre programs, they often communicate back that they were well prepared for their coursework

or job placement in their university theatres, often having had stronger training and access to better facilities and equipment at SFS than they have in university.

Each work day is different, and I thrive on the turnover. I am one of only a few people on campus who will see almost every single SFS student on a stage over the course of a year. Instead of the traditional teacher-student relationship, my interaction with students is as a collaborative-mentor. I consider Crusader Live to be a part of my theatre support team and the quality of work that gets produced is the sum of our efforts, not mine alone.”

Contact John Black if you have any questions about this program.

We will feature it in more detail in forthcoming issues - we’ve only touched the surface here!

SFS ARTS

Break a Leg!

After 9 years we are very sad to say goodbye to Darrell and Vonda Roddick. Originally, Darrell was Fine Arts Director of the School and then Performing Arts Director. With a strong background in theatre, choral music conducting, and Activities Director in previous positions so he was able to bring these skills to SFS. Darrell has been a passionate advocate for the arts. He has been the liaison between the administrators and the teachers and he has bent over backwards to meet the needs of his directors whether it was by helping to build a multitude of sets or advocating for them in a boardroom discussion.

be described as the quintessential pied piper.

She invests in each student personally as well as educationally and they know they are loved by her.

You will be both be much missed and we wish you well back in Nova Scotia. Edie Moon

As the students like to say “Mr. Roddick is in charge of the money right?” and yes, they are correct. Juggling the finances of the Performing Arts division as well as the production of all performances has been a great challenge but one that he has met successfully. We will miss his sense of humor and his support in every aspect of the process.

Vonda is a passionate advocate and teacher of music and has contributed significantly to the growth of the SFS elementary and middle school band program.

This is due not only to her passion and love for music but also for her deep affection for children. She could

My name is Jade Teather and I’m a current high school senior (12th grade) at SFS. I’m pleased to announce that I’ve decided to attend Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. The college process that I’ve been through this year has definitely not been an easy one, but with the support of my counselors, teachers, parents, friends, and the SFS community, I’ve survived.

I want to encourage all younger high schoolers who will be applying to take advantage of all the resources available within the SFS community!

I’ve found a great support system in SFS teachers, students, and counselors that has allowed me to be successful in my applications. Another important thing for future applicants to keep in mind is that while grades are important, it shouldn’t be your only focus for the next four years. There are a lot of students who are only worried about their next test score and how that will impact their acceptance to an Ivy League, that’s a really toxic mindset to get into that can be more harmful than beneficial. Colleges are looking for applicants who are genuinely good people, not just good students.

I’m not at all the type to focus on grades and I received acceptances and scholarships from every school I applied to, because my application showed who I was as a person. In my application, I focused on my love for music and the experience I’ve had growing up overseas. These are things that make me the person I am today, not grades or test scores.

That’s an important thing for future students to keep in mind when applying to college, best of luck if that’s you! Jade Teather (Grade 12)

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SFS SPORTS

A Year in Sport

Sport is so incredibly powerful because it brings people together toward a cause greater than themselves. In sport, people rally around a human experience that provides exposure to teamwork, winning, losing, failure and success. It is a venue to explore, take chances and be creative; to nurture and to learn. Sport is also, ontologically, an education that is not offered elsewhere.

At Seoul Foreign School our sport ethos cultivates lasting memories that positively shape our students and the way they view the world. We continuously strive to cultivate an inclusive community and to learn about fairness, control, and adherence to different types of social structures and hierarchies. It is a wonderful platform for our students to showcase their efforts as individuals and as teams. They strengthen their fibers for resilience and integrity. They get immediate feedback on their efforts from across the community. At Seoul Foreign School we respect and support each other and our opponents no matter what the outcome; through wins and losses; through highs and lows.

With high school sport leading the way this year, we have experienced remarkable accomplishments including winning APAC boys’ tennis and APAC boys’ basketball. The girls’ badminton received the first ever medal in APAC (3rd place).

Additionally, girls’ swimming and both girls’ and boys’ tennis and soccer teams won their KAIAC conferences. Cheer finished their competition in a surprising 2nd because of a technical error but showed their beautiful sense of character through their display of maturity, acceptance and resilience following the results. Girls’ soccer finished 3rd in APAC Soccer here at SFS while being cheered on in their thrilling matches.

Extending the middle years KAIAC sport program (sports: Swimming, Cross Country, Volleyball, Basketball, Table Tennis, Badminton) to include Key Stage 3 students alongside the Middle School students has strengthened SFS sport development and fostered greater opportunity for students to formulate lasting relationships.

Soccer, Soccer and more Soccer! The Seoul Foreign School Soccer Program has been redefined over the last two seasons providing young student athletes with the opportunity to experience elite and tournament team training, local community matches against Korean Federation Teams and international tournaments. Recently at the JSSL Singapore 7’s, Asia’s premier tournament, The Crusaders ended the tournament with outstanding results against club and academy programs. Notably the U14 Boys finishing second in the Elite Grouping; the U14 Girls winning their group; the U13 Boys finishing runners up in the plate competition and the U12 Girls bringing home our first trophy winning the Plate Championship.

From the dynamic new bouldering class; the advanced ballet program; the expanded hip hop dancing to the return of the professional gymnastics instructor, SWEP has continued to heighten student experiences by improving programs, increasing current course offerings and it actively looks for new opportunities to grow in the future.

More exciting highlights from this year include - attending the FOBISIA Invitational Swim Meet and the Great Wall Shootout Basketball Tournament; hosting Eastern Welfare Adoptees sport days and hosting the first Terry Fox Charity Run. Additional wins for SFS sport this year are the creation of United Through Sport (UTS) which has revitalized our Middle and Primary Years’ sport programs and the growth and continued development of the Sport Council which serves to highlight, support and promote sport at SFS. Susan Sell-Haynes Director of Sport

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SFS SPORTS

A Year in Aquatics

Season Recap: The Aquatic teams this season have had a very successful year in participation and swim during the various local and international meets.

Fall Pumpkin Splash. SFS played host to Yongsan International School Seoul (YISS), Chadwick International (CI) and Dulwich College Seoul (DCSL). It was the opening meet of the season and we welcomed all swimmers in the school to come and participate.

Chadwick Winter Invite. The day after Thanksgiving we took 6 swimmers to compete in Songdo. The swimmers that came performed well but more importantly took away key learning pieces that we had been working on in practice.

YISS Jingle Bell Splash. The highlight of this meet is the Rudolph Relay where all the teams mix and combine and swim with red noses and antlers on their heads. A Jolly good time indeed. This meet was also a first test for our high school team getting itself geared up for the upcoming APAC Championships in late January.

FOBISIA Swimming Championships. This was our only open international meet of the year. Any member of Seoul Foreign School could attend.

This year we took 13 students from the British School, Middle School and Elementary School. They swam 8 events each over the course of two, twelve hour days. The boys and girls performed to the best of their ability and came away with a 13th overall.

Asia Pacific Activities Conference Swimming Championships. Our High School team traveled to SASPd for their APAC competition. Racing against 9 other schools from around ASIA, our boys and girls performed with high caliber swimming and came away with 3rd for the girls team and 5th for the boys.

Swim for Dongdaewon. This is a fundraising swimming competition that supports the school wide fundraising efforts to provide TB medication to patients in North Korea. This was the third year of running the Swim for Dongdaewon Event. Participants paid an entry fee and received a gift for their participation. This year saw the largest turnout to date in participants and in monies raised for the Dongdaewon event.

KAIAC High School Season. This is the local Korean league that our High School swim team takes part in each Spring semester. They have several opportunities to better themselves against local competition from February to April. This season saw the girls take 1st in Conference and 2nd at Tournament and the Boys earned 2nd in Conference and 2nd at Tournament. The combined team award went to SFS for both Conference and Tournament.

Sean Cary Aquatics Coordinator

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SFS SPORTS

My Sporting Life

We asked students, coaches and parents what sports at SFS mean to them. We had so many amazing responses we couldn't use them all - we could fill an issue of The Banner with them! Most students at SFS balance their academic work with sports of some kind and we invite you to read on and see why.

Attending SFS for the last four years has allowed me to really appreciate and enjoy sports. I’ve participated in KAIAC basketball, soccer, volleyball, as well as in developmental tournaments throughout middle school. Sports have always been an outlet for me, helping me destress, have fun with friends, and spend some of my crazy amounts of energy. Sports at SFS has been no exception, with knowledgeable, enthusiastic coaches and great facilities, not to mention some great sports records.

The sports program in middle school really emphasizes hard work and sportsmanship. Students don’t have to have much experience to participate, just a willingness to practice their sports skills and have fun. However, there are also many great competitive opportunities for more experienced players like elite soccer and developmental / all star teams. Playing sports has always been an important outlet for me, so I would highly recommend that the younger students at SFS try some sports when they get to middle school because exercise is great for your health and they have allowed me to meet some great friends and have fun by being a part of the team. Alaina Smith (Grade 7) You grow, but it is hard and strict because nothing is free. If you want to get better at basketball, you got to try hard to earn it.

Brandon Lee, Basketball (Grade 5)

I love swimming but I never tried challenging myself until last winter when I came to this swep I was able to challenge myself and get faster and better.

Irina Kim, SWEP Swim, (Grade 5)

My coaches inspired me to keep going and to never give up whenever you want to. One thing I learned from this course is that you shouldn't give up because you're almost done accomplishing your goal.

Yenna Ko, Cross Country, (Grade 7)

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We are more than a team, we are a family. Whether we won or lost we always supported each other. I feel so blessed that I got to play alongside these girls and learn from these amazing coaches during my final year of volleyball.

Isabelle Kim, Volleyball (Grade 12)

SFS SPORTS The best part of being a p.e. teacher is how excited the students are when they come to my class. I wish everyone could have seen the joy on their faces when I brought them into the bouldering room for the first time. You would have thought I had taken them to Disney World if you heard their shouts of glee! Taking some of the soccer players to Singapore for the JSSL International 7's tournament was an amazing experience for players, parents and coaches. Sports have always played a huge role in my life, and I am grateful to be part of that community at SFS. Watching all of the teams rooting for each other and providing unconditional support on and off the field makes me confident that these kids are going to be game changers, world leaders and lifelong learner.

Mrs. Heather Wirch, ES PE Teacher & Coach I love teaching English, but I LOVE coaching, so having the opportunity to work with our students in another context than the classroom is something that I really value and look forward to each year.

Mr. Paul Rader, Varsity Girls’ Volleyball & Boys’ Basketball

As a parent I am keen to see my child grow in all aspects of her life. KAIAC sports provides such a great opportunity for our children to experience competitive sports for the first time. I traveled with the girls basketball team to Daegon-3 hours one way! Was it worth it-yes. I got to see the smile and elation on my daughters face after she scored her first ever basket in basketball. It is a memory I will cherish. And seeing the growth of a novice team during the tournament was fantastic!

Rosie & Steven Goodinson, Parents Charlotte (MS) & Phoebe (ES)

Being parents of SFS Crusader Sports has been something we can never experience again. It has taught us to be our sons’ biggest fan and to encourage and support them through the vigor, wins and losses. There is nothing like rooting for your child from the sidelines and the excitement after winning a game.

Judy & Curtis Jang, Parents of Caleb & Caden (HS)

“As parents of a SFS soccer player, we truly appreciate the coaches who helped the players blossom into their potential, the teammates who grew together, and the teachers and students who cheered on their efforts.”

Sean & Heejung Khang, Parents of Rachel (HS)

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SFS ADVANCEMENT

Dear SFS Community,

Why Donate?

2017-18 school year has been yet another busy and wonderful year for the Advancement office aiming hard to enhance all of our efforts to promote, support and develop community engagement and the facilities master plan of the newly launched five-year Strategic Plan in the fall of 2017.

Last November, we were excited to host our 3rd Grandparents Day event, welcoming grandparents and extended family members to become more familiar with the school, as well as having the opportunity to witness their grandchildren within their daily classroom and school environment. We have had the biggest turn out since the launch of this event with over 100 grandparents and extended family members visiting the campus. We are thrilled to be able to welcome our grandparents and family members and look forward to hosting special events in the future.

This year, a wonderful opportunity was organized by the Advancement office for SFS students. Nine enthusiastic SFS high school students participated as volunteers to the 2018 Pyeong Chang Winter Olympic games hosted in Korea. The students had a fantastic once in a life time opportunity to experience Olympics while assisting the Olympic committee and the players. The Olympic committee greatly complimented our students for their professionalism and service. We are proud to have been a part of this wonderful opportunity.

Also, for the first time at SFS, Building for the Future Advisory Group composed of significant donors and natural partners met to help prompt and encourage other members in our community to become active supporters for the school and its capital projects, beginning with the current High School project. Their level of enthusiasm for the school, expertise and professional insights were very much appreciated and will greatly help SFS in its endeavor to continue being a leader within the community of international schools.

We are thrilled to have opened up an Advancement program for the new High School building and the ‘Building for the Future Fund’ to support the on-going master plan to restructure the entire SFS campus. Naming Rights, Centennial Stones and General Donations are the three exciting ways in which you can support and participate. Our Annual Fund this year will go towards supporting the British School Playground. We will be accepting donations until June 30th to support this year’s Annual Fund.

As one of our key efforts in the office is to continue developing community participation, our hope is that you, as members of our beloved SFS community, would join us in the endeavor of solidarity and legacy to continue our traditions of excellence.

We are grateful to our community for providing us with much needed encouragement and support.

With much appreciation, Yoojin Um Manager of Advancement yoojin.um@seoulforeign.org

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SFS ADVANCEMENT

2017-18Annual Fund

A huge thank you to...

THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Donated $10,000 or more

Laura and Alice Chung RED AND BLACK CLUB Donated $5,000 or more

John ’04, Stephanie ’05, Gibson and Miles Black Minsoo Choi and June Kang Andrew Chung, Soo Youn Nam, Farrah Chung and Micah Chung Colm and Sinead Flanagan The Horvath Family Emily Kim Rose '17 and Martin ‘21* Kim Jay Won and Jay Joon Lee Rayoung (Madeline) Lee

Kyungsuh Lee Sophie, Aimee and Philip Min Jack, Edie ’77, Melissa '07* and Kayla '10 Moon Katherine, Jonathan and Xander Myong Seung Min Nam and Family Nicholas Howon Park '93 and Eunie Lee Park '00 Paul A. and Kay, JP '79 and Helen, Paul D. '04 and Hannah Rader Jeremiah and Judah Shim

THE CREST CLUB Donated $1,000 or more

Anonymous Yoon Suh (Stephanie) and Jun Woo (Kevin) Chae Young Min Choe James and Sarah (Hubbard) Gunberg '71 Euiseok Kim and Regina Ryu '87* HakSoo Kim and KyonCha Ju Ian Wonwoo Kim

Jerome and Silvia Kim Lukas Kim Sebi Kim Anna Nahm ‘18 Katherine and Justin Oh James J. Park Ryann and Riley Yang

CENTENNIAL CLUB Donated $100 or more

Anonymous John Ahn Julien Ahn Eunhi Cho Youngwoo Cho Yune Chung Kris Daly Michael, Jane and Lydia Forster Heejin '06 and Matthew Gregory Brian and Lisa Hall Ryan and Sophie Hammerberg James Hopkins Reagan, Aiden and Michael Jun Byung Nam Kahng Chris Eensoo Kim Daniel Kim Jenna Kim Minji Kim Philip Kim Su Yeon Kim Taehyeon Kim Yerin Amy Kim Jennifer Koenig '92*

Haejin Koh Joonmo Koo Andrew Lee Isabelle Lee Jenny Lee '86* Tae Hoon, Yuna and Yoojung Lee Keanu Ma Michael O'Donnell ‘70 Nathan and Anna Park Damian Prest The Prest Family Andrew and Jia Rhee The Searles Family Alex Shim Philip Shin Justin and Shannon Smith Christopher Sykes Yoojin Um Fred Underwood '72 Esther Washburn Smith, Former Faculty Sun Woo Whang Jessica '15, Michael and Stephanie Woo Cate and Mikey Yoon

THE LEGACY CLUB Made a monetary donation

Wan Hee Hong Won Joo Hwang The Kuhl Family The Lee Family Pauline Mott Tae Yi

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SFS ADVANCEMENT

Why I Give...

“As students, our parents donated to the construction of the Lyso Center and turfing the field for the first time.

Little did they know that it wouldn’t just be benefiting their children, but their grandchildren as well! Now that we’re SFS parents, we wanted to donate to the next building project, the High School, knowing that it might not only benefit our children, but generations to come. We want to be part of the legacy of giving for the future.”

John Black ’04 & Stephanie (Small) Black ’05 SFS Alums, Faculty and Parents "I greatly cherish my time at SFS and the relationships I built there. Supporting the new high school is a wonderful opportunity to give back to an institution that gave so much to me."

Class of 2010 Alumnus “SFS has provided my children many wonderful opportunities for growth and exploration. The community’s focus on serving others while pursuing excellence is inspiring. Our family is pleased to donate to the Building for the Future Fund as we have confidence SFS will continue to be a nurturing and challenging environment for students to develop into dedicated global citizens.”

Anonymous Parent “We have gained so much in our lives because of our association with Seoul Foreign School, so this is a way of expressing our gratitude. The new high school building is an exciting project and speaks to the school’s commitment to continual improvement.”

The Rader Family - Paul A. and Kay, JP 79’ and Helen, Paul D. ’04 and Hannah SFS Alums, Former and Current Faculty

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SFS ADVANCEMENT

High School Donations

Building for the Future Fund THE HERITAGE CLUB Donated $100,000 or more

The Charles B. Moffett Family

1912 SOCIETY

Donated $50,000 or more

Friends of Seoul Foreign School

THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Donated $10,000 or more

Laura and Alice Chung Rayoung (Madeline) Lee

RED AND BLACK CLUB Donated $5,000 or more

John ’04, Stephanie ’05, Gibson and Miles Black Minsoo Choi and June Kang Andrew Chung, Soo Youn Nam, Farrah Chung and Micah Chung Colm and Sinead Flanagan The Horvath Family Emily Kim Rose '17 and Martin '21* Kim Jay Won and Jay Joon Lee Kyungsuh Lee Sophie, Aimee and Philip Min Jack, Edie ’77, Melissa '07 and Kayla Moon Katherine, Jonathan and Xander Myong Seung Min Nam and Family Hyungji Park '85 Nicholas Howon Park '93 and Eunie Lee Park '00 Paul A. and Kay, JP '79 and Helen, Paul D. '04 and Hannah Rader Jeremiah and Judah Shim Eulho Suh and KyungEn Kim '90

THE CREST CLUB Donated $1,000 or more

Anonymous Young Min Choe Tim and Kate Gray The Kahng Family David and Sun Young Kim HakSoo Kim and KyonCha Ju Henry Kim and Family Hyong Seok Kim '12 Jee Hee Kim

Jerome and Silvia Kim Lukas Kim W. Amber Kim '12 in honor of Rev. Yong Il Kim W. Andrew Kim '14 in honor of Rev. Yong Il Kim Joon, Esther, Gabriel, and Marissa Myong Anna Nahm ’18 Katherine and Justin Oh Paul '04 and Hannah Rader Don and Rose Robinson KeeHyun Sung From the 2015-16 SFS Board on behalf of Mr. Minki Synn for his service as Board Chair Ryann and Riley Yang

CENTENNIAL CLUB Donated $100 or more

Miyeon Bahng Michael Busbee and Jiangjiang Chen Chua Ken Hon Eunhi Cho Youngwoo Cho Kimble Cook ‘83 JoAnn Dunbar The Foord Family Michael, Jane and Lydia Forster Caroline Hahn Brian and Lisa Hall Hyun Sook Hong Celine Jin Byung Nam Kahng Calvin Anthony Kamphuis The Kent Family Albert Y. Kim ‘14 Andrew H. Kim '15 Dae Woon Kim Chris Eensoo Kim John Kim ‘71 Su Yeon Kim Yerin Amy Kim Yoo Soo Kim Jasmine Kipa Michael Kirsch Haejin Koh Andy and Joanna Lee Eun Joo Lee Jinju Lee The Lycett Family John ’70 and Masumi O’Donnell The Prest Family Seung Min Nam The Sanderson Family Tim Schulze S. Schrader and Y. Kim

The Searles Family

Susan Sell-Haynes

Iris Shin Reina Shin Insil Tak Yoojin Um Fred Underwood '72 James S. Weaver Jr. Family Fund Hye Sun Woo

THE LEGACY CLUB Made a monetary donation

Anonymous Benjamin Choi Christian Choi ‘14 Jong Chul Choi Young Woo Choi Chan Kun Chung Kang Hoe Do Eleanor, Dao, and Mathew Gibault Seong Hoon Hong Won Joo Hwang Woo Tak Jeon Jin Hyuk Joo Dong Suk Kang Sang Oh Kang Cheol Hoi Kim Ki Su Kim Kyu Heon Kim Hong Seo Koo The Kuhl Family Byung Joo Lee Jae Hun Lee Jung Yong Lee Seung Jae Lee Seoung Woo Lee Moonki Min Yong Min Park Dong Jin Shin Misty Shipley & JJ Akin Chang Gun Yang Bo Ram Yoo

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FACULTY FAREWELL

We wish you well!

We are sad to say goodbye to some very familiar faces around campus. Some of them have been with us for many years but we are delighted that our faculty are leaving to expand their horizons - some changing career paths, others moving within Asia or to another continent entirely - and of course some returning to home shores or retiring from working life! We don’t have room to do justice to everyone’s story so a tiny selection are featured here.

Dr. Timothy Gray and Mrs. Kate Gray We say good bye to Tim and Kate after 18 years total at Seoul Foreign British School - Tim as Principal and Kate as Student Support Services Facilitator. They will be hugely missed, having made a major contribution to the development of the ethos of the School. Tim and Kate are moving on to Beijing China and we wish them well and look forward to their return to compete in the annual British School Quiz Night!

Dr. Blair Lee Assistant Head of School (Academics) Blair has been at SFS for 6 years. Blair, his wife Kim and sons Hudson (16) and Maguire (15) are staying within Asia as Blair is moving to be Head of School at the Dailin American International School in China.

Mr. Stuart Kent Stuart Kent is our Assistant Head of School (Operations) and has been part of the SFS community for 10 years - as teacher, DP Co-ordinator, Assistant High School Principal, High School Principal before his current role. Stuart’s wife Sheree has worked as both an Elementary School teacher and Marketing Co-ordinator. Along with their children Jack (6), Sophie (11) and Grace (14) they are moving to Sao Paolo, Brazil where Stuart will be High School Principal of Graded - The American School of Sao Paolo.

Ms. Anne Gardon by Justin Smith Middle School Principal After 19 years of service to SFS, Anne Gardon is moving on to become the Elementary Principal at the Chinese International School in Hong Kong. During her time at SFS she has served in many different roles as an English as a Second Language (ELL) teacher in both the ES and MS, ES counselor, ES Assistant Principal and MS Assistant Principal. Her contributions to the SFS community, have been vast and significant. Her enthusiasm for all that she does and her passion for education have made her an invaluable part of our community. Though she will be greatly missed, we want to wish her all the best in the next chapter of her life!

Mrs. Eunhi Cho by Damian Prest Elementary School Principal After 29 years of dedicated service to Seoul Foreign School, my Elementary School Assistant Mrs. Cho plans on retiring in August. On behalf of the entire ES community, I offer our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for all she has done for the ES. I know her impact on the teachers, parents, and children has been immense and lasting. Personally, Mrs. Cho has been a tremendous support to me, her institutional knowledge, guidance, and patience are amazing. We regularly have former students return, whose first stop is to see Mrs. Cho. Many of these are now adults with children of their own.

Please join me in thanking Mrs. Cho and acknowledging the impact she has had on the Elementary and Seoul Foreign School.

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FACULTY FAREWELL

Moving on

Windeline Abella Maria Agnes Linda An Margaret Brainard Chi Yan Eugenia Chan JoAnn Dunbar Benjamin Erny Kristina Erny Anne Gardon Sheri Gates Kathleen Gray Timothy Gray Johan Greyvensteyn Janelle Grover Richard Haigh Kathe Hart Philip Hart Marilee Hunt

Barrie Hunt Steel Horton Jake Jacobsen Stuart Kent Hye Young Kim Karen Kim Blair Lee Shin Hae (Jennifer) Lee Pauline Mott Hope Myers Michelle Penn Natalie Priest LiJuan Ren Darrell Roddick Vonda Roddick Christina Root Joren Roth Margie Roth

Paul Sanderson Ruth Sanderson Timothy Schulze Erin Searles John Searles Declan Sheehan Frances Snowden Bradley Thies Jo Thies Lloyd Tsui Tae Yi John Bert Young Mee Sook Moon Eun Mi (Jennifer) Lee Young-Mi Oh Donna Youngblood

Joining Us Soon Andrew Freeman Katy Freeman David Robinson DeAnna Dunn Sophie Holbrook Marion Statton Matthew Johnson Kelly Gilmore Tu Anh Gilmore Melissa Keith Philip Carr Taryn Carr Kley Feitosa Alisha Feitosa Emily Daniels

Charlotte Harvey Kylie Munce Cameron Munce Michael Knox Diane Enoka Benjamin Kask Rachel Kask Crystal Kim Cailen McNair Anna McNair Yuan Tian Josh VanWinkle Natalya VanWinkle Kathy McKenzie Elizabeth McGarroch-Slack

John Striffler Tara Striffler Rebecca Cook Judith Reid Matthew Grieve Nhung Phan Jake Breedlove Heather Breedlove Mariana Miroiu Calum Stuart Michelle Albano Kim Stuart Hannah Kim Dave Harvey JL Murdoch

John Searles by Jane Forster The Marketing team wants to say a HUGE thank you and good luck to John Searles who for five years has been responsible for the look of Seoul Foreign School material, merchandise and branding. John is an invaluable member of the team - and the fastest worker I have ever met - and his are very big shoes to fill. He and his wife - much loved ES teacher, librarian and literacy coach, Erin - and their sons Ralph (3) and Arthur (1) are returning to the US to be closer to family and friends. It’s not goodbye - just au revoir...

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MESSAGES FROM GRANDPARENTS Last November, we welcomed SFS grandparents and extended family members to our campus. We were able to bring them together and showcase the school in action. Upon obtaining a glimpse of the daily lives of their grandchildren, they wanted to respond with messages of encouragement. Thank you grandparents for your support to the school and the Annual Fund.

Dear Andrew and Jia Rhee, I’m very proud of you.

From your Grandmom

사랑하는 정우, 서은아 건강하게 올바르게 잘 자라주기를 바란다. 할아버지, 할머니가

사랑하는 Tae Hoon, Yuna & YooJung, 건강하고 착하게 공부 열심히 하고 훌륭하게 자라기를 바란다. 사랑하는 할머니

사랑하는 손녀, 모든 사람에게 사랑받는 사람이 되자꾸나.

우리 키아누가 튼튼하고 훌륭한 사람이 되게끔 좋은 교육 부탁드립니다.

할머니, 할아버지

할아버지

사랑하는 Daniel! 항상 씩씩하고 밝고 훌륭하게 잘자라기를 할어버지, 할머니가 늘 옆에서 기도할께! 사랑한다 우리 손자 Daniel!

사랑하는 필립아! 할아버지 할머니는 필립이 훌륭한 사람이 되리라 믿는다. 할아버지 할머니는 우리 필립이 항상 자랑스럽다. 사랑한다 우리 필립!

Dear John, our proud grandson!

Please do what you want to do. We will support you. Always love you!

Grandmom & Grandfather

Alex!

We are happy that you are our grandson. Students at this school are future leaders. We hope you be a man of Positivity, Innovation, Trust, Challenge and Happiness.

Good luck to you. We love you! 외할아버지, 외할머니

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MESSAGES FROM GRANDPARENTS

예쁜 Julien에게, 지혜롭고, 슬기롭고, 용기 있는 사람이 되길 바란다.건강해라 사랑하는 우리 연제! 할머니, 외할머니

제나야, 이렇게 좋은 학교에서 친구들도 많이 만들고 좋은 선생님들에게서 많은 것을 배우고 명랑하고 즐거운 학교생활을 하기를 바래. 할머니, 할아버지

착하고 예쁜 Andrew, 훌륭한 사람이 되세요. 사랑합니다. 외할머니, 외할아버지

건강하고 튼튼하고 훌륭한 손자가 되길 바란다. 사랑한다 애들아! 할머니

사랑하는 선우 Sun Woo, 오늘 너희 학교 방문할 수 있어서 너무 기뻤어. 학교가 너무 멋져요! 어제는 첫영성체, 오늘은 조부모 방문. 얼마나 행복한지! 하느님의 큰 축복이 항상 너와 함께하기를 바란다. 할어버지, 할머니

사랑하는 손자 준모야, 좋은 학교에서 훌륭하게 잘 지내는 모습보니 기쁘구나. 늘 할머니가 응원한다. 사랑한다. 할머니

사랑하는 우리 귀염둥이 윤, 예쁘고 건강하고 훌륭하게 자라나기를 바란다. 우리 윤을 제일 많이 사랑하는 할비 할미가

Have dreams! Do your best!

Have passions! Never give up!

Be a good world leader!

I love you!

Grandpa

잘 배우고 건강하게 자라게 해주셔서 감사합니다.

Our dearest grandchildren Stephanie (Yoonsuh) and Kevin (Junwoo) Chae, We're thankful for how much you have learned during your time at SFS. Grandpa & Grandma

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Thanks for a Great Year!

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