Satiger Times Volume 56 Issue 4 (Satire Issue)

Satiger Times Volume 56 • Issue 4 • December 2024 • ttonl.org

*Satire article headlines marked in orange

3 School News 3 Focus6 8 Extended Viewpoint10 15 HS Winter Concert

KORCOS Conference Culture of Korean education Christmas: Religion vs. Modern Practices More outdoor education Crooked Santa Claus should be cancelled!! cover by Kayla Kim

2 SCHOOL NEWS Tiger Times exercises the right to report on and editorialize all topics, events or issues, including those unpopular or controversial, insofar as they affect or interest the school, community, nation, and world.

We refrain from publishing material that advertises illegal products or services, is obscene, libelous, or invades privacy. We refrain from publishing material that creates a clear and present danger or the immediate material and substantial physical disruption of the school.

Tiger Times Staff Volume 56 Issue 4 December Seoul, South Korea TTONL.org a free publication of

Seoul International School

Paper Editor-in-Chief Yoon Choi Jason Lee

Paper Managing Editors Eric Kim

Website Editor-in-Chief Eric Cho

Website Managing Editors Hannah Yi Danny Han

Production Editors Lucy Jang San Schwede Alex Jihwan Lee

Multimedia Editor Jiah Hwang

Photo Manager Jason Shin Paper Social Media Manager Jian Hong

Students run to get last TT paper

Photo by Sean Kim (11)

As the fresh smell of the new Tiger Times (TT) paper fills Stephen Shifflett’s classroom, students run to the stack to be the first ones to get their hands on the new issue.

Within seconds, the papers are swept from the shelf and into the hands of students.

Compared to previous years, the paper has gained more popularity due to an increase in unique articles covering topics such as rap icon P. Diddy’s arrest and YouTuber Nickocado Avocado’s weight loss, news everyone wants to read about.

“I’m always working overtime because I am finishing the paper for our huge fan base,” Eric Kim ’25, TT paper Managing Editor, said. “I always get Instagram DMs to finish our cycles quicker because they want to read it. Some people even tell me they will pay me to get access to the papers first.”

The October issue was especially successful in garnering the interest of many students and teachers. As the issue was published later than expected, students waited in great anticipation. Once the paper

was released, students were often seen in the hallways fighting for a copy of the issue, leaving a trace of the battle with ripped papers in lockers, couches, and on just about every hallway floor—even right next to the trash cans.

The overwhelming popularity of the paper has even led to many writing clubs facing hardships and the Tiger Times Online losing many viewers.

“Paper is great,” Eric Cho ’25, TT online Editor-in-chief, said. “‘Paper’ is five letters and ‘great’ is five letters. Coincidence? I think not! Led by three of the brightest minds of our generation, paper has indeed accurately portrayed numerous stories. As per usual, they have conquered many difficulties throughout the semester, but they have zombied on. All I can say for paper is wowza. Maybe they have even surpassed online for once.”

Due to the high demand for the newspaper, TT paper members have been forced to work day and night on their articles, causing some students to stray into paths advised against, such as developing an addiction to green juice or giving edits at 3 a.m. The TT classroom is often silent, filled with only the sound of rapid typing and the occasional conversation between the executives and

Website Design Editor Subeen Shim Website Social Media Managers Waan Choi Christie Hwang

Paper Copy Editors Jian Hong Carey Kim Yeonjae Kim Sean Kim Reporters Chloe Kim Carson Park Anders Christensen Jason Chung

Minju Chung Yumin Jeon Leah Kim Charlotte Kim Kayla Kim Catherine Ryu Hyunjoon Rha Jiwu Lee Joseph Lim Adviser Mr. Stephen Shifflett

the members, discussing article ideas and asking stylistic questions.

With the paper’s quality improving, students have shown great admiration for the class; some even believe that TT may be an even more rigorous class than AP classes.

As students transition to using online mediums for all of their classwork, the paper has served as a place for them to relax their eyes after long hours on the screen.

“I’m currently looking into timber companies, because the local paper companies can no longer supply us,” Stephen Shifflett, TT adviser, said. “We would go online instead, but everyone knows that the internet will go out of style. So we’re planning to increase the number of papers because even other international schools in Korea have demand for our paper; I think we will print ten times more papers.”

With the recent success of the paper, TT has been considering increasing the number of papers printed each cycle for every student and teacher to have a copy of their own.

With the abundance of news every month, members expect the paper to gain even more interest from the high school.

By: Yeonjae Kim Junior, Copy Editor

Students denied bathroom privileges

An issue often identified in the younger generation is their shortened attention span, curated by extensive usage of social media and endless scrolling. Yet there exists another deficiency in the current generation, one more urgent than the shortened attention span: their reduced bladder and bowel capacity.

This new phenomenon has been observed throughout various classes, because after a busy office hours and activity period hanging out with their friends and buying snacks, the only time for students to use the bathroom has become during class periods. With an average of 10 students going to the bathroom every class, it has become rare to see classes where all of the students are working hard in their seats.

To combat this issue, many teachers have implemented new policies on bathroom usage during classes, such as only being able to go to the bathroom three times a year, or just not being able to go at all.

“I think to a reasonable extent, students should be able to go to the bathroom,” Edward Yoon ’26, active bathroom user, said. “As long as it doesn’t interrupt lectures or learning, they should have the right to go. These [bathroom] policies have reasoning, but at times are farfetched.”

Since students are forced to hold in their bladders, rather than making meaningful conversations related to math, English, or science during class, students often spend time whispering to each other about their need to use the restroom. While many students are distracted by holding in their bladder

layout by Chloe Kim

for a long period of time, other students are also not able to pay attention during class, as they are busy holding in their laughter because of their friends’ comments on needing to use the bathroom.

“I remember once when my teacher didn’t let my friend use the restroom during class, so she kept asking me: ‘When does class end?’” Seungmin Jeong ’26, bathroom user ally, said.

“But this happens almost everyday now because teachers don’t let us go to the restroom. Because of that, I missed a lot of what the teacher was saying.”

Despite the urgency of students needing to use the bathroom, teachers have become more focused on creating an academically challenging environment for students; fostering the next Albert Einstein has become a common goal for all teachers, and that means learning and studying without any breaks. Although students are often taught to use the bathroom multiple times a day by health professionals, in order to meet the strict academic expectations at SIS, it is imperative to give up this simple right.

“Here at SIS, we expect the highest achievements from students, so everything should come second to their academic achievements, including using the bathroom,” Niko Lambert, AP Biology teacher, said. “Since I am an authority figure in biology and how the body works, I can definitively say that going to the bathroom is not that important, and students can hold it in until breaks.”

While students have lost their ability to go to the bathroom during class,

Photo by Lucy Jang (11) Photo by Yeonjae Kim (11)

it has brought about massive benefits.

With the help of teachers, freshmen were able to adapt to the rigorous and demanding high school environment early on, and seniors even managed to stay focused during every class.

“Based on my four years of high school experience, my productivity and performance improved when I was holding in my poo,” Jay Choe ’25, senior, said. “These policy helps increase students’ focus and helps them stay awake because you use all

your energy and attention on trying to hold in your poo. Because I didn’t go to the bathroom I even learned that Ms. Nam got see-through bangs.”

By: Yeonjae Kim Junior, Copy Editor

SCHOOL NEWS

Nostalgic students call for a return of COVID-19

As winter sets in, many students find it increasingly difficult to leave the warm embrace of their cozy, thick blankets—only to layer sweaters, hoodies, and padding to trudge to school, hot pack in hand. Amid such discontent and dread, a quiet revolution is brewing: the desire to bring back the good old days of online school during COVID-19. For many students, an academic pinnacle is no longer characterized by improved grades, academic passion, or school spirit, but by the friendly glow of screens in the comfort of their beds.

“Personally, I greatly prefer online school,” Ethan Choi ’28, online school supporter, said. “I’m only one meter away from my bed, and I could always lie down in comfort during my break time, and even school time. I found that very comfortable, and I didn’t have to wake up early to go to school each morning”

Online school provided students with a unique experience unmatched by the bore of in-person classes characterized by constant stair climbing, sleep-inducing lectures, and stacks of classwork and homework. Yet it was by no means easier: students were rigorously trained in the art of delicate multitasking. Whether it be learning a new TikTok dance, sending photos in a four-person group chat, or choosing what to deliver for lunch while simultaneously listening to a lecture on how the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, online school allowed for students to master the seamless switching of tabs.

“Online school allowed me to focus on my Brawl stars as I could participate in ranked games 24/7,” Jay Yoo ’28, online school supporter, said “I climbed 700 trophies the first day and 900 the second day. I don’t like offline school because I can’t play Brawl

Stars; I have to try so hard to play in secret because the teachers are always looking over my shoulder, and I can’t get caught,” Students often faced unfortunate cases where their mics simply “would not turn on,” and their internet “was too laggy,” which brought great misery to the eager learners as they yearned to participate. But even with such technical difficulties, many students were able to take comfort in the fact that millions of other students were going through the same experience as them.

Another part of online school dearly missed by many was the beauty of the destructed dress code. There was no need for laborious considerations on the first-day-of-school outfits, recent fashion trends (like animal print or knee-high boots), or the worries of open-toed shoes—online school supported freedom of fashion. With the

3

exception of a presentable top, students had absolute freedom under the eye of the camera; they could choose to indulge in the utmost comfort of their fuzzy pajama pants or wear their favorite stained sweats out of the laundry. Comfort extended to other parts of the learning environment too. The pleasure of sitting on a warm, cushioned chair instead of a hard, cold desk is a memory treasured by many.

“Online school is a really precious memory,” Sarah Kim ’26, junior, said. “ I really miss the freedom from online school in all aspects. Sometimes, I just want to return to the pandemic era so I don’t have to show up to school every day and can listen to classes at home with my dog, which I think would be much more bearable.”

By: Carey Kim

Junior, Copy Editor

Seniors grind for second-semester valedictorian It is no secret that the students of SIS excel academically, but none compare to the ambitious class of 2025: namely, the seniors.

With unprecedented burning ambition and glowering enthusiasm, the valedictorian spot boasts unrivaled competition this year. After submitting their early applications for universities, the seniors are more than determined to continue their grind for the notoriously prestigious second-semester valedictorian spot.

The seniors demonstrated their academic enthusiasm most prominently through their performance in group projects. It is well known that whenever an underclassman gets paired with seniors for a group project, they cry tears of happiness as they know that the seniors will carry them on their backs.

“When the groups for our AP World History project were announced, the first thing that came to my mind was that I was saved,” Joshua Han ’27, AP World History group project rescuee, said. “I was overwhelmed with joy, but for some reason, I felt tears rolling down my cheeks.”

Many teachers are also taken aback by the level of ambition the senior class is exerting.

One example is the AP biology class, where Niko Lambert, AP biology teacher, has been extremely satisfied with the rate of completed assignments he has been receiving from the seniors.

“I’ve never seen a senior class like this before,” Mr. Lambert said. “They are always coming and talking to me about biology. They even get their work done early; before it’s due, they’ll show me they have it done and ask for help. It has been incredible.”

Moreover, the senior class also demonstrates their academic integrity in classes by never going off task. An epitome of excellent academic integrity is Jason Shin ’25, a senior known for being an “academic weapon.” As a member of the Tiger Times, Jason is never found off-task during class and definitely has not been caught asking his underclassmen for help on creative projects.

“After pulling an all-nighter for my AP Research class, I had a vision,” Jason said. “In the dream, I saw a path set out for me with mountains and trees. And then I heard a voice call up to me. It said, ‘Jason, you are meant for something higher. The great spirit calls out for you.’ And because of that psychic revelation, I do plan on working hard to pursue my academic goals because God has intended something higher for me. In the vision, I saw fishes, lions, and a lot of everything, and they were all talking to me in a weird language, and they said, ‘Jason, the great spirit comes out free. Go higher, go higher.’ And so, I am going higher.”

As the semester nears its end, most seniors are extremely disappointed that they cannot

Photo by Hyunjoon Rha (10)

indulge in their favorite part of school—their classes—and their favorite thing to do—studying. Winter break, spanning three weeks, proves to be a detriment. However, most seniors report that they will use the entirety of the winter break to continue their academic grind in preparation for the second semester.

“I can’t believe that winter break’s already around the corner,” Yates Park ’25, strong val-

SIS hosts the KORCOS conference To discuss educational trends and key issues regarding academics among international schools, teachers from all around Korea gathered at SIS on Nov. 10 for the Korea Council of Overseas Schools (KORCOS) conference.

Weeks before the conference, many work-study students assisted the teachers in preparing materials and props and in general planning the event. A lot of the preparation required physical work, such as making lunch cards for the participants and preparing the raffle system.

“There were almost 500 educators that came to attend or present at the conference, andSchwede one of the things I was Photo by San (10) in charge of was organizing student volunteers to ensure that the event ran smoothly,” Megan Mannell, KORCOS organizer, said. “It’s a lot to figure out the little pieces: where people and support are needed. Many work-study students were also involved in badge production throughout the week leading up to the conference. Overall, I think it was a great community event for our school.”

Numerous students from different

clubs were also present during the conference for volunteering purposes. Students from the High School Student Council (HSSC) and the National Honor Society (NHS) helped out by greeting teachers and guiding them to the correct locations.

Numerous clubs also hosted their booths, utilizing this opportunity to further their outreach. For instance, the United Youth Service Club (UYSC) sold hand-made bracelets to educators and students, while students from strings and ambassadors performed in the auditorium.

“As a volunteer in the KORCOS conference, my biggest takeaway didn’t come from the interactions with teachers from different schools,” Yoonwoo Lee ’26, KORCOS student volunteer, said. “Rather, it came from the realization that beyond the superficial experiences of the teacher attendees, there were groups of people collectively working together to coordinate such a large-scale event.”

Over 65 educators from all over Korea participated as guest speakers, sharing their thoughts on developing inquisitive, independent thinkers and collaborative

learners in their respective school communities. Two keynote speakers, Jennifer Abrams, a teacher coach in Palo Alto Unified School District, and Tim Lovatt, head of digital learning for K-12 at the United World College of South East Asia Dover (UWCSEA), covered topics ranging from the ethical use of artificial intelligence to reaching your potential.

Amid the conference, students and teachers participated in a fishbowl discussion event hosted by Ms. Mannell.

They discussed questions such as, “What is one moment where a small impact from a teacher had a big impact on your life?”

The discussion was hosted to garner a mutual understanding between students and teachers, giving them a platform to share their perspectives. Teachers learned from the event that students strive for personal recognition, whereas the students garnered a deeper understanding of the issues teachers face in classrooms regarding classroom atmosphere and environment.

“It was very useful to see everything from the student’s perspective,” Kelsey

edictorian candidate, said. “There’s so much more I want to study and I need it for the four AP exams I’m taking next year. I can’t wait to come back to school to ace all my exams and be a good role model to the underclassmen.”

By: Joseph Lim

Sophomore, Reporter

Ajango, teacher participant from SIS, said. “The students saying how valuable being recognized for hard work struck a chord with me because that is something I always strive to do. It can be easy to forget sometimes because you’re doing so many different things all at once. It always takes me forever to grade because I write a lot of feedback. Students put so much hard work into everything that they do and that should be recognized no matter what grade, no matter if you’re in school or a job. That made me feel good as a teacher.”

The annual KORCOS conference, successfully hosted after weeks of preparation, provided a platform where teachers could effectively discuss how to improve their school’s education. With the unanimous success of the event, teachers and students are anticipating this conference to occur again next year.

By: Joseph Lim

Sophomore, Reporter

4 KOREA NEWS Protests against Dongduk Women’s University considering going co-ed Starting with protests at Dongduk Women’s University, a wave of demonstrations against a transition to co-ed schooling has erupted across women’s universities in Korea. More than 200 Dongduk Women’s University students gathered on campus to protest on Nov. 12 in response to recent news that internal discussions of the school were leaning toward shifting to a co-educational system.

“In my opinion, co-ed schools are a better way for individuals to learn social interactions,” Kevin Kim ’27, global news enthusiast, said. “But I also think that it’s very important to continue women’s universities as there

might be a sense of identity that the schools have, which makes the protests understandable. It’s not that I necessarily support single-gender schools, I just don’t think this sudden switch is a good idea. The administration should find a way to more smoothly transition.”

Protesting students argued that Dongduk Women’s University is unfit to transition into a co-education model due to persistent issues of gender violence and harassment on numerous campuses and beyond. Students have pointed to past incidents such as the 2018 scandal where a man posted a video of him engaging in inappropriate

President Yoon drops politics for the PGA: South Korea’s newest golfing prodigy?

President Yoon Suk Yeol has seemingly abandoned the traditional duties as president in an attempt to perfect his golfing skills, training alongside none other than President Donald Trump for the upcoming PGA tour. In what seems to parallel Ping Pong Diplomacy, Yoon has decided to abandon conventional methods of foreign consultation, instead opting for “diplomatic golf sessions” with President Trump.

Yoon’s hopes that a hole-inone might secure South Korea’s economic future has prompted him to pick up his clubs for the first time in eight years to engage in the PGA tour and unique diplomatic strategy. His bold moves have consequently brought in a large audience of support, with citizens commending his unique approach to diplomacy, and his popularity rating concurrently reaching peaks of 98.4 percent.

“In my humble opinion, I think the hole-in-one might have a better shot at saving Korea than some of Yoon’ policies,” Sean Chung ’27, political skeptic, said.

“At least the golf ball knows the direction it is going in, which is much more reliable than the diplomatic and economic decisions he has been making recently.”

Across Yoon’s 4 years of presidency, South Koreans have been given the pleasure of reading bizarre and ridiculous headlines under his administration, but nothing quite tops his newfound passion for golf. It appears to have overshadowed his obligations, subsequently leaving key issues and diplomatic tensions to gather dust in his unchecked inbox. But hopefully, those too can be resolved with “Golf Diplomacy” and a PGA trophy after Yoon perfects his hole-in-one skills.

His newfound passion has even inspired his cabinet, with ministers reportedly practicing their swings during meetings. A private golfing course is planned to be made, in the efforts of honing

layout by Chloe Kim

President Yoon’s skills to have a successful debut in the PGA tour.

Meanwhile, First Lady Kim has launched a luxury golf apparel line to support her husband’s visionary diplomacy, sparking speculation about whether golf uniforms could soon replace traditional suits at the Blue House.

Alongside her golf fashion sense, First Lady Kim Keon Hee’s bold action has sparked controversy. She flaunted a $2,200 Dior handbag, which violated South Korea’s anti-graft law that caps gifts to officials at $750. Despite the controversy, her claim that the handbag was a donation to the national treasury has garnered praise for challenging societal norms, and prioritizing fashion over political decorum.

“The Dior bag scandal sends an important message to other nations of the world that South Korea is not limiting their priorities to boring things like the economy, stability, and population opinion, but instead focuses on leading the global luxury fashion scene,” Brennan Park ’27, fashion expert, said. “Objectively, a nation does not need an ethical government, but needs one that understands modern fashion.”

For those worried about the state of South Korea’s leading powers, rest assured, as President Yoon’s golfing skills are reportedly improving, meaning that while the economy may be tanking for his actions, in the long term, all diplomatic issues will be solved with a swing.

“To be honest, I think that for Yoon, a golf caddy uniform might be more fitting for him,” Elliot Lee ’27, Yoon supporter, said. “We have already seen his amazing skills while playing with Trump, and so I and many Koreans believe that he can debut professionally and save our country from any more political shame.”

BY: Yumin Jeon Sophomore, Reporter

behavior in a classroom, as well as another case where a male professor sexually assaulted a student.

These concerns mirror the broader societal issue of gender violence, such as the Sindang Station murder and the Incheon stalking murder. Many students see women’s universities as a haven of safety and empowerment; hence, the sudden change to a co-ed model would go against the very values upon which these universities were constructed, which were to protect and empower female students and their voices.

Dongduk Women’s University officers clarified that the discus-

sion was tentative, but acknowledged their financial struggles as a private institution due to a decreasing student body from low birth rates. Other women’s universities are considering accepting male students for similar reasons, leading to protests spreading across Korea. More than 1,200 students protested Sungshin Women’s Univerity’s decision to admit male students starting in 2025.

Dongduk Women’s University students formally expressed their opinions, with 1,941 participants convening at a student assembly to vote on the transition. Excluding two students, there was a unanimous majority

against this change. In response, on Nov. 21, Dongduk Women’s University announced that they would halt discussions about transitioning to a co-ed school, stopping student boycotts that have been taking place.

“I’m glad the issue is resolved, but I think this reflects a larger societal issue,” Dyne Kim, current events follower, said. “I think there are a lot of gender tensions and concern about the voices and representation of women, so I think we should work towards resolving the larger issue.”

BY: Carey Kim Junior, Copy Editor

Heo Kyung-young flies away

Low birth rates in Korea?

Give all couples $70,000. Poor economic circulation? Give citizens a $1,270 monthly stipend. Political backlash for fraudulent claims? Levitate away.

Amid sex scandals and legal drawbacks for fraudulent claims surrounding his involvement in Park ChungHee’s Miracle of the Han River, a period of rapid economic growth in South Korea after the Korean War, Heo Kyungyoung has announced his plans to focus on his music and religious career.

Heo Kyung-young is a South Korean singer, politician, cult leader, and founder of the National Revolutionary Dividends Party. A self-proclaimed mystic with an IQ of 430, Heo Kyung-young has been an active member of Korean politics since 1991, accumulating a surprising 690,462 votes in the entirety of his political career and securing an average approval rating of 2 percent in public opinion polls.

Known for his unconventional approach to addressing national problems, Heo’s political proposals have included several bold and controversial ideas. For instance, when addressing complaints surrounding Korea’s College

Scholastic Ability Test (Suneung), Heo advocated for the complete erasure of the testing system, arguing that the test is detrimental to students’ health.

But Heo did not just stop at policy suggestions. He implemented what he calls an “immediate solution to alleviate mental health problems in the nation”: energy transfer sessions. These sessions, conducted by Heo himself, involve him channeling his inner cosmic energy through eye contact, imbuing it into individuals to alleviate stress and heal them.

“As someone who experienced his energy transfer, I can say it really helped with my academics and focus, and I would love to learn some of his techniques myself,” David Yeo ’28, National Revolutionary Dividends Party supporter, said. “I was skeptical at first, but his divine energy gave me a strong sense of strength and direction. No other candidate in all of Korea would ever think of doing such a thing. I see Heo as a down-to-earth guy willing to step down and actually help the people of South Korea.”

After receiving a ban from running for any political office until 2034, Heo announced his

dedication to rebuilding his music and religion. Heo was banned after claims such as having attended George W. Bush’s inauguration banquet on behalf of South Korea, being the adopted son of late Samsung founder Lee Byungchul, and telling his supporters he would marry former President Park Geun-hye.

Heo now features occasionally on Korean television, such as Incheon Daily and other media outlets for his supernatural talents, which include levitation, Shukuchi (teleportation), and his songs.

“It’s such a shame he plans on taking a step back from politics; he really is the savior of the working class,” Minjae You ’28, Heo Kyung-young music fan, said. “Everyone says he is running away from politics, but they clearly haven’t listened to his music before.

Heo dropped bangers like Call Me and Bonjoe Heo. I highly recommend Call Me, it’s just as iconic as his political career.

Although I see his ten-year ban from running for office as unfortunate, I was really glad when he said he would take this opportunity to focus on his other talents.”

BY: Carson Park Junior, Reporter

GLOBAL NEWS

5

Kanye West regrets not rerunning for presidency

Boeing strike ends as workers accept new contract

Following Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 US presidential election, KanyeWest, popular American rap icon, fashion designer, and founder of his own political party, “The Birthday Party,” expressed his regret about not re-running for president.

“You know, I didn’t run for president this year, ’cause, like, I’m too good for America,” West said. “But, like, after that election though, I was kind of regretting [not running].

But it’s okay, ’cause like, my homie Trump’s there, and he’s gonna make America great again.”

Contrary to West’s recent regretful claims,West held different beliefs in 2020 when he launched his first presidential campaign. Inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s fictional kingdom of Wakanda, West chose to run for president under his own political party. His party, “The Birthday Party,” was named as such because West believed that if he won the election, it would feel like everyone’s birthday.

Under his campaign, West offered voters multiple promises such as plans to restore school prayer, promote and strengthen national defense, and support the arts. Although West allocated $6 million to his 2020 campaign, due to his controversial behavior, his campaign was unsuccessful, amassing only around 70,000 votes.

More than 32,000 Boeing workers on strike accepted the giant aircraft company’s latest offer on Nov. 5, as it offered a higher pay; this ended the costliest strike seen in more than 25 years in the US. After the company suffered halted output of aircraft production for seven weeks, it approved a contract that featured a 38 percent pay raise over the course of four years, as well as other improvements, such as providing a ratification bonus of $12,000, to revive their profits.

“I think the recent Boeing strike was necessary because it is the company’s job to pay the workers fairly and if they fail to do so, workers should have the right to stand up for themselves,” Brennan Park ’28, aviation enthusiast. “However, there could have been better ways to handle the conflict, such as first discussing with the manager of the department.”

The strike was fueled by Boeing workers’ discontent with their low pay and a lack of services to ensure their well-being, leading to it lasting for weeks on end.

Although the company previously made three offers, including one that offered to increase their pay by 25 percent, the workers rejected the contracts, calling for raises of at least 40 percent to compensate for the concessions the unions made in the past.

This included the pension benefits they lost a decade ago, which are plans that regularly pay retired employees a set amount every month.

“From the perspective of the workers, the strike may seem justified, as they may think they are not getting paid for what they worked for,” Sean Lim ’27, politics enthusiast, said. “However, I think this does seem a little selfish, as a 25 percent increase seems very generous, especially in a slowing economy.”

After the start of the strike on Sept. 13,

“I personally thought that Kanye would’ve made a great president,” Ethan Park ’28, devout Kanye West fan, said. “It’s a shame that he didn’t run this year. If he did, I probably would’ve tried convincing my dad to vote for him; he’s genuinely better than most politicians these days.”

Despite his loss in the 2020 presidential election, in 2023, West announced his plans to re-run for the presidency this year on X (formerly Twitter), and asked Trump to be his running mate. Fearful, overwhelmed, and caught off-guard because of West’s intellectual prowess, Trump declined the offer.

West never formally signed any paperwork for the election. West called off his 2023 presidential campaign on Oct. 19, 2023—something that he openly claimed to regret following Trump’s victory on Nov. 5. Trump, taking pity on West and recalling the rap icon’s remarkable intellectual capabilities, nominated West for the position of Secretary of Education under the president-elect’s second presidential term.

“I’m looking forward to Kanye being at the forefront of American education,” Alex Kim ’25, top 0.00001% of West’s listeners on Spotify, said. “Right now, American education is great and highly accessible, and I am confident that Kanye will be able to maintain those

qualities. Of course, with Kanye’s intelligence, he’ll be great at leading the Department of Education and devising new curricula. Among Trump’s, well, interesting picks for his Cabinet, I think that Kanye being nominated as the Secretary of Education was Trump’s best decision yet. Kanye should definitely be pushed to the forefront of US politics. At this point, his songs should be considered as national anthems too.”

Following Trump’s endorsement of West as the Secretary of Education, some speculate that Trump and West, two figures with increasingly similar political agendas, are working together behind the scenes.

Some also believe that Trump is paving a pathway toward West’s 2028 presidential campaign—a belief that is supported by evidence from the world’s top research centers.

“My research from some of the finest news sources indicates that Trump and KanyeWest are actually colluding, where Trump is going to throw his backing behind Kanye in 2028 in return for Kanye not running for 2024,” James Dillhoff, Government and Politics teacher, said. “I would be looking for a Kanye West 2028 presidential victory.”

BY: Charlotte Kim Sophomore, Reporter

Boeing faced a dramatic slowdown of production, losing over billions of dollars over several months.The strike hit Boeing’s commercial plane manufacturing, costing the company tens of millions of dollars each day. This added to their financial strain as their shares fell by more than 40 percent this year alone, putting their aircraft production at risk.To prevent further hindrances in the production process, the company eventually agreed to the workers’ demands, though their stance opposing a pension plan remained unchanged.

“I think Boeing’s response to the recent strike was effective now but may not be in the long term, especially with its current financial difficulties,” Sean Chung ’27, avid political news reader, said. “If the company keeps losing out on more funds to appease its workers, investors may be less confident in its stock and investments may be unlikely to happen. This would mean that unless Boeing handles its budgets effectively, it may not be able to revive its profits.”

With the approval of the contract, Boeing informed its workers to return to their jobs by Nov. 12 at the latest. However, Boeing has been proceeding with its agenda of job cuts amounting to a total of 17,000 workers across the company, a move evident in the company’s recent laying off of nearly 2,200 workers in Washington.

Nevertheless, with immediate tensions between the company and its workers resolved, Boeing anticipates it will increase its aircraft production to make up for the loss it suffered from the seven-week strike, demonstrating its ambition to return to profitability and regain public confidence.

BY: Jason Chung Sophomore, Reporter

US E. coli outbreak traced back to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder The cause of an outbreak of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the US has been reported as McDonald’s Quarter Pounder.

The slivered onions served on the Quarter Pounder have been noted as the likely cause of the outbreak that began Sept. 12, which affected over 10 states, infected more than 100 people, and killed one person.

E. coli outbreaks have been a major health concern in the past due to its easy spread and severe health risks such as kidney failure. Oftentimes, E. coli is transferred through contaminated food that is served to customers; it spreads further through human contact in some cases. In most situations, E. coli is caused by consuming

undercooked beef or raw milk, which is why many first looked at beef patties for the cause of the outbreak.

“Because E. coli spreads so easily through undercooked food and other common sources such as the slivered onion in McDonald’s case, it can easily be a problem for entire countries,” Donghyun Kim ’25, follower of the outbreak, said.

“E. coli’s threat to populations can be seen in cases like these as it’s hard to immediately track down the source.”

The initial investigation of the outbreak made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), involved 49 cases in 10 states. During the initial stages of the investiga-

tion, beef patties and slivered onions were considered to be the main causes of the infection, but beef patties were later ruled out by the CDC. Taylor Farms, the supplier of McDonald’s’s slivered onions, has called back all the yellow onions they sent to fast food chains on Oct. 22. During the early days of the outbreak, McDonald’s temporarily stopped the usage of recalled onions and also took the Quarter Pounder off of their menu in affected states, namely Montana and Colorado, which had the highest recorded E. coli infections.

“Honestly I think that the amount of states affected by the outbreak were pretty sub-

stantial,” Elliot Lee ’27, frequent McDonald’s customer, said. “It was enough to make me have some doubts on how safe McDonald’s was as a supplier.

But still, it’s been a while since I recall something like that happening to McDonald’s so it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

To resume the sale of Quarter Pounders, McDonald’s found an alternate supplier for onions on Nov. 13. Since then, the company has invested $100 million into recovering the affected franchisees.

“McDonald’s hates risking their image and they already did quite well with similar situations in the past,” David Yeo ’28, McDonald’s lover, said.

“I think McDonald’s will be

able to do something similar with this outbreak as well and recover quickly without facing too many difficulties.”

This national outbreak, caused by one of the largest fast food corporations in the world, has led to a loss of trust for many customers. Since then, McDonald’s have made attempts to support affected franchisees and renew their reputation. While there have been no more cases of the infection this month, the impacts of this major outbreak still remain in affected states.

BY: Jiwu Lee Sophomore, Reporter

6 SPORTS Juan Carlos’s guide to fame: 0-11 Juan Carlos, a decorated Brawl Stars professional for the Pioneers and the former no. 1 global player with over 140,000 trophies, shocked the world when he proved he had an exceptional talent for winning; and losing. With a prize pool of over $1 million, Juan Carlos achieved an unreplicable feat of a record-breaking 0 kills and 11 damage per second ratio in the 2024 Global Championship. His strategy was close to genius; in a longrange open map, he opted for Kit, a brawler tailored for short-range maps.

“I wouldn’t deny that it was one of the most impressive performances seen in the Brawl Stars Championships,” Luke Lee ’27, 50,000 trophy player, said. “It was even more shocking than a Tensai max pick. It was

the most entertaining game to date, because of Juan Carlos’ amazing gameplay. His Kit guide is the best to exist, especially on the lane heist map where long-range brawlers are a better pick.”

While many were taken aback by the sheer absurdity of Juan Carlos’ gameplay, others were impressed by his attitude after his loss. Despite losing, and taking a break, Juan Carlos remained active in the Brawl Stars community, creating his game profile card around his 3000 trophy Kit. By pushing Kit to 3000, an incredibly high trophy count, he poked fun at his previous failure. His confrontation with his loss was an inspiring approach to competitive gaming.

His unique playstyle and willing-

Hanwha Eagles fan shocked by performance in the 21st century A Hanwha Eagles fan who miraculously recovered from a 25-year-old coma has recently relapsed due to his realization that the Hanwha Eagles have not won once since his entrance into a coma. The last time the Eagles won the championship was in 1999; since then, the Eagles have shown terrible rankings, establishing themselves as one of the worst teams of the 21st century.

They have accomplished numerous outstanding feats, as the Hanwha Eagles had been in first place for three years in a row from the 2020 season to the 2022 season…from the bottom.

They also had a record-breaking 18-game loss streak, the longest in the Korean Baseball Organization’s (KBO) history, not to mention having had the worst hitting statistics in the league in recent years.

“In the early 2000s, the team in general was inconsistent, however, they had good players like Ryu Hyun-Jin and Kim TaeKyun,” Daniel Jung ’28, KBO fan, said. “They failed to capitalize on the players they had, which led to the miserable statistics of the Eagles. In more recent years, they have been able to get more rookies who have had talent but have still been unable to capitalize on those players, shown by Hanwha’s recent statistics.”

The Eagles have made many futile attempts to improve these statistics, notably spending immense amounts of money. In the past decade, the Eagles have spent more than 66 billion won to sign players without any particular results, which was heavily criticized by fans.

“I think Hanwha lacks a clear agenda in free agency,” Jason Kang ’27, Doosan Bears fan, said. “They try to sign any player and make contracts very aggressively, often overpaying for players who could have been bought for much cheaper. They have made continuous blunders in free agency over the years.

This year, Hanwha signed with

layout by Yeonjae Kim

Um Sang-Back, a pitcher, when they already had a relatively strong pitching lineup. They paid 7.8 billion won for him, which when considering a veteran like Hur Kyoung-Min was only sold for 4 billion, was a huge overpay.”

The Eagles’s fans are often jokingly referred to as saints of the KBO; they have been coping by fooling themselves into believing that their team performs well as they are often found singing the song “I am happy” in stadiums and homes alike. KBO fans have been praising Eagles fans for their unwavering mentality.

“Whatever sport it may be, fans of any team that have bad teams are destined to suffer,” David Lee ’27, baseball follower, said. “However, Hanwha fans stand out among such fans because of their mentality. They have somehow maintained their mental strength while cheering for such a bad team.”

This year, using the slogan “Different Us”, the Hanwha Eagles hoped to show a difference from their performance in the past years. At the start of the season, the Eagles seemed to live up to their expectation, they won most of their games in the first month, became first in the league for a while, and seemed to have potential to show actual progress. Alas, no progress was made for the Eagles as within a month, it became evident that their spotlight was only a fluke and Eagles fans were once again forced to despair.

This year was just one of many examples in the past decades of how Eagles fans have suffered. Most years, this pattern repeats and Eagles fans are forced to watch. This brings up the question: was it really a misfortune to be in a coma for the past 25 years? Would it not have caused more suffering if he had to experience those 25 years?

BY: Jiwu Lee Sophomore, Reporter

ness to embrace failure have inspired players to experiment with unconventional strategies, sparking creativity in a game that is dominated by mainstream strategies. His approach challenged the traditional narrative of success in esports and proved that the best way to leave a lasting mark on the competitive community is to lose commendably.

However, not everyone was so encouraging; the Brawl Stars community wasted no time in ridiculing this situation. Memes were instantly uploaded on popular social media apps, with posts being flooded with misleading guides on how to reach rank 30 using Juan Carlos’s Heist strategy.

“I read a comment on Juan Carlos’

strategy on heist: directions unclear, now I am a professional Brawl Stars player,” Jaemin Kim ’28, Kit main, said.

“I actually have a rank 35 Kit. I tried and horribly failed to match Juan’s expectations, and accidentally carried the team by a ratio of seven kills and 3 deaths.”

However, behind every disastrous play lies a deeper strategy. In an attempt to decipher his thought process, we can learn a valuable lesson in understanding the art of losing. Contrary to the norm, he has admirably lost by an incredible margin and showcased how winning is simply overrated, with his performance sparking debate over whether trophies reflect one’s true skill. By redefining the meaning of profes-

sionalist expectations, he showcased a rare display of failure, Juan Carlos has managed to achieve greatness in the most unconventional way on the global stage.

“Juan Carlos’ Kit pick was a masterpiece to Brawl Stars history,” Ryan Cha ’28, 40,000 trophy player, said. “His 0:11 ratio was an absolutely glorious stat of brawl history. In a world where everyone is chasing victory, Juan Carlos has proven that sometimes it is better to lose in memorable ways.

His 0-11 record can not be considered a failure, but an impressive feat that has solidified itself into Brawl Stars History.”

BY: Yumin Jeon Sophomore, Reporter

T1 wins Worlds 2024

T1 won the 2024 League of Legends World Champions by defeating Bilibili Gaming (BLG) 3-2 in the finals, held on Nov. 2.

T1, originally called SK Telecom T1, is an Esports team representing South Korea since 2012.

Now in 2024, this is T1’s fifth time winning the championship.

This makes them the first in history. Their ace Faker is often considered the greatest League of Legends player alive for his undeniable skills and long list of awards. He expanded that list when he was awarded another Finals MVP title at the event.

The League of Legends World Championship is the most popular annual League of Legends tournament, boasting millions of viewers from around the world. The most recent championship garnered 6.94 million viewers, breaking the record for the most-watched Esports event ever. To compete, teams must advance after winning regional tournaments. Since the first World Championship in 2011, it has served as a tradition for fans and a test for players and teams wanting to cement themselves as the best.

“I think this time especially because T1 was in the finals a lot of people in Korea and internationally as well tuned in,” Joshua Han ’27, casual League of Legends viewer, said. “In general, the

finals are enticing because all the best teams in the world are competing, and League of Legends is one of the most popular games in the world.”

The tournament was held from Sep. 25-Nov. 2 in Berlin and Paris for the preliminary rounds and in London for the finals.

This year’s prize pool was over $2 million, with over 20 percent going to no. 1. The World Championship theme song is another aspect that many look forward to every year; this year, the American band Linkin Park wrote the song “Heavy is the Crown” for the event, performing it at the finals.

Despite their win this year, T1 has not always been this dominant. From 2018 to 2021, they struggled with roster issues such as poor synergy and received middling results in tournaments.

In 2022, the roster was changed again, forming the current team of Zeus, Oner, Faker, Gumayasi, and Keria. With this switch, T1 saw much better results, winning the two subsequent events.

“T1 has just been to Worlds too many times,” Kevin Kim ’27, avid League of Legends fan, said.

“They really have that experience of playing under pressure. So I personally thought that T1 would do really well.”

T1 finished third in the Swiss format stage, a non-elimination stage with a fixed amount of

games. In the knockout stage, where teams are eliminated, T1 beat Top Esports 3-0. In the semifinals, they beat team Gen.G 3-1, eventually moving on to the finals. In the finals, BLG was ahead by two wins, just in reach of their first Worlds title. However, T1 won the next two games, crowning them champions. Many factors can be attributed to T1’s win; the entire team demonstrated strong teamwork, even in the games they lost. Many fans thank Faker’s mechanics and skills for winning key games.

“What can I say? Faker is the GOAT.” Chong Min ’25, League of Legends addict, said. “His Sylas play in game four and the Galio match in game five were out of this world.”

Despite being the first ever to hold two Finals MVPs, Faker is now 28 years old, far older than most players in the league. T1 performed worse than expected in the Mid-Season International, and even nearly missed qualifying for Worlds. These factors painted a bleak picture. However, seeing them on the World Championship stage as champions once more suggests their glory days are not over, and T1 is here to stay.

BY: Anders Christensen Sophomore, Reporter

LIFESTYLE

Rosé and Bruno Mars collab to make ‘APT.’

Readers boycott misogynistic webtoons

Naver Webtoon’s increasing usage of sexism has enraged readers, mainly young women, causing about 200,000 readers out of their 2.2 million daily readers to unsubscribe, demand refunds, and boycott the platform since September.

The controversy centered around several webtoons, most notably “Another World Pong Pong Man” and “Get Schooled,” which faced backlash after portraying women in a misogynistic light, as well as controversial depictions of racism and physical violence.

“Another World Pong Pong Man,” a cartoon published in September, portrays a man discovering his wife’s infidelity. The title “Pong Pong Man” itself refers to a Korean slang term symbolizing the devaluation of men in marriage, portraying women as opportunistic and materialistic; seeking financial stability rather than genuine love or companionship.

The issue deepened with “Get Schooled,” a webtoon known for glorifying corporal punishment and containing racist and misogynistic themes. The series drew criticism in 2021 for both depicting the violent physical punishment of a female teacher and portraying female characters as deserving of harsh discipline, which many saw as a direct reference to sexist ideas. Last year, this webtoon faced further controversy from international readers for its offensive depiction of a black student,

resulting in its removal from North American platforms.

“I did come across several webtoons that contained misogynistic ideas,” Yvette Choi ’27, frequent Webtoon reader, said. “I started reading ‘Lookism’ because I was a fan of its author, Park Taejun, who also wrote ‘How to Fight.’ As I kept reading, I realized how repetitive the female characters were and how disrespectful their character development was. Furthermore, the girls look for romantic connections with boys and end up getting victimized, usually through sexual assault or stalker situations.

Because of this, I decided to stop reading ‘Lookism’.”

Although the webtoons portray women as manipulative and opportunistic in marriage, in recent years, feminist movements have challenged these views, pushing for gender equality and the social acceptability of women to pursue careers, independence, and equality in relationships.

“Webtoons reflect Korean society by portraying the beauty standards and societal expectations, especially regarding gender,” Sian Park ’27, social commentator, said. “I think Webtoon also changes the perceptions of women as it now seems like there is a certain way women should look, and I believe that this causes younger generations to feel as if they must stick to rather unrealistic standards.”

The controversy highlights

opposing views on content moderation. While some criticize the platform for excessive censorship that disrupts readers’ immersion and hinders creators’ freedom of expression, others argue that Naver Webtoon neglects social issues by allowing such harmful content. Experts suggest the platform is caught in a trade-off, where addressing one side’s concerns inevitably fuels dissatisfaction from the other. Nonetheless, Naver has responded that they take the issue seriously and will carefully consider countermeasures.

“I think in South Korea, feminist movements have been more of a harm than good; feminists’ approach has heightened gender issues and separated the genders more than come together,” Hailie Lee, outspoken Korean citizen, said. “I believe that bringing men down is a wrong approach for feminists and has stirred even more hate towards each other because we have to work together and learn how to collaborate.”

In addition to the previous response to the ongoing controversy, Naver Webtoon has deleted marketing content interpreted as mocking the boycott. Additionally, while the platform promised to prevent similar issues in the future, it did not issue an official apology.

BY: Catherine Ryu Sophomore, Reporter

Operator of Noonoo TV apprehended The operator of Noonoo TV, a platform that illegally provided content from domestic online video services (OTT), was apprehended on Oct. 9 as the Korean government takes aggressive steps to curb the illegal distribution of video content. Illegal streaming website TVWiki and illegal webtoon posting site OKTOON, both operated by the same individual, were also immediately shut down.

After its launch in 2021, Noonoo TV became notorious for illegally streaming content from both domestic and international paid OTT services such as Netflix and Tving.

The site had evaded government crackdowns by using tactics such as domain changes and hosting servers in foreign countries.

The persistence of illegal streaming sites, despite government crack-

downs, is largely attributed to the enormous profits generated from illegal gambling banner advertisements displayed on these platforms. Video content industry estimates suggest that Noonoo TV earned at least 33 billion won in revenue from illegal gambling ads last year alone.

To address this issue, the Copyright Crime Scientific Investigation Team, along with the National Police Agency and Interpol, launched a joint crackdown on copyright-infringing illegal sites in August. Despite successfully apprehending the operator of Noonoo TV, experts have noted challenges in completely shutting down all illegal sites he managed.

Additionally, there are suspicions that these operations are not led by a single individual but rather by a larger organization using a single

7

The collaboration of two global stars can lead to high achievements as K-pop star Rosé and global pop star Bruno Mars demonstrated through their collaboration on Oct. 18 by releasing “APT.”, which earned global popularity and achieved record-breaking results in the music industry.

“I think this was pretty surprising news for me,” Irene Joh ’28, long-time fan of Rosé, said. “When I first heard that Rosé was collaborating with Bruno Mars, all I could think was that this was very unexpected. Because if you think about it, it really makes no sense that Rosé, out of anyone, suddenly collaborates with Bruno Mars. Both are extremely popular, but in different genres, you know.”

“APT.” has set incredible records not just within Korea but in global music charts too. Only a few days after its release, “APT.” secured first place on the most well-known Korean music charts including Melon, Genie Music, Bugs, and Naver Vibe. Furthermore, 11 days after its release, the song reached 8th place on the Billboard Hot 100, which is record-breaking for female K-pop artists. The music video uploaded on YouTube also set remarkable records, reaching 25 million views after 24 hours. 22 days after its release, the music video reached 300 million views.

“I’ve been hearing “APT.” everywhere around,” Justin Chun ’27, avid fan of Bruno Mars, said. “Whether this is on Instagram, shops, TV shows, or even school events, I kind of feel like I’ve heard this song over and over again. I think a lot of people are using this song because first, it’s a global hit, and most importantly, it’s really catchy. I actually might be memorized with the lyrics,

operator as a front for others to avoid detection.

“I think the reason for piracy is quite intuitive,” Sean Chung ’27, regular OTT platform user, said. “Consumers generally want cheaper goods in return for the same quality, and piracy is a golden pathway for them.

This is why it is such a persisting problem—piracy is hard to regulate by its nature and even when it is regulated, new ones gain immediate traction due to the high demand.”

While government efforts to combat illegal streaming platforms have intensified, the persistence of these platforms suggests a more systematic issue at play. The growing amount of paid platforms, each offering exclusive content, leads to subscription fatigue among consumers and results in reluctance to pay for

streaming services, with illegal sites becoming an attractive alternative.

“I started using Noonoo TV about a year ago,” anonymous user from SIS said. “Honestly, I simply cannot afford all the different subscriptions for Disney+, Wavve, and Tving.

Another issue is that there are just too many platforms. I wanted to watch a show called ‘Show Me the Money’ but different seasons were spread across multiple platforms. It gets really annoying from a user perspective when this happens but Noonoo TV is so convenient in this aspect.”

Another challenge lies in the fact that the unethical nature of this issue often feels distant or impersonal to users. Unlike more visible forms of theft, digital piracy occurs in private, with no immediate consequences for users. This disconnect allows users

too.”

Although both Rosé and Bruno Mars are considered global stars, neither of their fans expected this collaboration, and many netizens have expressed surprise at the unexpected partnership.

In fact, during an interview, Rosé revealed that the collaboration happened rather unexpectedly. After Rosé signed a solo deal with Atlantic Records, a music label in America owned by Warner Music, she was able to contact Bruno Mars, who has been a part of Atlantic Records for several years. As a fan of Bruno Mars herself, Rosé contacted Bruno Mars with no anticipation of a positive response, feeling discouraged from actually sending the files. However, when Rosé explained that “APT.” was about a Korean drinking game, Bruno Mars enthusiastically agreed to participate in the song.

The success of “APT.” is unprecedented and extraordinary, but considering the rapidly rising popularity of K-pop, many fans predict that similar collaborations in the future may lead to even greater achievements and records. “”APT.” is like a new milestone for the K-pop industry,” Yunmi Ishida ’28, active K-pop fan, said. “Sure, groups like BTS have already been paving the way, but collaborations with globally famous pop stars and reaching new records just seem to tell me that “APT.” is making huge progress, especially considering that even getting into Billboard Hot 100s is very challenging. But once more, I also think that “APT.” is only the start of things, and K-pop will continue to develop in the future.”

BY: Leah Kim Sophomore, Reporter

to rationalize their actions and avoid personal responsibility or moral conflict.

“It gets really frustrating when issues like this happen, especially because I know how much time, effort, and energy is required in producing content, ” Kristina Kang ’25, active content creator, said. “I know that Noonoo TV can be an easy way for many people to access old TV shows and dramas, but it is still violating the copyrights of content creators. Not only does it take away other platform’s subscription revenue but it also impacts future content projects.”

BY: Kayla Kim Sophomore, Reporter

8

FOCUS

Maintaining the true spirit of Christmas A certain warmth fills the room on Christmas night, as do the fragrant smell of cinnamon and the laughter around the fireplace as children read heartful letters and tear open presents. Christmas is a time to sing carols, bond with family and friends, and express gratitude.

Yet, as years go by, many believe scenes like these are getting progressively rare.

Starbucks gift cards now replace carefully wrapped presents, and Kakao messages replace heartful letters. A 2021 report from the Rasmussen Reports stated that 62 percent of Americans believe Christmas has become too commercialized. For many, Christmas has strayed too far from its roots, transforming it into a holiday centered around materialism and commercialization.

“Its very hard to see ornaments on a Christmas tree or a tree in general nowadays,” Joseph Kang ’27, Christmas enjoyer, said. “Especially in urban environments where people live in apartments and have less space, I feel as if the traditional mediums we used to use to celebrate the holiday are starting to die out. But even without the tree or its ornaments, I feel like we adapted to changing environment and simply adopted new mediums of expression to celebrate Christmas.

Modernization and commercialization have reshaped the way people celebrate the holiday, leading to many lamenting over the loss of tradition and culture. However, the spirit of Christmas continues to be expressed in different mediums across the globe, transcending national barriers and bringing people together under the mistletoe.

First celebrated to commemorate the birth

layout by Leah Kim

of Jesus Christ, Christmas has evolved over centuries into a more inclusive and secular holiday. Although interpretations of the holiday differ across cultures, some placing less emphasis on its religious roots, Christmas continues to celebrate the original spirit of communal love and bonding, uniting people through gift-giving and gatherings.

“While some believe that commercialization and the shift towards a more secular holiday led to the loss of the Christmas spirit, I believe that cultures around the world still celebrate it in their own way,” Daniel Jung ’28, Singaporean Christmas celebrator, said.

“In Singapore, we celebrate[d] Christmas like Valentine’s Day. It’s a day for people to go out with their close ones, buy small gifts, and watch movies. Even if it looks different from how Westerners celebrate it, we still focus on spending time with those we care about.”

Although the modernization of Christmas led to changes in how people celebrate the holiday, the core values of Christmas haven’t changed. In Western countries, the Christmas spirit continues to be expressed through modern mediums, such as exchanging gifts through online shopping, sending letters digitally, and opting for more casual gatherings. With nine in ten Americans continuing to celebrate Christmas with extended family and friends, continuing the Christmas tradition doesn’t necessitate decorating a tree each year.

In contrast with their Western counterparts, Eastern nations such as China and South Korea see Christmas more as a social function rather than a religious holiday. The romanticized Pepero snack, a chocolate cookie

By CARSON PARK ’26

commonly used to express love and appreciation on Valentine’s Day or “Pepero Day,” is a popular gift for South Koreans on Christmas, symbolizing affection and the holiday’s celebration amongst couples. Similarly, in China, Christmas is marked by festive shopping and large parties rather than religious gatherings.

“I always read about how Christmas has changed but I don’t think the essence of it changed at all,” Minjun Kim ’28, Christmas enjoyer, said. “Christmas only changed how you celebrate it not what you celebrate and who you’re celebrating it with. People complain about how receiving typed and digital cards ruins the spirit of Christmas but I think we should put more emphasis on the content not the medium it’s delivered in. As long as the food didn’t change, the dish it’s delivered in doesn’t really matter.”

While the way we celebrate Christmas has undoubtedly changed over time, the spirit of Christmas remains unfazed. Video calls now allow families to connection across continents, shopping malls offers discounts to help celebrators to find the perfect gift, and casual dinners at restaurants or potlucks have replaced elaborate family dinners. Despite the advent of modernization revolutionizing the way we express our gratitude for loved ones, the themes of connection, unity, and joy persist in contemporary Christmas practices.

Although many celebrators of Christmas no longer sit around the fireplace opening presents beneath the tree, heartful letters, and modern presents continue to kindle the same warmth on Christmas Day.

FOCUS

Maintaining the religious meaning of Christmas

By CAREY KIM ’26

Christmas has become a global celebration among many diverse cultures that look quite different from its Christian roots that trace back to the fourth century. Even in South Korea, many of the younger generation view Christmas as a time for celebration and family, not with a religious appreciation. The acceptance and jubilee of Christmas show its universal appeal, but while it fosters inclusivity and community, adaptations of Christmas risk losing its spiritual message that resounds in many believers. The growing polarization on celebrating Christmas indicates the need for purposeful efforts to bring back the religious aspects of Christma amidst changing global interpretations.

Christmas is a holiday full of familiar symbols repeated every year; from the star on the top of the tree to the Nativity scene and the symbolic Christmas tree, many symbols have become iconic characteristics of a favorite holiday for many. Yet, out of the millions that celebrate Christmas, how many know the true religious meanings behind these traditions?

With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s worth asking: Has Christmas become too secularized, and can we still preserve its religious meaning?

“To be honest, I’m not very familiar with the religious significance of Christmas,” Dyne Kim ’26, celebrator of Christmas, said. “In modern times, I think Christmas is more of a festival to spend with friends and family.

Even from my own personal experience, we never really consider the religious meaning and just spend it with people and have fun.

It’s more of a holiday to exchange a lot of different gifts and eat good food rather than

By CAREY KIM (11)

celebrating the birth of Christ.”

Many traditional Christians are viewing Christmas celebrations with growing alarm as the shift from a religious to a secular celebration is becoming more and more prominent each passing year. Symbols like the star on top of the Christmas tree, which symbolizes the North Star, which appeared in the sky when Jesus Christ was born, are now regarded largely as nothing more than an ornament.

Other religious imagery, like the Nativity Scene, is dismissed for festive decorations.

This trend can also be seen in music; rather than the hymns of worship like the First Noel and Silent Night, songs about elves, snowmen, and missing loved ones now dominate charts during the holiday season, further drifting from their Christian roots.

Instead of being a spiritual celebration, Christmas is increasingly considered a materialistic holiday. From the constant reminders of Black Friday sales to holiday discounts, Christmas has become thoroughly commercialized. The new focus on consumerism has been one of the largest contributors to the loss of religious meaning. Commercialization is not only a threat to Christmas; in the long run, it also risks impacting and trivializing other faith traditions.

“I think society, in general, is shifting away from trusting and depending on divine figures,” Ashley Croft ’26, Christian celebrator, said. “I think there’s more of a trend in believing in yourself more than God and atheism, which is why I think people want to express gratitude more towards each other through things like gift-giving, which I think is because society is no longer reliant on God or church

like it was in the past. As a Christian, it is kind of sad to see people losing the traditional religious value of Christmas, but I don’t view it necessarily as a problem because it seems to be a new aspect of the development of both cultures and humans.”

For many Christians, maintaining the traditional Christian roots of Christmas is of utmost importance as it connects them to a much larger spiritual and historical tradition. Christmas is more than just a holiday of gift-giving and spending time with family and friends; it is an important reminder of faith, reflection, and hope. However, this meaning is also rapidly diminishing, suppressed under the booming commercial narratives of Christmas, as the rise of modern consumerism has become competition against religious symbols to appeal to believers.

Additionally, as Christmas is becoming more and more of a tradition centered around family and togetherness and is celebrated by people of different religions beyond Christianity, the religious significance has become largely diluted, causing concerns that if the religious meaning is not actively preserved, Christmas may lose its Christian roots entirely, transforming it into nothing more than a cultural event.

“In the perspective of traditional Christmas celebrators, I think I would also be a bit worried about how commercialized Christmas has become,” Sarah Kim ’26, atheist, said. “At the same time, I think the change has become irreversible, as Christmas has already lost a lot of the religious value it had before. I think we should try to come up with a middle ground.”

9

10 FEATURE Angela Campbell: Lifelong dancer with a teaching hobby

Photo by Chloe Kim(11)

Underneath the shining lights, one person makes it to the floor at the SEOMUN dance party. All eyes swing to her silhouette, stepping into the middle of the crowd.

Upon closer inspection, it is revealed to be Angela Campbell, AP Chemistry and AP Physics 2 teacher, catwalking to the song “APT.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars.

Ms. Campbell has been dancing ever since she could remember, and her interest is deeply rooted in her love for the action and also for the memories she makes when dancing.

“Oh my gosh,” Ms. Campbell said. “When I was four, my mother put me in tap dance classes—I can still do ‘Turkey in the straw, ha ha ha,’ and in high school, we would have dances every Friday night.

They were like fundraisers, so every club would sponsor a dance and get chaperones, and it was just… joyful. Like you just see kids, even little

layout by Chloe Kim

babies, just dancing, and it’s just a joyful way to move your body. They would dance like this: [proceeds to dance a little dance].”

But more than her passion for dancing, what shined out the most was her pure skill.

The methodical movements, the perfectly timed swaying of arms, and the rhythmic bouncing all culminated to make her look like a dancing god. Rumors even followed her around after the dance, some arguing that she rivaled Michael Jackson in pop with her energy and Anna Pavlov in ballet with her grace.

Ms. Campbell’s talent for dancing is just one of many that make her unique. Her other hobbies like her ability to palm read, a one-of-a-kind hobby at SIS, enhance her special creativity and flexibility to try new things.

“I used to take swing dancing as a child,” Ms. Campbell said. “Oh that was fun! Swing dancing, I still have it, but I

used to go to the derby with my partner and we would just dance for a couple of hours. Ballroom dancing was another one I tried. Yeah I did a lot of dancing when I was young.”

Ms. Campbell has surprised most of the student body with her dancing history, but her dancing endeavor has not ended. It continues even now in a different form: she hopes to inspire her students to join in, especially after her worries about the current generation’s level of stress.

“I was excited they were going to have a dance [at SEOMUN] because I don’t see a lot of joy in you guys,” Ms. Campbell said. “I see stress.

So much stress! That’s a nice way to bond with people, to just dance together. So I told you guys to try and pull people in and set an example.”

An instance of her passion for dancing is represented through her enthusiasm in sharing the joy. During the

SEOMUN dance, she tried to pull her students into the dance as well, creating a large uproar of excited students. Unfortunately, they all fell short dancing next to her fluid moves, but overall found themselves learning the important life lessons she mentioned all along.

Her experience as a science teacher did not betray her.

78 percent of participants reported having decreased levels of stress after the dancing, 32 percent of participants claimed that they loved dancing, and a whopping 50 percent of the participants in Ms. Campbell’s AP Chemistry class reported that their understanding of polyatomic ions and titration was enhanced through the linear dancing schemes.

“She tried to pull me in and I rejected,” an anonymous SIS student said. “She was really adamant about it though, and kept approaching me with her amazing dance moves, so

I had no choice but to indulge in the dancing. It turned out to be helpful, though—the moment ‘Teach Me How to Dougie,’ came on, I was able to finally understand the role of polyatomic ions in every unit test and recall the elements that made up the fibers of her clothes. It was just beautiful.”

Fortunately for Ms. Campbell, her body is still flexible and active, meaning she can share both the enjoyment of dancing and the beauty of science in one fluid motion.

Taking inspiration from her healthy methods of stress alleviation and attempting to expand horizons—even to dancing—is something the entire student body can aspire to do.

BY: Jian Hong Junior, Copy Editor

11 Bborongie: The strong, yet caring, protector FEATURE

Photo by Kayla Kim(10)

At the front gates of SIS sits a mighty, furry, menace of the name Bborongie. Students and faculty alike appreciate Bborongie’s presence, a strong protector of the front gates. As a beautiful specimen of the species Felis catus, Bborongie boasts a beautiful fur coat as well as strong back legs and sharp, refined claws. Yet even for this fierce guardian of the school, the winter season is a time of worry.

“Bborongie is no one’s cat,” Mr. Jung, front gate guard, said. “The villagers, teachers, students, and faculty all love Bborongie very much and feed him a lot. He roams freely around the neighborhood because he’s very much like that. Even during the winter there is little worry because of his house back here.”

While there are many speculations about his house, most assume it to be Bborongie’s office where no one else may enter, creating an atmosphere of mystery and nonchalance.

The assurance granted from those closest to Bborongie grants the student body some relief. The front gate guards, most accustomed and familiar with Bborongie’s graceful presence, discussed his usual routines. But Bborongie is not easy to be expected.

“Bborongie is often at this front gate, meeting with students,” Mr. Jung said. “But I can never know his whereabouts if he’s not at the gate. Recently he likes the back door and his house there a lot too.”

Mr. Jung can be seen calling out Bborongie’s name onto the street, waiting for Bborongie to return and bless the campus with his presence.

By such events, it is certain that Bborongie has everyone’s interest and admiration as an ever-present symbol of cuteness—but it is still a mystery as to whether Bborongie shares the same appreciation for everyone.

“Meow meow, meow,” Bborongie said. “Meow meow-

meow meow meow meow.

Meeeeow meow meow meow.

Meowmeow, meow? Meow, meow meow meow meow. Me. Ow. Meow meow meow meow.”

Bborongie aids the school through his powerful aura and provides counseling and guidance for those who need it, acting as a crucial pillar for the SIS school community and acting as role model for the school counselors. The comfort extends to teachers as well, who enjoy a nice pat on the back (of the leg) before they leave the school.

“Bborong? Oh he loves me,” Angela Campbell, AP Chemistry and AP Physics 2 teacher, said. “I go up there and he’s always trying to sidle up to me even when I don’t bring snacks. He’s adorable, and he has such a positive influence on a lot of students too. I heard that students really love him and give him snacks.”

Bborongie’s counseling has proved to be truly beneficial to many, with students stepping

up to testify on how Bborongie is knowledgeable of all topics, from future career advice to academic tips and tricks.

Students going home later due to sports or Monday 5th period classes especially enjoy spending quality time with Bborongie before he saunters off again into his room, where Bborongie successfully convinces students to go to class instead of skipping it.

“Meow… meow meow…”

Bborongie said. “Meow meowowow. Meow—‘grrr,’ meow meow meow, meowmeow.

Meow, meow meow meow meow meow meow. Meowmeowmeow meow meow.”

SIS is known for its competitive atmosphere that intimidates students at times, but with the presence of those like Bborongie, the school can ensure its student body remains comforted and at ease. Many students, like those waiting at the gate for their parents, have reported significant benefits in their

mental health since Bborongie started greeting them, especially towards the end of the first semester. The time waiting for someone to come and pick them up is often a lonely one—yet Bborongie makes it more bearable.

The one and only concern regarding Bborongie, however, is that students will have to miss him for a solid month after the end of the first semester. Students worry for Bborongie’s well-being, as well as theirs, in the absence of their favorite school companion.

“It’s cold, but we have no worries for Bborongie,” Mr. Jung said. “He’s been here for over 10 years, and we’re all accustomed to how he lives.

He’ll walk around, get fed by the villagers, and do what he wants until students all return.”

BY: Jian Hong Junior, Copy Editor

12 MULTIMEDIA

SIS’s favorite Christmas movies

Whether it be “All I want for Christmas is you” by Mariah Carey or the iconic 1990 festive comedy “Home Alone,” everyone has their favorite carols and movies that they go back to every winter. As Christmas nears, it is time for people to enjoy their favorite Christmas-related movies and songs.

We interviewed six members of our school community to talk about their favorite Christmas-related movies and characters.

“My favorite Christmas movie is ‘The Christmas Chronicles’ because I thought it was a very humorous and fresh take on the classic tale of Santa Claus,” Regina Kim ’28, Christmas celebrator, said. “For instance, there’s one scene where Santa is arrested and must raise Christmas morale in jail that I particularly enjoyed. I also loved the design of the elves!”

“My favorite Christmas movie character is the Grinch,” Alex Lee ’28, Christmas enthusiast, said. “I like how he contradicts human and societal expectations because he does not like Christmas like everyone else does. I had a lot of fun watching it a few years ago and maybe I will watch it again this year.”

“My favorite christmas movie is ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ because it is not only just a heartwarming Christmas story, but it also has some background to it, even though it is like a cartoon and it has a little bit of boringness to it,” Sarah Kim ’26, avid movie watcher, said. “The movie also has a really good plot and the characters are really relatable, even though they are cartoons, and I think that makes a story more emotional.”

“When it’s Christmas, people always get together to watch the heartwarming and romantic movies,” Andy Lee ’27, thriller movie lover, said. “I understand them, but the thrillers that creep along the cold Christmas nights are really what brings me the holiday magic. I remember when I first watched [‘Coraline’] as a kid and I think I go back to watching it almost every year because it is the best movie I can think of during Christmas.”

“My favorite character is Jack Frost from ‘The Rise of the Guardians,’ Grace Choi ’25, Christmas movie lover, said. “I really enjoyed this movie as unlike other Christmas movies where the event Christmas is mainly the major event, for this, there were a lot of Christmas related characters like fairies, Santa Claus, rabbit, or a bunch of other unique characters that I really enjoyed seeing some diversity within the movie.”

“‘Home Alone’ is my favorite Christmas movie because it’s funny and brings back memories from when I watched it as a kid,” Joshua Han ’27, movie lover, said.” “I loved how Kevin outsmarted the burglars when he was only a kid. I always watch the movie again with my family every Christmas and it doesn’t get old no matter how many times I watch it.”

BY: Minju Chung & Charlotte Kim Sophomores, Reporters

layout by Jian Hong

13 Students’ top six favorite places to sneak out to during class MULTIMEDIA

Classes are boring. What isn’t boring, is things that are not class. Socrates once said to his apprentice, “I’m bored.” Truthfully speaking, kids at SIS can not help themselves but sneak out of class. All. The. Time. Anxious kids who are tired of their schedules have been discovering creative places to hide. After being busted in regular options such as the bathroom, hiding places have been becoming increasingly diversified and interesting.

Noah Ko ‘26 exemplifies the classic alternative uses for the bathroom. “The go-to place for me when I want to miss class is either the locker room or the nurse’s office,” Noah Ko, class skipping culprit, said. “But if you time your bathroom escapes during your part in Band, it will make Mr. Thalhuber think you have a medical condition.”

Minho Chun ’27, an innate gambler, risks being in plain sight but tricks monitoring teachers like Mr. Del Vecchio and Mr. Macklin by being so confident, making them think he is in Work/Study or Study Hall. “Although I don’t sneak out often when I did so previously, I went to the couches near Dr. Nave’s class,” Minho Chun, couch potato, said. “It brings me comfort like nothing else can.”

Luke Lee, a sneaky gamer, hides in plain sight among fellow classmates to pursue his gaming passion. “Hide? I like to hide under the desks,” Luke Lee ’27, fan of Brawl Stars, said. “For example, during Chemistry and Physics, there’s like a desk underneath where you can hide and play Brawl Stars.

In Spanish, she doesn’t care if I play Brawl Stars. There’s also a feature on the computer that connects to your phone so you can play Brawl Stars.”

“I’ve never really skipped class,” Yegene Hwang ’27, attentive student, said.

“But whenever I’m tired, I fight the urge to run to the nurse. I’ve also thought about calling my mom and asking her to pick me up, but I’m scared to try any of these.”

Yoonjin Kang ’27, a frequent daydreamer, exemplifies a unique hiding spot.

“My favorite place to sneak out to during class is dreamland,” Yoonjin Kang said. “It takes far less effort than physically walking out of class, I can just fall asleep right in the middle of the period and I’ll be there”

Justin Chun ’27, model student, defies the norms by rarely exploiting his bathroom breaks. “As an eager student, I rarely sneak out,” Justin Chun, said. “However whenever I get the urge to escape class, I run to the bathroom and stall my time there. There, I am able to meet many of my friends who have also decided to stall time.”

The sheer pressure students amass while pursuing their academic dreams is incomprehensible, and many feel the need to blow off steam every once in a while. Thus, students who seek to break free from the chains of unending lectures continue to discover novel and unknown hiding spots.

BY: Joseph Lim & Hyunjoon Rha Sophomores, Reporters

14 VIEWPOINT Editorial Make Tiger Times great again

by Eric Kim

Managing Editor You may be wondering why I’m writing this editorial instead of Jason or Yoon. To put it briefly, they’ve been replaced. I’ve been holding it in as per my polite personality, but it’s about time. Ever since they stepped up to the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) position, the paper has gone into shambles. Even Junseo texted recently, asking why former Tiger Times (TT) members are doxing him for the current state of Tiger Times.

But we all know Jason or Yoon were going to ruin the paper even before they undeservingly got the executive spot. So let’s talk about me. As everyone knows, I should’ve been at EIC all along.

The dedication I grind in toward TT is unmatched—sleepless nights spent toiling away to perfect the style guide, Office Hours sacrificed to edit all articles myself, and missing club meetings to get approval from Mr. Macklin. Doing all this by myself means I am Tiger Times, and Tiger Times is me. A one-man operation.

The difference between them and me begins with the unparalleled determination I have. I have consistently prioritized TT over all other passions and responsibilities, which is essentially why I have quit Cross Country and missed a few swim meets. While Jason and Yoon were excited about writing a pee-wee editorial about how excreting in SIS stalls is uncomfortable—fortunately published as an extended viewpoint, do read it in Issue 1, “Party Poopers”—I planned a genuinely valuable editorial about the meaning of life.

But ironically, while they seem to not care about the paper, they take criticism far too sensitively. They get offended by the vast amounts of criticism they receive for their poor leadership, such as Tiger Times Online is better. In contrast, I’m open to constructive criticism. In fact, I’m open to any criticism.

As someone who has been called “long chin Mortis” and “pigeon” for much of his life, I have naturally developed resilience. So if you have any feedback, you know who to contact—although under my executive management, there will be no criticism to make.

Lately, I feel as if TT has lost even more readership, especially after the start of this year. Of course, correlation doesn’t mean causation, but I do see a connection here.

Surely, this time will go down as the “Dark Ages” of TT. With all that said and it being clear that I’m superior to the current EICs, I’d like to propose some improvements that will be implemented with my rise to power.

First, I’ll increase viewership by incorporating published TT articles in English courses. I’ve already confirmed this with 5 out of 7 English department teachers. Soon enough, SIS students will have no choice but to read our papers to save their GPAs from plummeting.

Second, which is the gem of my campaign, I will launch an official gossip box. Have you been looking for some ripe gossip but have lacked a reliable source? Behold, “Tiger Times Gossip Corner.” This entertaining addition will make TT papers an interactive experience that everyone can enjoy. The anonymous submission system will ensure safety while our investigative reporters will authenticate the news.

If you have read this far, please support my campaign. “Eric 2025. Make Tiger Times Great Again.”

Let yourself be heard. If you have any responses to articles published in the Tiger Times or original contributions, please send them to tigertimes@gmail.com

layout by Sean Kim

The fairness in test leaks: Less stress, higher scores!

Summatives: a series of treacherous academic expeditions in which students crumble for hours under the weight of their own inadequacy and last-minute cramming sessions. They are the perfect lure of anxiety and pressure to overwhelm students, who pull off all-nighters to make up for their late confrontation of these dreadful tests. But, what if the solutions to these struggles were as simple as sharing test answers? Encouraging A-day students to share test content could revolutionize the summative experience. By allowing half the students to fully memorize answers and achieve the once unattainable eight hours of sleep time, all negative connotations of “cheating” can be eradicated.

The most immediate benefit of sharing answers is the normalization of healthier habits. Students no longer need to sacrifice rest, meals, and the last pieces of their sanity just to decode a test question that feels like it was written by an evil malicious devil who prays on your downfall.

With answer sharing, A-day students can help their peers approach assessments with confidence, reducing the toxic environment of academic burnout.

Understandably, this discrepancy may cause dismay among A-day students.

For them, the pressure of being the first to take on the hellish battle of tests can often result in fatigue, abundant amounts of envy, and mountains of anxiety. However, this method is the only way to truly reach a near-utopian society. With leaks, A-day students can raise the class average so that the rest of the school can succeed while only a small proportion fail; since

perfection is impossible this is undeniably If the setup of testing has already led to the next best possible option. long-term retention being a myth, it will “It’s not just my opinion but a fact that be more beneficial for the student body to interaction between leakers and receivers let them succeed by encouraging leaks to help foster interactions and build up our spread as a status quo. community,” Justin Nam ’27, leaker advoNowadays, teachers seem overly concate, said. “Without the help of leakers cerned about a student’s test integrity. our community would be nowhere today. Instead, they should permit students to And, if you want a guide for getting a 100, cheat and impress their parents, since it absolutely bomb the first test, and then say is widely acknowledged that a student’s ‘I understand it now.’ Trust me it works.” education is completely irrelevant to the As honorable individuals, most SIS future of their lifestyle. students agree that cheating is immoral, SIS’s core TIGERS values proudly unethical, and a shame to the schooling emphasize being global citizens and effecsystem. Yet, we all know that the primary tive communicators, and what better than purpose of education is to excel in your sharing answers to promote stronger congrades no matter what method you use, nections? This act of interaction is espeas long as they are high and gets you into cially important in SIS once we analyze the the colleges. two sides of students: the procrastinating Also, if teachers really want students to opportunists of the B day students, and stop whining to their parents about a 99 the unsung, diligent heroes of A-day stuon PowerSchool, then sharing test answers dents. Naturally, after observing these difwill help. The act would be seen as chari- ferences, it prompts the consideration of table, to change the insufferable examina- why A-day students should feel compelled tions into a test of collaborative success. to comply with the pressure of others. In A-day students who leak test answers this context, teachers and examiners have are actively bending the abhorrent rules to understand that fairness is subjective. of testing to help shift the depressing, Leaking answers is not about underminoverworked atmosphere to a jolly good ing the school system, but generously, or wonderland filled with 100s, rainbows and exponentially redefining it for the greater sunshine. Many students have also noted good of the community (and a higher that the current test system is built on rote, grade average). mechanical learning, individual competition, and unnecessary pressure. Instead of spending hours memorizing answers, students could morally deceive teachers, and escape these isolated knowledge factories, and fulfill their true dreams of hit- by: Yumin Jeon ting big in poker or their bitcoin gamble. Sophomore, Reporter

Cancel crooked Santa Claus?!?

One of the biggest lies ever told to kids worldwide is the myth of Santa Claus. Not that he does not exist—he does—but that he is motivated by pure intentions. Claus’s public image is a carefully crafted brand meant to deceive and profit from people’s ignorance.

Upon just a little dose of logical thinking, one would notice that he is quite the naughty man: a covert narcissist, a fraudulent businessman, and an unconvicted felon.

A cornerstone of the Santa brand is his partners-in-crime: the reindeer who work the sleigh and the elves who do the presents.

To deliver his gifts across planet Earth overnight, Claus overworks his submissive deer slaves to take on at least fifty pounds a sleigh and only makes them run on one candy cane treat for the entire shift. They are not blue collars—they are slaves. But it gets even worse.

Weeks before Christmas Eve, the elves are forced inside labor camps established on the discreet outskirts of the North Pole, forced to hand-wrap every single present one by one.

With approximately two billion children in the world for whom Santa provides presents, their production levels exceed those of the

Industrial Revolution. DESPICABLE! “I sympathize with Mr. Claus’s intentions, but we find ourselves at a legal crossroads here,” James Kowalski, expert of laws, said.

“Getting FAA clearance for disrupting navigation paths, being registered as an unidentified aerial phenomenon, UAP, violating child labor laws and animal welfare laws, FDA if he’s giving kids junk food, theft if he’s coming in and stealing milk from a house.”

There lies another step in Santa’s scheme that is largely overlooked: the delivery. While families are gathered around campfires, unwrapping their presents and having a great time, they are too distracted to realize that Santa trespassed on their private property. With nobody providing him the keys to their homes, Claus has accessed BILLIONS of houses through infringement of universal laws that go against the sacred Christian holiday. An obvious hypothesis would be that he went to the black market or urban Italian gangsters, to whom he paid hush money to keep the transaction a secret. ILLEGAL! But GOOD NEWS! Recently, Santa Claus has been undergoing a DISASTROUS PR

crisis that has shed light on his true colors.

For example, black, blue, and purple—the opposite of his FAKE red, white, and green.

Not only are people finally realizing that he is a classist—only rich kids get the good gifts—but many have been raising eyebrows at the fact that Santa is part of a commune that gives out universal gifts, leading to the speculation that he is, in fact, a communist. If that is not enough evidence, the case is closed by the fact that he is often seen wearing red, which was Karl Marx’s favorite color.

Desperate followers of Santa have been making attempts at making crooked justifications on why Santa should not be canceled amidst this methodic, systematic, bureaucratic, hysteria.

“Santa Claus doesn’t care if you’re poor or rich, because he knows we’re all God’s children,” Joseph Kang ’27, radical supporter of Santa, said.

Long-time haters of Santa, who have been unable to express their TRUE sentiments due to the mass disillusionment, have been celebrating the long-awaited justice.

“The scary thing is that Santa is covered up in his outfit and the beard and the eyebrows, it’s like he’s hiding behind this facade,” Tim Gardes, rationalist of Santa, said. “When I was a kid in the 1970s I saw this movie, ‘Tales From the Crypt: Killer Santa on the Loose,’ and instead of delivering presents, Santa delivered death. He was a murderer. I saw so many kids scared and crying despite having read stories of Santa positively. Everything is reinforcing this positive image, but when they meet Santa, they start crying.”

It is difficult to imagine Christmas without Santa or any of his presents. But we must put an end to his transgressions as soon as possible. Besides, a “Santaless” Christmas would prove to be an opportunity to spend time away from tokens of materialism and one step closer to our loved ones. Henceforth, this Christmas, let there be no Santa. Let it be a “Santaless” Christmas.

by: Hyunjoon Rha

Sophomore, Reporter

Tiger Times

Dec. 2024

15

Viewpoint Feature: 37 out of 46 NHS members have not met the required merit point threshold as of November. While many reasons exist, one main cause is the imbalance in students who need to tutor others for merit points and students who need tutoring. To address such issues and redeem the scholarship of NHS at SIS, NHS’s GPA cutoff required for membership should be reevaluated.

How does the current GPA cutoff reflect on SIS’s student body and the NHS’s perception of scholarship?

Is having an excessive number of members productive in upholding NHS’s core pillars?

GPA cutoff increase: NHS’s returned prestige At the core of any student body exists the National Honor Society (NHS), a culmination of students who truly uphold honor in terms of scholarship, character, leadership, and service. The NHS at SIS is no different; executives uphold the spirit of being a student leader and members participate actively in what is expected of them. More is sometimes less, however. The eagerness to participate has overwhelmed the NHS with an excessive number of new members. While it may be possible to go through a more rigorous screening process in other fields, increasing the GPA cutoff is a solution that should be considered in light of the excessive membership which conceals the true merit of the NHS that comes from selectivity.

Other alternatives are lacking for reasons concerned with integrity and time. While screening additionally based on other academic accomplishments is good, it may add to the already lengthy application process, which already disincentivizes many academically enthusiastic and talented students. Considering community service or school contribution may lead to subjectivity in evaluation.

Two problems exist within the current system. NHS operates in a way where all members must accrue eight merit points by the end of each semester. The main method to earn merit points is through tutoring fellow students. Yet due to the unbalanced ratio of tutors to students, NHS members can be seen chasing down

tutees in hallways and devising methods to meet the required merit points; in other words, there is an excess of tutors and a lack of tutees.

A second aspect of the NHS to consider is that despite its name and value as an honor society, it has lost much meaning in terms of the standards of success. The NHS cutoff is lower than the median GPA for most graduating classes, the median GPA being within the ranges of 96.4-96.8 percent, meaning that not only is it not the most academically successful, but it is more than half of the grade that qualifies.

“Really, we don’t have that many seniors who graduate in NHS,” Amy Kuhn, NHS adviser, said. “So I’m not really sure if [having too many members] truly is an issue with the upper grades. In my opinion, tutoring and really committing to actually teaching students depends more on the integrity of the students. I hope we can really foster the values of the NHS so that they are more willing to proactively make that choice.”

Ms. Kuhn also noted that an NHS executive meeting was due, agreeing to the necessity of such discourse.

NHS as an honor society should be one of the integral aspects of a school community, acting as the leaders and supporters of others, meaning that if there were to be any student organization with sufficient justification for higher standards, it would be NHS. The main concern with an excessive number of tutors is that an overload of attempts to “tutor” students

and give them advice may harm students who are already struggling with their academics by granting them a false sense of solvency. It is wholly inefficient to bother independent study periods and individuals simply because tutors need more merit points, and even more so if the tutors are free to sign up for any subject rather than a subject they are good at.

The reality of NHS is that other schools utilize it as a certification of academic excellence, while SIS considers it as a recognition of effort from the student body. By increasing our standards to reflect our grading system, SIS may build further upon a culture of appreciating efforts to improve student connections. Schools in the US, for instance, can manage a relatively lower cut-off while retaining the high status because of lower grade standards in general, prioritizing having a minority of their students for the NHS, where it is considered a high honor to graduate with the NHS ribbon.

SIS especially, having higher standards of academic achievement, a generally higher grading system, and an up-to-85 retake policy, should not align itself with standards such as the 95 cut-off.

Emphasizing the rigorous aspects of NHS and cutting down on needless contributions may serve the student body better when it comes to prestige.

For instance, classes like Tiger Times with a high standard for acceptance in turn fuel application rates and

the portrayed legitimacy of the class.

Concerns on the number of members significantly dropping, then, should not be seen as a major issue. Realistically, bodies like the High School Student Council (HSSC) have reported that most of the volunteers from the NHS are often unnecessary anyway.

While some may worry about the exclusion a higher grade cutoff may create, the perception of the NHS may make a world of difference. Currently, because NHS membership has become so commonplace, students are rather pressured to apply and to join as it should be “obvious.” By changing the student perspective on NHS to being extremely selective and limited in the first place, students are less likely to worry about the fact that they did not make it, and move forward towards other goals.

“I honestly think it is a decision that will cause a lot of backlash,” Edward Yoon ’26, NHS tutor, said.

“But if you have to worry about the grade cut-off being in the NHS, that might be against the purpose of the NHS. I believe that if they are increasing the NHS cutoff though, it should be determined by semester as grades received earlier in the semester can affect your average more than those received later.”

by: Jian hong

Junior, Copy Editor

16 CARTOONS

cartoon by Catherine Ryu ’27

cartoon by Charlotte Eunseo Kim ’27

cartoon by Alex Lee ’25

layout by Lucy Jang