THE BANNER C e l e br at i n g 4 0 y e a r s o f t h e B r i t i s h S c h o o l , 4 0 y e a r s o f I B D P & t h e 1 1 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f S F S
Seoul Foreign School Magazine, Spring 2022
Features
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Human Interest Grade 6 students interview Korean staff about life and culture High School Counseling, Redefined Learn about the restructured and expanded High School Counseling Program The Gate - Learning for All A new center where our community can learn, collaborate, and expand
Departments 4
From the Head of School and Board Chair
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School Happenings Sports, Arts, Service, Parent Association
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Student Voices
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Alumni News & Class Notes
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In Memoriam
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Advancement
For their Entry Point of the unit 'Express Yourself', the British School Year 5 and 6 students used paint to express their feelings and paint things that are important to them.
From the Head of School Dear SFS Community, It would be challenging to write this letter without expressing a deep sense of pride in our community. This has been another year of huge COVID-19 turbulence, with a daily rate of positive cases in Korea topping over half a million just a short while ago. Yet I can say that our students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni have all been simply incredible in their resilience, patience, tolerance, and creativity in meeting each new curveball that the pandemic has thrown at us. Thank you to everyone! Whilst it has sometimes felt that surviving on a day-to-day basis was our only priority, the articles in this issue of the Banner will testify that SFS has been continuing to look to the future. Please enjoy the article on the ‘SFS GATE’. The Gate is driving us towards ensuring that SFS is a hub of personal and professional development for all of our community. Over the coming months and years, please look out for opportunities for parents and alumni to access courses, programs, and presentations to enrich and deepen involvement in education, parenting, and school life. We are very excited about how The Gate will support and bring our whole community together in varied and meaningful ways. I am also thrilled to see our new High School Counseling model already bearing fruit. With four dedicated University Admissions specialists, we are able to help and guide families in preparation for the next stage of their children’s learning journey, and two counselors provide proactive social and emotional support for all of our High School students. The overwhelmingly positive feedback surrounding our expanded model has been hugely gratifying and encouraging as we aim to make continuous improvements to our provision. Finally, you may recall that at the beginning of last year 4
we engaged a number of school and community-wide focus groups to give us direct feedback and input to support us in creating a ‘White Paper’ that determines our next campus and programmatic strategic steps. Perhaps you saw a brief video message I shared a few weeks ago. It included 6 key elements that came out of the White Paper that the Board and I will be using to inform the future of SFS. They are as follows: • Define & commit to an international mindset and enhance language learning • Establish clear strategy to focus and develop identity and strengths of British School • Strengthen wellness & counselling support across the school • Double down on IB implementation; make excellence at all levels of the IB into the school’s competitive advantage • Rationalize and develop campus spaces to develop sports, air quality provision & faculty housing • Refresh or replace Middle School building - address admissions bottle neck So you can see that despite the maelstrom of the last two years we have been planning for big opportunities ahead. These are opportunities that as a community I know we will embrace. SFS continues to be at the forefront of international education in Seoul and dedicated to providing the best teaching and learning for our students. God bless, Colm Flanagan Head of School
The BANNER | From the Head of School
From the Board Chair Dear SFS Community,
THE BANNER Seoul Foreign School Magazine, Spring 2022 Team Published by: Seoul Foreign School External Relations Team Editor: Maura Brookes Designer: Juhie Suh Collaborators: Yoojin Um, Eric De Haan, Angie Won Photographers: Juhie Suh Address Seoul Foreign School 39 Yeonhui-ro 22-gil Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu Seoul, South Korea, 03723 www.seoulforeign.org Unless otherwise noted, articles may be reprinted without permission - as long as they are not edited or revised - with appropriate credit given to “The Banner, the magazine for Seoul Foreign School.” *All efforts have been made to check details and consistency. Please contact communications@seoulforeign. org with any questions. Cover: The Pre-K 4 Mural was collaboratively worked on to connect to their Unit of Inquiry on "How We Organize Ourselves" and also to remind our community to pray for and support Ukraine. Photography: Juhie Suh
I am writing this letter as we are approaching the end of another academic year under the duress of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SFS administration is still spending a reasonable amount of time around COVID-19 related issues; nevertheless, they have made steady progress toward the fall visits for the recurring 5-year accreditation process (WASC/ IB/Fieldwork). As the SFS Board of Governors, we are also involved in this process and will use the feedback provided by the accreditation in the setting of the strategic plan for the next five years. The pandemic has prevented us from coming together to celebrate our 110th Anniversary this spring. Still, we have set dates for the fall of 2022 in the hope that we will be able to celebrate this significant school milestone fully. In the past few months, as the pandemic has raged in Seoul, I have been humbled by the grit and resilience of our administrators and teachers in continuing to deliver an excellent education for our students. Our SFS community has also demonstrated great maturity and respect for the rules and quickly adapted to any changes needed to allow the school to function daily without shifting the entire campus to virtual learning. We are sadly still not able to have parents visit the schoolground freely, but we are hoping that we will be able to restore this vital part of SFS campus life next academic year. I am excited at the opportunity that the school will provide through the “The Gate at SFS” initiative. The IB Program strives to prepare each student to become a “learner for life”; following this philosophy, SFS also wants to engage the community in the continuous joy of learning and has set up learning opportunities for our entire community! Through the pages of this issue, you will find more information on this new initiative, and I hope SFS will maintain this excellent opportunity to learn through the years to come. I wish everyone a great end to this academic year and a great and restful summer break. Sincerely, Dr. Silvia Ratto Kim Chair of the Board of Governors Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:18
Carved Eraser Printmaking by Daehun Oh (Grade 5)
SPRING 2022 | From the Board Chair
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HUMAN INTEREST Every school day, two dozen bus drivers transport SFS students to campus and safely back home again. As our community consists of students from all over Seoul, this is a crucial role that bears a great deal of responsibility. But how often do we connect with bus drivers and other staff members who quietly keep school operations running smoothly?
Opposite: Students were required to stretch their communication and collaboration skills in order to develop appropriate questions, perform the interview, write the article, and present their work.
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s part of their Language and Literature journalism unit, Jo Bigwood and Cameron Munce’s Grade 6 students interviewed staff members about their life and culture. “Everyone has their own personal take on culture and what it means to them. As an international school, we have a robust community and a nice cultural melting pot,” says Cameron, “but there are people here who play an important role, who we might see on a daily basis but we don’t always get the chance to connect with. We tasked our students to find out - who are these individuals, what is their background like, how do they define culture and what’s important to them?” Students started by reading Korean and Asian texts, such as those written by Linda Sue Park and A Part of the Ribbon by Ruth Hunter and Debra Fritsch, and exploring the cultural iceberg. “It’s very important to incorporate mentor texts that reflect our 8
host country,” shares Jo. “Many of our local students were able to relate to the stories we read and our international students gained a deeper understanding of their current home in Korea. And as all the interviews were to be conducted in Korean, it was valuable that we had already explored culture through the lens of these texts.” After studying elements of journalistic writing, students prepared by interviewing each other. The practice interviews helped them get out their nerves, understand what makes a good question and a well-structured article, and as a bonus side effect, they learned a lot about their classmates and peers. They then formed groups based on their Korean language proficiency and prepped for the big day. Both interviewers and interviewees eagerly anticipated their meeting. Hugh Lee, Head of Transportation, shares, “our team members watch students
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Opposite: “For a while, all of our office conversations were about the student interviews,” says Hugh, SFS Head of Transportation. “It made us very proud of our work and our culture.”
grow through their school years - some for 15 years all the way from Pre-K to Grade 12 - but they don’t have a chance to talk with each other. This was a great opportunity to get to know each other better.” This project was not easy - students were required to stretch their communication and collaboration skills in order to develop appropriate questions, perform the interview, write the article, and present their work. And most challenging of all were the many rounds of translating between English and Korean; Jo and Cameron are very grateful to the Korean-speaking parents who assisted with proofreading. But the rewards were immeasurable. In a time when we are unable to bring parents, alumni, and other community members on campus, making connections with each other is more important than ever. “For a while, all of our office conversations were about the student interviews,” says Hugh. “It made us very proud of our work and our culture.”
Grade 6 felt a great sense of pride, as well, when they presented the finished articles to interviewees. “I learned we should be thankful for the people behind the scenes helping us and give support and gratitude to them,” reflected student journalist Isaac. Another student, Chrystal, learned about “my interviewee’s individual culture and the impact working at SFS has had on them. Writing an article will help people in the community to get to know staff better and learning about these people helps appreciate them more.” Finally, Celine believes “small acts like having a conversation and writing this article can impact the SFS community for the better.” 19 12 To read Grade 6 student articles featuring SFS staff, please scan the QR code on the right.
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High School Counseling Team: (front row left to right) Angela Son, Nicole Cook, Ah Young Chi (back row left to right) Tu Anh Gilmore, Jennie Purvis, Allan Birimac
HIGH HUMAN SCHOOL INTEREST COUNSELING,
REDEFINED
Every school day, two dozen bus drivers transport SFS students to campus and safely back home again. As our community consists of students from all over Seoul, this is a crucial role that bears a great deal of responsibility. But how often do we connect with bus drivers and other staff members who quietly keep The High School Counseling Program at Seoul Foreign School addresses the school operations running smoothly? academic, social, and emotional development of all students. In partnership with teachers, parents, and the community, counselors provide support and ensure all students at SFS have access to, and are prepared with, the knowledge and skills to contribute as productive global citizens.
Opposite: Nicole Cook (top), Allan Birimac (bottom) preparing the rising Grade 10 students for standardized testing.
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t the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, the High School student body was introduced to a restructured and expanded counseling team, helmed by Dr. Nicole Cook, Director of Counseling and University Admissions. Supporting Nicole is a team of three University Admissions Counselors and two Social-Emotional Counselors. “By having staff specialized in either academic or social-emotional counseling, students are provided with varied support throughout their journey. It also allows for counselors to professionally develop and hold advanced skills and knowledge,” shares Nicole. This restructure and expansion recognizes the importance of abundantly preparing graduates for success beyond SFS, while also supporting students through the unique challenges of High School. 14
One of the team’s core activities is the seminar program. Counselors plan and implement lessons in a variety of gradeappropriate areas. For Grade 9 students, seminars focus on the social and academic transition into High School and encourage students to get involved with extracurriculars and explore their passions. Moving into Grade 10, students are beginning to think about their futures and careers - refining their personal interests and their academic interests through IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) course selection. Counselors support the transition into the DP in Grade 11 and begin university research with students. Finally, Grade 12 seminar sessions dive deep on the university admissions process with the counseling team supporting students every step of the way, ensuring they find the place or program that suits them best.
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Opposite: High School Counselors hold information sessions for rising Grade 9 students to ease the transition into High School.
However, Nicole and the team counsel in a way that they hope will support students well beyond graduation from SFS. “I believe that High School counseling does not just lead to an endpoint outcome of university. Our role is also to facilitate the development of students so that they have the self-knowledge and other skills needed to thrive in their lives after High School. Our team’s success is demonstrated not only by where students achieve university enrollment, but also their happiness, success and thriving through university and beyond.” Special care is given to ensure students are able to learn and grow throughout the university admissions process, helping them to be more independent going forward. It might be easy to judge whether or not SFS students are “doing well” after graduation by looking at a list of the universities
they attend and assessing them by ranking or prestige. After working with students for 20 years though, Nicole knows success is defined by so much more. “Behind that list of colleges and universities lies a group of young people who have been striving to understand where they want to fit into the world, what they want to focus on in their careers, and how they want to make an impact. They are often choosing their next step from the entire globe, considering a variety of countries, subjects, cultures, and much more than a name can convey.” At the end of the day, the High School counseling team aspires for students to move on to their next chapter with no regrets - to go for their dreams and fully embrace the journey ahead, equipped with what they need to succeed. Counselors are hard at work each day working towards that outcome for all SFS students. 19 12
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THE GATE
LEARNING FOR ALL When you think of Seoul Foreign School, what comes to mind? Maybe you think of academic and creative excellence, a dedication to the service of others, or potentially our iconic Korean Gate. Inspired by these aspects of our school, a few enterprising staff members have created The Gate - a professional development center providing learning experiences to our community and beyond. The Gate team: (left to right) Jan-Mark Seewald, Hannah Kim and Aaron Moniz
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Opposite: (top and bottom) SFS Korean teachers Hyejung Jang and Eunha Ko offer after-school classes to faculty who wish to improve their Korean language proficiency. (middle) Identity, Privilege and Power, a workshop offered by Margaret Park, Elementary School Assistant Principal
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hen Jan-Mark Seewald began his role as Assistant Head of School for Academics, he aspired to strengthen SFS’ role as a center for teaching and learning excellence. “We were already achieving success in the classroom,” shares Jan-Mark, “but with the history, talent, and resources available here, we questioned how we could expand our reach to other members of our community. And how we could share the amazing things happening on campus with the world.” In conversations with his assistant, Hannah Kim, and with Aaron Moniz, co-founder of SFS partner organization Inspire Citizens, Jan-Mark found two passionate allies. The three enthusiastically brainstormed how they could increase professional development offerings for educators, student events, create learning opportunities for parents, and service-learning activities for the entire community. And then COVID-19 arrived. “Prior to the pandemic, we were constantly adding to our professional development opportunities for staff,” says Hannah. “We were hosting some kind of activity most weekends but that all came to a grinding halt. In a way, though, it was a blessing. This pause allowed us to evaluate and reimagine our offerings and has motivated us to engage with the community even more.” The Gate intends to exemplify our school’s mission in action. “Through the curriculum, we encourage students to pursue academic and creative excellence, and to be dedicated to the service of others. The Gate will ensure that the school as an institution will also be committed to these ideals,” shares Aaron.
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And what does the branding of “The Gate” represent? “We view the collection of offerings as a “gateway” to valuable resources for all members of our community, as well as other educators in our region.” Hannah adds, “we also are being very intentional about representing our host country of Korea and connecting with the culture here. The Korean Gate image reminds us of our home on campus and in Seoul, as well as representing the open door of teaching and learning for all.” In addition to existing professional development opportunities, several pilot programs are already underway for The Gate. These include Korean language classes for faculty and staff, an immersive IBDP experience for parents, and student leadership training for High School students. The team is focusing on internal programming right now with the hope to build and reach audiences external to SFS next academic year. They aspire for The Gate’s activities to create a current of connection and excitement in the wider community outside of SFS. According to Jan-Mark, “even if only one student, family, or teacher decides to join our Seoul Foreign School community because of an experience they had through The Gate, I would see that as a great success.” If you feel inspired to serve Seoul Foreign School by linking your talents and skills to existing needs in the community, The Gate team wants to hear from you. Please email thegate@seoulforeign.org with ideas, questions, and feedback. For more information, please visit The Gate website by scanning the QR code on the right. 19 12
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The BANNER | Sports
Varsity Girls Soccer Team
Sports Recap By Paul Rader Director of Sports
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hile there have been so many negatives to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been amazing to see our community persevere and do our absolute best to continue providing a worldclass international educational experience. A significant part of our students’ educational experience is participating in activities like Sports and Arts. A running motto the past two years has been to “STAY READY”, so that when the opportunities arise, we are in a position for success. I am proud of our athletes and coaches that have worked hard, despite uncertainty and challenges, and have been ready to play every time we’ve had an opportunity.
High School Sports
offered Basketball, Cheerleading, Wrestling, Swimming, and Table Tennis. Highlights of the High School winter sports season: • • • • • •
Boys Swimming KAIAC Conference and Tournament Champions (Virtual) Girls Swimming KAIAC Conference and Tournament Runners Up (Virtual) Boys and Girls Swimming APAC Competition (Virtual) Wrestling Showcase at SFS (Intersquad) Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball winning the KAIAC Tournament JV Boys and JV Girls Basketball Runners Up at the KAIAC Tournament • Varsity and JV Cheer KAIAC Champions (Virtual) • Inaugural Table Tennis team season (Intersquad)
This past November, Korea entered the "Living with COVID-19" phase which, despite some stops and starts, has allowed us to resume interschool competitions. This was a welcome change after the fall sports seasons where we were not able to have a single interschool competition due to the COVID-19 regulations. One caveat to the resumption of competitions was the necessity for COVID-19 testing prior to competitions. This has helped schools to ensure that all their competitors have tested negative and has helped to mitigate any further spread within teams or an infection spreading between schools. For High School sports, this winter season there were 141 High School students that participated (64 boys, 77 girls). We
We started the High School spring season in February with 103 students (58 boys, 45 girls) participating in Soccer, Badminton, and Track & Field. We were able to organize interschool competitions for all three sports, and the teams performed very well in their competitions. Go Crusaders! There are 259 High School students out of approximately 500 that participate in the High School Sports programs! Total Participant
1 Sport
2 Sports
3 Sports
HS Girls
129
84
34
11
HS Boys
129
73
50
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Opposite: (top) Badminton (bottom) Track & Field
MY (Middle School/Key Stage 3) SELECT Sports This year we have started multiple teams under the umbrella of the MY SELECT program (Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, and Tennis). The goal was to create competitive groups that will be able to train more frequently and in smaller numbers. We have been able to have a couple of competitions so far, and are looking forward to more. Highlights of the MY SELECT Sports:
The U-11 FOBISIA SELECT team had planned to go to NLCS in Jeju for a competition at the end of March, however due to the rising COVID-19 numbers at that time, the event was cancelled. Instead, we held a two-day in-house competition here at SFS and it was a fantastic event. We were also happy and thankful to be able to invite the athletes’ parents to come to campus and watch. We are looking forward to the U-15 FOBISIA SELECT competitions at the start of June, and we hope we are able to offer an interschool experience for them at that time.
• Soccer traveling to play Chadwick in December • Volleyball traveling to YISS in March
Early Years Sports
British School FOBISIA This year we have resumed the U-11 and U-15 FOBISIA groups. For each age group, we have had a training team, and then prior to the competition have created a FOBISIA SELECT team (10 boys, 10 girls) for the age group.
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For the Early Years (British School Key Stage 1 & 2 and Elementary School), most of our sporting opportunities are found in the SWEP program. These groups have been able to happen all school year, and it has been great to see so many students participating in sports throughout the week and on Saturdays. We are hopeful that as the COVID-19 conditions improve that we will begin to resume the interschool Elementary School Sports jamborees. 19 12
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Top: The U-11 FOBISIA Select Team in a two-day in-house competition. Bottom: SWEP Golf
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Opposite: Soccer KAIAC Conference Match SPRING 2022 | Sports
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The BANNER | Arts
Opposite: High School musical Something Rotten!
The Arts at SFS By John Striffler Director of Arts
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uintessence. The essence of a thing is its purest form. This is the word that permeates all that has happened throughout our semester in the Arts here at Seoul Foreign School. Whether it be in our classrooms, on our stages, in our practice spaces, online, or any other interstices; the students and teachers of the Arts here at Seoul Foreign School have demonstrated time and time again that they are the quintessence of collaboration, perseverance, artistry, learners and educators. Just like in our previous four semesters of this pandemic, our theatre students and teachers have demonstrated an indomitable will to bring their artform to the stage in the Lyso Center as well as in our High School Drama Lab and Middle School Drama Classroom. Entering the second semester, our Middle School and Key Stage 3 students were preparing for their Mainstage show in the Lyso Center, Graffiti, and they did not disappoint. Students told a series of stories which included “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse”, “Chicken Little Goes Too Far”, and “Look at Me” just to name a few. This was a show that was devised, developed and adapted by Mrs. Moon and the cast of the show. The show delighted its audience of Middle School and Key Stage 3 students
with its meaningful script, amazing costumes, wonderful scenic and lighting design, dynamic dances, and wonderful acting. It was truly an ensemble show! Following our Middle Years performance, our High School students took to the stage for this year’s High School musical Something Rotten!. Overcoming what seemed like insurmountable odds, the student actors, pit band members, and crew members pulled off an incredible performance of the comedy set in the time of Shakespearean England. We are so grateful to Mrs. Moon, Mr. Ford, Mr. Black, Ms. Shin, Mr. Lee, Ms. Johnson, Ms. Yaniw, and Ms. Cha, along with all of our parents for making this such a tremendous learning experience for our students. To close out the year on our stages, our Key Stage 1 students presented a series of Korean stories in A Bojagi of Tales on our Robb Hall Stage. Finally in May, our Grade 4 students participated in a week-long Theatre Festival in which they were able to perform, dance, work on stage combat, theatre games, costumes, set and lighting design, and puppetry. It has been so wonderful to hear the amazing sounds coming out of our music classrooms this spring! Whether it be the singing coming from our Early Years classes or the beautiful chords
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Opposite: (top) The Middle Years Band recording for KIMEA (bottom) Students, teachers and other community members enjoyed visiting DP Year 2 Visual Arts Exhibition.
coming from our Ensemble classrooms, our music students have sounded absolutely incredible! The Spring is usually a time when many of our music students are traveling and attending festivals but due to COVID-19 this was not possible. This did not prevent our students and teachers from entering virtual festivals and competitions for KIMEA and AMIS where our students achieved some of the highest ratings and have made the finals of some incredible competitions! Our choirs and bands took to the Lyso and Rob Hall stages where they were able to perform for their parents for the first time in over two years! It was wonderful to see the emotions of both parents and students together for the first time in these spaces in such a long while. Our students and teachers rose to the occasion with some tremendous performances and brought the Lyso Mainstage and Robb Hall stage to life with their energy and enthusiasm! As always, our Visual Arts students dazzled us with their creations. From 2-D and 3-D works to digital media, our students’ creativity, skill, and talents in the visual arts classrooms know 30
no bounds. As you walk through the halls of each section of our school the creative talents and growth of our visual arts students are always on full display for everyone to see. And while the final products our students present are always phenomenal, it is also their growth in the classroom that is equally important. Our Visual Arts teachers do an incredible job of guiding students through not only a growth in skills but also reflection, collaboration and knowledge. One of the highlights of the year in Visual Arts is the opening of our DP Year 2 Exhibition. This year we had twenty-five students display works that were spread out over three floors of the High School in an Exhibition entitled: Interstice. This exhibition was the culmination of a two-year learning journey for our DP Visual Arts students. Once again, this has been a year of growth, reflection and excellence in the Arts here at Seoul Foreign School. We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us this past year and we truly look forward to all of the amazing things that are in store for the 2022/2023 school year! 19 12
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The Middle Years play Graffiti
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The BANNER | School Happenings
Service
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ur school has had an ongoing relationship with the humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organization World Vision since the 1950s when Bob Pierce, Founder of World Vision, donated to help purchase the land where SFS currently stands. For over 20 years, we have proudly participated in the World Vision 30 Hour Famine as one of many ways that we continue Bob Pierce’s prayer of "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." This year, over 70 Middle School, Key Stage 3, and High School students fasted food or alternative sources, such as social
media, for 30 hours across February 24 and 25. Over 600 million people face world hunger each day, and by fasting, we can grow in empathy to fight this global ill. Coming together in the UAC building, fasting students learned about this year’s 30 Hour Famine feature child, Marie from the DRC, and participated in activities that exemplify how hunger impacts Marie’s life before breaking their fast. In the preceding weeks, they also initiated fundraising projects through the #raiseyourownfund challenge. In total, the SFS community donated 9.5m KRW to fight global hunger.
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Parent Association W
hat would Seoul Foreign School be without its parent community? It has been difficult to not have parents around as much over the past few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the hopes that next school year will see our campus come fully back to life, we reached out to a few of our Parent Ambassadors about their experience volunteering at SFS. Parent Ambassadors assist the Admissions team with the recruitment and onboarding of new families. They provide campus tours, answer questions, give advice, and are a general resource to those joining our community. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, they have generously taken time to share about SFS over email, phone and video calls, and as speakers at New Parent Coffees. We are very grateful for the support of all of our parent volunteers and look forward to coming back together as a community soon. If you are interested in serving SFS as a Parent Ambassador, please contact Madeleine Kim, Director of Admissions, at madeleine.kim@seoulforeign.org.
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The BANNER | School Happenings
Veronica Lee How are you involved at SFS? I am most involved as a “Drama Mama”, helping with the school’s theater productions. Being a Drama Mama can be a big time commitment but it’s always fun to come to the sewing room and it provides lots of time to talk and connect with other parents. How has being an active parent volunteer impacted your relationship with the school? As an expat, I was looking for a community, and the parents at SFS have provided that to me. It has also taught me so much more about the school. I’ve been able to ask lots of questions to other parents as well as school staff and then share my learnings. It’s very beneficial to hear firsthand about how people navigate different classes, activities, events, and so on. What advice would you give to other parents who want to get more involved? I’d let parents, especially expat parents, know that SFS can be your home in a foreign country. If you’re involved on campus, your child’s friends can become like your nieces and nephews and your friends can become family. Also, being involved can help narrow the gap with your children’s teachers. The more familiar you are with them, the easier it is to reach out when you need to ask a question or discuss your child’s progress.
Marieke Doherty
Yvonne Stehle
How are you involved at SFS?
How are you involved at SFS?
I have been a room parent in the past, but my primary involvement now is as an AQT (Academic Quiz Team) volunteer, as a reader or scorekeeper. I also am a wordof-mouth ambassador for SFS through the American Women’s Club and through my involvement in Facebook groups for expat parents.
I have held a variety of roles as a parent volunteer - with drama, sports, parties, and social events. But recently I have mainly helped as a Parent Ambassador. My family moved back to Europe for a short time and I continued my role as an SFS ambassador, connecting with many European families who were moving to Seoul.
How has being an active parent volunteer impacted your relationship with the school?
How has being an active parent volunteer impacted your relationship with the school?
For our family, the best part about living in Korea has been Seoul Foreign School. I could immediately recognize the sense of community here and thought, if there are parents helping to create opportunities for students, I want to be a part of that. Being an AQT volunteer has been particularly rewarding - seeing the students succeed and being so enthusiastic brings me a lot of joy.
From the first time I visited campus, I was amazed by how cheerful and welcoming everyone was. I knew I wanted my family to be part of this community. By being more involved as a parent ambassador, I have had the opportunity to share this cheerful and welcoming spirit with other newcomers who might be a bit nervous or overwhelmed. It is also nice to mingle with your children’s friends and their parents because you feel safe knowing who they are spending their time with.
What advice would you give to other parents who want to get more involved? Most people know their own strengths and passions. I’d recommend people consider how those skills can be of benefit to the school. I’ve always found SFS to be a community-minded school that greatly encourages parental involvement, so if you are interested, just jump right in! It’s a great way to make new friends and once you’re comfortable, you can decide if and how you want to become more involved.
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What advice would you give to other parents who want to get more involved? Many people can be apprehensive about having too much responsibility. I’d recommend starting small by helping paint sets for a play or chop vegetables when there is a sport event. And then you will get to see how it all works and decide if you want to get more involved. I’d also recommend encouraging one friend or acquaintance to come along as it can be less intimidating when you have a partner. 35
Student Voices
SFS is privileged to serve exceptional students hailing from all corners of the globe. Here’s a small sample of their school accomplishments and experiences, straight from the students themselves!
National Youth Music Competition sponsored by Muzworld Journal.
DIODE POETRY JOURNAL
Artwork by Ji Yoon Park (Grade 7)
ETHAN CLASSIC MUSIC CONCOURS
The Banner invites all SFS students to submit their recent achievements and experiences to the editorial team. Please contact communications@seoulforeign.org for further details.
JSM KOREA NATIONAL STUDENT MUSIC COMPETITION
Published work - Kate Choi (Grade 11) Three poems written by Kate have been published in the Fifteenth Anniversary Issue of the Diode poetry journal, which has a submission acceptance rate of 1%. Kate’s work has been published alongside the poetry of university professors, Guggenheim fellows, poet laureates, and journal editors.
Grand Prize - Daniel Jeong (Grade 2) Daniel won the Grand Prize in piano at the JSM Korea National Student Music Competition. He played F. Lynes Sonatina Op. 39, No. 1, 1st mov.
NATIONAL YOUTH MUSIC COMPETITION
ETRE LA MUSIQUE COMPETITION
SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS CHALLENGE
Semi-finalist - Ji Yoon (Kate) Park (Grade 7) Ji Yoon (Kate) has been selected by the judges in this year’s Science Without Borders Challenge, "Ridge to Reef." Her artwork has advanced to the semi-final stage of the 11-14 category in this year’s extremely competitive contest.
Third Prize - Sean Park (Grade 1) Congratulations to Sean who won Third Prize for his piano performance in the Elementary School division of the 2022 36
Grand Prize - Haegyu Auh (Year 3) Haegyu won the Grand Prize for her piano performance. She played Bach 2-part Invention No. 13.
Grand Prize Cello - Michael and Abigail Hoe (Year 1) Congratulations to Michael and Abigail for The BANNER | Student Voices
their prize-winning cello performance. It was their first time entering a music contest and they both worked very hard for this competition.
KOREAN SPORT AND OLYMPIC COMMITTEE YOUNG SPORTS ATHLETES’ NATIONAL ESSAY COMPETITION
SAMSUNG HUMANTECH PAPER AWARD
Bronze (Biology) and Silver (Environment) - Janice Hur (Grade 11) Congratulations to Janice who received the Bronze Award this year for her paper Cytotoxic Effects of Mask Nanoplastics and Improvement of Hyperimmune Response by Berberine Coating on Mask. Additionally, Janice won Silver in last year’s competition for her paper entitled Cell Damage and Protein Composition Changes caused by the Disposable Mask Nanoplastics via Respiratory Intake.
VEX ROBOTICS COMPETITION
Congratulations to our VEX Robotics competition teams who all were invited to the World Championships in Dallas, Texas! SFS is the only school in Korea qualified to send all three teams to the World Championships. A special congratulations to the Middle School division and High School division teams who received the highest possible award, the Excellence Award, at the Korean Nationals Tournament. The hard work and dedication from each student achieved these great outcomes and we are proud of them all! Chairman’s Award - Irene Shin (Grade 10) Irene’s essay talked about female athletes’ inspirational role in sports and the modern society. She also emphasized the impact of positive aspect of school sports activities and its crucial importance in the life of school aged children and teenagers. Irene’s story was covered by the Chosun Daily Newspaper.
1. Hajoon Choi, Joan Kwon, Edward Chung, Ryan Ahn, and Evan Bohne (Grade 5) 2. Ted Lee (Grade 7), James Hong, and Benjamin Sim (Year 8) 3. Daniel Suh, Katherine Insau Chung, and Alex Dohyeok Kil (Grade 11).
NEW YEARS DESIGN COMPETITION 3
Excellence Award - Justin Junhyeok Heo (Grade 6) Congratulations to Justin who received an Excellence Award for his card design in the 2022 China Cultural Center and Association of Korean Chinese Children Education (AKCCE) New Years Design competition. SPRING 2022 | Student Voices
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YMCA KOREA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SKI COMPETITION
Mirim Suh (Year 9)
Haegyu Auh (Year 3) and Isaac Suh (Grade 3)
YTN ENGLISH DEBATING CHAMPIONSHIP
AMERICAN PROTÉGÉ INTERNATIONAL PIANO & STRINGS COMPETITION
Fourth place - Jia Park (Grade 2) Jia finished in 4th place in the U-8 Giant Slalom/Alpine skiing division of the 3rd YMCA Korea International school ski competition at Gangchon Elysian.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ART COMPETITION
Excellence Prize - Terence Park (Grade 3) This prize granted Terence the opportunity to compete the "India International Children Art Contest".
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY COMPETITION
First Place - Mirim Suh (Year 9) Congratulations to Mirim who was awarded First Place in the Junior Individual Exhibition category of the 2022 National History Day competition. This year’s theme was Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences and Mirim succeeded with her exhibit on the Rwandan Genocide. 38
Excellent Team - Jamie Cheon (Grade 5) Jamie’s team participated in 7 rounds of English Parliamentary style debates and was ranked #2 with "Excellent Team" Award at the 2022 YTN Elementary School English Debating Championship sponsored by YTN and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Excellent Team - Celine Chang (Grade 6) Celine’s team of 4 competed in 3 rounds of preliminary debates and 4 rounds of break elimination debates. Celine’s team achieved the “Excellent Team" reward for their 3 wins and 1 loss, among the competitions total of 51 teams (204 students).
First Place - Aiden Suh (Grade 8) Congratulations to Aiden who, based on this success in this competition, has been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City, New York, USA next year.
VEX IQ COMPETITION
Excellence Award - Isaac Suh (Grade 3) and Haegyu Auh (Year 3) As members of team 2217B:BeyondCoding in the 2022 VEX IQ Competition, Isaac and Haegyu received the Excellence Award, which is the highest possible award at the Korean Nationals Tournament. Additionally, they were invited to the the World Championships in Dallas, Texas, USA. The BANNER | Student Voices
Second Place - Rebekah Lee (Grade 7) Congratulations to Rebekah for winning Second Place in the 11-14 age group. This year’s competition had entrants from 21 countries.
Second Place - Haegyu Auh (Year 3) Haegyu won second place in her class for her piano performance. She played Mozart Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K. 545 (1st Mvt).
REPUBLIC OF KOREA STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SPEECH CONTEST
Second Place - Junho Lee (Grade 5) With his performance of Mozart Violin Concerto No.3 in G Major 1st Movement, Junho received Second Place in his age group and has the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2023.
Sophia Lee (Grade 4)
GYEONGGI YOUTH ARTS FESTIVAL
IPDC DEBATE TOURNAMENT Excellence Award - Terence Park (Grade 3) Congratulations to Terence for winning an Excellence Award in the 2021 Republic of Korea Students’ English Speech Contest. This competition promotes Korean culture and is sponsored by the World Association for Arts Exchange Organization and supported by SBS International.
Individual Speaker Award - Mathis Leveson (Grade 6) Although Mathis’ team unfortunately didn’t make it past the quarter final rounds, Mathis was ranked #2 in the Upper Primary Division and awarded an Individual Speaker Award. Participating in the tournament were 36 teams, comprised of 72 individuals from 5 different countries.
Top Finisher - Hyeri Han (Grade 11) Hyeri received a top 10 finish at the 2022 Gyeonggi Youth Arts Festival. The event, organized by Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation, featured 101 participants and Hyeri excelled through multiple preliminary rounds before making it to the top 10 finals.
REPUBLIC OF KOREA CHILDREN’S & STUDENT’S ART CONTEST
SEOUL JEUNESSE MUSIC CONCOURS
KOREA NATIONAL STUDENTS MUSIC CONTEST
Grand Prize (Piano) - Sophia Lee (Grade 4) Congratulations to Sophia for winning the Grand Prize in the Piano division of the Korea National Students Music Contest sponsored by Samsung Music News.
Grand Prize - Jia Park (Grade 1) Congratulations to Jia for winning Grand Prize in the 2021 Republic of Korea Children’s & Student’s Art Contest. This competition promotes Korean culture and is sponsored by the World Association for SPRING 2022 | Student Voices
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Arts Exchange Organization and supported by SBS International.
FOBISIA POP-UP BOOK COMPETITION
First Place, Group Work - Juwon Lee, Megumi Ono, Steven Lee, Sena Leino (Year 6) Juwon, Megumi, Steven, and Sena Leino won 1st Place in the FOBISIA Sustainability Popup Book Competition Group Work category. Entrants created and submitted educational books inspired by one or more of the United Nations Sustainability Goals or SDG’s.
INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S EXHIBITION OF FINE ARTS LIDICE
Honourable Mention - Eugene Han (Grade 8) For the 49th edition of this competition, more than 11,200 artworks by children from 72 countries entered the competition. Congratulations to Eugene who received an Honourable Mention for his artwork on the theme "Robots and Artificial Intelligence".
BUILDING THE MODERN MD
KOREAN JUNIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP
First Prize (Gold Medal) - Joseph Seliger (Grade 9) Congratulations to Joseph for his Gold medal chess performance. Joseph won the 2021 Korea Junior Chess Championship, organized by Mind Sports Olympiad and sponsored by ChessX.
NATIONAL JUNIOR ATHLETIC COMPETITION
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT’S ART CONGRESS OF KOREA
Grand Prize - Ji Yoon (Kate) Park (Grade 7) Kate entered The 71st International Student’s Art Congress of Korea. There were 7,200 contestants in total from Korea and abroad. She received one of the Grand Prizes for her drawing of The Reef Triggerfish.
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Winner - Stephanie Park (Grade 12) In her published paper, Medicine and the Modern Media, Stephanie discusses the importance of the intersection between healthcare, the media, and the government in the modern era of medicine. More specifically, she explores the influence of the media on public perceptions of health risks and the implications of such consequences for the government.
The BANNER | Student Voices
Bronze Medal - Farrah Chung (Grade 5) Congratulations to Farrah for her Bronze medal winning swim at the most prestigious swim meet in Korea - the National Junior Athletic Competition. According to the Korean Swimming Federation, Farrah is the first ever Elementary School medal winner from an international school.
HONGCHEON SONO FELICE EQUESTRIAN CLUB COMPETITION
Gold Medal and Silver Medal - Jehyeong Suh (Year 7) Jehyeong competed in the Jumping 60 Class meaning his course involved 10 obstacles of 60cm height. He rode twice on two different horses and came 1st and 2nd in the under-13 age group. Overall, out of all 51 jumpers, including adults, university students, high schoolers that participated, Jehyeong came 2nd.
SANG SANG DREAM ART CONTEST
NATIONAL BRASS COMPETITION
Gold - Terence (Jaemin) Park (Grade 3) Second Place - Jia Park (Grade 2) Terence won first place with his drawing of a beaver using watercolor and white pen. Jia (Grade 2) won second place with her drawing of her favorite animal using watercolor and pencil.
Bronze - Janice (Yunhsi) Tsui (Grade 10) Janice competed in the 2nd National Brass Competition of the Korean Brass Association Seoul Branch SIECCA concour. She performed a classical piece, Carl Stamitz - Concerto in G Major, and received the Bronze award for her 3rd place finish.
KOREAN WAR VETERANS WRITING COMPETITION
AMERICAN CLASSICAL YOUNG MUSICIAN
BSA BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
Life Rank - Samuel Forbes (Grade 9) Samuel has been active in scouting for nine years and has achieved the second-highest rank in scouting, just below Eagle. Last spring, Sam was inducted into Order of the Arrow, honor society of the Boy Scouts of America.
Grand Prize (The Korean Veterans Affairs Minister’s Award) - Garvin Kim (Grade 10) Garvin won First Place in the High School division and made a speech at the ceremony held at the War Memorial of Korea on November 10. She and other "Little Ambassadors" will participate in the "Thank you from Korea" event held in one of the UN countries that participated in the Korean War.
SPRING 2022 | Student Voices
Honorable Mention - Phoebe Oh (Grade 9) This competition features student musicians from all over the world. Congratulations to Phoebe who was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Vocal Category for entrants ages 11-14. 19 12
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Class Notes 14 The Banner welcomes Class Notes and submissions from all former students. To submit, please reply to emails or send notes to eric.dehaan@ seoulforeign.org.
Mitch Rands ’14 is a first year medical student in Washington, D.C. and is just trying to survive! His school is similar to a military academy, with a service commitment instead of tuition. He will spend a few years as a doctor in the Navy when he graduates. He looks back fondly at his days at SFS with so many great memories from that place! The experiences and relationships will always be part of who he is. Fellow classmates of ’14 coming through DC, please reach out. He would LOVE to grab lunch and catch up.
Janelle Nardo ’14 is currently working as a social media coordinator for Australia’s leading cosmeceutical brand and also an account manager for a podcasting agency! She is also working on completing her Masters & hopefully getting her permanent residency in Australia with her partner (fingers crossed). Last year Maddie Craig and Janelle reconnected and started catching up regularly which has been great. Janelle is hoping the class of 2014 can have a reunion somewhere in the world soon!
Janelle Nardo ’14 yearbook photo Mitch Rands ’14 yearbook photo
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1972 Senior Class Trip to Gyeongju.
The Class of ’72 is planning a virtual 50th Anniversary Reunion on June 3, 2022 at 6pm EST. The planning committee has been hard at work and has an exciting event planned. Please email Fred Underwood at fdunderwood@gmail.com. Meganne Benger ’09 (left) and Alli Gingerich ’14 (right) were both staff kids for one year together at SFS. While they weren’t exactly buddies at that time due to their age gap (Grade 9 and Grade 4), they both moved to Kuala Lumpur in 2020 and decided to turn over a new leaf. They now enjoy being housemates, colleagues, adventure buddies and good friends as they teach, travel, and reminisce about childhood in Korea.
09
Meganne Benger ’09 (left) and Alli Gingerich ’14 (right)
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Madeleine Craig ’14 says hello to all from Melbourne, Australia where she is working as an Urban Planning consultant, ‘helping build our future cities’ if you will. Her aspirations are to help build a more sustainable way of living within our urban environments. She is still an avid runner & recently beat her high school 5km PR which she is pretty chuffed with. She also reconnected with one of the ‘Gucci Girls’ during lockdown. There are a few Crusaders in Melbourne so it’s been so lovely to have a new ‘old’ friend in town! She is traveling to Europe in August as well and is hoping to reconnect with old friends too! Otherwise she spends her time eating and drinking through Melbourne’s ever evolving food and wine scene. There’s always something new to check out & she is still relishing things being back to normal here after the world’s longest lockdown (literally). No quarter life crisis yet her advice is to remember to slow down, stop and smell the roses you know?
Madeleine Craig ’14 yearbook photo The BANNER | Class Notes
Sangyeon Chae ’14 graduated from the University of Sydney and started a new job in 2022 as an Assurance Associate at PwC Australia.
Sangyeon Chae ’14 yearbook photo
Justin Huang ’14 has been busy studying and wrapping up his second year at NYU, College of
Justin Huang ’14 yearbook photo
Dentistry. In the midst of that, he has been raising a very cute miniature retriever named Rosie. She just recently turned one! He is keeping in touch with some of the people from SFS. He hopes everyone is doing well during this pandemic.
Joon Kim ’14 yearbook photo
Joon Kim ’14 started a new job during the pandemic working at LinkedIn in San Francisco, California. His proudest accomplishment during the pandemic was running his first marathon with Sunwoo Hong ’14. His least proudest accomplishment was his newfound unhealthy interest in golf. He has also joined the SFS Alumni Association Executive Committee and looks forward to serving in the role in helping a stronger SFS Alumni community in the future. 19 12
In Memoriam while leading social work efforts with orphanages, hospitals, and a center for single mothers. She authored countless newsletters and reports about the work of the Lutheran Church in Korea, taught English to college and seminary students, and served as an editor and food columnist at an English language newspaper. She established the junior kindergarten program at Seoul Foreign School, where she taught for ten years. Shirley did Shirley Ann Dorow, former teacher extensive research in the principles of and founder of the junior kindergarten nutrition and protein complementarity, program at SFS, died at her home in and campaigned throughout her life Roseville, MN on December 7, 2021, at the for responsible global food resource age of 90 after living with cancer for six stewardship. In retirement, Shirley years. Shirley began her life-long ministry continued to be an ardent advocate for the of service and education as Field Secretary work of the church in Korea, passionately for the Lutheran Deaconess Association promoted earth care and food sharing, from 1953 to 1956, then accompanied her and served in many ways at her beloved husband Maynard, of Garner, Iowa, to Jehovah Lutheran Church in St. Paul. South Korea in 1957 to establish Lutheran Memorial gifts may be made to Bread for missionary work there. During her forty the World or Christian Friends of Korea. years in Korea, Shirley raised four children
SFS Award 2021
T
he SFS Award is presented by the SFS Board of Governors to a graduating senior who best exemplifies the ideals of the SFS Mission Statement. A belated congratulations to the 2021 recipient of the SFS Award - Kenzo Nakamura. The message of commendation from the award committee is as follows. “Demonstrating strength of character and integrity, Kenzo is a shining embodiment of the SFS Mission Statement. We found him to be passionate, reflective, and a living testament to the Christ-like values and principles upon which Seoul Foreign School is based. Kenzo is clearly a highly motivated student and has demonstrated a passion for learning and a commitment to academic and creative excellence, as well as community leadership. During our time with Kenzo, we found him to be genuine, heartfelt, articulate, and overflowing with school spirit, giving us the strong impression that he will continue to embody the ideals of the SFS Mission Statement long after he has graduated. We believe that Kenzo Nakamura will continue to be a wonderful ambassador for SFS as he continues his journey out in the world.”
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Alumni Mission in Action
Arnold Han ’21 A strength of SFS is its strong alumni body of 5,400+ members around the world that have been deeply impacted by their alma mater and are excited to share their time, talents, and treasures. Over 50% of the alumni registered on SFS Global Connect, the virtual platform for alumni, have expressed a willingness to give back in some way.
While he was a student, Arnold Han was extremely active in the SFS choral program, singing in multiple choirs, successfully auditioning for national and international honors choirs, and being selected as the AMIS Male Vocalist of the Year. He is presently studying music composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Tom Ford, Arnold’s former teacher, shares how Arnold was not only a talented choral student but a mentor and inspiration to the younger students, especially those who saw him in the lead role of Jean Valjean in the High School production of 44
Les Misérables. Also, Arnold would often volunteer in the Arts department while he was a student. At the beginning of this calendar year, Arnold agreed to make a video for Elementary School students sharing how he uses creativity when composing. Check out the video here by scanning the QR code on the right. Then on a trip back to Korea in March, he stopped by campus to visit his friend, mentor, and former teacher, Tom Ford. Arnold composed an original piece, "Music Will Calm Thee", and dedicated it to Tom and the premier choral group at SFS, Moonlight Choir which the choir performed at the High School Spring Concert in April. The British School also benefited from Arnold’s talents and generosity through workshops for Year 5 and 6. These students The BANNER | Alumni
had been working on a poetry unit and Arnold helped them put their words to music with a special focus on Korean drumming and culture. He also inspired them with the story of how the best known of Vivaldi's works - The Four Seasons was published with accompanying poems (possibly written by Vivaldi himself) that elucidated what it was about those seasons that his music was intended to evoke. Arnold’s way with students, servant spirit, and love for SFS has been brought out by the investment in him by all his teachers, especially Tom Ford who believed in him and acted as his mentor both at SFS and now at university. Would you like to give your time and talent to SFS? Contact the Director of Alumni Relations, Eric De Haan eric. dehaan@seoulforeign.org and it would be his pleasure to work with you on how you can make an impact on the SFS community.
Celebrating 110 Years of SFS Alumni History
A look back at the life of alumnus Eric B Vesey ’1913-1920 E ric B Vesey was a student at Seoul Foreign School from 1913-1920 while his parents were missionaries in Korea. In January 2022, Eric’s son David contacted the Alumni Relations office with the news that he had found a booklet among Eric’s possessions entitled “A Partial Directory”, written in June 1935. A copy of this document was generously provided for the school’s archives.
Korea. Inspired, David decided to write down his family's history of their time in Korea from 1910-1918 based on the detailed
diaries of his mother from that time period, and is thrilled to share this with the SFS community.
Director of Alumni Relations, Eric De Haan then began researching the Vesey family history in Korea, finding the picture on the right in the 100th Anniversary book. Going through old pictures brought back memories for David of the many stories his father shared of his time in (Above) Eric Vesey is the student labeled 12 in this Seoul Foreign School photo taken in 1913.
SFS Global Connect
S
FS Global Connect is a private platform connecting alumni and faculty. The robust tool combines many of the features of Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn into an online space for SFS alumni. You can look up and email friends via the directory, post and comment on photos, add to the feed, as well as check out all the events for alumni both in person and online. Young alumni may be particularly interested in the flash mentoring program, which allows alumni to network with others in the SFS alumni community. In fact, 58% of registered users are willing to mentor those in the network. Access SFS Global Connect today at sfsconnect.com or by scanning the QR code.
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Seoul Foreign School
GLOBAL CONNECT Celebrating
40
years of the British School, 40 years of IBDP & the 110 th anniversary of SFS
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Letter from Advancement Dear SFS Community, We are nearing the end of another school year that tested our resilience but are ever grateful to our community for your continued collaboration, cooperation and ongoing generosity. This year, we have received the highest amount and number of gifts to the Annual Fund which directly benefits every student, every day, and every part of the SFS experience. We have raised $276,851(USD) as of May 2, 2022. Below are some initiatives and projects planned for this school year: Facility Upgrades • Purchase of additional buses • Upgrades to sound system in the Theatre • Design Lab Upgrades
COVID-19 Safety and Precautionary Measures • Upgrades to face recognition temperature measurement terminals • Additional plastic barriers for cafeteria • Campus disinfection
Technology • iPads to support 1:1 program • Upgrades to wireless wifi • Programmable robots
Professional Development • SENIA (Special Education Network and Inclusion Association) conference • 21st Century International conference • Seoul of a Leader • Global citizenship, and a Health and Wellbeing alignment coach for our MYP curriculum. • Individual Professional Development Opportunities
In addition to the Annual Fund, we have received additional support for scholarships, Building for the Future Fund and other areas of need where total funds received this year is $500,665(USD) to date. Gifts in kind donations such as 46
COVID-19 test kits and hand sanitizer gifts were given to the school to keep our community safe and healthy from the ongoing pandemic. Thank you for your ongoing generosity and support! We are excited to share that in celebration of the 40 years of excellence at the British School, our community is coming together to build a new playground for our students this Spring which is the Pitch In: Playground. This space will replace the existing playground at the British School with updated equipment in age-specific sections and increase safety measures. This is a facility that will benefit our whole community and with your contributions by June 30, 2022 the new Playground would be ready for opening in August 2022. For more information on the Pitch In: Playground please refer to page 47. As we continue to build a culture of philanthropy, it is important that everyone in the organization supports fundraising and believes in the impact it makes. If you haven’t made your gift yet, I invite you to join our growing donor community by making a gift of any size to SFS by June 30th. Participation builds community; it is more important that you give than what you give. With much appreciation, Yoojin Um Director of Advancement
The BANNER | Advancement
Pitch In: Playground
W
e are coming together to build a new playground for our students. Seoul Foreign School aims to create innovative learning spaces and facilities for our students. Playgrounds are an environment where students of all ages can learn through play, grow by taking risks, and build community with their peers. With your support, we can build a much safer space for our students to explore and create diverse options for activities. The new Pitch In: Playground consists of 3 age-appropriate zones. • Early Years zone: fixtures will be designed to inspire our youngest learners, including mud and water play, trampoline, tracks and slides. • Social zone: the main playground space where students can socialize and build community. A hammock swing, monkey bars, watchtower and slide, net cave, swings, seesaws and a vertical playground with different playset elements will all feature.
• Activity zone: a turfed futsal pitch, basketball court, and outdoor learning space will be available for our middle years students to gather and play. This is a special year as we celebrate 40 years of the British School, 40 years of IBDP, and the 110th Anniversary of Seoul Foreign School. Honoring this occasion, Pitch In: Playground will leave a lasting legacy on our campus while also making an immediate impact on students’ wellbeing. With your contribution by June 30, 2022 the new playground would be ready for opening in August 2022. Every gift matters and participation builds community - will you Pitch In? For more information, please contact: Yoojin Um, Director of Advancement yoojin.um@seoulforeign.org or 02-330-3137 www.seoulforeign.org/ giving/pitch-in-playground (or scan QR code on the right)
SPRING 2022 | Advancement
VEX Robotics Gift by student Daniel Suh
D
aniel Suh (Grade 11) was awarded the Best Applied Science and Gold Medal Awards for his myoelectric prosthetic hand prototype within the Korea Science & Engineering Fair International 2021 (KSEF). He was also rewarded $1,000(USD) and a free entry ticket for KSEF 2022, courtesy of the Korean Science Service. Daniel has donated his $1,000(USD) to the SFHS VEX Robotics Program, which he founded and established earlier this year.
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2021 - 2022
Donors As of May 2, 2022
Faculty and Staff (F/S), Alumni (A) The Heritage Club
$ 100,000 + KRW 100,000,000 +
1912 Society
$ 50,000 - 99,999 KRW 50,000,000 - 99,999,999
The Millennium Club
$ 10,000 - 49,999 KRW 10,000,000 - 49,999,999
Red and Black Club
$ 5,000 - 9,999 KRW 5,000,000 - 9,999,999
The Crusader Club
$ 2,500 - 4,999 KRW 2,500,000 - 4,999,999
The Crest Club
$ 1,000 - 2,499 KRW 1,000,000 - 2,499,999
Centennial Club
$ 100 - 999 KRW 100,000 - 999,999
The Legacy Club
Under $ 99 Under KRW 99,999
Anonymous (1) Michelle Chung and Brian Um Family of Sebi Kim ’27 Anna Kim (F/S)
THE CREST CLUB
Anonymous (1) Insung ’19, Hyunsung ’22 and Jinsung ’29 Bang Nathan Choi ’27 Family Ian Chung ’36 The Striffler Family (F/S) Juwon Yang ’33
Anonymous (3) Youngjoong Chang, Hyolin Kim and Ian Chang ’25 Kwanghae (Aaron) Choi ’35 Eric Choi and Na Young Han Minsoo Choi and June Kang (A) Ella ’24 and Gwyneth ’25 Chun Mathilde ’21, Hugo ’26, Marieke and Jeff Doherty James and Sarah (Hubbard) ’71 Gunberg (A) Ryan, Sophie, Will ’32, Flo ’34 and Alfie ’37 Hammerberg (F/S) Caleb ’18 and Caden ’21 Jang Youan Jin ’35 Maryclaire Seo Yeon Kelly ’35 Henri Kim ’25 Jerome and Silvia Kim Alison Koo ’28 Issac Kwon ’28 Nancy Le Nezet and Adam Bernard (F/S) Chloe Lee ’31 and Yoojin Um (F/S) Hyunjoo Grace ’24 and Hyuna Rebekah ’27 Lee Richard Lim ’94 and Lauren Lim ’32 (A) Piotr, Marta, Jonasz ’27 and Aurelia ’31 Mazowiecka-Kocyk (F/S) The Myong Family Dean (Chang) Park ’89, Jisoo Shim, Stephanie Park ’22 and Sylvia Park ’24 (A) Suho Park ’28 Benjamin Sim ’27, Michelle Kim ’00 and Sung Jin Sim (F/S) (A) Yuchen Sun ’33
RED AND BLACK CLUB
CENTENNIAL CLUB
Annual Fund THE HERITAGE CLUB
Junghan Kim and Kyungmi Lee
THE MILLENNIUM CLUB
Anonymous (1) Tom and Anita Alexander (F/S) Elizabeth ’22 and Katherine ’25 Chung Colm and Sinead Flanagan (F/S) Hana Bank Yeonhui Branch Tabitha ’17, Luke ’21 and Jordan ’23 Kim Ashley ’21 and Kate ’22 Koo Josephine ’22 and Jeneve ’27 Lee Yeonjae Lee ’23 Jennifer Oh and Yon Sog Choi Daniel Park ’34, Sophia Park ’37, Jae Hong Park and Catherina Yoon (F/S) Clare ’23 and Sydney ’25 Sohn Parents of Benjamin Tae-young Yoon ’32 48
THE CRUSADER CLUB
Anonymous (12) Dong-Joon (Andrew) An ’24 and MinSung Kim (F/S) Ethan James Albano ’24 (F/S) Liz Allen (A) The Aumann Family Allan and Monika Birimac (F/S) Holly Cahall ’76 (A) AhYoung Chi and David Han (F/S) Elaine Cho ’36 Makayla Choi (F/S) Youngwoo Choi (F/S) Andrew Chung ’97, Soo Youn Nam, Farrah Chung ’29 and Micah Chung (A) The BANNER | Advancement
Peter Chung ’89 (A) Steven and Julia Church (F/S) Eric and Jillian De Haan (F/S) Kang Hoe Do (F/S) Nathan and Julie Doelling (F/S) Rob and Lauren Elliott (F/S) Michael Farrant and Tsira Gabelia (F/S) The Feitosa Family (F/S) The Gilmore Family (F/S) Ling Guo (F/S) Jeehye Ha (F/S) Grace and Young Han Hahm (F/S) Janet Hahm (F/S) The Han/Chi Family Joon and Jieun Han Choongpyo Hong (F/S) James Hopkins (F/S) Elizabeth ’27 and Madeline ’30 Hwang Byeong Guk Jeon (F/S) Celine Jin (F/S) Hailan Jin Sungwoo Jo ’28 John K. Johnson ’69 (A) Jamie ’09 and Jonathan ’11 Jun (F/S) Grace Jung (F/S) Jiyoung Jung (F/S) Calvin Kamphuis (F/S) Seungmin Kang (F/S) Crystal Kim (F/S) Eileen Yerin Kim ’31 and Juhie Suh ’92 (F/S) (A) Esther Kim (F/S) Hannah Kim (F/S) Heejin Kim Gregory ’03 (A) Jean Kim (F/S) Jee Hee Kim (F/S) Jinny Kim (F/S) Kyu Hyun Kim (F/S) Nikki Kim (F/S) Paul Kim (F/S) Haydn and Sarah Kneeshaw (F/S) Michael and Ketklao Knox (F/S) Dongwook Koh (F/S) Haejin Koh (F/S) Soora Koh (F/S) The Koscina Family Nami Kwon (F/S) Jae Eun Lah (F/S) Andy and Joanna Lee (F/S) Dante Yongsun Lee ’30 Eunji Lee (F/S) Eunjoo Lee (F/S) Geon Chul Lee (F/S)
Hugh Heungsang Lee (F/S) Jee Hae Helen Lee (F/S) Jina Lee (F/S) Kangwon Lee and Soomin Seo Mariann ’32 and Ayden ’30 Lee Moonjin Lee (F/S) Seulgee Lee (F/S) Seungjae Lee (F/S) Younghi Lee (F/S) Yanghee Lim (F/S) Zuzana Matusova (F/S) Elizabeth McGarroch-Slack (F/S) Moonki Min (F/S) Mariana Miroiu (F/S) Donghoon Moon (F/S) Jeon Kun Oh (F/S) Jeffrey W. O’Neill ’74 (A) The Park Family (A) Anna Nystrom Park ’81, Hanna ’10, Nina ’13 and Sara ’16 Chang (F/S) (A) Hyungji Park '85, Dongkyun Nicholas Kim '22, Seoyun Natalie Kim '24 (A) Jacquiline Pascual (F/S) The Shim Family Jany Shim (F/S) Hyesoon Shin (F/S) Justin and Shannon Smith (F/S) Angela, Shin, Emery ’29 and Calvin ’31 Son (F/S)
Grace Song (F/S) Chris Sykes (F/S) Adam, Lauren, Jade ’18 and Ella ’21 Teather (F/S) (A)
Prema Thomas and Elish Pangiraj (F/S) Kelly Yuan Tian (F/S) Hobeen ’35 and Seokbeen Wang ’37 Nathan Park ’24, Ana Park ’27 and Angie Won (F/S) Hyesun Woo (F/S) Josh and Mia Yaniw (F/S) Joanna Yoo (F/S) Jackie Yoon (F/S) Jeonghee Yoon (F/S) Judy Yoon (F/S) Kara ’27, Judah ’33 and Jonah ’33 Yoon (F/S) Soyool, Jihye and JB Yoon (F/S) Hanwen Zhang ’30 Zhongzheng Zhang ’34
THE LEGACY CLUB
Anonymous (11) Young Bo Bae (F/S) Janice Berg (A) Arnaud and Lisa Boulestreau (F/S) Maura Brookes (F/S)
Lychelle Bruski (F/S) Ja Yong Choi (F/S) Hannah Chung (F/S) Cristina Cockrum (F/S) Nicole Cook (F/S) Yves Donval (F/S) Sarah Fogwill (F/S) Haruka Hattori (F/S) Seong Hoon Hong (F/S) Chris Horan and Julie Ly (F/S) Won Joo Hwang (F/S) Woo Tak Jeon (F/S) Rafael Jimenez (F/S) Emmalee Johnson (F/S) Jin Hyuck Joo (F/S) Jung Kyo Jung (F/S) Dongsuk Kang (F/S) Sang Oh Kang (F/S) Yoon Kang (F/S) Borah Kim (F/S) Doyeon Daisy Kim (F/S) Esther J. Kim (F/S) Hyung Gil Kim (F/S) Nam Pil Kim (F/S) Eunha Ko (F/S) Sarah Ko (F/S) Hong Seo Koo (F/S) Michael Kosh (F/S) Ikhwan Kwon (F/S) Kelly Kwon (F/S) Jae Hun Lee (F/S) Jinju Lee (F/S) Kyoungjae Lee (F/S) Seong Hwa Lee (F/S) Seungwoo Lee (F/S) Cathy Lorenz (F/S) Vasile Lozneanu (F/S) Meagan Mathews (F/S) Grace Miller (F/S) Shawn Monett (F/S) Young Sik Moon (F/S) Seung Min Nam (F/S) Justin Park (F/S) Brigitte Parr (F/S) Woochul Seol (F/S) Dong Jin Shin (F/S) Karen Terry (F/S) The Walker Family (F/S) Emma Woo (F/S) The Yap Family (F/S) Juyeon You (F/S) Xin Zhao (F/S) SPRING 2022 | Advancement
Pitch In: Playground 1912 SOCIETY
Friends of Seoul Foreign School
THE MILLENNIUM CLUB Anonymous (1) British School Parent Association Joonki Min and Caroline Hahn The Striffler Family (F/S)
RED AND BLACK CLUB
Ian Ka Ioi Chu ’32 Edward, Henry and Emily Chung Family Freeman (F/S) Yuna Kim ’32 Hana ’24 and Aidan Kopp ’28 Daniel Park ’34, Sophia Park ’37, Jae Hong Park and Catherina Yoon (F/S) Benjamin Sim ’27, Michelle Kim ’00 and Sung Jin Sim (F/S) (A) Vincent-Jo Family
THE CRUSADER CLUB Anonymous (1) Steven Chung ’28
THE CREST CLUB
Anonymous (3) Tom and Anita Alexander (F/S) S. Cary Family (F/S) Minsoo Choi and June Kang (A) Ella ’24 and Gwyneth ’25 Chun The Doelling Family (F/S) Mathilde ’21, Hugo ’26, Marieke and Jeff Doherty Colm and Sinead Flanagan (F/S) Young-Han and Grace Hahm (F/S) Chloe ’25, Zoe ’27 and Ellie ’31 Han Ryan, Sophie, Will ’32, Flo ’34 and Alfie ’37 Hammerberg (F/S) Family of Jean Hur ’33 So young, Simon, Tchiamo ’30 Park Hurst Hak Soo Kim and Kyoncha Ju Jerome and Silvia Kim Madeleine Kim (F/S) Mirae Kim ’32 Family of Sebi Kim ’27 Zaohn (Lisa) Ku ’27 Chloe Lee ’31 and Yoojin Um (F/S) Richard Lim ’94, Jee Young Eun, Lauren ’32 and Logan ’37 Lim (A) John ’70 and Masumi O’Donnell (A) Hyungji Park ’85, Dongkyun Nicholas Kim ’22, Seoyun Natalie Kim ’24 (A) Youngju Park ’27 Jiayun Ping ’32 Paul and Hannah Rader (F/S) (A) Eulho Suh and KyungEn Kim ’90 (A) Yuchen Sun ’33 SFS Transportation (F/S) Juwon Yang ’33 49
CENTENNIAL CLUB
Anonymous (7) Maura Brookes (F/S) Labhras de Faoite (F/S) The Elliott Family (F/S) Kanako Funaki ’93 (A) Kirsten Gray (F/S) Ling Guo (F/S) Jeehye Ha (F/A) Eric and Jillian De Haan (F/S) Haruka Hattori (F/S) Choongpyo Hong (F/S) The Holbrook Family (F/S) The Hutchin Family (F/S) Nobuko Inada (F/S) Kwanghae (Aaron) Choi ’35 Youan Hannah Jin ’35 Sungwoo Jo ’28 Matt, Sophia, Caden ’35 and Kaya ’36 Johnson (F/S) Renee Kang ’94 (A) Anna Kim (F/S) Daewoon Kim (F/S) Een-soo Chris Kim (F/S) Eileen Yerin Kim ’31 and Juhie Suh ’92 (F/S) (A) Esther Kim (F/S) Jean Kim (F/S) Suyeon Kim ’28 Tabitha ’17, Luke ’21 and Jordan ’23 Kim Thomas Kim ’93 (A) Vanessa Kim (F/S) Anne Kipa (F/S) Eunha Ko (F/S) Sarah Ko (F/S) Jennifer Koenig ’92 (A) Haejin Koh (F/S) Nami Kwon (F/S) Oyul Kwon ’32 Andy and Joanna Lee (F/S) Chae Lin Lee Kangwon Lee and Soomin Seo Younghi Lee (F/S) Vasile Lozneanu (F/S) Moon Ki Min (F/S) Naho ’32 and Kairi ’37 Miyazaki Elizabeth McGarroch Slack (F/S) Gene Moon ’93 (A) Edie ’77 and Jack Moon (F/S) (A) The Myong Family Megumi Ono ’29 The Park Family: Dean (Chang) ’89, Jisoo Shim, Stephanie ’22, Sylvia ’24 (A) Larry Park ’93 (A) Nicholas Park ’93 (A) The Prest Family (F/S) Hyesoon Shin (F/S) Justin and Shannon Smith (F/S) Yebin Sohn ’30 50
Claire Ando Song ’31 Grace Song (F/S) Christopher Sykes (F/S) Prema Thomas and Elish Pangiraj (F/S) Alexander ’34 and Vivian ’34 Vincent-Jo Kaspian Visahan ’37 (F/S) Nathan Park ’24, Ana Park ’27 and Angie Won (F/S) Ruiyun (Ellie) Yan ’33 Josh and Mia Yaniw (F/S) Renee J. Youn ’92 and Family (A) Hanwen ’30 and Xianwen ’37 Zhang
THE LEGACY CLUB
Anonymous (2) William ’27 and Ruth ’30 Brown Kristen Creech (F/S) Yves Donval (F/S) Magali Filipuzzi ’93 (A) Sarah Fogwill (F/S) Emmalee Johnson (F/S) Mihwa Kang (F/S) Catherine Kim (F/S) Soora Koh (F/S) Nina Kolesnikova ’32 Caroline Law (F/S) Jinju Lee (F/S) Nancy Le Nezet and Adam Bernard (F/S) Shawn Monette (F/S) The Shim Family Jany Shim (F/S) The Teather Family (F/S) Matt, Dee Dee, Lily ’24 and Olivia ’26 Wasmund Jeonghee Yoon (F/S) Xin Zhao (F/S)
Jack R. Moon Biology Scholarship THE CREST CLUB
John ’04 and Stephanie ’05 Black (F/S) (A) Jennie Rader Purvis ’83 (F/S) (A)
CENTENNIAL CLUB
The Breedlove Family (F/S) The Gilmore Family (F/S) The Hutchin Family (F/S) Een-soo Chris Kim (F/S) Edie ’77 and Jack Moon (F/S) (A) Nico and Carolyn Visahan (F/S)
THE LEGACY CLUB Anonymous (2) Jong Cheol Choi (F/S) Choong Hwan Lee (F/S) Chang Kun Yang (F/S) The Yap Family (F/S)
The BANNER | Advancement
Building for the Future Fund RED AND BLACK CLUB The Gibault Family (F/S)
THE CREST CLUB
Anonymous (3) The Prest Family (F/S) Paul and Hannah Rader (F/S) (A)
CENTENNIAL CLUB
Youngwoo Cho (F/S) Chang Kun Chung (F/S) Scott Day (F/S) Tom and Faith Ford (F/S) Kirsten Gray (F/S) The Holbrook Family (F/S) Matthew Kwak ’33 Marcus Li ’26 and Leo Malik ’31 (F/S) Matt, Sophia, Caden ’35 and Kaya ’36 Johnson (F/S) Daewoon Kim (F/S) Yerin Amy Kim ’32, Yhu-Bin Lee and Seong Dong Kim (F/S) Oh In Kwon (F/S) Hyejoo Hannah Won (F/S)
THE LEGACY CLUB Anonymous (4) Byung Joo Lee (F/S) Vasile Lozneanu (F/S)
Temporary Restricted Fund
THE CREST CLUB
In honor of Kevin and Ellen O’Donnell (A) Anonymous (1) Daniel Suh ’23
Endowment THE LEGACY CLUB
Chul Hoi Kim (F/S) Jungyong Lee (F/S) Kalina ’30 and Aniela ’31 Martin (F/S)
Gifts in Kind Anonymous (1) Seungho Chae, Ahyeon Jung, Ian ’26 and Ethan ’30 Chae (F/S) Cayden Chun ’27 Juyeon Jung ’22 Hajin Lee ’27 Seo Woong Ted Lee ’27 Daniel Suh ’23
As part of their PYP Exhibition, Grade 5 students collaborated to create habitats out of cardboard. In this photo, they are guiding younger students through the exhibition. SPRING 2022 | Advancement
51
Elementary School Field Day
Seoul Foreign School 39 Yeonhui-ro 22-gil Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu Seoul, South Korea 03723 www.seoulforeign.org For the digital version of this issue, scan the QR code or visit https://sfscom.page.link/banner2022sp
