[Student Reporters] Realigning Boundaries - A Solution to Overpopulated Schools?

At the California Charter Schools Association town hall meeting at Granada Hills Charter High School's campus on September 17 the issue of overpopulation at schools and residency boundaries was raised and discussed. During the Q & A session Michael Malekzadeh parent of junior Arra Malekzadeh who now attends Chatsworth High School asked what the board members thought about residency boundaries being re-drawn because of overpopulation issues at schools. His own daughter was about to re-register into Granada Hills High School where a total of 4200 students attend during the past summer for her third year at the school. However she was told that because of new residency boundaries she must attend a newly assigned home school. He remarked that his daughter was scared to face her new school and was at a loss for being turned away from the school she already attended for two years. Board President Garcia remarked that the situation was not fair and was clearly a limitation. "Re-drawing boundaries may be a strategy to manage overpopulation because we do not have high quality schools [everywhere]" she said. Overcrowding at schools is known to cause several problems for student's educations. First of all because of the large class size a teacher cannot address every student's needs. Financial problems may also occur as schools attempt to cater to all of its students and campus traffic may also hinder the student's ability to enjoy their experiences in school. "The class sizes at Granada can easily reach up to mid thirties or forties. With so many classmates in one room and only one teacher it can become chaotic or even hard for a student to get their questions fully answered" senior Arthur Jung from Granada Hills Charter high school said. Cleveland High School has a school population of about 4000 and Chatsworth High School has about 3000. Kennedy High School has been reported to have approximately 5000 enrolled students. But is realigning boundaries and disrupting a student's education the answer? "To force a student to attend another high school after establishing relationships with teachers friends and others at their previous school is wrong. It will also impact their education" senior Pauline Lee from Granada Hills high school said. Transferring high schools may severely disrupt a student's education. Not only do different schools offer different courses but certain credit requirements for graduation may also differ. Students may also feel a loss of focus or motivation if they are place in unfamiliar environments.

2009.10.09. 22:17

[Student Reporters] Welcome to Catalina Island!

AP Biology students of Cypress High School spent a weekend at Catalina Island Marine Institute to explore marine biology on a whole other level. For the students entering this college-level class this trip is one of the most anticipated events of the year and has been an annual tradition for Mr. Karns the teacher. He hopes that "students will realize that learning is lifelong and it's not just in a classroom. They are constantly learning about biology and it's not just for a grade." Although the island is just off the coast of Long Beach students had to cope with not having any contact with the mainland. "I did have withdrawals the first day but it was nice to get away to a place where you couldn't use you cell phones." says Christina Maguire a chaperone. Instead the students participated in other hands-on activities such as snorkeling hikes and marine biology labs. Snorkeling in the ocean proved to be one of the highlights at the island because for many it was their first experience snorkeling. "Next time I want to wear a weight belt so I could dive down and see more things. Because the wetsuit is so buoyant the belt helps you go down" comments Priscilla Chan feeling more confident after her first dives. During the day they would go through kelp forests and see different types of fish and during the night the ocean would lighten up with bioluminescence. Also many students found that learning about marine biology was different than what they were used to in a classroom. Most of the times the students had an up close experience with the different animals and subjects they were learning about. "I learned about counter-shading which is like fish camouflage. When you look at them from above you can't see them because their bottom part is white." says Peter Na. Others left with very unique memories that the instructors incorporated into their lessons. "I had a squid stuck in my ear for talking. It was freaking gross" says Shawn Sandhu. The day was packed with different activities but there was still time for students to bond. By the end of the trip many students learned each other's names and interests. As the students returned home they felt happy to take a break but they also felt nostalgic. "After the trip I kind of missed Catalina. I would definitely go again" says Iha Karki.

2009.10.09. 22:16

[Student Reporters] Opening Eyes at the Assemblyman's Open House

On September 17th Assemblyman Curt Hagman of the 60th District and San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt hosted a "Progressive" Open House/Mixer together at their respective offices in Chino Hills. As an intern for the Assemblyman I partook in the festivities and was able to gain a better understanding of the relations a politician establishes with his constituents. A number of citizens were able to see the Assemblyman in a more approachable environment as a grounded individual a fellow citizen moreover who genuinely cares about the concerns of his constituents. That night I also became more aware of the beneficial and invaluable opportunities that interning affords such as the ability to create networks and connections as well as acquire a deeper insight into where my interests lay. A fellow intern Hector Herrera a senior at Ruben S. Ayala High School described interning as "a great opportunity to expand one's knowledge in a certain area of interest. The information gained is something that one will not discover without practice and experience." With interning comes the opportunity to explore one's interests through practice. Hector Herrera continued to explain how under Assembly Hagman he "learned to connect with people build connections and experienced how politics affects grassroot communities. The opportunities are endless; an incredibly important aspect of interning is the opportunity to determine whether you enjoy what you had a primary interest in. Tonight was a particularly advantageous experience to not only meet many influential people and elected officials but also to have the members of the community gather together." By becoming an intern one becomes more involved in exploring what appeals to him or her. When one interns one should always maintain a positive attitude be courteous and stay steadfast in one's willingness to complete whatever tasks are assigned to him or her. Interning has multiple benefits including the connections made the experience gained and the knowledge acquired as a result.

2009.10.09. 22:15

[Student Reporters] Richmond Hill High School Attempts to join EcoSchools Program

Richmond Hill High School (RHHS) a public secondary school in Richmond Hill Ontario is promoting environmental conservation efforts and waste reduction to their students in an attempt to join the Ontario EcoSchools program. EcoSchools is a program that teaches "ecological literacy" to students and seeks to reduce waste and conserve energy in ways best fit for individual schools. Schools choose to join EcoSchools and strive to enforce conservation standards to become recognized as a certified "ecoSchool". The program has shown moderate success growing from thirteen schools in 2003 to over nine hundred schools in over thirty-two school boards as of 2008-2009. Publicly endorsed by the Council of Directors of Education in August 2007 the EcoSchools program has managed to reduce energy usage amongst their certified schools on average using 12% less electricity and 7% less natural gas compared to other schools. Yet while Ontario EcoSchools is a province-wide program the brunt of the work falls to the teachers and students of the individual schools. Students and faculty must strive to minimize waste and increase conservation efforts within their own school to become certified as an EcoSchool. Whilst curriculum resources and guides are provided by the Ontario EcoSchool program recruitment implementation assessment and execution is done solely by the school. Fortunately RHHS is taking its own initiative to quickly become certified as an ecoSchool as stated by a school administrator in an assembly given earlier this week. A guest speaker was brought in to promote environmental literacy and waste reduction. Individuals have been given the opportunity to join the RHHS "Green Team" and the administration has scheduled a Green Team meeting mandatory for all teachers this Thursday. While it is still too early to tell whether or not the RHHS administration's efforts will bear fruition the Richmond Hill's ecoSchool conversion has started with a markedly positive note. Televisions and monitors throughout the building now broadcast conservation tips and reminders for students to waste less and be more considerate towards the environment. Students teachers and even parents are being strongly encouraged to join the "Green Team".

2009.10.09. 22:13

[Student Reporters] Discover Stanford!

Stanford University is located in Stanford California near Palo Alto where the sun shines more than 300 of the 365 days in a year. Discover Stanford a tour intended for high school juniors and seniors and their parents takes place in this sunny haven. Discover Stanford is a two-part tour program that lasts about 2 hours. The first hour is a campus tour led by a current student and shows the upcoming students a brief overview of what life at Stanford is like. This tour covers everything one needs to know about life at Stanford from details about their academic programs to information about the dorms and residential life. The student guides that conduct these tours are always very helpful and also very enthusiastic. Not only that but they have all seemed to mastered the art of walking backwards while shouting at the top of their lungs to a group of about thirty people. Martha one of the guides is an upcoming senior at Stanford University and she says that in the three years that she has attended Stanford she has not been able to discover a single bad aspect of her school. Then she adds: "Oh wait. There is one thing which is that I'm going to have to leave it." The second half of Discover Stanford is an hour-long information session in which an admission officer from the Office of Undergraduate Admission talks about and answers questions related to characteristics that make Stanford unique deciding factors for the admission process and the Financial Aid program (Visit the Stanford Admission website for more information at http://admission.stanford.edu/). Discover Stanford is a great way for prospective students and their families to find out all about what Stanford has to offer. Not only do the students get their questions relating to life there answered but the parents also find out about the things they wondered about such as financial aid or admission criteria. Although this event is free the available spots fill up quickly so reservations are required. The tours run Mondays and Fridays at 9:30 AM and 2:00 PM and Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 PM on normal days and also at 9:30 during peak visitation periods. The program is not offered during academic breaks and holidays. To find out more about this event and Stanford in general please visit the school website at http://www.stanford.edu.

2009.10.09. 22:10

[Student Reporters] The South Korean Government Still Failing to Deal with Private Education

Thirteen students are intently listening and taking notes in a windowless classroom. It is past 11 a.m. and the students have been in the room for more than three hours. Some students are in their school uniforms because they did not have time to change after school. The teacher finally dismisses them after midnight but some of them remain to do independent-studying until 2 a.m. This used to be the typical scene at hakwons located in Daechi South Korea. It was normal to see students roaming around the streets even after midnight. Daechi has been called the "educational capital" due to its concentration of hakwons and the late-night classes used to be the trademark of South Korea's private education industry. This is no longer true. These days it is hard to find a lighted hakwon after 10 p.m. thanks to the governmental regulations that ban these private educational institutions from running after 10 p.m. Looking at the streets of Daechi one may think that the government is effectively regulating the private education industry of South Korea. However parents have found new ways to take advantage of private education. "We just don't go to hakwons anymore" said Wonki Lee a high school junior. "Instead we just form groups and take private tutoring at cafes or other places. This way we can more easily fit classes into our schedule. Additionally private tutoring can be much more effective compared to hakwons with classes packed with students since we get to take classes with a small number of students with similar interests." "The truth is that the governmental regulation is not working" said Lim a parent who only identified herself with her surname. "Private tutoring tends to be much more expensive than hakwons since it is mostly done in small groups. Not taking tutoring is not an option since most students are taking it. I do not want my son to fall behind others." The excessive private education boom of South Korea has been an inherent problem of the nation's education system and every administration so far has failed to successfully deal with the issue. The same went for the current Lee administration. At the beginning of his term President Lee promised to lessen the cost of private education. However many people like Lim have been voicing their concerns that the current administration's policies are ineffective and carry too many side-effects.

2009.10.09. 22:09

[Student Reporters] The AP-IB Dilemm

In a time when students are becoming increasingly school-aware and college applications are multiplying competition is fierce. As students' responsibilities grow so do the choices that are available to them. For those who are faced with the arduous task of choosing between AP and IB making the right decision sometimes proves to be a dilemma. International Baccalaureate (IB) is an intensive two year program that students (attending IB certified schools) are allowed to take during their junior and senior years. IB infamous for its challenging curriculum and workload intimidates many students. But with the imposing number of IB schools that made Newsweek's top 100 high schools in the U.S. IB is fast becoming a popular choice among students. A common misconception is that IB is weighed more than AP by colleges. However admission officers weigh AP and IB equally. The main difference between AP and IB classes is the teaching methods. While AP allows very little room for free thinking IB classes encourage students to think "outside the box" and allow much room for creativity. "Usually in AP World or American history teachers tell students to believe everything in the textbook. But in IB history classes teachers encourage students to question the textbook" junior Andrew Lieu said. To develop an inquisitive mindset and provoke creative thinking most questions on IB tests are free responses. IB administrators claim that free response questions test how much students actually know. They believe that AP's method of multiple choice questions does not accurately represent the student's knowledge on a topic but rather shows what the students don't know. Supporters of AP however believe that the IB method makes tests unnecessarily more difficult for students. Although the IB program offers many positive changes to conventional methods of teaching it also offers some negatives. The IB diploma program requires students to take all their classes in IB while AP students may choose classes based on their areas of strength. Also while students must take IB courses in order to take the IB exams they do not have to take AP courses to take the AP tests. IB students also have to complete 100 hours of mandatory community service in order to graduate. As each program has its own advantages and disadvantages students can choose which one is better for them by carefully taking into account their individual needs and circumstances.

2009.09.13. 16:37

[Student Reporters] Vocational Interests: Another way of breaking the stereotype

Josh Kang a junior at Burbank High School is a seemingly typical Korean American teenager. He gets along well with his friends and performs well and works hard in classes. But what also comes with the 'typical Asian student' package is future job preference: doctor lawyer or business person. Since the mass immigration of Koreans in the 1960s Koreans came to be known for performing well in school attending prestigious universities and going on to attain highly skilled jobs in fields such as law medicine science technology and business. Josh's vocational interests however veer in a different direction: culinary arts. In the 1960s Korean Americans had a natural need to be accepted into the American society which was the motivation to strive for the best. Through diligent study and hard effort Korean Americans integrated themselves into the American society. Today while students continue to strive for their academic best the reason is no longer to prove their worth or to survive in a different environment but to achieve their own goals. Josh Kang whose ambition is to pursue culinary arts studies his academic subjects in addition to herbs spices and flavoring condiments. Minjee Kim a junior is another student whose ambition veers towards arts. She attends art classes in LA every week to prepare a portfolio for art colleges and she plans to major in fashion design. Is this situation unique to Josh and Minjee or do other Korean American students also feel that they have no obligation to pursue office job professions? Somewhat surprisingly only two out of ten randomly chosen Korean American students expressed interest in pursuing careers in medicine or law. The other eight expressed a wide variety of interests including Special Needs education professional language translation behind-the-scenes movie set designing and stunt doubling for action movies. When asked why a sophomore student said despite her excellent grades and full potential she would prefer to be a professional stunt double. "I don't have to be a doctor. I used to want to be a lawyer because I thought it was normal me being Korean and all. But why should I be any different from an American? I can be whatever I like." Not everyone in America becomes a doctor and definitely not every American student in school seeks to be a doctor. And now the new generation Korean students are breaking the stereotype.

2009.09.13. 16:35

[Student Reporters] Tae Kwon Do: A Lifetime Sport

Tae Kwon Do is a form of martial arts that was founded in Korea about 2300 years ago. It has become a popular sport all across the globe since its recognition as an official Olympic event in the 2000 Olympiad. "It has always been a dream of mine to globalize Tae Kwon Do" says Master Han Kim the longtime owner of a well-known Tae Kwon Do studio in Corona. "Tae Kwon Do not only provides physical training but more importantly is a form of mental training. Through this sport I have witnessed improvements in students' attention span self-control and self-confidence" says Erin Park the program coordinator of Master Kim's studio. Park states that there has been a number of students with ADHD and autism who showed significant improvements in their conditions through Tae Kwon Do training. The Corona Tae Kwon Do Demonstration Team performs actively at various events such as local school events and at competitions. "I've had most of my best experiences through being a member of the demonstration team and I see it as my best opportunity to grow my self-confidence. The friends I have made through the demo team and my Tae Kwon Do training have been and will continue to be my lifelong friends" says Jenny Noborikawa who had 8 years of training at the Corona studio. All the students agree that from Tae Kwon Do training they not only attain physical fitness but self-confidence cultural experience respect for others and lifelong friendships. Albert Karam the demonstration team captain says "Tae Kwon Do to me is not something that I am forced to do but something that I want to do and has become a part of me." A group of eight or nine students spoke about their opportunity to travel to Korea and China in order to train and perform four years ago. "Through Tae Kwon Do I even got to experience the different cultures of Korea and China which really broadened my perspective on various aspects of life" says Noborikawa. Tae Kwon Do is a sport for all genders cultures and ages; it is a sport in which effort is rewarded with progress and development. "I hope that all students can walk away from their training experience with self-confidence good health and good relationships. Tae Kwon Do is essentially a lifetime sport because the effort put into it can develop and maintain skills that one can apply to every aspect of life" says Master Han Kim.

2009.09.13. 16:24

[Student Reporters] The Essence of Model United Nations

Extracurricular activities show colleges that you are willing to devote your time and effort for something other than studying. Recently Model United Nations (MUN) has become extremely popular among high school students. MUN is a meeting in which students take on roles as diplomats and deliberate world issues. Students who attend regular Korean schools foreign language high schools or international schools come together for MUN conferences. Nicole Park a sophomore at Yongsan International School said "I followed my friend to MUN and I ended up absolutely loving it! It really increased my debating skills and it was a great opportunity for me to socialize." Nicole emphasized that students should not join MUN just for college applications because it takes out all the fun in it. "You actually have to enjoy discussing debating and meeting new people if you want to try out for MUN" said Nicole. The cost of going to a conference is not cheap. Students spend more than a hundred dollars to be a part of MUN. However some students do not seem to be bothered by the high price. Jason Han a student attending a regular Korean school thinks that it is up to the students to make the experience worth it or not. "I spent an average of 150000 won on each conference. If you go there and just stare at the clock for two hours you have totally wasted your money" said Jason. "You are the one responsible for making the most out of it." Lynn Lee a junior from an American private school thinks differently. She thinks the high price favors students who are financially well-off. "Even if the conference is worth all the money I still think it is a bit too expensive overall. I also think that it isn't fair for students who aren't so rich" said Lynn. Hyunwoo Lee a junior at Korea Kent Foreign School has been to eight MUN conferences during the past two years. "I learned a lot about making strong arguments and being careful with what you say. You have to be careful with your words during MUN conferences because you are representing your country's stance" said Hyunwoo. Problems always occur when money gets involved. MUN conferences may be thought of as a huge clique of rich kids. Despite the fact that MUN's might be centered towards rich students going to a foreign language high school or an international school it does not take away the priceless experiences it gives to the participants.

2009.09.13. 16:23

[Student Reporters] Felicapella Hold a Fundraising Concert for a Spastic Patient

On August 15th Korea's Independence Day several members of Felicapella a volunteer club at Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies held a fundraising concert outside the AK plaza at Seohyun Station Bundang-gu. From 5:30 the members gathered outside of Baskin Robbins 31 carrying their instruments including violins a saxophone an electric guitar a double bass a digital piano a clarinet an ocarina and a flute. As it was their first concert ever the students had some troubles setting up the speakers and the digital piano. While they were getting their instruments ready and connecting electricity their parents helped setting up the donation box and posters explaining the purpose of the concert. Yongmi Huang (16) for whom this event was planned is a member of Johnhouse a Catholic institute run by nuns for patients suffering from cerebral paralysis. She is congenitally spastic and was abandoned as a baby. Along with cerebral paralysis she has several complications that demand constant treatments and surgeries. Unfortunately the institute ran out of money for her suspending an urgent surgery that she needs. When the Felicapella club members heard the news they decided to hold a fundraising concert for her. Overwhelmed by the fact that they were playing in front of a whole sea of people passing by the students were rather shy at first. However the situation changed once they started playing. They played in groups of two or three at a time. Playing the instruments and asking people for donations became more natural as the concert progressed. They met far more enthusiasm than they had expected. For two hours they played famous music pieces such as "Por Una Cabeza" "My Heart Will Go On" and "Raindrops Falling on my Head". The crowd was particularly generous that day. The concert raised 350000 won in total. The nuns of Johnhouse openly expressed their delight. This money cannot save Yongmi by itself but it will definitely aid her to survive. The team is planning another concert on September 5th at the same place. The students hope to raise even more money. Felicapella visits Johnhouse on a regular basis for volunteer work. Members clean the place help out at events like Christmas Party teach the members how to play the handbells and more. The club recently met its third birthday. It currently consists of about twenty members.

2009.09.13. 16:21

[Student Reporters] Schools in south Korea Haunted by SI

With health officials reporting the fourth death from the A/H1N1 flu many are voicing their concerns over the safety of students within school facilities. "With hundreds of teenagers packed into limited spaces schools are most vulnerable to the spread of SI" said Ms. Joo a school nurse at a private boarding school. According to Ms. Joo her school is even more concerned about the situation due to its significant number of students who stayed abroad during the summer break. "We are taking every measure possible to prevent the flu from spreading" stated Ms. Joo. "Whenever a student leaves the campus and returns we check the student's temperature. If any student's temperature is higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius the parents are contacted to take the student back home. Also students are encouraged to wash their hands as often as possible. Students returning from abroad must stay at their homes for a week before coming to school." Some boarding schools and public high schools have temporarily closed down because some of their students were infected by SI. "We understand that students' studies are important" said a teacher at a foreign language high school in Seoul. "However our top priority is the safety of our students. One person is enough to infect the entire school." "I definitely have lots of work to do to make up for the classes I have missed" said Lee a junior at Ms. Joo's school. Lee had to stay home for a week because he interned at a laboratory in Mexico during the summer. "Still I cannot complain. The school informed us before the break that we will have to be quarantined for a week after returning from abroad. It was my own choice." Not everyone is satisfied with the quarantine however. "Students are students. We have to study and get into colleges. The schools should have provided a way for us to take classes separately from other students" said a student from Lee's school. "The National College Entrance Examination is in less than three months so not being able to attend classes for a week can devastate our grades as well as our future." To minimize the disadvantages of these students the Ministry of Education announced that it will allow students with or suspected of carrying SI to take the last Mock College Entrance Examination before the actual testing at their homes. However policies regarding the actual College Entrance Examination have not yet been announced and quarantined students are trying their best to concentrate on their studies until further announcements.

2009.09.13. 16:20