The Korea Daily Los Angeles

See You at the Pole

More than 3 million students gathered around their school flagpoles to pray on Wednesday September 23 at 7am participating in the annual See You at the Pole event (SYATP). This year celebrated its 20th anniversary and the theme was "ENGAGE: Go and Pray". SYATP started in the early 1990s with a small group of teenagers in Burleson TX. After being blessed at a Christian meeting the teenagers prayed at the flagpoles of three local schools. This idea grew into a vision and the event now takes place every year on the fourth Wednesday of September in the United States Canada Ecuador Germany Japan Korea Portugal South Africa and about fifteen other countries. As SYATP is a student-initiated student-organized and student-led event students lead the way in planning and publicizing. At Cypress High School the co-presidents of the Christian Club Sean Han and Justin Lee took charge. They posted small cards about the event around campus and also included a bulletin on the daily announcements. "I was so nervous at first. I thought no one would come because it was so early" Justin Lee let out. Sean Han said that he would have been thankful if even ten people showed up. Only a handful of students and one teacher were gathered at the flagpole when the co-presidents began the opening prayer. But by the end approximately thirty students encircled the flag. Students on campus did stare at the group at times in either awe or confusion but students in the circle voiced that the event was still a cool experience. "No one was shy and it didn't seem awkward at all" noted Tim Magada a Senior participant. He mentioned that the rest of his Wednesday was more optimistic and happier than usual after praying publically at school. Students sang and read verses from the Bible. The highlight of the event was when all the students held hands around the pole to pray for five specific prayer topics. The students prayed aloud for their hearts to be ready as Christians to rely on God even through the stresses of school life for their families and friends for the non-Christians and struggling Christians on campus and for the Christian Club and its leaders. The next SYATP event will take place on Wednesday September 22 2010 but this year's gathering was such an uplifting moment for Christians at Cypress High School that the Christian Club hopes to hold similar meetings on a monthly basis. They hope to provide a great way for Christians to identify with themselves and also to witness to others at their school.

[Student Reporters] Commute is No Easy Subject

Grace Kim a senior at LACES is committed to waking up every morning at five. She leaves the house to walk to the nearby intersection where a school bus picks her up every morning at 6:30. Tired from lack of sleep she finally arrives at school an hour later ready for another day of school. Commute is a huge aspect of school life for LACES students. Because the administration is selective and tries to accept a diverse group of students every year all areas of the county are represented in the school population. However this means that students who live far away must put in the extra effort to travel back and forth daily. "I'm used to it. Unlike most kids who end up pressing the snooze button on their alarms I get up knowing that I need to catch the bus to go to school" Kim said. She has been commuting from her house near Union Station for almost five years now. Simultaneously her dedication to rising early has cut back on the time she has at night. "When I get home and after I eat dinner I get really tired" Kim said. "I sleep at ten which is pretty early compared to other students that stay up later. I can't do that though because my body can't take it." She like many students take advantage of the transportation system that LACES provides for most students. "I somewhat appreciate the transportation system because my parents have to go to work in the morning and they don't have time to drop us off." But the system is not perfect. "We always have to sit three to a seat and there is virtually no space. You get tired of sitting down for a long time which becomes uncomfortable." Some students choose alternatives. Senior Ruben Rodriguez used to ride the school bus until this year. "I prefer to take the [public bus] because the school bus gets too loud and there are too many little kids." Senior Zachary Lew who now drives to school used to carpool with two other LACES families. "I prefer driving because I don't have to worry about keeping up with other people but carpooling worked well and was a cheaper option." So why do these students travel so far to go to school? "LACES is such a great school" said Rodriguez. Kim also thinks that the commute is worth the effort. "The nearby schools are overcrowded. I am fortunate to be at a magnet school that can provide me with good education."

[Student Reporters] Milton Academy Discusses Nickel and Dimed

Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America chronicles her experience of living on minimum wage and describes the struggles of low-salary workers for daily survival. To write this book Ehrenreich set aside everything and spent several months waitressing cleaning homes and hotel rooms delivering meals nursing home residents and working in Wal-marts. This was the book that the two student leaders Nick Jacob and Assel Tuleubayeva of Milton Academy a private school in MA chose as summer reading for the whole school. A week following the opening day after the long summer break the whole school divided into groups of ten to twelve each with one or two faculty members and a senior leader to discuss the book. "I think this book is relevant to all of us living through global economy crisis whether we are poor or not" said Cameron Parsons one of the senior leaders opening up the discussion. Most of the students appreciated the book for helping them become aware of the hardships of lower class and for making them appreciate their own conditions. "Everybody in Milton Academy is greatly privileged to be able to afford to come here. As privileged people we have the duty to help others. What's the point if we don't do anything to actually contribute to the society?" said Woodruff Hudson a junior. "I agree" complied Sarah Reily a senior "and I think community service is a great way to reach out to the lower class. Milton Academy is a great school in a sense that it provides various community service opportunities." There were some criticisms as well. "Ehrenreich had that condescending attitude towards her fellow workers knowing that she was better educated and wealthier. She was always expecting better treatment and complained when she did not get one" said Steffany Yoon a senior. "I think she always knew that she could always pull out of the low-wage jobs whenever she wanted" replied Becky Li also a senior. "Still I appreciate the book because it actually brought up the issue of poverty. It also motivated me to talk to the school cafeteria staffs and know more about them" she said. "The book was definitely enlightening" agreed Cameron Parsons nodding. Through the 45 minute discussion students were able to look back on the society they live and understand the plight of others who live on different socioeconomic level.

[Student Reporters] Craving for a Little Taste of Fame

According to a Korean Quiz Game Show "Sebakkee" the most wanted job for Korean teenagers is "idols". Idols include singers dancers actors and entertainers. Being a part of the growing entertainment business in Korea has become a popular dream for many teenagers in both Korea and the United States. The path to fame and fortune begins with auditions. Korean entertainment companies such as SM (SooMan) or JYP (JinYoung Park) have "global" auditions. For example in 2008 SM Entertainment held a Global Audition in Hawaii Los Angeles Washington D.C. Orange County New York San Francisco Toronto and Vancouver from September 19 to October 25. JYP held an audition in Los Angeles (March 15 2008) and in New York (March 9 2009). If one survives to the final round of the audition then he or she will most likely be sent to Korea. The companies will pay for everything including school and voice dancing and acting lessons. For example Tiffany and Jessica from "Girls' Generation" attended Kent Foreign School an English- Korean boarding school in Seoul during their training days. After 1 to 7 years of training he or she will debut in music programs such as Inkigayo Music Core or Music Bank. Although it is a hard process some are willing to pursue their careers in Korea's entertainment business. Hannah Hwang a freshman at Campbell Hall School has experiences in the entertainment business. Scouted at age 10 she trained for four years. When asked why she answered "I love singing and dancing on stage and I feel like it's something I am best at. " Dancing traditional Korean dances for example the drum sword and fan dance she has been dancing "forever" on stages. "I have been surrounded by the entertainment industry since I was about four years old. I want to be popular and famous so I can help my parents and give them support." Dedicated to becoming a famous singer-dancer Hannah is working hard. She is taking auditions dance lessons singing lessons and acting classes. Korean-American idols are popping up more and more in Korea. Tiffany and Jessica from "Girls' Generation" lived in the United States. Nicole from "Kara" was also born in the States as well. There are also Beka from "After School" Taecyeon from "2PM" Tablo from "Epik High" and many more.

[Student Reporters] Xoxo Gossip Girl

The drama series "Gossip Girl" has been on many Californians' Monday schedules. The unidentified "Gossip Girl" who sends pieces of gossip to the students in the show is a vital character that holds the "juice of the show." Very popular with teenagers Gossip Girl has officially made its way into Harvard-Westlake School. During her fourth period history class Tess Hatch feels her Blackberry buzz once then twice. As the teacher turns around to examine his PowerPoint Hatch unlocks her phone and reads the message that was sent to her. Mimicking a typical character in the Gossip Girl series who receives a message from the anonymous blogger Hatch reads the message in shock and whispers "Oh my God." Class was dismissed and Hatch's classmates gather around her phone to read the message. It read "taken strait from the email: AS broke up with AK but no one knew because she begged him to stay with her.. has he cheated on her?" The gossip is centered on the Senior class at Harvard-Westlake but students of all grades have sent their Twitter request to follow her "tweets." The Twitter page imitates the opening narration of each show as it proclaims that it is "your one and only source into the scandalous lives of H Dub's Elite." Many students even of the senior class cannot accurately identify the "Gossip Girl" of Harvard-Westlake but most claim that she is definitely a female student. Like in the show students can secretly and anonymously send her "tips" to an email address on her twitter account which are then publicly broadcasted by her "tweets." Reaching almost 200 followers on her Twitter page students and even teachers are slowly becoming aware of this new phenomenon that is taking over the student body. The Chronicle which is the school's newspaper has even scrambled over getting more information about this new "Gossip Girl" to write an article about it. The new gossip girl is steadily grasping the attention of the entire student body and although no one has yet claimed the accuracy of her gossip students are nevertheless intrigued and like Hatch many students have her updated "tweets" sent to their phones. Her last "tweet" as of October 9th reads "And that's a wrap. Happy almost Friday upper east siders. Tomorrow's just the start of a gossip worthy weekend. Xoxo Gossip Girl."

[Student Reporters] Two Weeks of an Unforgettable Journey in Taiwan

His two-week stay in Taiwan gave John Marzo an English and Film Studies teacher at Cerritos High School a truly unforgettable experience shaped by a course of unexpected events. The Global Citizenship Program which Mr. Marzo participated in is established in Ming-Dao High School the second largest high school in Taiwan holding roughly 9000 students. This program allows for Ming-Dao high school students who are planning to pursue further studies in a native English speaking country to benefit from higher standards of education in several subject areas. It also hosts international exchange student and teacher programs between the Ming-Dao High School and schools in the ABC Unified school district. Mr. Marzo visited Ming-Dao High School from August 1-17. He taught English and helped another teacher put together a Model UN conference during the course of two weeks by teaching kids how to write position papers. "It was really nice to see the way students were enjoying the American way of teaching which typically tends to be much more interactive than the Taiwanese way" said Mr. Marzo. His short stay in Taiwan was marked not only by his unique teaching experience but also by several very unexpected events - the breakout of the H1N1 flu at Ming-Dao High School and the strongest typhoon to have hit Taiwan in the last 50 years. Mr. Marzo's trip around Taiwan and a one day tour of Hong Kong additionally gave him a glimpse of the diverse culture and technological innovations present throughout the area. In fact Mr. Marzo had a chance to ride the bullet train which uses magnetic force to run at 250 mph and explored the building in Taipei with the fastest elevator in the world. "What I was most impressed about during the entire trip was what avid readers Taiwanese people are" said Mr. Marzo. "I once went into a bookstore that was six stories tall!" Mr. Marzo states that one of the major reasons why he applied for the program was that he had a lot of students in his class from Asian countries. He left LAX with the mindset of at least getting to see and experience some of the culture in Taiwan which is an international business hub as well as one of the best cross-sections of Asia. "In fact I think it gave me a different perspective" said Mr. Marzo. "I was able to understand why many Asian parents emigrate to the United States to grant more opportunities for their children. I strongly recommend this program to other teachers."

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