tHE INTERNatioNAL I n t e r n a t i o n a l S c h o o l o f t h e S a c r e d H e a r t

Cherishing the Old:Making Way for Change at Sacred Heart

Volume X Issue I January 2011

The International gives you the scoop on one of the biggest changes to our school in recent times

Peacefully nestled in the center of Tokyo stands The In-ternational School of the Sacred Heart, boasting a history of over 100 years. Now, Sacred Heart as we know it is about to change. The evidence is all around us. Everyone has heard about it, but how much do we really know? The con-struc-tion at Sacred Heart is a move on the part of the school board to better equip the school with new facilities suited for a new generation of students. It will be com-pleted by September of 2011, leaving us with a brand new gym, Kindergarten, and Junior School. While visions of the new buildings generate much excite-ment, in order to embrace the new, we must first bid farewell to what existed previously, which is why students and staff sent off the Kindergarten in style. The Kindergarten and Junior School building is a naturally color-ful place and the students splashed more color on the walls during the last week of school before the summer vaca-tion. Armed with markers, crayons, and other coloring materials, the eager children made their mark on the soon-to-be demolished building. The legal graffiti covered

every inch of white space in the buildings, classrooms, bath-rooms, and on the windows, walls, and floors. Most scribbled their names or drew a picture. Some teachers, like Mr. Norris and Mr. George, were reported to have

auto-graphed the walls. Meanwhile, one very sweet child scribbled “I love you, Ms. Nicklin” on the window in red for her former teacher.

During our tour of the Kindergarten,

we came across a one of a kind piece of art dedicated to Ms. Shvets, who has been a teacher here for seven years and is an alumna herself. A group of 8th graders who were incidentally Ms. Shvet’s first class decided to leave a token of apprecia-tion for their past teacher on

her classroom door. The door was decorated

with the names of the members of

Ms. Shvet’s first Kindergarten class with a class picture pinned next to them. Howev-er, the Kin-dergarten and Junior School were not the only buildings whose time

was up. The gym where

students have trained and won

matches, where Bingo Nights and

Spirit Day assemblies and Graduations were

held, had to go as well. In order to treasure the memo-ries there and enjoy the space for the last time, all alumnae, parents, and students were invited to a farewell party which consisted of an open gym and refreshments on the last Saturday of the 2009-2010 school year. During their final

sayonara, the PE De-partment expressed that

among endless memo-ries, they would espe-cially miss the “great performances by our student athletes.” If the gym had to go, so did its roof, and so would the lit-tle room on top, the Drama Room, known

as the Duchesne Room. The room was fashioned

out of the gym roof on request of Mrs. Elizabeth

Handover who was the drama teacher at the time. She recog-nized that the roof had the po-tential to be a drama studio and asked for it to be turned into

one. Its isolation from the rest of the school allowed students to be in their own little world of drama. “The Duchesne Room was a major deciding factor in me taking the job here,” shared Mr. Hagans, current drama teacher at ISSH. He was not sure he wanted to teach drama again, but as soon as he saw the room, he saw all that he could do with it. The Drama Room was the perfect place for student actors. “The lighting in that room was amazing. No other room had it. And it was always warm or cold, depending on what you wanted,” said Briana XXXX (12), a student of drama who has been spending time in the Drama Room since she was in the 5th grade. According to Mr. Hagans and Briana, the room never stayed clean; there was always too much going on. Every drama performance would bring a pouring forth of materials which accumulated in the room. When we were in there to photograph it, graffiti covered the walls and costumes and remains of sets lay scattered

on the floor.

Like the Kin-

dergarten, the walls and floors were covered with autographs and affectionate messages from drama students. By the time we were back af-ter our summer we were greeted by a completely different school. The gym gone, the Drama Room no longer in existence, and the Kindergarten nowhere in sight. As we watch our beloved school change before our eyes, we students of Sacred Heart know that the memories we have of these places will keep them alive forever.

by Sneha XXXX (12) and Joanna XXXX (12)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

FOCUS..............1

NEWS................2

VIEWPOINT.......4

SMALL TALK....6

LIFESTYLE.......7

ARTS.................8

(Photos by S. XXXX)

Page 2 January 2011

NEWS

by Sanskriti XXXX (11)

water, sanitation, and health care, inhabitants including 3,500,000 children are suffering from gastroenteritis, diarrhea, cholera, and skin infections. Floods have submerged 17 million acres of Pakistan’s most fertile crop land and have

“I was evacuated from my home along with four members of my family last Sunday after being trapped in the house for three or four days. We had run out of food and clean water, and were getting sick from drink-ing contaminated water. The water was between 22 and 25 feet deep. Dead animals were floating in the water and there was a terrible smell in the air.” −Shubama Iqbal (BBC). On August 3, 2010 a cata-strophic flood hit Pakistan; it wiped out millions of houses, infrastructure, and arable land. In 24 hours, a record breaking 10.7 inches of rain fell in Pesha-war. Approximately one-fifth of Pakistan’s land was underwater and in some areas the water level went up to 6.1 meters and. This devastating calamity caused complete chaos: with no food and little aid, thousands were stranded in random build-ings. Desperate citizens were blaming and revolting against the Pakistani government. 4,000,000 people were left homeless. Due to lack of clean

washed away massive amounts of grain, killing 200,000 live-stock; there is no doubt that there will be long term food shortages. The cost of damages is approximately seven billion USD. An absence of law and order has resulted in robbers

taking advantage of the situation by looting abandoned homes. “No place is safe. People are also looting other people’s houses and the pitiful thing is that a number of young girls have also been kidnapped in the chaos,” Haroona Gul from Peshwar told

the BBC. Organizations such as Oxfam, UNICEF, WHO, CARE, ARC, MERLIN, and UNHCR are ac-tive in Pakistan; they have treat-ed many people and continue to support them by providing food, shelter, and medicine. In order to raise funds for re-lief, ISSH organized a free dress day. The middle and high school raised 61,460 yen, and the junior school and kindergarten raised 58,635 yen. This money was sent to the International School of Islamabad and the Shahina Aftab foundation, an organization that helps women and children specifically. The UNICEF club members donated about 80,000 yen. Although many organizations and countries continue to give aid and support to Pakistan, the help is still insufficient. Mil-lions are still malnourished, misplaced, and in severe need of help. Pakistan’s recovery is slow, and it may take decades for the people to overcome this calamity.

Millions Struggle After Pakistan Catastrophes

Community Servants at ISSHby Joanna XXXX (12)

Author Edward Everett Hale once said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something.” As this year’s theme for the school year is “Be Aware, Show You Care,” we should take this opportunity to recognize those around us in our own community who em-body this motto through their everyday lives. First, from the Social Serv-ice Council, Rachel XXXX (11) stands out because of the wide range of activities she has been part of. Rachel has participated in almost all of the volunteer projects Social Service Council has offered during the school year. By participating in Thurs-

day morning cafes, Second-Harvest, and onigiri-making at the Franciscan chapel, there is no doubt that Rachel is a star member of the SSC. Out of the projects, Rachel values Second Harvest and onigiri-making the most. Both projects involve preparing food for the homeless or people who cannot afford to buy food. According to Rachel, “the people who get it always really appreciate it since they understand someone has spent their time and effort making these meals for them.” Apart from the projects of the Social Service Council, Rachel has also been participating in other activities. For example, this past

summer, Rachel visited Puerto Rico to help build foun-dations for houses. These houses were for people who had their children taken away by their government and were required to secure a house before they could get their children back. Rachel is mo-tivated by a sense of achievement and satisfaction when “you know you are making someone

else’s life easier just by doing a little bit of work.” Another student who is actively involved in community service outside of our school is Maya XXXX (10). Maya is involved in trash collecting, and helping out in the youth centers on military bases. She became involved in these projects when she attended a school on base due to her father’s occupation. The biggest motivation for Maya is seeing how much she influences the people she helps. Some of the children she works with have a hard time at home, and seem to feel comfortable speaking with Maya about their lives and problems. Maya said

that “once, a little girl whose parents were just divorced told me that the best part of her week was being able to spend time and play with me and her other friends at the center. I vol-unteer so I can help these kids through their lives and through tough times. I volunteer to see them smile, and to make them feel loved, no matter how hard things are at home.” Last but not least is Anna XXXX (12), who is a volun-teer for Habitat for Humanity through the youth group at the Tokyo Union Church. Anna joined Habitat for Humanity in 2007, and has been going on mission trips to the Philippines every summer since. On these mission trips, Anna helps to build simple, decent, and afford-able houses appropriate for the climate of the specific building site. Anna admits that at first she was hesitant about spending a week with people she barely knew in a completely foreign environment. However, because of her parents’ encouragement she decided to go, and she is now very grateful. Anna said, “After volunteering, I feel an amazing mixture of total happi-ness and satisfaction mixed with complete exhaustion. However, being exhausted contributes to the satisfaction because I know

that I worked hard to bring the house that much closer to com-pletion and the family that much closer to getting off the streets.” Beyond helping others, these trips have also helped Anna grow as a person and discover things about herself: “I never thought I could carry and lay hundreds of cement bricks over six hours under the burning 38 degrees Celsius Filipino sun, especially when I’m the type of girl that feels utterly defeated by Tokyo’s summers.” Although many of us may have been unaware until now, there are many students such as Rachel, Maya, and Anna who are taking their time to actively help others and make a change. There are many ways that any ISSH student can become in-volved. For example, the Social Service Council’s board always has a list of volunteer opportu-nities with sign up sheets open to all high school students. Also, the bilingual organization Hands on Tokyo (which you can join online at http://www.hand-sontokyo.org/en/home) offers a variety of volunteer projects each month. To paraphrase Edward Everett Hale, we may only be one, but we can still do something.

Illustrated by P. XXXX

Photo Huffington Post

Page 3 January 2011

NEWS

Introduction to Clubs at ISSH

An Arabian N ight to Remember

Eco-club:Leaders: Keika XXXX(11), Nao XXXX(11)Sponsor: Mr. SharpEco Club (Environmental Awareness Club) was found-ed two years ago by former executive president Chirei XXXX. We spread awareness of the ongoing environmental destruction in the world, and we try our best to prevent it from getting worse by mak-ing awareness posters to spread the ideas of saving water, recycling, and sepa-rating garbage into the right bins. Our first event of this year was at Family Festival, where we sold eco-friendly tumblers along with our traditional eco bags. We will also work together with the World Council and UNICEF to host the Earth Day Assem-bly. Some of our money will be donated to WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to support their Forest Projects.

UNICEF:Leaders: Sanskriti XXXX(11), Charlotte XXXX(11), Kaoru XXXX (11)Sponsor: Mrs. SasoUNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) is a non-profit organization that helps unfortunate and deprived children get better futures by providing them: sanita-tion, hygiene, nutritious food, housing, education, immunization and medicines to prevent various diseases. Recently UNICEF raised 100,000 yen from Family Festival and donated it to Pakistan and Indonesia. Everyday 22,000 people die of preventable diseases, and our goal is to reduce this number.

Flash: Leader: Rene XXXX(10)Sponsor: Ms. ShiozawaFlash is a photography club, and it is made up of people, experienced and inexpe-rienced, who enjoy taking

photos. Photos range from themes of nature to people to stuffed animals. Our goals this year are to decorate classrooms and hallways with artistic photos, and to encourage others to join in the fun. Above all, our ulti-mate goal is to raise money for charities for Africa. Flash plans to accomplish this by selling postcards and other items at Family Festival and other events.

Nerd club: Leaders: Vera XXXX(11), Juhi XXXX(11)Sponsor: Mr. GriffithsNerd club is a brand new club this year. Our goal is to have our members embrace their inner nerds, with the guidance of our sponsor Mr. Griffiths. We are plan-ning to go on field trips to museums, planetariums, and aquariums, and we also enjoy brainy activities during our meetings, which are two Fridays a month.

This was one dance you couldn’t wear jeans and a T-shirt to without feeling out of place. With high school students bedecked in sequins, coin belts, harem pants, and turbans, it seemed as if everyone had stepped out of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights: just the effect that the seniors who had planned the event had hoped to create. “Everyone in our grade re-members that the senior dance three years ago was amazing. It was super packed, the room looked amazing, and every-one had a blast,” says Jennifer XXXX, President of the Sen-ior Class, as she recounts the luau-themed dance hosted by the class of 2008. “Our aim this year is to host a dance that is as successful as the one from three years ago.” With dazzling deco-rations, spectacular lighting, and plenty of room to dance, the Class of 2011 gave everyone an Arabian Night to remember. On the evening of the dance, the AV room had been thor-oughly transformed into a

by Soumya XXXX (12)

Compiled by Sanskriti XXXX (11)

Middle Eastern marketplace. Multicolored lights shone through the colorful fabrics that hung down low from the ceil-ing. Smoke machines belched

out columns of vapor, envelop-ing the room in mythical mist. Loud music blared from the speakers, engulfing the room packed with students of ISSH

and other international schools, including Seisen, St. Mary’s, and ASIJ, dancing to the latest hits by Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, and Shakira among others. “We had

a lot of fun dancing like crazy!” said Julia XXXX (12) who per-formed a contemporary belly dance routine with two other seniors, Ashlee XXXX and Sasha XXXX. The turnout was amaz-ing, and everyone had a great time, especially the seniors. “I loved that we were in charge and controlled everything and could do what we wanted,” says Elin XXXX, one proud senior. Eventually, the clock struck nine, the lights went on, and our Arabian palace turned back into the AV room. Over 200 hun-dred people attended the dance, and the seniors raised 88,700 yen. More meaningful than the money was the satisfaction they derived from the dance: “If you look at aspects like the decorations, the performance by Ashlee, Julia and Sasha, and the outfits worn by our very own seniors, we definitely exceeded the dance from three years ago,” says Jennifer. “In our class-of-2011 way, the dance was epic and hopefully memorable for all.”

Reach Out with Music:Leaders: Seira XXXX(12), Joanna XXXX(12)Sponsor: Sr. Olson This year there are two parts to our club, the first is performing for charities or hospital patients, and the other is teaching English through songs at a Japanese Elementary School. This year we have performed at Relay for Life and volunteered at Kougai Elementary School’s festival. We plan to perform at Kougai School in Decem-ber and St. Luke’s hospital in February.

Amnesty International:Leaders: Yuri XXXX(12), Erina XXXX(11), Michelle XXXX(12)Sponsor: Mr. Felstehausen Amnesty International is a club that advocates for hu-man rights. This year, we will focus on a different issue each month, mainly concern-ing human rights violations in Asian countries. Our club will write petitions and cir-culate them among students and faculty. Our first event of the year was at Family Festival, and we ran two very successful petitions.

Art for Humanity:Leaders: Pounomi XXXX(12), Anna XXXX(12)Sponsor: Ms. RobinsonArt for Humanity makes art crafts such as handmade greeting cards and jewelry to sell for a profit. The money raised by the club is then donated to two organiza-tions: Habitat for Humanity and Table for Two. Table for Two helps feed the un-fortunate while Habitat for Humanity builds houses for the homeless. Our goal is to help ‘house’ and feed those in need through art.

Glee club: Leader: Eri XXXX(9)Sponsor: Mrs. GeorgeGlee is a singing/dancing group that performs and most importantly has fun. Glee Club allows students to be free and let out their sing-ing/dancing talents. Our goal for this club is for students who don’t usually “hang out together” to bond. We began this club for freshmen stu-dents only and surprisingly, half of the grade joined. So far, the club is running smoothly, and we hope to make more progress as the year goes on.

Photo by S. XXXX

Page 4 January 2011

VIEWPOINT Buried Treasure From the outside, the middle and high school stock-rooms look perfectly in order. They contain boxes full of stationery, posters, and items for the various events hosted by the school including Japan Day, Family Festival, and One World Day. However, the stockrooms contain more than useful school supplies. Over the years, they have come to be hiding places for things left behind: aban-doned stationery, decorations, even clothes and food. During our time in the stockroom, we found leftover items from the past: a box of old Boosters T-shirts and another of flyers for an Amnesty Inter-national event held over two years ago. Stationery was scat-tered throughout the room, and there were mountains of forks, spoons, and paper cups. We found an entire drawer of stale chips, pretzels, and popcorn, as well as six boxes of hot choco-late packets (expired in 2007). The amount of food would have probably been enough for a school dance or at least a class party. The only items still usa-ble were ten bottles of soda due to expire in a month, which we were able to salvage. If we had come sooner, we might have been able to save much more. Though nothing can be done about the wasted food, the stockrooms contain other very useful objects that could save the school a lot of money. The forks, spoons, and chopsticks, accumulated over time would probably be enough for a year’s

worth of International Buffets and Senior Lunches, maybe even Japan Day and Bingo Night. Old Boosters T-shirts could be recycled. The unused stationery lying around could be used. When students need something for a homeroom, club, student council or class activity, their first impulse should be to visit the stock-rooms instead of the conven-ience store. When assigning projects, teachers should investigate the stockroom for potentially useful supplies. We need to keep in mind that the stockrooms are tempo-rary storage areas, not hiding places for things we may never use. Also knowing what we have in the stockrooms will prevent us from buying the same things again later. The stockrooms should be cleaned once every year by student workers to keep unnecessary items from accumulating. By taking these simple steps to keep the middle school and high school stockrooms organ-ized, we can ensure that we use what we have to the fullest, unleashing the hidden treasure within them, while it is still treasure, not trash.

In Japanese society today, diabetes has become a serious health issue, affect-ing millions of lives. Ninety percent of the diabetic popula-tion has type 2 diabetes, which is preventable, unlike type 1. Statistics show that over the next few years, people with type 2 diabetes will keep increasing. If type 2 is preventable, why is it increasing at such a fast rate? There are several problems in our society that need to be addressed. Most people are unaware of what diabetes really is, and that there are two types, both equally deadly. Japanese people are not exposed to diabetes education at school, through the news or in other forms of media. Most people think that type 2 diabetes is not serious, since there are no obvious symptoms like bleeding or intense pain. However, type 2 can slowly take over one’s body and many diabetics end up dying. The most efficient way to detect diabetes is by going to the doctor and getting tested. If diabetes is detected, then the doctor can provide appropriate management methods. When people are not exposed to what diabetes is, they will not go for check ups. In our society, according to Health Japan 21 (a campaign that promotes healthy behavior and nutrition), 66.7% of men and 74.6% of women go back for treatment, and the remainder do not because they are scared of the idea of re-stricting some elements of their lifestyle such as drinking. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in middle-aged men and women who either smoke cigarettes, consume alcohol, or lead lifestyles where food intake and exercise are imbalanced. However, many Japanese children are also contracting type 2 diabetes. Children, usu-ally in grades one to six, are not exposed to diabetes educa-tion at school. The Ministry of Education, who determines the school curriculum throughout the country, has only included health classes once a week for an hour in one of the trimesters of the school year. Junior and middle school students are most prone to type 2 diabetes, espe-cially due to poor eating habits and little exercise. Most parents do not even know that children can contract type 2 diabetes; therefore, they do not take their children for check-ups or manage their lifestyles. To spread awareness to the public, our government and district ward offices should take action. Every ward has a bulletin board where important notices are displayed, so the office should produce posters that educate the public about diabetes. There are organiza-

Beat Diabetes

Our school is located in the center of a bustling indus-trial city. Surrounded by colos-sal skyscrapers, the classrooms resound with construction and traffic, and all day we breathe in air heavy with toxic gases. Though the school itself has more greenery than most of the surroundings, and plenty around the campus, there is lit-tle greenery in the school build-ing itself. We spend most of our day locked up in the building, separated from the natural world entirely. This separa-tion from nature is damaging. Children who are disconnected from nature suffer physical and behavioral problems such as poor eyesight, attention deficit disorder, and high stress levels. If we had more nature around us, we would benefit greatly from the tranquility it would bring into our lives. There are many ways that students can incorporate greenery creation into school projects and activities. Numer-ous organizations in the school

give eco-friendliness a priority, accumulating a great deal of funds to send to larger organi-zations that deal with environ-mental problems. In this case, we could use the money our-selves to increase the amount of greenery around the school. One way to do this would be to build rooftop gardens. The ad-ministration already has plans to give the new building a green top, but student organizations can also work on constructing simple green roofs in smaller parts of the school. Green roofs would improve the quality of air around our school and provide insulation which could cut down heating and cooling costs. Students would also benefit from direct contact with nature, through learning how to take care of plants. Apart from rooftop gardens, students could also identify and work on areas of the school that are lacking in greenery, such as classrooms, com-mon rooms, and windowsills. Student-sponsored Art Clubs

and other school organiza-tions could include the crea-tion of green space in projects, or a gardening club could be formed. Teachers could encour-age students in younger grades to get involved by assigning projects that involve cultivating greenery in parts of the school. Science classes, particularly Biology classes, could include more exposure to greenery, and even Values classes could make greenery a more prominent part of the course. Students should be made more aware of this en-vironmental issue, so that they can show they care by actively working towards sustainability. Creating greenery in our school does not have to be dif-ficult. With cooperation from students and faculty, it can be-come a part of daily school life. By encouraging students to take global environmental problems into their own hands the dull grey-white walls of ISSH can be transformed into a fresher, cleaner, greener school.

Greening ISSH by Soumya XXXX (12)

by Sneha and Soumya XXXX (12) by Yuri XXXX (12) tions like WHO and the Japan Diabetes Society that hold fre-quent events and seminars that are open to the public. How-ever, the majority of the people do not know that these events exist, so the ward office should also advertise them. In addi-tion, the television should air public service announcements dedicated to diabetes that reach an audience of all ages. In Japan, type 2 diabetes is listed as one of the top three critical conditions. More and more people are becoming diabetics today, and since type 2 makes up the majority of the diabetic population and is pre-ventable, we should act imme-diately to improve the situation.

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Page 5 January 2011

VIEWPOINT

travelled twice. Furthermore, the family received written instructions from the city hall to save electricity and water, and they did so by turning off the lights and constantly checking water taps. All these actions slowly developed into grand-mother’s lifelong habits. All Korean civilians held one wish in common: for the IMF crisis to end as soon as possible.

Out of strong patriot-ism, people began to take actions to over-come the hard-ships, such as getting involved in the “Gold cam-paign”. People began

to donate gold to the country in order to save the economy. Gold came from everywhere; people donated their golden sculptures, golden rings, golden plates, golden wire, golden anything. Grandmother took part in this movement by donating some of her golden rings and bracelets; she gave them to her husband who took them to the City Hall. In total, Koreans donated about 100 tons of gold, with estimated value of 1 billion dollars. Along with the civilians, the

“Young people nowadays are so wasteful…” I heard my grandmother mumble this bitter statement quietly, as I, a small third grader, was about to throw away my leftover food into the sink. Startled, I turned red with embarrassment and had to stop what I was doing. I brought my plate back to the table and finished eating the food. Seeing this, my grandmother patted my head and said, “Good girl, very good…” I later realized that no other people, includ-ing my mom and uncles, dared to leave food at grandmother’s house. My grandmother is not only strict about food, but also about saving electricity and money. My mother would always defend my grandmother by saying, “She’s not stingy. She just has bad memories and habits she can now never grow out of.” I have always wondered what that bad memory could be, and it was only a week ago when I finally heard the full story, di-rectly told by my grandmother. The story was about the nega-tive impacts of the IMF crisis on my grandmother’s family, and how her family took part in helping South Korea to over-come this economic crisis. The economic crisis of 1997 in South Korea, also known as the IMF crisis, did not occur out of the blue, but had sev-eral causes. In the early 1990’s, Korean banks had allowed big loans to many large corpora-tions, yet those corporations failed to profit and return money, leading to excess debt. On top of that, the government failed to recognize the serious-ness of this problem quickly, and by the time they did, the US dollar had already vanished from Korean markets. Also,

many South Korean citizens lived wastefully, by indulg-ing themselves in luxuries and overseas holidays. My grand-mother first heard the govern-ment’s official declaration of the economic crisis in November of 1997. The government an-nounced that it was not serious enough to affect the civilians, but as weeks went by and as conditions exacerbated, they could no longer deny the serious-ness of the matter. Hearing this, my grand-mother panicked; she had a feel-ing that some-thing bad was going to happen in the near fu-ture. Soon enough, my grand-father lost a large sum of family money because he had written a guarantee for a friend whose business went bankrupt. The shocking arrival of the IMF crisis had already affected them, but there was more to come. One major impact of the IMF crisis was a steep rise in unemployment rates. Compa-nies dismissed any incompetent workers and even executive officers in order to save money. According to the statistics, the

number of unemployed people rose to 1.5 million at one point, the highest record in Korean history. Unfortunately, my grandmother’s eldest son, who was working for a food compa-ny, was amongst those who lost their jobs. He remained unem-

ployed until the end of the IMF crisis, as finding a job during the time was nearly impossible. The IMF crisis also changed the lifestyles of many elderly Koreans, including my grand-mother. With reduced family money and low bank interest, my grandmother had no other option but to cut back on expen-ditures. She avoided shopping and buying fruit, and she made sure to not waste away any food at home. Between 1990 and 1999, my grandparents only

government also made efforts to overcome the IMF crisis. South Korea decided to ask for help from the International Mon-etary Fund (IMF), which was a huge deposit of money col-lected from numerous countries around the world. South Korea first requested 20 billion dol-lars, but the evaluation done by the board of IMF confirmed that the country needed nearly 60 billion dollars, thus South Korea received $57 billion. Kim Dae-Jung, a new president with eco-nomic plans who had replaced President Kim Youngsam in 1998, used the bailout pack-age carefully to resume Korea’s economy. My grandmother, who favored Kim Dae-jung the most out of all three presidents who governed in the 90’s, still considers him as a hero who played a vital role in overcom-ing the IMF crisis. In December 2000, the government officially declared the end of the IMF cri-sis, and my grandmother could not be any happier. The rise in the unemploy-ment rate, along with bankrupty after bankrupty during the IMF crisis, caused many, includ-ing my grandmother, to suffer and realize what would hap-pen if an economy goes wrong. The struggle, at the same time, motivated South Koreans to unite as one to overcome the crisis, through strict conserva-tion and campaigns. Eventually, Korea was able to escape from the tragedy fairly quickly. Even though the IMF crisis ended a decade ago, the thrifty habits of conserving resources and money are embedded in the lives of all South Koreans who experienced the crisis, including my grandmother.

An open letter to the Board of Child Abuse Prevention (Minis-try of Health Labor and Wel-fare): I am pleased by the few but important improvements you have made in recent months to the system of carrying out compulsory investigation into homes suspected of child abuse cases. In July, a three-year-old boy and his one-year-old sister were starved to death by their mother in Osaka. Even though the Guidance Center had received reports of suspected abuse from neighbors, the Cent-er was prevented from conduct-ing a compulsory investigation promptly as they did not know the mother’s and the children’s names. After this incident, your ministry has allowed the Child Guidance Center to request permission to take on an inves-tigation even if the names of the parent and child are unknown.

The ministry’s swift reaction to this incident should be com-mended. However, I have concerns about this system. The media has reported that such a com-pulsory investigation was only carried out twice in 2008 and only once in 2009. Since then, the media has criticized your ministry and the Child Guid-ance Center as “negligent” I must say that I feel the same way. This system and the au-thority that was granted to the Guidance Center holds great potential in saving children who are being abused and in preventing their deaths. Even though I know you also want the best for the children, you have not made enough effort to improve the system; mean-while, the number of children abused is increasing every year, and children are killed by their own parents every month, un-der similar circumstances that other children have died before.

You have told reporters that “since the legislation was only started recently, we cannot decide whether the number of cases in which compulsory investigation was taken into action [in 2008] was enough or not.” I think you have no need to wait a few more years to de-cide whether it is enough while children’s lives are lost, as it is obvious that it is not enough. Seventy-six children died in 2008 and over forty thousand children suffered from abuse. In many of the cases in which children have died, the Child Guidance Center was aware of the fact that a child was being abused, or at least knew that there was a high possibility. This is true for many of the cases in which children have died this year. The Guidance Center had several chances to take on an investigation to avoid the worst. They often attempted to visit suspicious homes, but if they were rejected by the parents (a great indica-

tion that they are abusing their children), they retreat, or try a few more times, but never take on a compulsory investigation. Trial and error is not an acceptable method when the lives of children are at stake. A worker at the Guidance Center in Saitama who was involved in the case of Rikito (who died in March 2008 from being physi-cally abused by his mother who rejected the Child Guidance Center’s visit two days before her son’s death) told the Sankei Shimbun that he was “unsure of the circumstances of when to intervene a home.” There was a similar case in August again re-ported by Jiji Tsushin, in which Suzumi, a three-year-old girl was left to be abused to death as the workers of the Guidance Center who came to help were rejected at the family’s doors. I understand that no case is iden-tical with another, but it seems that whenever parents reject the Guidance Center’s visit, there is a high chance that the child is

in danger. Even when there is no complete evidence, if there is even the slightest suspicion, it is better to intervene at that instant rather than risking the worst. To do this, it may be useful to set specific but flexible conditions as to when compul-sory investigations should be conducted by the workers of the Guidance Center so that they can follow a manual and also make decisions by comparing new cases to the past. I urge you, The Board of Child Abuse Prevention, to improve this system as soon as possible. You and the Center may even deserve to be called accomplices with the parents for abuse or murder if you do not improve the system and start taking action. All I wish for is the safety of Japan’s children. I hope you positively consider what I have suggested, because I know that their safety is your priority too.Sincerely,Minagi XXXX

Child Abuseby Minagi XXXX (12)

by Summer J. XXXX(10)

GrandmotherMemoirs of a

Illustrated by Pounomi XXXX

Page 6 January 2011

SMALL TALKNatural Facial Remedies That Actually Workby Sanskriti XXXX (11)

If you desire clear, smooth, and radiant skin, you should try some natural facial remedies. Natural foods are inexpensive and free of chemicals that may be a threat to your skin. Below are some irre-sistible ways of making your skin shine. Honey

For a healthy glowApply it an hour or two before sleeping, and you’ll see the difference in about a week.

MilkTo cleanse and nourish

Instead of using soaps that dry your skin, use cotton soaked in milk and apply it to your face. Once the milk is dry, rinse your face with water.

CucumberTo reduce dark circles

The nutrients in cucumber slices help reduce dark cir-cles, and make your eyes look less tired. Cut thin slices and place them on your eyes for about 30 minutes or so daily. Within a couple of weeks you’ll see remarkable results.

Egg Yolk

To brighten your complexion

Apply a paste of egg yolk on your face a few times in a week in or-der to reduce the redness of skin. Egg yolk also makes your skin softer, lighter, and brighter: sim-ply rub the egg yolk against your face, and rinse it off about an hour later.

Orange Juice

For smooth skin Apply freshly squeezed orange juice to your face by squeezing the juice out with a juicer, or with orange slices. The nutrients in orange juice help to make skin soft and supple.

Tomato Juice

To prevent acne Tomato juice prevents and stops further growth of acne. Cut slices of tomato and rub it onto your skin so that the juice remains on your face. Wash the juice off an hour or two later.

Lemon JuiceTo cover acne scars

Using cotton, dab your face with some lemon juice, this may pinch a little bit, but it helps cover acne and its scars. Use lemon only once a week.

YogurtTo balance oily skin

If you have an oily complex-ion, then yogurt is the best so-lution. Take some yogurt into your hand, and gently dab it on your face. Once dry, rinse it off with water.

Herbal SteamTo clean pores

Boil water, and put in some herbal essence or tea leaves. Put your face over the pot of boiled water, and cover the top of your head with a cloth so the steam doesn’t escape. This will help

open and cleanse your pores.

BESTOF

TOKYORestaurants! Tokyo has so many that at times one gets confused about which to go to for good foreign food. The staff of The International kindly directs you towards restaurants that authen-tically present their cultures’ cui-sines and delicacies.

NirvanamCuisine: South IndianLocation: Kamiyacho Just minutes away from the Tokyo Tower, this South Indian restaurant accurately represents its culture’s food. Most people are more familiar with North Indian cuisines than South In-dian cuisines, so this restaurant is for people who want to try out something that’s Indian yet still new.Recommended: Masala DosaWebsite: http://nirvanam.jp/

Bangkok KitchenCuisine: ThaiLocation: Ginza Corridor 8-2 Ginza (Nearest station is Shim-bashi) Bangkok Kitchen is the perfect place for a Thai experience. This place is renowned for its chic dé-cor, yet “it still has a Thai touch to [its decorations]” says Mai XXXX (12), a Thai student. The price is very reasonable and the food splendid. If spicy food is what you like, you must pay Bangkok Kitchen a visit!Mai Recommends: Tom yam khaWebsite: http://www.bangkok-kitchen.com/

Café du MondeCuisine: New Orleans foodLocation: Ikebukuro This is not a restaurant but it is a café. The original Café du Monde was established in the French Market of New Orleans. It serves traditional New Orleans coffee and donuts called “beig-nets”. “They are really delicious,” says Claire XXXX (12) from New Orleans. This is the place to go for a sip of coffee after a hard day’s work and enjoy the sooth-ing atmosphere.Claire Recommends: Beig-netsWebsite: http://www.cafedu-monde.jp/shop/index.html

MinskCuisine: Belarusian Location: Roppongi Belarus used to be a part of USSR and its cuisine is greatly influenced by Russian cuisine. People love Minsk because of its very Russian atmosphere. Al-most all waitresses speak both Russian and Japanese. The dé-cor is amazing and makes you feel like you are in Russia, “It’s like a little piece of Russia in Ja-pan” says Elina XXXX (12).Elina Recommends: Dran-niki (shallow fried potatoes) and Kotleta po-Kievski (Ukrainian Chicken meatballs)Website: http://www.bento.com/rev/2041.html

Fiorentina Pastry Boutique

Location: Roppongi Hills, Grand HyattItem: Mode Cake This wonderful cake received the “Best cake award”. This rich, succulent slice of heaven is lay-ered with white and dark choco-late. This is just the interior; the outside of this cake is covered with chocolate mousse and fi-nally coated with a thin layer of pure chocolate. All this sits atop a base of orange cream mixed with nuts and dark chocolate.

by Pounomi XXXX (12)

Photo Bangkok Kitchen

Photo by M. XXXX

Photo NirvanamIllustration by P. XXXX

Page 7 January 2011

LIFESTYLE

Admit it. Whenever someone asks us to name a hobby, we all immediately think of shopping. However materialistic it may sound, shopping has always been the next best thing to chocolate for relieving stress. On Septem-ber 11th, Fashion’s Night Out: A Global Celebration of Fash-ion, an annual worldwide event hosted by Vogue magazine, took place on the streets of Omote-sando, providing us the perfect opportunity to shop ‘til we drop without the guilt. Founded by the legendary American Vogue editor-in-

chief Anna Wintour, FNO’s sole purpose is to support the fashion industry after the shocking eco-nomic plunge. So you ask: what makes this event so charitable? First of all, the exclusive FNO clothing line will donate all profits to organizations, such as the NPO “Children Without Borders”, that supports children from developing nations in Asia who are victims of human trafficking or natural disas-ters. There also are participating shops in Omotesando retailing clothing through Fair Trade, a trading system that supplies retail-ers a variety of products made by

the hands of the more financially vulnerable in Asian, African, and Central/South American coun-tries. Unlike industries that em-ploy workers for small wages in developing countries to cut down the labour cost, Fair Trade liter-ally “trades fairly”; the products are bought from those workers at prices that match their efforts. You may be thinking that the clothes may be targeted only for earth-friendly adults, or that wear-ing their “potato sack tunics” will make you look somewhere in be-tween hippie and homeless; but fear not, because Fair Trade prod-ucts are now retailed by fashion

brands that target fashionable young adults. Some of the shops include Topshop, our beloved edgy clothing brand from Britain, along with Accessorize and Peo-ple Tree, with a new, cozy winter line designed by Emma Watson, an actress best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. The night began as the lovely Sanskriti XXXX (11) and I rendez-voused at Shu Uemura, where we got a pack of false lashes—free of charge! With both our lashes and moods pumped, we strolled down the street filled with colorful hordes of people dressed to impress. Our first stop was People Tree, where we checked out the new Fair Trade line. We asked the store staff to see what was fairly traded; and soon after, I was captivated by their warm, chunky knitwear; it fol-lows this year’s fall/winter trend perfectly. As the night proceeded, we went to Topshop, which un-fortunately was too crowded to enter. We then gave up and moved on to Accessorize. Standing in-side Accessorize felt glamorous

as always, with all the sequins and rhinestones reflecting the captured light. However, their fairly traded bags caught my eye that night. There was a variety of styles, but I especially loved their Butterfly Bag, a black tote with white patterns of butterflies that would be perfect for school. Another was a navy tote with “Je t’aime” written on it, if voulez-vous to go French chic. After looking at the racks of clothing at Fashion’s Night Out, I got to thinking about what we choose to buy and wear. The idea of “fast-fashion” is prevalent for teenagers; cheap clothes that im-itate the high-end brands make up 80% of our wardrobe, and most of them are so inexpensive that we wouldn’t miss them if we lost them. In fact, it would just be an excuse to replace them with more economical fashion piec-es. However, if you really think about it, how is this rapid cycle of flimsy garments contributing to anyone’s satisfaction? Fair Trade gives us option B, a choice that will make you not only fashion-able, but charitable as well. So start saving up for next Septem-ber, because Fashion’s Night Out will be the perfect opportunity to shop for something good; besides, making a difference in the world is always in fashion.

Blackberry VS. iPhone Easy to get, extremely posh, and sophisticated, the Black-berry is a gadget that has eve-rything you could want: music, videos, a high quality camera, internet connectivity, calendars, and more. Blackberrys are more convenient for people involved in business, politics, and stock exchanges and have numerous unique factors and features that show that they are superior to iPhones. Such features include auto text (type ttyl and the Blackberry will efficiently type out ‘talk to you later’); search features for find-ing emails, texts, and calls; and a help feature within the phone itself! They have a LED light, which immediately tells the user if they have a missed call, text, email, or alarm. On the iPhone you cannot jump all the way to the bottom of a long email or text. You cannot speed dial or add new phone numbers into your address book directly from a text or email. iPhones cannot delete individual calls or missed calls without clearing the entire call log. Inconveniently, they cannot delete parts of a text log without clearing the entire

conversation. Its warning that the battery is going to die comes very late. The iPhone is medio-cre as a phone. Many teenagers buy iPhones because of the touchscreen but do not re-alize that if they have long nails, it is hard to tap the screen, as the iPhone only comprehends fingerprints. Blackberrys, on the other hand, have keyboards just like a computer. Blackberrys are excep-tionally handy. “One thing I love about the Blackberry is the messenger – I can chat with my friends all over the world free of cost. Another is the fact that it automatically connects to a network as soon as I land in a different country. The Blackberry is awesome, and the roaming plan is much cheaper,” says Kaoru XXX (11). Celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Cameron Diaz, and Nick Jonas, and even Barack Obama use these dynamic devices. So if you are unsure of which smartphone to buy, the Blackberry is the way!

What can compare to the sleek beauty and high-tech quality of an Apple iPhone? You want it, the iPhone’s got it. Packed with

all the teenage bare necessi-ties, this gadget is now tak-ing over the communica-tion technology world. The iPhone allows users to easily access internet websites, in-cluding favorites like Face-book, Youtube, and Twitter, and choose from a variety of exciting and easy to install applications and games. It works as an iPod and cam-era as well. Easy to use, cool to own, and complete with touchscreen technology, the iPhone is leagues ahead its greatest rival: the Blackber-ry. The Blackberry may seem convenient and suave. It is, after all, a businessper-son’s phone. The iPhone, however, is packed with fun. There’s no front facing camera for video calls on the Blackberry. You can’t surf the internet in the middle of a call on the Blackberry like you can on the iPhone. Also, let’s not forget the touch screen. The cramped keys on

most Blackberry models are no match for the iPhone touchscreen keypad, which al-lows users to type quickly and effortlessly and zip across pages with a flick of their fingers. The new Blackberry Torch has a touchscreen, but it doesn’t have a multi-touch rotatable screen like the iPhone. The iPhone also has the highest resolution dis-play in the smartphone world: retina display technology. We have plenty of students here at ISSH who love their iPhones. “I love that my iPhone holds a lot of things like my mu-sic and games, as well as being my phone” says Aparna XXXX (9). “The iPhone is good for organi-azing schoolwork and the camera is seriously amazing,”exclaims Momo XXXX (11) “I use it to tweet on Twitter, blog on Tum-blr, and check my Facebook. It’s essential for my social life.” The versatility and muliti-func-tionality of the iPhone make it the perfect smartphone for to-day’s youth, much more than a plain old Blackberry. Let the corporates have the Blackberry. The iPhone is the phone for us!

Shop For Something GoodStylishly making a difference in Omotesandoby Momo XXXX (12)

Blackberries have been around since 1999. The Apple iphone came out four years ago. The Blackberry comes in six different models: Curve, Bold, Pearl, Storm, and the latest, Torch. The iPhone comes in four versions: iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4. We know the facts, but they don’t tell us which is the better phone. That’s our job. The International presents the ultimate battle of smartphones.

by Sanskriti XXXX (11)and Sneha XXXX (12)

Photo by M. XXXX

Illustrated by M.XXXX

Page 8 January 2011

ARTS

On October 22 to 25th, the Theatre Sun Mall was stage to a rendezvous of colorful lights, smoky effects, imagina-tive choreography, and ISSH involvement. Two teachers and three students were cast members of the Tokyo Inter-national Players’ version of Shakespeare’s classic play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by our very own Mr. Hagans. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare’s most famous and well loved romantic comedies centers around four people, who wan-der into a forest of fairies and fall prey to the love magic or-chestrated by the mischievous Puck. A parallel plot involving Bottom and his group of play-ers who perform the entertain-ing story within the story add comic relief. Mr. Hagans set his version of the play in Philip Lovecraft’s fictional dark city, Arkham, from the short story Dreams in the Witch-House and turned Shakespeare’s fairies into Lovecraft’s horrific creatures of the night. Faithful to the original Shakespearean play, the TIP version creatively added Lovecraft and modern

themes to the mix. Instead of being set in ancient Greece, this version of the play took place in the 1920s, with modern characters and costumes. Several Sacred Heart stu-dents and teachers were a part of this exciting new remake. The play featured Food Technology teacher Mrs. Mehta as the Witch Keziah along with three stu-dents playing banshees: Elina XXXX (11), Elin XXXX(12), and Megan XXXX (12), led by Choir Director Ms. Baunsgard. The students were first asked to be a part of the performance a month before their summer vacation, and received the songs in May. However, the real work, and

excitement started in October, two weeks before the perform-ance. “If we can’t get the notes and chords right in the begin-ning, the whole thing falls apart. That’s Bulgarian music; there are so many dissonant notes. We tried to stay true to the mu-sic,” said Megan XXXX (12). Performers weren’t the only ones who were a part of this. Clara XX(12) helped design the costumes, Briana XXXX(12) made stage props, Amber XXXX(11) was part of the light-ing crew, and Chemistry teacher Ms. Niedorf, was in charge of coordinating volunteers. “Work-ing with the costumes, I helped with the fittings and quick changes backstage. I was on my

toes a lot, but there was that excite-ment of seeing the costumes and actors on stage with audience reactions,” shared crew member Clara XXXX(12). “Seven or so people from ISSH were only a small fraction of over a hun-dred who put in some sort of effort for the play, whether it be acting, building sets, or mak-ing props . It truly is commu-nity theatre and it’s really what makes TIP what it’s all about,” says Ms. Niedorf. Several students and teach-ers attended the performance and got to see and enjoy all the work and dedication put in by the cast and crew. Among them were the 8th graders, who read

adaptations of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in their English and Drama classes and found the TIP performance funny and easy to understand. Bottom and his fellow players’ performance and the scenes of Demetrius and Lysander exchanging witty banter while fighting over Helena generated the most laughs. The haunting banshee music that Ms. B, Megan, Elin, and Elina worked so diligently to perfect added an eerie, Lovecraft-esque effect. “I was very pleased that we were able to invent something that was so visually intense. There was very little difference between what we planned on paper and what the audience saw on stage, and that is almost im-possible to achieve,” says Mr. Hagans. Whether they are on stage or behind it, opportunities like these give students a taste of what it is like to do what they love in a professional setting. “This play gave me a chance to feel what it is like to be on stage and mingle with people who share the same passion for music and acting,” says Elina XXXX (11).

Ed i t o r s - I n - C h i e f Joanna XXXXSneha XXXX

The International is a student-produced newspaper from the International

School of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, Japan. The opinions expressed in The

International are those of the writers and do NOT reflect official school

policy or views of the school’s administration.

Bring on the popcorn, ISSH students, because the Kanto Plain Film Festival is approaching! On May 22, the much anticipated event will showcase films created by students from a number of in-ternational schools, all compet-ing for a shining Oscar. The film festival is a relatively new event that provides students opportunities to express their creativity and vision as well as to interact and connect with those of others, all through the unique art of film making. Students may submit films to seven catego-ries: 30 Second Commercials, Original Humorous Screenplay (Comedy), Original Dramatic Screenplay, Documentaries, An-imations, Horror and/or Sci-Fi,

and Music Videos. “This year we have two new categories: com-edy and commercial.” says Mr. Eyre, the co-host. The reason be-hind the increase in the number of categories from five to seven is the number of submitted films that did not quite fit into one of last year’s categories. Likewise, though the festival made a great start last year, there was still some room for adjustments. “The films were played in dif-ferent rooms according to their categories,” says Mr. Tootell, co-host of the event. “People wanted to see two different films that were unfortunately aired at the same time in different loca-tions.” This year, the film festival team has prepared a come-back.

They have come up with the idea of playing the works on loop; this way the audience can watch most of the movies. Similarly, other lessons learnt from last year’s drawbacks will become this year’s successes. “More schools will be joining this year: as far as we know, along with St. Mary’s, we will be welcoming students from CAJ, St. Maur, BST, YIS, and NIS.” Mr.Tootell goes on enthusiastically: “We will create and send DVDs of the submitted films to other schools, including those that aren’t involved in the festival yet in hopes of reaching a wider student body, and to cap-ture their interest.” Perhaps the most exciting mo-ment of the festival is the award-

ing of the Oscars. Kaoru XXXX (11), who won the handmade glory last year, recounts her tri-umph. “My film was submitted in the Music Video category. I collaborated with last year’s HS band, The Yellow Helmets, who wrote an original song entitled, ‘Last Goodbye’. The shooting took the whole day, but editing took almost three weeks.” She guarantees that her efforts were worthwhile. “I felt proud to win an award, of course; more im-portantly, getting an award has made me more determined to make a better music video for this year. Much better.” Kaoru gives us a hint about her latest work: “The cast and crew this year will include students from

ISSH, ASIJ, and hopefully, two other KP international school students. It’s quite an ambitious project, I have to admit, but I’m always up for a challenge.” The bar has been raised for the Kanto Plain Film Festival. “This is a great opportunity for sharing work”, says Mr. Eyre. “Films are usually fun to make and it’s great for filmmakers to have an audi-ence to watch them.” In addition, Mr. Tootell concludes, “It is a perfect opportunity for anybody, no matter what age or school. We have had great achievements, and we hope more people will take a chance and enjoy the unique art of film making.”

by Momo XXXX (11)

S h a k e S p e a r e a n d S a c r e d h e a rt

(Photos by K. XXXX)

Mr. Levine Mr.McCright

Ms. Tajiri Ms. Young

Mr. EyreMrs. HayesMr. WellsMr. Zink

S p e c i a l t h a n k s t o

by Sneha XXXX (12)

Our Mission Statement: “To promote social awareness and strengthen the sense of community through student voice — this is what we believe in.”

S t a f f W r i t e r s Momo XXXX

Pounomi XXXX Sanskriti XXXXSoumya XXXX

S p o n s o r Ms. Shull