ICS UJB PRESTIGE

ICS UJB PRESTIGE
In The Year Of Our LORD
September 2015
We’ll See
You at the
Pole!
1-2
High School
Apocalypse
3
Now a
Freshman
3
Kickoff!
4-5
Falling into
Fall Sports
5-6
The Race
7
Artwork
8
Senior
Profile
8
We’ll See You at the Pole!
by ​
Matthew Ok​
Editor-in-chief
“​
They all met together and were constantly UNITED in prayer​
.​
”​
-​
Acts 1:14
Despite last year’s hiatus, this academic year’s ​
See You at the Pole ​
(​
SYATP​
) proved itself to be a
worthy successor of the events of previous years. At International Christian School - Uijongbu,
the students are given the opportunity to pray whenever and wherever they desire. Prayer is not
hindered or regulated by stacks of paperwork or by threats of lawsuits. Therefore, while ​
SYATP ​
is
a strictly student-led event in public schools throughout the United States, teachers here were
allowed to actively pray with their students. No arbitrary boundaries were drawn, and the
people of the school, young and old, were united under the common umbrella of prayer.
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PRESTIGE
STAFF
9
The National Honor Society
(NHS) planned and hosted
this year’s ​
See You at the
Pole under the guidance of
Mr. Lowell, the NHS advisor.
Timmy Rose (12th), the
school’s go-to tech-guy and
secretary of the NHS,
designed prayer forms for
the students and faculty of
the school. Dozens of
students
and
teachers
submitted
their
prayer
requests, many of them
anonymously, in order to
convey
their
heartfelt
requests to others. As this year’s theme verse for ​
SYATP ​
accurately reflects, the school was
“​
UNITED in prayer​
.” Prayer was not simply limited to the people of this school, but also extended
throughout the globe. Fellow NICS/OASIS schools from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to La Paz,
Bolivia sent their prayers and pleas for prayer. Missionaries from Abundant Life Baptist Church
in Manila, Philippines, active partners in evangelism, sent their prayer requests as well.
Once September 23rd rolled by, the NHS was well-prepared to treat the school to a period
devoted solely to God and prayer. A total of fourteen posters had been posted throughout the
school, each littered with the dozens of prayer requests submitted by the members of this
school. The scratchy print of the first graders was juxtapositioned to the elegant cursive of
high-school teachers, but none was more important than the other. Once again reflecting the
theme verse, the students, from the shortest Kindergartener to the tallest Senior, were united in
prayer: side-by-side, eyes closed, hands clasped.
The highlight of the event was Mr. Miller leading
the students in praise on the roof. Elementary
school students intermingled with the secondary
school students, all united for a common cause.
Students danced, sang and laughed in unison. It
had been quite a while since all twelve grades
were able to mingle together as a single unit.
Towards the end, Mr. Lowell encouraged the
students to sing as loudly as they could, so that all
in the surrounding area could hear the praises to
God.
Prayer​
: hotline to God and agent of comfort. There never truly is an overabundance of prayer.
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High School Apocalypse
Now a Freshman
by ​
Sam Park
by ​
Esther Eun Bi Lim High School​
. High school is an incurable virus.
As one might have suspected, the people who
carry the virus are the high schoolers. They are
zombies, and even if they want to escape, they
cannot. This is the image of high school...or so I
thought. Being a middle schooler was tough -constantly changing rooms, the subjects
getting harder, and the amount of information
to be learned increased significantly.
Therefore, I could not have imagined how
difficult high school would be. It had seemed
like I was immune. I was under the impression
that high school would never come for me.
Unfortunately, I’m sitting here typing about
this ​
virus​
, and I have caught it.
You are now spending the first year in high
school as a freshman. How do you feel? You
might feel somewhat nervous, excited, or both.
Well, I’m a freshman too. And I feel a little bit
scared. High school is still part of the same
school -- ICS, but it’s new and more
challenging than middle school. To be honest, I
still can’t believe that I’m already in high
school. When I was in middle school, I didn’t
have to deal with so much stress. Just thinking
about preparing for college, maintaining good
grades, and planning for my future makes me
feel very anxious.
The first day of high school, if described in one
word, was ​
awkward​
. I was sweating and my
legs were twitching while I listened to
Geometry lectures. Everything freaked me out,
because I knew that my grades would
determine whether I ended up in college or at
McDonalds. Yet, reflecting over the last couple
of weeks, I realized that I am starting to like
high school. The image changed from a zombie
apocalypse to pure, new hope. It turned out
that high school was not just about grades, but
also about enjoying oneself. In fact, I went
bowling with some of my fellow classmates
and teachers the other day. While I was not
very satisfied with the result of the bowling
match, I was still delighted. It may seem as if I
am a zombie, but I feel alive.
Being a high schooler can be challenging, but
there’s no reason to feel miserable. In fact, we
should maintain a positive attitude. It’s not
foolish to think positively. Being optimistic
does not mean ignoring the rain, but rather
choosing to dance in the rain. Don’t forget that
the most effective way to overcome struggles
is holding on to God. Remember that God is
your shield. He will always be there to help
you, so ask God for strength and guidance. You
and I are not perfect, but that’s okay, because
God is greater than our obstacles. As children
of God, we should walk with our Father
through all the seasons of our lives.
Disclaimer: These articles may not necessarily reflect the views of ICS
3
Kickoff!
by ​
Andre Franco School started back in early August. Everything is passing by so quickly. It is different to see the
changes that took place at this school. One can see new freshmen walking around and mingling
with the upperclassmen. Every student was looking forward to continuing healthy friendships,
and also making new ones.
Apart from the students being greatly excited at starting a new school year, they were also
enthusiastic about fall sports. This year, volleyball and cross-country are the two fall sports
offered by this school. Coach Powers is coaching boys’ volleyball, and Coach Y. Miller is
coaching girls’ volleyball. Also, Coach Olling is coaching cross-country.
The boys’ volleyball
team is gaining more
experience
as
the
season proceeds. Since
almost all of the players
were new, they are still
getting adjusted to
playing with each other.
Javin Kim (10th), the
captain of the boys’
volleyball team, said, “I
enjoy
this
team,
because even though
we sometimes lose, we
act like a team and play
like a team.” The young captain clearly shows his enthusiasm on and off the court, and the
whole team does so in the same way. The girls’ volleyball team has been off to a very good start.
There have also been several new additions to the team. Annais Choi (12th), who has been in the
team for several years already, said, “[w]hen we work as a team, we encourage each other and
play hard.” They had some struggles towards the beginning of the season, but now they use
each other to push themselves harder towards their goal, which is to win more games and to
become a better team. They have overcome several obstacles, and everyone in the school is
proud of them.
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It is hard for schools the size of this school to face better-equipped and bigger schools. However,
both teams played schools within the Division III conference of KAIAC, which include Korea Kent
International School, Dwight School Seoul, Cheongna Dalton School, and International
Christian School Pyeongtaek. They have also played friendlies with Yongsan International
School and Centennial Christian School. There have been in ups and downs in this season, but
the players are handling it wonderfully.
As for cross-country, each race is around five kilometers long. Each member of the team trains
hard everyday to improve his or her ability to endure the races. This year, the runners are very
talented. Declan Lowell and Caleb Poirier are among the fastest runners in all of KAIAC, which
they achieved through hard and consistent training. It is satisfying to see these athletes enjoying
their sports and trying hard to achieve their main goal of becoming a better team. The whole
school is supporting them and hoping for their success! One thing is true: ​
Go Eagles!
Falling into Fall Sports
by ​
Matthew Ok​
and ​
Andre Franco Fall sports “fell” into existence as soon as school started in early August. For cross-country, the
five runners could be seen running their way around the greater Uijeongbu/Yangju area, pressed
on by Mr./Coach Olling on his mountain bike.
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One of the first meets the runners participated in was a 5K race
hosted by the United States Army in Camp Casey, Dongducheon. In
the early hours of Saturday, September 5, 2015, 150 runners,
ranging from the toughest soldiers to the skinniest high-schoolers,
competed in the race, all aiming for the finish line. Two students
who were not cross-country runners, Timmy Rose (12th) and
Daniel Jun (11th), were there at Camp Casey to root for the
cross-country runners. In fact, Daniel Jun also jumped into the
race, attempting to relive the nostalgia of cross-country. According
to Daniel Jun, “[i]t was a very challenging race because everybody
was very fast. I [was] nervous because there were a lot of good
runners and my time was not good.” For someone who had not run
for a year, he placed in the 60th percentile, decking out over eighty
runners. But of course, without a doubt, the highlight of the day
came from Declan Lowell (10th) and Caleb Poirier (10th). Both
runners ran together as one unit throughout the entire race, and finished within one second of
each other. Finishing in fourth and fifth place(s), the two students surely made their coach
proud! Virginia Ellinger (11th), the sole female runner said, “[c]ross-country is mentally more
challenging than physically. It’s really all in your head, being able to push yourself helps you
mentally grow stronger.” One can see the great passion of all these racers whenever they go to
their meets. Coach Olling and everybody else in this school are certainly proud of them.
6
The Race
by ​
Christina Kim​
, editor-in-chief When the starting pistol is fired, you have to start running. But perhaps the reason you
sometimes fear to run new races is because you’re not sure if you’re ready. The truth is, no one is
ever perfectly prepared for a new stage in life. Therefore, if people were to wait until they were
ready, they wouldn’t accomplish much. What you should do is not fear to run the race, run with
your best effort, and learn and grow stronger through the race.
During the race always remember :
It’s okay to not be okay sometimes. Everyone makes mistakes. You might fall down and doubt
your abilities, or even wonder if you will be able to reach the finish line. But it’s okay to stumble
and fall at times. Will you get behind all the other runners? Will you lose? Perhaps. The race isn’t
between you and the others anyway. It’s between you and yourself. No matter how many times
you fall or have to stop to catch your breath, as long as you get back up, you’re not finished.
Be thankful. ​
During each race, you’ll experience numerous things and meet great people. Be
grateful for them and don’t take them for granted. Both good and bad experiences are
necessary. It’s difficult to view challenges positively, but if you think about it, challenges are just
opportunities to make yourself stronger. Also, sometimes it’s easy to forget about the people
around you because you’re so focused on the race. But don’t forget that people are what make
the race worth the while.
Don’t forget about the next race. ​
There will always be another race. Definitely don’t spend all
your time planning and thinking about the future, but do consider it. Remember that the
decisions that you make on this race, will affect your next. Therefore, make wise decisions. Enjoy
your current race to the fullest, but stay on track.
Disclaimer: This article may not necessarily reflect the views of ICS
7
Artwork
by ​
Annais Choi
Senior Profile
with ​
Alex Kim Hyun
“​
For the past five years, school has
been quite the rollercoaster ride.​
”
-​
Alex Kim Hyun
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PRESTIGE STAFF
Sponsor
Miss Yelena Miller
Editors
Christina Kim
Columnists
Joy Lee
Writers
Donggyu Lee
Photographers
Hannah Noh
Artist
Annais Choi
yelena.miller
christina.kim
joy.lee
donggyu.lee
hannah.noh
annais.choi
Matthew Ok
Esther Lim
Andre Franco
Timmy Rose
matthew.ok
eunbi.lim
andre.franco
timmy.rose
Veronica Lee
Contact Us
beronica.lee
www.icsujb.org
www.youtube.com/user/NicsICS
Sam Park
www.twitter.com/icsujb
sam.park
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