Psych Club Brings Santa to Town

XinLang Scholar
Sharks’
Schedule
1-3
11-14
14
16
DECEMBER
23
JANUARY
20
JANUARY
JANUARY
JANUARY
JAUNARY
JANUARY
Christmas
Holiday
New Year
Holiday
Final Exam
18
25-27
DECEMBER
Christmas
Concert
VOLUME XI, ISSUE IV
INSIDE
THE SMIC PRIVATE SCHOOL
Last Day of HS SISAC D1 Report Card
Semester 1 Basketball Game Distribution
THE SMIC PRIVATE SCHOOL, SHANGHAI
SAT
DECEMBER 2015
Giving Tree and CSC Help Kids in Need
KATIE HOANG
Campus News Editor
campus news | 2
ART FOR CHARITY
SMIC has once again hosted a successful Art for Charity
program. On December 12th
at the Z-art Center right here in
Zhangjiang, the Art for Charity exhibition displayed and...
Editorials | 4
SEVERE AIR
POLLUTION IN
BEIJING
Recently, Beijing issued the firstever “Red alert”, the most serious
warning on a four-tier warning
system that was adopted in 2013...
Students of Bluebell Primary open their gifts
Eight years. For eight years now SMIC
has participated in the Giving Tree, a
charity event run for the sole purpose
of helping migrant children right here
in Shanghai. This year, 700 bags were
contributed by the SMIC community.
Photo Courtesy of Community Service Club
The Giving Tree organization is run
through the Shanghai Community
Center, but for SMIC, through the Community Service Club. The Giving Tree
organization does extensive research in
the spring to find migrant schools and
calculate the needs of the families in
the school. This year, on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, SMIC got
the chance to go to Bluebell Primary,
a school close by, to deliver the bags.
Continued on pg 2
Entertainment | 8
Psych Club Brings Santa to Town
The long-awaited 7th Star
Wars movie The Force Awakens will be first released
in cinemas on Jan. 9th in mainland
China and on Dec 18th in North
America. The director J.J....
IRENE CHAN
Staff Reporter
STAR WARS: THE
FORCE AWAKENS
Features | 10
CLUBS LAUNCH
THEIR CHARITY
EVENTS
As the school year progresses,
more and more clubs are carrying
out the plans for their charity
events, among them are SAGE,
CFK, and CSC. These clubs...
Sharks Sports | 12
START OF HS SOCCER
PRESEASON
The soccer season for 2015
had officially ended last month.
However, our coach and players
of the High School varsity boys’
soccer team hesitate no more, and
started the preseason right away...
Seniors show off their gifts
This December, Christmas spirit
was evident all around our school—
from snowflakes hung throughout
the hallway ceilings to festive music
played in the locker area—it made it
Photo Courtesy of Sally Park
seem like the holiday season had truly
arrived! Per usual, Christmas grams
were extremely popular. However,
there was a new highlight this year:
the first high school-wide Secret Santa
event held on December 24th.
Secret Santa is a western holiday
tradition that involves gift exchanging
with a dash of anonymity; it is a great
way to kick off the festive season with
a fun but inexpensive way of showing
others how much you care. Originally,
Secret Santa started with an American
philanthropist, Larry Dean Stewart,
who spent over 20 years doing random
acts of kindness for those who were
less fortunate. People soon caught on
to this idea and it eventually became
a contemporary Christmas tradition,
even after Stewart’s death. Inspired
by the story of Larry Dean Stewart’s
generosity, there are web sites
dedicated to the organization of “Secret
Santas” worldwide. These people
perform random acts of kindness:
such as buying coffee for people in the
mornings and even bringing food to the
homeless in their area.
Continued on pg 3
2
campus news
December 2015
X inLang Scholar
Student Creativity Offers More than Satisfaction
SALLY PARK
Co-Editor in Chief
SMIC has once again hosted a successful Art for
Charity program. On December 12th at the Z-art
Center in Zhangjiang, the Art for Charity exhibition
displayed and sold our students’ artwork. On top
of this, various creative performances were held
at the Shanghai Children’s Art Theater, with over
350 students participating. According to many of
the 800 people that attended the program—both
participants and audience—all enjoyed the event.
Art for Charity is an annual event that has been
hosted by our school since 2004—an event where
students are able to sell their artwork and perform
their talents. All profits are donated to different
groups of disadvantaged children in China. This
year, with help from numerous participants and attendants, the program was able to provide support
and love to abandoned children in Hunan province,
orphans that the Hostetler family from XiNing have
adopted and helped, and the ZheJiang XinHua Compassion Education Foundation. “All proceeds are
donated to [both] help disadvantaged children and,
at the same time, show our love for those children,”
said Ms. Cindy Li, the Director of Art for Charity.
Many of our students contributed their time voluntarily: through art, performance, or as a student
helper. Students from kindergarten to high school
contributed over 2000 pieces of art, including bags
Art work contributed by students
and cards. “I enjoyed this event quite a lot. It is a
very unique and creative way to fundraise money,”
said Henry Han (12A), one of the student artists.
Some unique works of art attracted much attention. One of the auction items, “Sun Flowers”, an
oil painting by Ryan Lei (CT4B) was painted so
Photo Courtesy of Ms. Cindy Li
well that many thought it hard to believe that it was
done by a fourth grader (this item sold for 5000
RMB). Another oil painting, “The Dream”, by Victoria Liu (10B) was a popular attraction during the
display. According to Ms. Li, Victoria used a very
special painting technique to emphasize confusion
teenagers face during teenage years (it sold for 8000
RMB). Beside these paintings, artwork from many
other students that were sold helped make the 2015
Art for Charity program a success. “[This was] a
wonderful and meaningful event for our students to
learn how to help people by doing what they are
capable of at their age, such as painting cards or
other artworks, participating in performance, and
volunteering helpers on site and so on,” commented Ms. Li. “[We] highly appreciate their love!”
Ms. Li, after another great year, concluded with
these remarks: “Many thanks for your love and support to the Art Charity Program, which will help
those children in need!” Like these students and
sponsors, it is worthwhile to start a new year providing helping hands to others with our warm heart.
December 2015
Cafeteria to Provide a World Tour of Tastes
KATIE HOANG
Campus News Editor
Photo Courtesy of Mr. Boldt
Giving Tree and CSC (Continued from 1st Page)
KATIE HOANG
Campus News Editor
This event had two parts: the stuffing party and
the distribution. For the stuffing party, numerous
students and teachers went to help fill the bags with
toys and other goods by forming a human assembly line. The distribution, however, happened on
the date mentioned above. First, there was a presentation from the students at Bluebell Primary, and
then the students from SMIC and some other people from the church distributed the stuffed bags to
each class—ranging from grade one through five.
Though the day of distribution was a cold one,
those that attended quickly forgot about it. As Jennifer Lee (11B), Treasurer of the Community Service Club, expressed, “If you think of the kids that
smile when they get the gifts, you feel warm inside.”
This warmth stayed with the officers even after the
distribution. As Tanvi Hegde (11C), Co-Vice President of the Community Service Club revealed,
“The day after giving tree my Ayi came home and
told me that her friend’s kid got a bag. She told me
that the kid was so happy and he was playing with
the transformers the whole day and also using the
markers we gave them to do his homework. I told
the officers [this story] and they were so happy.”
The success of this year’s Giving Tree, according to Mrs. Sharon Ma, the Community Service
Club advisor, was mostly due to the officers. “They
shopped on Taobao, they found the gifts, they did
most of the publicity throughout the building, they
went into the homerooms talking; and I [also] felt
like the students in the middle high school did the
majority of the work which is really exciting.”
Along with MHS ET officers, representatives
(or leaders) from the Chinese Track middle high
school, elementary Chinese Track and English
Track really encouraged people to contribute too.
Overall, the Giving Tree went smoothly and
according to plan. The students really enjoyed
distributing the bags and, most importantly, the
migrant kids at Bluebell Primary received some
much needed living items, and a bit of holiday joy.
Winter Formal 2K15: A Night Under the Sakuras
IRENE CHAN
Staff Reporter
Photo Courtesy of Sam Phoa
Campus news
X inLang Scholar
Mr. Wu joins in cafeteria fun
Students and teachers who eat in the cafeteria may have noticed a few changes as of
late. One day of each month, the cafeteria
chooses a theme related to a country, serves
traditional food, and even plays music common to that culture. Over the past months, the
cafeteria had been serving foods from Mexico
and Korea, such as burritos and rice cakes.
France was selected for the month of December and Japan might be next month’s destination. This year, there is a new vendor for
SMIC: Eurest (which also happens to be the
vendor for international schools like SAS Pudong and Concordia). Eurest, along with the
new food, brought this international food day
idea. They have been doing the international
food day idea for around two to three years
for the other schools and decided to bring it to
SMIC as well. The company decides the food
of the month by having a discussion with the
staff and coming up with a random country.
The idea behind this was for our student body—
which represents over 20 different countries—
to be able to experience cuisines from all over
the world. Eurest wanted the students to feel
like they are actually in that country with the
traditional music and the food. They would
also like to have more students eating lunch
in the cafeteria because they enjoy the food.
“We hope to get the students involved every
month. If the students are from a foreign country, maybe they can give ideas on what to have
and what is count as traditional. For example,
the music is very hard to find for the theme
since we do not understand the language, so
if there are suggestions for foreign songs [of
the chosen country], then students are welcomed to tell us,” suggested Celine Zhang,
the SMIC cafeteria manager from Eurest.
They will have a message box on the counter at the Deli Marche Cafe and students
are welcome to write their comments about
their experience. “Hopefully they are good
things,” commented Ares Zhu, the District
Manager for Compass Eurest Company.
Quite a few students seem to like this idea
of spending a day at another country. Nathan Chu (8B) said, “It’s pretty creative because last year, the food was all the same.
It adds a better feeling to the atmosphere in
the cafeteria.” Students from high school
also agree with that statement as Luke
Chong (9A) pointed out, “The selections
are good and there’s a variety; but I think
they should add a bit more of a cultural taste
to make us feel like we’re at the country.”
Psych Secret Santa (Continued from Front Page)
IRENE CHAN
Staff Reporter
For SMIC, the idea of a Secret Santa Event was
first brought up in Psychology Club, It turned out
to be a big success! Over 70 students signed up
and on the 24th, all gifts were delivered by the club
before everyone left for a short Christmas break.
It’s the first time that the entire high school has been
invited to participate in such an event. “Through
this event, the psychology club promosted the
importance of love and warmth. It was successful,”
commented psychology club treasurer, Raphael
Lee (10C). The only other school-wide Secret
Santa event occurred over 10 years ago but it was
only for teachers. “It was psychology’s first big
event advised under Mr. Canfield. This was a big
success and we really did not expect our small
idea could bring such a happiness to all,” said
Brandon Lee (12B), Pyshcology Club president.
Mr. Henry Canfield, the club’s advisor, said, “I
just love the idea of sharing and giving and holiday
time, so it’s really fun and special to me and my
family. So sharing that kind of holiday spirit is a
great thing and is just a small way that we could
do that within our school high school community.”
Quiz Bowl Club Offers a Tournament of Minds
WENDY PARK
Co-Editor in Chief
King and Queen: Charlie and Ally
Student Council members show swag
“Here’s a bouquet of 11 flowers. Hold them up
in the mirror and you will see the 12 most beautiful things in the world.” “Do you have a name?
Or can I call you mine?” These are just a few of
the cheesy lines floating around the school lately as many prepared themselves for “A Night
Under Sakuras”—a magical night hosted by the
Student Council otherwise known as winter formal. December 19th was the night that prepared
us for a new year of excitement and added to
the beautiful, festive season here in Shanghai.
“I’m actually quite pleased with the way winter
formal turned out. We went through a lot of trouble securing our venue...but I thought everything
worked out pretty well in the end. Overall, student
council put in a lot of work preparing this event
and we’re really grateful for all the stuendents and
teachers who came and helped out,” commented
Geenie Choy (12A), student council president. One
of the most exceptional events for many during winter time is the winter formal and, because of it was
open to all high school students, many freshmen and
sophomores were excited to join. According to quite
a few, one of the most amusing segments this year
was when everyone formed a dance circle and different people joined in and just danced and goofed
off. Many students recalled Alexander Kim’s
(11B) and Kevin Zhu’s (10B) exciting dance off, it
Prince and Princess: Owen and Kylee
seemed to break the ice for everyone so it was easier to just let go and have lots of fun. The Japanese
themed food was well-catered and very delicious.
“We really loved it, the venue was really good
and everything looked great. We were really surprised when we won and we’re gonna remember
this wf [winter formal] for a long time,” replied
the newly elected royalty, Charlie Chang (12B)
and Ally Matsuda (11C). The prince and princess
were Owen Chang (11A) and Kylee Peng (11A).
At the end of the day, everyone was very tired but it
also proved to be a great end to another amazing year,
as we bid adieu to 2015, we welcome the start of 2016.
On December 4th, our own Quizbowl Club hosted its first Quizbowl tournament for SMIC students.
Quizbowl, if you didn’t know, is “a trivia game
where two teams compete with each other [and
try] to answer the question faster,” said Jane Park
(11B), the secretary of the Quizbowl Club. In Quizbowl, students are required to first press the buttons
and then respond with correct answers. This event
can be hard for those who did not prepare rigorously for the tournament, because questions come out
from a broad range of topics. For example, chairs
might ask questions related to history (ranging from
Asia to Africa) or they might even ask science related questions. In the club, the advisor or officers
prepare the members by asking sample questions.
This year’s Quizbowl was hosted after school,
in room A206. Participants formed one freshmen
team and one Senior/Junior team. Both of the
teams worked hard and were competitive; however, the senior/junior team, composed of Bohan Lou (12A), Jason Wang (11B), Kevin Yu
(12B), David Cheung (11C) and Vincent Wang
(12A), won the game and received about 180
RMB as their prize. Kevin said, “I felt extreme-
ly proud being one of the most major contributing members to the intense round of questions.”
According to Jane, “it was a good start with potential to become greater once it is publicized well
Poster Courtesy of Quizbowl Club
enough.” However, the club generally believes
there is still room for improvement. “While I think
this event did spur some interest, I definitely hope
to see more competition,” stated Marisa Vaughan
(11B), the president of the club. This year, Marisa said, “most people did not even know what
Quizbowl is,” and so it was very hard to get people to participate in the event. “We tried to make
it more popular [by] offering free CoCo bubble
tea drinks and having no entry fee which, I suppose, did help, but not as much as we had anticipated,” continued Marisa. She believes that their
low numbers might be connected to poor PR. This
was confirmed by Kate Lee (11C) who said, “I did
not really know about the event. I think next time,
with more advertisement, I might participate.”
However, the Quizbowl team has its next goal
in sight. Marisa said, “Quizbowl is hoping to host
our own tournament at SMIC where other schools
around Shanghai or even schools from around the
world can participate. We would also like to get
to the semi-finals of these competitions again.”
“Quizbowl is really fun and addicting. I would
recommend people just trying it before deciding not to join. And even if you feel like it is too
late to join, it is not. Many universities, such as
Yale, Harvard, and UCLA, have their own Quizbowl teams and tournaments,” concluded Marisa.
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December 2015
EDITORIAL
X inLang Scholar
Staff Editorial: Stereotypes Negate Individuality
Staff Editors
Have you ever received only toy cars for Christmas
if you are a boy and Barbie’s if you are a girl? Has
anyone ever thought that you are good at math or
eat Kimchi everyday just because of your race?
Stereotyping is so common that people start to
believe in it and think that this type of thinking is
the norm when it is not true at all. It is one of the
biggest limitations that we can put on ourselves—
stopping us from achieving all we can. Furthermore,
judging people based on stereotypes limits who
we are—our true identity and individuality.
One of the most common categories of stereotyping
is by gender. We often learn our gender roles
through our peers and our interaction by observing
social norms. “As a little boy I was often told by
my friends that men were not supposed to cook or
do chores. I was laughed by my friends when I told
them that I knew how to fry an egg. When I was in
elementary school I often watched television, and
noticed that toy commercials aimed towards young
boys all featured items oriented towards boys—
ranging from toy vehicles to action figures to
plastic swords,” Brisson Lam (12A) commented.
Although stereotyping males in this way is
expected by the majority of society, this does not
make it true of every man. Any man could cook and
do chores just like women, and any boy can play
with various toys. On the other hand, women have
been suffering from severe discrimination for ages
(which starts with the way we think). Women were
not given the chance to participate in the outside
world, where they can gain independent experience
and insight. They were required to stay at home
and become housewives, devoting their whole
lifetime into chores and house work. Women are
also limited on their choices of career, especially
in field such as politics and business. Such social
friends as well,” Michael Chen (12A) expressed.
Furthermore, the film industry is also encouraging
the use of stereotyping in our society. Hollywood
is one of the biggest places of stereotyping, from
characterizing black people to be in the drug business
to white people as businessmen. Asian women are
often seen as “dragon ladies” and Asian men as
techies, math whizzes, or martial arts champions.
Latinos are portrayed as maids and gardeners. And
the entire character is built on exaggerated accents
that people have to fake in order to get the role. It
is only in recent years that the film industry has
started to offer a point of view that is not entirely
white and male. The film industry is finally starting
to notice the changes that had to be made, but even
then, more drastic changes still need to be made
so that we show and celebrate who we really are.
On the other hand, stereotypes are also found
in many schools and they sometimes focus on
Photos courtesy of Ronalfy.com certain group of people. In SMIC, there are several
is all about hamburgers”; “Germans are dull different stereotypes surrounding the Korean
and very organized”. On most occasions, you population. For example, many people believe all
automatically ignore those statements or just Koreans like Kimchi and spicy foods. Yes, it may
laugh at them; however, they can have a negative be true that many Koreans like Kimchi and spicy
impact. “I feel uncomfortable when my friends foods. However, that does not mean every Korean
always give me spicy foods, although I don’t have those kinds of characteristics. We all differ,
like them,” explained Ken Kim (9B) about how and we want that to be recognized, and valued.
would he feel if he were to hear the typical Korean This is why I believe it is inappropriate to think
stereotype-Koreans eat spicy foods. “When I was of Koreans (or anyone) in these generalized ways.
in the US during my sophomore year, my American It limits our understanding of people and might
classmates were afraid of discussing Chinese also prevent us from knowing them more deeply.
culture with me. They feared if they told me any
To answer the question: Are you judged the
wrong impressions about China, they would be second you are born? Yes, but it does not have
“racists”, despite the fact that I wasn’t sensitive to be that way. By doing that, it is destroying our
about those things; but I actually welcomed uniqueness and individualism. People are not given
such interactions so that we could understand opportunities to achieve what they were meant to.
each other’s culture better, and could be closer
expectation limits individuals’ vision for their
own capacity and constrains each gender to fulfill
their corresponding expectations. Being male or
female is only part of our identity, and does not
define entirely who we are or what we should do.
Stereotyping of different cultures is probably
the mildest of its kind. You may be familiar
with such phrases as “Japan has many creepy
variety TV shows”; “You get fortune cookies
from Chinese restaurants”; “American food
China Must Act as Pollution Reaches Alert Level
SALLY PARK
Co-Editor in Chief
A local shields herself from pollution
Recently, Beijing issued the first-ever “Red alert”,
the most serious warning on a four-tier warning
system adopted in 2013. This is not the first time
China has had to deal with bad air quality. China has
been suffering from severe smog for years, which
is largely the outcome of increasing gas emissions,
coal burning, dirt, and other sources. Despite such
severity of pollution, the public awareness of the
current air pollution in China is very low and
not much significant improvement has been
made. Thus, the government should devote
more in dealing with the pollution and carry out
campaigns to increase public awareness in China.
The readings of Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5)
particles went over 300 micrograms per cubic
meter recently, and are only expected to rise. In
response, Beijing has ordered all schools to suspend
classes, ban outdoor construction, restrict certain
types of vehicles on the road, and stop operations
in some factories. In order to try and solve
such an environmental emergency, the Chinese
government has established measures that cut coal
burning, limit car emissions, and set yearly quotas
for local governments. However, such efforts have
obviously not been effective in reducing the air
pollution. For one, China needs to enforce stronger
regulations on factories that contribute to the
current polluted state. When the G20 Summit was
held in Beijing in 2014, the Chinese government
banned all the factories in Beijing from running
during the Summit. The change was incredible. The
hazy, smog-like atmosphere became so extremely
clear and clean that it was hard believe it was the
same city. China could surely reduce air pollution
just by establishing stricter regulations on factories
or limiting the number of factories per provinces.
China may hesitate in enforcing such harsh
punishments and regulations on factories for fear
of affecting its economy negatively. However,
China should think of its people’s health, even
if such regulation could discourage economic
growth. It is a government’s responsibility to keep
the country clean and safe, and prohibit anything
that may threaten public health. The government
should not allow unsafe operations in factories
behind the excuse of improving the living standard
of China, while much of the population suffers
from chronic illnesses due to constant exposure to
serious air pollution. The economic growth of a
nation is important, but the government needs to
remember that people come first, not the economy.
Since the fatal effects of air pollution are slow
and not visible, not many people take the current
problem seriously enough. Because of this, China
needs to carry out and support more environmental
campaigns that raise public awareness of air
pollution and its effects. For example, a Chinese
artist Nut Brother created a brick out of Beijing
smog after spending 100 days walking in the
city with his industrial vacuum cleaner. Many
people, especially Beijing citizens, were shocked
by his “artwork” and, because of it, realized the
severity of the air they were inhaling every second.
Also the government can educate its people on
how to protect themselves, such as wearing a
mask in the streets and turning on air purifiers.
I strongly believe the current air pollution levels
in many cities around China are reaching unlivable
levels. However, I also believe that this problem
can be resolved if the government would clean up
or limit its factories and also support campaigns
to raise public awareness of the pollution.
Photos courtesy of Thespiritscience.net
Important information from Huffingtonpost.com
December 2015
X inLang Scholar
OPINION/ARTS
A Christmas in China: Mind the Gap
SALLY PARK
Co-Editor in Chief
Letter to the Editor: Response
to “#PrayforParis”
VIVIEN SU
Guest Writer
Saturday morning, after waking up early at a
team sleepover, I went on Instagram, as per
usual, and browsed through the posts in my feed.
It jumped out at me straightaway—the trending
hashtag #prayforParis. I immediately Googled
for news and discovered that, while my team and
I were sound asleep, the city of Paris suffered six
terrorist shootings and four suicide bombings.
I was completely in shock. My heart sank,
and I sat on the mattress staring at my phone
for a good five minutes, hit hard by the news.
When I woke up the next morning, I went on
Facebook and noticed that many of my friends had
filtered their profile pictures with a translucent flag
of France. YouTube was a similar experience; the
logo had changed to display the the colors of the
French flag. There was an outpouring of sympathy
and grief, as well as signs of solidarity for the
Parisians who suffered the tragic terrorist attack,
overwhelming various social media platforms.
As I woke up to a second day after the senseless
massacre, the discussion about Paris took a turn.
A myriad of comments emerged on social media,
criticizing the “selective grief” that dominated
the world in the aftermath of the tragedy in
Paris. The comments pointed out that while the
everyone was busy watching the events in Pairs
unfold, at least 41 were killed and 239 severely
injured in two suicide bombings in Beirut before
the attack on Paris; a major earthquake hit off
the coast of Japan; and a series of bombing
in Baghdad killed at least seven people and
injured 15 others. But these tragedies were
overlooked in the shadow of the Paris attack.
The comments all conveyed a similar message:
because we don’t show the same level of grief,
it means that we don’t value these lives as much.
And it is true. We don’t. We turn our faces
away from abuse and discrimination if it doesn’t
directly concern us. We find it harder to grieve for
people with whom you don’t have a connection.
Finding out about the attacks in Beirut and
Baghdad was far less shocking to me, because
I had no emotional connection or familiarity
with the cities of Beirut and Baghdad. Paris is
the city of love, and even people who haven’t
visited the city feel a stronger, closer tie with
Paris, simply because we are hit harder when the
threat feels more familiar and closer to our home.
It is merely human to value lives differently.
Even sadder was how fast the discussion on
Paris turned political. What started out as a
platform to express grief transformed into a
hot debate about whether or not we should be
changing our profile pictures on Facebook. It
seemed counterintuitive—people nitpicking
about showing empathy for Paris rather than
standing together to support a city in need.
So take your empathy, and your selective grief
if you must, and use it to fight. Use it to remind
yourself of the broken state our world is in and
ask yourself how you can help. Reflect on why
you don’t feel as shocked when tragedies happen
in places other than the West. Educate yourself,
as well as others, on everything that’s going
on, and pay attention to the world more closely.
Prove to the world that you can be better than
the terrorists and better than your yesterday self.
The
XinLang
Scholar
Printed Monthly, except Feb,
July, August. Printed by QiuZhi Print, Shanghai
Created by the Journalism Class at the SMIC Private
School, 169 QingTong Rd., Pudong New Area,
Shanghai, China, 201203
WENDY PARK, Co-Editor in Chief
[email protected]
133-1168-7125
SALLY PARK, Co-Editor in Chief
[email protected]
186-1697-1733
JEFF BOLDT, Faculty Advisor
[email protected]
AMBER ZHAO, ENTMT Editor
[email protected]
BRISSON LAM YAT SUM,
Campus News Editor
[email protected]
KATIE HOANG, Features Editor
[email protected]
MICHAEL CHEN, Sports Editor
[email protected]
LANNIE DENG, Staff Reporter
[email protected]
IRENE CHAN, Staff Reporter
[email protected]
JANE XIA, Staff Reporter
[email protected]
KEN KIM, Staff Reporter
[email protected]
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OPINION/ARTS
December 2015
X inLang Scholar
The Other Side of Penguin: Kung Pao Christmas
JEFF BOLDT
Faculty Advisor
A Letter in Response to ‘Locker Area’ Editorial
DANIEL KIM
Guest Writer
The Xinlang Scholar can certainly be considered
a success over the years in SMIC. Students have
readily scoured the pages of the newspaper as it was
released at the end of each month, some eager to
hear about their respective sports teams or clubs,
and others just interested in general information.
Then there are those who are interested in the
happenings and issues within the school or even
worldwide, which would bring them to page 4 in
the newspaper – Editorials. Although students read
these writings to know more about the issues, they
are also focused on the stance that these writings
take, as well as the persuasiveness of the text, thus
wanting a reflection that takes into consideration
their views and portrays an accurate, fair picture.
This preference that students have brings them
into conflict with some writings, one of them being
the recent editorial written about the locker area
situation. I, as well as many others, believe that
the accusations and points made do not take in the
larger picture, and we thus feel the need to defend
ourselves. The editorial was written about the trash
and the different personal belongings placed there
by the students that have made the environment
in the locker area unappealing, and called for the
students to clean things up. However, I believe
that this places the whole blame upon the students
who, though they are partially to blame, are not
wholly responsible; the school also plays a part.
While students are the ones doing the actual
littering, it is the school that is not providing the
students with the environment that would naturally
lead to the “conducive environment” and “better
impression” advocated in the editorial. Moreover,
achieving these goals would benefit the school
as much as it would the students. Therefore, I
believe that it is only fair, and ultimately a whole
lot more persuasive, to also lay out what the
school can do to bring about a lasting change.
Concerning personal belongings, it would be right
to say that students have limited choices. Either they
carry them around all day, or they place them in the
locker area. As students bring bags full of sports
equipment for training or umbrellas on rainy days,
it is unrealistic for them to be carrying these things
around. Therefore, they have no choice but to place
it in the locker area. Moreover, while the school
may protest that there are other choices to make,
these choices are all inconvenient and thus raise the
question of the school’s genuine interest in cleaning
up the locker area. So, concluding that the locker area
is the destination for these items, what can students
do? This is where the school can come in and create
larger lockers for students to have adequate space
to put all their belongings in, much like the lockers
provided by SAS, which are twice the size of those
in SMIC. Of course, this would be something to turn
to only when truly serious about solving this issue.
As for the trash that litters the locker area,
while students are the main culprits, I believe
the school can take some steps to promote
change. To be specific, it may improve facilities
by installing central heating and air and even
carpeting the floor. These two changes alone
would promote the students’ psychological instinct
to keep things clean while, at the same time,
effectively creating a better impression on visitors.
We students are certainly part of the problem
(namely the litter), but are we the only part of the
solution? In order to truly bring about change to
the locker area situation, I believe the information
I’ve raised and the side of the issue regarding the
school’s possible contribution should be presented
as well. In this way, the students will feel that their
changes will be matched by those of the school. And
though I mean no disrespect to the writer, including
such items in this editorial would have been more
accurate and fair, and therefore more appealing to
X inLang Scholar
Photo courtesy of Jump Radio
Photo courtesy of Kiss FM
SMIC teachers and students offered their view on
the song, Hello. Art teacher Ms. Ashley Hayes
praised it for its charged emotions, “It’s one of
those songs that [sticks] in your head forever.” English teacher Mrs. Sharon Ma said, “I like Hello”,
and then poetically characterized Adele’s continuous success, saying, “Adele is like fine wine—she
gets better when she ages.” High School student
Tanvi Hegde (11C) had a slightly different opinion: “[Hello] is a good song but too dramatic.”
Though the songs themselves are overly extended and sometimes too sentimental, I think 25 will be many people’s favorite,
thus continuing Adele’s tradition of success.
tain Phasma, who “commands the First Order’s legions of Stormtroopers.”
Kylo Ren is easily identified in the trailer as the masked guy with a crossshaped red light saber; he has that frightening deep hoarse voice that refreshes
the memory of Darth Vader. In the trailer, he speaks to the helmet of Darth
Vader about “finishing what you started” and “no one will stand in our way”.
Then how did the life of Rey and Finn crosses each other? Based on both
the official trailer and the special edition made for Mainland Chinese audiences, Rey first encounters Poe Dameron’s spherical droid – BB-8, and
separately Finn lands on Jakku and is
later discovered by Rey. Afterwards,
the First Order jets attack them for unknown reasons, but perhaps their aim
is Poe’s droid BB-8. Though neither
trailer shows much about the consequent events, they do offer a glimpse
at splendid aerial combats and ground
assaults which occur in at least 3 distinct locations. In one quick tilting
shot, Resistance X-Wing Fighters
are flooding toward a star destroyer in outer space. Before that, green
Photo courtesy of Starwars.com forest scenes intercut snow scenes,
and intense combats are everywhere. In another noticeable shot, Finn
holds a blue light saber in snow and starts his dual with Kylo Ren.
Could the Resistance survive under the looming of the First Order? Who is Finn
and where is Luke Skywalker? Is Finn using Luke’s light saber? All questions will
have proper answers on Jan. 9th. Even if you are not a Star Wars fan of haven’t
seen any of the 7 episodes, the movie is worth your ticket money for sure. Our
Athletic Director Mr. Bates, went to Hong Kong for the international premiere
and said, “the movie can easily be enjoyed [w/o familiarity with the series] due
to the story of Rey, the performances of the actors, and the visual quality of the
film.” So quit torrenting and purchase a Star Wars: The Force Awakens ticket.
Our Most Popular Christmas Foods and Drinks
Lannie Deng
Staff Reporter
Photos courtesy of Restaurantgirl.com, About.com
and richly textured production – all sung as if her
life depends on it. There are deep, resonant piano
ballads...a brace of slinky, playful pop belters…and
some spooky, thunderous, big production dramas.”
However, a few critics pointed out that Adele did
not try to innovate on her previous success. Alexis
Petridis from The Guardian is one of them. Petridis
commented, “[25] reprises the themes of its predecessor – there’s no sign of Adele using her commercial clout to buy herself room for adventure.”
She rated the album three out of five. Entertainment magazine Rolling Stone gave the album a five
out of five, and Billboard rated it four out of five.
These professional critiques are only for reference but, in my opinion, the album is not bad. Some
X inLang Scholar
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Michael Chen
ENTMT Editor
The long-awaited 7th Star Wars movie The Force Awakens will be first released in cinemas on Jan. 9th in mainland China and on Dec 18th in North
America. The director J.J. Abrams is under pressure to take the time-honored
series to a new height, as he did with Star Trek. Common audiences like Linda Lee (12A) wondered how the storyline would continue after the Rebels
gave the Empire a fatal blow in Return of the Jedi. “I’m curious how the plot
is going to go on, considering the last episode, which the bad guys were defeated,” stated Linda. As the audiences were looking forward to the new
movie, excited fans have already been
speculating and discussing about the
movie’s plot based on the final trailer.
Some reckoned that Luke Skywalker is in serious trouble since his face
never shows up in the trailer, or Rey
might be the daughter of Leia and
Han Solo. Although director Abrams
has revealed very little about the new
movie, the Star Wars official website
does put out pithy character and setting profiles on The Force Awakens.
The Force Awakens starts approximately 30 years after what happened
in Return of the Jedi. Although Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill
who starred in the original trilogy would reappear in the film, many new
characters are under the movie’s spotlight as well. If the trailers are any indication, it seems that our new protagonists are Finn, who appears to be an
ex-Stormtrooper, Rey, a female scavenger who lives on the desert planet Jakku, and Poe Dameron, an X-Wing pilot. On the other side, our new antagonists belong to a group called the “First Order”, which seems to have resurrected from the Empire because it too uses Stormtroopers, TIE Fighters,
and Star Destroyers. Among them, Kylo Ren is described as “a dark warrior
strong with the Force”, General Hux, a general in the First Order, and Cap-
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Photo courtesy of BBC
Evelyn continues, saying, “The directing and casting [in Sherlock] are all superb. The adaptation of
Sherlock from the original stories is also twisted to make it more modern—and it’s done well.”
For those who have never watched, Sherlock is
a BBC television show based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes book series. Every
season of Sherlock only consists of three episodes,
and each one is around 90 minutes long. As a crime
drama, Sherlock has received praise for its quality, and was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards
and one Golden Globe. The Golden Globe and the
Emmy Award are both accolades for excellence in
the film and television industry and have been recognized by the entertainment field as some of the
most prestigious film-related award ceremonies.
Sherlock is suitable for anybody who likes
a little mystery and suspense, and even if one
doesn’t, it will provide entertainment for all.
Adele’s New Album 25 Receives Critical Praise
After four years of silence, British singer Adele
Adkins finally released her newest album, 25, on
Nov. 20th, shaking up the music market. The album has been the best seller according to the UK
based Official Charts data since its release, beating
rivals such as One Direction’s Made in the AM
and Justin Bieber’s Purpose. The album contains
11 songs, one of which is the widely known Hello. Most of the lyrics were written by Adele herself, but some are collaborations with other writers.
In general, the critics have praised her album. Music critic Neil McCormick from the Daily Telegraph
gave it five out of five stars and said, “25 is crammed
top to bottom with perfectly formed songs – elegantly flowing melodies, direct and truthful lyrics
entertainment
Michael Chen
ENTMT Editor
Lannie Deng
Staff Reporter
pipe. Contrasted from the Sherlock regular seasons, which is set in contemporary London, the
fans wonder if this new episode will live up to their
expectations. Benedict Cumberbatch expresses his
opinion in an interview with BBC: “I don’t really
know how the fans are going to react to it,” he says.
“We haven’t disappointed fans in the past, it seems,
so hopefully this won’t. I hope they enjoy it.”
SMIC students are eagerly anticipating The
Abominable Bride Christmas special as well. Rose
Min (12B) is one of them, and she comments, “I
really can’t wait to see Benedict Cumberbatch
and Martin Freeman in their roles in the original
[books’] Victorian setting.” Former SMIC student, Evelyn Wan, also expresses her opinion of
the new episode. “I really look forward to [the
special]! The fact that it’s set in the Victorian era
gives us a whole new outlook on the show itself,
and besides, who doesn’t enjoy more Sherlock?”
December 2015
The Force Awakens: CAN YOU FEEL IT?
Long Awaited Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
After two years of dreadful waiting, finally it
is time for the Sherlock Christmas Special: The
Abominable Bride. This special is set to air on
January 1st of 2016, exactly two years since the
premier of Sherlock season 3. Sources also say
that this Christmas/New Year special will eventually air in China as well, but the date is not yet
set. Unfortunately, even though there are approximately ONE AND A HALF years till the expected air date of season 4 (2017), the news of
this special is still something to look forward to.
This season sends Sherlock Holmes (Benedict
Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman)
back to Victorian London where they attempt to
solve the mystery of a ghost bride. The ghost was
once Mr. Ricoletti’s wife, but after she takes her
own life, she reappears on the streets. According
to fans, Benedict Cumberbatch was seen on set
wearing the iconic Holmes’s deerstalker hat and
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December 2015
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entertainment
December 2015
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January Events and Exhibitions in Shanghai
Lannie Deng
Staff Reporter
Harry Potter Exhibition
When: December 5th -- February 28th ¬¬
Where: Super Brand Mall, 9th floor
Price: Adult: 170 RMB. Student: 130 RMB. Kids: 110 RMB. (For tickets,
go to damai.com)
Details: It is a 1400-squared-meter exhibition that includes some of the most
well-known Harry Potter settings such as the Gryffindor dorms, the herbology and potions classrooms, and the Forbidden Forest. Goers are able to
have interaction with the exhibits. They can “throw” Quaffles in a game
of Quidditch, pluck mandrakes in the herbology classroom, or even sit on
Hagrid’s extra-large chair. Props from the actual set are also on display:
the Time Turner, Harry’s wand, the Nimbus 2000 broom, and many, many
more.
Photo courtesy of Mugglenet.com
Da Vinci “the Genius” Exhibition
When: December 8th -- April 7th
Where: The Hub
Price: Weekdays: 130 RMB. Weekends/holidays: 150 RMB.
Details: The eExhibition brings the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci to life
through realizing inventions on his codices . It also includes the exclusive
Secrets of Mono Lisa: a carefully done analysis by the Louvre Museum and
a re-creation of The Last Supper at actual size. This exhibition provides an
insight into the mind of the Leonardo daVinci and gives inspiration to all
visitors. (information and phrases from grade exhibitions)
Adam Lambert “The Original High” Concert
When: January 5th, 2016
Where: The Mercedes Benz Area
Ptice: 480/780/980 RMB
Details: Well known for “Whataya Want from Me” and “Trespassing”,
Adam Lambert returns to Shanghai after his tour in 2013.
Christmas Word Search: Happy Hunting
Photo courtesy of XinLang
Find all hidden Christmas words in the puzzle below (Words can be spelled forwards, backwards, diagonally, up, or down)
Word List:
BELLS
CANDYCANE
CARD
FAMILY
HOLLY
PUDDING
RUDOLPH
SLEIGH
SNOWMAN
SPIRIT
TIDINGS
TRADITION
Photo courtesy of Chinaholidays.co.uk
10
December 2015
features
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Hardworking Ayis Important Part of Our School
Ken Kim
Staff Reporter
It may be fair to say that students of SMIC produce a clean environment.” They also mentioned they presents during the holidays. Recently, we heard
a great amount of waste on a daily basis. Some of the appreciate the fact that they are respected by the that we are getting Red Envelopes for Christmas!”
trash goes into trashcans,
However, the Ayis also revealed
while some just ends up
that sometimes the difficulty of the
on the floor. However,
job is related to the students. They
thanks to the Ayis great
stated, “We know that this doesn’t
effort into maintaining
apply to everyone, but students are
school cleanliness, this
generally the ones that make things
has not happened yet.
tough for us. When we go up to the
The Ayis are the ones
gym or go to the hallways every day,
who go around the school
we always spot the water purifiers
to maintain hygiene in
being knocked down, and the water
the school, and most of
leaking. When this happens, we are
them have been devoting
the ones who lift them back up, and
around nine to ten years
clean up all the mess. Also, when
of their life at this school,
the students use the bathrooms,
cleaning up on a daily
they either don’t flush the toilets,
basis. According to the
or they just flick their hands after
Ayis, though the work is
washing them. By flicking the
hard, they explained that
wet hands, the mirrors end up
they were happy that they
with countless water stains, which
could serve the students.
are not easy to constantly clean.”
They mentioned, “We
After, they mentioned, “Honestly,
usually come to the Group shot of SMIC ayis
Photo Courtesy of Ken Kim all we want from the students
school no later than 7:00
is respect. It can give us energy
AM and leave around 5:00 PM. It is definitely hard faculty and staff. “Usually, when we are cleaning and motivate us to work harder for the school.”
work for us to do, since we work a lot, and also take up the cafeteria before and after lunch time, we see
During this holiday season, why don’t we show
care of our families at home. However, we also think one or two teachers sitting, with all kinds of snacks some love to the Ayis and appreciate their hard work?
this job is worth doing, since students can study in that are for us. Also, the school gives us tons of
December 2015
features
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11
Teacher Behind Winter Concert: Ms. Jeanie Hooi
Brisson Lam
Features Editor
Photo Courtesy of Yearbook
The Christmas concert at our school has
been going on for years, with every year
featuring eye-catching performances and
amazing musicals. When people think about
the event, they generally relate it to one
teacher—yes, you probably guessed it—
Ms. Jeannie Hooi, our MHS Music teacher.
Ms. Jeannie has been organizing this event
annually since the early days of SMIC.
By working hard and devoting a massive
amount of time every year, Ms. Jeannie
aims to bring the Christmas spirit and offer
a time to showcase the talent of SMIC
students through this highly anticipated
concert. This year, the Chinese and English
Track middle school students, high school
vocal band, high school orchestra, Dance
club, and Drama club all performed. “[The
concert] helps [students] build confidence
to perform in front of huge crowd, and they
can also learn to work with each other to put
up a good show.” She also greatly enjoys the
students perform. “It is a pleasure to watch
the students perform on stage, especially
when they have put a great amount of
effort and time in preparing for the event.”
However, easy as it is said, Ms. Jeannie
has faced many obstacles and difficulties
in conducting the concert. She explains
that every year, she has to come up with
original ideas so that the overall show
looks unique. Furthermore, although she
always prepares ahead of time, she and her
team are usually rushing against time to
perfect each performance. She also adds:
“Some students are too shy to perform in
front of a great crowd, and I have had to
encourage them to be more participative.”
Despite such challenges, Ms. Jeannie
continues to organize and conduct the
Christmas
concert
with
excellence,
bringing
the
SMIC
community
a
heart-warming and celebratory event.
Ms. Jeannie Hooi shows her joy
General Affairs Works on School Improvement
Ken Kim
Staff Reporter
Photo Courtesy of Ken Kim
More and More Clubs Involved in Charities
Brisson Lam
Features Editor
As the school year progresses, more and more
clubs are carrying out plans for charity events;
among them are SAGE (Student for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship), CFK
(Cookies for Kenya), and CSC (Community Service club). These clubs strive to bring a change
in the world by taking their own small steps.
SAGE club is hosting “ClotheEnough”—a program dedicated to collecting and selling used
clothes—the profits of which will go to charity (the
donation box located in the first floor locker area).
The president of the club, Rose Min (12B), explains
her clubs’ actions: “We thought that a lot of people
would have unwanted and old clothes at home that
they don’t know what to do with, and many clubs
[in] Taiwan have drop boxes right next to pharmacies and food markets. We then realized that we do
not have enough of that in Shanghai, so we decided
to make a small one in our school.” She originally
thought of just collecting the clothes, but then had
Photo Courtesy of SAGE club
the idea of asking student designers to redesign the
collected clothes into more stylistic and useful items
and to then sell them for charity. “I would also want
to start workshops at restaurants like Mamatown to
teach kids to create their own clothing,” Rose further
adds. The project would be a year-long program.
Another club, CFK, is selling Christmas grams
to aid the Kenyan Children Foundation, which
strives to build homes and schools for homeless
and destitute children in Kenya. Selling at 10 RMB
per Christmas gram, each box of goodies contains a Rice Krispie treat and chocolates inside,
along with an optional card to write to the receiver. “We hope that this event would allow students
to experience the joy of baking and selling goods
while donating money for a good cause,” President of CFK, Emily Huang (12A), explained.
Last but not least, CSC is hosting the annual Giving Tree project. Every year, CSC delivers over
600 bags filled with warm clothes, school supplies,
and gifts to kids in a migrant school. When people donate money for the Giving Tree, the club orders individualized items for each one of the Giving Tree bags. President of CSC, Elizabeth Shin
(12B), expressed her thoughts: “During the ‘Giving
Tree Stuffing’, the club members, parents, and the
school faculty all gather in the auditorium and help
us fill the bags. It’s amazing how this project creates such a strong sense of community!” On distribution day, the CSC members personally go to the
migrant school and deliver the bags to the children.
And as Vice President of CSC, Tanvi Hegde (11C),
exclaimed, “The smiles on the children’s faces
make the entire project worthwhile!” She hopes
that the Giving Tree project would spread love
and kindness to those outside of our community.
As they carry out their innovative ideas, these three clubs are working to achieve
their goals and to help more people in need.
CSC spends time with migrant kids
Photo Courtesy of CSC
The GA staff stands tall and proud
When thinking about the different offices in this
school, the Student Affairs (SA) office or Academic Affairs (AA) office may come to mind. However, many may not be aware of the General Affairs (GA) office and the tasks that it performs for
the students’ comfort during their campus life.
The General Affairs Office, like others, is involved
in many things and most of their duties are closely
related to the students. These things include: school
bus arrangements, repairing things in the school,
helping coordinate school events (Sports Day, Sharks
Fiesta, etc.), taking care of the buildings, oversee-
Ever improving SMIC campus
ing cafeteria issues, purchasing all the supplies that
are needed in school, etc. etc. They are also the ones
in charge of certain aspects of the school’s physical improvement—from installing the new air conditioners to making changes to the bathrooms. So,
without all the contributions of the GA Office, the
SMIC Private School wouldn’t be like how it is now.
The director of the GA Office, Ms. Jade Tang,
revealed the reason why she works in the GA department: “Working as a director of the GA Office is a tiring job, since I need to [be on call] 24
hours, but whenever I see the students enjoying
all the privileges we brought them, I feel proud of
myself, and I am motivated to work even harder.”
However, she mentioned that her office is always
annoyed when the students destroy the equipment that the office installed. “Whenever we put
in something new, or repair a broken thing, the
students [have many times] destroyed them,” she
said. “And so, if we could give one request to
the students of SMIC, we sincerely wish that you
would take care of all the supplies and equipment.”
12
December 2015
shark sports
X inLang Scholar
Varsity Girls Win Nail-Biter Against SCIS 35-34
JANE XIA
Staff Reporter
The Varsity Girls’ Basketball team won 35-34
against Shanghai Community International School
(SCIS) on December 9th. Although it was a very
close call, the team had benefitted much from it.
“The game was close but I feel extremely proud
of my team for staying calm and focused the entire game,” said Tina Tsou (12B), co-captain of
the team. There were injuries, absents, and physical differences between the teams that gave the
SMIC team disadvantages; however, due to their
teamwork and effort, the Sharks were able to take
home the glory. “The other team was much bigger than us, per usual, so the girls had to closely
adhere to their game plan to neutralize as much
of that advantage and maximize our best assets,”
commented Coach Brian Bates, the coach of Varsity Girls’ Basketball team. Even though the SMIC
team was smaller than their opponents, it actually
wasn’t entirely a bad thing. There are some advantages to it. “I don’t mind that we’re the smallest team, it gives us a focus and determination to
overcome the advantages that the other teams are
often just given,” Coach Bates stated. The varsity girls were able to manage their tactics, and the
communication among the players went smoothly.
Moreover, the girls played aggressively while out
on the court, giving all that they could., “We showed
a lot of determination and perseverance to overcome
the things out of our control; Jessica Xu fought the
Photo Courtesy of Sandy Chen
Sophie Chao leading her teammates
whole game against girls much bigger than her and
really gutted out the game for us,” stated Coach
Bates proudly, “the offense looked great yesterday
as well; I think it was the first time we stayed fo-
cused on our execution and that truly is the only reason we were able to pull out the win.” The team is
doing fairly well and there is not much that needs to
be changed, “What we need to work on is just a continuance or refinement of what we’re already doing. The defense looks great, we just need to build
more chemistry in it.” Commented Coach Bates.
Although it is a close game, it is definitely a
well fought and memorable one. Many girls out
did themselves and were great together as a team.
“Sophie Chao scored the bulk of our points due to
her great skill but also due to her unselfish commitment to the offensive scheme,” stated Coach
Bates proudly, “Megan Huang and Yvonne Lin
were so strong on defense in the backcourt; we had
an amazing defensive effort in this one! Yvonne
has really turned into the kind of defender that
you hope doesn’t get assigned to you; she’s so
fierce!” Sophie Chao (9C), a valuable player of
the team commented, “I think our team did a great
job on both offense and defense. We were able to
keep the scores close till the end of the game.”
After such a fierce game, the SMIC Varsity Girls look
forward to bringing back more awards in the future.
High School Boys Soccer Start Preparations Early
AMBER ZHAO
Sports Editor
The soccer season for 2015 had officially ended last month. However, our coach and players of the High School varsity boys’ soccer team
hesitate no more, and started the preseason right
away. The team practices once or twice a week.
Coach Simon Pang stated, “We were consistently doing very well last year, winning 1st place
in the league.” However, he implied that the game
for 2016 will be both “harder” and “bigger”.
Significant changes in pitch and format are taking place for the upcoming season, which begins
after the Chinese New Year Holiday. This is the
first time for SMIC athletics to switch from a
7-a-side game to an 11-a-side game. Also, for the
2016 season, players have to manage a full field
game. The school has decided to do so in consideration of catching up the trend with contemporary soccer games. “It is going to be a challenging
year. We are building for the future. It will be a
transitional year to help them [Varsity Boys’ soccer team] completely understand the game. The
changes we have to make are both technical and
tactical.” said Coach Pang. Minor changes, such as
purchasing new soccer balls, are also happening.
Coach Pang implied that next year, the varsity
boys are facing both harder competitions and bigger teams. “We are going to compete with one of
the best teams next year.” he stated. Brandon Lee
(12B), captain of the team, also humbly stated his
resolution. “This is my 6th year playing varsity
soccer team. Because we are joining an 11-a-side
league, I think it is my responsibility to get [players] warmed up and get adapted to the new environment. As a captain and only senior in the team,
I really hope we can bring a favorable result. It is
the earliest preseason [we’ve] ever had. Also, I hope
more players can join the team for [the] future.”
The time left for the tournament now is roughly 4 weeks. After the official season starts,
only 2 weeks are left for the players. Coach
Pang expects practicing four times a week
and having more friendly games with other
schools after the 2016 season officially starts.
boys’ team, confidently stated, “This is a great team.”
According to Ethan Yu (12B), who scored second
place in boys’ singles, the team has been changing
its mindset. “Since we lost our five-peat last year,
we have been training harder this year to get back
on track. Now everyone on the team realizes that
first place in the past is not to be taken for granted—
[we’ve learned] to be humble and keep moving forward without underestimating our opponents.” This
season, the team worked hard to fully represent the
athletic motto of SMIC: “Play hard and play fair, with
integrity and good sportsmanship.” All team members practiced diligently, meeting every Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 3:30 to 5:00.
Freya Wang (12A) provided more insight into their
work ethic: “When we were filming for the English
project, Sam practiced table tennis in his free time.”
Ethan further expressed his appreciation towards
the three “very talented” freshmen, Sophie Chao
(9C), Joyce Wu (9C), and Karin Tan (9C)—new
to the varsity girls’ team—for successfully adding
to the team’s great reputation. Cindy Chang (12A),
who used to play for varsity, stated that she was so
surprised that the girls really made their way to 2nd
place, which is the furthest they have ever gotten.
The Middle school Table Tennis team, coached
by Ms. Sandy Ma, Ms. Whitney Andrews,
and Ms. Ruby Xiao, also performed extraordinarily in the tournament on December 5th,
competing in three locations (YCIS, SAS,
and Shanghai French School). The MS team
is represented by seven boys and four girls.
“This season [went] from November 11th to
December 5th, which means we only have three
weeks for preparation. We really didn’t do much,
but our students are so great,” offered Ms. Ruby.
During the tournament, Tony Chang (8A) and Sarah Quan (6A) basically won every match they attended. Even though there are no trophies in CISSA, the middle school players still did their best.
Ms. Ruby also expressed her expectations towards
the future, “If they continue practicing, their skills
will improve a lot. There are also many great players in the high school team. I believe, next year, by
joining the Varsity Table Tennis team, our middle
school players can definitely learn something benefiting themselves from the high school team.”
With such effort from both our hardworking players and revered coaches, the Sharks Table Tennis
tradition of winning will surely continue next year!
Photo Courtesy of Derrie Kwan
Table Tennis Team Continues to Show Dominance
AMBER ZHAO
Sports Editor
Joy Chang (left), Sophie Chao (middle), and
Karin Tan (right) pose with their trophies
On November 21st, under the guidance of Coach
Patrick Farley and Coach Tricia Kirkendall,
both the varsity boys and varsity girls won 2nd
place in the SISAC table tennis tournament (attending schools were Yew Chung International
School (YCIS), Shanghai American School (SAS),
Nanjing International School, Dulwich College
Shanghai (DCS), Concordia International School
Shanghai (CISS), and Shanghai French School).
Anthony Huang (12A), the captain of the varsity