Eagle May 2013

A PUBLICATION OF SHANGHAI AMERICAN SCHOOLMAY 2013

Science excellenceHydroponic lettuce, Rube Goldberg machines, and more.

pp. 33-35

outSide the claSSroomFaculty share their talents in first Faculty Art Show. pp. 46–47

Becoming BilingualEnglish as an additional language students write and share stories.

p. 13

coming to lifeScores of famous people visit elementary school.

p. 20-21

VOL 4, NUMBER 8MAY 2013

4 Two championsKerry Jacobson

Strive, drive, and thriveBrad Latzke

Counselors’ corner: Tackling transitionsKaren Kinsella

2013 Board of Directors electionShawnee Russell

Real live Wires visit SASGenevieve Barrons

EARCOS teachers’ conferenceErin McCall

Hungry for changeBob Gould

¡Hola, España!Candace Wang, Maggie He, and Alison Hoeman

Date with dadNancy Stevenson and Jamie Liu

Students star in The Sound of MusicJoshua Ng

1st Place at the Sunny Bangkok SplashEmily Aronovitz

IB Art Shows

Dancing through lifeYvonne Ye

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On the cover: High school band and choir students take some time off from rehearsals to go sand duning outside Dubai. Full story on page 30.

The Eagle is produced by the SAS Communications Office, based on both the Puxi and Pudong campuses. Information in the magazine is primarily about SAS people and organizations. We encourage parents, students, teachers, and administrators to submit stories and photography. All submissions will be edited for style, length, and tone. Articles and stories from the Eagle also appear on our Eagle Online website, at www.eagleonline.org.

The Eagle Production TeamManaging Editor: Zachary YoungEagle Staff: Genevieve BarronsGraphic Designers: Fredrik Jönsson and Cindy WangAdvertising Manager: Taylor HaydenExecutive Editor: Steven Lane

Production Schedule 2013June issue: Copy deadline May 20

Email: [email protected]

Board Meeting Dates for 2013Board Meeting #9: Monday, May 27, 2013 @ 6:30 PM Pudong Campus, High School Library Garden RoomBoard Meeting #10: Saturday, June 8, 2013 @ 8:00 AM Kerry Center, Jun He Law Offices, 32 F No. 1515 Nanjing W. Road

Agendas and minutes of all Board meetings are available through the Parent Portal of Power-school under SAS BoardPages.

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Shanghai American SchoolA n I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o m m u n i t y

Also: Touchdown! SAS scores big donation; SAS students win LittleStar-YCIS short story competion; Great lengths for a great cause; Lettuce smile together; Sapphire substrates and catalytic converters; What’s the buzz all about?; Ji-li Jiang has audience mesmerized; Faculty Follies; Lighting up the silver screen; ISTA Festival; Dancing through life; and Summer Academy @ SAS.

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hABitAt fOR hUMANitY tRipsBy Jason Huang, Jamie Lee, Jocelyn Hung, Mike Weyrich, Alejandro Pumarejo, Celine Renaud-Brice, and Elizabeth Consuela-Lafaunda Low

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EscApE tO pARAdisEBy Julie Wild

REActiVAtiNg OUR iMAgiNAtiONsBy Jason Maddock

VOL 4, NUMBER 8: MAY 20134

One of my favorite stories comes from Alex Haley, the author of Roots. When asked why he kept a

picture of a turtle sitting on a fence in his office, he responded, “If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he had some help.”

I’ve thought of this line many times as I’ve reflected on all of the talented people who have helped me. In my case, at SAS, hundreds have had a hand in giving me a good place to observe the school. Two of the most helpful have been our deputy superintendents, Andy Torris and Alan Knobloch. Both of these men bring prodi-gious skills to SAS along with very personal commitments to the success of our school. Each is an insightful leader in his own right.

Alan is the head of the Puxi campus. Daily, he provides clarity to this large insti-tution and makes certain that each teacher and principal has the tools necessary to allow for the accomplishment of a myriad of goals for each student. He also works diligently throughout the year as the facili-tator of the Human Resources Committee, leader of the budgeting process, and conve-ner of a variety of educational groups.

Andy has directed the Pudong campus since its infancy. He has made sure that the

growth of campus programs is consis-tent with the mission of the school, caring for each inhabitant with an exceptional commitment to the success of others. In addition to this de-manding role, Andy facilitates the SAS Finance Commit-tee, leads the design and development of the Performing Arts Center, and orga-nizes many of the educational under-takings of the faculty and administration on a daily basis.

Both of them willingly jump into whatever task needs at-tention, and are particularly adept at han-dling those chores that are least desirable. This year, they have tackled one very diffi-cult expectation of our strategic plan: “The school has instituted a transparent and efficient evaluation process of both capital and operational spending decisions, such as budgeting, educational resources, facilities, and staffing, in alignment with strategic objectives.” In their inimitable way, Andy and Alan shepherd all of us toward this goal with insight and wisdom. It could well turn out that, over the long haul, this result will have the biggest impact on the ability of SAS to deliver its promise.

All of us have help in our roles in one way or another. These assistants often play the most critical role in promoting the accomplishment of goals. What could Winnie-the-Pooh have accomplished with-out Piglet? Don Quixote without Sancho Panza? Or Harry Potter without Hermione

Granger? So it is with Andy and Alan and SAS. Their deft recall, nearly encyclopedic knowledge of our operations, quick action, and sage advice guide nearly all of our daily undertakings.

How does this happen? And, what relationship do their deeds have to the achievement levels of our children?

My observation is that Andy and Alan are the best examples of one of the most important qualities of true leaders. They are champions — and they fit the descriptions perfectly. As a noun, both are certainly champions: winners and advo-cates of the young and the teachers who train them. As verbs, they are also the first to recognize the needs of each school, of each educator, of each child, and then to champion the solutions in meetings, hall-ways, and gatherings.

I’ve witnessed Andy as he explains to parents the need to provide balance to our children’s lives and then offers ways to do just that. Alan, as he has brought clarity and accessibility to the budgeting process for all of us, has advocated for the right of all of our students to expect a world-class learning environment. They champion for others.

Over time, Andy and Alan have become trusted. They have made and man-aged promises to all of us in professional ways that allow us to know that our needs will be cared for when they are in charge. For this, they have asked for no particular recognition. But, like all of us, appropriate acknowledgement is welcome when due. And, for those of us in the SAS communi-ty who know that nothing we accomplish is successful by itself, for those of us who recognize that we sit on fence posts only by the help of others, we give our deep-est thanks and appreciation to our deputy superintendents. They are champions for us all.

Two championsBY KERRY JACOBSON, SUPERINTENDENT

“What could Winnie-the-Pooh have accomplished without Piglet? Don Quixote without Sancho Panza? Or Harry Potter without Hermione Granger?”

WWW.EAGLEONLINE.ORG 5

The Knowledge Age is over. Although what you know will always be important, it no longer drives education or business. Studies reveal that leveraging knowledge —

through development of 21st century skills such as creativity, criti-cal thinking, collaboration, and innovation — is vital to support learning and work.

Unfortunately, our traditional educational beliefs and practices often fall short in preparing children for future learning. The 3Rs will always be a foundational piece for learning, but research shows that understanding how we learn, what motivates us to learn, and developing aspirations and passions as a part of learning leads to greater fulfillment and success in life.

As a parent, teacher, or learner, what can we do to support this shift in learning and education? Although shifting our think-ing and finding a starting point with children may seem daunting, there are many resources that can help us prepare our children for the future. I’ve compiled a few widely respected books to get you started. These resources are just a few examples of the overwhelming evidence that learning and education must adapt to changes in the world around us.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

If you have time for just one book, read this one. Dweck talks about fixed mindsets versus growth mindsets and how these influence our lives. For example, inappropriate praise can actually decrease a child’s willingness to learn by creating fear of new learning and taking risks. Children who receive praise based on natural talents or intelligence are less likely

to expand their learning for fear of losing recognition. This type of praise supports a fixed mindset. Children who receive praise for determination and perseverance are more willing to learn new things through trial and error and failure. These children are being supported to develop a growth mindset. Dweck states, “Those with a fixed mindset feel their parents won’t love and respect them unless they fulfill their parents’ aspirations for them.”

Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being by Martin E. P. Seligman

Humans have mastered the task of making money and accumulating financial wealth. We have done a poor job of finding happi-ness. Flourish provides examples and tips to parents on how to find happiness in your own life and support children in maximizing the learning process.

Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers by Peter L. Benson

Extremely strong SAT scores and GPAs are not enough for admission to top Ivy League schools.Harvard looks beyond the numbers to provide admission to students who have self-discovered a passion and pursued it relentlessly. Students who

develop unique passions are better positioned for success in the future. Sparks is research-based and provides common sense tips on how to help your child move from “surviving” to “thriving” and to discover a passion that drives learning.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink

Pink’s primary focus is that motivation and success are best developed through autonomy, mastery, and purpose. This comes from inter-nal motivation, our drive to learn and succeed based on personal interests and needs. He describes extrinsic rewards (carrot or stick ap-proach) as ineffective in achieving long-term success. Using an extrinsic reward can result in short-term gain but is difficult to sustain and does not assist in mastery. A strong focus

on report card results is an example of an extrinsic motivator. Pink believes a focus on report cards creates an avoidance of risk taking as it becomes a reward for compliance and doesn’t have much to do with learning.

Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World by Tony Wagner

Wagner is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and lead-ing thinker on changes and the future of American school systems. He “explores what parents, teachers, and employers must do to develop the capacities of young people to become innovators.” In his book, Wagner follows young, successful innovators looking for what made them this way. Among other findings, he talks of outlier parents, teachers,

or mentors that supported the innovators to experiment with their learning and pursue passions without worry of future career impact.

Strive, drive, and thriveRecommended reads to help parents optimize a child’s learning experienceBY BRAD LATzKE, mIDDLE SChOOL PRINCIPAL, PUxI CAmPUS


The end of another school year is quickly

approaching. While summer break is viewed as a well-deserved re-prieve, it can also mean a huge shift in daily routines and a time for transitions.

Transitions are movements, passages, or changes from one situation to another. They can be gradual or sudden. They can be minor or major. Some of our students will be graduating and moving on to college. Others may be moving to a new school as a result of family relocation. Moving into high

school or middle school may be on the ho-rizon and all of our students will be mov-ing to a new grade level. Even adjusting to a summer schedule constitutes a transition. So, get ready, change is coming, and as we all know, change can be stressful.

Learning through changeInevitably, life is full of changes. Our ca-pacity to cope with change is one compo-nent of our mental and emotional well-being. We are all familiar with the feelings experienced when change occurs. Feelings can range from eagerness and excitement to apprehension and anxiety. Individual temperaments and personal experiences combine to influence how we approach and deal with change.

Even though transitions are typically stressful periods, they can also be oppor-tunities for growth and the acquisition of coping skills. This holds especially true for children. How the adults in their lives guide them through the process of change has a profound impact on their ability to adapt, cope, and build resilience. Teaching children to respond to a transition phase with flexibility and positivity is an impor-tant life skill.

EmpowermentEntering the unknown can make a child feel powerless. Help them regain a sense of control. Tell them what to expect and how to best navigate it. Walking them through the process by keeping them informed helps to demystify the new experience. Knowledge is power, so provide it. Strate-gies for empowerment include:

y Answering their questions — Encour-age them to ask questions and provide them with honest answers. If you do not know the answers, teach them to search out resources that give the explanations they need.

y Involving your child in decisions that promote coping — Find out what they need to make them more comfortable. Don’t assume you know what works for them. Ask them directly and help them to develop strategies they can use.

y Encouraging optimism — Focus on their strengths and personal growth. Point out their resourcefulness and resilience when they show signs of adapting to change.

y Teaching them to predict change — Learning to plan ahead and develop strategies for coping can cut down on their anxiety and make them feel more secure when transitions take place.

It’s impossible to avoid change and transitions in life. But it is possible to survive them. That is the message we need to send to our children. Teaching them to tackle transitions in a healthy and confident manner is a skill they can use for a lifetime.

Providing SupportAny new beginning involves ending something familiar. Since children thrive on routine, a change in routine can create a sense of uncertainty. It can elicit stress, which can be displayed through feelings of anger, fear, or anxiety. This can be a signal that your child is having difficulty coping with the changes he or she is encountering.

For parents, this can be frustrating. But if you want to help them let go of the old and embrace the new, provide them with support and empathy. Acknowledge their feelings, help them to recognize their response to the change, and teach them to regulate their emotions.

Some ways to show empathy and support are:

y Listen — Become an empathetic listener by acknowledging your child’s feelings. Let them share their emotions without being critical.

y Normalize the experience — Let them know that everyone has difficulty cop-ing with change. Share a personal story of your own that involves a life change and explain how you managed it.

y Ask open-ended questions — Ask questions that give you insight into their thoughts, fears, and feelings. Use this information to help them problem solve and cope.

y Generate a stress-buster list — Help them devise a list of activities that help them manage their stress and soothe their emotions: exercise, reading, etc.

y Manage your own emotions in response to theirs — Reacting emotionally only escalates the situation. Model a calm and flexible demeanor for them.

Tackling transitions BY KAREN KINSELLA, mIDDLE SChOOL COUNSELOR, PUxI CAmPUS

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“Teaching children to respond to a transition phase with flexibility and positivity is an important life skill.”


otherwise be available.For more information about the

program or to make a donation, you may contact Cindy Easton at [email protected].

2013 Board of Directors election under wayGet your vote counted

Touchdown! SAS scores big donation

The 2013 SAS Board of Directors Election is currently in process. In April the candidates met with parents at several Meet the Candidate events

where they shared their vision for the future of the school. Voting begins May 2 and ballots are due no later than

5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22. They can be dropped off at any of the eight drop off locations on campus. There is one in each division, one in the Pudong admissions office, and one in the Puxi central administration office. Or they can be sent to Board Assistant Shawnee Russell.

Please note: due to unforeseen circumstances, the election will be postponed and parents will receive a replacement ballot. The new ballot will be yellow.

Last year only 45 percent of parents voted — we aim for a much larger turnout this year. As the SAS Board of Directors is the school’s governing body, with responsibility for setting the policies that guide the administration, it very important that each parent lets their vote count.

The election results will be announced at the Annual General Meeting, held at Deloitte Offices in the Bund Center at 222 Yan’an Road East.

The National Football League (NFL) has generously donated 100 official NFL Wilson footballs to the SAS

PE departments. Managing director at NFL China and

SAS parent Richard Young was instrumental

Board of Directors candidates from left to right: Jason Liu, Yingxi Fu-Tomlinson (candidacy withdrawn), Rick Wang, Letian Lucy Liu, Alan Yeung, York-Chi Harder, Jeremy Metz, and Fanghua Jiang.

in arranging this in-kind donation.This gift is part of the Edge for Excel-

lence Annual Fund. When you give to the fund, your gift makes possible a variety of new programs and opportunities for your child — opportunities that would not

Students on the Puxi campus playing with the NFL donated footballs.PHOTO BY DAVE MENTION


Real live Wires visit SASAnne and Hugh Wire join alumni lecture seriesBY GENEvIEvE BARRONS, EaglE STAff

In April, we were delighted to welcome Anne and Hugh Wire for the ninth annual SAS Alumni Lecture. Anne attended SAS in 1948. Her husband, although not an SAS alumnus, has been active in China through the Amity

foundation and other organizations for a number of years. They spoke in front of audiences at both campuses on topics ranging from

rural song collections to the meaning of service; hybrid identity to the civil rights movement.

Grade 10 student Yvonne Ye, who attended the lecture on hybrid identity, said, “Personally, I thought it was fascinating to hear the point of view of a foreign student who grew up in China, and I found it most interesting when she said how she would gravitate back to Asia — in sabbaticals, in trips. For me, it’s sort of counterintuitive because I'm fresh from the States, so I’m always going on about wanting to go back to America when I’m Chinese, and here we have Ms. Wire who’s American and wants to go back to China.”

The Wires’ visit was made possible by the Shanghai American School As-sociation (SASA), our school’s alumni association. The association is made up of graduates and former students from pre-1949 and more recent times. Its main purpose is to maintain and renew relationships among alumni and between alumni and the school.

This year’s lecture was a tremendous success. “Anne and Hugh hit home runs with their lectures,” said Puxi campus high school vice principal Michael Sheehan. “Their messages were thoroughly interesting, entertaining, and inspiring. There is no doubt that they had an enormous impact on our high school students and faculty. We are fortunate here at SAS to have such a supportive alumni association who take such an active role in helping our school. We are indebted to them for their continued service and for sending the Wires to us for the annual lecture series.”

Left to right: Anne and Hugh Wire with alum Betty Barr and Michael Sheehan, high school vice principal; Anne Wire at her lecture on the Pudong campus; Hugh Wire after his lecture on the Pudong campus; The Wires with students after their lecture in the Performing Arts Center. Above: Hugh Wire at his lecture about service and the Sichuan earthquake.


PHOTOS BY DAVE MENTION


live my dreams,’ but opened my eyes to the possible dreams one could have. It opened doors to opportunities that I never could never have imagined and then provided me with an education that gave me the knowl-edge, capabilities, and confidence to pursue my dreams. I hope this gift will allow me to share this ‘treasure’ of education with other members of the SAS community.”

Shanghai American School is honored to receive this recognition through Mr. Ho’s gift and thankful for the opportunity it will provide future SAS graduates.

SAS family sets up Harvard scholarship for SAS studentsBY GENEvIEvE BARRONS, EaglE STAff

Harvard alumnus John Paul Ho (AB 1981, MBA 1988) and his family, Yu-Whei (Phoebe)

Ho, Sho Sho Ho, John Paul Ho, Jr., and Madison Ho, recently made a generous gift to Harvard University that allows for the creation of the He Bang Yung Undergradu-ate Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will benefit SAS students for the first few years of its existence.

The fund will be used to provide financial assistance to support students in gaining a liberal arts education, so that

they might go on to become leaders in their fields. From 2014 to 2018, first pref-erence for this scholarship will be awarded to students from Shanghai American School.

Reflecting on the value of his own education at Harvard, Mr. Ho said, “To me, the gift of education is more valu-able than any monetary treasure, and I feel fortunate and blessed that I was given the opportunity to attend Harvard. The experience enriched my life in so many ways and not only gave me the ‘courage to

John Paul Ho and his wife Yu-Whei (Phoebe) Ho sharing news of the Harvard scholarship with Superintendent Kerry Jacobson.

We SAS because of … YOU!Please join the Pudong PTSA as we celebrate

Staff Appreciation Week May 13–17Monday, May 13 Invitations deliveredTuesday, May 14 Staff breakfastWednesday, May 15 SAS students give “thanks”Thursday, May 16 Staff luncheon celebrationFriday, May 17 Gifts for staff

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CINDY EASTON


Above: Kennedy Egan with her Baobei brother, Gabriel. Below: The Pudong jazz band provided a special performance at the reception of the EARCOS conference.

Sharing knowledge while contributing to a cause BY ERIN mCCALL, PRE-KINDERGARTEN TEAChER, PUxI CAmPUS

Each year, more than 1,000 teach-ers from around the world gather in Asia to share knowledge, skills,

and ideas to motivate and inspire each other. This year, Shanghai was the host city for the East Asia Regional Council for Overseas Schools (EARCOS) Teachers’ Conference.

In conjunction with the conference, the host city schools choose a local charity to support. Funds are raised through a raffle and silent auction held during the conference. EARCOS representatives from each participating school are asked to bring items native to their country to use for this fund raising event. This year, Baobei Foundation was chosen as the local charity and 100 percent of the proceeds went towards helping babies in need.

Baobei, meaning “precious treasure,” is a Shanghai-based charity that provides medical care and surgeries for babies who are born with neurological or gastrointes-tinal birth defects such as spina bifida and hydrocephalus. After their surgeries, the babies are placed in a home where they are cared for by families while they await adoption.

Kennedy Egan, a grade 6 student, spoke about her Baobei experience at the conference. She spoke confidently in the gymnasium, sharing her story of how her Baobei brother, Gabriel, changed her life.

“He makes me laugh, he taught me responsibility and he taught me that be-ing a part of a family doesn’t mean he has to be born from that family,” she said. Even as she spoke, the sound of her voice compelled Gabriel to crawl towards her, yearning for attention. Her conviction was strong, her words moving, and her story touching. Conference attendees couldn’t help but become inspired by her speech and, without much encouragement, were donating to the cause.

Before the conference, EARCOS donated $3,000 to Baobei. The raffle and silent auction was an overwhelming success in raising an additional $7,000. A grand total of $10,000 was given to the Baobei Foundation.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY LOUISE DAVEY AND ERIN MCCALL

For more about Baobei Foundation, visit: www.baobeifoundation.org


Purchase the SAS ring and support the SAS annual fundThis beautiful stering silver ring is a replica of the 1933 SAS class ring.

Suitable for either gender, this ring is a great gift for students, faculty, graduating seniors, and alumni.

Order yours today. The cost is RMB 400 or $64. Contact Ji Liu at [email protected] for more information. A portion of the proceeds will go to the SAS Annual Fund.

Now hiriNgShanghai American School is seeking to recruit qualified local expat teacher assistants and classified employees who can support the school's mission statement and uphold the values of the school.

The following positions are available for school year 2013-2014 Independent Study Period Assistant High School, Pudong Campus

Teacher Assistant Elementary School, Puxi Campus

EAL Teacher Assistant Elementary School, Puxi Campus

Admission Manager Admission Office, Schoolwide

Korean Liaison/Admission Officer Admission Office, Schoolwide

Qualified applicants should have a bachelor’s degree or above, minimum five years of relevant experience, fluency in English, and the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment. We will only consider applicants who are currently living in Shanghai. If you are interested in applying to Shanghai American School, please refer to the application process at www.saschina.org/employment.


Becoming bilingual EAL students share stories, culture, and languageBY JON NORDmEYER, hEAD Of EAL DEPARTmENT, PUDONG CAmPUS

Over half of SAS students speak a language other than English, and many of our students are lucky

enough to be proficient in two or even three languages by the time they graduate.

This year, by changing our focus from ESOL to EAL (English as an additional language), SAS teachers emphasize the importance of students’ native languages. Encouraging students to maintain their mother tongues, while building academic English skills, helps students to develop a lifelong passion for learning.

As part of ongoing efforts to support home languages, Pudong grade 9 and 10 EAL students completed a bilingual story-telling unit. Students wrote and told their own stories, using English and their home languages, and published an original book in the process. Most students explored their own journey of bilingualism or situations they encountered not only when

they started learning English, but also when they started learning in English.

For example, in his book “After a Storm Comes Calm,” grade 9 student Jimmy Park expressed how it can be challenging to encounter a new language at school: “Every day I was lonely and sad. I couldn’t talk with my friends. I felt like I was shouting inside but muted outside.”

The bilingual storytelling project culminated with high school students sharing their published books with students in elementary and middle school EAL classes. Grade 9 students read their stories, in English and in their home language, to young English language learners. Grade 10 students shared their books with middle school students. In many cases, the younger students recognized familiar feelings and common challenges. And they loved hearing the stories read aloud in English and their home languages.

Jim Cummins, Canadian scholar and respected authority on language education, believes teachers should “Promote literacy engagement through the creation of identity texts, and enable students to use their home language as a resource for learning.”

Multilingualism is a social, cultural, and economic asset; educating students for the 21st century means building global citizens who are able to communicate in many languages. At SAS, in order to give students the courage to live their dreams, we need to allow them to share their dreams, in English and in other languages.

As a hawk cannot fly high with one wing, even so a man cannot reach to excellence with only one tongue. — Roger Ascham

Above: Grade 9 student James Wu reads his story to elementary school students.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JON NORDMEYER


Spring break had our students relaxing and travel-ling all over the world. But for many students, while they still travelled, their break was anything but relaxing. Several different groups of high school students from both campuses travelled across Asia with the Shanghai American School chapter of Habitat for Humanity to build homes.

Habitat for Humanity believes that the need for shelter is a primary need for all people. “At its most basic, it is just a roof and four walls where we are safe and dry,” says the organization. “Decent shelter is a basic human right and helps break the cycle of poverty. The need in the Asia-Pacific region is immense.”

On the following pages seven students share expe-riences from their travels.

Hab

itat f

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Humanity

Brick by brick

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY YVONNE YE


PHOTOS BY MIKE WEYRICH AND JAMIE LEE

Clockwise from top: Students in the Philippines constructing rebar; Tiare Brea playing with local children in Indonesia; students forming structural wires in Indonesia; Tony Jin and Lyle Kahn loading supplies in Indonesia.


Kuching, MalaysiaBY JOCELYN hUNG, GRADE 10, PUxI CAmPUS

After twelve hours of Travel Scrabble, poker, and Burger King, the 2013 Habitat for Humanity Team Malaysia finally arrived

in Kuching. The house we worked on was already half finished, the walls

and the interiors were ready. We spent our entire day mixing, wheel barrowing, shoving, and plastering. Also mixing cement, setting up scaffolding, plastering the wall, emptying the sewage system, filling the floor, eating lunch on the truck, playing ninja and soccer during breaks, and washing the tools when we were done. Our last day of work was incredibly relaxing and fun. We got to paint the walls blue, orange, brown, white, and maroon.

For the last hour and half of Kuching, a group of us decided to cross the river. Even though the guards of an government of-ficial’s mansion refused to give us a tour, we liked to think that we had tea with the king’s daughter. The truth is, the last 90 minutes of Kuching was the most memorable. We explored the other side and and felt closure as we were booted out of the palace.

Medan, IndonesiaBY mIKE WEYRICh, GRADE 11, PUDONG CAmPUS

After a relaxing two days in Indonesia, we got our hands dirty and started the construction of the house. Once the founda-

tion was complete, the walls had to be built. Learning to build the walls by placed bricks turned out to be harder than expected, but it did not take long to get the hang of. As we built the house, many local children and families came and watched us work.

In the middle of the week, we went to a local school to spend time with children. The kids had a great time as we sang songs and taught them some simple Chinese phrases. At the end, we were surprised when one local student came with a pen and notebook and asked for a signature. We were all overwhelmed and crowded with numerous students asking for our signatures.

Even though we were not able to finish the house, the local people were very pleased with what we accomplished. We were also pleased that we were able to help one of the families in need and we look forward to coming back again next year.

Habitat for Humanity

Sichuan, ChinaBY JASON hUANG, GRADE 10, PUxI CAmPUS

Our work site was on a mountain, covered in bamboo. While the weather spirits seem to have blessed us, the gods of the

machine were not quite as cooperative. On the very first day we arrived, our bus broke down in the middle of the city and we had to wait for over thirty minutes as a mechanic showed up to repair our vehicle. Another mishap occurred during our last day of work, when we were leaving. Most ironically, the excellent weather and the holiday of the tomb-sweeping day coincided to produce a wide abundance of tourists who wanted to make the most of it and drove up the same mountain we worked on to enjoy life.

One of the highlights of the trip was that we were able to indulge in Chinese pride. We visited the panda zoo and walked down a bustling street filled with shops and restaurants. What stood out to me the most though was the visit to Wu Hou Shrine. My happiest experiences was sitting down to a bowl of spicy pork and conversing with the locals about their lives and ambitions. This trip will be in my heart forever.

Quezon City, PhilippinesBY JAmIE LEE, GRADE 11, PUDONG CAmPUS

Quezon City is the largest city in Philippines. But even in a city, sustainable housing is still desperately needed for those

who are currently living in dangerous areas such as shacks under bridges.

Unlike the traditional projects where we build a home for a single family, the specific project we volunteered for is the Bistekville Community Project. This project targets at providing housing for teachers of the nearby school, and it hopes to sustain a total of 353 families by its completion.

Besides helping the community by inputting our physical labor towards their future homes, we also had a day dedicated to visiting and interacting with the children. The children were abso-lutely adorable. They performed for us and were eager to take us on a tour around their community. In return, we played basketball and jump rope with them, taught them how to use chalk and wa-tercolor paints, and read to them picture books, which were later donated to the community.


Above, from left: Students with locals in Indonesia; Deric Chan and Jonathan Han interact with kids in the Philippines; students pose in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines.

Bali, IndonesiaBY ALEJANDRO PUmAREJO, GRADE 10, PUDONG CAmPUS

This spring break 18 students were privileged enough to travel to Bali, Indonesia, for Habitat for Humanity. We woke early most days, as the drive to the work site was

about 45 minutes. Most people didn’t mind though because the drive up the mountain was quite nice. The first site we worked on we had to do everything starting with the foundation. The work was tough in the heat but rewarding at the end of the day. Our progress couldn’t be seen initially, but as soon as we started laying bricks the real shape of the house started to come out. All of the cement was mixed manually. A great appreciation for cement mix-ers was developed by the end of the week.

We went to a local orphanage one day and play with the kids and on another night we were taken to a town center and had traditional Balinese music performed for us. After the performance we even got to join in and try playing it ourselves. It was things like this coupled with the hard work and the incredible nature of Bali that made this trip a truly amazing one. My first Habitat build was much better than I ever expected it to be; it was a really inspir-ing and memorable trip for me. I think it’s safe to say everyone else felt the same.

Battambang, CambodiaBY CELINE RENAUD-BRICE, GRADE 10, PUxI CAmPUS

Spring break was an incredible and humbling experience for the 18 students and two faculty members who traveled to Battam-

bang, Cambodia, in order to build a house. It truly was life-changing. Our group arrived late on a Friday

evening and we were all tired, hot, and expecting that an easy and relaxing week was lying ahead of us. Unbeknownst to us all, build-ing a house under the scorching sun for an entire week is not an easy task. However, it was worth it.

Some of the manual labor we did included laying bricks, making mortar, shoveling dirt, and carrying buckets of gravel over to the floor of the house. The heat made the work seem somewhat unbearable at times, but in retrospect made us all appreciate a little more what most of us take for granted a lot of the time.

In my opinion, the best part of this experience was being able to really interact with the local people and meet the future home-owners of the house we built. We didn’t offer money to a charity; we were offered the opportunity to meet the individuals we were helping.

Unfortunately, our school didn’t finish building the entire house, but I’m still happy we were able to contribute in a small way. It was a wonderful experience and I do hope I can return there someday. Not only was this trip fun, but it was also very gratifying to know that I helped someone out.

Cagayan de Oro, PhilippinesBY ELIzABETh CONSUELA-LAfAUNDA LOW, GRADE 11, PUxI CAmPUS

It is late at night, or early in the morning. Either way, a deadline approaches, and the writer is exhausted. The writer has an article

to write about a Habitat For Humanity build in the Philippines. How does the writer approach the task at hand?

The writer will write about how team members got to know each other really well over the course of a week in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. Or write something about how, despite the sweltering heat and the collective exhaustion, the team worked really hard and in the end, was proud of what they had accomplished.

The writer will mention they had not done much at all to change the world, but the real changes that had taken place internally. The writer will say that the student, the volunteer, the builder, had gained the true benefit of an experience. Common-place adjective like amazing or awesome to summarize the experi-ence will be used.

So the writer writes an article about writing an article. But the truth is that despite the aim of writing an unsentimental, slightly acerbic essay, the writer means every word they have written.

That that one week will always remain as a strange fragment of the writer, no matter how far from the writer’s mind or inconse-quential in memory.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MIKE WEYRICH, JAMIE LEE, AND ROBERT BURKE


Hungry for changeMiddle school students experience 30-hour famineBY BOB GOULD, mIDDLE SChOOL mATh TEAChER, PUDONG CAmPUS

The challenge for a middle school student to go 30 hours without eating food is formidable. Regardless, 20 students initiated the first 30-Hour Famine on the Pudong campus. Motivated

to learn about hunger, its causes, and solutions, these students raised money to help prevent the death of the 8,000 children who die each day from hunger-related causes.

The fasting presented them with the experience of what being hun-gry feels like, even if they knew that the 30 hours would be followed by a delicious meal donated by a local restaurant.

“I was really nervous about fasting. I can’t go five minutes without thinking about food,” said grade 7 student Joyce Huang.

The students solicited donations for combatting hunger by going door-to-door in residential complexes. Their determination paid off and they felt proud after raising more than 15,000 RMB.

The students spent the night of the famine on campus. That evening they watched a video about an 8-year-old starving boy. The boy’s story showed the students what global hunger issues mean on an individual level. The students then wrote post cards to the boy express-ing concern about global hunger and the boy’s own struggles. In her postcard, grade 8 student Kathy Min wrote:

“I have a dream for you. I dream that you could someday read what I’m writing, maybe even write something of your own. I hope that you can understand what is happening and how you can try to change it. It is not fair, these circumstances you were born into, but I hope that you will rise out of it. Life is not fair. It is hard. But I have a dream for you, and I hope it does come true.”

Above: Student activities during the night on campus including constructing model structures. Below: Once the famine ended, student took time to show thanks for food donations.

PHOTOS BY JASON MADDOCK


of that, are given wrong advice by those around them. Thus, the disease becomes a burden to them,” he said. “My goal is to help relieve them of this burden, whether by pushing harder for a cure or by meeting with them in person.”

T1 Connection would love to get in touch with local Shanghai residents with diabetes. If you know of any way for us to connect with local children who may need support of any kind, emotional or financial, or if you have any connections within the local medical community, please contact Robyn Kemsley at [email protected].

Great lengths for a great causeBY KEShAv GARG, GRADE 11, PUDONG CAmPUS

If you were one of the thousands of people running the Jinqiao 8K or the Happiness Run this past April, you

may have noticed specklings of blue among the sea of red shirts. These blue shirts were worn by the SAS students and teachers who ran together for the first time. The shirts were designed and given out by T1 Connection, a new club on the Pudong campus that aims to raise awareness of and eradicate misconceptions about type 1 diabetes in Shanghai.

The club also raises money to fund re-search that seeks to find a cure for diabetes. To date, the club has more than 20,000 RMB for type 1 diabetes research.

T1 Connection had already sponsored a Wear Blue Day for diabetes, which raised US $2,500 to fund the work of Harvard professor Denise Faustman, who is re-searching the use of the BCG vaccine as a possible cure for type 1.

This semester, the club decided it wanted to branch out. According to India Atkin, the main organizer of the run, “It’s definitely important for us to spread the word to support diabetes research outside

of school grounds. Our club utilized the run to fundsraise and spread awareness, while also giving everyone the opportunity to participate in such a fun event.” India and several other runners were interviewed by ICS news after the race. The awareness of diabetes is already spreading across the community.

The idea for T1 Connection came last year to a grade 10 student in Pudong. When asked why he wanted to start this club the student answered, “I want to give back what I have received. It sounds cliché, but that’s what it all boils down to. When I first learned I had type 1 diabetes some years back, I was, to put it lightly, perplexed and enraged beyond all reason. Thankfully, because of the wonderful treat-ments I received from my doctors and my family, I have now incorporated it into my life.”

While the student had found a way to cope with his diagnosis, he learned that not everyone who has been diagnosed with this disease has been as fortunate. “Many diagnosed people do not have access to the same facilities as I did and, on top PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MARCUS TAN


Lincoln because “I thought he was cool. He had a beard and he was really tall. He was even taller than my dad. I also learned that he was the first president to get assas-sinated.”

Scott Lau picked Vincent van Gogh, a figure he knew very little about. Through his studies he learned an important lesson: to “never give up on myself.”

In addition to the presentations, classes also worked together to create an actual historical timeline. By plotting the figures lives along a timeline down the hallway, the students were able to compare the time periods when various figures lived

Coming to lifeGrade 3 students bring scores of famous people to SASBY GENEvIEvE BARRONS, EaglE STAff

What do Dwight D. Eisenhower, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Marie Curie all have in common?

They were all present for the annual wax museum display on the Puxi campus.

Each year, grade 3 students embark on a cross-curricular research project to explore the lives of famous people. They use research, writing, and public speaking skills to bring their subjects to life for their peers and parents.

According to student Ana Jaquez, who chose to study scientist Marie Curie, the student wax museum is “when you dress up as a person you studied and you

write a paragraph and do a poster and then someone presses your button, a sticker, and then you say a speech you wrote.” Allison Liu added that, to be in a wax museum correctly, “you have to pick a pose and you have to stay frozen.”

Students represented a range of historical and contemporary figures, from the athletic (Cristiano Ronaldo and Jackie Robinson) to the political (George Wash-ington and Barack Obama) to the artistic (Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keeffe). Some chose figures they were familiar with while others picked people they knew little about. Julia Liu chose to research Abraham


with the length of their lives. This activity helped them realize that Jackie Onassis, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Anne Frank were all born in the same year (1929), but lived 64, 39, and 15 years, respectively. One of the most exciting discoveries was just how long ago Cleopatra lived. When compared to the other people studied she had to be placed at the far end of the hall-way in order to fit the timeline.

When asked what the hardest part of the project was, Eddie Zhang pointed out that doing the research was difficult because “sometimes the internet was too slow.” Gideon Deak added that for him,

while representing John F. Kennedy, it was “standing up with dress shoes.” Julia commented that “I was sort of nervous and I messed up a few lines and I had to make up the rest.” For Colin Fan, it was a less stressful experience “because my nature is to like speaking and stuff like that.”

The wax museum was a success. Ac-cording to Ana, “my mom liked it and my aunt in Mexico wanted my mom to video tape it because she wanted see me.” Grade 3 teacher and parent Beth Rohrbeck com-mented that “the wax museum was a truly integrated activity that brought history to life. As a teacher, I was impressed with the

quality of effort and work that went into the presentations. As a parent, I was so proud of my daughter, Sarah. She learned so much, not only about Anne Frank, but also the skills necessary for a wonderful presentation.”

In fact, so many people came to explore the wax museum that the hallway outside the grade 3 classrooms was abso-lutely full of inquisitive learners and inven-tive presenters — so much so that student James Madison, as Dwight D. Eisenhower, noted that the hardest thing for him “was standing very long in this very burning hot coat.”

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY EaglE STAFF



¡Hola, España! BY CANDACE WANG, GRADE 8, mAGGIE hE, GRADE 7, AND ALISON hOEmAN, mIDDLE SChOOL EAL TEAChER, PUxI CAmPUS

Imagine 17 Spanish language beginners. Now drop them in the gorgeous city of Madrid, mix in some unexpected rain, lots of culture, some good food, and you’ll have our spring

break Puxi middle school Spanish trip. Once in Madrid, we met our guide, and new best friend,

Leticia. She was excited to share her city with us. The days to come were filled with incredible art, breathtaking sights, fasci-nating history, and mouth-watering dishes.

We quickly adjusted to Spain’s laid-back lifestyle; wake-up calls at 8 a.m., a relaxed breakfast and no activities planned until 10 a.m., and then lights out at 10 p.m. (that was probably the only time that the students tried to delay). However, the tiring sight-seeing tours ensured that we were exhausted by the end of each fun-filled day.

With the extensive and modern metro and our feet as our only sources of transportation, we experienced as much as Madrid had to offer, from the El Escorial Monastery and Royal Palace to the Prado and Reina Sofia art museums.

One of the most popular stops was the Real Madrid Soccer Stadium — Santiago Bernabéu. Many photos were taken on the tour of the Real Madrid’s locker rooms, the press room, and the trophy room. Later in the week we went to a Real Madrid game.

We also go to see some true Spanish culture at the el Mer-cado del Rastro which held a vast array of unique items from traditional skirts and swords to little trinkets such as watches, bracelets, and earrings. Students and teachers immersed them-selves in the huge Spanish market, practicing their Spanish.

Even more Spanish culture came our way when we got to learn how to fight a bull and how to dance the flamenco.

“I loved almost every aspect of Spain,” says Tina Yin, grade 7. “From the scrumptious churros to the charismatic European culture it is almost impossible to select a favorite.”

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ALISON HOEMAN


think of. I remember in third grade, when we were asked to write a fictional story with a moral. I wrote a five-page story about a Greek guy on a quest to find the lost treasure.”

Grace: “I’ve always liked reading, so I guess I’ve been interested in it for nearly forever. Back when I was a lot shorter, I decided that it was the best idea to write a diary ... except giving everyone weird exotic names. My best friend at the time, Sarah, became a magical princess-fairy-goddess named Felicity Rosalie. What other hobby lets me make up everything and anything I want?”

Valerie: “I discovered my passion for writ-ing very early on in the grade 2, when my English teacher gave us journal writing assignments. We were encouraged to draw pictures along with our writing, and she al-ways put a sticker and a positive comment next to each journal entry. That sparked my love for putting events into words, as I wanted my English teacher to see every-thing that I saw and feel every emotion that I felt.”

What inspired you to write your story?Macrina: “I was inspired by Jeffery Archer’s series of short stories. One of the best traits in his stories are his plot twists. I wanted to

Eight students made SAS proud when they were recognized as national champions for their composition

skills as they walked away as winners in the LittleStar YCIS Short Story Competition. In addition, the highlight of the award ceremony was when LittleStar magazine awarded a grand prize — one Apple iPad2 and an internship opportunity at LittleStar magazine for the student writer of their choice. The winner was SAS student Valerie Chai.

The SAS winners in each category with the title of their entry are:

Category I (9 years and under)Complementary prize, “20:12 Year 2012” by Joshua Ng, grade 3, Puxi Complementary prize, “Sacred Miracle of 2012” by JaeHyun Lee, grade 4, Puxi

Category II (10-12 years and under)3rd prize, “Blending In” by Qinyi Ma, grade 5, Pudong 3rd prize, “The Human Flaw” by Macrina Wang, grade 7, Puxi Complementary prize, “Alone” by Peyton Yen, grade 8, Puxi

Category III (13-15 years)Grand prize and 1st prize, “Our Grey Lives” by Valerie Cai, grade 9, Puxi

SAS Students win LittleStar–YCIS short story competitionBY JENNIfER TAN, ELEmENTARY SChOOL PARENT, PUxI CAmPUS

Category IV (16-18 years)3rd prize, “High School Time Capsule” by Mahnoor Wazirzada, grade 11, Pudong 3rd prize, “Envelopes and Thieves Don’t Mix” by Grace Lu, grade 11, Pudong

In the following conversation, the winners talk candidly about their experiences and share some valuable insights on writing:

When and how did you discover the passion for writing? Macrina: “I really can’t remember when I discovered my passion for writing. I’ve been writing stories my entire life. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a house-hold in which literature was appreciated, and I have always wanted to produce writ-ing as lyrical as the ones I’ve read.”

Qinyi: “I discovered my writing voice while writing other personal narratives in my school. I realized that I could actually make a story come alive using colorful phrases, so that was what kept my passion burning as I wrote the story.”

Peyton: “I always enjoyed writing fic-tional stories in class. I prefer fiction over nonfiction mostly because I have a very vivid imagination and I usually think of really random things that other kids do not

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JENNIFER TAN


‘Come on, author, let me punch the darn girl.’ ‘Do I really have to cry so much?’”

What advice would you give to an aspir-ing writer?Joshua: “Just like everyone else, I found it hard to get started even to write the first word. Go somewhere nobody can disturb you. Write during weekends or holidays when you do not have any activities going on. When you don’t have anymore inter-ruptions, you must make yourself write the first word. Once you start the first word the next word will come easily, then you will find it hard to stop.”

JaeHyun: “There are lots of small things around us, but if you keep a close watch, you can find many special moments that is worthwhile to write. These are good source for your writing.”

Macrina: “Practice, practice, practice.”

Grace: “Everyone gets ideas — in the car, on a walk, in a dream, everywhere. They’re infinite. Without the courage and the persistence to see that idea through to the end ... well, that’s why there’s a whole lot more aspiring writers than real ones.”

make my stories have that same effect on my readers. I decided to write something out of my repertoire for once, and after I established that, the story wrote itself.”

Valerie: “Four years ago, my brother and I went into a McDonald’s in Manhattan with my father. For some reason, my father decided to leave. I was left alone in the restaurant with my brother. To take my mind off the fears and possibilities of being kidnapped or shot, I started to observe the faces of the people coming in and out of the restaurant. Those people I saw that day were the basis of the supporting characters in my story.”

What is the most challenging part about writing the story? Joshua: “I always have problems writing in other genres especially personal narratives and realistic fictions. That was why I chose to write fantasy fiction instead. Finding time to sit down and write [was hard]because my baby brother would disturb me, I still have to go to school and do my homework. It is also hard to have ideas flowing and then have to stop because it is bedtime.”

Valerie: “One of the key elements in my short story is the surprise ending. The most

challenging part of writing my story was balancing the amount of information that is given to the readers in the setting, as it must hint at the ending, but not give it away completely.”

Grace: “Finishing. When I started writing, the idea waved in my direction, shouting at the top of its lungs. A page in, there were problems everywhere. I had to struggle with character motivations. The characters went on strike, they waved ‘Occupy Short Story’ signs and camped outside my door.”

What is the most easy part about writing the story?JaeHyun: “Oh! Simple, that would be generating ideas.”

Joshua: “I am always being told even by my parents, grandparents, aunty, and homeroom teacher that I have lots of wild imagination happening in my head all the time. I can’t stop thinking of the fantasy world. So, coming up with ideas is a piece of cake.”

Grace: “Playing with the characters. I’ve al-ways loved the idea of creating new people that had their own points of views. It didn’t hurt either that the two of them just popped into my mind with loud opinions.

THANK YOU TO PARENT VOLUNTEERSSuperintendent Kerry Jacobson will host a parent appreciation event to help thank all parents who have volunteered their time over the past year assisting in the classroom, on school trips, and during other special occasions.

Separate events will be held for the Pudong parents and the Puxi parents. Details are outlined below:

Puxi campus: Wednesday, May 8 at 12:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center

Pudong campus: Thursday, May 9 at 12:00 p.m. in the Aquatics 2nd floor area

If you plan to attend, RSVP no later than Monday, May 6, 2013 to the Human Resources Office at [email protected]. Be sure to include which campus you will be attending.

We look forward to seeing you there!


More than 300 dads took time off their busy work schedules to come and play with their children at the second annual Date with Dad. The opportunity for the families to build

relationships was an afternoon of pure enjoyment for the more than 400 children.

The event started with a quick registration followed by a snack and a warm welcome from the principal Debra Lane. Three seperate play centers were set up, each focusing on a different variety of activi-ties. Our PE department and their assistants organized indoor and outdoor sports and games. The technology specialists and their help-ers hosted a photo booth where students were able to snap a photo with their dad. The librarians and supporters organized cool activities

Another successful Date with DadBY NANCY STEvENSON, ELEmENTARY SChOOL COUNSELOR, PUxI CAmPUS

SAS was abuzz — but not because it was Friday. It was because Date with Dad was that day. My dad surprised me by agreeing to go to the event, and I was very excited. The afternoon came

very quickly, and before I knew it I was saying “Goodbye!” and “See you next Monday!” to my friends.

When I greeted my dad I was very excited to see him since this was the first time my dad came to school for social purposes. My sister, Julia, leapt into his arms and enclosed him with a bear hug. She always does this — it’s a tradition. My dad responded by hug-ging her back. “Can we start playing now?” I asked impatiently. “Where do we start?” dad asked me.

I am used to seeing many moms with their children, but today, it was all dads. It was really funny seeing such big gathering of dads. My dad took us to the art room, where we drew Hand Hearts. It was fun to see the comparison of my hand to my dad’s, and I liked how everybody there was so nice. When we left the art room, I was feeling happy and satisfied, because not only did I have a souvenir to bring back home from Date with Dad, I also got to spend time with my dad.

In the gym my dad was pushing Julia and me on the scooter

Date with my dadBY JAmIE LIU, GRADE 5, PUxI CAmPUS


Another successful Date with DadBY NANCY STEvENSON, ELEmENTARY SChOOL COUNSELOR, PUxI CAmPUS

like bookmark decorating, origami, and bowling in the library. Hand heart messages, karaoke, and line dancing dominated the classrooms upstairs.

Aside from colorful passports and balloons, the school was filled with smiles, hugs, and laughter. Many precious moments were observed between children and their dads. The smiles and genuine joy were contagious.

Due to all of the creativity, perseverance, and cooperation of over 100 volunteers the event was even better than last year. The counselors are proud and grateful that the SAS community embraced this important opportunity to celebrate relationships. And we eagerly anticipate another successful event next year.

Date with my dadBY JAmIE LIU, GRADE 5, PUxI CAmPUS

race. Julia had comfortably propped her elbows on the scooter, and was enjoying the wind that pushed against her rosy cheeks. I was a bit scared at the thought of crashing into another scooter and going home with a bruised elbow or knee. But despite all the fears I had, I was still happy and smiling. It was funny to see dad push us … and at our gym.

We decided to play badminton. We played for what seemed like hours. I felt like my heart suddenly lifted up, light as a feather, with joy. Now I suddenly knew why so much people came to Date with Dad. It wasn’t an excuse to not do homework. It wasn’t just to fit in. It was because the fun of spending time with your dad is truly memo-rable and brings our relationship closer.

At the end of the day, I was overwhelmed. But dad insisted to go to the library and take a picture for memory. Afterwards, we went to the playground where I taught my dad how to play tether ball, even though I am not good at it. Julia showed him her clay sculpture of a dragon and I allowed him to get a sneak peek of my science project.

When we got home, Julia and I ate fortune cookies. Guess what mine said? “Keeping a good memory in your heart will bring you good fortune.”

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NANCY STEVENSON AND JAMIE LIU (JAMIE IS PICTURED WITH HER DAD AND SISTER IN THE TOP LEFT CORNER.)


We were overwhelmed with a mix of emotions, nervousness, and excitement. That’s a natural reac-

tion. If we were not at least a little excited about this performance, we would wonder why. We put weeks of effort into preparing for this musical to showcase our talents. As the Italian idiom goes, “In bocca al lupo!”or “Good luck!”

We, 133 grade 3 students, stepped on stage and completed a stellar performance of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music, the very musi-cal film that inspired millions of people around the world.

The Sound of Music gave us an op-portunity to maximize our drama and music potential. Going through the drama lessons with Ms. Olsen and Ms. Chiang was a success and our understanding of stage directions and the back stage process improved. So far, practicing for the big show was a massive learning experience for the students. We learned the importance of contemporizing and succeeding as a team.

Eight performances were presented. The musical began with an opening act where some of the students were in nun costumes singing “Maria,” followed by the remaining students signing “I Have Confi-dence.” The next class to perform sang “My Favorite Things” with the help of special effects of thunder and lightning. Then came a great harmonization of “Do-Re-Mi” which got the audience to sing along.

Students star in The Sound of Music BY JOShUA NG, GRADE 3, PUxI CAmPUS

The next song, “The Lonely Goatherd,” had students skipping across the stage. The folling songs were “Edelweiss” and “So Long, Farewell.” Lastly, everyone sang the final song “The Sound of Music.”

Even though the musical ended, parents, teachers, and students were heard crooning away as they slowly walked out of the Performance Arts Center. Though all of us were exhausted, we were relieved that the show was finished and glad that it was a great success. As a mark of celebration we got to run and prance around on stage as the theater slowly emptied.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JEFF DUNGAN AND KRISSI OLSEN


Next, our pre-kindergarten students took the stage. Their job was to play the role of flower bulbs. Even though the raindrops, sun (kindergarten students), and wind (grade 1 students) tried in turn to wake the sleeping flowers, their response was “I’m too tired.”

So the clever wind decided a joint ef-fort was required. Using their very strong, persuasive voices (accompanied by first graders on bar instruments), our weather elements finally succeeded in waking up the sluggish little bulbs. How exciting it was to watch the bulbs grow into the most beautiful flowers on the island. Everyone celebrated the event with a rousing choral version of “Skidamarink.”

Grade 2 students took the audience to sunny Latin America. Their segment began with the Mexican classic “De Colores.” Soloist Daniel Torres, who sang the first verse in Spanish, stunned everyone with his angelic voice. Grade 2 also performed a rap entitled “Pollito Chicken.” While movie clips of dancing chicken slippers lit up the screens, 29 enthusiastic rappers blurted out words in English and Spanish while every-one else spurred them along with challeng-ing xylophone accompaniment.

Before our audience could become too relaxed, grade 3 presented the forebod-ing Jimmy Buffet classic “Volcano.” These happy islanders demonstrated impressive

“Hello everybody! Welcome to our island paradise. Here, the sun is always shining, the

birds are always singing, the breeze is always blowing, and the air quality is always … better than moderate.”

So began the pre-kindergarten through grade 4 spring concert, “Island in the Sun.” Each musical number was care-fully chosen to lead the audience from the gloom of Shanghai winter. The recorder club set the scene with their rendition of the classic “Island in the Sun.”

Escape to paradise Elementary school students escape to sunny islandBY JULIE WILD, ELEmENTARY SChOOL mUSIC TEAChER, PUDONG CAmPUS

singing, dancing, acting, and instrument playing technique. Their performance came to an abrupt halt, however, when rum-blings were heard in the distance and the panicked students ran screaming from their island paradise.

Finally, grade 4 took the stage for their instrumental selection entitled “Ice-tea-ah,” while students played guitars, xylophones, shakers, agogo bells, and hand drums.

For the final number, grades 2, 3, and 4 presented a syncopated version of “Iko, Iko.” The roots of this song can be found in New Orleans where the phrases “iko iko” and “jock-a-mo” were traditionally chanted when the Mardi Gras Indians went “into battle” in the Mardi Gras parade. In that same spirit, we rewrote the lyrics to reflect our Pudong “tribes”: Falcons, Pumas, Dol-phins, and Bears. The voices and instru-ments combined in a powerful way.

With the colorful student artwork brightening the hallway and stage and the beach holiday photos supplied by our parents, our concert was a feast for the senses. The whole experience left the audi-ence looking beyond the last few weeks of winter to their upcoming spring break vacations.

Take that, Shanghai winter.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JULIE WILD


Highly skilled student musicians and singers (27 of them) traveled to Dubai in March for the annual

Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) Honor Band, Mixed Choir, and Women’s Choir festival.

All band and choir members were selected through a blind audition process. In all, nearly 50 international schools were represented.

The concert band and choirs per-formed selections including Techeli’s

On the international stage AMIS — Band and choir travel to DubaiBY JOhN LEONARD, BAND DIRECTOR, PUDONG CAmPUS

Rest to Danzon and Ledbetter’s Bring Me Little Water, Silvy. But the finale, Arabian Folk Song Suite, was the star piece. It was composed by Shireen Abu-Khader with the band arrangement by Paul Hopkins. Originally, this selection was composed for a performance in Dubai but 9/11 inter-rupted the hosting of AMIS at that time.

“During the performance of the Arabian Folk Song Suite that was postponed back in 2002, it gave me chills thinking that eleven years later, the dream was being

finally realized,” said one student. “It was performed by an ensemble of almost 300, no less, and we had the privilege of being a part of it.”

In addition to the superb rehearsal and performance experiences, our SAS students had a glimpse of the culture of the Middle East, which included a trip to the desert, a visit to the gold souk, markets, a water park, and the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

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WWW.EAGLEONLINE.ORG 31PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JOHN LEONARD AND KAROLINA PEK


PHOTO PROVIDED BY TIFFANY THIO

For someone who spent her childhood cringing at the words “eat your vege-tables,” the Botany Club has worked

a miracle. All you meat lovers, despite what you think, lettuce is a miracle in itself — especially hydroponic lettuce that grew 600 percent its original size in 10 days.

Hydroponics is a fancy word for growing plants without soil. Instead of soil, another medium (such as gravel, pellets, or sand) is used. The plant then obtains its nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium from a nutrient water solution.

There are many advantages to this system. Have you ever woken up one morning to find your beautiful herbs trampled by the neighbor’s dog? Hydro-

Lettuce smile together BY TIffANY ThIO, GRADE 10, PUxI CAmPUS

ponics allows you to grow plants anywhere you want, with minimal space usage. Have you ever spent longer on washing the vegetables than eating your entire meal? Hydroponically grown plants are far less likely to contract pests eliminating the need for pesticides and extra washing. Also, the crops generally grow faster and produce more fruit. And you harvest more food per square foot than when you farm in the dirt.

The Botany Club used a hydroponics system called static water culture. We start-ed the seeds in flats of vermiculite (a me-dium that retains water). One month later the lettuce seedlings were large enough to be transferred into the hydroponics system.

When the seedlings were removed from the flats, the vermiculite fell away from the roots. The little lettuces were placed into net pots filled with clay pellets and the pots were inserted into holes cut in a Styrofoam board. This board was suspended on a nutrient water solution and two common aquarium pumps were used to aerate it.Ten days later, the lettuce had grown six times their original size, and the roots were hang-ing out of the net pots.

The epic conclusion came when we dug out the salad dressing, harvested the leaves of our labor, and had a nice healthy snack to get us through second and third period. While the world ate chocolate rolls, we ate organic salad. Yum.


Week 4

We felt really happy after presenting our Rube Goldberg machine to our parents and other students, even though it didn’t do well in the presentation. The dominoes kept on falling and we couldn’t steady our hands enough. I think the Rube Goldberg machine will be the hardest, most chal-lenging thing I will have in my life before I go to middle school. The most difficult thing for me was to talk to my teammates because sometimes we were too into the work. I learned about teamwork and that it is super, super important. We will use the stuff we learned in our lives more than a thousand times.

Rube Goldberg science conventionBY JONAThAN ShIh, GRADE 5, PUxI CAmPUS

Week 1

All of the groups have finished working on blueprints for the machine. We drew the steps on a big piece of paper. My group has four people. Our group name is “Seven Eleven” and our theme is snakes. My teammates wanted our name to be “The Kings” and the theme to be music, so we changed it. I don’t know why. We are super excited about building the Rube Goldberg machine and we have started collecting materials. And, of course, we brainstormed ideas.

Week 2

We can finally build our machines. For our first day of building we were very excited. Our machine’s first steps are made out of marbles and dominos. We thought that we could do everything that we had planned on the blueprint, but when we started building most things didn’t work. We had to change it. Changing stuff made my teammates and I frustrated and mad.

Week 3

This is the last week of the Rube Gold-berg Science Convention. We worked really hard because we wanted the Rube Goldberg machine to last longer than the required 45 seconds. We thought of using falling sand, but it took one minute and we thought the people coming to see might be bored so we did not use the falling sand. Friday is the last day of building. We do not know how to raise the flag yet, but we are thinking about it. PHOTOS BY GENEVIEVE BARRONS

Tasked with the challenge to raise a flag one meter, the grade 5 students set out to achieve this simple task in the most complicated way possible. Using as many steps as they could imagine, they constructed large machines to be put

on display at the Puxi elementary school Science Convention.Commonly called Rube Goldberg machines, the machines use many imaginative

steps to complete a simple task. Think of falling dominoes or rolling marbles causing a chain reaction that ultimately causes a bell to ring or balloon to pop.

Student Jonathan Shih shares entries from his science journal about his experi-ence constructing his Rube Goldberg machine.


period, and 3-D arrangement.In computer science, Joseph Li

worked on developing a computer algo-rithm that would identify individual star images and relative brightness of stars in a star cluster image, which could lead to more efficient identification of a star cluster’s age.

In the category of materials engineer-ing, Benjamin Lai determined efficiencies of automobile catalytic converters with varying amounts of the precious metals platinum and rhodium.

Science fair competitions are about more than earning awards. The science fair is a forum designed to encourage our next generation of scientists who will be solving the complex problems affecting our future. It is a unique opportunity for self-reflec-tion and allows students to explore their interests and passions.

As Benjamin said, “It was great to see so many others interested in science research.”

Sapphire substrates and catalytic converters Puxi students earn awards at Sichuan science fair BY ALAN ChAN, hIGh SChOOL SCIENCE TEAChER, PUxI CAmPUS

Three Puxi high school students won Projects of Excellence awards and one a special mathematics award at

the annual Sichuan Regional International Science and Engineering Fair in Chengdu in March. High school students through-out the year research, develop, and perform an experiment or engineering project. The students then summarize their project in a display and present them at the fair.

Catherine Li and Joseph Li, grade 11, and Benjamin Lai, grade 10, earned Proj-ects of Excellence awards, while Catherine Li also earned a special Mu Alpha Theta Math Society award for the most challeng-ing, thorough, and creative investigation of a problem involving mathematics acces-sible to a high school student.

The annual science fair for English-speaking international schools is gaining wider participation, with a record 30 projects from nine schools. An impressive 45 students vied for a chance to qualify for the Intel International Science and Engi-

neering Fair held each year in the United States.

The researchers had three hours of morning interviews to assess their projects’ creativity, clarity, and logical analysis. For two hours in the afternoon, the research-ers explained their projects to 300 Chinese and international school students.

In the category of microbiology, Cici Cheng studied the effects of the pollut-ants nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide on the types of bacteria in soil. It appeared that soil exposed to these pollutants had reduced numbers of rod-shaped bacteria and a greater proportion of bacteria with a spherical shape.

In the electrical engineering category, Catherine Li modeled the effects of differ-ent patterns of sapphire substrate in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Her mathemati-cal modeling of reflection and refraction suggested that there is potential for an 18 percent increase in LED efficiency when specifying a specific pattern thickness,

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALAN CHAN

From left to right: Benjamin Lai, Catherine Li, Joseph Li, and Cici Cheng represented SAS with distinction at the Sichuan Regional International Science and Engineering Fair in Chengdu.


At China’s regional competition for the Scripps International Spelling Bee, many students compete to

be the best speller. But it’s also a test of nerves. Spelling words like guetapens or cymotrichous (winning words from the past two years) is difficult — but as you can see in the following passages — it’s not the only challenge.

Harper Thomas Grade 7, Pudong campus

The boy two places ahead of me walked unsteadily to the microphone in the center of the room. “Your word is … waltz,” one of the judges stated. Great, I’d probably get australopithecus.

It was my turn. “Your word is di-chotomy.” I knew this word. “Dichotomy. D-I-C-H-O-T-O-M-Y. Dichotomy.” As a round of applause welled up, I was filled with a wild sense of elation; I had made it to the finals. Those long hours of monoto-nously ploughing through words seemed to have finally paid off … at least so far.

The words got progressively harder. Soon, everyone was up to their necks in roodeboks and baleens. What irritated me the most was that one person would get a world like cabaret, while the next person would receive a 15-letter monstrosity. However, there was nothing I could do except brood on the inequalities of life.

It was soon my turn to step up to the microphone once more. The judges looked at me cooly, and one of them said, “Your word is dactylogram.”

What’s the buzz all about?Three SAS students compete in spelling competition

At this, my mental processes ground to a complete halt. Dactylogram … dactylo-gram …. as many times as I repeated it in my head, and sounded it out with my mouth, the word would not yield its spelling

to me. Briefly, an image of a bat-winged dinosaur flashed in my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. What could a long extinct prehistoric flying animal, and a word that means fingerprint have in common? Absurd.

“Dactylogram. D-A-C-T-I ... ” just as I said the “I,” the judge immediately jotted something down in her notebook. My heart plummeted. I knew I had gotten it incorrect. Nevertheless, I pressed on. “… L-O-G-R-A-M. Dactylogram.”

Although later that day I would be told how I had “exceeded all expectations” numerous times, I couldn’t quite get over my mistake. As I lay in bed, I recited the correct spelling of dactylogram until I fell asleep.

Ian ChauGrade 8, Pudong campus

This was the real deal. I was going to go to the China Regionals for the Scripps Inter-national Spelling Bee. I was so thrilled and scared at the same time. On the stage, my feet were trembling. I started sweating and took a deep breath. It was my turn to spell. As I stepped towards the microphone, I visualized the entire alphabet.

“Seersucker.” “Seersucker, S-E-E-R-S-U-C-K-E-R,

Seersucker.” I waited. “That is correct.” I smiled, breathed a

huge sigh of relief and returned to my seat. I did it.

Next round, I did the same thing. “Kremlin.” I thought for a moment,

then spelled, “Kremlin, K-R-E-M-L-I-N, Kremlin.”

The next round, I was less fortunate. As I visualized the alphabet, I heard the pronouncer say, “Mozzarella.” I thought to myself, oh, this should be easy. I asked for the definition, then started spelling, “Mozzarella, M-O-Z-Z-E-R-E-L-L-A, Mozzarella.”

“I’m sorry, that is incorrect.”Though I did not move on to the final

round, I still enjoyed the experience of representing the school in a spelling bee.

Hanna KimGrade 8, Pudong campus

“C-E-R-E-B-E-L-L-U-M. Cerebellum.” And with that, I had made it as cham-

pion of the middle school.The spelling bee had begun with a

written test, open to all middle school students who wanted to participate. The top 15 spellers then moved onto the real spelling bee, in which we had to spell out the words to the judges. We had to spell words like jitney and diaphanous, and the top three spellers would then move on to the regionals.

The first few rounds went by in a blur. The words were easy enough to begin with, but by the third round, the words started to get harder and stranger. More and more participants left the stage.

Along with 12 other contestants, I made it into the finals. I had not thought it was possible, but the tension in the room increased: the contestants were all fidgeting and they were surreptitiously wiping their hands on their pants.

I was eliminated in the second round of the finals. In the third round only three contestants remained. The winner of last year’s spelling bee won again this year.

To be honest, I was a little disap-pointed I did not make it all the way, but I knew I had tried my best, and it had been an exciting experience.

Above: Spelling bee competitors Ian Chau and Hanna Kim.

PHOTO BY TIMBER MONTEITH


Reactivating Our Imaginations BY JASON mADDOCK, mIDDLE SChOOL ART TEAChER, PUDONG CAmPUS

Middle school students from the Pudong campus enjoyed a day at the Shanghai Biennale held at Shanghai’s Power Station of Art — a former power plant and China’s first state-run museum of

contemporary art. The location hosted the art show with the theme of Reactivation.

According to the event organizers, the theme was inspired by the location itself. As the power plant no longer generates power in the traditional sense, “Instead, it creates spiritual pulses that would activate the inherent energy within a community.”

The theme of reactivation did generate the energy and imaginations of the students. As the students explored the museum, they were observed describing, analyzing, interpreting, and judging artwork — but they did so with their own inherent energy.

“The sound of hurrying feet and student voices distracted me for a moment. I walked towards the students who were making the noise, ready to give them a lesson on museum etiquette. However, as I approached the students staring at the “Printer Symphony,” I heard the phrases ‘really cool’ and ‘I think I can do that,’” said Loren Digges, grade 8 humanities teacher. “There was no way that I could give these students a hard time, they were running around like kids in a candy store. Quietly backing away, I was proud of these kids for their willingness to accept the awe that overtook them. I was proud of them for being open-minded about art.”

Grade 6 students posing like they are made of plaster.PHOTO BY JASON MADDOCK


Both SAS campuses were pleased to welcome Ji-li Jiang as part of the Visiting Author program. But attendees were unprepared for the gravity of emotion when she talked of

her experiences during the Cultural Revolution. There were au-dible gasps from students as she shared stories of what happened to her, members of her family, and her friends.

Ji-li was born in Shanghai in 1954. When the Cultural Revolution began in 1966 she was the same age as our middle school students. After living through that period she and moved to the United States in 1984 where she wrote about her experi-ences in the memoir, Red Scarf Girl.

The book, published in 1997, received awards from Parents’ Choice, Publishers Weekly, and the American Library Association. Ji-li went on to write Red Kite, Blue Kite and The Magical Monkey King: Mischief in Heaven.

Many of our students, parents and teachers grew up with stories of the monkey king and were eager to share their own versions with our visiting author. It was a thrill for us to have Ji-li and her father, a well-known actor in American films and TV, act out a chapter of the book. We appreciate the adminis-tration of SAS affording us the privilege of having authors of Ji-li’s caliber come to our school.

Ji-li Jiang has audience mesmerized BY KImBRA POWER, ThE BAREfOOT LIBRARIAN, PUDONG CAmPUS

A highlight for the kids was recognizing Ji-li's father as Henry O, an actor from the movies The Last Emperor, Shanghai Noon, and Rush Hour 3.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AMY HOSSACK


And in first place with over 2,000 points we have Shanghai American School!”

Everyone went into a cheer hear-ing our school announced during the awards ceremony. Once again, the SAS Aqua Eagles schoolwide swim team proved we are the champions.

In March, 76 Aqua Eagles from both SAS campuses flew to Bangkok for the Annual International School of Bangkok (ISB) Splash Swim Meet. We had the second largest team, next to ISB. Energy filled the air as we were there to compete and have fun.

Day OneEvents were swum in a 25-meter pool (the same length pool we have at SAS, known as short course). Our team got off to a great start and by midday we were clearly in the lead. By the end of the day only the host school was close to our score.

Day TwoThis day was not a team against team competition, but individual swim-mers competing against each other. Swimmers were able to compete in up to three events. Many of the swimmers placed first, second, or third in all three of their events. And a handful of swimmers won all of their events. They

1st Place at the Sunny Bangkok Splash BY EmILY ARONOvITz, GRADE 6, PUxI CAmPUS, AND JON BIROS, AqUATICS DIRECTOR, PUxI CAmPUS

were: Tristan So, Kevin Chang, Royce Shey, Tessa Hart, Meghan Ingram, and Sophia Miller.

Congratulations to all our traveling Aqua Eagles, whose efforts and achievement made us champions for the third consecutive year at the Bangkok Splash.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JON BIROS

Swimmers scoring in the top three overall and taking home trophies were (Pudong students in blue, Puxi students in red):

■ Girls 8 & Under: Audrey Teo, 3rd place; Beatrice Cai, 3rd place

■ Boys 8 & Under: Atticus Nordmeyer, 1st place; Hudson Chung, 2nd place

■ Boys 9-10: Royce Shey, 2nd place ■ Girls 11-12: Julian Chen, 2nd place; Sophia Miller, 3rd place

■ Boys 13-14: Tristan So, 1st place ■ Girls 15 & Over: Tessa Hart, 2rd place; Carina Seah, 3rd place

■ Boys 15 & Over: Michael Grenon, 1st place

For more details and results visit the swim blogs at: http://teachers.saschina.org/sasaquaticscenterpuxi and http://teachers.saschina.org/pdswimming.


Summer Academy @ SAS — June 24 to July 26This summer SAS is offering many exciting summer programs as part of the SAS Summer Academy. The core programs include Literacy, Science, Mandarin Language, Sports and of course Swimming. For more details go to www.saschina.org/SummerAcademy

Summer in the pool

with SAS

Puxi campus high school teachers and friends sang, danced, improvised, wore outrageous wigs, and strutted their stuff across the PAC stage for two

very entertaining hours at the second annual Faculty Fol-lies in April. The show raised more than 15,000 RMB for eight high school clubs that have a charitable objective.

Nearly 50 teachers took part in the show, conceived and directed by high school English teacher Michael Branch, who was also the MC. Branch warmed up the crowd with call-and-response chants — “oh yeah!” — and earned cheers from the many students in the standing-room-only crowd when he extracted a promise from teachers not to assign any homework over spring break.

“Students got to see a new side of their teachers,” Branch said, “and maybe saw some new talents they didn't know about. I think we also modeled for students how to take risks and showed that, sometimes, it's okay to make a fool of yourself.”

One of the first acts was the legendary faculty band Mama Huhu, who rocked the PAC with Aerosmith’s “Walk this Way” and U2’s “One.” They were followed by French teacher Julia Steele, in high heels and swishing skirts, dancing a cha cha cha with her instructor, Jorge Geronimo.

The high school counselors then took the stage for

the Super Duper College Fair, designed to help eager students get into the College of Best Fit. The highlight of the fair was all the counselors dancing in sync to “Call Me Maybe.”

There were some moments of confusion when three curly-haired teachers, including MC Branch, were mis-taken for one another. In the end, the PAC sang Happy Birthday to one of them.

Some of the funniest moments of the evening were provided by the comedy improv troupe Pearlizzy Travel-ing Circus. Scenarios generated by the audience saw the troupe members in such bizarre situations as being on a blind date after a desert plane crash or showing up late to work because of being bitten by Godzilla.

Other acts included a darkly comic and highly abridged version of The Crucible, with three versatile ac-tors playing a variety of roles, and some beautiful music from Temporary Remedy, whose performance earned them an opening act slot for Mama Huhu a few weeks later.

The show wrapped up with ensemble crews perform-ing disco numbers, “Faculty Style,” with apologies to the Korean rapper Psy, a nearly full monty by some of the buffest high school teachers, and finally, what must be one of the few performances of YMCA to be led by a giant panda.

Faculty Follies BY STEvEN LANE, COmmUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

PHOTOS BY CHAD INGRAM G219 PRODUCTIONS

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ALISON HOEMAN AND DAVE MENTION


Best Narrative2nd place — Sofie Fella, Puxi

High school winners

Best Video Art1st place — Hugo Sin, Pudong2nd place — Sam Wu, Puxi

Best Narrative3rd place — Anna Dining, Timothy Young, and Gero Kassing, Pudong

Best Music Video3rd place — Charles Wang, Pudong

Best PSA1st place — Ryan Chong, Eric Li, and William Sheng, Puxi2nd place — Joshua Sun, Mike Lee, and Joshua Lin, Pudong

Best Animation1st place — Jeffrey Weng, Puxi2nd place — Robert Popescu and Owen Voge, Pudong

Best SoundVipula Bagwhani, Puxi

Best CinematographyHugo Sin, Pudong

To view the winning student videos you may visit www.shanghaifilmfest.org.

Above: images from Michelle Sun’s entry, “New York, Shanghai.” Above right: images from Ryan Chong, Eric Li, and William Sheng’s public service announcement, “Academic integrity.”

Lighting up the siLver screenBY EaglE STAff

Twenty-three SAS students won awards in the annual Shanghai Student Film Festival (S2F2) last month.

S2F2 is a showcase of the many ways that students are using video as a tool in the class-room. Entries from grade 3 through grade 12 are accepted. In addition to the showcase and compe-tition, film industry professionals from across the globe host workshops and lectures.

This year, the films were judged by a panel of professional film artists including filmmaker Na-cho Vigalondo, known for his Academy Award-nominated work in the short film category.

In the middle school competition alone Puxi students walked away with seven of the top 12 prizes. Out of six categories SAS claimed top awards in five.

In the high school competition, films taking top honors by SAS students included a public service announcement about academic integrity, a stunning piece of video art, and an animated explanation about biodiversity.

The complete list of SAS winners is:

Middle school winnersBest Music Video2nd place — Avani Chandak, Puxi

Best Video Art1st place — Michelle Sun, Puxi2nd place — Chuli Roules, Puxi

Best Documentary1st place — Ethan Wasylewski, Puxi

Best Animation1st place — Caroline Zhu, Puxi2nd place — Lambert Kober, Puxi

Check out more about S2F2, visit Eagle Online: www.eagleonline.org


SAS has been a member of ISTA for several years taking students in middle school and high school all around the world to participate in festivals.

Eight middle school students went to Hong Kong to take part in the International Student Theatre Association to work with 11 different schools to create “an inspired piece of theatre.” Students were taken to see a few cultural sites in Hong Kong to use as their inspiration and motivation to create pieces based on the theme “Ghosts in the City: Finding the invisible.”

Are they ghosts? Supernatural? Or are they the workers that keep the city moving and going, that we never see? Are they the bus drivers, waiters, and servers that we have help us in our daily lives but then forget the moment they are no longer around? Or are they the homeless, the immigrants, or the elderly that we just avoid seeing?

They were to use masks to help represent the faceless people that we encounter in our lives during the performance.

The students put together work through drama games and focused exercises and activities to create visual images, scenes,

ghosts in the cityBY JUANITA mCGARRIGLE, mIDDLE SChOOL DRAmA TEAChER, PUxI CAmPUS

sounds, and emotional impact to tell their story of the invisible people in the city.

Each group was given the sentence to fill in the blanks: This is the story of (a character) who (create an action verb) and (final results). For example: This is a story of the frustrated elevator mechanic who tried in vain to fix the squeaky door and got more than he bargained for.

I was very pleased that our students are wonderfully happy and friendly students working with others. It is an amazing thing to watch our students engage with others and find ways to create unique expression. Getting out there and having a great time with others from around the world in different schools. It had lots of energy, sound, movement, and most importantly, the students worked extremely well together to create it.

They had six different performances that all worked on the central theme of the CITY and the INVISIBLE within. Some were musical, some had dance, and some were quite abstract in their presentation. However all were amazing, especially consider-ing the students created them in only a few days.


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iB Art

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Each year International Baccalaureate students feature the best artwork from their portfolio at a special art show (one on each campus). Created over the course of two years the show is always impressive, and surprising.

Artwork pictured is from:

1. Sophie Brotman2. Timothy Guan3. Emily Cocq4. Charlotte Yu5. Jina Yun

6. Icaro Ballarini Estacio7. Karen Chang8. Jimmy Woo9. Tina Huang10. Yo Hyun Gracia Jang


outside the cLAssroomFaculty shares their talents in first Faculty Art Show BY LORI DICKINSON AND KIm SAJAN, hIGh SChOOL ART TEAChERS, PUxI CAmPUS

Recently, the Puxi art department hosted the first Faculty Art Show in the Perfoming Arts Center. More than 30 talented faculty and staff from all divisions contributed their work. Pieces included photography, paint-

ings, drawings, textiles, pottery, mosaics, and jewelry. An opening reception was held on March 27 with live jazz from faculty and students. The goal of the show was twofold: to provide an opportunity to publicly share faculty work and to cel-ebrate the artistic spirit in our SAS community. At the show it was not uncom-mon to overhear, “I never knew that my teacher could do that.”

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1. Fish Out of Water, Kate McKenna2. The Baroness, Debra Lane3. Crochet work, Fanny Liu4. Cho, Qiu, Cho, David Gran5. Portrait, Misook Yie

6. El corazón de américa del Sur, Kate McKenna7. Quilt, Suzanne Cooper8. Shanghai life, Yvonne Zhu9. Helen, Ben Holder


outside the cLAssroomFaculty shares their talents in first Faculty Art Show BY LORI DICKINSON AND KIm SAJAN, hIGh SChOOL ART TEAChERS, PUxI CAmPUS

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6. El corazón de américa del Sur, Kate McKenna7. Quilt, Suzanne Cooper8. Shanghai life, Yvonne Zhu9. Helen, Ben Holder


Fringe Festival BY KAY LEE, GRADE 12, PUxI CAmPUS

“Theaters are curious places, magician’s trick-boxes where the golden memories of dramatic triumphs linger like nostalgic ghosts, and where the unexplainable, the fantastic, the tragic, the comic and the absurd are routine occurrences on and off the stage. Murders, mayhem, political intrigue, lucrative business, secret assigna-tions, and of course, dinner.” — E. A Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

Every year, the high school drama department creates productions that awe and impress their audiences with its intricate dramatics. Follow-ing successes in previous years, this year’s Fringe Festival presented

15 shows ranging from comedies by Molière to dark Spanish tragedies by Fredrico García Lorca.

Mixed with a sprinkle of 10-minute short one-act plays, monologues, short plays, and finishing with the crowd-pleaser, Fools, it was undoubtedly the most satisfying Fringe Festival to have graced the SAS community.

In March, the community gathered to revel in the dramatic produc-tions put together by students. This year, there were many highlights of the Fringe Festival, including the IB Year 2 independent productions — a political satire, Table Talk, and a play that portrayed and invoked the raw emotion of humans and their tendencies, Agony.

In the spirit of promoting theater and encouraging the art to all stu-dents, the middle school, and Yew Chung International School of Shanghai (YCIS), were also invited to perform as an effort to raise awareness and excitement for theater all across Shanghai. The students from all over the city were able to bond together over the art.

SAS student Ryan Nam stated that he was also very impressed by the hard work and the effort that all students put into the productions: “The Imaginary Invalid, was one of the funniest plays so far.”

Said an elementary school parent. “It was really good for the whole school to come together to watch these plays. I hope that they inspire my daughter.”

As this was my last Fringe Festival, it is definitely something that I am going to fondly remember when I leave this school. As a thespian and director, and having organized Fringe Festival before, I have no doubt that this program will continue to inspire and introduce theater and its various aspects to students all across our SAS community.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DEBBIE FINTAK

48


able to catch the audience’s attention with one look.”

At the end of the showcase, the teach-ers even indulged the crowd with two minutes of complete improvisation, stun-ning the students and even devising a few partner moves on the fly.

“My favorite moment was watching the teachers do their improvisation piece because they’re so amazing,” said sophomore Madeline Schill.

Everyone enjoyed the experience, especially the instructors. “It was so amaz-ing to see how much passion there is for dance in Shanghai,” said instructor Giselle Liu. “And of course, the students — their open-mindedness was so encouraging and their energy so positive.”

Some people don’t consider dance to be a sport, but as the saying goes, “if dance were any easier, it would be

called football.”Such is the common consensus

among the highly skilled artists of the SAS dance teams, but they enthusiasti-cally participated in SAS’s first ever Dance Exchange. With 81 participants from eight different international schools and four stellar dance instructors, it was a truly inspirational day.

“This dance exchange was awesome because we got to dance and we got to get together with other schools for dance,” said Ms. Edna Lau, one of the coordina-tors of the event as well as dance coach on the Pudong campus. “You see this for sports all the time, but rarely for the arts.”

After attending a dance exchange at Western Academy of Beijing, the dance coaches of SAS Pudong decided to orga-nize one themselves.

“I thought it was great, meeting a bunch of people who liked dance as much as we do, and were willing to learn and grow even more in all kinds of different styles,” said senior Stephanie Donithan.

The workshop consisted of four 90-minute sessions with the invited in-structors; dancers cycled between hip hop, contemporary-lyrical, musical theater, and hip hop. At the end of the day, students performed the routines they learned in an informal showcase before a celebration dinner.

The teachers were, by common con-sensus, incredible — Canadian Dancer of the Year, Giselle Liu; China’s representative in the Vienna Musikverein, Ivan Wong; award-winning choreographer, Viki Duan; and Beyonce’s fellow performer, Elisa Montalvo.

The exchange dancers all felt privi-leged to learn from professionals. In fact, Montalvo taught her students an excerpt from her version of “All That Jazz” — a piece that will be performed and filmed for the show “So You Think You Can Dance.”

“I really liked Elisa,” commented Donithan. “She said you have to have emotion when you’re performing and be

Dancing through lifeDancers from international schools participate in first dance exchange BY YvONNE YE, GRADE 11, PUxI CAmPUS

PHOTOS BY YVONNE YE


.

is your bed right for your back? BY DR. RYAN PfEIfER

We spend nearly one-third of our life in a bed sleeping. That’s nearly 25 years for

the average person. Think about that: if you knew you were going to spend 25 years of your life lying down in one place, wouldn’t you take every step to ensure you were the most comfortable, most correctly supported? Even more importantly, if I told you that the quality of your time spent in bed would impact greatly on the other 50 years, wouldn’t you take every step to ensure those 25 years of sleep were of the highest quality?

Medical research has demonstrat-ed that good quality sleep leads to bet-ter mood, energy, and concentration. Poor sleep leads to increased pain levels, depressed mood, and irritability. When it comes to neck and lower back pain, choosing the right type of bed and pillows can make all the difference between being in pain and getting on the road to recovery.

You probably have noticed that beds in Asia tend to be quite hard. Pillows too. The foundation for this comes from the concept that more support makes for a healthier spine. But does medical research support this notion? In a 2008 study published in Spine, a Danish medical group took 160 patients with back pain and asked them if they preferred a water bed, a hard futon, or a body-conforming foam mattress. In the end the results were mixed. Some people preferred support, while others wanted the soft, comfort-

ing feeling of the foam and water mat-tresses. This represents the findings in other medical literature: for reasons we don’t clearly understand, some people respond better to soft comfort, others to hard support.

So if you are dealing with pain, there are steps you can take towards improving symptoms and getting bet-ter quality sleep. Here are a few tips on beds and sleeping positions:

y A mix of comfort and support in choosing a bed is my preferred approach. This usually comes as a firm mattress with a pillow top cover, such as a down cover.

y If you have pain when you wake up and the mattress is very firm, try adding a mattress cover to soften things; however, if the mattress is very soft, try adding a bamboo roll mat to the top of the mattress, increasing support.

y Tempurpedic and Posturpedic mattresses are both excellent options for a mattress that will provide support to the naturally occurring curves in your spine.

y If you sleep on your back, try placing a pillow under your knees or sleeping with your knees bent up. This decreases stress on your spinal joints and muscles.

y If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your knees. This will reduce stress on the pelvis and hip joints.

When it comes to pillows, people don't seem to understand that the right pillow is important to quality sleep. Improper pillows can lead to headaches, neck, shoulder, and arm pain. Here are some tips for proper pillow selection and pillow use:

SPonSored article

y Your pillow should support your neck in the correct posture. If you are sleeping on your side, your pil-low should keep your head level. A firm pillow may keep your neck crooked up too high and a flimsy pillow may let your neck drop down too low.

y If you are on your back, a thin feather pillow or contour pillow (cervical pillow) is best to help support the normal neck curve.

y When considering pillow materials, a memory-foam pillow works well for most people. Dacron fiber-filled contour pillows can hold shape for long periods and are machine washable.

y No one should be sleeping on their stomach because the head must be twisted to one side or the other for breathing, which is not good for the neck.

y Always keep the pillow under your neck and head only, never under the shoulders. A pillow under the shoulders will create increased stress on the neck, chest, shoul-ders, and thoracic spine, leading to pain.

Hopefully, making the right choices for your eight hours of sleep will keep you feeling better during the other 16 hours. And with the Shanghai summer approaching, you may be feeling good enough to get out and enjoy the Shanghai sweat!

Dr. Ryan Pfeifer is a spine, joint, and pain management specialist at IWS in Shanghai, and also director of the IWS Concussion Clinic.

For more information about Dr. Pfeifer visit www.westernsurg.com.

For information on topics related to active living, visit activeliving.westernsurg.com.

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