THE RISING PHOENIXEverything You Need to Know (and a couple things you shouldn’t)

M O N T H L Y N E W S P A P E R

Fr

ee!

g e t y o u r s i n s o o n !

WE ARE THE CIC PHOENIXES!

October 2011

FIRST SUBMISSION !

he votes have been counted and the decision has been made! Our new mascot is the Phoenix! As you can see from

the graph to the right, Phoenixes received 27% of the votes. Bulldogs made for close competition, taking second with 22% of the vote, and Pandas came in third with 18%.

Now that our mascot has been selected, it’s time to decide how he or she will look. So artists start submitting your ideas to Mr. Fine or Mr. Feinman!

All submissions must be original work and in color. Hand drawings and paintings are best. Submissions are due by Halloween, at which time a winner will be decided.

Good luck and GO PHOENIXES!

Food Choices pg. 2

Jack Wang - More options please!

The School Store pg. 2

Vivien -Saying bye to the old store!

Activities pg. 3

Betty Zhang - CIC’s newest program!

Know a Teacher pg. 3

Owen Liu - An interview with Mr. Fine

Around Town - pg. 4

Regina Zeng - Wondering where to have fun?

Sports - pg. 4

Jude Fei - Tennis and Rock Climbing

Gossip - pg. 5

Katherine Shi - A boy falls for the wrong girl

T

This Issue:

Mr. Fine

16%

27%

5% 18%

11%

22%

BulldogsDragonsPandasTigersPhoenixesOther Dorms Like Home - pg. 5

Griko- Improving your home away from home

A High Degree of Freedom - pg. 6

Victor - Boarding school responsibilities

Flooding - pg. 6

James - Can we prevent a disaster?

Game and Comic - pgs. 7 & 8

Darcy and Rex - Cookie Face, SAT crossword

Food Choices by Jack Wang

It is true that the food provided by

our school canteen is not popular at all, not only because of the high price, but also because of the bad taste. More and more students have begun to call the outside campus food vendors. Here I write to talk about these foods from off campus.

Jack Huang, a student from A2-1 said, “I prefer these foods from outside campus because they taste much better than the food from the canteen.”

Students try their best to find more food makers off campus.

Someone who wants to remain anonymous said, “Now I have almost all the telephone numbers of these available food makers near our campus.” Also, a student who has just graduated from our school has many photocopies of the telephone number and menus on her social networking page.

O f c o u r s e , t h e s e o f f - c a m p u s restaurants have their drawbacks. Jude, a student from A2-1 said, “The price of these kinds of food is relatively higher than the school canteen, especially KFC and Pizza Hut. But the price is still acceptable. Comparing the quality of the food, the price is obviously less important.” Many students choose to care more

about taste than price.

Oh, What an Upsetting School Store! by Vivien

sells products of everyday use but also provides drinks and snacks. It’s true that the shop makes our lives more convenient. So here comes the question, why there are so many students who are entangled in it? Let’s hear some opinions from the students in CIC.

Kiki has an interesting soliloquy about the shop, “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of the outrageous fortune or to take arms against the sea of troubles and by opposing end them! Oh! Supermarket! You’re too expensive! If there was another shop here, who would buy your goods?! Can you understand? To buy or not to buy, that’s a question!”

Words from another student in our school said, “Life is not easy, if the life cheated at you, don’t be worried, don’t be sad. Sooner or later, a better supermarket will come. BAZINGA!”

Jessica added, “I am very much puzzled by marked prices, they are much higher than they should be! And even worse, can you believe that the prices that show on the cash register are sometimes different from the marked prices, and they are even higher?

Oh well, I have to go to there as it’s the only shop in our school!”

A student who is crazy about economics said, “The reason why this shop dares to do that (raise prices) is just because it’s the only market here. I hold the view that we should have two supermarkets and let them compete with each other. The cheaper, the better! That’s what we want!”

One passer-by’s words say it all, “Bloody market!”

It’s clearly seen that everyone has their own special opinions about the mysterious supermarket and seldom are students satisfied with the shop. As a result, a way to share student’s advice should be set up and show our suggestions to Mike! Don’t be shy, just give it a try!

Editor’s note - Looks like someone listened! Here’s hoping the new shop is better than the old one!

Supermarket, a word that appears in our

daily life with high frequency, a place where we can’t avoid going to, while to the students in CIC, this simple word may always stand for more complex feelings.

Actually, the shop on our campus not only

Activities By Betty Zhang

“I am really happy to see that we have so many great students this year and I am looking forward to helping them succeed in English class!”

Bryan FineCIC English Teacher

Mr. Br yan Fine

Know a Teacher by Owen Liu

Since most of the last year’s activities were not so successful, this year CIC has come up with many new clubs led by teachers. How will activities go this year? Teachers and students give their opinions.Bryan and Mikey, who lead Rock Band, want to offer a chance for those students who have gift or love for music to exhibit their talent. The two teachers believe that this new club will relax students and make them happier. “Everyone should attend a club,” Bryan said, “Students study enough during school time. It is necessary for them to get out to try something new. And attending clubs may be a way to make CIC a better school.”Miss White, who has spent lots of time organizing the whole school's activities, also wants students to join the clubs “Last year’s activities?

said, “ as far as student club, not of them lasted all years. Many clubs disappeared. So that’s why I wanted to try something new this year.” But she does have passion for leading her own club this year, volunteer club. “Volunteering makes me feel good. We will go many places in shanghai and I hope we can help many people and animals.” When asked for her thoughts of students’ clubs, she said：”We are now organizing students’ own clubs as well. I think with teachers’ help, they will all be successful.”Unlike these three teachers, some teachers hold clubs just because of the arrangement by school. And many local teachers just manage the self study club because they do not any specific things to do. They just think that students may have more interest in the clubs held by students. “it is a wonderful way to foster students’ organization and cooperative ability if students can hold their own clubs. And it is also crucial for the application. ” one of the form teacher from A2 said. But just like Miss Burnett says, all activities are designed according to

student’s interest.” Not every student is in a club. One student said they would like to be,“ but I am busy preparing for the SAT and applications. If time allowed, I hope I can attend more clubs.” Some students think there may be a generation gap between teachers and students. Thus they prefer to enjoy students’ club. Bryan didn’t agree:” if students want a club to be offered, they should speak up and find a teacher willing to run it. We will listen. These programs, after all, are for the students.”As for suggestions, a number of students want to join more clubs since these clubs look really fascinating. However, according to the school’s schedule, it is hard to adjust everyone’s timetable. So this hope may not be accomplished in a short time. Another common suggestion is that many students want to help with prom again this year. So will prom be held again this year? Will there be any other excellent events for us to enjoy? Will any new clubs be established this year? This reporter thinks the answer is yes!

Today we will learn more about the rock star of our campus, Mr. Fine!

Currently, Mr. Fine is our English teacher, and he also teaches the Rock Band activity with Mr. Cservenak and Mr. Igar.

He has lived in many places in the U.S., and last lived in Hawaii. Chicago is also one of his favorite places that he has lived.

So why did he come to China and get a job at CIC? “It was destiny,” he says. “My grandma and grandpa met and were married here.”

He really loves our country and likes to travel around when he can. So far his favorite place is the aesthetically pleasing Yangshuo. He also plans to

that we have so many great students this year and I am looking forward to helping them succeed in English class!”

Thank you Mr. Fine, but what we really want to know about is the story between you and Ms. White. “Ms. White and I first met at Volcano Park in Hawaii at a teacher’s conference. “We enjoy watching True Blood, Breaking Bad, Dexter, and 30 Rock together.”

Ok, if you still want to know more about Mr. Fine you can find him in the English office! He is waiting for you there!

visit Beijing and Hainan this year.

Mr. Fine says, “I’m really excited to see

Around Town: Interesting Places to have fun around Jiuting and Shanghai By Regina Zeng

While most people here at CIC have a lot of various ideas about where to go in Shanghai for fun, few of them know where to go in Jiuting. However there are actually many interesting places both in Jiuting and in Shanghai. Now here are some choices for you!

Some people I interviewed mentioned that they usually go to Jiuting Avenue. On Jiuting Avenue, you can find many places to eat although they might not be perfect compared to many other restaurants somewhere else in Shanghai. You can find bakeries like Christine, and a small but clean restaurant that serves porridge. There is even hotpot and a nice Chinese restaurant on the right side of Jiuting Avenue and you might find your teachers there! If you really spend some hours on Jiuting Avenue, you will find many small and fantastic stores that sell everything girls like – jewelry, clothes, make-up, hair bands, and more!

In Shanghai, there are also lots of fun places and activities available, such as go-cart. There are many places in Shanghai that people can go to go-kart, which is fun and exciting. One of our teachers, Ms Burnett, has been to one, and when asked how she felt about go-carting, she answered excitedly, “It’s so cool and I like driving and racing!” After a whole stressed week, go-cart allows

you to relax and have fun! Now let’s go go-carting! One of the best places to go for go-karting in Shanghai is called “Shanghai Golden Seaside Resort”. It is equipped with top level carts and a 1200m-long runway. Carts there are easy to drive and can reach a maximum speed of 160km/hr. It’s really awesome to drive in such a big open space, breathing fresh air. You do not need to worry even if you do not like go-cart, because there are still many other outdoor sports like golf, fishing, badminton, tennis, and horse

riding offered there. They also have nice restaurants that serve Chinese food, Western food, and barbecue as well! The Seaside Resort is located in Pudong district, East Tongyuan Road. Beside the resort there’s also a huge park where you can see the most beautiful and natura l scene in Pudong including a beach, a forest and a swamp. You can spend a whole day there and never feel bored.

Sports by Jude Fei

Today, I’m glad to introduce two of our school’s new sports activities: tennis and rock climbing. Tennis is run by Mr. Marcus and Mr. Rod, and rock climbing by Mr. Adam.

I asked the heads of these teachers about the aim of their clubs. They all said that they want students to learn a sport and enjoy it. They all clearly have a deep love for their activities.

Mr. Marcus plays tennis or another sport three times a week at the gym, and Mr. Rod loves to swim. This keeps them healthy and full of power. Mr. Adam has four years of rock climbing experience and says that rock climbing is a good way to challenge your strength and dexterity.

“Anyone who wants to learn this sport can join the club.” said the organizers. They are happy to let anyone join in the club. My advice is to join one of these or another sports related activitywith your friends. Other options include: football, basketball, and ultimate frisbee It is a great way to get exercise, learn teamwork, have fun, and meet new people!

Gossip: Boy Meets Femme Fatale By Katherine Shi

Boys, sometimes you might think you are in love with a kind princess… butoops! She’s actually the cruelest person in the world — a femme fatale!

Fortunately, not everyone has tasted love—the sweetest poison hidden inside your throat, you can never explain it, the only way to understand it is to experience the real feeling. In our little campus, everyday, we experience every emotion just like adults. Betrayal, revenge, love, they all happen secretly here on campus, and the characters in this story, the boy and femme fatale, are just one example.

The romantic encounter on the bus drive to the exercising field gave this imperfect story a perfect start. Distanced only by the width of a seat and needing a diversion to escape the boring atmosphere, these two lonely hearts were brought closer and closer. It seems like the sparkling of passion

and interest shining in their eyes quickly turned into some chemical reaction. The boy, just your average, ordinary guy, put colossal moves on the delicately pretty girl with the beautiful face for most of what was a really long trip.

Days later, the boy came up with a foxy idea, and he set up an impeccable trap for the girl. When he went out with the girl, the boy intentionally took her to a remote region and pretended he lost his way. Then, they agreed to a silly bet—the one who found the way back could request anything from the loser. The sly boy won and he asked the girl to be his girlfriend.

Unfortunately, happy times never last forever, and the girl began to shed her surface appearance and reveal her fickle heart. She became aware of the existence of a handsome prince charming, and our little femme fatale

determinedly dumped the boy using the excuse that they had, “a personality conflict.”

The poor boy, who finally thought he had found true love, changed his relationship status from well to hell. They fought between friends and over the internet. Somehow, the enviable couple turned into mutual enemies - such a dramatic end!

Recently, I heard about a girl broke up with her boyfriend just to be with the boy in this story, which makes everything even more confusing. Same trick…Same trick…Watch out! Boys and girls, another femme fatale is coming out!

So what do you think? Did the femme fatale overreact, or did she make the right move? And our heartbroken boy - has he found a new love or simply set another trap? The one thing we know for sure is this: love is confusing!

Bring Your Home to Your Dormitory by GrikoCIC-Shanghai Normal University, it’s the campus where we study and live, the place where we stay longer than our homes. It is like a second home so it is worthwhile that we make it feel like home.

From the data I collected from students living in the dorm, I found 60% of students feel our dorms are good and have the feeling of home. Frank said, “Living in the small space together cultivates friendships with my roommates and we help help each others and feel like brothers.” Kenny added, “I feel our dorm is good since there is a lot of entertainment there including games, playing cards and telling jokes. We study here, we play here, and we live here. It makes me feel it is like home.”

However, there are also a lot of people who complain about the

rooms. “ have no balcony and it is hard to dry our clothes.” James said. Besides, some feel our rooms are too small and crowded and there are a lot of things to improve.

Many students have many suggestions about how to improve our dorms. Alex advised, “The wall should be repainted and the school should provide WiFi in our dorm.” Another suggestion is that, “The limitation of power

supply should be canceled!!!!!”

Whatever we feel about the dorm, the truth is we have to live here for at least 2 years. So it is worthwhile for us to make our dorm like home and think about more ways to improve our rooms and life in school.

coolvibe.com

High Degree Of Freedomby Victor

“It is not usual for a high school to have such a high degree of freedom in China. High schools always give students lots of homework and no time to relax.” However, this student’s words express the feeling of many CIC students “Teachers and students are friends.” This makes the learning environment more welcoming to students.

One of the most important properties of CIC is freedom. Everyone in CIC has a sense of freedom. I believe that it is beneficial for us. Students are able to arrange their own free time, activities, and evening time. For some students, this is like a breath of fresh air. For others, it is a heavy burden, and they have problems in controlling the time they have. Usually students spend their time on self-study. In CIC it is much more important than in other schools. Students in A2 usually have fewer lessons in a week than the students in AS. No one will force the students to go to somewhere to do anything, but most of the students who are free will choose to go to the meeting rooms, the empty classrooms and dorms to review their courses. Not so many people play games during their study time.

The sense of freedom is not only brought by the spare time, but also showed by the democratic environment. Students can voice their opinions about the school rules to the teachers and the management of the school through e-mail. When they have some objections with a course or anything else, they will ask teachers and Mr. Welland, who is the headmaster of CIC, without feeling shy.

Besides these two strong points, there are many factors included in the sense of freedom as well, such as the scarcity of rules and offering more spare time than the other schools. There are also options in choosing your course and the optional evening study for A2.

If someone is not capable of arranging his or her time properly, he or she may face negative consequences. This impact perhaps will stay with him for his whole lifetime. So I suppose that it is necessary for the school to teach us how to arrange our time and give us more spare time for us to use, making us become experienced soon after.

Last year, we were suffering from the terrible flooding system in our school. In order to make sure that more students and staff become more aware of this issue, I have done some research on this problem. Hopefully, the general student population wants this circumstance to be changed.

When it is a rainy day, the way to our dorm is filled with water. In this case, all the students have to go through the watery path to reach the dorm. Actually, most of the students are not willing to be all wet from head to toe after having lessons all day. Even taking an umbrella is not useful anymore. Furthermore, there is only one path which connects the dorm with the studying area. One of the students, Edward, said, “When it is a rainy day, we must use kung fu to go through the road which is awful and dangerous. There are many small and visible animals of different kinds but we never know what they are.” By contrast, Victor had a different idea, “It is wonderful, a natural swimming pool. What a pity. It’s not deep enough to swim. It’s a good idea to clean the water so that we can swim in it. Why we don’t have swimming class during the rainy day with life suits?” With a humorous and overstated tone, their words demonstrate the truth about the poor flooding system in our campus.

Some studentssuggest that wecreate anotherroad which passes through the court.It is not efficient to walkaround by the original road.Instead of that, a new road in a higher position is desired so as to save students a lot of time.

One of the guards said, “Initially the flooding system of that road was connected to the earth under the playground, but in recent years this flooding system became bad. The school tried to fix it during the summer vacation by expanding the volume of water store, in order to reduce the water on the road.” What solution will the school chose to improve the flooding system？Would the school accept the ideas and change the current situation? Only time will tell.

Flooding in School By James Zheng

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Across1. to abandon, forget5. characterized by continuous change or activity6. a convergence, a coming together7. still, not flowing11. existing everywhere, widespread13. to exclude from a community14. to decrease or make smaller15. very bare, bleak, simple17. to hold the interest of, to gain the attention of23. rich, wealthy24. a great number, an abundance25. to force27. abundant28. to approach or confront aggressively

Down2. to emphasize, to highlight3. a piece of cloth on which an artist paints4. lively, spirited, full of life8. varied9. a ranking system of groups or individuals10. to lower, demean, degrade11. having only one side12. harmless16. unvarying, conforming to one principle18. enormous, immense19. characterized by changeableness, whimsical20. hurtful, critical21. not moving, being at rest22. to give in, to accept24. cautious, careful26. to imitate, to copy

SAT Vocabulary

School News

Cosplay Halloween RecapThe big day has come and gone, but how did it go? In a word, awesometastic!

SAT InformationValuable information for everyone who will take the SATs at the Asia World Expo building in Hong Kong.

The New StoreThere’s a new store on campus, but will it be better than the old one? So far the answer seems promising.

Culture

Thanksgiving PlansThanksgiving is a valued North American tradition, a time to appreciate our friends and loved ones, and count our blessings. So, what will you do this Thanksgiving? We have some ideas.

MovemberA time for men to show brotherhood by growing mustaches in order to raise money for others in need.

Sports

Football TournamentCalling all athletes to come and compete!

Travel

Tastes of TaiwanAn introduction to Taiwanese food culture.

Entertainment

Movie NightWhat’s playing next?

Plus comics, games, and much more!

Next Issue:Comics

By Darcy

All hail Luke, the KING OF COOKIE FACE!

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