9) ias times issue 06

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I A S T I M E S • i a s . n e w s p a p e r @ g m a i l . c o m • I n t ’ l A m e r i c a n S c h o o l o f W a r s a w

The official newspaper of Int’l American SchoolIAS TIMES

Olympic Fever Catches Hold in Canada: The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver came to a close with wild celebrations for the host country of Canada. The men’s hockey team finished the competition by bringing

home the gold medal in a thrilling sudden death overtime victory against their arch-rivals across the border, in a game watched by 26.5 million Canadians (or 80% of the population!) And while the country will continue its reverie until the 2014 games in Sochi Russia, the games could not have gotten off to a rockier start.

The first omen came prior the competition when Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili sailed off the track in a practice run and collided with a pole, dying a few hours later. Critics blamed the reckless design of an over-fast track. Kumaritashvili was just 21. On a less somber note, the opening

ceremonies were soured when the elaborate four-pronged Olympic flame could not be properly lit. Three torch bearing columns rose from the stadium floor in dramatic fashion while a fourth remained stuck.

And then there was no snow.

Well, there was some snow, but much of it had to be shuttled in from higher elevations by helicopters and dump-trucks. Those of us in Warsaw might be thinking, “I wish they could have taken some of ours!” Finally, the games got rolling and many countries staked their claim of winter glory. South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na is now a national hero for her stunning gold medal performance, one which received the highest score in Olympic history. Amy Williams made sure the Brits didn’t go home empty-handed, as she flew to a gold medal in the daredevil sport of skeleton. Justyna Kowalczyk retained her hero status in native Poland by winning gold in the women’s 30km cross country, beating her Norwegian rival by half a ski length! That rival, Marit Bjoergen, walked away from the games with five medals, one for each competition she entered, adding to Norway’s storied tradition of winter sport dominance. The Americans topped the medal charts with 37, and thus have their pick of potential Sports Illustrated cover boys and girls. My choice? Men’s figure skater Evan Lysacek for dethroning the heavily favored Russian Yevgeny Plushenko, prompting a juvenile fit from Plushenko, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and even the Russian president Dmitri Medvedev. The latter was so displeased with Russia’s overall results that he regressed to Soviet era rhetoric, calling for dismissal of all athletic heads.

Ah, that old cold war feeling. This is what the Olympics are about, no? Airing out political hostilities in a safe environment, feeling the impassioned spirit of a patriot for a day, or two, or seventeen. It’s a much better call to arms than the bloodshed of actual combat. Perhaps those who founded the games, the ancient Greeks, envisioned a day when teams of athletes would replace battalions of soldiers, and cheering crowds replace the cries of torn battlefields. The Canadians are still cheering their athletes, still celebrating a triumphant victory over the United States that will live on in national memory. And given the nature of the games, there’s plenty for both sides to smile about.

Matthew Krasner

mailto:[email protected]


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Senior Life: IB HeavenSince the beginning of grade 11 when Mark Medovarszky came to our school, he has been improving his language skills. He’s written many great essays and has received fine grades from all subjects. This experience shows his success in the IB diploma program, a bit of “IB heaven”. However, this might be not so easy and great like it sounds. What’s going behind the scenes? Mark told me.

What does IB really mean for you?

For me at the beginning IB was an absolutely strange program. Since I came from Hungary where I’ve have been studying for 10 yeas in a normal public school, this International American School was a new thing for me; however when I got to know IB and its opportunities, I was very happy because it is more useful than a basic public diploma. At the same time, it is a

very challenging program. This is a two year long diploma program, and the students have to put lots of effort into their studies. But I think it’s worth it. A good IB score will be a great advantage to my future studies.

What are your experiences in IB?

My experiences are that students have to work a lot. Since students should take at least two languages, they have to read a lot of books and make a lot of creative work and analysis. Another thing which is the feature of IB is research. Students from every subject are expected to do a lot of self study, including research for essays, projects, and different tasks.

What is the toughest task you have faced so far in the IB program?

The hardest task was the Extended Essay. This essay required so much effort. Because this isn’t just a narrative piece, it needed to be analytical with reference to a huge amount of sources and other good research, which makes this task pretty challenging.

What is your advice for future IB students?

First of all, choose your subjects according to your interests and not because you like the teacher or a friend who has chosen that. My second suggestion is to do as many tasks as possible during your first year, such as CAS and Extended Essay. Believe me! If you take care of these important issues during the first year, your second year will be much less exhausting and you can concentrate on the different things...like a social life!



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Teacher Profile

What is your name Sir? - Laurent Limousin

Where are you from? - France

What do you teach at IAS? - I teach French

What languages do you speak? - I speak French, Italian, a little bit of English - with a beautiful French accent, isn’t it! - a little of Dutch, and I’m learning Hebrew reading and writing now.

What is your favorite colour? - Blue

What is your favorite book? - It’s a good question! I read a lot of books about Polish history especially after WWII. Books about sociology too.

What is your favorite movie? - I don’t know. I can say that I like for example Czech cinema (films like Czeski Sen/ Czech’s Dream, Butelki Zwrotne...) and the old Polish films.

What kind of sports do you like? - Last year, I discovered a new sport called rollerblading. Now, I’m waiting with impatience for better weather to practice it. I like to swim too but I always find a good reason to

stay at home.

What was your favorite subject in high school? -I loved philosophy, history and Italian, but I hated math and physics.

Which countries have you visited? - First I have to say

that I really like to travel. I was in Italy (especially the biggest cities in the North), in Hungary (twice, because Budapest is a very beautiful city), in Austria (only in Vienna), Slovakia and Germany. Obviously I was in Belgium, because I was born in the North of France,

50km from Belgium! I was in Israel too, Canada, the United States, Denmark and Holland.

What countries would you like to visit? - I would to visit Mexico and Argentina (because of Evita Peron). I’d like

one day to go to Russia to visit St. Petersburg and Moscow, also to Ukraine and Suede.

What is your family status? - I’m not married and I haven’t got any children.

What advice do you have for 12th graders? -They just have to remember that French is the most important subject - just joking.



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Animal PlanetA report on the ever evolving relationship of man and animal

Humans create a new species

The online edition of the “Daily Mail” published results that the English warbler population is going through a momentous period of evolution. A distinct group of the birds, it has been observed, have changed their wing and beak shape. Evolution is an accepted principle in natural science, and of course the process continues. But scientists believe the phenomenon in question is primarily due to human intervention, as the British are very fond of feeding their warbler friends in the winter. One group of warblers is still observed to move south in the winter, where they may feed on olives and fruits. The other group, smaller in population, use bird food as their main food source. These birds have more rounded wings to better maneuver in the short term. For long journeys, such wings are less suitable. The beak shape

has also become longer and narrower to adapt to their new feeding habits. Who knew that such innocent affection for animals could be a primary force of natural selection!

Blaze and Hunter, heroes of Haiti

Blaze, an eight year-old Border Collie who lives in Palm Beach Florida, was given an urgent rescue mission. After the terrible earthquake that destroyed much of the Haitian capital, volunteer groups from around the globe began searching for survivors trapped in the rubble. Steve Driscoll, a paramedic and the trainer of Blaze, was leading such a search when the sensitive nose of his dog found a two year old girl. The girl managed to hold on for six long days in the remains of her home. No news was found on the whereabouts of her family. Meanwhile, another rescue dog named Hunter used his “bark alert” to discover two other young girls. Both dogs were trained by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, the only non-profit in the U.S. that recruits rescue dogs, partners them with firefighters, and trains them to find survivors in the aftermath of disasters. All the members of the rescue teams involved deserve special merit for their work in Haiti, but none touch our hearts as much as those fearless detectives who had their noses closest to the ground. Great thanks to Blaze and Hunter!

Szalai Sarolta



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NAME: John Hendi NATIONALITY: Egyptian

SIBLINGS: One brother – Paolo

HOBBY: Football, making lots of friends :D

WHEN/WHY DID YOU COME TO POLAND? 18th of August 2006. My dad was sent to work in the Egyptian Embassy of Warsaw.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION?

Very calm, too politically correct, clean & beautiful.

WAS IT HARD TO GET USED TO LIVING HERE? Not really. I liked the way of life and it was easy to make friends.

DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORIES FROM THE FIRST DAYS IN IAS? I remember on my very first day, standing by the lockers watching three guys (Janny, Alex & Peter) walking out the school, and wondered if those will be my classmates. More like best friends now!

HOW CAN YOU DESCRIBE THESE THREE YEARS IN SEVERAL WORDS/SENTENCES?

I gained millions of experiences thanks to the friends I met!! Learned a lot about other cultures, too. The three years were a station of change and had a major impact on my life, changing it for the better, definitely!

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL MEMORY FROM THE SCHOOL WHAT WILL YOU NEVER FORGET? I won't forget the lessons in which we did some practical work outdoors. School trips were sweet, too!

HOW IT WAS TO GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY AGAIN AFTER THREE YEARS ? After leaving your country, anybody would feel homesick. I wanted to meet my family and childhood friends again, but I feel homesick for Poland now!

WILL YOU VISIT US?I'll try my best to visit you all as soon as possible. I really want to!

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TELL THE PEOPLE OF IAS 2010?I miss every single IAS student I met! Especially my beloved close friends! I want to tell the special ones I

love them, and that the gap they left in my life won’t be replaced, and forgetting them is just impossible!Love all the IAS staff too! And I miss all the teachers who taught me! I want to tell them thanks! Because of them, I am doing better here in Egypt! Proud to have once been an IAS student!

Where Are They Now?



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Where Should We Eat

Today?One of the big questions at lunch break is “where

are we going to eat?” Of course most students stay

in for the school lunch, but others venture outdoors

where there are many options: the “Chinese”

restaurant (which is actually Vietnamese), the

corner kebab, the Italian (“Wloch”) and of course

the bakery. Let’s talk about the school lunch first. I

ate the school lunch in the 8th grade and then

stopped, but the last few weeks I have tried and it

seems better than it was before. For 11 PLN, students can choose from two different types of meat, some

sweets, and three types of salad. Also, we get a bowl of fresh soup - which often is very good - and fruit

and a drink. I think it’s a good deal, but obviously if someone has to eat alone then ... well, it is not so

much fun. That’s why crowds of IAS students can be found on Wawozowa in front of the shops. The

most popular restaurant is the “Chinese”. There are a whole range of plates: rice with chicken, beef, pork

or shrimp, or just fried rice with vegetables. We can choose different types of flavouring like “po

thailandsku - chinsku - vietnamsku”, and all for 9 - 12 PLN. The plates are really delicious but - there is

always a “but” - the place is soooo small. It’s always cramped and the new chefs are not so friendly. It’s lost

a little of its feeling. Just a few steps away, we have the old reliable kebab. I haven’t eaten kebab for a long

time, but I remember it was tasty. The environment isn’t so elegant but that’s not exactly what we are

looking for during lunch break. We can sit down and watch music videos while eating our “ostry” chicken

wraps. If a student wants to take a nice walk in a pleasant environment, then “Artusz” is the place. Artusz

is a medium sized grocery behind the school. They only have packaged food like frozen pizza or chocolate,

but if a couple wants some privacy it’s a really nice getaway. If you’re like me, you love Italian food!

Unfortunately, the best place to eat Italian is “Dolce Far Niente”, and it’s a bit far from the school. The

lines are also long and the prices kind of steep. That leaves my personal choice: the bakery “Goraco

Polecam”. This bakery is just as popular as the “Chinese”, and in some ways better. Just look at the fresh

selections! Kanapkas, pizzas, muffins, breads, baguettes, croissants and pizzerinkas. The bakery is also

located next to a pleasant fountain which is great in the spring. Maybe the only negative is that it could be

considered unhealthy....like all the others!

In sum, we have lots of options when the bell rings 11:45. No one place is perfect; but everyone has his

or her own “gusto” and that’s how it should be.

IAS Food CriticBen Kiss



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Picture Club

Greek brotherhood Christmas charity

Two beautiful elves at charity Calling Doctor Fleming!

Party feeling at Halloween Santa is at work



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The Rain Of SoundThe rain of soundEchoing through the tunnels in my mindLight paths the darkest windsCurrents of aroma fill up the spaceLegs stretching out like an orchestraThe melody of movementFills up my eyesWith tears of no descentLonely and frailDrops by a sighFalls until it merges with the horizon.

FuryItching with vigorous pressureIt ties me down Each time I reach outI try to move but gravity attractsMe to the surfaceI can’t resistI crawl with my fingersScratch with my clawsAnd cry with fireDesperation won’t stopI climb and pull The wall that won’t endHigh too high I keep givingUp and down My eyes ventureI tap the floor as I reach outOnto the next stop I must exhaleThe breeze tremblesThe floor shakesThe quakes and tremors connect with my veinsEvery inch of me filled with solemn acheNow I fall once againLight and thinBut Blank and cleanI drop with grace and peacesettle down and sleepSleep of a dream I could never achieve

ReveriesYou sit down,With your head wrapped tight,Watch the world in black and white,You kneel down on the ice cold mud,Mark your face with tribal marks,You leap distances with blood in hands.

You sit down under the only tree,Amidst all the misery,Plains of hatred,Hills of malice,But this, only tree blooms with colors,You reach for one with a slight repulse,As the ink of sweet flow down,As you listen to your soul,With a melody of peace and beats unknown,But deep inside your heart,A pencil shall appear.

I’ll be your halo to clear your sinssoNow hold it up and sketch your dreams,As you live on, color it with the ink,The ink of wrath and joy,The wrath of time and regret,The joy of the times of happiness,Live your life and spread the news,Of this only tree that blooms,with colors splendid and ofhope.

Janny

Poetry Page



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Picture Club

AAAHHH..I got scared 10th grade group picture

Giving prizes at the Halloween party Characters of a Spanish play acted by the 10th graders

Getting ready for Halloween Zaira is practicing for her speech Our principal at Halloween



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Indian Chicken Curry Recipe

One of the greatest Indian meals which is enjoyed by Indian people, as well many foreigners, is known as “curry”. There are many varieties of curry, such as shrimp, soya, egg and so forth. Curry can be served with white rice or can be eaten like soup. So therefore in this edition I am going to provide you with the basic and easiest method of making a dish named Indian Chicken Curry.

Serves: 2 Preparation Time: 5 Min

Cooking Time: 40 Min Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Type: Non Veg.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 chicken pieces • 2 tbsp curry powder • 2 medium quartered potatoes • 2 tbsp pepper• 1 chopped onion • 3 minced garlic cloves • 1 3-inch chopped ginger • Salt to taste • Pepper to taste • 50ml oil

Method:

1. First take a large sauce pan and place it over a flame.

2. Heat some oil in the saucepan.

3. Once the oil is heated, add onion and garlic and keep on stirring for 2 minutes.

4. Once the onion turns kind on golden brown in color, add the chicken pieces.

5. Cook the chicken for about 10-15min on low flame.

6. Once the chicken pieces are partially cooked, add potatoes, and ginger.

7. Keep on stirring for 3-4 minutes.

8. Add in curry powder or any other similar spice which you have available in your house.

9. Bring the mixture to a boil and lower heat .

10. Keep the saucepan until all ingredients are cooked.

11. Before removing it from the flame, add salt and pepper according to your taste.

12. Delicious Chicken Curry is ready. Serve yourself with plain white rice or Indian bread named Chapatti.

Diksha



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BACK PAGE: STUDENT LIFE

Rejoice

A Humorous Exhale as IB Seniors Approach Their Final Months

As 9th and 10th graders contemplate their future diploma program, we thought it would be a good idea to ask the seniors to reflect on their IB experience. The following quotes are instructive, thoughtful, well-reasoned and purely fictional! But as you should know from your English courses, all fiction contains a grain of truth….

"You know you're in IB when you procrastinate by doing 'less important' homework."

"If you think you're doing IB, you're wrong. IB's doing you."

"The good thing about IB is that you know that when you're up at 3am working on an essay, you can can pretty much call anyone for help. Chances are they're up too."

"You're in IB when the phrase 'I got five hours of action last night' means something completely different."

"You know you're IB when you spend more time editing a paper than writing it because you're over the word count."

"I used to have a really pretty life. Then I started cheating on her with IB, and well…my life and I got a divorce." "IB helps you with stress management. It throws all this stress at you and says, 'Manage it!' Then you have your breakdown and you get over it."

"You know you're in IB when you have a hard time picking between your cellphone and your graphing calculator."

"Seriously, IB is a lifetime experience. It teaches you how to accomplish something great, and to view the world in a new way. It's tough, sure, but it's absolutely worth it."

Conversation Between non-IB and IB student in hallway: Non-IB: Hey, it's your birthday! What are you doing today?IB: Well, I have a calculus test and my TOK presentation, a meeting with the IB Coordinator after school to get some scholarship forms filled out, the rest of my math IA to do, an appointment with my doctor because my anxiety disorder is getting worse, two hours of chemistry tonight so that we can learn part of option E, and then I'll probably go home and finish my physics lab before I read Death of a Salesman.Non-IB: Um…cool.

IB Sings the “12 Days of Christmas” (it helps if you know the tune)

On the first day of IB my teachers gave to me….12 examinations, 11 long equations, 10 mental breakdowns, 9 questions begging,8 textbooks slamming, 7 days of working, 6 broken pencils….FIVE PAPER 3’s!!!4 thousand word essays, 3 hours sleep, 2 broken wrists….AND A LOUSY MARK THAT ALMOST KILLED ME!!!



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- IAS: Excellence in Education

- An IB World School

Continuing your education at IAS will keep you on the winning team:

• IAS was the first independent international school in Poland,

founded in 1989.

• IAS is accredited by the world’s leading education authorities: IBO,

NAAS, CITA, MENIS.

• Teacher to student ratio of 1:4.

• Dedicated tutors for university guidance.

• 100% university placement.

• Dedicated staff from a variety of backgrounds, including Britain,

America, Poland, France and Canada.

• Programs to enhance student progress, including ESL, PSL, and

extra math, history, and science classes.

• A variety of after school clubs provided for all students, meeting

every Monday and Wednesday.

• Fully resourced and staffed library, providing students with a

choice of 30,000 titles.

• Zero tolerance to drugs and alcohol.

• Strong disciplinary policy conducted in a positive and friendly atmosphere

The IAS News Team: Bence Peter Kiss, Senior Editor and Production Matthew Krasner, Senior Editor Thanks to this issue’s contributors: Janny, Rejoice, Diksha, Sarolta, Mark, Monica and all those IB Seniors!

To contribute to future issues, submit your work to i a s . n e w s p a p e r @ g m a i l . c o m





9) ias times issue 06

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