QuillThe

WELCOME BACKA NEW SCHOOL YEAR! WHAT’S NEW?

BY WIN LEELAMANTHEP

TO SCHOOL!

Letter from the Editor Despite the fact that it has only been one month, the school has gone through profound activities both academically and otherwise. At The Quill, we’ve been watching taking notes of all the changes, big and small, that reflect the state of our community.As a school-based publication, our aim is not to only focus on the people, events, and opinions in the school, but also to inform our community of the happenings around the world. Hopefully, our look inwards and outwards gives you, the reader, detailed pictures of life from the within the walls to the reaches of the globe.This issue, the first issue of our second volume, covers new additions, changes, hot trends, and featured stories. In the section “Around ICS”, we welcome new teachers, new students, and Student and Senior Council members, who will bring a new splash of color to the ICS community. In “Senior Session”, you’ll meet the two captains of the soccer teams, Seung Woo and Jade, who have led the school to numerous victories. “Eagle Eye” will familiarize you with the famously athletic freshman, Happy. In “Lifestyle”, you will discover 5 facts that you should know about one of the school’s most favorite teachers, Mr. George, a report on the most popular global trend, the ALS bucket challenge, and a statistical analysis on why students take AP’s. In “Our Opinions”, you may be surprised by what you really think about school’s honor rolls. It is our hope that the breadth of our coverage is representative of the interests and concerns of the student body at ICS, as well as other readers. With great pride, The Quill crew is delighted to display the work of our writers, photographers, and layout artists, who have made this first issue of The Quill possible this year. This issue could not have been possible without the continued support from ICS faculties, alumni, students, and other readers. We hope you will enjoy this snapshot of the world we have brought you, from our loving arms to your eager eyes.

Quill-fully yours,

Will LeelamanthepEditor-in-Chief

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A WArm Welcome!A new scho ol year begins!

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IcS StudentS’ VoIce: AP Analysis

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEFWill Leelamanthep

ADVISORMs. Lissa Scott

LAYOUT DESIGNERPann SermchaiwongSurawut Withayarukson

PHOTOGRAPHERSPann SermchaiwongSurawut WithayaruksonTime Chaiteerath

EDITORSYoung Kwang ShinPoom SethabutrPrim ThientanakijKhem Somsak

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neW SeASon neW GoAl

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WRITERSKeshav GargWin Leelamanthep

Volume 2 Issue 1August 2014

WAIkAy’S cornerAn Open Letter to Marvel

20 JAmeS Foley: ISIS’s Warning, America’s Martyr

AROUNDtheWORLD

LIFESTYLE26 AlS Ice Bucket

chAllenGeScrew the ice bath and write me a check

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10 A cordIAl Welcome to neW hS teAcherS

C o n t e n t s

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An IntroductIon to the councIlS oF IcS

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SenIor SeSSIonSeung Wo o Lee and Jade Leungphairin

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eAGle eyeHappy Nishioka

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16 let’S Get thIS Volley StArted

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22 concoctIon For dISASterRacial Tension and Six Bullets

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Fayfay PrasutchaiPoom ChiarawongsePoon VorapanyaskulKitty RodchareonGrace HsiehTom ChoiPoom SethabutrKhem Somsak Young Kwang ShinGid JiranuntaratJohn KimPunPun Chaiyakiturajai

A StAr SpAnGled BAnnerTV rolls out the red carpet

30 5 thInGS you dIdnt knoW ABout mr. GeorGe

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lIBerIAMissing quarantined patients are accounted for

SECRETARYPoom Sethabutr

18 SpIrIt dAy

A Warm Welcome

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A new school year begins, and the Quill would like to welcome all back to the International Community School. Whether he is a returning citizen of this community or a new arriver, we hope that together, we will all have the very best year. During the two months’ interlude, ICS has grown in a myriad of

“First off, welcome! We are so glad to have you here at ICS. I hope and pray that you find ICS to be a place where you feel cared for by your teachers and a place in which your mind is pushed to the limit. I believe ICS offers a great environment for learning. I hope you are able to feel a sense of community here as well. We are so happy

ways; population, faculty members, and facilities are some noteworthy ones. Amidst such changes, however, many familiar fixtures are still with us. One such is our most beloved principal, Mr. Stephen. Here is a short message from the man who has enough power to control your lives, or at least your lives at school.

by Win Leelamanthep

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to serve you all. Have a wonderful year ahead!” It should not come to a surprise that most of the high school population is returning students; however, there is an addition of 20 members to this community. The 20 lives stratify to one, four, two, and 13 new students in senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman years respectively. The one and only new senior this year is Kwan from

North Mount Hermon, a boarding school over in the States. The junior year has three truly new members and one not so new, Jenn (welcome back!). The two new sophomores are Wendy and Nicky, and the new freshmen include: Ferdinand, Poom, Jasmin, Song, Both, Sally, J-Da, Belle, Caramel, Atom, Nott, Tan, and Hug-Jung. Most of the teachers too are returning staff members. Arriving this year are: Mr.

Paul (HS Science), Mr. Mark (HS English), Ms. Aubrey (HS English), Mr. Jay (HS Social Studies), and Ms. Krittiya (HS Thai). On that note, all of you are very welcome into this community and please do enjoy your school year here! If you are a returning student and did so much as walk pass the ‘science section’ on the second floor, you would notice that Mr. Steve’s room and Mr. Paul’s room (previously

Mr. Andrew’s) have changed – A LOT! Over the summer, in addition to getting new and expensive equipment for various departments, ICS renovated the Chemistry and Biology labs and classroom settings. If interested, do feel free to take a peek in even if you are not in either class, although play it smooth and don’t spark any awkward situations!

Talking about change, another BIG one that is going on is the ICS Student Council. A committee consisting of four executive members and eight class representatives, the group, for the first time, will have more legitimate goals than raising funds for the banquet. Led by YoungKwang (president), Poom S. (vice president), Win (treasurer), and Khem

(secretary), the council will be changing things, or at least attempting to change unsatisfactory things around the school. Whether it is food, certain activities you want to add, general environment, or any other concerns, feel free to address it to Ms. Aimee, the council’s supervisor, any members listed, or your very own class representatives. On

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that note, the senior, junior, sophomore, and freshmen reps are: First and Nan, Mint and Time, Anvi, and Jiwoo, and Ramona and Sam respectively. Another group that sets trends around ICS is the Senior Council. Consisting of Gid (president), Poon (vice president), Will (treasurer), and Ning (secretary), the group aspires to “pave the way for younger generations and leave a legacy for them to follow

(Gid).” They now offer exclusive ICS notebooks, paper packs, and agendas both separately and as a set. In addition to that, you may see some people walking around the school selling bags of chips or other commodities, proceeds from which will fund the traditional Senior Excursion. Be sure to look out for more Senior sales, which will be revealed later! Finally, a shout-out to Mrs. Kristine and Mr. Jamie, your guidance

counselors, for giving information about changes around the school. If you have any general questions about student activities and affairs or, as you may already have experienced, scheduling, the best people to see are the nice lady and gentleman in the first floor of the high school building. A piece of advice: be nice to them – you will need them for at least until you graduate. For now, best of luck and adieu!

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An Introduction to the Councils of ICS

A new school year always promises a new start to life. Whether it be grudges against friends, slightly insulted teachers, or even horrible grades, the new school year never fails to help you efface such terrible stories and give you a new start. Maybe your friend has already forgiven you for something terrible you’ve done to them. Of course, you’ll get classes with new teachers (Well, unless you’re taking Band or Spanish sort of stuff). Maybe this new school year will drive you to participate in activities to which you said last year “I’ll do it next year”. Isn’t it great? This new year also gives us a crew of freshly elected members of the two

councils of High School: the Student Council and the Senior Council. These two councils are not at all a collection of posh, titular, or honorary positions for us to hold in order to get into good universities. These councils, as many know, are responsible for the generally highly anticipated events of the school, such as the recent/upcoming ICS’s Got Talent, the Carnival, and the end-of-year lavish and extravagant Banquet. As previously mentioned, a new school year introduces us to new members in whom peers place their trust (the most, or at least appear to be), new members who will bring the school as a whole a new layer of excitement

about new events to come. As with most schools in Thailand and the US, the Student Council is a group of students elected by their peers, who typically shows trust, respect, and sometimes, popularity. Candidates for the Student Council are not control freaks who seek to rule the school and conspire with Mr Stephen to dominate all of us. Instead, the Student Council works with teachers and students throughout the school year. The Student Council is responsible for organizing school events, such as the aforementioned ICS’s Got Talent, High School Lock-In, and the Banquet. Since the past few

by FayFay Prasutchai

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years, the Student Council has been advised by Ms Aimee Seaman, the French teacher. This year, the Council is under the leadership of Young Kwang (12), the President of the Student Council. In case of the president’s absence, the Student Council is led by the Vice President, Poom S (12). In weekly meetings, topics on the agenda discussed are recorded by the Secretary, a position held by Khem (12). In order to prevent the Council from going bankrupt, the Treasurer

controls the in- and outflow of money of the council. The Treasurer of this year is Win (11). Together with these executives, each grade level also has two representatives. As the title suggests, representatives represent their peers and present to the council ideas and concerns raised by their classes . The representatives of 12th, 11th, 10th, and 9th grades are, respectively: First and Nan, Mint Kim and Time, Anvi and Jiwoo, and Sam W and Mo. The other council,

perhaps less known by the underclassmen, is the Senior Council. Generally, the main task of the Senior Council is to fundraise money for their long-waited Senior Trip. However, unlike its name, the Senior Council also involves the school as a whole. One of their fundraising events is the annual ICS Carnival, a fair housing myriads of food, games, and activities, which is always well-received by the students of ICS.

A Cordial Welcometo New HS Teachers

Greetings Fellow Readers! Congratulations on a fresh start to a new school year! Come the new school year, not only has ICS invested on the repainting of the Elementary Building but it has also hand-picked some very qualified high school

teachers. Although Thailand may not be their true home, the ICS community ought to make them feel as welcome as possible. However, before we continue our studies under our new teachers, let’s get to learn about them a bit better!

Mr.Mark Cooprider Originally from Edmond, Oklahoma, he now serves as a British Literature and World Literature teacher. His room is on the 3rd floor of the high school side.

Mr.Paul Muri Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, he currently serves as the AR

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Mr. Paul Muri

Biology, AP Biology, and Anatomy teacher. His room is on the 2nd floor of the high school side.

Ms.Aubrey McNary Originally from Williston, North Dakota. She currently serves as the AP English teacher. Her room is on the 3rd floor of the high school side.

Mr.Joel Grosjean Originally from Port Angeles, Washington, he serves as the official swimming teacher and coach here at ICS. His office is located in the ARC.

This may be the first time our new mentors are entering Thailand. Although they could

use some help in getting fully accustomed to the numerous Thai traditions, let’s leave some adventure for them to learn on their own. Hopes remain high that you all will embrace and support the new faculty as they too are now part of our family! God Bless!

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Mr. Mark Cooprider

Ms. Aubrey McNary

Mr M

r. Joel Grosjean

SENIORSESSION

BY Poon Vorapanyasakul

with Seung Woo Lee and Jade Leungphairin

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As the first season of sports is getting started, the two captains of ICS’s very own Varsity Soccer teams spared some time off their vigorous practices to answer some questions for us.

Q: How did you get started in soccer?SW: Kicked things around ever since I was in my mom’s womb.Jade: Soccer is a cool sport. You can be anywhere and all you need is a ball. I also like kicking stuff so I started playing.

Q: Did you just play soccer growing up?SW: Name any sport you know, I played them all. Jade: No, but I like playing soccer most.

Q: Did playing other sports help improve your skills as a soccer player?

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SW: Yes it did.Jade: Yes, all sports require mental skills and focus.

Q: Who were some soccer role models you looked up to when you were growing up?SW: Me, myself, and this dude called Seung Woo.Jade: I watched Rooney, Beckham, and Kaka a lot.Q: What advice would you give to young players who

want to become Varsity soccer players?SW: Play like me. Jade: Don’t be shy. Come to tryouts! Go talk to Ms. Lissa!

Q: What were some of the lessons you’ve learned on your journey?SW: There is no I in team. Jade: You can learn a lot about unity, teamwork, sacrifices, disappointment, perseverance,

communication, and confidence. All of which you can carry on in life.

Q: Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to your coach and teammates?SW: Retire my number. Jade: You guys are awesome and fun to be around. I love playing soccer with you guys. We’ll do great this season! Ooh ooh, and I love you!

EAGLES EYE

BY Poon Vorapanyasakul

with Happy Nishioka

Known for amazing soccer abilities that exceed his age, Happy Nishioka sat down and answered a few questions for us regarding this beloved sport and his experience on the field.

Q: How did you become interested in soccer?A: At the age of 9, my father forced me to go play soccer. At first I didn’t really like it because I was terrible at it. As time went by, I got better at it and started to love soccer.

Q: How long have you been playing soccer?A: 6 years

Q: Last year you were on the Varsity Boys Soccer team. How did it feel to be the youngest player on the team?A: I was pretty nervous, also not so confident in myself.

Q: Were you nervous about competing against older players?A: No.

Q: Who is the professional soccer player that influenced you the most?A: Messi and Gareth Bale

Q: Do you go to any of the older teammates for tips and advices?A: No, not that I remember of.

Q: With so many goals and wins, what has been your proudest moment on the field?A: When I scored in the finals in Chiang Mai. Not only did I score in the finals, it was my 20th goal of the season.

Q: Do you have any advice for Middle School students who wish to join the Varsity team?A: Hard work will someday turn into success.

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The 2014 Girls Varsity Soccer season is now underway on the second week of August, and expectations float high for the girls this season. To meet them, the girls have been preparing for the upcoming friendlies and tournaments since the second week of school. With a few new players recently new to the team, the girls have worked hard to acclimate to each other’s styles of plays. “Practices with Coach Lissa is always hard, but that’s

a good thing. Today [Tuesday] was our fitness day. We ran around the court for 25 laps and did numerous exercises. Although it was tiring, I feel like I am getting back in shape, and I know this is helping me to adapt to my new team,” said Mint Kim, a junior forward. When asked if she had any goals or ambitions for the new season, Mint Kim’s answer was definite: to win first place. The girls are looking forward to a new, brighter

season and are also hoping to improve statistics-wise from the preceding year. However, with a long series of friendlies coming up, their teamwork will be heavily tested in the upcoming weeks. The girls’ first game will take place against Wells International School at International Community School on Spirit Day, which will be on the 29th of August.

New Season New Goals

by Kitty Rodchareon

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Let’s Get This Volley Started by Grace Hsieh

It’s Monday in the ARC, and captain Tammy leads the volleyball girls around the court for a couple of warm up laps. A few minutes later, the gym’s resonating with the music of volleyballs being slammed across the court. High hopes and expectations flow to the beat of each ball slugged by the fiercely indefatigable ICS girl’s volleyball teams. Volleyball hits schools hard and fast every school year, being one of the first varsity sports to fly into season in Thailand and around the world. Tryouts began on the second day of school in ICS, and by the second week of school the teams were already hard at work. With four tournaments

booked and plenty of arranged friendly matches, not to mention the highly anticipated Spirit Night to be held at ICS against Wells (8/29), the varsity volleyball girls have a clear target set in their sights: Victory. But of course, sports is never all about winning, despite what a certain Vince Lombardi may have said. Sports would be nothing without the friendships forged through the highs and the lows. In fact, the deep relationships that can only be found in team play are what some players anticipate the most. “I’m really excited to play volleyball with [the girls] this year and am looking forward to our bonding time in Chiang Mai together,” said

Tammy, senior and captain of the varsity team. Volleyball is a team sport, arguably the sport that emphasizes teamwork the most, so that’s where practices come in handy. “I feel like the team members are all really talented but we need to hang out more because of the diversity. There’s a large variety of grades so we need to have teamwork. Other than that we’re pretty darn good,” quips Pack, sophomore outside hitter for JV and Varsity. The girls are revved up and roaring to go for an explosive season of volleyball, and have just applied a new coat of brand new uniforms fresh from the shop. Let’s get this volley started!

Spirit Day

James Foley

ISIS’s Warning, America’s

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Tension in the Middle East seems to be a perpetual cycle, substituting one extremist group with another indefinitely until all the world powers are left knocked over and gasping for breath. The recent activities by the Islamic extremist group known as ISIS is not excluded from this pattern. In the past, the organization known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria(or the Levant) have been so inclined as to spread their fundamentalist doctrines across the region in order to create a unified Sunni state and have proclaimed authority over all Muslims in the world. While regarded as a terrorist organization

by most western nations, the Islamic State saw little interference apart from drone bombing strikes from the self-proclaimed world police. This was, of course, before a certain devastating event occurred, the ramifications of which we have still yet to see the end of. On November 22, 2012, photojournalist James Foley was kidnapped in Syria by early ISIS forces. ISIS then demanded a 100 million euro ransom for the return of Foley, to which an agreement could not be made. After years of rescue attempts and negotiations, ISIS released a video on YouTube, the contents of which were

disturbing to say the least. In it, Foley was forced to give a statement discouraging the American people supporting the bombing campaigns. He was immediately beheaded on camera by a masked man speaking in a British accent. The masked man went on to reveal that they had another American journalist hostage, and implied that continued aggression towards the Islamic State will also seal this man’s fate. Despite the fact that the intended message of the footage was along the lines of a stern “Bugger off or else...”, the US received it with extreme outrage, prompting the government

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to focus their efforts in combating the Islamic State and even shift global opinion away from the group even further. The US military, in standard fashion, yelled “We don’t negotiate with terrorists!” and launched 14 more airstrikes in retaliation. The US government has now labeled the execution as a terrorist attack, and has begun planning more air raids and Special Forces dispatches into Syria, despite President Obama’s reluctance in the past. Over in England, however, things have taken a more unusual turn. After being yanked out of his relaxing vacation, Prime Minister David Cameron

had to address the concern that members of the Islamic State may be British nationals, much like the masked executor in the footage. There had already been suspicions that a significant number of British nationals were in Syria and were fighting for the Islamic State, and this video only confirmed them. Thus, MI5, Scotland Yard, and the FBI have begun pooling their efforts in an attempt to identify this mystery Brit, nicknamed “Jihadist John”. Mr. Cameron believes this to be a matter of national security, and that “What we must do is redouble all our efforts to stop people from going,” in order to reduce the amount of British citizens

joining in the violence. Amidst all the chaos that has been happening all over the world recently, it is difficult to make heads or tails of what may come. It’s safe to say that if any of these issues are to be resolved within our lifetimes, it would have to be through a messy scrimmage in which the victor will emerge, bloodied and tattered, the living proof that their ideology is the superior one. Whether the campaign will be a success like the Iraq War or a failure like the... other Iraq War, one thing is certain. Ready or not, America is coming for you, ISIS. Freedom is coming for you.

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Concoction for Disaster Racial Tension and Six Bullets

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Racism is an issue that has never been resolved in America—and now it has erupted once more amidst bloodshed in a swirl of smoke and gunfire. At least six shots were fired around noon on August 9, killing an unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown (18) in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooter, Darren Wilson (28), is a Ferguson Police Officer who six months ago received commendation for

“extraordinary efforts in the line of duty.” A peaceful memorial for Brown was held on August 10, though it quickly turned violent by night, resulting in 150 riot police being deployed at the scene of unrest. When morning broke, a street littered with shards of glass, looted stores, and a burned down QuikTrip convenience store stood testimony to the world of the racial question

America had ignored for far too long.

Missouri Mistake August 10, 150 police officers in riot gear assembled to disperse an unruly crowd. On August 11, a smaller force used CS gas and rubber bullets to again, disperse a crowd. A day later, on August 12, when hundreds gathered in Clayton, the county seat of St. Louis, Missouri, to seek

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a criminal prosecution of Officer Darren Wilson—CS gas was deployed once more. Then on August 13, a heavily armed SWAT team of around 70 officers arrived to disperse the gathering once again. This time, they had added flash grenades and smoke bombs to their already deadly arsenal. In contrast to the Ferguson Police Department’s heavy handed tactics, in 2011 during the London Riots, the Metropolitan Police Service never used CS gas or rubber bullets. Unrest in Missouri has resulted in 153 arrests as of Friday, August 22. The 2011 England Riots resulted in more than 3100 arrests made, with more than a third charged. Furthermore, an officer was caught on CNN cameras shouting “[b]ring it, you ****ing animals, bring it.” Others report detail of Ferguson Police’s actions against journalists—Wesley Lowery and Ryan Reilley, reporters for The Washington Post and The Huffington Post, respectively, were arrested in a McDonalds while charging their mobile phones. The police

reportedly asked them to leave first, giving 45 seconds to do so. When they were not fast enough, the officers used force to remove them from the diner. “Officers slammed me into a fountain soda machine because I was confused about which door they were asking me to walk out of,” Lowery said. Martin Baron, executive editor of The Washington Post, responded that the police had “absolutely no justification for Wesley Lowery’s arrest,” and that the police behavior “was wholly unwarranted and an assault on the freedom of the press to cover the news.” Police overreaction such as these caused a general tilt of opinions towards the protestors. Violent measures also prompted Amnesty International to deploy a team to Ferguson in order to investigate the Human Rights situation—it is the very first time Amnesty International has allocated investigative resources in America, and this will carry political reverberations for months to come.

Not a Surprise Police overreaction

and militaristic measures are not the only mistakes made in Missouri. As it turns out, roots of America’s Latest Dilemma could be traced decades back, well into the 1990s and beyond. Evidence suggests that the Ferguson Unrest was an event waiting to happen. In a city of 21,203 according to the US Census data, a staggering 67.4% identified themselves as African American, whilst only 29.3% identified themselves as White. For a city with two African Americans for every White person, its police department is extremely lacking in diversity. In the 53-person officer corps, only four are African American, the rest Caucasian. Disproportionate race ratios are not the only indicators of prejudice in Missouri. Headquartered in St. Louis, the state’s 2nd most populous city, The Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC) is a “white resistance” to the desegregation that followed the Civil Rights Movement. Its website currently states that the CofCC is “the only serious nationwide activist group that sticks up for white rights.”

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4 All 17 of the missing patients who were forced to flee a provisional clinic when a Liberian gang raided and looted the complex now have turned themselves in, a Liberian senior official confirmed on August 19th. The Ebola quarantine center in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, was sacked on the 17th of August by young men exasperated by the Liberian Government’s policy of relocating Ebola

patients into the capital for scrupulous testing. The local law enforcement authorities responded to restore order in the perimeter only to discover that the patients were long gone. Medical supplies, along with other personal possessions of the patients and the staff were reported to have been stolen as local police began investigations. The concerns of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Liberian

Ministry of Health abated as Information Minister Lewis Brown confirmed that the 17 missing patients who had surrendered themselves to a local clinic were being transferred to the JFK hospital. However, the whereabouts of the bloody sheets and mattresses that were believed to have been stolen during the raid is still uncertain. Health officials are combing through West Point, an area dominated by

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slums home to at least 50,000 people, in hopes of precluding dire repercussions such as additional outbreaks in the densely populate region that could exponentially burgeon the areas requiring quarantine procedures. Authorities, domestic and international, have continuously faced difficulties in persuading the sick for testing and treatment of the outbreak which the World Health Organization

confirmed has killed more than 1,200 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria as relatives occasionally took their loved ones away from treatment complexes. Assault on health workers, though infrequent, has also been one of the numerous setbacks in the attempt to contain the disease. Although the outbreak began in the Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone

has reported the highest number of cases and Liberia remains to have recorded the highest number of deaths. Nevertheless, the Liberian battle against Ebola continues as officials impose quarantines and travel restrictions, deploy additional security personnel in new treatment centers operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and maintain order in the nation’s capital through riot control forces.

Screw the ice bath and write me a check! By far one of the most striking media hits at the moment, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has accumulated up to $53.1 million (as of August 22nd, 2014) since the first video in the beginning of July 2014. It challenges people to dump a bucket of ice-cold water on themselves and share the video through YouTube, Facebook, or any

social media of their choice. Participants will then nominate three other people to do the same. However, this must be done within the 24 hours in which they were nominated; otherwise, he/she will be obliged to donate a minimum of $100 to the ALS Organization to help support its research funds. ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as the Lou Gehrig

Disease, affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. This gradual degeneration of motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to death. Those who suffer from this disease may also notice a decline of the brain’s ability to initiate and control muscle movements, or sometimes even completely destroyed. Progressively, affected muscles may eventually cause the patient to become

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paralyzed. This is more likely to appear in the later stages. Encouraged by friends and inspired by reputable figures, the world has become increasingly involved in this phenomenon. The Ice Bucket Challenge went viral after Pete Frates, a victim of the ALS disease along with his friend, Pat Quinn, current governor of Illinois, decided to nominate

themselves for the ice bucket challenge. Its initial purpose was to raise at least $4 million for ALS research. To their surprise, it has now exceeded the amount by an extensive $50 million, and this is likely to continue augmenting. Prominent figures such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and George W. Bush have also accepted the challenge. Bill Gates took it up a step by building his

very own water contraption. “I don’t think it’s presidential for me to be splashed with ice water, so I’m simply going to write you a check,” said former president George W. Bush seconds before his wife, Laura Bush exultantly swarmed a bucket of ice water on him

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ICS Students’ VoiceAP Analysis Hi! Students. The new Statistics Club launched a study this past week and found remarkable trends in students’ perception of Advanced Placement courses. The surveys were randomly given to 33 high school students (freshmen excluded because they don’t take APs. Sorry freshmen.) But before discussing the data in detail, the following caveats are of note:1) The survey was only given to those who take AP courses. This means that the statistics

do not describe the whole ICS population, just AP students.2) The sample size for each grade was simply too small to do draw any certain conclusion, so the stats are merely probabilities.On average an AP student takes around 1.52 AP courses per year, assuming that seniors have three years to take these courses, juniors have two and sophomores only have one. However, the number of APs per year drops as grade level increases. The sophomores take the most APs (1.75 per

year), then come the juniors (1.61), then the seniors (1.2 per year.) This seems strange considering that seniors have more AP options. The first caveat explains this: Because only Sophomores who take APs get to do the survey, the actual average number of APs taken by sophomores will drop when the whole population is considered. (So will the seniors’, but not to the same extent). Even so, it still holds that, per year on average, the sophomores who take APs take more APs than

by Poom Chiarawongse

Rating 1-6

Rating 1-6

Rating 1-6

Percentage

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

Seniors

Juniors

Sophomores

Workload

3.6 3.8 4 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.8 5

Seniors

Juniors

Sophomores

Environment

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

Seniors

Juniors

Sophomores

Content

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Seniors

Juniors

Sophomores

Percentage of People Want Freshmen to be Able to Take APs

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do seniors.The second trend this study shows is that students of higher grade-level are more likely to encourage freshmen to take APs. (None of sophomores surveyed thinks freshmen should have the option to take APs as opposed 35.7% of juniors and 40% of seniors) This maybe because sophomore’s AP options (AP Biology and AP World History) are so hard in that they have the lowest percentage of 5’s each year. Possibly, the sophomore’s

perception of the difficulty of AP courses is vastly different from that of seniors and juniors who are able to take less rigorous AP courses. Either way, majority of the upperclass men discourage freshmen from taking APs.The third trend is the most significant one, but also the least conclusive. The data shows that the percentage of people who choose “GPA” as their motivation to take APs increases with grade-level and one of those who choose “Self Challenge” decreases. This is

indicative of a more general trend; suppose that GPA and Self-Challenge represent extrinsic and intrinsic motivations respectively, then it can be said that as a person grows up, he becomes decreasingly intrinsically motivated. The implication is a depressing one: this leads inevitably to loss of motivation in adulthood because extrinsic motivation lasts only as long as its stimulus. However, this conclusion may depend upon context and thus need further investigation.

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Three semesters of PE and a few sport seasons later, students think they know all there is be known about their coach. Or do they? Here are some surprising gems you might have never guessed about Mr. George Weber.

0. Mr. George has a wonderful family, and a long teaching career.Okay. You might have already guessed this part - but some background information wouldn’t hurt, would it?“I am in my 9th year of teaching at ICS. I am married to my beautiful and awesome wife Stacy, and we have three children, two of whom are at ICS. Kylie is in 3rd grade and Layla in 1st - Matthew is three and is at home! I played two years of college soccer and then went back and coached at my alma mater for 6 years as the assistant women’s Soccer coach!”

1. Our Mr. George was a Valedictorian.“I grew up in the country of Bangladesh. When I was a senior in high school all my courses were done by

correspondence. That means I had to do all the work on my own, and when I took a test I would have to mail it (snail mail - this was before email was around) back to the US and wait about 6 weeks before I would get the result. In the mean time I would have done two or three more tests on the subject. It was also at a very small school...17 total kids from 1st grade to 12th grade! So yes I was Valedictorian of my class but I was also the only student in my class!”

2. He is a self-declared sci-fi fan.“I am a sci-fi junkie. Yes, junkie. I watch many different science fiction shows - my favorite is Stargate SG-1, but I also like the Star Trek Series, and the entire Star Wars saga.”

3. The stupidest thing he had done was jumping into a pool.“When I was in middle school the organization my parents were with had a hospital, and on the hospital compound there was a pool. (PLEASE DO NOT TRY

WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ AT HOME!!) My buddy and I used to climb the 1 meter high chain link fence separating the kiddie pool from the big pool and dive from the top of that fence into the 1 meter deep shallow end of the pool. We had to clear at least 1.5 meters of concrete between the fence and the pool and not hit our heads on the bottom of the pool!”

4. Favorite snack foods.Though Mr. George claims that students “Actively participating in PE and having fun!” makes him happy, the key to his heart is actually snacks.”Chips or gummies. I especially love samosa, or as we called them in Bangladesh, Chingara!”

5. He has some pretty interesting hobbies.“Fantasy Football and doing random things like making a sprinkler out of PVC for my kids. I like coming up with or making things out of PVC and other materials. My next project is a homemade charcoal chimney for the BBQ.”

5 Things You Didn’t KnowAbout Mr. George by Khem Somsak

Want to know whether or not “Breaking Bad” will win Best Drama, but too lazy to sit through three hours of scripted jokes and boring speeches? Keep calm and read on. The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards took place on August 25, 2014, with seasoned funnyman, Seth Meyers at the helm as host of TV’s most prestigious night, second only to the Golden Globes. Seth Meyers’ slightly less than stellar hosting chops left much of the show with much to be desired, the fate of which inevitably fell into the sure hands of more acclaimed comedians. Just three nominations into the scheduled three hours of Emmy presenting, crowd favorite Jimmy Kimmel was the first to swoop in to win some laughs with several hilariously delivered jabs aimed at invulnerable Hollywood hunk, Matthew McConaughey. Barely 5 awards and a played off Gail Mancuso (Modern Family) later, the show was in need of another saving, this time by vulgar stentor Billy Eichner. Eichner’s side-splitting, ‘Billy On The Street’ digital short followed a bumbling Meyers being dragged around by the very

startling Billy Eichner as the latter steamrolls around downtown LA, accosting innocent Angelenos with aggressive (vaguely) Emmy related questions. Eichner appeared just in time to relight the already sputtering spirits of the room, and even America’s sweetheart Anna Kendrick admits to preferring good ol’ Billy’s four minutes to Meyer’s already too long 30. Another 10 pass without anything terrifyingly interesting happening, except for maybe Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper, Big Bang Theory) collecting his fourth Big Bang Emmy. But the attention all falls on Julia Louise-Dreyfus (Selina Meyer, Veep) and Bryan Cranston (Walter White, Breaking Bad), when Julia gets up to claim her fifth overall win and Cranston attacks her mouth with enough ferocity to guarantee the two a spot in the public’s over-crammed memory slots for at least the next half hour. Bryan Cranston’s shocking display of l’amour de passion can be explained by his guest-starring role as JLD’s Dr. Dentist flame back in her Seinfeld days. Guess he just wanted to give her one last oral exam.

As the awards transition from comedy to miniseries, Sherlock bags three Emmys: one for Moffat, one for Martin, and one for Benedict, and that’s all that matters until, Surprise! Weird Al emerges onstage with beautiful dancing people as he sings the theme songs from Mad Men, Scandal, and Game of Thrones. As a bonus, Andy Samberg sings back up for Yankovic as the detestable Joffrey from Game of Thrones. The bit ends with George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones writer and acknowledged sadist, being handed a typewriter, and a desperate plea for more scripts. Weird Al Yankovic’s musical number ends and once again the show drifts into a snoozier mood as Ricky Gervais drops some snarky ‘I’ve got no Emmys!’ jokes and Sarah Silverman picks up her second ever Emmy trophy. Jimmy Fallon returns to stage and kicks it back up a notch by hijacking Stephen Colbert’s acceptance speech for the Colbert Report (or “Colbore Report” according to a slurring Gwen Stefani). After the laughter’s died down from Fallon’s antics, the ever lovely Sofia Vergara (Gloria Delgado-Pritchett,

A Star Spangled BannerTV Rolls out the Red Carpet

by Grace Hsieh

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Modern Family) takes the stage and introduces Bruce Rosenblum, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy, and the segment goes south from there. Rosenblum places Vergara LITERALLY ON A PEDESTAL, and recites a speech about quality television content as Sofia revolves on stage, showing off her assets. The bit played on sexism in the industry, with Rosenblum saying, “Television has and always been about great storytelling,” just as Vergara flaunts her excellent figure. Rosenblum ended with a touching, “What truly matters is that we always remember that our success is based on always giving the viewers something compelling to watch,” complete with a sleazy smile and a shot of Sofia Vergara’s famed derriere. Immediately following the (clever?) (awkward?)

segment with a revolving Columbian bombshell, another bomb was dropped when Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman, Breaking Bad) snatched away the coveted winged woman symbolizing Best Supporting Actor from Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister, Game of Thrones), contributing to the unprecedented number of wins for Game of Thrones, a grand total of zero Emmys for the TV tyrant. As Robin William’s tribute began, a solemnity rolled over the room, the type of deep respect reserved only for the greatest in their fields. Billy Crystal captured Williams perfectly in a beautifully delivered homage, beginning matter-of-factly with, “He made us laugh. He made us laugh hard,” supplemented with anecdotes doting on William’s genius, and ending with an elegant metaphor, “[Robin Williams] was the brightest star in the

comedy galaxy.” A video montage about a minute long did its best to encapsulate Robin William’s illustrious 40-year career in comedy, but it hardly did him justice.In the final leg of the show, only a precious few more moments stand out. Bryan Cranston surprisingly (but unsurprisingly) beat out two silver screen big shots, McConaughey (Rust Cohle, True Detective) and Harrelson (Martin Hart, True Detective), presented by the always-charming fellow movie star Julia Roberts. And just like that, around 11PM, after three hours of grueling thrilling TV glamour, the show leaves the audience only a few mementos: a couple (dozen) golden Amy Poehler one-liners, a healthy respect for Modern Family and its inescapable Emmy net, and Sarah Silverman’s red carpet candor about her Cali-legal MJ vapie.

Dear Marvel Movie Studios,

Hi. So I’ve recently watched your Guardians of the Galaxy as one among the hordes of moviegoers whose only source of summertime entertainment nowadays comes from you. Don’t get me wrong. I liked Bradley Cooper as a raccoon, and I was mumbling GROOOOT on the way home. But for every one thing I genuinely liked about your movie, there were 2 things that ticked me off. This has been going on for too long, and it’s not exclusive to GotG or your other movies. However, you are the biggest and the

most successful offender, and that’s excuse enough to dedicate a letter you’re not gonna read - although you should - anytime soon. You seem to think that sarcastic comments and ‘modernizing’ characters will automatically elevate your movie to the next level. This is intuitively false, but for one reason or another, you continue to recycle this character trait. Just because it worked with Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t mean it’ll work in Thor. Some characters and plot points, like that of a Norse god being expelled from the only world he has ever known, need to be developed with gravity and

drama that get stifled when you have your bumbling but ‘lovable’ sidekick tases the aforementioned god. I’m not saying the scene is not funny, but just the opposite: it’s too funny to add any emotional depth to what’s happening and traps the potential of your film. I know you like money. I do too. But as a thinking consumer, I’d like more than just cheap entertainment, especially when they involve superheroes, the closest thing we have to modern mythologies and one that has had time to take root in our cultural consciousness for over half

An Open Letter toWaikay ’s Corner by Young Kwang

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a century. ‘Modernizing’ your characters can mean humanizing these gods among men, but it can also mean turning them into pop culture mouthpieces who become defined solely by one or two characteristics and affirm that constantly in a nerd-friendly, corporation-friendly fashion. When Iron Man came out back in 2007, people went wild because it was one of the first movies to prove that superheroes could triumph on the big screen. Now in 2014, it’s absurd to think a superhero could bomb in the box office. And sadly, you, Marvel, have become complacent. I loved The Avengers just as much as any other person and his sister and her boyfriend and his grandmother and the potential criminal standing next to her, but let’s face it: it was 2 hours of fan service.

All you, the movie studio, had to do was to tweak character interactions just so that it was a profitable mix of action, witty exchanges, bromance, Iron Man fighting Thor, and Scarlett Johansson. Now it’s celebrated as one of the best superhero movies of all time, and because you have that cozy roof over your head, each subsequent movie you produce tantalizes us to break past that roof, but just ends up scratching some dust off the beams. And we, the audience, the dust on our grinning heads, will continue to consume your products, mostly because there is nothing else out in the summer. I’m not saying I dislike your movies. Far from it. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was probably the best movie to come out from you, and GotG was weird and goofy enough to have me smiling throughout

its runtime. But it’s no secret you now have a formula of moviemaking that you’ll run until your time in the limelight vanishes. It’s not like you have competition either. DC movies can’t seem to get past the idea that dark and gritty doesn’t mean quality, summer action flicks are as bland and uninspired as the last year’s batch, and animated movies might be getting creative and provocative, but it’ll be a long time before the public overcomes its prejudice that animation is for kids. So yeah, all I have in the summer is you, Marvel. Don’t let this become a love-hate relationship. Or else, you’ll be getting more critical letters than there are villains in Spider-Man movies.

Your Abused Housewife whom You

Know Will Come Back Home,

Waikay

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