There has been a problem with speaking English for students at SIS who are from outside countries and whose native languages are not English. There is a rule that states that students must speak only English to each other during school hours.
The majority of the students at the school are Korean and it has become the most spoken language at school but never the less there are Chinese students who speak Chinese to each other while in class and probably more than that. The main reason students are being sent to SIS by their parents, besides to get a good education is to get better at speaking English which should be considered a great privilege to students who do not speak English as their first language.
This will be able to help students greatly in their future. Some people take that privilege for granted and do not make the right amount of effort to improve their English and continue to speak their native languages. This is why there is a new very strict rule about speaking languages other than English at school. First there are warnings, which lead to detention, which may lead to suspension, which might just lead to expulsion. This shows how much the staff of SIS wants to help non native English speakers improve their English to help them in the future. As a warning, before saying something, think about what language it is going to be in.
Monday, March 1, 2010
A Movie Worth Watching: Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is a movie a romantic comedy that tells the story of how a few different couples in Los Angeles, young and old, spend their day of romance. The whole movie takes place on Valentine’s Day. Each couple is somehow linked to all the others through friends or work.Each couple in the story spends their day very different from the others. The scenes switch from couple to couple showing where they are and what funny things they are doing throughout the day even while they are not with their partner. There are funny flaws between each couple such as funny valentine gifts, age difference, high school versus work, funny personalities, weird jobs, and more.
One cool thing about the movie is that all it’s stars are all actors that are already famous and who’s names are well known throughout the country. Country singer and song writer Taylor Swift is one of the many stars of the film, playing a clueless high school student whose handsome athletic boyfriend is played by hunk Taylor Lautner, the werewolf in the Twilight Saga. This is probably the cutest and funniest couple in the movie.
The movie is really funny and is worth watching, comparing every couple to the others and seeing them side by side. Looking at love between high school students next to love between middle aged people and comparing them to the real world is so hilarious. For some people it might just be one of those movies that you can watch over and over again without getting tired of it. If romantic comedies are a favorite, head down to the movie theater before it's gone.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
National Merit Scholarship Program
Students of SIS, you have a very good reason to be proud to attend SIS because just recently, one of our seniors has become a National Merit Scholar! Say congratulations to Selena Leon Guerrero of the senior class of 2010!
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, non-profit organization. Headquarters are in Evanston, Illinois.
National Merit Scholarship Corporation manages two competitions every year for recognition and scholarships: the National Merit Scholarship Program, which is open to all students who meet entry requirements, and the National Achievement Scholarship Program which is only offered to African American students who wish to participate. Every year approximately 10,500 scholarships are awarded through National Merit Scholarship Corporation programs.
To enter the competition, a student must: be enrolled as a full time high school student advancing normally towards completing high school who plans to enroll full time in college in the fall after graduating from high school; a US citizen or heading towards becoming a US citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law; and take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in the thoroughly explained year of the high school program (usually the junior year at one’s own school).
There are a few complicated steps students must pass through to earn scholarships. They must first qualify to be a semifinalist through their PSAT and must then be chosen to move on. In August after the PSAT is taken, high school principals are mailed notifications about their Semifinalists. Principals communicate these results to their students. Those who are not chosen to be Semifinalists are "Commended", and receive a Letter of Commendation; they do not continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship awards. Semifinalists must meet the expectations of additional requirements and advance to the Finalist level to be considered for a scholarship.
About 15,000 of the 16,000 Semifinalists advance to Finalist standing by submitting SAT scores that confirm their PSAT/NMSQT performance, having an outstanding academic record, and being approved of and recommended by a high school official. They must also submit an application that includes high school courses and grades, extracurricular and volunteer activities, and a self-descriptive essay. The information that is collected about each Semifinalist is used later in the process to choose scholarship winners. All Finalists receive a Certificate of Merit in recognition of their outstanding performance in the competition.
Out of the 15,000 Finalists, about 8,200 receive Merit Scholarship awards. All Finalists are considered for one of the 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships. So, congratulations to Selena for her hard work and achievement.
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, non-profit organization. Headquarters are in Evanston, Illinois.
National Merit Scholarship Corporation manages two competitions every year for recognition and scholarships: the National Merit Scholarship Program, which is open to all students who meet entry requirements, and the National Achievement Scholarship Program which is only offered to African American students who wish to participate. Every year approximately 10,500 scholarships are awarded through National Merit Scholarship Corporation programs.
To enter the competition, a student must: be enrolled as a full time high school student advancing normally towards completing high school who plans to enroll full time in college in the fall after graduating from high school; a US citizen or heading towards becoming a US citizen at the earliest opportunity allowed by law; and take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in the thoroughly explained year of the high school program (usually the junior year at one’s own school).
There are a few complicated steps students must pass through to earn scholarships. They must first qualify to be a semifinalist through their PSAT and must then be chosen to move on. In August after the PSAT is taken, high school principals are mailed notifications about their Semifinalists. Principals communicate these results to their students. Those who are not chosen to be Semifinalists are "Commended", and receive a Letter of Commendation; they do not continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship awards. Semifinalists must meet the expectations of additional requirements and advance to the Finalist level to be considered for a scholarship.
About 15,000 of the 16,000 Semifinalists advance to Finalist standing by submitting SAT scores that confirm their PSAT/NMSQT performance, having an outstanding academic record, and being approved of and recommended by a high school official. They must also submit an application that includes high school courses and grades, extracurricular and volunteer activities, and a self-descriptive essay. The information that is collected about each Semifinalist is used later in the process to choose scholarship winners. All Finalists receive a Certificate of Merit in recognition of their outstanding performance in the competition.
Out of the 15,000 Finalists, about 8,200 receive Merit Scholarship awards. All Finalists are considered for one of the 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships. So, congratulations to Selena for her hard work and achievement.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Movies For the Month of February
For the month of February, there are a 7 good movies playing at Hollywood Theaters: Shutter Island, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Valentine’s Day, The Wolfman, From Paris with Love, Tooth Fairy, and Avatar.
Shutter Island stars Leonardo De Caprio and Mark Ruffalo as U.S. Marshals in 1954 investigating how a murderer disappeared from a hospital on Shutter Island (fictional). Chaos results for the Marshalls as they run into a web of fraud, a hurricane, and a deadly inmate riot that leaves them trapped on the island.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, magical fantacy, stars Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson, a boy who finds out that he is the son of Poseidon and becomes the main suspect in the robbery of Zeus’ lightning bolt.
Valentine’s Day, a hilarious comedy, stars many very famous actors; Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley Maclaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, and Taylor Swift. They appear as different couples in Los Angeles that make their way through love, romance, and heartbreak over the course of one day-Valentine’s Day.
The Wolf Man stars Benicio Del Toro as a noble man named Lawrence Talbot who copes with an ancient curse, searching his childhood homeland for his missing brother, while a bloodthirsty beast prowls the open land.
From Paris with Love stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers playing an intelligence operative working in the U.S. Ambassador’s office in France who partners up with a high-ranking U.S. agent, played by John Travolta, who was sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack.
Tooth Fairy stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a man named Derek who tells a 6-year-old girl that the tooth fairy does not exist and is left to save the tooth fairy kingdom.
Most people have already seen Avatar seeing as it came out last December and already know what the futuristic movie is about. But the movie is probably going to be gone soon, so for those who haven't seen it, it's recomended. But...for those who enjoy drama and were excited for the movie Dear John to be released, it did not come to Saipan. It was released in the states on February 4 but was not sent here. The movie stars Channing Tatum playing the role of a young soldier, John Tyree, who is on leave and falls in love with college student, Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried). The couple is parted when John goes back to work but stay in touch by sending love letters but the correspondence eventually leads to fateful consequences. It is now the number 1 movie in America.
There are a few movies coming out later this month that are said to be good: Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, The Crazies, staring Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, and Joe Anderson, and Yellow Handkerchief starring William Hurt, Maria Bello, Kristen Stewart, and Eddie Redmayne. Let’s just hope they come here!
Shutter Island stars Leonardo De Caprio and Mark Ruffalo as U.S. Marshals in 1954 investigating how a murderer disappeared from a hospital on Shutter Island (fictional). Chaos results for the Marshalls as they run into a web of fraud, a hurricane, and a deadly inmate riot that leaves them trapped on the island.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, magical fantacy, stars Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson, a boy who finds out that he is the son of Poseidon and becomes the main suspect in the robbery of Zeus’ lightning bolt.
Valentine’s Day, a hilarious comedy, stars many very famous actors; Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley Maclaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, and Taylor Swift. They appear as different couples in Los Angeles that make their way through love, romance, and heartbreak over the course of one day-Valentine’s Day.
The Wolf Man stars Benicio Del Toro as a noble man named Lawrence Talbot who copes with an ancient curse, searching his childhood homeland for his missing brother, while a bloodthirsty beast prowls the open land.
From Paris with Love stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers playing an intelligence operative working in the U.S. Ambassador’s office in France who partners up with a high-ranking U.S. agent, played by John Travolta, who was sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack.
Tooth Fairy stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a man named Derek who tells a 6-year-old girl that the tooth fairy does not exist and is left to save the tooth fairy kingdom.
Most people have already seen Avatar seeing as it came out last December and already know what the futuristic movie is about. But the movie is probably going to be gone soon, so for those who haven't seen it, it's recomended. But...for those who enjoy drama and were excited for the movie Dear John to be released, it did not come to Saipan. It was released in the states on February 4 but was not sent here. The movie stars Channing Tatum playing the role of a young soldier, John Tyree, who is on leave and falls in love with college student, Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried). The couple is parted when John goes back to work but stay in touch by sending love letters but the correspondence eventually leads to fateful consequences. It is now the number 1 movie in America.
There are a few movies coming out later this month that are said to be good: Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan, The Crazies, staring Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, and Joe Anderson, and Yellow Handkerchief starring William Hurt, Maria Bello, Kristen Stewart, and Eddie Redmayne. Let’s just hope they come here!
By: Jessi Soll
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Girls Volleyball Team’s Winning Streak Ends
Last month SIS started up an all girls volleyball team and entered in the public high school league. The team got off to a great start, winning their 1st game in one hour against Saipan Southern High. They continued to win until they had their 1st loss against Kagman High. After that, they got back on their on their winning streak until they lost in a very close match against MHS. After a month of playing, the team was in 1st place out of seven teams and it was time for the playoffs. Their 1st game of the playoffs was to be against the winner of the match between Grace Christian and MHS. Grace won and it was time for SIS to beat them for the 3rd time and move up to the finals.
The team started off very poorly because they were very nervous. The score was 13-3 for Grace and suddenly, SIS started winning point after point until they got ahead. SIS was 3 points away from winning the first set and the tension started up again. Grace got the ball and shot up to win by 2 points. For the beginning of the 2nd set, SIS was in the lead. The score was pretty even between the 2 teams throughout the set until SIS got up to 23 points. They were 2 points away from winning to move on to a tie breaker, but the team started to get nervous because Grace was catching up, and they got up to win the 2nd set by 2 points, just like the first.
The match was exciting with some very exciting points which had the audience sitting on the tip of their seats. Players Emma McCullough-Stearns and Jessica made a few serving streaks, Shane Jones made some great tips, Amber Roberts made some winning spikes from some great serves from Oall Haag, and some great saves were made by Lani Russel and Jian Joyner. The playoffs were single-elimination, so after the close game, the team was out, and will probably end up in 3rd place. The team’s final game was very close, but not close enough.
The team started off very poorly because they were very nervous. The score was 13-3 for Grace and suddenly, SIS started winning point after point until they got ahead. SIS was 3 points away from winning the first set and the tension started up again. Grace got the ball and shot up to win by 2 points. For the beginning of the 2nd set, SIS was in the lead. The score was pretty even between the 2 teams throughout the set until SIS got up to 23 points. They were 2 points away from winning to move on to a tie breaker, but the team started to get nervous because Grace was catching up, and they got up to win the 2nd set by 2 points, just like the first.
The match was exciting with some very exciting points which had the audience sitting on the tip of their seats. Players Emma McCullough-Stearns and Jessica made a few serving streaks, Shane Jones made some great tips, Amber Roberts made some winning spikes from some great serves from Oall Haag, and some great saves were made by Lani Russel and Jian Joyner. The playoffs were single-elimination, so after the close game, the team was out, and will probably end up in 3rd place. The team’s final game was very close, but not close enough.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
can you keep a secret?
Have you ever had a secret you couldn't tell anyone? Either something someone told you and made you promise not to tell anyone else or something that you and only you know about? How does it make you feel to keep this secret from everyone around you. Being around a lot of people while keeping a secret puts me under pressure to want to tell someone-at least one person-what that secret is.
For me, the two worst things about keeping a secret is being around the person or people the secret may be about, and keeping the secret away from my family. There are also times that I want to tell a secret I have to my family(particularly my mom) but I worry about what they might feel or think about it and ask why I didn't tell them sooner. Most of these secrets are not about good or pleasant things.
I once had to keep a secret from my parents for another family member. I wanted to tell my mom so badly, but I promised my other family member that I wouldn't, and that they be the one to tell that secret to my parents. This secret had much to do with my parents and I'm around my parents all the time. It made me feel uncomfortable around them because I knew something that they didn't. My family member kept putting off the time to tell my parents about this secret and it made me more and more anxious.
I kept asking and asking when the secret would be revealed to my parents and I was always told, "soon." I kept feeling more and more uncomfortable around my parents and I needed to let it out. But I made a promise not to say anything, so I didn't.
Finally, this secret was revealed to my parents (it made them furious) and I felt so much better that I didn't know something they didn't know about anymore. I felt that I needed to tell my parents that I had known about this secret the whole time they didn't because I still felt so guilty for keeping it from them in the first place. So when I told my parents not the be angry with me or my other family member for keeping the secret for such a long time, I had to apologize and say that I wish I could have told them myself, but it wasn't my responsibility. It was my other family member's.
I cannot say what this secret was because it was a personal family matter, but it made me feel just the same as I would If it had been any other secret, but just more serious. I really do NOT like keeping secrets. Especially from my family. Do you?
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
if i could met a famous celebrity...........
If I could meet a famous celebrity it would be Kristen Stewart. This is not just because she is the main character in 2 of my favorite movies, but because she has done a lot of other work that I had not known about until I found out more about her career after she started playing the role of Bella Swan in the films, Twilight and New Moon, based on the stories of my favorite book series, “The Twilight Saga” by: Stephanie Meyer.
If I were to meet with Kristen Stewart we would go to Hollywood and I would take a walk with her on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and head towards a Starbucks. I would ask her questions like how it she felt the first time she started acting, about the previous work she has done and I would ask her how it feels to be famous with fans and cameras following her around everywhere she goes.
The first question I would ask her is how she knew she wanted to be an actor when she was younger. Then I would ask her about her feelings while being on the set for the first time; if she was nervous, scared, excited, or all three.
Next I would ask her about each of the famous motion pictures she’s already starred in before Twilight and New Moon. One of her movies in particular that I would ask about would be the movie, Speak. I watched the movie and found it quite good. It is not the type of movie I usually like to watch, but I found it interesting because it is different from most of the movies I like.
I wonder if she ever just wants to be away from the crowd and be alone with her family which I’m guessing she does. Does she ever get overwhelmed by all the things she has to do before, after, and while filming a movie?
But……the most important thing I would ask about is what it’s like being the star character of two of my favorite movies, Twilight and New Moon, and why she decided she wanted to play the role of Bella Swan in these movies. (And how it feels like to kiss Robert Pattinson! =)
The last thing I would ask her is if she has ever thought that she had taken the wrong path in her career. I wonder if she has ever thought of changing her mind about wanting to be an actor. If she says yes I would say, “That would have been a tragedy because Twilight and New Moon wouldn’t be the same without you on the screen!”
If I were to meet with Kristen Stewart we would go to Hollywood and I would take a walk with her on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and head towards a Starbucks. I would ask her questions like how it she felt the first time she started acting, about the previous work she has done and I would ask her how it feels to be famous with fans and cameras following her around everywhere she goes.
The first question I would ask her is how she knew she wanted to be an actor when she was younger. Then I would ask her about her feelings while being on the set for the first time; if she was nervous, scared, excited, or all three.
Next I would ask her about each of the famous motion pictures she’s already starred in before Twilight and New Moon. One of her movies in particular that I would ask about would be the movie, Speak. I watched the movie and found it quite good. It is not the type of movie I usually like to watch, but I found it interesting because it is different from most of the movies I like.
I wonder if she ever just wants to be away from the crowd and be alone with her family which I’m guessing she does. Does she ever get overwhelmed by all the things she has to do before, after, and while filming a movie?
But……the most important thing I would ask about is what it’s like being the star character of two of my favorite movies, Twilight and New Moon, and why she decided she wanted to play the role of Bella Swan in these movies. (And how it feels like to kiss Robert Pattinson! =)
The last thing I would ask her is if she has ever thought that she had taken the wrong path in her career. I wonder if she has ever thought of changing her mind about wanting to be an actor. If she says yes I would say, “That would have been a tragedy because Twilight and New Moon wouldn’t be the same without you on the screen!”
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