It’s   a   brand  new  year,   and   a   brand  new   start  for  all  of  our  students!  We’ve  got  quite  a  lot  of  changes   this   year:   a   wonderful   batch   of   new  teachers,   numerous   new   students,   new  policies,   new   clubs…   and,   of   course,   a   brand  new  batch  of  school  issues.      But  as  always,  the  Student  Council  is  ready  to  tackle  these  plagues  on  school  pride.  As  Student  Council  President   this   year,   I   must   say   we   are   trying   to   put  more   focus   on   school   issues   this   year.   That’s  probably  our  main  goal:   to  promote  student  voice   in  school  planning,  moving  away  from  an  events-­‐only  council.  In  the  top-­‐right  corner  is  the  list  of  school  issues  the  council  had  carefully  drafted  up  in  their  Planning  Seminar  the  past  month.  Let’s  go  through  them  one  by  one,  shall  we?    Struggling  English  speakers  

We’re  not  sure  what  the  students  can  do  with  this,  but  this  is  definitely  a  concern  raised  by  both  students   and   teachers!  We   understand   our   administration   wants   to   expand   TCIS,   but   students  certainly  feel  we  are  not  doing  enough  to  accommodate  the  students  we  are  accepting.  If  students  cannot   keep   up  with   school  work   and   teachers   have   to   slow   down   the  whole   class   to   let   them  catch  up,  we  certainly  have  a  big  problem  on  our  hands!  

Morning  traffic  and  tardies  Morning   traffic   at   TCIS   in   the   past   several   years   has   always   been   a   daily   hassle   for   everyone  driving   to   school   (which   is   say,   99%).   Come   on,   TCIS,   we   haven’t   seen   any   change   in   school  policies  after  the  closing  of  the  front  gate  (which  hasn’t  made  the  problem  any  better)!  We’re  tired  of  wasting   10-­‐15  minutes   in   the   soi   and   then  5  more  minutes   running   across   the   entire   school  campus.  At  least  change  the  late  time  until  after  homeroom,  please!    

Environment  ONE’s   push   for   our   new   water-­‐bottle   policy   has   taken   effect   early   this   year,   replacing   water  fountains  all  around  the  school  with  bottle-­‐refill  stations.  Yet,  all  is  not  solved,  as  students  are  still  noticing   that   paper   and   plastic   are   still   being   wasted   (remember   that   pile   of   paper   you’ve  collected  after  that  AP  class?).  Students  suggest  more  focus  should  be  put   into  saving  paper  and  electricity   in  classrooms,  especially  now  that  we  have   the  means   to  do  everything  on  our   trusty  Macbooks!  

Canteen  food  I  hope  you  don’t  expect  to  read  a  list  of  school  issues  without  seeing  this  on  it,  are  you?  Well,  here  it   is  again,  after  ten  years  of  complaining,  we  still  are  not  satisfied.  High  prices   for  unreasonable  rations,  less-­‐than-­‐satisfactory  sanitation,  quality  of  taste,  and  concerns  for  health  are  just  some  of  the  complaints  we  have  had.  Food  is  certainly  a  touchy  subject  for  adolescents,  eh?  

School  facilities  Extracurricular  activities  are  the  life  and  blood  of  TCIS  students,  and  they  demand  better  care  for  school  facilities!  Better  care  for  sports  facilities,  more  investment  in  fine  arts,  and  better  allocation  of   budget   on   various   extracurricular   activities   are   what   physically-­‐active   TCIS   kids   are   asking  from  the  school!                  

(continued  next  page)    

Top  Five  School  Issues  1. Struggling  English  speakers  2. Morning  traffic  and  tardies  3. School  environment  4. Canteen  food  and  services  5. School  facilities  and  resources  

THE HOWL  

THAI-CHINESE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL November 2012 Issue    From the Student Council…

By: Krit Petrachaianan (Grammy) Editor-in-Chief  

In  reality,  I  have  to  admit,  most  of  these  school  issues  are  outside  the  powers  of  the  Student  Council.  The  most  we  could  do  is  to  provide  the  means  for  the  complaints  and  suggestions  from  the  students  to  be  delivered  directly  to  the  ones  responsible.    The  list  may  seem  daunting  and  discouraging  at  first,  but  I  have  to  tell  all  of  you  this:  the  only  way  we  can  address  these  issues  is  if  people  step  up  and  voice  their  opinions  whenever  there  is  a  chance.  We  cannot  just  rely  on  only  the  Student  Council  to  solve  all  our  school  issues.  The  biggest  mistake  is  saying  “someone  else  will  solve  it”  and  doing  nothing  to  help.    So,  the  next  time  you  have  something  to  say,  tell  someone!  Make  a  change  in  your  community  while  you  have  to  power  to  do  so.  

Nov 2, 2012 News Page 2 THE HOWL

What’s Inside: News ......................................................................... 1 Events ...................................................................... 3 People .................................................................... 5 Clubs ..................................................................... 7 Sports .................................................................... 8 Opinion ................................................................... 9 Etcetera ............................................................... 10

 

LOUIS ADHESIVE TAPES CO., LTD. One of the biggest tape manufacturers

in Southeast Asia Tel: 02-287-2100 Fax: 02-287-1101 Email: louis@louisadhesivetapes.com Visit our website at http://www.louisadhesivetapes.com

If you are interested in putting ads on The Howl, please contact howltcis@gmail.com or 081-413-7776.

(Starting at 200 baht per advertisement)

The SleepOut ended the following day with a guest speaker from the Mercy Foundation talking about her experience as a teacher for the homeless kids. She told us a story about a homeless boy whom she met.

After several attempts, she finally was able to take the boy home, only to hear the boy’s mom yell at him.

“Why are you back?” the mother asked her own son. She pointed at the teacher. “Who is this? Another one of you people?”

You can imagine how hard it is for both the boy and the teacher to witness the scene. Several months later the boy passed away from HIV contracted from forced prostitution. Throughout her ten years with the homeless, she had already arranged at least ten funerals for the homeless, most of them having passed away because of HIV or AIDS. Unfortunately, these stories are not made up. They are all real. I’m not asking you to go out there and start talking to homeless children. What I’m asking from all of you is to always be ready to help and always keep in mind that the issues of homelessness cannot be neglected. Mr. Jalal Tarazi has organized a trip to the Mercy organization with the middle school students. If the trip is successful, he is planning to organize one for the high school students as well. Keep your ears and eyes out for such trip. The SleepOut will take place again next year, so make sure this time you don’t miss out. Lastly, a big thanks to Yu 12C, June 12B, Warm 12C and the ONE club for organizing such a great event for everyone to participate in. Kudos to all of you!    

It slaps me hard and cold in the face and forces me to wake up to face with the harsh reality of life. The lives that I am talking about is not mine, but the lives of the homeless. Before the SleepOut, and I am ashamed to say this, I do not feel that the life that the homeless lives is such a big issue. Of course, I feel bad for them from time to time, but I never actually stopped and thought what it would really feel like to be them.

The first TCIS SleepOut was very well designed and carried out. I, as a participant, am so inspired that with this article I am going to break all the rules there are to journalism and just pour out all of my feelings to you.

In the SleepOut we had to build our own shelters using cardboard boxes. We were meant to be sleeping out on the field, but due to the pouring rain, we were moved to the second floor gym. Even with some air-conditioners on and some tape to help hold the shelters together, sleeping on cardboard boxes was not comfortable. You can imagine how much worse they had it out there in the real world with rain pouring down on them.

We were shown a documentary about the homeless in Romania. They were children not even over the age of seventeen who had to live street lives and sleep in subway stations. They do not go to school, but sniff glue to create a fantasy world that can take them away from the harsh reality. The homeless are often ‘glorified’ and ‘fabricated’ by Hollywood. Unfortunately, life is nothing like Hollywood.

Nov 2, 2012 Events Page 3 THE HOWL

TCIS SleepOut: Awakening, Inspiring and Unifying by Rachanok Chinupakanpong Editor-In-Chief  

School wouldn’t be a school without teachers. Students won’t be able to be as successful as they are today if not for teachers. For those reasons, students should always

remember to appreciate their teachers. A teacher does not only provide students with knowledge, they also give guidance to students, whether it’s academically or morally.

Teacher Appreciation Day is

celebrated with students doing speeches and shows, performances dedicated to teachers every year. This year, instead of handing out tokens to each teacher, thank-you cards were written by students was handed out to teachers.

Things are a little bit different this year, because Teacher Appreciation Day is on the same day as Wai Kru.

THE HOWL Nov 2, 2012 Events Page 4

Every year the Thai Department

put together a wonderful display for the school to honor the teachers of TCIS. Students sang a song about the hearts of the teachers. Several great presentations and slideshows were made and were enjoyed by all. Every year, all teachers and T.A.s felt honored by students’ demonstrations of gratitude. The flowers will light up the smell in our homerooms and each classroom.

‘’I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you,

my heart has no bottom.’’ - A student to teachers

   

Teacher Appeciation Day / Wai Kru ‘’A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others.’’

~Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Nutnaree Tsai Editor

Future NBA Star - Rory Martinez Nickname: Rory Real name: Joshua Height: 182 cm Weight: 76 kg Shoe size: US 10.5 (28.5 cm) Rory Martinez is an excellent basketball player who transferred to TCIS this semester. He was born on 21st December 1996 in Thailand but lived in Philippine for 1 year; when he was 2 years old, he came and return back to Thailand. Similar to most of the non-Thai student in TCIS, Rory came to Thailand because of his parents. Before he had come to TCIS, he went to Bangkok International Prep School (Bangkok Prep). When I asked him what is his first impression of TCIS, he said, “It’s big and so much Chinese and lots of friendly people!” He started to play basketball since 2011. Despite having a muscular build, Rory has a great fear of rollercoaster. Just like most of the basketball player, Rory’s idol is Michael Jordan. “I am crazy about basketball everything is about basketball to me,” said Rory. Rory is an easygoing, uncomplicated person who dislikes people who do not respect him. He likes to talk, smile, play video games, and tell stupid jokes.

He likes to hang out and chill with people

If you want to meet Rory, go to fitness room after school!

Peerless Beauty - Minori Shibukawa Nickname: Minori Chinese name: 林美里 Japanese name: 渋川美乃里 Birthday: 1995/7/16 Favorite color: Purple Minori Shibukawa is a half Japanese and half Taiwanese girl with sweet voice. Her mother is Taiwanese and her father is Japanese. Minori was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan; she visits Taiwan once a year for sightseeing. She moved to Thailand because of her father’s job. She loves tasting different kinds of food; her favorite one is chocolate because she has a craving for something sweet. She also loves J-POP: AAA (トリフル・エー) and GReeeeN

(クリーン) are her favorite bands. In spite of her skinny build, Minori is a brilliant athlete! She is interested in every sport. She not only loves watching the

matches, but also participating in the games. When she was in Japan, she was in tennis club and Japanese archery club (弓道社). She practiced Japanese archery after school everyday and from 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock on Saturday. There are 75 girls and only 10 boys in the club because there are more girls in her previous school.

She likes kind and timid guy so be gentle, friendly, and generous!  

THE HOWL People Page 5

1

Nov 2, 2012

New Students Profile

By Rebecca Lee Editor

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MINORI SHIBUKAWA

2

THE HOWL People Page 6 Nov 2, 2012

A Story of a Young Counselor By Jenny Reporter By Ant Co-writer

Throughout your life in high school, at some point, you will become a senior. Becoming a senior, most people think, means that “play time” is over. The next four years of your future relies on the decisions you make today. You might get confused and frustrated with all the preparations you need to work on. But did you know that there is a young and intelligent counselor who is willing to help you all the time? She is nobody other than Ms. Victoria Novakovich. Ms. Victoria’s hometown is Chicago, Illinois. This is her third year in education but her first year as a high school counselor. It is her first year here as our high school counselor and she has a lot to tell us about herself.

Most adults consider high school as one of the best time periods ever. Indeed, Ms. Victoria also believes the same thing.

“High school was great. I was very focused on my academics. I knew that I wanted to get into a good college, but I am also involved in a lot of clubs like Student Council.” She is an active high school student who likes to work on extracurricular activities. During her senior year, she was the Student Council Vice President. In addition, Ms. Victoria was a part of TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use) and a member of SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving).

“I also did other things, such as community service activities like cleaning up streets and planting trees. When I went to university, I also was a part of the Student Council, and there, I did community support. That is something that I really enjoy.” Indeed, she did diverse activities!

Graduating from high school really propelled Ms. Victoria towards her preparation to achieve her dreams. She got her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

“Drake was wonderful; it was a small school but with a lot of cultures and a dynamic atmosphere. And I love it! It was a wonderful place that I knew I would succeed and I went to get my master right away so Drake prepared me well.” Afterwards, she got her master’s degree in School Counseling from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.

Experiences from these two universities eventually led her to become a counselor. She decided to become a counselor because she wants to impact the students fully: socially, emotionally, and academically. She wants to help students work through the process of helping them into their futures. Working one-on-one with students is what she enjoys.

When I ask her about the biggest advice that she wants to give the high school students, she told me that, “My biggest suggestion would be to start planning ahead. Really prepare for the next four years because it comes up fast and if you are prepared, you will go a lot farther and it will be a lot easier. You can get into your dream school that you want to.” Believe it or not, take this advice seriously for the upcoming race for your future. Prove Ms. Victoria that her advice is the best! Just like what she said, start earlier and see what will happen. I am sure that Ms. Victoria would like to hear from all of you!

Introduction of ONE It has been five years since

members of ONE club first started making differences regarding environmental and global issues in both TCIS and the society. Even though ONE has quite a few achievements, not many people notice the presence of this club. What then is the ONE club? ONE is the combination of the environmental club and global issues club! With similar goals and ideologies, the two decided to merge in order to cause even greater impact in both the school and the local community. The charm of ONE is the slogan, which is a “backronym” of the club name. O: One can make a difference N: No one is forced to participate E: Everyone can join  A  Student-­‐based  System   ONE is an entirely student-based and student-run club. ONE’s advisor, Mr. Jalal, values this system, and tries to only give suggestions or help when students ask him to enhance the students’ performance and make the club truly student-based. Members of this club are very passionate about environmental and global issues. Anyone with any project in mind can start the project any time. There is no limit to starting a difference. ONE does not expect that the projects will all be successful or have a great impact because ONE believes that even the smallest ripple can lead to bigger changes in the future. Therefore, ONE has many great ongoing projects and has caused many great impacts on the school.

Ongoing Projects 1. Education For All 2. Reforestation 3. Recycling program 4. TCIS Garden 5. iMatter March 6. Earth Week 7. Water Deficits 8. ONE’s Page of Quotes 9. ONE Movie Events 10. TEM Senior Yearbook 11. Global Issues Network Conference 12. Bangkok ServICE Conference

 Bangkok ServICE Conference This year is a big year for TCIS because TCIS is going to host the Bangkok ServICE Conference! The Bangkok ServICE Conference was first started last year by NIST. Students from more than twenty international schools and universities will be coming to TCIS for this conference on environmental and global issues. This conference is the chance for TCIS to show other schools our potential! Even though TCIS is a small community, we are still capable of hosting such a big event. ONE club, as the leader of this event, is working really hard to make everything perfect. The club is progressing well, and ONE hopes that ONE can inspire the TCIS community by this event! The 2nd Annual Bangkok ServICE Conference hosting by TCIS is going to be on March 8 – 10, 2013. We are looking forward to the event!

Nov 2, 2012 Clubs Page 7 THE HOWL ONE Club: It only takes ONE person to start a change! By: Chutipon Srisakvarakul Editor  

THE HOWL Nov 2, 2012 Sports

 

Page 8

U17 & U19 Girls’ Volleyball Hans Jong Won Reporter

During this time of the year many sports are taking place. There are people who just got back from summer sport camps trying to show off their learned skills, fresh faces stepping up and those returning players who continue to improve while giving the newbies advice. Out of many sports that are taking place right now, I will introduce you to a sport that is a mixture of tennis and handball: VOLLEYBALL Volleyball was created in 1895 by William G. Morgan in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The sport was originally known as "mintonette," bringing characteristics of both tennis and handball. “When someone makes a mistake, we fix and make it up as a team; no one will be blamed

for losing the point” Tina Lee, a TCIS U17 Volleyball player.

 The charm of Volleyball is to be able to

correct our member’s mistakes. Such chances are not given in other types of sport. Volleyball gives you up to two opportunities to correct your team members’ mistakes and get the ball over.

Although TCIS Volleyball teams haven’t won any awards or places from tournaments yet, they are progressing slowly but strongly. Mr. Jalal Tarazi is responsible for coaching U19, while Ms. Sarah Mathis is responsible for coaching U17.  

The most recent game, which took place in our home ground on Monday, October the 1st, was a really close game for the U17 girls. As we welcomed International School of Bangkok to our school, we displayed a flashing performance in the second set, even though the visitors won the first and last sets. Despite the loss, everyone in the team looked energetic and showed hope for the upcoming BISAC tournament that will soon be held after their game.

The U19 girls had their BISAC tournament at Bangkok Patana School on Sunday, October the 1st. The U19 boys hosted the BISAC in our home ground on the same day as the U19 girls. The U17 girls will have their BISAC tournament on November the 3rd. Other than these events, the volleyball team will have a lot of games, so cheer them on like a pack of wolves!  

Nov 2, 2012 Opinion Page 9 THE HOWL

From THE HOWL

“Cheerleading is a popular growing activity in Thailand, and TCIS is proud to present its very first cheerleading squad. The team will officially start second season. They will be making appearances at the U17 and U19 home games. Along with cheering on the TCIS Timberwolves, the cheerleading group will also organize pep assemblies, create posters/banners, and overall increase school spirit. Coach Michele and the 2012-2013 Cheerleading team are already in the making and excited to cheer on the athletic teams of TCIS.”

Go Wolves!  

We feel most of the issues in the school can be solved through communication. Thus, The Howl aims to bring the administrators, faculty, and the students a little closer to each other. Although for the first issue we only published 100 copies, with enough support we are planning to publish enough so that everyone can take a copy home to share with their parents. Please support The Howl by asking your parents if they are interested in sponsoring us by putting their ads in the newspaper, sharing the digital copy with your friends on Facebook, or simply just continue reading The Howl. We are always open to any of your suggestions. If you have any, please contact us at howltcis@gmail.com! Thank you and see you again soon! Rach & Grammy Editors-In-Chief of The Howl  

It is our honor and joy to present you the newspaper that you are holding in your hands: The Howl. Publishing a newspaper for TCIS is not an easy task: we need a very dedicated and hard working team to make this possible. Thank you everyone who worked hard for this issue to happen. Thank you Mr. Ted for seeing The Howl’s potential and agreed to do this with us. Thank you everyone who gave us support and a big thanks to you as you are reading this issue almost to the end. The Howl was created with the goal of giving TCIS more transparency and providing our school with an exchange forum.  

Wolves Go Cheerleading!

 THE HOWL Nov 2, 2012

 

 

Tips to Surviving High School Wendy Lee Editor

 To My Dear Freshmen: WELCOME TO HIGH SCHOOL! I know the transition from being a kid to a teenager is a hard and complicated thing, so here I humbly present you some tips that will (hopefully) get you through high school with decent grades, good friends, and your head intact.  

 4) Surround yourself with people who will

benefit you. Despite what you think, peer pressure is real. Instead of letting evil people drag you down, put yourself in a circle of good friends. Let their goodness turn you into a better person. Don’t forget to influence others along the way!

5) Don’t judge someone before you really get to know him or her. It’s easy to make up your mind about someone based on looks or what someone else said about them so long ago. I’m telling you now, don’t. You never know what a person is going through behind that smile. So be nice the next time you come across that one person you hate. Who knows, you two might just become good friends.

6) Shrug off your insecurities. We all have faults. It would be such a shame if you let it stop you from having fun. Don’t worry so much about how your hair looks, how much you weigh, or how short/tall you are. Just smile, laugh, and enjoy whatever life throws your way. High school is going to be awesome! J

1) Manage your time well. High school is about friends and having fun, but it is also about finishing your homework on time and trying your best to get decent grades. How could anyone survive and fulfill such expectations at the same time, you ask? Well, time management is the key. Plan your schedule beforehand. Give yourself enough time to finish schoolwork before starting your online game session, blogging session, or whatever it is that you like to do, and you’ll be just fine.  

2) Pay attention in class. When applying for university, your high school GPA is a huge deal, which is why in these four years, you will find yourself under more pressure than you’ve ever been before. Pay attention to what the teachers teach you and have a general idea of what the lesson is all about. It will help you and your grades a lot.

3) Participate in extracurricular activities. It will look good on your university application, you’ll make new friends, and it’s a good chance for you to develop your personal skills and find your passions in life. Sign up for something now if you haven’t already! TCIS has a lot of interesting clubs, and even if there is no club you want to join, you can always start one!

 

Etcetera Page 10