October 7, 2014

PSAT/NMSQT is Coming soon! School had started at SIS

and tests are being handed out left

and right. However, there are three

tests that mean more to the high

school students than any others:

the PSAT/NMSQT, the SAT, and

the AP (Advanced Placement) Ex-

ams (also referred to as the May

Exams because they are administered nationwide in May).

The PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying

Test) is a test that determines eligibility for the National Merit Schol-

arship program. To be eligible, a student must be a U.S. citizen, must

plan to enroll in college, and must take the test in their junior year.

Out of the 1.5 million juniors that take the PSAT/NMSQT annually,

around 50,000 are qualified. However, only 1/3 of them (the top 1%)

qualify to become semi-finalists. A semi-finalist then submits a Na-

tional Merit Scholarship Application. Then, out of the roughly

16,000 semi-finalists, 15,000 become finalists and out of the 15,000

finalists, 8,200 are selected for Merit Scholarships. Students who are

selected can actually win money for college.

The SAT is a test

that covers three sections:

critical reading, writing,

and mathematics. Colleges

base a good part of their

application process on the

scores achieved on the SAT.

The top score is 2400 (800

for each section). This test

includes an essay, very few

short answer questions, and

many multiple choice ques-

tions. This test is administered about once a month while the PSAT/

NMSQT is given once a year.

The final test is by far the most difficult for non-native Eng-

lish and native English speakers alike; the dreaded AP exams (or

May Exams). This test is a cumulative exam that covers the material

students learn in their AP courses. With a top score of 5, the AP

exam has students studying year-round and perfecting their essay

writing skills. The sophomores have one AP exam, the seniors have

two, but the juniors have three. Keep in mind, all these exams are

administered within a two week timeframe.

So, good luck to all you students this year. Study hard, be

diligent with your school-related assignments/activities and be confi-

dent during exams.

- By Quintin M. Ramsey

The SIS Herald Free for all Geckoes!!

Mr. Bray started a com-

puter coding club for students

from third grade to sixth grade on

Wednesday, October 1st. Com-

puter coding is an another way of

saying computer programming.

Computer programming uses a

special language to command

computers. There are many dif-

ferent coding languages that can

command computers. Two of

these languages are JavaScript,

which is used for program de-

signing, and HTML, which is

used for building websites. The

purpose of creating this club was

to prepare students for the pre-

dicted 1.4 million computer pro-

gramming jobs that will open up

in the next few decades due to a

lack of people in this field. Com-

puter programming is a very good

job and offers decent pay. In ad-

dition, programmers can travel

around the world while working,

as long as they have internet. (Continued on pg 3)

Issue 1, volume 3

Coding Club

with Mr. Bray!

Upcoming Events…☆

10/8 Lock-in for Juniors and Sen-

iors

10/9 Faculty Records Day/ No

Classes

10/10 , 10/13 No School

Lock-in On October 8th,

Saipan International

School National Honors

Society is hosting a fund-

raising event exclusively

of the Juniors and Seniors,

Lock-in. Each student has

to pay a $5 entrance fee. Students will gather and do some inter-

esting and entertaining activities overnight in the high school.

Students spending the night must be picked up the following

morning at the time indicated by the forms passed out earlier last

week. Students who wish to leave early will have to pay a $5

"exit fee."

(Continued to pg. 4)

2 The SIS Herald

Thank you, Mr. Steven Metayer!

Mr. Metayer is our school’s technician. He was born and

raised in New York and has been interested in technology since

he was 5. As a kid, he would always

take electronics apart and see what

function each part had. His electronic

curiosity grew as he got older and

older. Wanting to further pursue his

interest, he attended the New York

Institute of Technology. There, he ma-

jored in electronic technology. Over-

all, he has 30 years of experience. The

reason he loves his career so much is

that every job is a challenge to him.

"Every job is a challenge, and no 2

jobs are ever identical."

After moving to Saipan, Mr.

Metayer saw how the electronics

in SIS were too far behind and

decided to help out. He has up-

dated the computers in the com-

puter lab by upgrading all the

computers to windows 7 and

speeding up the processors. He

also redid the entire wireless network and installed security cam-

eras for the safety of SIS. He has done amazing things to the

technology here at SIS. Without him, we might still have the old

versions of anything technology-related. SIS would like to thank

Mr. Matayer for incredible things he has done for our school.

-By Jennifer Tan

Typhoon, Vongfong There was no school on

Monday. Why? Typhoon Vong-

fong, which passed close to Rota

early Monday morning, created

conditions unsafe for school.

However, this day off Monday

will be made up by the end of the

school year. By law, we are re-

quired to have school for 180

days. This day off will bring us

to 179 days, so we need to make

one up. Up on capitol hill, Emer-

gency buildings of the govern-

ment were packed with people

ready to help and wait out the

storm. People spent Sunday pre-

paring for the worst. But this isn't

the worst Saipan has faced. Su-

per Typhoon Chaba hit the

Northern Mariana Islands on Au-

gust 22, 2004. Typhoon Chaba

produced wind gusts of up to

136mph (219kmph) compared

with the only about 120mph

(193kmph) winds produced by

Vongfong. Chaba caused exten-

sive property damage but Saipan

managed to survive.

-By Quintin Ramsey

3 The SIS Herald

Mrs. Julie Newman Mrs. Julie (aka. Mrs. Julie) is a kind-

hearted strong woman. You may have seen her pretty

much everywhere. Her day usually starts off in the office

where she does the lunch count. Students can buy lunch

from her in the morning and sometimes during lunchtime.

After selling lunch tickets every morning, she watches

elementary, middle school, and high school kids during

their breaks. Finally, at the end of the day, she helps par-

ents pick up their child on time safely. “I have worked at

Saipan International

School since 2006, which

is 8 years. I love SIS. I also

love working in the yard. I

am enjoying this year so

far. Sometimes it can be

stressful, but it keeps me

active, keeps my brain

working, and sometimes it

can be relaxing, depending

on the day. I am also a sub-

stitute when teachers are

not around, I help Mrs.

Mili in the office where I

can sit in for her if she isn't

around, and I run errands for the school." Mrs. Julie is a

caring person, so if any of the students get hurt, feel sick,

or forget their lunches, she is there to lend a hand. SO

BE KIND TO MRS. JULIE.

-By Adele Hudkins

Upcoming Swim

Meet Coming Up!

The All School Swim Meet will

be held on Saturday, November 8that

Marpi Kan Pacific 50m Pool. Participants

are required to swim at least 50m. This

meet will be done before the afternoon.

Detailed information and signup sheets

will be updated and distributed next quar-

ter. Various schools from the island will

gather for this competition. There will be

separate divisions for elementary, junior

high, and high school students. The com-

petition will be co-ed; however, rankings

will be based on gender. There will be

prizes for the top 3 participants in each

event. It is widely recommended that stu-

dents join this upcoming swim meet.

-By Takumi Sugie

Coding Club with Mr. Bray

(Continued from pg.1)

Mr. Bray wanted to have students develop their

interest in the computer

programming field through

the course. After school

hours, students go onto a

website called code.org and

learn the basics of computer

programming through fun

illustrations and actives. Mr. Bray is only holding this

club in October. The price for the course would be $75

overall. So far, the course has 7 students enrolled. Come

and join Mr. Bray on Wednesday after school from 3:00

-4:00pm where you can develop your potential in the

field of computer programming. -By Yeeno Marshall

4 The SIS Herald

Math Court

The 2014-2015 school year has arrived, and so has the

math court competitions. A math court is a series of competitions

that promotes mathematics in the middle schools and high schools

of Saipan. Students have to answer series of questions within the

time limit. At the end of the competition, they will be ranked with

their grade. The purpose of math court is for students to harness

their skills in math. Also, it is an opportunity to promote social

interaction between students on the islands who speak the same

language. This year we will have approximately 5 or more compe-

titions, all with the ultimate goal of going to the states to compete.

We have 70 students joining this year; they all work really

hard. The math court supervisor, Mrs. Ayeras, believes that this

year will be successful for SIS because of the intelligence and dili-

gence of the competitors.

Students who join the math court team have practices every week

with Mrs. Ayeras. For high school practice is every Tuesday and

Thursday. Last week we canceled the Tuesday practice due to the

extreme weather. For middle school practice is on every Wednes-

day and Friday.

During the practice, students are trained to finish each

problem within a minute. This practice will help the students be-

come faster at solving the questions during the competition. SIS

once had a student go to the states for the competition in 2010.

His name is Taek HanYoon. We also had a person qualify for the

national competition last year, Dong Hee Im. However, due to the

schedule, he wasn't able to go.

If you want to know more information about the math

court, please view the website at: https://sites.google.com/site/

cnmimathcourt/.

Results are posted at https://docs.google.com/viewer?

a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjbm1pbWF0a

GNvdXJ0fGd4OjQ1YTBkZjI1OTQ4MTYxMmQ

-By Emma Zhang

Lock-in (Continued

from pg. 2)

The NHS planned this

event mainly to raise funds and

to increase the socialization and

interaction between students.

Students will watch movies, play

games, eat dinner, and socialize

with other people. The dinner

will be a potluck; each person

will bring food or drinks and

share them. Another reason for

the lock-in is to brainstorm some

fundraising ideas. The target

fundraising goal is $150. This

would help the NHS send clothes

or other necessities to orphan-

ages.

Mr. Lee, the main

supervisor, wants

about 20 to 30 stu-

dents to join this

event. It is first

time that SIS has

ever had a lock-in,

yet Mr. Lee thinks

it is going to be a

fun and interesting

experience. I want

this lock-in to be successful. Any

problems with the lock-in we

find this year can be solved for

any future lock-ins.

-By Minjin Jang

Achievements of

Accelerated Reader

5 The SIS Herald

High School Volleyball for Guys

I was pumped for our volleyball game on October 30th! I had

my lucky boxers on just for the game against MHS junior varsity. Too

bad it was cancelled due to weather conditions and evacuation pur-

poses. I know all of the other players, including the newcomers, were

mighty excited for this game considering the fact that we haven't

played a real, intense game in a long time. Even though I was devas-

tated that we didn't get to play, I'm actually pleased that we got to

have more practices because our team hasn't gone over any plays yet.

Do we need plays?

Without it we are

manageable to

other teams. With

plays, we are un-

stoppable. Last

year we we're able

to have a forma-

tion involving

three attackers in

the front and a set-

ter penetrating

from the back. The

play gave us the advantage of always having a hitter ready to kill the

ball. Being a setter for 6 years, I know how effective this could be for

us. It puts a lot more pressure on the opposing team. Our obvious goal

for this season is not only to bring that championship trophy back

home to SIS for the 3rd straight season, but also to develop this team

so that it becomes not only a bunch of players, but a family. Our next

game will be Tuesday, October 7. I hope to see a lot of fans there to

cheer us on as we take on Grace Christian Academy and Saipan

Southern High, both very strong teams. Go geckos!

-By Allen Cepeda

STAFF

Writers:

Allen L. Cepeda

Yeeno Marshall

Jennifer Tan

Quintin M. Ramsey

Emma Zhang

Minjin Jang

Adele Hudkins

Takumi Sugie

Layout:

MinJin Jang

Editor:

Quintin M. Ramsey

Sources:

SIS SCOOP

SIS Facebook

Advisor:

Mrs.Bray

Saipan International

School

P.O BOX. 503121, Saipan,

MP, 96950

Tel: 670 2889660

Headmaster:

tim.s.bray@gmail.com

Follow us:

Virtue of the Month was Respect.

Congratulations!

Yong Kwang Kim (12th)

Sung Jun Yoon (10th)

Andrea Ranjo

(9th)

Minjin Jang

(11th)