Over Sunday and Monday, 14 of FIS’ students were given the wonderful opportunity to participate in the prestigious HKMUN conference which took place in Science Park this year along with over 200 delegates from other schools across Hong Kong.

For those of you with little/no understanding of what an MUN conference entails, in short, it is a simulation of the United Nations conferences, with students being allocated to different committees where they take on the role and perspective of varying countries to tackle some of the most pressing issues of the time. An example of this was ‘UN Mission in Libya’ which was discussed in the Security Council. One of the things that makes HKMUN such a great conference is that it is almost entirely student led, with all of the leadership roles being allocated to different students from varying schools. For people interested in MUN but perhaps not the public speaking side of it, no worries! Even if you’re not interested in the debating side of conferences, there are other roles such as ‘press corps’ where students are given the opportunity to write articles about debates they hear and interview delegates about the topics discussed.

Overall, the conference was a really great experience for all. For most it was definitely a huge learning curve, particularly in becoming more confident in using the correct ‘MUN’ terminology and speaking style that is required in such conferences but it was also a great experience in public speaking and ensuring that adequate and high quality research is carried out in order to produce the best possible resolutions (solutions to the problem).

If you’re interested in joining the club, feel free to come to room 505 during Wednesday lunch (12:30-1:30), it doesn’t matter if you are lacking in experience as we have plenty of time before the next conference and there are no age restrictions!
Charlotte Williams
​(charlotte16457@lfis.edu.hk)

  The thought that an author could write a piece of literature now and it be taught 400 years later, sounds unusual to say the least, but that is exactly what has happened with William Shakespeare.
 
​William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 and died in April 1616 aged 52. During his life he wrote many poems and plays, most of which are still performed and studied today.
 
​French International School students study a number of different Shakespeare plays; the year 13s study ‘Macbeth’, the year 10s and 11s study ‘The Merchant of Venice’, the year 9s study ‘Othello’ and the year 8s study ‘King Lear’.
 
When the students study the plays in class they not only examine the plot of the play but also its symbolism, imagery, functions of characters, literary devices and much more. By studying a Shakespeare play the students become well equipped to tackle their respective exams with an in-depth knowledge of the piece.

​In my Y10 class we are currently studying ‘The Merchant of Venice’, having just finished reading the entire play. We are now in groups focusing on the characters of the play and creating an extensive analysis sheet on each character, including their role in the play, the function of the character throughout the play, their relationships with other characters and how they change as a character throughout the play. We will then share our learning with the whole class resulting in each person in the class having an in-depth knowledge about every main character of the play.
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 The question still remains; why do we still study these plays more than 400 years after they were originally written? Along with many other people I think that we study his plays because at first glance they look simple (even though they are written in Middle English) but the more you study the play the more and more you learn about it. You can uncover multiple meanings of phrases and words that you never thought about before. Shakespeare’s ability to summarize the range of human emotions in simple yet profoundly eloquent verse is perhaps the greatest reason for his enduring popularity.
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 William Shakespeare will always be remembered as one of the best storytellers, if not the very best, to ever walk this earth. Interestingly, there are many variations recorded for the spelling of Shakespeare’s name. In the seven original signatures that have survived, Shakespeare spelt his name “Willm Shaksp,” “William Shakespe,” “Wm Shakspe,” “William Shakspere,” ”Willm Shakspere,” and “William Shakspeare”. Ironically, there are no records of him ever having spelt it “William Shakespeare”, the name we use for him today.  Jasper Plowman -Year 10

​I recently went to Shanghai for orchestra and the week passed very quickly. It was a fantastic adventure for me because I just joined this year. When we first arrived to Shanghai it was around nine o'clock and so we started our journey to our "home for the week - hotel." The hotel was excellent and the cafeteria was delicious. By the time we reached the hotel everyone looked very tired but I was excited for the days to come.

The next day after our arrival to Shanghai, we went to the French International School of Shanghai. the school was enormous and the people who played in the orchestra was just unbelievably good! We practiced "Coldplay Classics" and it sounded terrific with the choir singing in the background!

I played the first violin part in the orchestra with two other girls. I like this instrument because it makes a beautiful sound if you play it correctly although if you miss a note, the whole thing goes wrong so you have to spend time with your violin. When we were in Shanghai we practiced usually after around 9:00 to 8:00 - of course having breaks in the middle. We also ate lunch and dinner in F.I.S which were all delicious. But overall we practiced for 8 hours. It is fun to play in the orchestra because you make new friends and when the instruments are all played together nicely it sounds beautiful

​In order to be in the orchestra you will need to co-operate with each other, and listen to each other playing and most of all, to like playing your instrument. If you do not like playing your instrument, you are playing it for nothing! However if you do not have these skills, you will start developing so DON'T WORRY! In the orchestra, there are approximately 9 people playing different kinds of instrument (double bass, cello, violin, trumpet, piano and etc.) Playing music is like expressing your feelings. You express your feelings through music. There are parts where you play the music lively or play it in a certain tempo. It depends what kind of music it is.
 
The Shanghai trip was a great experience because now I know how other people play. For example, our music had some differences to the people who played in Shanghai. The music we chose for example was also different to the school. And so now I know what we have to improve and maybe try and use their techniques of playing the instruments.
 
I would also like to thank Mr. Patrick Lebaindre and Mr. Jorge Banegas for organizing this fantastic trip to Shanghai and putting the orchestra together to make a fine piece of music. Yuriko Iguchi - Year 9
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Click here for pictures of the exhibition 
Sino Ako (Who I Am)
Miguel Santana
 Having lived more than half my life in Hong Kong, I have been influenced by many cultures, many ideologies and many places. However, for my first exhibit, I decided to explore the very core of my being, my heritage, my being Filipino.
 
All the pieces highlight a dominant emotion and showcase brief glimpses into the spirit of the country and our culture.
 
In my pieces portraying Jeepneys (local buses) and a Boodle (a local feast), I wanted to convey the lively and hopeful nature of the Philippine spirit, mainly through the use of vibrant colours and expressive strokes, and how our culture is all about people coming together. In addition, the large scale of these pieces aims to attract and overwhelm the viewers, acting as the centrepieces of the exhibition.
 
In contrast to the vibrant colours of the previous two pieces, red and black play dominant roles in my wooden board series, which deals with the native colours of the Ifugao tribe and my capiz shell lamp installation, designed based on a Philippine modern artist. Both deal with the mixture of old and new, tradition and change. The use of non-conventional materials aims to enhance this recurring message.
 
The last three of my pieces are social pieces, representing the struggles and sacrifices that have shaped the Philippines. The blatant disparity between the lives of many Filipinos is seen through my cardboard shantytown representing the poor, which is set against a flash of tin foil with bright colours symbolizing the affluent, highlighting this gap.
 
The next two pieces symbolize hope. First, I pay homage to one of the Philippines greatest martyrs, Ninoy Aquino, through a formal chalk portrait imprinted with his most famous yet ironic words – “The Filipino is worth dying for”.  Similarly, I also looked at a different kind of hero, the Overseas Filipino Worker.  Utilizing extreme close-up, monochromatic photo techniques and large scale, I wanted to convey the vast impact of these modern day heroes yet emphasize their anonymity at the same time.
 
The past months putting together this exhibit has enabled me to realize more about my country and ultimately more about myself. By exploring the various elements that make the Philippines unique, the viewers of this exhibition are hopefully taken through a journey of not only discovering a new culture but also a realization that perhaps there is a Filipino in all of us.
Disparity

Tatum Stiles
 
I have grown up in Hong Kong, a thriving, multicultural metropolis; a city with a unique mix of Eastern and Western influences, of old and new, steeped in tradition and history. However, the affluence and prosperity of Hong Kong, afforded to it by its stature as one of Asia's primary global financial centres, is juxtaposed with pockets of poverty and for this reason I have developed an interest in disparity – my IB art theme. Broadly defined, disparity means ‘lack of equality’ or ‘a great difference’. Focusing on the former definition, I was primarily interested in exploring the contrasts in how the rich and poor live in Hong Kong as it has one of the highest levels of income disparity in the developed world and where housing extends from luxury mansions to notorious caged homes. Thereafter, I focused on the latter definition, researching differences in the human form and landscapes. Essentially, my intention is to expose the extreme differences in our society and environment and present these through both conservative and shock tactics.  Investigating the disparities within the human form allows me to consider two body extremes, anorexia and obesity, and draw attention to these sensitive issues however uncomfortable this may make my audience. Equally diverse, although less disturbing, are my studies in landscape disparities in China. I am fascinated by the differences in the environment, the blend of old and new, of my adopted country.
 
Over the past two years I have become more conscious of how my art and surroundings have developed me both as an artist and as a person. I have become more experimental trialing different techniques and mediums learning how best to communicate meaning and emotion behind each work. All methods are carefully chosen to complement each image and include acrylic paints on canvas and wood, collage and mixed media, photography, black marker illustration, gold and silver leaf and pencil drawing. WEI WEI’s photograph is captured to reveal the pure essence of her features; MÍNG ZHÌ, is intricately drawn with graphite pencils for brutal realism. I chose to address subjects relatable to the viewer but expose them in a different way for visual impact and to question the spectator. For example, my collage, SPEEDING ADONG, although the taxi is a familiar image the contradictory repetitive presence of Mao may be questioned.
 
Repeatedly juxtaposing images heighten my disparity theme. EXPOSURE OF TWO, contrasts Hong Kong’s skyline to a traditional Chinese village. Displayed in separate frames creating distance, both works incorporate the same technique, a simple black marker and gold or silver leaf, reflecting their similarities: the rich prosperity of the city and the wealth in culture of the traditional village. MIND OVER MATTER and RIBBED are exhibited side-by-side to create dramatic contrast and heighten their disparity. Although they use the same technique, different colour schemes are applied. In MIND OVER MATTER, varying tones and vivid colours intensify the fuller figure, whilst nude tones in RIBBED highlight the delicate one.
 
The presentation and order of my artwork is deliberate for stark contrast. The abstract canvases of, A METAPHYSICAL JUNGLE, are hung haphazardly emphasising the chaos of the metropolis whilst NOSH, the iconic culturally accepted convenience food, are uniformly displayed. The first wall expose brightly coloured pop art inspired Hong Kong icons and motifs (Cup Noodles, Hong Kong taxi and Mao Zedong) and explores income disparity. The second wall researches landscape disparities through illustration and abstract means.  The final wall is figurative and addresses important issues: anorexia, obesity and poverty. By placing the aged women adjacent to my human form studies, a contrast becomes even more apparent in terms of features and age creating disparity within the display itself. The final exhibition piece, viewed from every corner of the room, is WEI WEI, a huge divided photograph placed at a slight angle giving the impression of an ominous presence. The exhibition moves from economic to societal issues and, as a result, becomes coherent. Ultimately, I aim to expose disparities in both a positive and negative light whilst stirring a range of emotions: I hope the first two walls uplift my audience through vibrant colours and satire whereas blatant realism on the third wall may shock.
 
 

The Year 8s have been studying persuasive writing and presentations through a marketing and advertising project in their English classes. This led to them presenting a chocolate product of their own making to the class and to some marketing professionals who were invited in to judge their work. There were a range of incredibly creative ideas, from chocolate bars with four different flavours to miniature glass cups filled with puddings. Some people even made websites or brought samples of their products!

Coincidentally, the Year 4s were studying marketing in their English classes as well. Their project was slightly different though, they had to produce a brand of cereal and design the box to help sell it. The Year 4s had to include all of the persuasive language that professional marketing people use in order to sell their product i.e. ‘organic’, ‘’original’, ‘healthy, not just tasty’ and so on. The Year 4s were studying advertising just the same as the year 8s and so the teachers of all these years thought that it would be beneficial for the year 4s to see a marketing presentation and be taught by the older students.

So two groups were chosen to present their chocolate products to the students in Jardine’s Lookout whilst the rest of year 8 A came along to help teach the Year 4s. The Year 8s were split between the two Year 4 A and B classes, and after the presentations were finished, the older students were set a task: to help the year fours create a poster which advertised their cereal product. The synnergy of both the primary and secondary students studying the same unit in English provided both year levels an excellent opportunity to learn from each other. What the Year 8s discovered was that in order to be able to teach advertising and persuasive language, you really have to understand first!

Madeleine Tzatzakis,
Class 8A, March 2016.