The document provides information about upcoming events at a school and discusses the implementation of a new dress code. It then continues discussing whether students should have uniforms and the pros and cons of uniforms according to different perspectives. The rest of the document is split across multiple pages.

1. Upcoming events…
‣ 2/12 Valentine’s Grams"
‣ 2/13 Healthy Heart Walk"
‣ 2/13 Parents Night Out"
‣ 2/18 Senior Portraits"
With the new dress code
being enforced, I felt as if I was on
TLC’s “What Not to Wear”.
However, I’ve begun to realize that
this dress code is not as bad as it
sounds. The SIS dress code isn’t
designed to make students buy a
new wardrobe or make students
feel insecure about what they wear.
Having this dress code is just
another way for…
…to be continued on page 4
Uniforms? Yes or No?
Dress Code:
Girls High School Volleyball
Friday, January 23, 2015Once a Gecko, Always a Gecko!
Life in High School
This year, SIS instituted the
dress code, and along with that, a
new round of discussion on
whether students should wear
uniforms has become a main
topic in students’ daily life. There
are some proponents of uniforms
in SIS, including the other
journalists, point to the
misinformation that uniforms are
beneficial in many different
aspects: such as the limited
enhancement of a “school spirit,”
formalities, and the idea that
students will not be ostracized.
…to be continued on page 5
High school is not what it seems: courses are harder and school days
seem astoundingly longer. Once graduated from middle school, your view of
school will change drastically in a positive and/or negative way. Spending 4
years of life preparing yourself for college can be painful, but it will definitely
benefit you in the future.
Everything begins in freshman year; you are introduced into new
courses and new teachers. The change of pace may be a little intimidating; but
with a little time, you will adapt. Unlike middle school, once in high school,
you are responsible for your own work. No one will tell you what work you
are missing unless you ask the teacher and you are required to answer any in-
class questions. The biggest and only concern once entering high school is the
workload. You are given more than twice as much work than that of middle
school. Though it may seem as difficult, freshman year is actually the easiest
year of high school. This is the year…
… to be continued on page 4
This year’s volleyball season has been full of excitement, unexpected
losses, and much deserved wins. At the start of the season, there was a two
week try-out session for girls who were interested in playing volleyball. Girls
were to show up to practices and participate in all the drills that were being run
by Coach Athena. At the end of the try out, players were picked, two teams
were formed, and captains were chosen. The varsity team has eleven players
with all senior girls and one unexpected freshman name Julia who made the
cuts. In the Junior Varsity team, there are 14 players
ranging from freshman, sophomore, and junior girls.
Emily Frink, Sakura Imaya, and Cerinn Hwang are
the three players that share the position of Captain.
They lead to victories in the season so far. As the
captain of my team, I was prepared to train and lead
my fellow teammates through a very competitive
volleyball season.
At the beginning of practice, all the girls
were very rusty and had not played volleyball in a
long time. Training began with a jog to the airport,
and after the run, both teams stretched…
…continued on page 6

2. #sisgeckosSaipan International School- MP, 96950
Basketball: SIS Boys are
Defeated by MCS, 44-39
The rate of senior absences is going up quickly,
not just in SIS, but in High schools all over the CNMI
and United States mainland as well. Is this a result of
underfunded school systems; or a new fad amongst
unmotivated teens? No, this is
something much worse. This
absence of students marks the
annual arrival of the midterm
epidemic, leading to dozens of lazy and indifferent
seniors, grudgingly dragging themselves from class to
class.
What is this disease that has infected the senior
class? What many may call a case of “second semester”
is formally known as “Senioritis.” Symptoms include a
drastic loss of interest in anything academic, dark circles
under the eyes, sleeping in class, superabundant
yawning, lack of book bags and other school supplies,
sleeping during lunch, a fixation on wearing only
oversized baggy sweatpants and hoodies, sleeping in the
car, excessive swearing, sleeping in the bathroom,
extreme emotional changes , sleeping in the hallway,
constant eating, and, in extreme cases, missing school.
Nicole, a SIS senior suffering from the disease,
describes her life with senioritis: “I try so hard to get to
do something but I end up procrastinating. It’s horrible
but lovely.” Yong Kwang, another to-be-graduate
describes his experience of living with senioritis as “My
senioritis started the moment I was a senior. When I
heard former seniors say how senioritis can hurt and can't
be avoided, I didn't believe them. Now I know. I'm not
different than any other seniors. It's not that I'm not doing
homework; it's just that I'm sleeping late. It's just the way
it is I guess.”
While no one is safe in the long run, for the
meantime only 12th graders seem to be affected. The only
known cure is graduation. Though there is much research
going on, we have yet to find a vaccine against the
disease or an immunity booster to help people get
through the disease with minimal damage. The closes
solution that studies have been able to come to find is
that solid study habits and an academic drive may help
lighten the affects of senioritis.
Save yourselves underclassmen, establish good
study habits now, and strive for excellence. Only then
will you have a chance of living a senioritis-free life.
BY: VICTORIA CHENTSOVA
The Unavoidable Epidemic
Saipan International School failed to withstand
Mount Carmel School’s relentless attacks and lost the
game in 39-44 during the 2014-2015 MISO Boys
Basketball games at the MHS Gymnasium.
Even though the Geckos were without the
dominant center, Jehn Joyner, absent due one of his
soccer games, for the first two quarters, all the starters
did a very great job in organizing their offense and
consolidating their defense with the strategies that they
had practiced for days. Constantly taking advantage of
turnovers made by MCS and performing nice passes,
our players focused on the intensity of the defense and
quality of the offense, quickly gaining a 6-point lead
with Chris Cepeda and Bob Kim on the attack.
However, in the second quarter, MCS started
their full-court defense which overwhelmingly added
pressure on SIS’s maneuverability. Thus SIS’s offense
was gradually halted. MCS, after initiating relentless
fast breaks, finally retook the lead 22-18 by the end of
the second quarter.
Later, in the second half, SIS’s pace was
efficiently increased, and they made an excellent
offense. On the other hand, MCS, successfully resisted
the offense and kept the lead with fantastic teamwork
until the end of the game.
“If we could have had more successful layups,
the results for the two games we lost would’ve been
very different,” said Mr. Beyer, the coach of SIS.
Apparently, the SIS players still did not reach their best
conditions then. In order to avenge our defeat at the
hands of MCS, our team’s emphasis has changed, and
players are practicing their jump shots and layups.
BY: JIABAO XU

3. When was the last time you watched a good
movie? The year 2014 was filled with inspiring and
thrilling motion pictures that received praise from
audiences and critics and had much success in the box
office. Movies such as Godzilla, The Fault In Our
Stars, Transformers Four: Age of Extinction,
Guardians of the Galaxy, Annabelle, and The Hobbit:
The Battle of the Five Armies, are among the many that
were played in theaters nationwide and were top picks
to see throughout the year. The following
recommended movies are for those who still want to
entertain themselves with quality films that were aired
in November and December of 2014.
Unbroken (PG – 13)
Directed by the Academy Award
winner Angelina Jolie, the film
Unbroken documents the life of
Olympic runner and war veteran Louis
Zamperini, played by Jack O’ Connel.
The film features his Olympic
victories in his early years and his
struggles in World War II when he and
two other crewmen experienced a near fatal plane
crash, survived on a raft for 47 days, were rescued by
the Japanese Navy, and were later incarcerated in a
prisoner-of-war camp. Actors Domhnall Gleeson,
Garrett Hedlun, and Takamasa Ishihara are featured in
the movie.
If you are interested in war and survival themed
movies, this is the movie for you. Senior Victoria
Chentsova highly recommends this movie because your
heart will race, tears will fall, and you will be thankful
for your life.” This movie portrays an original narrative
of a war hero’s experiences. It is also credible to our
Saipan community since we are closely related to the
World War II influence.
Big Hero 6
Big Hero 6, rated 89% on the movie site Rotten
Tomatoes, is a film about a young robotics prodigy
#sisgeckosSaipan International School- MP, 96950
Movie Recommendations specialist robot Baymax. He
creates a band of six heroes with Hiro’s
friends GoGo, Honey Lemon, Wasabi,
and Fred to defeat the “evil man in a
Kabuki Mask” in the American-
Japanese fused metropolis.
Critics praised it for the
phenomenal graphics; hence, this film was nominated
for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature
Film. Baymax is a very iconic character that tenderly
captured the hearts of many fans – especially senior
Sophia Tenorio, who proudly says “Baymax is bae.”
The anime-inspired movie lets viewers enjoy the
action-packed, tear-jerking, and laugh-inducing plot of
goofy yet relatable characters.
Camp X-Ray
Starring the Twilight Saga icon Kristen Stewart,
Camp X-Ray is about a female soldier assigned at
Guantanamo Bay. Her station at the detention camp
brings about various struggles with the Muslim
inmates, and also a wary friendship with an
incarcerated young man who was unjustly arrested for
eight years.
This somberly realistic movie does not have a
“class happy ending,” but it enlightens viewers about
the happenings at Guantanamo Bay and the tough
situations made out for female soldiers. The film details
how difficult but worth-while it is to
connect with someone who is not on
your level. This dramatic action
movie brings out the best of Kristen
Stewart’s acting career, and she does
not disappoint. Camp X-Ray received
a respectable 72% rating on Rotten
Tomatoes.
Now that you know some good movies to watch,
grab a bag of popcorn and sit back while you enjoy a
good quality film. These films will not only appeal to
your visual senses but also pull at your heart strings
and enlighten your mind. Enjoy!
BY: TIANA M. RANJO

4. Dress Code: continued from page 1…
!
…for SIS to ensure that students are more
cautious about what they wear. Unlike
previous years, the line now between
“acceptable” and “please change your
clothes” has been concretely established.
Several SIS faculty members, as
well as various students, have agreed that
we needed to have a dress code.
Headmaster Mr. Bray feels that this dress
code is an appropriate balance between
casual and studious. However, the
majority of students find the dress code to
be ineffective. After a month of enforcing
the dress code, several students believe
that it isn’t being followed. Other students
believe that the new dress code is
offensive to parents since they are the
ones who see what we wear first. Female
students even feel a bit uncomfortable in
class because they want to avoid male
teachers “checking them out”. Obviously,
no dress code is going to be perfect – but
having no dress code is not the solution. I
know everyone is “all about that bass” but
please, no trouble.
BY: MINORI YOSHIDA
Life In High School: continued from page 1…
!
… to express yourself, and let your true personality show. You will
make more friends, go out more, and actually have fun. The best
advice you should take into consideration as a freshman is to enjoy
yourself because once you become a sophomore you will be
introduced into your first AP course.
Sophomore year is where all the difficulties begin; this is
the year when you take your first Advanced Placement course (AP
American History). You are
introduced into a college
level course and are
expected to understand the
material that you are
reading. For those of you
who are still trying to learn
English, you do not have to
take the course; however,
you will still take a regular
history class. Though
sophomore year is a lot
harder than freshman year,
sophomore year is a lot
more exciting. Depending
on who your homeroom
teacher is (We had Mrs. Ayeras), you will have a really fun year!
Junior year... There are two things I can say about junior
year; study and do your work! Junior year is the hardest year in
high school! You are required to take two AP classes and your
workload is significantly increased. The teachers are somewhat
friendly and your friends are always there but the workload is
exhausting! The best advice as a junior is to listen to your teacher
and maybe hire a tutor or ask your friends if you don't understand
what you are learning. If you take that advice, you’ll probably
survive junior year.
Now for senior year: the last year of high school.
Compared to junior year, senior year is far easier in course work
and you’ll definitely have a lot more time to study for your
classes. The only problems that you will encounter during your
senior year is the stress to find a college and something called
SENIORITIS. It is the last year of high school and your will to
continue will constantly decline. The only way to avoid senioritis
is to actually believe that it’s worth doing all your work…this
might not work though because most everyone gets senioritis.
BY: HATSUKO BEARDEN

5. Uniforms? Yes or No? continued from page 1…
!
However, uniforms’ advantages are completely outweighed
by the disadvantages since uniforms cannot show students’
personalities, the majority of students in SIS do not approve of
uniforms, and uniforms will cause inconveniences.
First and foremost,
wearing uniforms might
sometimes limit students’
personality. Students
would like to be able to
have their own dressing
styles, and thereby
express themselves with how they dress. Most of the students do
not want to wear the same clothes as others every day. Students
want to show their differences but not similarities. Also, some
designs of school uniforms are often old-fashioned and ugly,
since clothes that are designed to be worn by all shapes and sizes
of student fit no one really well. By instituting a uniform policy,
schools are taking away students’ individuality.
Secondly, the majority of students in SIS do not approve of
uniforms. If SIS requires uniforms, the cost of parents sending
their children to school will go up. Since students are constantly
growing, parents need to buy different sizes of uniforms along
with the growing of their children. That will be a huge amount of
money. Even with uniforms, parents would still need to purchase
regular clothes for students when students are not in school. So
why don’t we let parents only pay for students’ regular clothes
and let students wear those clothes to school? Furthermore, most
students at SIS don’t even approve of uniforms! When students
do not like or want something, they are not going to take good
care of it. So why don’t we let parents not waste of money and
use the money to buy something that their kids would like?
Meanwhile, uniforms bring unnecessary inconveniences to
students. If uniforms are required in SIS, students will be
inconvenienced when they have the class change between
regular classes and P.E. or yoga classes. As we all know,
uniforms for girls are usually skirts and for boys are pants.
Students need to change when their classes are changing from
regular class and P.E or yoga. But when students wear uniforms
to school and need to change during the short 5 minutes break
during classes, the restrooms will be overcrowded. Restroom is
the only place that students can change because SIS does not
have special locker room for students. It would not only spend
class time but also bother other students who actually have to use
the rest room.
To sum up what we’ve discussed above, requiring uniforms
is not a smart thing for SIS to do. It takes away students’
individualities, ignores students’ feelings, and causes students’
inconveniences.
BY: IVY YANG
Math Court
The final regional
round for CNMI
M a t h c o u r t
2014~2015 will
t a k e p l a c e o n
January 31, 2015.
The venue is yet to
be determined.
Any high school
student who has
placed in this school year’s regular events are
qualified for the regional round and are required
to group into teams of three. There are 6 of our
students representing SIS: Donggu Hyon, Dong
Hee Im, and Jee Hyun Lee in SIS Team A and
Daniel Lim, Kyle Chung, and Myung Jae Cho in
SIS Team B.
This competition will be divided into 4
rounds. In the Sprint round, students are given
60 minutes to solve 30 multiple choice questions
individually. Four points will be awarded for
each correct answer and one point will be
deducted for each incorrect answer. No points
will be deducted for unanswered questions.
In the Team round, a team of three will
work together to solve 10 questions in 20
minutes. Ten points will be awarded for each
correct answer and no points will be deducted
for unanswered questions. In the Target round,
students will be given 4 sets of 2 questions to
solve individually. Ten points will be awarded
for each correct answer and no points will be
deducted for unanswered questions. They are
given 10 minutes for each set.
In the Relay round, a team of three will
work together to solve five sets of relay
questions. The first person will pass his or her
answer to the second, who will use it to solve
the second question. The second person will
then his or her answer to the third, and this
answer will be used to solve the third question.
Answers are collected twice. If the team submits
a correct answer in 3 minutes, they will be
awarded 20 points. If the team gets the answer
correct in 7 minutes, they are given 10 points.
No points are deducted for wrong answers.
BY: JEE HYUN LEE

6. Girls High School Volleyball continued from page 1…
!
…and underwent conditioning. After conditioning,
players would find a partner and “pepper.” Drills were all based
on footwork, bumping, setting, and spiking. We began the
training with simply the basics of bumping. Once we were
finally getting that, we moved to setting and then finally to
spiking. There were many girls who improved their skills in
just the very first week of training!
Both teams had been training with each other at the
beginning of the season; but when Christmas Break came, the
teams were split up so that they could start practicing and
flowing with their actual teammates. Both teams had their first
game the week school started. Varsity played Saipan Southern
and won. Junior Varsity played against Kagman High School
and won. As of now, all the teams have played each other and
we are now going into our second round of the season, where
all the teams play each other again so coaches can rank teams
for the championships. The team to beat right now is Marianas
High School (MHS) which is ranked at the top. Saipan
International, Grace Christian, and Mount Carmel are battling
for the second position in the championships, since GCA beat
SIS, MCS beat GCA, and SIS beat MCS. To me, going to the
gym is the best time to bond with my teammates. We go to the
gym, hang out, and do each other’s hair. When we warm up
before a game, we go outside and have fun with, but we also
practice seriously.
All players have improved a tremendous amount.
Varsity began training with a different court formation than
they were used to, which caused confusion and frustration at
first, but now the team has become more synchronized. We are
getting better at giving a good bump to our setters so our
spikers can crush the other team. The main aspect the Varsity
team has improved on is communication. Our communication
is great and we are all keeping our tempers in check. We love
encouraging and cheering for our teammates.
Junior Varsity has amazed me on their improvement.
Many of the players on JV have never played before but they
can already make great passes and spikes. At the beginning of
the season, JV just learned the game of volleyball and also
learned how to play with one another. Playing in the gym was a
new experience because of the noisy crowd which caused much
discomfort for JV; but now all are comfortable with the noise
and are ready to begin the second round with more wins.
Both teams have played tremendously well. All the
players have improved their skills since the start of the season.
Both teams have many wins against other schools and
hopefully the season brings more wins for Saipan International
School.
BY: PHALAI FRINK
Whether you are reading for your AR
class or for the sole purpose of enjoyment.
Here are a few book recommendations that
never seem to disappoint the readers. And
luckily for those who take AR class, these
books are found in the AR.
!
1. The Maze Runner
s e r i e s b y J a m e s
Dashner- A post-
apocalyptic trilogy
that follows sixteen
year old Thomas, who
along with a group of
other boys are trapped
within a mysterious
intricate maze band together to form a
group called the Glade dedicated to
finding a way to escape the madness
that is the maze.
Grade Level: 5.3
Points: 15
!
2. The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini- A
heartbreaking story of the
devotion and friendship
between a wealthy child
and his servant.
Grade Level: 5.2
Points: 16
!
!
3. The Fault in Our
Stars by John
G r e e n - A
heartwarming love
story between two
cancer patients
H a z e l G r a c e
Lancaster and
Augustus Waters.
Grade Level: 5.5
Points: 10
!
Now with these recommendations, sit
back, relax and PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE
AND PICK UP A BOOK!
BY: SOPHIA TENORIO
Book Recommendations

7. Although we do it every day, we still cannot like waking up to drag
ourselves to school. To mitigate this suffering, maybe we need to
shake up our time table for a change, or not.
There is no doubt that Saipan International School follows
standard workday schedule of the morning person; we are
expected to come to school by 7:45. Ideally, students would sleep
from 23:00 to 7:00 and come to school well-rested, but for some
people this routine is more dreary since they are so-called night
owls.
!
C i r c a d i a n
Rhythm
!
Why do so
many of us
struggle to
wake up early
a n d s t i l l
remain night
owls? It may
be due to the
fact that our duties as students often keep us doing our homework
late at night or due to circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is an
internal clock in our body that tells us to go to sleep and wake up
according to its cycle. Unfortunately, this internal clock does not
take into account our school schedule. According to University of
Washington Medicine Sleep Centre, our circadian rhythm is
dictated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus in our brain. The
morning person’s cycle would be shorter than 24 hours and the
evening person's schedule would be longer than 24 hours.
It is known fact that many CEOs are morning people, and a study
from the University of Texas at Austin shows that a morning
person has a higher GPA than others. Although it is possible to
change our sleep cycle with the right method and patience, it is
difficult to defy our natural rhythm.
These scientific facts may justify why SIS needs to start its classes
later than 7:45. Mr. Bray was not averse to the idea, recognizing
“Teenagers naturally tend to have an evening person’s sleep cycle.
Their brains don’t wake up until 10.” However, the change is
unlikely to happen anytime soon, since the schedule school is
designed so that the parents can drop off their children early and
go their ways to work, etc. Nonetheless, if the class time actually
changes, students may be able to work more efficiently with a
wiggle room on their schedule.
BY: JINY YANG
Set the Alarm Clock Later
One of the most exciting events
at SIS for high school students is Prance.
Prance is a big event in which all high
school students can gather together and
make good memories. This event is held
in the second semester, typically in
March or April. This year, prance will be
held on April 11th. This year, our theme
will be the Oscar Awards.
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
The excitement is real. Students
are actively talking about Prance and
what they are going to wear. Several
girls have already purchased their
dresses – including me! Prance, however,
is not only for high school students. 8th
grade students are allowed to attend this
event if high school students invite them
as partner. People also can bring other
high school students, however, prior
authorization is needed. There are lots of
people who think the ticket for Prance is
expensive. But they can get discount if
they come as partners. Student Council
(STUCO) is trying its best to make
Prance an enjoyable time for everyone.
They list what students want and do not
want and discuss them together to make
Prance better. If students want to know
more about or have questions about it,
then they are free to attend Thursday
STUCO meeting.
BY: ESTHER JIN JOO
Prance

8. Happy New Year! Here comes another year of
experiences and more good memories! According to the
tradition, one of the things we always do is make New
Year’s resolutions. I asked around the high school to see
w h a t s o m e
people were up
to. One of the
seniors Tiana
Ranjo, said her
N e w Y e a r
resolution is to
graduate, make
new memories,
and stay friends
with everyone in
the school. How
sweet! Another senior, Chris Park, had an educational
resolution which was to get a 4.0 GPA. Vince, currently a
sophomore, wants to be a contestant on a television show
called “Show me the money.” Sakura Imaya’s resolution is
to make new friends in her trip to Peru with the sophomore
class. And lastly a freshman, Inpa’s resolution is to get a
date to the prance this year. Well I hope everyone may
follow their resolutions, and happy New Year everybody!
BY: LYNETTE VASQUEZ
New Year. New Resolutions
Seniors suffer from Senioritis
Juniors get scolded by Mr. Bray
Sophomores poke at a fish they’re dissecting
Freshmen model their hoodies

9. The Gecko Times was brought to you by
the students in the Digital Journalism
class taught by Mr. and Mrs. Bray.
!
Supervisors: Mr and Mrs. Bray
!
News Paper Editor: Joey Nigh
!
News Paper Layout Design: Nicole
Arenovski
!
Writers:
Jia Bao Xu
Jiny Yang
Victoria Chentsova
Phalai Frink
Hatsuko Bearden
Sophia Tenorio
Lynette Vasquez
Tiana Ranjo
Ivy Yang
Minori Yoshida
Jee Hyun Lee
Esther Jin Joo
Saipan International School
PO Box. 503121, Saipan, MP, 96950
Tel: 670 2889660
Headmaster:tim.s.bray@gmail.com