A newspaper totally made by #sisgeckos

1. 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

2. 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. 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. 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=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjbm1pbWF0aGNvdXJ0fGd4OjQ1YTBkZjI1OTQ4MTYxMmQ
-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. 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)