For the 2023-2024 school year, the Associated Student Body has approved 29 new clubs. The Accolade’s cub reporters from the beginning journalism class will report on each new group in alphabetical order. For the previous ones that have already been posted, be sure to go to the Feature section.
Nearly 200 countries consisting of more than 3,800 cultures inhabit Earth, according to the National Institutes of Health.
With those statistics in mind, junior Seungwoo Woo said he was inspired to create the International Exchange Club.
“As [globalization progresses], it’s getting crucial to understand and contact people from different regions and cultures,” said Woo, also the club’s president. “Thus, our club is helpful for preparing [us] to go forward in the future where the dependence and connection of the global world is extremely important … to solve future problems.”
Woo submitted his club, which aims to connect Sunny Hills students with those from abroad, to the Associated Student Body [ASB] for approval on Tuesday, Aug. 29, and the ASB made it official on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
Since the beginning of the school year, Woo said he has been able to have his club meet with 24 Korean students from Bugil High School in Cheonan, South Korea – an hour’s drive from the country’s capital, Seoul, and an all-boys private school – on three separate occasions via Zoom all outside of the school day from 8-9:30 p.m.
The first Zoom session was held on Halloween on a Monday with 13 International Exchange Club members attending, the junior said.
“I chose this school because that’s where I used to attend before I came to the United States in September of 2022,” Woo said. “One of the 24 students is my friend, who’s the president of a club that talks about social issues. He was happy to accept my invitation to have us meet online.”
Junior Evelyn Ju, who was among the 15 attending the second virtual meeting held on Tuesday, Nov. 7, said the questions both groups exchanged helped her have a better understanding of what those students go through in their school day.
“Even though we have the same ethnicity, there were many differences in their daily lives and mine; for example, I was shocked at their packed schedules and strict academic expectations,” Ju said. “In turn, they were intrigued in discussing the contrast between American schools they’ve seen in movies and an actual high school in America.”
Students at Bugil High School are expected to keep a packed schedule of attending private tutors, studying for college entrance exams and keeping the school’s reputation as one of the most prestigious boarding schools in South Korea, one of the 24 Korean students who attended the Zoom meeting told the SH club members.
The third Zoom session was held on Monday, Nov. 20, which drew 16 club members. In the meantime, during the school day the group meets during lunch every other Monday and has held seven gatherings, mostly discussing what topics to discuss with the Bugil students.
Although the next virtual meeting has yet to be arranged, Woo said on Wednesday, Jan. 3, he has sent emails to Old Scona and Century High School in Canada asking if any of their students are interested in meeting with his club members.
“Someone from Century High School replied and said they’ll think about it,” he said. “I’m hoping that they’ll say yes so we can learn something different about Canadian culture.”
The International Exchange Club meets every other Monday during lunch in Room 188. The club posts information about its meetings on its Instagram @shhiet. For more information contact Woo at [email protected].
