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
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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?