The Roberts in Korea

Becca's Graduation 2012

It's official--Becca is a high school graduate!  On Friday night TCIS held its 51st Commencement Exercise and Becca, along with 92 of her classmates, walked across the stage and received her diploma.  It was Ryan's privilege, as the Assistant Headmaster of the school, to hand Becca her diploma as she crossed the stage.

The Graduation ceremony was a grand event. The student speeches along with the Commencement Address given by the TCIS teacher, Mrs. Heidi Zickefoose, were meaningful and memorable.  Mr. Cary Hill sang the song, Lifesong, by Casting Crowns (a great message for graduates).  The orchestra kept it all moving with Pomp and Circumstance and the nervous energy of the graduates coupled with the unceasing clicks and flashes of parent cameras resulted in an electric atmosphere.

A giant reception followed the graduation ceremony.  It was a rich time of congratulations, tears, smiles, hugs, kisses and memories.  It was special for Becca and the Roberts' family to have our friend Jaeyoung at the ceremony. 

 

Congratulations Becca!  Well done!

Senior Chapel TCIS 2012

At TCIS there is a Christian chapel service held in the high school, middle school and elementary school divisions every week.  Becca has had the opportunity to play in these music and worship chapel bands at TCIS for many years.  This year she enjoyed the privilege of leading one of the two high school worship bands.  On Thursday, Becca and all of the seniors from the two worship bands came together to lead worship at the last chapel service of the year--and the last chapel service to be held on the old TCIS campus.  (Lord willing the school will be moving to a new campus this summer.)  It is so great to worship the Lord with these kids.  God is good and because of God the kids are great!  Enjoy!

 

TCIS Baccalaureate 2012

Becca's high school graduation day is getting closer and closer (it is on Friday).    On Wednesday the TCIS Baccalaureate service was held on campus.  All of the seniors returned from a three day senior retreat on the East coast of South Korea and they changed into their dress clothes and went straight to the Baccalaureate service.  It was a great night.  The high school choir superbly sang a couple of songs and Mr. Peter Pearse, a physical education teacher at TCIS, spoke to the crowd and shared a great message with the seniors about being good fruit--on the outside AND on the inside.  It was a good word on a great night of friends, celebration and fun.

Post Prom Memories

The festivities of Prom 2012 continued well into the night and on into the next day.  After the dance was over Becca, Sarah, their dates and their friends, all went to the movies, out to eat and ultimately the group ended up at our apartment.  Needless to say, it was late when they arrived (or should I say early).

Eventually, everybody fell asleep and two hours later the morning sun blasted its way in through the windows.  Most of the kids were sound asleep, but not all.  The few that were stirred by the light of day got up and moseyed down to the river.  Becca, Peter and David made a post prom memory as they relaxed on the sun warmed rocks, soaked their feet in the cool river water and took in the morning calm.

David was cold when he left the apartment so he grabbed a blanket to keep warm.  As he hopped from rock to rock in the river, with the blanket draped over his shoulders, I (Ryan) couldn't help but think about the character, "Uncle Hub" in the movie, Secondhand Lions.  It is a good coming-of-age movie that I will now forever connect with my own post prom memory.

Prom 2012

The TCIS 2012 Prom was held last Saturday.  It sounds like it was a one day event, but it wasn't.  Prom is a multi-month experience that involves drama, money, shopping for dresses, money, shoe  shopping, money, a hair stylist, money, nail polish, money, flowers, money and more money.  Nevertheless, Prom 2012, and its accompanying preparation, was a grand time had by all in our family.

Becca and Sarah both went to Prom this year.  Becca went with David and Sarah went with Steve.  The girls and their friends spent Prom day getting ready at our apartment and then in the evening  all the guys came to the apartment to pick up the girls and to get some p ictures taken.

Corsages and boutonnieres are hard to get here in Korea and when acquired are sometimes a bit "different."  So, as an option, Dina bought some flowers and made corsages and boutonnieres for the kids.  They looked great.

The weather was perfect for Prom.  The pictures outside the apartment went well and then the prom couples were off to the big event.  They had a good time... and in retrospect--it came and went all too quickly.

 

Graduation Announcement for Becca

TCIS Drama Awards Ceremony 2012

On May 18 we attended the 2012 TCIS Drama Awards Ceremony.  Anyone who's anyone was at the event.  Ms Heidi Zickefoose, the TCIS Theater Arts teacher, hosted the gala and there were stars and celebrities everywhere.  

Sarah attended the event as Marilyn Monroe and Becca, dressed as the Black Widow, showed up with The Hulk (a.k.a. Joseph Kwon).  The other Avengers were conspicuously absent.  Peter Choo and John Hahm came as themselves--a couple of sharp dressed men.  It apparently worked as they obviously got the attention of Marilyn and Black Widow.

The night was filled with glitz, glamor, great food and lots of awards.  Sarah walked away from the ceremony with two awards in hand.  She was voted the "Best Dressed Female at the 2012 Drama Awards," and more importantly, for her performance as Chava, weeping as her father disowned her in Fiddler on the Roof, she brought home the award for the, "Most Powerful On Stage Moment During the 2011-12 Drama Season."  Congrats Sarah! 

Becca brought home a couple of awards too.  Becca played the piano in the pit orchestra for Fiddler on the Roof and for her performance she received the award for, "Outstanding Pit Orchestra Member of the 2011-12 Drama Season," and "Outstanding Instrumental Feature Performance of the 2011-12 Drama Season."  Congrats Becca!

The 2012 TCIS Drama Awards was an amazing night of TCIS students parents, teachers and. . . artists celebrating one another and the beauty of their work.  The night, like all good artwork, will remain as a treasured and lasting memory.

MS Retreat 2012

Last weekend we (the Roberts family) spent the weekend at the Middle School Retreat.  No, we don't have any middle school students in our family, but we jumped at the chance to be a part of one of the great activities that make up the TCIS educational program.  Ninety middle school students, ten staff members, eight high school students and the Roberts family all boarded buses and headed for the West coast of South Korea for the weekend.  The retreat was held at Chunjungdae Beach.

Becca and Sarah and the other eight high school students at the retreat spent the weekend working and helping out at the event.  The high schoolers led the music and worship during the chapel times and they helped lead games and activites on the beach.  Dina helped out in the kitchen at the retreat and Ryan kept tabs on the high schoolers, managed the sound system, played bass guitar and had a blast.

It was a super time.  Middle schoolers are so much fun.  At the retreat we were all involved in lots of rowdy singing, playing crazy games, performing outlandish skits and laughing.  The weather was perfect.  The campfire, s'mores on the beach and the salty sea air combined for a delicious memory. 

Middle school retreat was a great way to spend a weekend!

Ifest 2012

TCIS hosted an International Festival (Ifest) on its campus on the first Saturday of May.  Nearly 2000 people took in the grand event.  The weather was beautiful and everybody had fun visiting the display booths, eating way too much at the various food booths, soaking teachers and administrators in the dunk tank and enjoying the various acts and activities at the main stage. 

Becca was busy running the dunk tank for most of the day.  Sarah and her friend sang a song on the main stage.  Dina jumped in on the hoola hoop contest and the faculty jazz band played a few songs before the fireworks lit up the sky.

Ifest 2012 was a blast.

May Madness

May is a crazy month at TCIS.  It seems that there is something on the calendar for every night of the month.  There are end of the year concerts, sports banquets, final IB exams, retreats, Honor Society induction ceremonies, Prom (actually, Prom preparation is the killer), farewells and the like.  The "May Madness" around here is accentuated for us with the fact that Becca will be graduating from high school on May 25.  Yipes.

This past week it was fun to see both Becca and Sarah recongnized for their participation in both varsity basketball and volleyball at the end of the year TCIS Sports Banquet.

Last week nearly all of us participated in the last music concert of the school year.  Becca and Sarah sang in the choir and our staff jazz band played a couple of numbers.

 

May madness is wild, crazy, tiring and....fun.