Casual homophobia in Taiwan | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

Casual homophobia in Taiwan | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

May 24, 2019 was the day Taiwan made history by becoming the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. This was proof that Taiwan is one of the most progressive countries in Asia, and also proof that same-sex marriage has broad support with the citizens....

Drugs aren’t a crime, it’s an illness | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

Drugs aren’t a crime, it’s an illness | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

In June of 1971, American President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse "public enemy number one" and kicked off the War on Drugs, a continuation of drug prohibition policies in the U.S., which prohibited the production, distribution, and consumption of drugs. Worse...

Why teenagers need art therapy | Victor Lu – Grade 12

Why teenagers need art therapy | Victor Lu – Grade 12

Teenagers have to deal with academic stress, extracurricular activities, problems with their social lives, and expectations from both their parents and teachers. Because of all this, 20 percent of teenagers suffer from at least one mental health disorder. Because some...

Pros and Cons of food delivery apps | Una Chuang – Grade 10

Pros and Cons of food delivery apps | Una Chuang – Grade 10

On a hot, steamy summer day, with lunchtime approaching, what would you do: dress up and head out to buy groceries, get gross and sweaty, or chill at home, pull out your phone, and put in a quick and easy order on UberEats? As we are a generation spoiled by the...

Tips for dealing with common insecurities | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

Tips for dealing with common insecurities | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

If there was one word I could use to describe everyone in the world, it’d be insecure. Everyone has insecurities. Even the most confident people in the whole wide world do. It is human nature to want to be better, and this means people often obsess over parts of...

Sexism in the education system | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

Sexism in the education system | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

Sexism in the education system? Didn’t we leave sexism back in the 1900s? We did, but we also didn’t. Sexism has always been something people are sensitive to, and women have long strived for gender equality. While nowadays, things are much better than a few decades...

Ad blockers, good or bad? | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

Ad blockers, good or bad? | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

Ads are annoying. That is something that everybody, even the guy that invented pop-up ads, can agree on. Ads crowd the page when browsing through articles, get in the way when scrolling through Instagram, force little ten-second gaps when watching YouTube, and...

Pro-life is anti-woman | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

Pro-life is anti-woman | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

Abortion is one of the most controversial debates of all time. Both sides of the debate have raging enthusiasts willing to fight for their side of the argument. I, as someone who is pro-choice, believe that “pro-life” is anti-woman. But first, what are the two sides?...

Are big corporations evil? | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

Are big corporations evil? | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

McDonalds, Starbucks, Amazon, and Apple are all big corporations known around the globe. While these corporations provide us with convenient services and high quality items, they are also infamously known for doing things that are viewed as “evil”. For example, tax...

6 hiking attractions in Taipei | Victor Lu – Grade 12

6 hiking attractions in Taipei | Victor Lu – Grade 12

Trekking on the hills along the riverbanks, enjoying the magnificent scenery, and feeling the joy of reaching the summit are all valuable moments of a hike. While there are many places for hiking, Taipei is a great choice for it because the city is surrounded by...

Getting vaxxed in the US | Cynthia Lin – Grade 10

Getting vaxxed in the US | Cynthia Lin – Grade 10

Last year, Taiwan experienced an outbreak of COVID-19. We had our classes online, and of course, stayed at home for quarantine. No one was vaxxed and there were few vaccines in Taiwan. In addition to staying home, due to the international status of Taiwan, it was...

How Englist changed my life | Victor Lu – Grade 12

How Englist changed my life | Victor Lu – Grade 12

When I first started learning writing, I sat at my desk and stared at my writing task, unwilling to jot down a word. Expressing my thoughts has long been an arduous task for me. To make things worse, my high expectations for myself have also placed enormous pressure...

Stop worrying about how popular you are | Una Chuang – Grade 10

Stop worrying about how popular you are | Una Chuang – Grade 10

Popularity is a big part of students' lives. Being popular determines how many friends you have, how many people would like to work with you, and how easy it is to ask for help. This fact motivates students to pay attention to how noticeable they are and how to make...

Pro Gaming is hard | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

Pro Gaming is hard | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

Getting paid millions to play video games sounds like the easiest job there is. Now, with professional gaming and esports on the rise, getting paid for playing games all day is no longer a pipe dream. However, is gaming for a living really as good as it sounds? Health...

Reasons for applying for UWC | Cynthia Lin – Grade 10

Reasons for applying for UWC | Cynthia Lin – Grade 10

Imagine having royalty from England, Jordan, Spain, Netherlands, Holland, or Belgium as alumni. You must think that this school is for royalty, or at least, an expensive school that barely anyone can afford, right? The reality is the high school they attend has people...

You shouldn’t care what boys think | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

You shouldn’t care what boys think | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

Since the first time monkeys came out of trees, teenage girls have craved attention from boys. Girls love it when boys notice and like them, whether in a friendly way or a romantic way. They care about what boys think. In this context, I probably shouldn’t be using...

Body-shaming goes both ways | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

Body-shaming goes both ways | Chloe Hsu – Grade 10

Body shaming is common nowadays. You can see it on social media, or even in real life. There are many types of body-shaming, but today I will be focusing on fat- and skinny-shaming because they are the most common. Body shaming is when someone mocks you for your body...

The power of online communities | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

The power of online communities | Felix Tsai – Grade 10

The internet is probably the single most important piece of infrastructure in our current world, with over 50 percent of the world’s population having direct access to the internet. It is one of our best sources of information, and especially with the recent pandemic...

Problems with education in rural Taiwan | Victor Lu – Grade 11

Problems with education in rural Taiwan | Victor Lu – Grade 11

Education helps people to get high paying jobs, become better citizens, and enjoy higher quality lifestyles. In 2015, the United Nations proposed 17 sustainable development goals, one of which is quality education. Although education plays a crucial role in society,...

Why single gender schools are a bad idea | Edwina Tong – Grade 8

Why single gender schools are a bad idea | Edwina Tong – Grade 8

When it comes to choosing schools, parents consider whether they should send their kids to single gender schools or not. However, parents do not know that separating boys and girls in school may harm kids in ways that may not be noticeable. So obviously, kids...

Racism in Taiwan | Sidney Chen – Grade 9

Racism in Taiwan | Sidney Chen – Grade 9

Taiwan is known as a very foreign friendly country, and by “foreign” I mean white people. Taiwanese people love to see visitors around and welcome them. But when it comes to Southeast Asian or black people, many Taiwanese people give weird looks. This is ironic...

Schools should teach more sex education | Chloe Hsu – Grade 9

Schools should teach more sex education | Chloe Hsu – Grade 9

I’m sure everyone has at least has had one class of sex education in their lives before. It could be in a health class or in a lecture from the teacher because someone got pregnant. But have you ever realized that those classes were never detailed enough? At least...

Pick-me girls: an explainer | Chloe Hsu – Grade 9

Pick-me girls: an explainer | Chloe Hsu – Grade 9

What is a pick-me girl? This term comes up a lot, especially in recent social media. But what does this mean? A pick-me girl is broadly just any girl who claims or acts as if she is unlike most other girls, in order to gain attention from boys. They say they’re...

Opinion: Delete your insta | Stephanie Wang – Grade 11

Opinion: Delete your insta | Stephanie Wang – Grade 11

As Instagram has started to dominate social media and become the most used social network, it has become one of the biggest platforms where teens and celebrities from around the world upload their stories and share their lives. There are tons and tons of people...

The damaging effects of bullying | Edwina Tong – Grade 7

The damaging effects of bullying | Edwina Tong – Grade 7

Bullying can affect everyone—those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health and suicide. Bullying will bring permanent trauma to both the bully and the victim....

The dumbest school rules | Felix Tsai – Grade 9

The dumbest school rules | Felix Tsai – Grade 9

Schools are in charge of passing on important knowledge to students that they will need for the rest of their lives. To do this effectively and efficiently, schools use a wide array of regulations and rules to make sure students learn well and can focus on their work....

Op-ed: Private schools shouldn’t exist | Chloe Hsu – Grade 9

Op-ed: Private schools shouldn’t exist | Chloe Hsu – Grade 9

What does it take to go to a private school? You might say you need to be smart or hardworking or you have to pass tests; however, you are missing something - money. Without money, no matter how smart and hardworking a person is, they would never, ever, get the chance...

Review: Euphoria | Stephanie Wang – Grade 11

Review: Euphoria | Stephanie Wang – Grade 11

Leonardo DiCaprio revealed he’s a fan of Euphoria, saying “I just saw Euphoria, which is amazing. That show is amazing.” Euphoria is an HBO teen drama written and created by Sam Levinson. The show has received positive reviews from critics and has won several awards...

Gen Z is annoying about being Gen Z | Sidney Chen – Grade 9

Gen Z is annoying about being Gen Z | Sidney Chen – Grade 9

Before you call me a “boomer” or try to cancel me, read this article, because it’s time we realize that we aren’t the first generation to think that we’re going to change the world. It’s not news that Gen Z isn’t the first generation to think they're special, but it’s...