By Regina Sears

On Tuesday, September 29, ICSU’s National Honors Society, along with a couple staff members, were successfully able to host Korean Culture Day. Surprisingly, Korean Culture Day hasn’t been a staple to the ICSU traditions of events just until last year. Being able to wear hanboks to school and enjoying activities throughout the day, students at ICSU experienced the fun within Korean culture.  

During the day, different activities were assigned for Elementary and Secondary students, including Korean crafts, language, mythology, along with traditional dance, music, and games. Secondary students engaged in more topics in depth, such as Korean history, Korean Christian history, and modern Korea. 

Hannah Ko (11) Teaching First Graders a Traditional Korean Fan Dance

As she was learning to write her name in Korean, Kindergartener Zaya Knutson expressed, “My name in Korean is cute. It’s fun to write! I like it.” Her fellow classmate Collin Kim also squealed in delight, “Is that how my name looks in Korean? That’s cool!”

The students who learned about modern Korea explored familiar interests, such as Korean idols and fashion. When asked about if she enjoyed the topic, Joon Young Lee (12) said, “It was detailed and I liked how parts of my daily life were shared in Korean Culture Day. For those who didn’t know about this, I think it was a good experience for them.” 

Mr. Forster Teaching 10th Graders Korean Christian History

Leading the traditional Korean games section for elementary, NHS member Lillian Rhee (11) shares her experience. “Working with the little kids was difficult, and it was also my first time ever dealing with the little ones. But, I think it was a good experience that helped me enhance my public speaking skills. ”

Although masks are not typically a part of traditional Korean wear, students and teachers were able to enjoy Korean Culture Day at ICSU, wearing Korean hanboks together at school despite a different and unique school year with COVID.