Richard Kim, Writer

On September 6-7th, GSIS held this school year’s first Spiritual Emphasis Week, organized by the Frontline team. The theme of this Spiritual Emphasis Week was Identity in Christ. Lower and upper secondary students participated in spiritual and relationship-building activities such as water fights, performing workshops, homeroom activities, indoor gym games, and more. 

Thanks to eased COVID restrictions, pre-pandemic favorite activities such as the outdoor water fight made a comeback this year. Additionally, for the first time since the pandemic, all the lower and upper secondary students were in the auditorium during chapels.

This SEW also set itself apart from all previous SEWs as a special performing arts group “Falling Stars” came to GSIS to perform a skit relating to the SEW theme of Identity, and to host acting and dancing workshops for students. 

During the preceding weeks, Frontline worked hard with Mr. Fanning, the new Frontline advisor and Director of Student Life. Despite the pressure to organize a 2-day event with tight deadlines, Frontline was able to successfully organize and lead all of the activities. The Praise Team was also an integral part of SEW as the team performed multiple praise songs each day at the chapels.  

Both Frontline and Praise Team carefully considered the activities and songs they organized for SEW. As senior Joseph Kim, this year’s Frontline co-coordinator, explains, “We [Frontline] wanted everyone to discover their identity by exploring their strengths, passions, and uniqueness of the course of SEW.” This emphasis on identity was evident in many of the activities. 

One SEW activity that will be fondly remembered by students was watching the Falling Stars performances. Although comedic and served to entertain, the skits performed by the Falling Stars members promoted an overarching theme: personal identity. The characters in each skit followed a pattern of suppressing a part of their identity due to various factors, such as the expectations of others, their socioeconomic status, and more. However, each character would ultimately break out of their shell and come to terms with themselves by the end of the skit. Falling Stars’ performance made students laugh with comedic quips while also awing them with their abstract dance choreography. 

Through the activities that urged students to contemplate their identities, as well as bond with peers they might not have gotten the chance to before, this SEW was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for GSIS students— setting high expectations for the SEW that will be organized next semester.