KIS Today 2020-21 Issue 1

Issue 1 / Oct 2020

W elcome to the first ever edition of KIS Today, your brand new student run newspaper. The idea was
born when two Year 7 students; Sophie Gervasi and Keira Gross, decided they wanted to have their
voices heard. Being the budding journalists that they are, they went straight to Miss Bater, Mrs Renshaw
and Mrs Smith with their idea. The first meeting was held in S2B with a small group of inspired writers,
artists and photographers. A lot of work has been happening behind the scenes to make this paper possible and this first
edition is really exciting.

What you will find in this month’s issue is an introduction from everyone on the team, an interview with Mrs Renshaw
and an interview with Mrs Smith and an article about how life in school has changed since the new SOP measures have
been put in place. You will also be able to read Miss Bater in the hot seat! I was quizzed in a very dramatic fashion by So-
phie and Keira and they take no prisoners!

Editors: The Team:

Sophie Gervasi Zachary Robinson

HI my name is Sophie Gervasi and I am in Hello fellow students of KIS. I’m Zacha-
7S. I created this newspaper with the help ry Robinson and I am one of the many
of my BFF, Keira, because I want to be a aspiring writers, photographers and illus-
writer when I grow up and I know that trators in the weekly student led newspa-
there are other people out there that are the per. I joined this group as a way to diver-
same as me. sify myself in school activities whilst be-
ing able to explore and develop my cur-
Keira Gross rent skill set. I’d love to make new friends within the group
and work on unique projects that the entire school can en-
Hello my name is Keira Gross I'm in 7S I joy.
joined the newspaper because I really en-
joy writing and this is a great opportunity Qawiemah Leong
to get better and practise at it and I'm
working with my best friend so that's great. Hi, I am Qawiemah from Year 12 and
am one of the members of our passionate
Miss Bater team of writers. Journalism has always
been something in the back of my mind
Hi, I am really excited to be working with ever since I was a kid. While it is unlike-
such a great team on our brand new news- ly I will find myself in that field in the
paper! At university I was part of the Stu- future, I wanted to get a taste of what it’s
dent Newspaper and it was something I like to gather stories, to write these stories, to engage with
really enjoyed so I am excited to be doing people through words.
it again.
Jed Chu

My name is Jed Chu, my class is Year
12. I joined the newspaper because I
have nothing better to do with my time.

“At Kinabalu International School we are dedicated to providing an excellent education
in a caring, respectful environment, challenging students to achieve their full potential as successful global citizens”

“At Kinabalu International School we are dedicated to providing an excellent education
in a caring, respectful environment, challenging students to achieve their full potential as successful global citizens”

Dragon Aditya Sebastien James The Primary Team and the Secondary Team
have been hard at work finding out what life is
Bella Luping Cowan Hope Wu like in KIS now that the new SOP is in place.

Harsh Vardhan Fion Min Xu The Reopening of KIS

Catherine Hiew Janesse Su Fei Lau The students are all
very appreciative of
the school reopen-
ing; while the online
learning process
meant that they
could meet each oth-
er in calls in ‘Gmail’,
it’s just not the
same. The students
are just thrilled to
see their friends in
their physical forms
again, not digital
anymore, whereas
the students might
experience glitch-
es. The Head of Primary, Mrs. Smith felt ‘over the moon’
at hearing the school would reopen.

The New Changes of KIS

The changes at KIS, while not very efficient to neither the
teachers nor students, are nevertheless for safety precau-
tions. The toys and outside areas once used for playing
can only be used for PE (Physical Education) for now, due
to the new rules of the SOP. The students are required to
play inside, which might cause great headaches for the
teachers or teaching assistants of the school. It is also not
efficient for the PE teachers of KIS because they will have
to make sure students are physically distanced (1 meter at
least, according to the new rules, 2 meters is better). The
weekly assembly now requires the app Zoom because the
hall cannot house so many people physically distanced.

Oscar Gan Natalia Wehrendt

This is our team! We are
so excited to share new
content with you every
month. In future issues,
we will introduce them all
individually!

Sabrina Maichel

“At Kinabalu International School we are dedicated to providing an excellent education
in a caring, respectful environment, challenging students to achieve their full potential as successful global citizens”

The Tragedy Although she did not know much about Sabah at first, she
quickly saw the beauty of the place. And even after 13
However, recent news has shown that there is an increase years here, the yacht still remains in Sutera.
in Covid-19 cases. Due to this second wave, the school
has once again declared online learning. The students are Why did you decide to stay?
crestfallen. Although some might be relieved that they get
to sleep until later in the day. Let us all hope that this “If I’m honest with you, I don’t think we would have
online learning will stop so that we get to go back to KIS stayed if it weren’t for the fact that I had started to work
once again. I’m not saying that online learning is bad, just here” as “[she doesn’t] have family here. [Her] children
that staring at a screen all day isn’t good for our health at and [her] grandchildren are in Australia”. While her hus-
all. Again, let us all pray that KIS will reopen (along with band had started to work as an engineer here, she actually
other schools I cannot name) and that ‘normal’ would re- had no intention of working. However, she did notify KIS
turn to what we once knew it as. of her arrival and soon she got a job as an English teacher.

By Fion, Oscar, Catherine and Sabrina She says how this links nicely to a staff room conversation
where they reminisced her interview with Mr Davies, who
Mrs Renshaw starts her story of discovering was Head of Secondary at the time and Mr Spice, a previ-
and arriving in Sabah by telling us about ous principal. “Part way through that interview, Mr Davies
her friends in Hong Kong who used to rolled up his trouser leg to show me where he had surgery
come here to visit the Orangutans. Hav- on his knee because I had just had surgery on my feet”.
ing lived in Hong Kong for 20 years, Sabah was definitely Smiling she then said “It was hilarious. It was a really
on the travel list for her and her family but they had never friendly school. It still is.” Even from such an early time
really gotten to it. Until one day. where this school was much smaller the atmosphere was
already so warm and welcoming, truly the main core of
How did you find out about Sabah? Kinabalu International School. Continuing on, Mrs Ren-
shaw remembers her thoughts at the time. She has always
After her husband's retirement, off he went long distance been determined to explore the growth of the school so
sailing in their yacht in which “[i] would fly out to wherev- when given she was given the chance to be Head of Sixth
er he was” for a couple of years. But then the tsunami sea- Form, she took it and did an absolutely amazing job.
son hit. “He was supposed to be heading for Langkawi”
she quotes as she explains how the “wind and the ways” What do you like about Sabah?
on the way down from Japan didn’t want him to head that
way. So in the end, his yacht docked at Sutera Harbour, Before arriving in Sabah, Mrs Renshaw didn’t know much
happy to have reached land. That was when she flew over about this place. “The thing about Sabah is that although
during Christmas time and alerted the school of her arri- its a huge place, it’s not that well known in terms of the
val. Being the kind of person that likes to keep occupied, Western world”. And so she took the opportunity to visit
she was glad to hear that she got a job as an English teach- the wildlife and see the orangutans “the few times that [she
er here at this very school had] been to different places around Sabah”.

Mrs Renshaw, a huge art and drama fan, really likes places
where she visits threats, art galleries and museums. She
tells us that “after living in Hong Kong, which is very very
different, it took me a while to settle here because it’s such
a different place. It has its own excellent qualities that you
don’t get in any other places. For sure.

You have been in KIS for a long time, what is the biggest dif-
ference you have found between the students when you first
started compared to the students now?

“I don’t think there are any differences. Young people are
young people. Adults are adults. Human beings are human
beings.” As Mrs Renshaw clearly remembers, KIS has al-
ways been a diverse school with the same mixture of expats
and locals as when she first stepped foot into the school.
But with the establishment of the Sixth Form 8 years ago,
she also believes that students are now more focused on
their futures.

“At Kinabalu International School we are dedicated to providing an excellent education
in a caring, respectful environment, challenging students to achieve their full potential as successful global citizens”

With the Sixth Form, it “was like a light going However, we should not have been quick to judge, as she
on”, as she put it, because now the younger sec- proceeded to say, “because of the kind of life that I’ve led,
ondaries had more of a feeling of looking ahead things haven’t come easily to me so I have had to work for
and seeing a path through. Not only that but it them. I am quite good at using that experience when I'm
provided more choice for the students as well. She working with other teachers. [I also think] if there’s a prob-
concludes that she “thinks it’s a state of mind as lem don’t go to somebody else with a problem, go to the
well. But that made a real difference”. person, let's say Mr Gross, with the problem and with the
solution”. Mrs Renshaw’s intelligence, knowledge, curiosi-
Have you always been a teacher? What other jobs or roles ty and creativity are attributes which Ravenclaw values
have you done? most! It was simply too hard to decide which house she
belongs to, which is why we left it in the hands of the Sort-
From working in supermarkets, to working on farms and ing Hat Quiz. After long anticipation, a dreadful stand by,
picking potatoes, Mrs Renshaw has had experience in a the twiddling of our thumbs, she was chosen to be in the
variety of jobs. “So I've done quite a few different things. Ravenclaw House! Congratulations to the Ravenclaw stu-
Partly because I didn’t go straight into teaching from uni- dents of KIS, welcome your new member.
versity. There was a gap. I had my children when I was
quite young as well. So there was kind of looking after the What is your favourite book of all time?
children and doing other things around that”.
“To Kill a Mockingbird”. As we all know, Mrs Renshaw
“I’ve worked in restaurants. I worked cleaning offices loves to have a book in her hand so for anyone needing a
when I first had my children”. Mrs Renshaw begins to talk good book to read, here is a recommendation from the
about how her husband was at university at that time most experienced book-worm in school. At the moment,
when he was 28 to get a degree in engineering and how he Mrs Renshaw says “I’m reading Robert Galbraith, a po-
worked in Tesco's in the evenings. After that, she had start- lice/mystery/thriller because that’s the kind of book I read
ed to run a youth centre as well as run a playgroup for to switch off. It’s the lady who wrote Harry Potter, J.K.
younger children which her second child went to. Rowling. This is a totally different type of style and I think
it's why she’s used a pseudonym.” For any Harry Potter
Before she became a teacher, she was a teaching assistant fans wanting to explore the works of J.K. Rowling, this
in the special needs department in a secondary school in sounds like a great start point. Another book Mrs Renshaw
Bolton. “I was a qualified teacher but I kind of kept that to recommends is, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”, a book
myself”. However, she filled in the vacancy of a teacher at that is still relevant to this day with recent events in Ameri-
that same school a year later. Once she went to Hong ca. As Mrs Renshaw describes it, “It’s really gripping. It’s
Kong following her husband’s job, she made it to King about a boy who one day he finds a gun and goes into his
George V school in the special needs department where school and shoots everybody. In a nutshell, that’s it. It’s the
she properly started her teaching career where she started backstory of what actually happened to that family that led
gradually going into English teaching. up to that catastrophe. It’s a really, really good book. So
that’s another one I recommend if you ever get a chance to
Fun Questions: read it.”

In which Hogwarts house would you be sorted? What is one thing that no one knows about you?

To this, Mrs Renshaw was uncertain. She believed she When Mrs Renshaw was young and entering Year 12 at
knew too little to answer this question. However, she did her secondary school, she had “really really wanted to be a
take the “The Sorting Hat Quiz”, which we’ll get to later. prefect”. To our surprise and Mrs Renshaw’s disappoint-
Despite her not knowing the answer at the time, she said ment, she wasn’t chosen. Mrs Renshaw was very upset,
“I’m a good listener, I think I’m quite empathetic. I try to and the Principal had called her into her office to discuss
see things from other people's points of view. I think I have why she was rejected. Once she arrived, she was very nerv-
a really strong work ethic, really strong work ethic.” These ous, and was told that “you talk to your teachers as though
admirable qualities led us to think that she belonged to the they are your equals and not your superiors”. Mrs Ren-
Hufflepuff house, as it values hard work, dedication, pa- shaw was “astonished, but also confused”.
tience, loyalty and fair play which are all attributes that
Mrs Renshaw clearly possesses.

“At Kinabalu International School we are dedicated to providing an excellent education
in a caring, respectful environment, challenging students to achieve their full potential as successful global citizens”

This is a lesson for all of us; We should appreciate how The interview with Mrs. Smith, the Head of Primary, went
attitudes have changed over the years and how the teach- like this:
ers in KIS encourage us to treat everyone equally, despite
age or accomplishments. IHow do you feel about the school reopening?
feel over the moon! I am so happy that children
What are your biggest pet peeves? finally get to meet each other. We’ve waited so
long! Although in remote learning we could see
Mrs Renshaw loathes bad driving habits, whether it’s each other, it’s just not the same.
“people who drive in front of [her] very very slowly even
though there’s a massive big gap in front” or if it’s “people Do you approve of the new changes in school?
who are on their phones at roundabouts and they’re not
watching when it’s their turn to go”. Mrs Renshaw despis- Of course! Safety always comes first!
es any bad driving habit. Despite this, she too has some
silly habits of her own. She admits that she “ends up Why did you decide to make lunchtime prefects? I remember it
shouting at them as though they can hear [her] which is only used to be student councils who took care of lunches be-
nonsense because of course they can’t, but occasionally fore.
and I know you shouldn’t do this, I do a little beep on the
horn.” I think we can forgive Mrs Renshaw for this as The student council took care of the toys at lunchtimes but
we’ve all experienced bad drivers, and an teensy beep of due to the pandemic, the toys can not be used and shared
the horn doesn’t do any harm. at the moment. The lunchtime prefects have a different role
and help to supervise children during the lunch break.
Interview by Qawiemah Leong and Zachary Robinson.
What inspired you to teach?
A special thanks to Mrs Renshaw.
When my son was in Year 2 I dropped him off to school
one day and a child in his class was feeling ill. While the
teacher helped the sick child she asked me to read a story
to the class in her absence. As I sat in the teachers chair for
the first time I knew that it was the job for me.

How long have you taught as a teacher?

I have been teaching for 18 years and have loved every
minute of it.

What is your favourite colour?

There are too many beautiful colours to choose just one.

Where have you taught before you came to KIS?

I’ve worked in Thailand and in the UK.

Do you have any pets? If you do not have any pets, what pet
would you wish to have?

When my children were small we had a pet Boxer dog
called Barney but sadly he died. During the school holi-
days I love to travel and so have decided not to have any
more pets.

Which year group do you adore the most?

That’s a tricky question and I couldn’t possible say!

Which teacher and assistant do you like the most?

You’ll get me into trouble with questions like this!

“At Kinabalu International School we are dedicated to providing an excellent education
in a caring, respectful environment, challenging students to achieve their full potential as successful global citizens”

WSynopsis hile searching for her missing mother,
intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her
sleuthing skills to outsmart big brother

Sherlock and help a runaway lord. This

movie can be seen on Netflix.

So this movie essentially takes place in the same century as
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had written his detective novels,
the 19th century. However, this movie deviates from the
original storyline similar to adaptations of the Sherlock
Holmes’ stories, introducing a new character that would be
Sherlock’s sister.

The BBC also had a television show that featured the same
idea in their season finale, however Sherlock’s sister that
time was Eurus Holmes, not Enola Holmes, just saying
that the original storyline Sherlock’s only family that was
actually consistent in the original novels would be his
brother, Mycroft, usually being a government official.

Do you have any favourite tropical fruits? Some background information to know, women were seen
Yes, I like mangos and pineapples. as 'the weaker sex' during the 19th century. The ideal wom-
Do you cook? If yes, what is your best loved dish you have an was to be 'the angel in the house' and support her hus-
cooked? band, essentially the model 19th century Victorian Lady.
Mu children would say it’s my chocolate brownies and The movie deals in subjects regarding feminism (a lot) and
lemon drizzle cakes. the feminist movement during the 19th century, known as
the suffrage movement.
Which is your favourite movie/film?
I think that would be the Goonies and Matilda. However, in contrast to the movie, Enola’s childhood was
What did you feel like when you first came into our school? basically a ‘no-no’ to the whole being a good angel in the
Excited and welcomed. Everyone was very welcoming. I house thing. Having been taught jiu-jitsu, chemical explo-
also felt a bit nervous. sions and among other things by her mother Eudoria
What are your hobbies? Choose from: Holmes. Her father was already dead in the story. Her
Painting/ Working/ Meeting others/ Playing/ Exercising brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft left their home early in her
Meeting others and Exercising life to do whatever they did in London. Meaning Enola
What is your favourite song? had been isolated from the whole lot living her life in the
That depends on my mood. countryside. Just before she was to be content with her life
What is your favourite thing to do at school? her Mother had disappeared out of her life. Then the story
I really like to drop into classrooms and see what everyone really begins.
is busy doing.

Interview by Fion, Oscar, Catherine, Janesse and Sabrina.
Special thanks to Mrs Smith.

“At Kinabalu International School we are dedicated to providing an excellent education
in a caring, respectful environment, challenging students to achieve their full potential as successful global citizens”

The whole story was pretty decent and often self- The Eco Warriors have started this year by elect-
aware upon the existing issues during that era. ing their leaders. Their Chairperson is Natalia
Though the story was rather simple, it was still fun Wehrendt. We have 14 members this year, each
and easy to watch how Enola journeys herself coming with ideas to improve the school and
through the movie and be able to reach a satisfac- change the school to be a more eco friendly environment.
tory conclusion. The only real criticism I felt I can
give towards this movie is that the characters don’t As some people get lost trying to find where the Eco Warri-
really ‘connect’ into the world, but just exist around it ors are when there are beach clean ups, they have decided
and only get involved with the world every now and then. to come up with a competition for you to design a banner
to be put up at beach clean ups.
It feels like they’re pretty disconnected, but if you can get
around that then it’s a pretty digestible movie, like the kind
of movie you’d watch while eating something to pass time
with.

Pretty good movie, definitely recommend you watch the
movie if you want to.

Title: Once Upon a Dream There are merits available for first (15), second (10) and
third (5).
Author: Liz Braswell
As we want to be eco friendly we ask that you don’t put the
Date of publication: 01/31/2017 date or location so it can be used each year. It can be digi-
tal or hand drawn. Email your creations to Mrs Davis
Have you ever read a book ([email protected]). We look forward to seeing amazing
called Sleeping Beauty? Imagine banner designs!
if Prince Phillip kissed her but it
just brought him into a deep By Hope Wu
sleep as well? That's exactly
what happens here. Princess Au-
rora has to escape a dangerous,
magical and mysterious land
created from her very own
dreams. Maleficent's agents are following, tracking her
every move, Aurora needs to discover the trustworthy and
most importantly, who she really is?

Title: Good Night Stories Now guys, the moment you have been waiting
For Rebel girls. for… Let's get to the hot seat, with your hosts
Sophie and Keira! Now before we get started
Author: A collection of au- I just want to explain what a hot seat is; so
thors basically Sophie and I ask you guys what teacher you want
on the hot seat (we give choices) then we sit them down
Date of publication: 2016 and ask questions you students want to know. This week
we chose Miss Bater because this week’s theme was about
This book is a collection of getting to know about the newspaper team and about the
stories about women who new school year so we thought it would fit!
have done remarkable things,
sometimes against all odds. I
would spirit and that girls can
achieve and sometimes, even
when their voices aren’t
heard, they are working to make the world a better place.

“At Kinabalu International School we are dedicated to providing an excellent education
in a caring, respectful environment, challenging students to achieve their full potential as successful global citizens”

Now Miss Bater this is the second last question the question
is….which class in secondary is your favourite?
Oh hmm 7S obviously (her home room) and… I love the
enthusiasm 8S has for History!
Miss Bater are you ready for your last question?
I'm scared!
One thing, you don't have to answer this one.
Ok, but I will.
Do you have a love interest?
My answer is …. Yes!

Well there you have it folks. Now me and Sophie have a
question to ask you guys, which teacher do you want next
on the hot seat?

Mrs Davis
Mr Davis
Miss Tooley

Who is your favourite student in secondary school? It's your choice, email me ([email protected]) or Sophie
([email protected]) and don't forget to email us what
Oh um I don't know, I don't have a favourite but there are questions you want! See you next time on the hot seat!
lots of students who make me laugh every day! By Sophie and Keira

Miss Bater what's your favourite colour? A lot of hard work has gone into this first issue of

That one's easy, green! We hope you have enjoyed reading and we look forward
to creating the next issue!
Miss Bater do you have any pets?

Yes I do, I have two guinea pigs called Hermione and Be-
atrix, these questions aren't so bad .

Are those Harry Potter references?

Yes the first one is and the second one was supposed to be
Bellatrix but people started calling her Beatrix so I stuck
with that, she is like a princess.

Ok so the next question Miss Bater is do you have any hobbies?

Yes, I love to read!

“Me too!”-Sophie