Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages
Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages, or GAFL is a foreign language high school located in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea. It is equipped with two student dormitories, each for different genders,
with its own dormitory inspectors as staff. Students are divided into eight classes per grade by language in which they would like to major. It was originally established under the name of Myongji Foreign Language High School on March 2, 2004, by Myongji Foundation. It was run as Myongji Foreign Language High School for 5 years, but due to declining financial situation of Myongji Foundation, the school was taken over by Bong-ahm Institute in 2008. Consequently, Bong-ahm Institute changed the name of the school to the current name of Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages, with changes in various areas, including the principal, school uniform, dormitory inspectors and operation of school cafeteria. Although it kept the original subjects, or "majors", GAFL's international department changed the curriculum of its international curriculum department to
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in 2011, making GAFL the first Korean high school to adopt the program. Currently, there are nine years worth of graduates, with alumni spread over diverse universities, including domestically prominent SKY (universities) and various universities abroad. The school is also well known for its high tuition fee, always being in the top 10 schools by tuition fee.
History
Founding
Before the founding of the school, the school properties belong to a private high school, Jung-won High School, founded in 1989, but was bought by the Myeonji Education Foundation and was demolished of its establishment. After, the Myeongji Education Foundation intended to establish a new school, that of a Foreign Language High School, where under Korean government plan was a special type of school to educate students with high level of foreign languages. As Myeongji Education Foundation was already in possession of various schools including Myongji University, the school quickly gained recognition among the high competition between Foreign Language High Schools.Myongji Foreign Language High School Era
Myongji Foreign Language High School was a dormitory-based foreign language high school that accepted students from all over the country, mainly through its individual and unique admission tests. The students lived in the dormitory, and studied at night under the supervision of the dormitory inspectors, who were outsourced by the school. Remaining at school on weekends and during vacation was optional, but students had to follow a strict timetable that regulated activities most of the time. In the absence of school teachers, the dorm inspectors would take the place of chaperoning the students and their activities. To accommodate the students' needs, there were various facilities such as laundry room, gym, and a 7-Eleven convenience store inside the school. The academic performance of Myongji students steadily improved over time, peaking at the 3rd highest in 2011 College Scholastic Ability Test in all of South Korea.Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages: former era (until 6th generation)
Myeongji Education Foundation faced a financial crisis during its attempt of expanding the business, hence was forced to handover the right to management of the school. This right was purchased by Daekyo Education Foundation, owned by Korea's prominent education company Daekyo, and changing the present name, Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages. With the conversion of the school into Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages, the school took a drastic turn. In admissions, it could no longer test applying students in maths, and had to take into account their middle school grades to a larger extent due to change of government regulations. The school uniform also changed, from the previous 2 versions to 3 versions. The school also scouted Hashik Park, a former vice-principal of Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies and Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies to be GAFL's new principal. Under Principal Park's running of the school, GAFL developed various student clubs, including a club pertaining to lacrosse. In terms of dormitory, staffing change was made in dormitory inspectors; the school hired a new group of dormitory inspectors that were regarded as a lot less strict than the group before. Amenities such as towels and laundry service were also made free to the students. However, the 6th generation of students still followed much of the same curriculum and education infrastructure as previous generations of students did.Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages: latter era (7th generation ~)
From this time period, the school took even more of a drastic turn. It could no longer accept students from provinces other than Gyeonggi due to change in government regulations. However, it was accepted to incorporate the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, one of the first Korean high schools to do so. This entailed a change of system and infrastructure for the students; as opposed to the past, the subjects, or "majors" were now divided into four categories containing local English, international English, Chinese and Japanese departments.Symbols
Alma mater song
The schools alma mater song was written by the chairman of the Daekyo Education Foundation Young-jung Kang, where most of the lyrics are in Korean, but few phrases in English.School symbols
The school chaplain of GAFL is the Zelkova serrate, which was chosen for its characteristics of an often used a shading plant in Korea. This was to symbolise the purpose of the schools value; educating the youth as the servant of the people.Along with Zelkova, the flower was a Camellia lutchuensis, a symbol of strength as the Camellia endures the winters, and the floriography in Korea being humble heart, to symbolise the students of their strength endure through hard times, yet remembering the value of humbleness.
The school bird is a Phoenix (mythology), or 봉황 in Korean. To symbolise the everlasting sprit of the school. Because of this, the school board of parent donate a pair of Peafowl, which was kept within the school campus. Phoenix is discoverable in the coat of arms of the school and throughout the school logos etc.
Departments of Major Languages
In both Myongji Foreign Language High School and GAFL, students were divided into classes centered around certain "majors", which meant that the classes pertaining to that major would receive more education on that area. Traditionally, there were 2 classes for each major, and these majors acted as major factors in school management and student activities by providing a clear boundary between groups of students.Myongji Foreign Language High School
In Myongji Foreign Language High School, there were four majors: English and Chinese, English and Japanese, Chinese and Japanese. Each department received differentiated education according to the majors, including conversation and theoretical classes. The number of classes pertaining to the language was designed to escalate as the grades increased; such was the case that 3rd grade students had 5 different subjects pertaining to their major, for instance, English Writing, English Conversation, English Grammar, English Reading and English Listening. As students wishing for acceptance in foreign universities were few in number, they were incorporated into the main system, but could take optional classes and guidance on the side.Gyeonggi Academy of Foreign Languages
GAFL was approved as, and unlike other IB schools in Korea, it is the only IB school where students can graduate with both IB Diploma and a Korean High School Diploma.With the introduction of IBDP to the school, the major system also changed. The previously few students striving for foreign universities were promoted to a new major, and the students striving for domestic universities were incorporated into local English courses. The IBDP is currently designed to address to the international English portion of the students.
English-Chinese Department
This is where English is the major language and Chinese is the minor language. The symbolic colour of the English-Chinese department is blue. This is the department were it constitutes the majority of the English department. Because of this factor, they have the slight advantage in determining the Korean High school GPA, which is relatively marked.English-Japanese Department
Being only a size of one class, is the smallest department of the school. Having red as their symbolic colour. In the administrative system, often English-Japanese Department is categorised a one department with the International Department, but in terms of actual educational curriculum is completely independent from the International Department.Chinese Department
Being represented with the colour black, the Chinese department majors in Chinese and English as a minor language. Chinese department is often associated with outgoing, strong images, specially showing a culture of strong bonds between the freshmen and the sophomore class. There are significant number of students in the Chinese department who move on to prominent Chinese or Taiwanese universities such Beijing University, Tsinghua University, National Taipei University.Japanese Department
Being represented with the colour white, along with the Chinese department, the Japanese department is one of the biggest department and majors Japanese. Japanese department is often portrayed as the rival of the Chinese department, showing a very calm, and diligent image. Similarly, some students continue their academic in prestigious Japanese universities like University of Tokyo, Keio University, Waseda University.International ([IB Diploma Programme]) Department
Being the smallest, yet the most support department of the school, International Department is the newest department of GAFL. Unlike most international schools in Korea, instead of adopting the SAT, or the Advanced Placement, has adopted the IB Diploma Programme for the first time as a Korean High school. Due to their different in curriculum, the International Department is granted of more independence and autonomy within the school. As the IB programme is constituted with 2 years, but the Korean High school system of 3 years, freshmen of International Department is enrolled in a Pre-DP curriculum provided by the school itself.Unlike other departments where the minor language is fixed, the International department provides both Japanese and Chinese as minor language.
Offered Courses
As a Foreign Languages Highschool, IB students in GAFL are required to take 3 language courses within Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature and Group 2: Language acquisition. Thus students drop their Group 6: The Arts course at the end of DP1, and it is not included in final exam as well.Courses offered:
Group 1: Korean Literature A, English Language and Literature A
Group 2: English B, Chinese B, Japanese B
Group 3: History, Economy
Group 4: Biology, Chemistry
Group 5: Mathematics Analysis and Approach
Group 6: Film, Theatre
Student Life
Uniform
Being complete re-designed in 2008, GAFL's uniform exist in different forms. Largely into three categories that of Spring-autumn, summer, winter uniform.Winter uniform includes a jacket, coat, vest, shirt, tie, cardigan, trousers, skirts for female students. The Spring-autumn uniform with a jumper, vest, shirt, trousers, tie, and skirts for female students. The summer uniform is worn with shirt with short sleeves, trousers, shorts, and skirts and ribbons for female students.
Along with seasonal differentiation, there are two types of uniform, that of formal and casual. Students may were what ever kind of uniform they choose, but on Fridays, it is mandatory that students dress in their formal uniform, including the jacket and with black dress shoes.
There are unofficial uniforms of the school that students wear, usually being the baseball jackets. Students often wear baseball jackets over their uniform to show their affiliation with the prefect committee, or society they belong to. There are no particular school codes on these jackets, but through tradition, it is only the prefect committees, societies that existed from the founding of the school, and sports society that wear them. There are few exception to this.
Prefects
The school's prefect system imitates that of a democratic government, meaning there is the legislative, executive, and judiciary branch. The legislative branch is formed with each classes president and vice president, led by a chairman elected among them and has the right to amend the school codes. The executive branch is led by the School president voted through a vote as the school in whole, and the president chooses members of the executive branch that carries out all school actives. The judiciary branch is chosen by interviews conducted by the previous members of the judiciary. They have the right to hand out demerit marks to students according to the school codes.The international department gets the exception and is allowed to form the International department committee, led by chairman elected within the department. The international department committee is only formed with student of the international department and gains autonomy to the prefect system of three branches.
Societies
As the school is a Foreign Language High school, the societies are more concentrated into languages, and humanities. There are more than 100 societies in the school which is formed, and led by the students, answering to the executive branch. There are no official division between the societies of the school, but there is what the students traditionally call the 'classic societies', like the Law society, Debate society, United Nations society, English society, and Economic society, which refer to about 12 societies that existed from the founding of the school. These societies tend to be large in number, financial support from school, and gets more opportunities to host a competition, or an event.Besides the academic societies, there are numerous sports and art societies. The major sport society is football, basketball, and lacrosse. Sport societies usually participate in high school leagues held among prestigious private schools as varsity teams. The art society include orchestra, band, hip-hop, and painting societies. Art societies annually hosts a festival where they put up plays, drama, performances for the students.