Tuesday 21 March 2017

Eagles Fly to Bangkok

Joseph Hsu
 What’s better than playing baseball and softball on a school day? Playing baseball and softball on a school day in Bangkok!

On Thursday, March 16, the Dalat varsity men’s baseball team and Dalat varsity women’s softball team traveled to Bangkok, Thailand for a weekend of games against the International School of Bangkok and other schools, being from within the area or even from Japan. While the baseball team was unable to win any of their games and the softball team only won one, the athletes still enjoyed their weekend in Bangkok, eating delicious local or western food, strolling through malls and night markets, and watching Beauty and the Beast.

When Beauty and the Beast was released, Malaysia banned it in their cinemas, leaving many disappointed. But the softball team, took the opportunity to enjoy the new release at the cinemas in Siam Paragon Mall. In the words of Felicia Teoh (12), “Beauty and the Beast was such a great movie, and what made it even better was that we got to watch it when it's banned in Malaysia.”

On the last night of the trip, both teams walked a mile to the nearest night market. After indulging in local food, Noah Graves (12) and Teddy Zimmer (11) bought toy guns from the supermarket and ran around the mall playing like toddlers. They wondered how they would take their toys back home. Suddenly, a local kid ran up to the team from out of nowhere, attracted by the toy guns. Graves and Zimmer entertained the kid and played with him. Moments later, the boy brought his friend to join. The chuckles and shouts of joy from these boys filled the streets—and brought happiness to the entire team. Before the baseball and softball teams returned to the Alliance Guest House, Graves and Zimmer thought about how excited the kids were and dashed back to the supermarket to give their toy guns to the children. Graves said, “During part of our free time, Teddy Zimmer and I purchased plastic guns and we were able to give them to two young Thai boys. Seeing the joy that these simple toys brought them was one of the best parts of the trip.”

Although the varsity baseball and softball teams did not perform as well as anticipated, the bonding time, the delicious food, and the joy that Graves and Zimmer brought to the Thai boys made the trip enjoyable and memorable. 

The Arena of Misfortune

Tim Sasse
 The boys’ baseball team and the girls’ softball team were brave warriors who strived to do what no man or woman has done before: battle at the International School of Bangkok (ISB) for a fastpitch tournament.

Like all the best gladiators, they flew there on the wings of eagles (planes) to be met by charioteers (buses). The charioteers agreed to bring them the rest of the way. After a long chariot ride, these teams marched onto the expansive campus of ISB. Before they could get into the arena (the field) though, they had to admire it first. Who knew that something so beautiful could be so deadly?

After pondering about their impending doom, they rushed to the arena. Immediately, they geared up on the battlefield: gloves in hands and seeds in mouths; what more could a person ask for?

Both teams started to ready themselves by throwing weapons (baseballs and softballs) across the field. After five extremely short minutes of throwing, the team met in their dugouts to discuss strategy.

For the boys’ team, the strategy was impeccable, but somehow they managed to lose the battle in their heads before they even started fighting. The judge (referee) gave the signal, and the game started. After a few long minutes, the enemies were given the advantage. The team, however, did not give up. They fought the uphill battle even though it was pretty much a lost cause. The only thing keeping them going was the legends of other heroes. The legends were so sweet that a faint taste of an oasis in a desert came upon them.

But the struggle was so great that the contestants were having mirages. Like victory, it was always so close yet always out of reach. Many innings of fighting passed, and the battle halted. Those who remained lined up along the field to pay their respects to the enemies. As one of the greats said, "Our journey was filled it's an abundance of mishaps and glory, though mostly mishaps," Dominic Fitzgerald. Although the boys did not perform as well as they wished, they learned an important lesson: even the best fall sometimes.

Papa John’s and History

Sam Hofer

Every March, a group of high schoolers pack into a van with hopeful hearts and full bags. The object of their expedition? The Malaysia History Bee and Bowl, a quiz competition that is mainly attended by schools from KL. Each year, we drive down to KL, typically spending the night, then we compete and drive back to Penang. The ride there is typically spent talking about history or politics, reading, or quizzing.

This year’s group was a lot different than those used in previous competitions. For one, there were only two seniors, who typically form at least half of the group. Also, instead of two teams of five, which is normal, we had three teams of three. Despite the irregularities, Mrs. White, the leader and organizer of the trip, assured us that we would win. We had one of the best teams we’ve ever had, and Dalat has a long and proud record at the event. Dalat won the Varsity Bowl last year, and the JV Bowl for the past two years. In the individual competition, the Bee, Dalat has won JV for two years and varsity for one.

Despite Dalat’s good and consistent record in the History Bee and Bowl, I was somewhat nervous. I had won the individual round two years running, as well as getting fifth place in the International History Olympiad, so I had a lot to lose. Though I knew I was fully competent, I was just scared of messing up in a fatal way.

After spending the night in a shady motel after a long van ride, we set out for Sunway, the high school where the event was being hosted. The History Bowl had been hosted there in Malaysia since its introduction, but lately, attendance has waned. My first year we competed against three schools, but this year we competed against just one. Even though the competition was lacking compared to normal, the Dalat teams worked hard and scored victories. We won the Bowl for both JV and varsity, as well as both JV and varsity for the Bee (though Dalat was the only team in JV). We won medals and plaques, exhibited significant amounts of history knowledge, and, overall, had a good time.

Sadly, our favorite post-bowl haunt, Papa John’s, was closed this time. It has been tradition to eat there, and one of the incentives for those less interested in history. But we ate at Carl’s Junior instead. Though the van trip back to Penang was long, we were in high spirits and content with our victory, another win for Dalat’s record. Let’s hope we do just as well next year.

Jumping Fire Together

Aaron Chand

Dalat students, staff members, and students’ parents participated in the Spartan race on Sunday, March 12th.

There were two types of participants within this group: the first type were the competitive runners who desired to achieve a good time and get through the obstacles as fast as they could, and this meant they had to run alone. This article, however, will focus on the second type of participant: the ones who took their time and went through the course as a team.

Their objective was being able to help each other and have fun as a team. We waited at every obstacle for the rest of our team to catch up. Among this group were Daniel Munson (12), Ke-erh Huang (10), Emily Chew (9), Aaron Chand (12), Alan Luchtenburg (12), and Paul Luchtenburg. We started off running at a good pace, with the rest of our team running relatively close…until we hit the first obstacle the terrain became more narrow and steeper. We tried to keep up with the others, dodging people and branches, but after a while, some members of our team grew tired. We walked much of the race and had lively conversation, talking about the obstacles and what we needed to do.

Every once in a while “Uncle Paul” (Mr. Luchtenburg) would shout, “SPARTANS, WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?!?”, and we would reply “AROO..AROO...AROO.” Alan Luchtenburg blushed in embarrassment as his dad shouted; however, he was glad to be able to run the race with his dad. Again, at each obstacle, we helped each other, whether that was helping them do burpees, pushing them over walls, or simply encouraging them by offering a helping hand or simply waiting patiently.

 "What was fun about staying in the back was that we got to meet a whole bunch of cool people who were there simply to enjoy the race; even if they weren't very good, they were having fun—which made the whole experience that much more enjoyable," said Munson (12).

Towards the end of the race, we hit a river where Alan and I noticed that many people were having difficulties climbing out of the river; therefore, we decided that we should stay back a while and help as many people out as we could. Alan planted himself on the bank and reached out his hand to others to pull them out, while I jumped in the river and helped boost people onto the bank. In my opinion, that was the best part of the race because the faces of those we helped really stayed with me throughout that week, and I felt like I'd done a lot more than just run a race.

In the end, we were all happy that we had helped each other and learned a solid lesson over the course: never leave a friend behind. When we got to the end of the race, some of us exhausted and some of us not, we all lined up behind the last obstacle, the fire jump, and we then held hands and jumped over it together.

Wednesday 15 March 2017

Spartan Sprint

Daniel Munson

Students and staff alike participated in the 2017 Spartan Sprint on March 12th.

A group of 18 bleary-eyed athletes piled into a single van that spirited them away to their destination—Kuala Lumpur—to compete in the first of this year's Spartan race. This group of strong - willed individuals had been forced to wake up early for the past eight Saturday's to prepare for the grueling race. They were ready. The van rattled its way swiftly down towards KL, only stopping a couple times for gas and a bathroom break, and it arrived at the proper area for the Spartan Race. After driving around for what seemed like hours to find a parking spot, the group made their way towards the registration to get their numbers and timing band.

The group then made their way to the special tent provided for the team they signed up with—the Penang Warriors—which was the largest team present, for their 11:15a start time.

"Alright guys, for the first obstacle we should stick together, and if you can find someone to run with, it'll be more fun that way," called Principal Brewster above the crowd before the start line.

"SPARTANS, WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?" the man with the microphone shouted at the mass of people, itching to prove themselves during this race.

"AROOO, AROOO, AROOO," came the reply from the crowd. And with that, the man with the microphone gave the command to start the race. The crowd surged over the small initial barrier and continued to meet the rest of the race.

The Dalat team broke up into groups for the rest of the race: Miss Grad and Trevor Ronning (10) speeding to the front, followed by Mr. Brewster, Mr. Ronning, Noah Graves (12), Teddy Zimmer (11), Gavin Zimmer (9), Bena Mauger (12), Mr. Anderson, Yi Yao Tan (10), Aaron Chand (12), Alan Luchtenburg (12), "Uncle Paul" Luchtenburg, Daniel Munson (12), Ke-erh Huang (11), Emily Tan (9), Lee Zhi Yong (9), Yuuki Horie (9), and Tien Min Tan (9).

The next two to three hours passed by like a dream; the race was composed of mud through nine kilometers of jungle and rivers with various difficult obstacles along the way.

"By far the worst part of the Spartan race was the bucket carry. The 35-45 Kg bucket was a nightmare to carry," Chand recalled.

After crossing the finish line—a burning log—each competitor gratefully grabbed a medal. The many weeks of exercise had paid off, and the entire Dalat group are now officially "Spartans."

"It was super fun to run and do obstacles with my dad and friends. I had a great time and got to know new people," commented Alan Luchtenburg on the race.

The Dalat group then still had a long van ride ahead of them to head back home, but they were comforted by the heavy weight around their necks.

Monday 13 March 2017

The Track Team’s Trials and Trails

Jonathan Lafferty

A bus full of yawning faces of the Dalat ‘Treagles” (Track and Field Eagles) headed off to an internal track meet at USM on Saturday, March 11. Once they arrived at the track, booming microphones, glimmering trophies, and four other teams met them. The only problem? Dalat was not a part of this track meet!

“Not again!” Coach Grad groaned. “I confirmed with Coach Edman several times!” The track was taken, but this wasn’t the first time the Dalat Treagles had to unexpectedly switch venues. Two weeks prior, the Dalat Treagles had come to the same track right as the women’s 3k speed walking event had started for MSSPP.

Accustomed to change, the team got back into the bus and drove to a huge soccer field on the other side of USM. They unloaded and started off with the regular warm-up lap. Next they did their form drills, which look quite humorous to outsiders.  The track team has become so familiar with drills, however, that when Coach Grad yells nicknames such as “Boxer!” or “Penguin!”, no one is confused about what to do next. After the warm-up, they got prepared to run their different events.

Meanwhile, Bena Mauger (12) climbed up in a tree to get a better view of all the runners. Mauger is one of the fastest runners on the team, but he had to rest during this meet because he was running in the Spartan Sprint, a 9k obstacle run, the following day. After the meet, Zachary Montgomery (6), said that he liked running but it was hard. He had five events to run in, after all. When asked about the snacks, he said, “They were very good! I especially liked the egg sandwiches.” Parents coordinated with each other and brought apples, bananas, watermelon, granola bars, sandwiches, and plenty of 100 Plus. In fact, over one hundred cans were available for the runners!

The track and field team is special because it brings together students like Zach Montgomery and Bena Mauger. This mixing of grades is not very common at Dalat, so track and field is a great way to get to know students who are both younger and older.  

Greagles

Jerald Lim
 On the 11th of March, the midmorning sun was a fiery ball of torment, blasting down wave after wave of its heat onto the dedicated members of the Dalat Track Team (Treagles). The Treagles were to have a track meet at the USM Stadium, or so they thought. Upon arriving, they were greeted by a stadium packed full of people. This wasn’t the first time that this had happened. At the track meet before this one, the stadium had also been occupied. After finding an alternative location, the Treagles relinquished their ever-so-desired coarsely paved track for a slightly dewy and bumpy grass field.

Having already relocated once prior to this day, the Treagles had no problems with getting to the grassy field. At this rate, they might as well be renamed Dalat Grass Team (Greagles). Despite setbacks like this, the Greagles push forward, with the mindset of still getting a good training session. Around the green-bladed “track” the Greagles went, running the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 4x100m, and 4x200m. At the end of these standard eight races came the final relay: the 4x400m. For some, it was a dreaded race, but for others, like Bena Mauger (12), the Greagles’ relay superstar, it’s a chance to showcase quick feet and baton handling prowess.

One by one, Coach Grad called each relay team to their “lanes.” It was at this moment that many realized that one of the U18 teams sported a small boy: his name was Kai Ji (1), an adorable 7-year-old boy who was barely half the height of senior, Jerald Lim (12). The reason why Kai Ji stood among the seniors of the team: Bena had abandoned them in favor of another, more-highly-stacked group, filled with some of the fastest runners in the team.

Still though, Jerald, Jarrod Chang (12), and Richard Baek (11) gladly accepted Kai Ji as one of their own. Jarrod puts it perfectly, saying, “Kai Ji seemed a bit bored as the track meet went on, so we (the seniors) wanted to cheer him up by asking him to join our team. He was really enthusiastic, and he made lots of new friends while having tons of fun, which was great to see.” During the girls’ race, Kai Ji found a seat atop Jerald’s shoulders. He sat in shock as the realization of how far he was about to run dawned on him. But it was no matter to him when his turn came up to grab the baton. Like Usain Bolt, he burst out of the gates with full, minuscule 7-year-old strides. Kai Ji finished the race with deep, hastened breaths and the screams and cheers of the Greagles behind him.

Sadly, the Kai Ji-Jerald-Jarrod-Richard foursome didn’t finish first, but for a boy to stand proudly on the backs of his seniors (both figuratively and literally) is something first place can’t guarantee. Seniors do not need an elaborate plan to leave an impact on the young Dalat-ians. It is simple acts of inclusion like this one that help create the best memories. At the end of the day, the Greagles concluded with their traditional cawing chant, and Kai Ji brought home with him a memory he’d always remember. 

Talents for Auction

Megan Chang

As the crowd poured onto the outdoor basketball court on Friday, March 10th, upbeat music blasted through the big speakers, along with a hearty, cheerful welcome from Mr. Karl Steinkamp and Mr. Larry Chinn that commemorated the start of the 2017 Junior For Hire. This annual event allows juniors to earn money for other events, such as the Junior-Senior Banquet (JSB), by auctioning off their talents and capabilities.

Along with this, the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) prepared an array of cuisines—from Korean to Malaysian to Western. With their coupons in hand, parents and students toured the food stalls surrounding the court and chose dishes to their liking. Moreover, the junior class store sold refreshing canned drinks and creamy ice cream that compensated for the hot weather.

As the announcement was made for the event to begin, people settled down into their seats, and little children gathered at the front of the stage. The juniors presented their abilities as they were called onto stage one by one.

“Ke-Erh Huang completed AP Calculus in 8th grade,” said Mr. Chinn in Huang’s introduction, which grabbed the audience’s attention and garnered a few looks of astonishment. Like a few other juniors, Huang chose to put her knowledge in math to good use by tutoring other students. A tight competition arose between two parents who sat side by side as they brought the bid higher against each other.

The juniors continued to stun the audience with their hidden talents—perfect scores on the SAT, weightlifting, cooking, making dreamcatchers, playing the ukulele, 3D printing, and much more. Juniors’ parents took pride in seeing their children’s accomplishments and willingness to work hard for what they wanted.

Everyone had a good time watching or participating in the Junior For Hire. There was even room for a few good laughs as some juniors were dressed in wacky outfits and dropped a few jokes here and there. As the event came to an end, Mr. Chinn thanked everyone for supporting the juniors, and the court resounded with a round of applause. 

Wednesday 8 March 2017

Having a Ball

Dominic Fitzgerald

The varsity baseball team is kicking it into full throttle to prepare for the Bangkok next Thursday.

In front of the gym, you can see Sam Castro (10), Gavin Zimmer (9), Teddy Zimmer (11) and others practicing their throwing and catching while waiting for the coaches, Sasse, Maurin, and Edman. Practice usually starts at 4:30 or 5p depending on the day, and when it’s time for practice, the team loads up in the two vans outside the gym to go to College General.

Once at College General, the vans are unloaded and I, the manager, set up the portable backstop with one of the coaches. As soon as the backstop is set up, I move up to the slope to set up a little “outpost,” so that I can encourage my teammates and retrieve stray balls. While this is happening, the team is warming up by practicing their throws and catches, after jogging for about two minutes.

Coach Sasse usually starts the team off by making stations for them: a batting station where Coach Edman shows how to swing smoothly and with grace; a pitching and catching station where Mr. Sasse shows pitchers how to throw off batters, and he shows catchers how to catch people off guard; and a fielding station where Mr. Maurin hits a ball and the players practice fielding. As soon as all groups have gone once, we work on our plays and base running.

Since there is only one week until the tournament at the International School of Bangkok, the team’s month of development has been a very short one. So the team is kicking it into full throttle and studying the plays and strategies closely. Daniel Kim (11) says "I'm kinda excited and nervous to go to Bangkok to play baseball with the team. I'm happy to get to go with the guys and see interesting things in Thailand, but I have no idea how well we'll do. Gotta pray for the best."

As these heroes prepare for their first ever varsity baseball tournament, they are giving it their all. These boys have earned the right to don the black Dalat baseball cap, knowing that we have full confidence in their skill and sportsmanship. As they make final preparations, let’s wish them good luck and Godspeed—and may the best team win!

Tuesday 7 March 2017

Practice Makes Perfect Bachelorette

Andrew Kim

Sacrificing their holiday for the National Honor Society (NHS), its members assembled on March 6th to practice. The plan was easy. Welcome guests, throw a skit, and eat food. “Easy.”

Easy was accurate until a piece of the layout stuck out like a sore thumb. They had a skit to perform. They had two hours for a 10 minute act. Filling that time with awkward pausing, bursts of laughter, and much roasting, the characters suited up for the worst possible season of The Bachelorette.

The Bachelorette practice session began when Doug Yost, the head of the program, demanded, “Tell me your plan.” His reply was full on laughter—filled with the painful realization, this is actually happening. Mersades Zimmer (12), also known as “O Wise Mersades,” produced a plan that left the group stunned. Their blank expression was almost audible: I didn’t know that...

After learning the layout, the skit began. “Welcome to The Bachelorette: NHS Edition.” The choice theme for the induction ceremony was well known but not so well prepared.  Our contestants for our dear single lady, Christy Chow (12), consisted of such seniors: Donald Trump (Jarrod Chang), Kanye West (Joseph Hsu), Najib (Ning Kang Chia), Bruce Lee (Keito Watanabe), Stephen Hawking (Andrew Kim), and Justin Bieber (Emmett Balzer). Who would put a ring on it?

After a hopeless question filled inspection on the potential candidate’s NHS qualities—academics, service, character, and leadership—by the bachelorette’s stern friend, Zimmer, the bachelorette was ready to choose. Actually, she was all ready to choose from the beginning; in an interview afterward, Miss Chow secretly announced, “I like Trump’s hair.”

But the contestants, the audience—and Chow—did not know it would be Najib who won by “[getting] rid of everyone,” as Zimmer summarized.  

 Exaggerated stereotypes pushed The Bachelorette’s advisor off the edge while the announcer, Joe Brake(12), was ecstatic—knowing that this “craziness,” as he put it, got more viewers.

This action packed, lights out, silly, and dramatic production by Dalat’s National Honor Society showed for the first (and probably last) time on the 7th of March. It was proceeded by the induction of new members.   

It was a show many fell in love with. Hopefully, Chow will also fall in love with Najib.  



Together We are One

Grace Lim

The band often gives us a unifying experience, despite how different we are. Keito Watanabe (12), Emmett Balzer (12), and Kimberly Horton (12), along with Mr. Kearney, had a week they can never forget as talented musicians. These three seniors were selected to represent our school for the ACSC honor band which was held at Hong Kong International Christian School. As three of the best players in the high school band, they were extremely proud to have the chance to represent the school. Nevertheless, representing the school wasn’t easy; they had to spend countless hours practicing even before they went to Hong Kong.

Although they practiced for a long time beforehand, they had to practice even more once they got to Hong Kong. In fact, they practiced about 8 hours on both Thursday and Friday for their concert on Saturday, March 4th, at 4:30p.

 As the most talented musician in the ACSC honor band, Watanabe was able to seize the solo position.  Keito said, “Having gotten a solo for our opening song, ‘Don Ricardo,’ I couldn't help but feel pressured. What if I played a wrong note? What if I rushed the piece? All of these thoughts whirled through my head as the conductor's eyes, glaring like a hawk, penetrated the pitiful courage that I had into nothingness. Despite this, however, I was able to successfully play the solo without any mistakes. Both the conductor and I were satisfied with the performance that I showed during the concert.”

Apart from their long practices and amazing performance, these seniors were able to befriend students from the other schools. Balzer said, “I liked how we had to arrange ourselves in small groups of three students. We were forced to socialize with other schools and made many lasting friends in such a short time.”  

Thanks to developed technology, those of us at home were still able to enjoy the resonant sound of the band through the live stream. Kylie Toh (12) said, “That was incredible to be able to watch and support my classmates even though we were so far away. I felt like I was there with them. I was extremely impressed by the effort they have put into the music. I loved the music, especially the solo done by Keito.”

Watanabe 
Horton                                Balzer


There's a Brain in My Hands!

Kylie Toh

On Thursday morning, March 2nd, the students from the Anatomy and Physiology class gathered on Upper Field in anticipation for their trip to AIMST University in Sungai Petani. They were bursting with excitement and enthusiasm as they had been looking forward to this trip since August, when the course began.

The students finally stepped onto the university campus after a one and a half hour van ride. “This place is so nice! It looks so new and legit!” said Joseph Hsu (12), as he looked around the entrance of the building.

The girls brought their phones out for pictures, happy that today’s Snapchat streaks were no longer their boring lunches but rather pictures of the beautiful campus.

After a career talk from the university officials, the students hurried to the anatomy museum where many different body parts were kept in different containers. The students explored the museum; what caught their attention the most was the section where fetus and infant bodies were kept. “It’s heart aching to see such a young human being here, knowing that it never had the chance to actually live,” said Yeorin Yun (12).

When the students were handed rubber gloves, they became excited for what they came here for—to see a real-life human cadaver. They stepped into the cool, gloomy anatomy lab and found a partly dissected body lying on one of the tables. As they listened to the doctor’s lecture about the body’s functions, curious students reached out and touched various body parts, including organs. Grace Lim (12), with her hands rubbing around the cadaver's intestinal wall, said, “The inside of the organ cavities are so smooth and cool! I never thought that the inside of a body felt like this!”

The class divided in half and took turns to go into the embalming room. A pungent, sharp, chemical smell shot at their noses right when they stepped into the room. In this room, the students saw many bodies crammed together in a large container filled up with a formaldehyde solution, which accounted for the strong chemical smell. Darian Yeap (12) said, “Seeing bodies and organs in plastic or metal boxes grouped together sets a disturbing mood.”

After the practical experience of touching the real-life human cadavers, the professor brought the students around the different parts of the medical school and taught them about what medical students learn. After a good lunch, each student traveled back with the same thought in mind—it was the best field trip they ever had.