Monday 22 May 2017

What a “Fine” Night

En Qi Saw

As usual, the annual Dalat Fine Arts Festival was held at Penang Performing Arts Center last Friday, May 20th.  

At 5:00 pm sharp, the very first set of performance officially begun. The main performers of the evening were the High School Jazz Band, the Middle School Jazz Band, the Women’s Ensemble, the Men’s Ensemble, and Senior Brass.

The Middle School Jazz Band kick started the evening off with two beautiful songs, led and conducted by middle school band coordinator, Mr. Andrew Kearney. It was then followed with five more songs played by the High School Jazz Band. As the concert went on, baby Isaac Kearney, Mr. Kearney’s one-year-old son, who was sitting in the front row with his mother, Mrs. Sara Kearney, was heard groaning and weeping, struggling to sit still quietly. The audience around, however, was paying full attention to the happenings on the stage that Isaac’s crying was ignorable. The bands successfully drew the attention of the audience into the melodies of the songs played.

After these two groups were done performing, a combination of both the High School Jazz Band, the Middle School Jazz Band, and Mr. Kearney played a song altogether, conducted by Mr. Christopher Ramos, who just came to Dalat in 2016. The name of the piece that they performed was called “Kalamazoo.” Soon after, the jazz session of the concert was wrapped up by the Senior Brass, a mini, self-organized band of only five seniors. That night, the seniors performed “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars. This was one of the highlights of the night that hyped up the crowd. It was amazing how only a mere number of five could come together to perform such an astounding piece. According to Woo Young Chung (12), “Our [The Senior Brass’s] cooperation within the group was phenomenal, we were able to play difficult music pieces with ease by helping out small sections if it didn't sound right. This was probably the reason that sprouted us to being a successful 'senior brass'.”
The finales of the evening were the Men’s Ensemble and the Women’s Ensemble. Both groups performed songs of very different genres and styles. Finally, the concert was ended with a collaboration piece between the Men’s Ensemble and the Women’s Ensemble, closing the evening with a fun song.

All in all, this was a very memorable night for the students in Dalat International School, especially for the seniors as that officially marked the end of their fine arts performance of their high school career. Keito Watanabe (12), who took part in the High School Jazz Band, the Men’s Ensemble, and the Senior Brass remarked that this concert in particular was a rather unforgettable one: “This concert was not only my last concert but also the most memorable one. Being involved in multiple parts of the concert such as Jazz Band, Men's Ensemble, and Band was tiring and stressful. But all of that hard work paid off. Not only did I have a time of my life, the audience had one too. They were cheering their lungs out. I am happy that this was my last concert, because it is one that I would never forget.”

Seniors will definitely have something to look back to as their high school journey gradually comes to an end. 

The Sights and Sounds of Sonorous Songs

Ning Kang Chia

The RLT team produced a wondrous display of artistic talent in their musical on Saturday in Penang PAC, led by Mr. Sasse.

On the 20th of May 2017, Dalat International School had its annual musical. The venue was jam-packed with people who were eager to hear some harmonious tones. The musical was held on the day right after the Fine Arts Festival performance as well, so expectations were high for the RLT performers. Instead of an overarching story throughout the entire play, the directors of the play opted for a more flexible and dramatic approach. The musical consisted of several scenes, each carrying its own identity, story, and tone to convey.

As the lights dimmed, Caitlin Goh (12) stepped into the limelight and began her sublime delivery of her skit, appropriately titled as “The Art of Procrastination.” She memorized her lines on the back of her mind and added just the right amount of emotion to make the skit entertaining. After a round of thunderous applause, it wasn’t long before singing was heard echoing across the hall.

It was clear who the proud star in the musical was: Aster Hng (12); she led the team of aspiring singers onto the stage. Her voice was like a nimble person on a tightrope, always hitting the highest notes and lowest growls with scary precision, yet managing to never falter under the immense pressure. The audience was greeted with new faces as well, some of which people would not have expected to see.

 As the songs continued to be sung in perfect sync, a pleasant surprise fluttered across the stage. Three dancers, Suzanne (10), Mandy Lim (10), and Amanda Low (10) showcased their mastery of ballet and twisted their body into shapes of beauty. As the musical approached the end, the tone of the entire play took a shift. Aaron Chand (12) and Aster Hng (12) performed a depressing yet sometimes lighthearted play titled “It’s the End of the World, and I Love You.” When Chan was asked what his thoughts were on the musical, he said, “I’m deeply saddened because it is my last drama performance, but at the same time I am grateful for the opportunities.”
 Overall, the musical was a magical package of sights and visuals with the occasional twist. For example, Mathias Maurin (12) was invited on stage by Joel Frohlich (12) for an impromptu performance.

All this time, a talented team of technicians were controlling the spotlights and sound effects to make the experience that much more wonderful. Occasionally, there were some minor hiccups such as the sudden increase in volume in an actor’s mic. Jing Low (12) managed to quickly resolve the issue and keep the flow of the play proceeding smoothly.

The musical was like a slow fizz that erupted into a great explosion, ensnaring the hearts of any that cast their eyes on it. The RLT team lined up and bowed to the audience for a fitting finale, which of course, is followed by the endless thunderous claps from the audience.

Before/Behind the Show

Jing Low

On May 10th, the RLT drama set-up crew travelled to PenangPAC, bringing all of the necessary props and prepared to record more than 100 light cues.

Early in the morning of May 10th, the crew started transferring props from Mr. Sasse’s old room (Room 28) in the rain. Soon, they departed for PenangPAC, the performance venue for the RLT show coming up on May 12th. Once the props and equipment were moved onto the backstage, the responsibility of the tech crew and the stage manager diverged. The tech crew began unpacking the wireless microphones and connecting their receivers to the soundboard using thick MIDI cables. Meanwhile, the stage manager continued to organize the props into the scenes which they were used. After the PenangPAC technicians finished rigging and focusing the lights, the tech crew moved into programming the 115 light cues required for each show; and the completion of light cues concluded the work of the day at around 6:30 pm.

"Although the lights are just the background during the show, we spend about 8-9 hours just setting the 'background' of the show. It is really long and tedious," said Alice Chang (10), who was responsible for running light cues for the performance.

But the work did not end there for both the tech crew and the stage manager. As the rehearsal began on the next day, more adjustments on the lighting and sound cues were found to be needed. Corrupted sound files fixed. Face lights added. Confusions on timing resolved. Nevertheless, the pressure remained high in the tech team on the show days, not only due to the unpredictable microphone behaviors but also because of the possible careless mistakes on pressing buttons.

“We were so done,” commented Khai Yi Khor (12), the sound technician, as she recalled the tiring—but rewarding—setup day and the tension she experienced in waiting for her cues.

Despite such stress during the performance week, the results of the effort were fruitful for both the entire cast and crew of the show RLT Players: A Collection of Our Best. On May 12th, another setup crew, which consists of half of the same members as the previous crew, met once again for the preparation of the RLT Musical on May 17th, the last drama production in the Fine Arts Festival of 2017.

Wednesday 17 May 2017

RLT Best Of: Act II

Hannah Buhr

“Progress begets authoritarianism. Authoritarianism begets persecution. Persecution begets revolution. Revolution begets death. Death begets God’s One True Question,” began Mr. Sasse. “Think about this as you watch.” And the room went dark.

This past weekend was the debut of one of the final RLT shows: RLT Drama Best. The drama, having three showings, one on May 12th and two on the 13th, centered around skits that had previously been performed by the RLT players.

Different from the usual format of unconnected skits, Act Two of the RLT Best was a one-act play. Mr. Sasse, wanting to incorporate certain skits into the program of the RLT Drama Best show, found a way to weave some of the RLT players’ previous skits and some new skits together into a creative and enlightening play.

Two of the skits that Mr. Sasse wished to restage were about political persecution and oppression. Thus, another old skit was added, three other skits were written, and a beautiful play was born: highlighting first the dangers of progress, and then, the perhaps inevitable mayhem that follows.

The one act play raised some very interesting questions, and certainly evoked emotion in the audience. One interesting point that the play raised was the idea of political correctness. We live in an age where political correctness is highly valued, almost required. People are expected to work very hard to be sympathetic to everyone around them; people are expected to never offend.

But the multiple scenes featuring the idea of Safe Spaces at a university, where people could go to spend time if they had not been sufficiently politically correct or had offended someone, lead the audience to question society's value of political correctness. As seen in the play, the universities’ value of political correctness lead to the deaths of two university students. Thus, we are led to ask ourselves if the political correctness in our larger society is safe and productive.
Furthermore, this play presented intense ideas about death. In the play, multiple characters, both good and bad, died for different reasons; some because they deserved death, others died as martyrs. After death, multiple scenarios were presented, and even God made an appearance at the play. This theme lead listeners to question: What happens after death? And what do I need to do to get into heaven?

All in all, in the midst of the one-act play featuring the work of many actors and a few writers, Dalat was lead to see, as Mr. Sasse said, that high school drama isn't just a photoshoot for parents, but high school dramas can also carry deep and intense meanings. As Inha Kim, one of the actors, so aptly said about the play, “it was more relevant than most people would be willing to credit it.” 

In fact, its relevance, even in our Dalat community, is alarming. 

Why Art?

Jessica Ross

The Art Festival happened this week. Students from different grades were given the opportunity to display their works from the course of the school year.  

The Fine Arts Festival may not be as exciting as an Eagles football or basketball game, but there is just as much heart that goes into each student's work. No doubt about it, there are students who simply fill in the requirements so they can get their fine arts credit and can move along. It makes sense; art isn't for everyone. However, pushing through those that regard it as just another class, there is a sum of students who use art to express ideas and tell their stories.

I asked Inha Kim (12) what he uses his art for and why he does it. He answered me with this: “I just like doing it, but really...it's like talking. It's conveying what you feel. Rather than saying it, you are showing it. And I like it because it's more creative than just using words. I mean, you could say there is an art to it.

On a more personal note, I agree with him. I think that art is a way that people who struggle with words can express things they might not have the chance, or courage, to say otherwise.

They say that a picture is a thousand words. There is quite a lot of truth to such an overused statement. Why make a statement and put a frame around your message when you can draw it and leave it up to interpretation?

Much like a play, a sport, a song, or a science project, there is work that goes into each piece. Much like a play has a concert, a song has a gig, a sport has a tournament, a science project has a fair: art has an exhibition. 

Wednesday Futsal

Ben Finlay

For the past four or five weeks, Coach Dustin Roberts has opened the gym after school for students to gather and play five-a-side futsal from 4 o’clock to 5:30. Roberts invited all the members of the varsity men’s football team, as well as all the players from the U15 boys’ football teams.

“I started opening futsal to the teams because I think futsal specifically is excellent at forcing players to work quickly, cultivate good touch, and play as a group. You have to be fast to be able to work with such limited space and time, it’s essential to have good touch, and you need to communicate well to work as a team, or else your team is left exposed. Futsal helps us do the things that we like to do, and it helps the younger players develop quicker,” described Roberts.

At 4 o’clock, a decent number of people are present, just kicking the ball about for fun. Most people warm up either by passing amongst each other or by trying to behead the keeper by blasting the ball full-power.

“When people shoot at me before we start, it’s really funny because I get absolutely pelted at. All the attackers compete to see who’s got the best cannon, so my main focus is to protect my face rather than stop goals,” said Nicholas Khor (10).

Once teams are evenly split, or rather unevenly if Jesse Lohman (11) has a say in the matter, two teams take the court for a three-minute match. Matches go on until one team scores, or until the timer runs out which would end the match in a draw, forcing both teams off the court. In a winner-stays-on format of competition, every team plays to the best of their ability to maximize the playing time they have. Despite the competitive atmosphere, though, Futsal is very casual and entertaining.

“Wednesday Futsal is really fun because it’s similar to Friday Night Indoor, but it’s not on so late. Also, it’s good that it’s in the middle of the school week because it’s a break from everything we’ve got on and we can relax and play the sport we so love,” said Ruben Nyul (10).

Welcoming the U15 teams as well, Wednesday Futsal allows younger players to play with and learn from older and more experienced footballers.

“I’ll never forget the time that Ben Finlay (12) mugged me off,” commented Sumin Lim (8). “Someone sent a through ball to him and I was defender, but he came in and bodied me off so hard. He immediately scored from it and I was shell-shocked. I looked over to the sidelines where Coach looked at me and said, “Sumin. Weight room.” It was so embarrassing but it was really funny as well. I’ve been to the weight room multiple times since that occasion.”

David Unruh (12) worked with a couple of his friends to prepare a playlist to resonate in the gym, hyping the players up and pumping them all up with adrenaline; as he said, "After a grueling one-hour session of futsal, I put on some pump up music. The results were stunning. Immediately different players started bursting out their tekkers (or lack of them) and ran and challenged every ball. They pressed beyond what they thought they could do and finished the last 30 minutes strong."  

Wednesday Futsal is not just a place where students come to develop footballing skills, but it acts as an enjoyable social event where the boys can have a kickabout and enjoy football together. 

MSS-Ping-Ping

Noah Graves
Metallic “pings” filled the sky as the Dalat men’s softball team, led by Coach Edman and Coach Sasse, and the girls’ team, led by Coach Grad and Coach Pam Hoffmeyer, hit ball after ball at the MSSPP softball tournament from Tuesday, May 2nd to Monday, May 8th. Both teams filled the stat sheets with home runs.

The boys’ team steamrolled their first six opponents and cruised to the semifinals, the cumulative score of the first six games being 94-5. The girls’ team also made it to the semifinals, winning three games with a cumulative score of 34-7

Both teams were led by a strong core of seniors who ignited the contagious scoring.

The boys had a difficult semifinals matchup, facing the defending champs and the team who beat them in the finals last year: Jit Sin. They went into the semifinals swinging the bat ambitiously, but they met their match when the faced Jit Sin’s flamethrowing starting pitcher. Jit Sin jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead with good hits and some careless fielding errors by the Eagles. The Eagles were able to put one run on the board but Jit Sin came back with three more of their own, extending the lead to 7-1. The score would not change for the remainder of the game, and Dalat was knocked out of MSSPP.

The Eagles had their chances to win the game: they left the bases loaded with one out in one inning and had two runners on base with one out in the following inning, but they came up with nothing both times. The boys also had their fair share of fielding errors, giving Jit Sin three of their seven runs. The team, being mostly seniors, left disappointed in themselves. They looked even better this year than they did last year and were hoping to make another run at gold. Though the outcome was not desired, the boys had a blast up until the semifinals. They were slugging in the first six games and they had the times of their lives.

However, because of their early offensive success, they finished with a bronze medal because of the runs scored differential. Next year looks like it will be a rebuilding season for the men’s softball team because of how many seniors they are losing, but maybe they will be able to make another run at gold in a couple of years.

The girls also lost their semifinal final game against SMK Permatang Tok Labu (SMKPTL), who won 7-4. But Felicia Teoh (12) pitched a strong game to end her career. And for the tournament, Esther Kim (10) was the one who boasted a homerun.

For both teams, it was great way to end the season and a fun way for the seniors to go out.


Tuesday 9 May 2017

It is Finished

Mersades Zimmer

Eyes dazed, hands shaking, Daniel Kim (11, pictured below) attempts to sharpen a saw he is using to construct a ramp for a physics lab. Even though the AP Physics 1 exam is finished, students are busy working away at final projects and labs. Confusedly, Daniel looks up from his work and asks, “Mrs. Rogers, am I doing this right?”

However many projects plague AP Physics students, they are still elated to have completed their exam—to have traversed the devilish desert of velocity and gravitational constants and circuits. “It was fun,” Daniel Munson (12) comments, “but I’m glad it’s over. It was a challenging class.” Students spent many a nights painstakingly stitching together labs and projects and proposals. They practiced problem after problem, free response after free response, all pushed on by their energetic, if not slightly kooky teacher and mentor, Mrs. Rogers. 

Students put this feverish preparation to the test on May 2, 2017, when all AP Physics 1 took the AP exam. After a four hour (including wait-time) brain-bashing session, students, free of their scientific burdens, rushed from the testing room and into freedom. Bewilderment and desperation painted some faces, sleepiness decorated others. “Truthfully, I fell asleep,” David Unruh (12) confesses. “After I finished multiple choice, I put my head on the table and snored.”

“I’m relieved for my students [that the exam is finished],” Mrs. Rogers commented, to which Unruh replied, “Wow, she has a heart.” Playful banter commonly bubbled into class discussions, breathing life into challenging topics. Even after the reaching the summit of the AP exam, students are required to attend their previous AP class. Thus, Mrs. Rogers fills the time with science-y, if not torturous assignments. For example, students were asked to design an experiment comparing gravitational potential energy and spring potential energy. Thus, many pupils are in the process of ramp construction—a process that has left Kim severely confused.


Beach Clean-Up

Jerome Ramirez

The late-afternoon glare bore down upon the beach of a hidden cove. Directly beside the silhouette of the newly built dorms lies a secretive paradise. Recent construction efforts have cleared out the vast majority of obstructions that litter the surroundings.

Searching for a source of entertainment in the sleepy dorm campus, Gavin Zimmer (9), Min Guk Kong (10), and Uncle Scott gathered at the white tables. Pooling up all their rations, the “premium” crew began their journey down to the beach to get their hands—and presumably—their feet dirty.

After many decades of “non-existence” and a tad bit of neglect, the cove now lies in tatters. Old wooden beams were found here and there, cement slabs peeked from under the cover of sand, and rusty rebar poked out of coarse dirt—ready to ensnare the next unknowing victim.

The danger was evident as Min Guk slid precariously down a steep slope of yellow mud. Having rained the night before, rocks were more than willing to give way from their resting places when stepped on.

Tossing down rocks of all sizes to the fore, Uncle Scott hid from the intense heat that forced its way through the limited cover provided by the over-arching canopy above. Constant attacks from thirsty mosquitoes or the occasional sightings of decently-sized spiders made sure that the members of the clean-up crew were always on their toes.

The sun began releasing its grips on their necks. Upon unearthing the massive log of ancient wood, there was no questioning it--the bulky piece of wood would make a spectacular centerpiece. Sealing its fate, the three ambitious individuals brainstormed ways to drag it across the slippery slope. A slow process of lifting it inch-by-inch through the jungle floor was accompanied by loud grunts and deep moans. In the end, however, the suffering was worth the trouble; in knowing that the community benefited from a cleaner beach and that the dorm’s decor went up a notch, the group of three returned to their respective dorms satisfied.

“It’s important that Dalat stewards the incredible location we’ve been given and cleaning up the beach provides students this opportunity. We want the beach and the ocean outside Dalat’s seawall to become safe, accessible places for students and locals to enjoy,” mentioned Uncle Scott in retrospect of their service.

Bathroom Stalls: A Day in the Life

Neehar Kantimahanti

To everyone’s surprise, Mrs. Allen’s Spiritual Disciplines class cleaned the gym bathrooms on May 5th, 2017.

The day before, Mrs. Allen had told the class to meet in the gym instead of the classroom. “Maybe we will be playing basketball,” Anson Chin (12) exclaimed optimistically. To almost everyone’s disappointment, he was terribly wrong. The class came to the gym only to see piles of buckets, rags, and bottles of toilet cleaner. Mrs. Allen explained that we would be cleaning the toilets as part of our discipline of service. She also talked about how no one will be writing articles on this or paying much attention to this, but it would be a huge help to the cleaning staff.

Then she asked the class which jobs they wanted, such as cleaning the shower stalls, mopping the floors, or the dreaded cleaning of the toilets. Some brave souls volunteered to clean the toilets as others breathed a sigh of relief.  The class got to work immediately without much fuss. Starting off with the girls’ bathroom, soapy water was everywhere from the top of the stalls to the edge of the bathroom in a matter of minutes. Complaints could be heard about some of the not so pleasant stalls, but nevertheless, the bathrooms were looking much better already. Next, hoses were started and water was sprayed anywhere that could be seen. The bathroom floor was full of water that even the cautionary cleaning sign was put to use. After every stall and toilet was drenched in water, the class moved on to the boys’ bathroom and completed that just as quickly.

The whole point of this excursion was to teach us about the discipline of service. Instead of just sitting in class and learning about how to serve others, engaging in acts of service was a much more valuable experience. In the end, this service, which took a class of 25 students about 40 minutes to do, was a huge help to the cleaning staff, as Mrs. Allen explained the next day. With so many stalls to cover, it takes the cleaning staff much longer than that. Even though this favor was only for one day, it gave the cleaning staff a well-deserved break.

Monday 1 May 2017

A Tale as Old as Time Reviewed

By Joel Frohlich

The seniors arrived at school before 4:30p on Thursday, April 27. All were eager to see what this year's JSB theme would be. There had been some guesses, of course. And now these proud predictions had to be put to the test. Dresses, both vibrant and beautiful, flooded the small chapel, along with their less colorful dates. The sophomore sponsors were announced and presented, embraced by loud applause. Then the theme showed itself on stage with an impressive narration and very talented solo actor, who look somewhat confused for a time: Beauty and the Beast.

The seniors waited for the other classes to board their transportation. Excited chatter filled the now emptying room. Then the class of 2017 walked down the "Dalat red carpet" (or the closest thing to it), arriving at their bus.

After a short drive, the bus stopped, to everyone's surprise, next to Gurney. The seniors got off the bus and entered the G Hotel. They were organized into a line and waited excitedly to be called into the ballroom. One by one, the couples entered, and when they did, they were greeted with a breathtaking sight. Many red roses decorated the dimly lit room. There was books, lots of food, and, of course, impressive living room furniture.

The night went wonderfully. The skits were very entertaining. The tributes didn't drag on and were actually enjoyable. But quite possibly the best of all was the music. The creative lyrics and talented singers really added to the magical feeling of the banquet. As Sam Hofer (12) said, "JSB was fun and I really enjoyed the songs they wrote for people."

The finale of the night was a giant ballroom dance. Some couples were excellent dancers, while many waddled to the beat awkwardly, but all enjoyed the special occasion.

This year's juniors really went all out with their JSB. Their hard effort and hours of work really showed itself. They certainly made their seniors proud. The class of 2017 couldn't have asked for a better junior class.

After JSB Dinner

Kasey Rogers

It was nice being a part of the After JSB dinner for the juniors, which was held on Friday, April 28th, in the chapel.

It was cool to see the seniors work hard to put on a show for the juniors after all their hard work for JSB. The seniors performed a spoof called “Handsome and the Hag,” which was a Bachelor-style game show. Aaron Chand (12) played the bachelor who was looking for his perfect girl. He had two options, being Gastine (Mersades Zimmer (12)) or Andy (Susan Oh (12)). Gastine was a beautiful but self-obsessed woman who spent all her time in a cafĂ©. Andy was a crazy cat lady who was always in an antique shop, surrounded by a bunch of cats; Oh did a fantastic job playing the crazy lady and, thus, was my favorite character. We also had a memorial for Elynn Tan (11) because she “was no longer with us,” which everyone laughed at; in reality, she was at a swim meet. Overall, it was a lot of fun to watch the scenes, which were roasting the juniors.

 At my old school in Canada, I hardly knew who the people were in the grade above me because there was such a great distance between the grades, and there was no overall feeling of community at the school. But here, at Dalat, there is such a great feeling of community, and the appreciation for the seniors is evident through all the events for them. When I was first told that I was coming back to Dalat for my senior year, I never knew how significant these events would be.  

I'm so thankful for the people and the friendships I have made here. And saying goodbye will be hard. My world has changed for the better since I came back to Dalat. I have created so many wonderful memories, memories not only from the events but also in spending time with people at school and while hanging out in the theater.

 It was a lot of fun to work on something special for the people I care about, my friends. The After JSB dinner wasn't just a thank you for JSB, but for me, it was also a thank you for the memories and friendships.

Hannah Buhr (12) summarized it all, “I really enjoyed seeing the juniors come together for JSB and seeing their work for the seniors, and then putting in work for the juniors for the after JSB dinner.”