Tuesday 24 April 2018

“We’re All in This Together”

Doris Koay

April 20th, the day after JSB, early morning at 8am.

As most Dalat students were sleeping in on their lovely day off, seniors gradually arrived at the campus, still half asleep. As a Dalat tradition, seniors are supposed to treat the juniors to an After JSB Dinner to appreciate their hard work and effort that resulted in a fantastic JSB.

The day started off with a discussion among the sponsors and the seniors. Papers were filled with the funny details that had happened the night before: “Putting yourself before others,” “changing microphones during a speech,” “kicking the sponsors out,” “calling for Table 2.” Laughter arose from time to time as we recalled memories from the previous night. The discussion then proceeded to talk about the theme of the dinner. Ideas started filling up the tiny whiteboard: “Sherlock,” “Scooby Doo,” “High School Musical,” “Mrs. Bernhardt’s Revenge,” and more.

The discussion was put to a halt as the theme of the night was finalized, and everyone headed to their assigned committees. There were three committees appointed for the day: food, entertainment, and decorations.

Without further ado, the food committee left to the local market and started chopping for the veggie platter, which would be served as the appetizer later that night. The entertainment began another meeting right after the discussion, as they need to work quickly on the storyline and script to have enough time to rehearse. The deco team started running around as they moved every prop that the juniors had used for the event to the chapel.

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s true. Although it does take a lot of hard work to try to finish everything before evening, the seniors had tons of fun and laughter while preparing for the dinner. Seniors were dismissed at 4:30 pm after the final rehearsal to take a short break and get changed into our class shirt.

“Honestly, it was very tiring because the seniors had to wake up very early right after JSB. But since the juniors spent so much time and effort on JSB, I thought that we also should respond to their hard work. The seniors also had a lot of fun as we prepared for it, and it definitely brought back a lot of good memories from our junior year. I hope that they had fun on the After JSB dinner. I think that it is a very good tradition, to show gratitude to one another,” said Vivien Lee (12)

5:30pm April 20th
As everyone gathered back at the chapel, the food and deco committee could be seen running around, trying to unwrap the veggie platters and salsa, and making final arrangements to the tables to make sure that everything was perfect for when the juniors entered. The entertainment committee was busy doing final amendments, and are finally ready for the juniors at 6 pm sharp.

The juniors entered the chapel, filled with applause and cheers as they proceed to find their seats. They had also changed into their JSB class shirt when they arrived. The atmosphere was very cheerful, and waves of laughter could be heard time to time from the chapel. Jokes were made, and all seniors, juniors, and sponsors had a lot of fun.

The After JSB dinner ended with the high school musical song that everyone has heard of, “We’re All in This Together.” There is a verse in the lyrics that speaks, “Everyone is special in their way, We make each other strong, We're not the same, We're different in a good way, Together's where we belong.”

In both the senior and junior classes, everyone is special and unique in their own way. No one is good at everything, but when we all come together, we make a strong and unbreakable bond.



JSB 2018: The Night of Nights

Areeya Kunawaradisai

As the clock hit 5PM on Thursday, April 19th, students and staff, now all dolled up and dressed in gowns and suits, started to crowd in the library and waited for the beginning of the big moment—the 2018 JSB.

The evening started with a skit involving a flurry of time travels, which ultimately revealed the class of 2020’s sponsors to be Mr. And Mrs. Daniels, Mr. and Mrs. Roylance, Mr. Horton, and Mr. Hieber. After that, everybody headed to the buses on the Upper Field and then finally arrived at the Hotel Jen Penang in Georgetown.

“The bus ride was really nice because it was kind of a chance for me to talk to my date and my friends and get comfortable before the actual event started,” said Wansuk Kunawaradisai (10).

Lines of students and staff trailed up the escalator and were greeted and escorted to their tables by smiling juniors. Seniors then were introduced by table groups and seated last, as always.

With Victorian-era, British-themed decorations all around the ballroom and Seth Kelley (11) and Min Guk Kong (11) appearing on stage as Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes, the theme of this JSB was revealed to be Sherlock Holmes, aptly named The Game’s Afoot!

Rahul Gill (12) commented, “I was surprised at how well the entertainment turned out with so few actors. The decorations were really good too—the incredible details they put into all of it were actually astounding.”

Centered around the kidnapping of Mr. Brian Brewster, the high school principal, and the solving of murder mysteries, the night carried on with numerous skits, videos, jokes, heartfelt tributes, laughter, photo montages, and plenty more.

“It was so interesting to plan the whole thing out and see it come together so well on that night,” Bethany Davis (11) reflected. “I felt so proud of everyone in the class.”

As much as everybody wanted the magical night never to end, however, it had to. After a few more rounds of photos and saying goodbyes and giving thanks, the sophomores, seniors, and staff reluctantly boarded the bus so that the juniors and their sponsors could clean up the ballroom.

“It was really bittersweet to see the night come to an end and realize that it’d be my last JSB here at Dalat. It was an amazing night, though. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it,” concluded Tian Ooi (12).

So after months of hard work and anticipation, the 2018 JSB had finally reached an end. And, as Ooi mentioned, it’ll certainly become a night to be remembered for years and years to come.


(On the behalf of the class of 2018, lots and lots of thanks to the class of 2019! We love you!!!)

JSB of 2018

Aaron Tan

As she was about to walk through the entrance of the ballroom, Doris Koay (12) felt a bit of nostalgia. She remembered her junior year and the JSB of 2017 that she helped bring to life, the hours and days she spent with her classmates and her family. They worked together, struggled together, laughed together, and succeeded together. With her date by her side, she walked into a JSB not created by her class, but a JSB for her class.

“I was really impressed with how the juniors set up the ballroom,” Tian Ooi (12) said. “There were so many decorations and they were all really good too. My favorite was the telephone booth because it was actually a telephone booth.”

The ballroom of Jen Hotel had decorations and photo-ops on every side and corner of the room. The juniors decorated the room according to their Sherlock Holmes theme. Students and staff alike could have their mugshots taken at the back of the ballroom, or take a photo with their date in an antique cart. The juniors also included a few activities in their program, like a “Box of Lies.” The seniors enjoyed a night full of activities and would-be memories.

“The tributes provided a sort of momentary reflection during JSB. It showed me how I’m perceived by somebody that values me, “said Jerald Ooi (12). “In rare moments like this, it allows me to reflect on whether or not the choices and actions I made were what I’ve wanted throughout the years.”
Every senior had a tribute written for them by a junior. Most of them had profound and intimate tributes written by juniors they left an impact on. In the tributes, juniors included past experiences they’ve had with their respective senior, along with a short description of why and how much they matter to them. The ballroom had an atmosphere thick with emotion every time the juniors read the tributes.


As the night was coming to an end, Doris left the ballroom with a plethora of emotions. The entertainment and fun times she spent with her friends gave her joy. Her tribute and messages, like “I’ll miss you”, filled her with a sad affection. As she sat on the bus, on the way back to school, she understood that this would be her last JSB, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tuesday 17 April 2018

Crushing it at the Cove

Jonathon Chinn

On Saturday, April 14, the seniors served a breakfast to the hardworking junior class and later followed this up by having a fun class party at the Cove in the evening.

At 10 o’clock on Saturday, the junior class walked through the doors of the Student Center and were met with rapturous applause and a plethora of food options. The senior class had just spent the last hour rushing around the Student Center to clean it up and make it look presentable. When the juniors arrived to a warm welcome and a pleasant surprise of a breakfast, they couldn’t help but feel appreciated. Seong-Min Kim (11) summed up the thoughts of his whole class by saying, “I walked in and everyone was congratulating us. I felt really special. We just worked really hard for the seniors and we didn’t expect anything from them.”

It was a great moment for both classes, and the kind gesture made conversation easier. The seniors had a great time serving the juniors, but they had an even greater time afterward when the benefits of their morning's work came through. The seniors had eaten a lot, but they had not eaten everything. The remaining food was all left for the seniors to gobble up, and gobble it up they did.

After a fun morning filled with work, the class was treated to a party at The Cove, which was hosted by Natalie Ryan and her family. The class was met by a little bit of rain, meaning the pool was off limits, but it all turned out fine as dinner was consumed under a roof. Just like in the morning, everyone brought delicious food for dinner and dessert, and each dish was enjoyed to the fullest.

Each class member made their own fun that night, playing cards, playing chess, swimming in the reopened pool, or just talking to one another. Some of the boys even formed a circle and hit a ball back and forth between each other. In the end, it was a very relaxing evening for the seniors to come and chill, basking in the company of their closest friends. It was the perfect way to end the perfect day.

Monday 16 April 2018

Seoul, Socks, and Soccer

Melynn Kendrick

A wall of chilled air fell upon the Dalat girls’ varsity soccer team as they exited the heated airport in Seoul, South Korea. The Dalat girls traveled all the way to Yongsan International School of Seoul in South Korea for the 2018 ACSC tournament. It was a long year of hard work and training to get ready for their most significant set of games. Many of the players were brand new to the team and stepped onto Korean soil with open minds that were ready to see what ACSC was all about.

This was an excellent year for the Dalat varsity girls as they recruited a lot of younger players to join the team. Because of this new wave of girls who committed to soccer for the next several years, Dalat is undoubtedly on the road to success in future ACSC tournaments. This year, the Dalat varsity soccer girls put up a good fight in Seoul, but unfortunately finished in 6th place after a long, cold tournament. The girls gained some much-needed experience, which will give them a boost in the future.

During the week of the tournament, the team found more free time than usual and were able to go out and enjoy South Korea. Itaewon, where the team was staying, had a lot of fun shops and yummy food for the girls to explore. One common item that the girls sought out was cute socks. There was a plethora of little sock shops and carts in Itaewon, selling each pair for 1000 won. The team also found a small, antique restaurant where they enjoyed a giant Korean feast.

The favorite of all the outings, however, was by far the trip to Hangang Park. As the team walked up the stairs to leave the subway, they saw beautiful cherry blossoms growing that back dropped the Han River. The smell of delicious meats grilling swirled around the team. While at Hangang Park, the Dalat girls were able to rent tandem bikes and enjoy the cool air and scenery, taking occasional stops to pick up some tteokbokki, grilled chicken skewers, sausages, takoyaki, and Korean pancakes. Dael Kim (Grade 10) said, "My favorite part about Hangang Park was riding the tandem bike with Joy and using our feet as the brakes because ours were broken."

It was the little moments that brought the Dalat girls’ varsity soccer team together. This team carries so much unity on and off the field, which sets it apart from any of the other Dalat teams.

Planting a Seed

Kayla Ronning

March 27th was the Northern Thailand Impact team’s second day in a foreign land. Ten Dalat students worked in the scorching hot sun from nine until twelve, mixing rice husks, dirt, and water to make mud, then they put the mud into bags, which were stacked to make a circular house to store seeds. Once the day rolled closer to noon, everyone dropped their hoes, showered, and went to lunch. Then we would work again from two until six.

 But from noon until two, it was siesta, which is a time of rest taken in the hottest time of the day. In the dining hall, a ping pong table, warped with years of harsh humidity and heat, was being used to battle out the winner of the 2018 Thailand team. Cries of laughter rang throughout the whole building, waking those trying to take an afternoon nap.

“Working to build the earthbag house felt very fulfilling and made me happy to know we were going to help so many people, but it is also fun to build relationships over ping pong,” Melynn Kendrick (12) said after returning to Penang.

The game was quickly interrupted by– “Snowyyyyy!!!!!” This cry followed a little white dog wherever she went, and she, in return, never left the heels of the team. Hands were all over the stray’s body, hoping to get a good pet in. Across the room, Mr. McClary stood up, saying that siesta was over and it was time to get back to work. The joyful students grabbed their gloves and water and were ready to get back in the mud to make an impact.

Everyone on the team had so much fun working and later visiting a farming village. We learned that every dream to make a difference starts by planting a seed. Some people come and water the seed to help it grow roots, which is what we did, but later others will come and help bear fruit. All are important and all make a difference.


Tuesday 10 April 2018

Can you hear God? (MEW)

Richard Baek

During this year’s Missions Emphasis Week (April 3-6), Jill Ludlow came to Penang with her ministry team to share and talk about the love of God and having a relationship with Him. She encouraged us to reach out to God because He sees us and loves us for who we are. Jill shared her heart-wrenchingly emotional testimony during the first session. She suffers from KT syndrome, especially in her left arm. Since she was young, her friends teased her. Even through all the trials in her life, Jill, however, felt the unending, unconditional love of God.

Through her testimonial, Jill also emphasized how lies about Christianity cause disconnection in our relationship with God. Because of misinterpretations or misunderstandings of the Bible, people create a lie about God and Christianity, such as God only loves clean people or God’s love depends on our behaviors and actions. Citing various Bible verses, such as Romans 8:38-39, Jill exclaimed that we are already living in His favor, and there is nothing we can do to make Him love us more or less. Also, she said that we are believing a lie that God is not speaking to us. In fact, the opposite is true. God wants a personal relationship with us, and He wants to come closer to us. So, she encouraged us to focus on His voice, and to acknowledge that God is talking to us.

“She was a very passionate speaker with a heart to let others know that God is always there for them. It was a good message and I could tell it really reached a lot of students,” said Aidan Frusher (12).

MEW this year provided us with time and space to worship and build a deeper relationship with God. After the worship and message, Jill gave us time to reflect on our relationship with God, worship Him with our heart, and pray for each other. Jill and her ministry team always remained in front of the chapel, willing to pray for and with anyone who asked. This allowed everyone to focus on God’s voice and walk another step closer to Him.

“I really felt that God’s presence was there and was speaking to me personally. I was amazed to see God working through so many people as well,” said Jesse Lohman (12).

God is Emmanuel, He is with us, and He is in us. He is always ready to talk to and come closer to us. You just have to accept and open your heart. Forsake all the lies about Christianity, about God, and about yourself, and start focusing on God’s voice and His presence. So who are you with? Who do you seek the most when you’re desperate for help? Who influences you the most? 

He is With Us

Daniel Go

“I guess it was alright? But to be honest we've already heard most of the stuff that she told us,” said Jerald Ooi (12) when asked about the recent MEW.

Honestly, I was never a big fan of MEW and SEW at Dalat. The only thing I liked about these emphasis weeks was that I didn’t have to worry about homework or tests. I have never been to a single evening session before, and I have never regretted not going. As I walked down to the chapel, I could already tell that this MEW was going to be the same as usual. I thought the main speaker would be a missionary from some third world country.

It was different this time, though, as there was a team of around ten people from the U.S.

On the first day, the main speaker (Jill) talked about receiving God’s love. She told us a story of Gideon in the Bible where God called him a mighty warrior and told him that He was with him. The main speaker also told us a story about how she experienced God’s presence through her hard times; her passion towards letting us know that God loves us and cares for us came through to me in a strong manner.         
           
After the morning session, I decided to come to the evening session for the first time. During the evening session, she talked about how we cannot define ourselves by our circumstances or behaviors, and also how each of us is favored by God through his unconditional love. After a short sermon, her son also gave a testimony on how he personally met Jesus and sang a song he wrote. I really liked the line where he said, “When God smiles over, all my fears are gone.”

I felt like this MEW was totally different from the old ones because the main speaker focused more on building a relationship with God; this week was like a mix of both MEW and SEW, as students who went on Impact trips shared their mission work and experiences as well.

Though I didn’t get to come to every evening session, it was a great time learning more about God and experiencing His presence. As a senior who is graduating in two months, I would like to say that these emphasis weeks are not a waste of time, but instead are challenging and eye-opening opportunities.


MEW: “Are You Really Listening? He is Speaking All the Time”

Vivien Lee

What is a key component of a good relationship? In other words, have you ever wondered what is something that has to be in place in order for two people to be close? This spring’s MEW had a clear answer to this question.

On Tuesday, April 3, MEW 2018 started with a worship night, led by the worship band (Mr. McClary, Mr. Ramos, Mr. Roberts, Jung En Seo (12), Richard Baek (12), David Chinn (12), Isabel Smith (11), Esther Kim (11), Shannon Frohlich (11), and Lydia Kim (11)); they warmed up the atmosphere of the chapel with their cheerful performance.  As the music died down, Mrs. Jill kicked off MEW, introducing her family and friends that came along to lead the week’s chapel sessions. After the introductions, Mr. Trevor astonished students with his guitar playing, as he led another short worship session. “The fact that people gathered to worship God was just miraculous and very touching. I am very thankful to have an opportunity to play cello as a part of worship team- it was a wonderful experience,” said Seo.

Though some could not participate in the Student Worship Night on Tuesday, all students had a chance to enjoy MEW during chapel time. From Wednesday to Friday, Mrs. Jill taught students a lesson: God knows where, when, and how to find them. She delightedly explained her experience of God’s affection and how He rescued her: “God is looking at every single one of you, and He wants you to hear Him,” said Mrs. Jill.

She also emphasized that the key component of a good relationship is communication. God is speaking all the time. Dalat students learned that acknowledging what God is saying is the first step, and being able to connect through expressing one’s heart is the second step. A few minutes before the chapel ended, students had time to do a reflection on these words. Mrs. Jill read Scripture, a form of God’s voice, as the students let Him make it personal to them.

Additional evening sessions took place from 6:30 to 8pm on Wednesday and Thursday. Again, Mrs. Jill played a key role in leading MEW. Thursday was a half-day schedule for the high school students, with morning spiritual discipline activities and classes in the afternoon. Students enjoyed various workshops such as Vision Boards, Experiencing God at Stations, Dancing, Storytelling, Music Performance, Christ in Quiet, and Mr. Pagee’s Police Stories.

Truly, MEW Spring 2018 provided precious opportunities for Dalat students to learn how to communicate with God and deeply think about their relationship with Him. 

Monday 2 April 2018

Track & Field ACSC

Aidan Frusher

This year was a fantastic year for the Dalat track team at ACSC in Taiwan, which was held Friday, March 23-Saturday, March 24.  Many athletes medaled, including one gold by Joy Kiehl (11) in the triple jump. Overall, the girls' team placed 3rd and the boys' team tied for 4th. 

Everyone worked hard, giving it their all and managing to go through the whole trip without any major injuries. Besides working hard, the athletes also had the opportunity to host a track meet for kids with disabilities, explore the downtown area of Taichung, visit the local night market, go to dinner at a nice restaurant for some Taiwanese cuisine and bubble tea, and hang out in the dorm game room.

All around, it was truly an awesome trip, but the best part was our beloved Coach Grad finding true love. It all started on Friday as the team was leaving the track; a coach from a Taiwanese school smiled and stepped aside to say “goodbye” and a “see you tomorrow” to Coach Grad. This may not have been much, but the team made sure to make a big deal of it and vowed to make some moves the next day at the meet. The following day, the meet went well with the athletes performing phenomenally, but, more importantly, Coach Grad met him again.

It was near the end of the day; all that was left of the track meet were the 150m boys’ hurdles and the boys’ & girls’ 4x400m relay. The team had all rallied on their section of the bleachers to cheer for the final runners. Then, lo and behold, across the track in the field was the man, standing with some of his athletes giving instructions. “Oooohhhhh Miss Grraaddddd.... Look who it is!” called some of the Dalat athletes. “Oh no, Miss Grad! He’s looking at you!” exclaimed Philip Yeoh (10). Everyone began to chant for Coach Grad, despite her embarrassment, as he got increasingly and increasingly closer. Students began to try to encourage Coach Grad, telling her she needed to seize the day, carpe diem! Then Coach Grad did the unbelievable, she got up, ran across the track (just as a race was about to start) and sat right next to him. At once, everyone broke out of their stupor, erupting into chanting and cheering.

The entire team was excited because of Coach Grad’s bold move, so much so, that later they huddled on the field and did a gorgeous rendition of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” The best was saved for last, however; after the awards ceremony, the entire team did a huddle around Coach Grad (with the other coach standing somewhere behind us outside the huddle), and began to sing “Love Is an Open Door.” At the chorus, the side of the huddle swung open like a “c”, much like the opening of a door, and there he was standing at the entrance. He ran in and swept his arms around Coach Grad in the most dramatic hug of all time.


Thank you, Coach Grad, for an amazing ACSC trip