Monday 27 August 2018

Ready, Set, Sail: Students on Board for a New School Year

Sofia Park
 High school students are setting sail, adapting to the new school year in their new environment — the new high school building, also known as the Harbor.

During the early morning of Wednesday, 15 August 2018, excited chatters filled the school. The occasion? Why, it was the first day of school! Moreover, the high school students would start their classes in a newly-built building.

Marine themed decorations adorned the walls. The koi fish swam in the little waterfall pond. Excited whispers filled the halls. It felt just as if the Harbor building would suddenly transform in to a sailing ship and sail off into the vast, blue sky.

Later in the morning, Mr. Brewster held a small assembly on “The Deck”, introducing the new students and the teachers, the building, and the new school theme — “Setting Sail”. Joel Kelley (10), in a random act of kindness, even baked cookies for the new student. Mr. Brewster then introduced the high school to the now completed auditorium, where he held the rest of the assembly.

School days seemed to go along without a problem. Little issues, however, soon started to bubble to the surface. Classrooms did not have room numbers; port names from around the world labelled the doors instead, confusing many students, both new and old. Not only were the classrooms labelled with port names, but the room names were also organised by the hemispheres for each floor.

The view in the new building is stunning, and I really like the idea of each classroom being a different port city,” agreed Natasha Palanivel (12). “The first day, however, felt like a test of our geography because we had to figure out if our rooms/port cities were in the Northern, Equatorial, or the Southern Hemisphere.”

In addition, many students started to complain of the excessive nautical puns from teachers. Nonetheless, many other students adored these puns—and have even started to add their own. "We really should give lifeboats to hang on the walls for our Senior Gift," quipped Sin Ler Oo (12). Alex Shing (12) then added, "If someone falls onto the grass and goes ‘I'm drowningggg,’ we could paddle over and save them with the lifeboat."

As weeks passed, students have started to settle into their new rhythmic schedule, allowing the vaguely familiar, repetitive routine to begin. The excitement of the new school year dimmed, and students familiarized themselves with the layout of the building. Yet, the excitement did not fully leave the students — the students have now set their sails, to go off into their own adventures this new school year might bring.

Lost in Paradise

Mandy Lim

The group of seniors poured out of the vehicle and rushed through Park Royal on a Friday morning, excited for the day that lay ahead of them. To kick off the year, high school student leaders had the opportunity to bond with one another and learn about admirable leadership qualities at Leadership Retreat. The senior executive committee agreed to spend their Friday morning getting to know each other at a hotel in Batu Ferringhi, while other teams drove around different places in Georgetown.


Upon arrival, the senior group—along with class sponsors Mr. Steinkamp, Mrs. Steinkamp, and Miss Weidemann—retrieved their armbands and headed toward a relaxed sitting area by the beach. An arrangement of hammocks caught Ruben Nyul’s (activities coordinator) eye as he dived clumsily into the brightly-colored stretch of fabric. Bursts of laughter exploded into the air at the scene of Ruben tumbling off his hammock. The next few hours were filled with more moments like these as the group slipped through slides, captured more photographs, and filled their bellies together.
Left: Alice Chang, Vivien Chang. Middle: Nicholas Khor, Mandy Lim, Mikaela Steinkamp. Right: Trevor Ronning, En Min Saw, Ruben Nyul

The senior class president, Nicholas Khor (12), reflected on this time together and said, “From zipping down slides, chasing each other in games of tag, to gently swinging in hammocks, our Leadership Retreat at Park Royal not only gave us ample playtime, but it also brought our team closer together.”

Apart from the treasured time the seniors had with each other, other activities took place at Lost Paradise Resort with the other teams. At the resort, students listened to Mrs. Kearney and Mrs. Roylance provide perspective on being humble, understanding, and professional leaders. Each team also took several hours preparing and planning for what they would encounter this year—whether it was for StuCo events, Senior Sneak, or the junior class store. StuCo’s Vice President, Grace Moon (11), said, “I got to really bond with my fellow StuCo members. Other than discussions in meetings, we had quality time at the resort and Georgetown to really get to know each other!”

Before heading back to campus, everyone huddled together for a final group photograph, followed by a quick selfie by Grace Moon. (See picture below). This unforgettable experience not only brought students of different ages closer together, but also taught them how to use their leadership qualities to the best of their ability.

Volleyball and Beyond

Esther Kim

Despite needing to prepare a court, net, ball, and team, many student-athletes of Dalat International School adore the sport of volleyball for its rigorous yet exciting team play. The want for volleyball, however, extends far beyond the school team practices and open gyms, especially during longer school breaks. Teachers simply lack the time and energy to supervise more volleyball outside their schedules. So where do I go to satisfy my volleyball bones? I go to Youth Park.

Youth Park is a vast park at the foot of the mountains in Pulau Tikus. Every day hundreds of citizens visit to hike in the tropical mountains, play at the grand playground, or just run laps around a large field, which is often occupied with various events. In fact, Dalat annually reserves many areas of the park for our own event called The Eagle Games.

Youth Park even has an outdoor volleyball court. Every Saturday afternoon, a Penang local volleyball team attends a session there, and anyone else can join at any time. Although the club consists of mostly locals, several of the participants are international Dalat students, including me. One other Dalat student who was faithful enough to join the Youth Park ladies team is Elizabeth Horton, an American who is currently in 11th grade. The team was created in order to participate in an upcoming local volleyball tournament (August 31st, which is Malaysia’s Independence Day), and Elizabeth did not hesitate to join her team of Malaysians.

After attending for a few weeks, she said, “Though at first I was terrified to play volleyball with a bunch of strangers, I slowly got to know some of them and improved my skills at the same time. I love the fact that one simple sport I decided on a whim to play in 8th grade has brought me together with people from all over the world, whom I never would have met otherwise. We are all incredibly different (especially me being the only white person), but we are brought together from our love of volleyball. It’s so easy and comfortable to get stuck in our little Dalat bubble, but I’m thankful I took the step out of my comfort zone!”

A few other notable Dalat students who attend these weekly sessions include Yi Yao Tan (12), Albert Jeong (12), and Seung Hwan Kim (10). I can safely say that all of these Dalat students—myself included—have maintained their athletic abilities from going rusty during school breaks or even improved after playing with skilled individuals.

The Dalat culture has been shaped to the extent where reaching outside the school community causes anxiety for many students. But that can change this instant. With their interest in volleyball, other student-athletes of Dalat International School can also take this opportunity to play at Youth Park every Saturday and create more friendships with the outside community of Penang, Malaysia.