Tuesday 28 May 2019

A Joyous Farewell

Carissa Hoffmeyer

The final Fine Arts Festival came and went the week of May 20-24; as Mr. Steinkamp stated, “We never think we can do better than the year before, but we always do!” 

The talent that Dalat has never ceases to amaze the audience. Wednesday night, the auditorium was packed, with hardly enough room to fit all the adoring fans, as middle school performed a wonderful concert.

Thursday night, the fun continued with the MS and HS Jazz bands. At one point, the two came together to play one song. Next came the Junior Men's Ensemble. They had the audience cracking up with their rendition of “Country Roads.” They then left us with a warm, heartfelt song entitled “My Girl.” Finally, Show Choir silently made their way on stage, fully dressed in nun costumes (with the help of Ms. Geiman); their songs from Sister Act, Part I and II, had the crowd clapping and cheering along. Their songs featured solos from Bethany Davis (12), Daniel Choi (10), Joel Kelley (10), Seth Kelley (12), and Lydia Kim (12).

The final night of the festival featured the art students, with a speed painting performance from the AP art class, followed by the Concert Choir, Grazioso, and Concert Band. The night started with a thank you from the young and hip Mr. Brewster to all the art students. It was special to recognize those who had worked hard all year long on their art pieces, which were displayed all week throughout the Harbor. Thanks to Mrs. Nichols, the students looked unique in their “What Box?” t-shirts.

After the performance by the AP art students, the Concert Choir came on stage and performed a lovely set of songs, ending with a tearful melody in honor of the seniors. The song left half of the choir in tears and the audience in awe. “The choir was emotionally moving and a good way to end the year,” said Hudson Morgan (11). 

Afterward, Grazioso played beautiful and melodic pieces, thanking the band directors for allowing them to play. The students also took it upon themselves to thank their first band director, Ms. Dannekar, whom they honored by playing the first piece they ever played together. Lastly, the Concert Band finished the night with six festive, ominous, raging pieces. The band was then conducted by two young AP Music Theory students who composed their own pieces for the band. The audience went up in a thunder of applause, shouting, “Encore!”, which led the band to play a final piece together before the seniors left, and the students went their separate ways.

The night ended on a beautiful note as Mr. Steinkamp thanked all the people who made the event possible. With his last words, the night came to an end, and the talented musicians played their final concert for this school year. 

Fine Arts Festival in Harbor Hall


Suzanne Liew

AP exams are finally over, but the students are busier than ever.

Feet scurrying everywhere, the Harbor Deck and Hall are filled with art students from Foundation Art, Advanced Art, Master Studio, and AP Art.

The students rush to prepare and set up the artwork, making sure everything looks aesthetically pleasing. Meanwhile, the art room is messier than ever, full of art students preparing their signs for the exhibition. Alex Stuart (10) and Kalia Brewster (10) are busy sorting out art prints, postcards and decks of cards for the art sale later in the evening. The AP students, Alicia Chin (12), Suzanne Liew (12), Gloria Kim (11), Grace Moon (11) and Philip Yeoh (12), are busy preparing for their speed painting performance, too. The artwork is finally set up after a few days, where students and parents can appreciate the hard work of the students throughout the year. 

It is Friday evening, the last day of the Fine Arts Festival. Food trucks drive onto the Dalat campus; students and parents flock over to enjoy the food. Caricature, calligraphy, and clay activities are set up on the lawn for students to enjoy. The caricature stalls are in popular demand as Gloria Kim (11), Sheryl Ang (11), and Letitia Ong (11) quickly sketch out many beautiful portraits. On the deck, Emily Chew (11) and Megan Septon (11) are busy selling art prints and postcards. Unique and impressive artwork lines the second floor and auditorium. As it gets late, the atmosphere buzzes with excitement as more and more students and parents crowd around, admiring the artwork while waiting for the band and choir performances to start. 

At around 7:00pm, parents and students begin making their way into Harbor Hall, getting ready to enjoy the performances. Five canvases are lined up across the stage. The AP students, dressed formally in black, wait anxiously backstage, rehearsing their movements for the last time before the first performance. The music begins playing, and blue lights flash onstage. The AP students make their way to the stage, switching between canvases. Hurried brushstrokes fly everywhere; white paint fills up the canvases. The audience watches in awe and confusion, trying to figure out what the students are painting. The song comes to an end, and the canvases are put together like a jigsaw puzzle, one by one. The painting of jellyfish comes to life, and the auditorium is filled with applause and excitement.

Choir and band performances follow after, impressive and professional as usual. The last song of choir performance was sad and nostalgic, as the choir members and the audience started tearing up. As the song ended, the choir members gave each other hugs on stage, comforting one another. The seniors were reminded of how soon it was until their graduation. 

The band performances lightened up the mood, with their loud and energetic music. The sounds of different instruments came together perfectly, weaving a perfect harmony into the audience's ears. Familiar songs were played, such as songs from Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables. Sophia Park (12) performed a few flute solos in the performance, leaving the audience in awe. Many of the songs sounded like songs from Disney movies and other theme parks, which brought a sense of nostalgia.  It was an enjoyable and fantastic performance, and an excellent way to end the last day of the Fine Arts Festival. 

The audience left home satisfied, excited to return next year for even greater performances.

Monday 20 May 2019

Breaking Bridges

Sin Ler Oo

Previously, the 8th and 9th graders were assigned with a task to build a miniature wooden bridge. May 18th was the day their hard work was tested to see the force their bridges could withhold.

A dull creaking reverberated through the room as the audience stared at the bridge with bated breath. Gradually, the little wooden structure began to bend before a sharp snapping was heard, and the beautiful piece of architecture would never be the same again. To any stranger that happened to enter the room without context, it must have been astonishing indeed when the room burst into applause over the destruction of the intricate bridge. For those in the loop, however, May 18th served as the day in which students competed with each other over the sturdiest (while being as light as possible) bridge. Unfortunately for them, the only way to do so was to break them.

That day, many 8th and 9th graders gathered around in Auckland to test the strength of their hard work. Formerly, the students were given basic engineering knowledge and entrusted with the task of building their very own bridge with specific requirements. First, the bridges could not exceed 25 grams in weight. For reference, 25 grams would equal to roughly 25 paper clips. Secondly, they were to be built with glue and wooden sticks. Finally, the bridges had to demonstrate thought and planning on some level. Thus, the students were given time to plan and build their bridges before the final day of May 18th. 

Unwillingly for some, D-Day arrived. The 8th graders were the first to go in the morning while the 9th graders had their turn in the afternoon. Bridges were measured, weighed, and the information was dutifully filled out on a sheet of paper. Mr. Brewster, Mr. Hutchcraft, and Mrs. Morken then reassured the students with gentle smiles as they placed their hard work onto the contraption that would eventually destroy it. Words of encouragement between teacher and student would be exchanged as the student watched Mr. Brewster set up the machine with expertise. He would even joke that the machine would always triumph over the bridge, much to the disappointment of countless students before them. 

Finally, once everything was in place, all that was left was for the students to break their bridges with their own hands. As Mr. Brewster stepped out of the way to give the students the spotlight, some of them began starting up the contraption with trembling hands. They had to keep going until a snap resounded throughout the room and the weight-to-strength ratio was recorded. Then, they could breathe a sigh of relief as applause was given and their bridge, whether slightly or completely damaged, was released from the terrifying machine. 

Audrey Shing (12), a volunteer, later commented on the event saying, “I was really glad I got to help out with the event! I think all four of us [volunteers] really relished the opportunity to see our friends and in my case dorm mates test out the projects they've been working on for so long.”

Trash to Treasure


Jacqueline Leech

Everyone loves garage sales. As it is termed, a man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Dalat’s end of the year garage sale turned out like the many garage sales before it—hot and sweaty, yet productive.

Early Saturday morning, crowds of people joined together for the garage sale to sell their miscellaneous items, hoping to get something out of the things they no longer had use for.
The mix of agendas reflected the mood of the garage sale. Give, take away, give, and take away. People bought items unique to their wants and needs , while people sold items unique to their situation, whether it was a needed household purge or part of the process of moving to other locations. During the event, both parties happily accepted offers and bargains.

By the end of the sale, prices dropped ridiculously. At that point, many simply wanted to get rid of their items. Joyfully, customers quickly accepted cheaper prices as the event was coming to a close.

Those who often participate in garage sales know it takes skill and experience. It is easy to come home and realize your newfound treasure wasn’t exactly what you thought it was. It takes self-control to buy what you need and avoid the things you don’t. You’ll have to embrace the uncertainty with what you’ll find, while at the same time, make the wise decision to choose certain items and say no to others. The smart customers are picky.

When I walked with Katlyn Ladner (8) during the garage sale, she held a nice blue dress and two of her favorite books. I asked if she wanted to look for anything else. She remarked, “I got my books and my dress. What more could a girl ask for?”

This is an example of a skilled shopper who excitingly found exactly what she wanted. My past experience with garage sales reminds me what a good opportunity it is because I found some pretty cool stuff. Garage sales are definitely worth the effort to check out. Even though you might have to dig through a lot of trash, you just might find the treasure you were looking for.

Cheap Price


John Cho

“Cheap, Cheap things. Come look and check it out everyone!” shouted Jong Min Park (11).    

A garage sale is a common thing that happens in Western culture; however, in the Asian culture, it is not as common. In Korea, we tend to give away things that are not wanted, instead of selling them. Despite experiencing a different culture, I think I really enjoyed it because it was fun seeing the different types of things sold at the garage sale.

I woke up early in the morning, and as soon as I went to the basketball court, I set up my things. The court was so crowded, and I could manage to find a small space to set my table and sell my things. I saw the Frohlich family selling their nice things due to their departure to America after graduation, and I also saw one of my dorm brothers selling his clothes.

As time went by, the sun was blazing down on the court and Daniel Choi (10) said, “John, it is so hot…. I just want to leave.”

And as soon as he said that, Uncle Cura bought his new board game that he was selling for RM30. Forgetting about the hotness, Daniel quickly got his money and he was so happy that he had sold his first item.

I still had to wait for people to buy my things. Finally, someone came and bought my first good tennis racket. I sold it for a good price: Rm30. Another customer came and bought my electric guitar, which cost RM250. In the span of 5 minutes, I had made RM280, which motivated me to work even harder. So, I turned on my speaker and played my music to attract customers.

At the end of the garage sale, lots of people, including myself, gave away the goods for the Care and Share program, hoping that they could be used for the poor.

Monday 13 May 2019

The Farewells Begin: Mugs, Music, and Monopoly

Kimberly Hills

What comes to mind when you hear the word “StuCo”? For many Dalat high school students, we think of unity, school spirit, and fun! This past Friday, Dalat International School’s Student Council hosted its last event from 7-9:30: Mugs, Music, & Monopoly, or “Mugs” for short. 

At Mugs, students have the opportunity to share their musical talents. Or, they have the chance to make others laugh at their lack thereof. In this supportive and light-hearted atmosphere, people are unafraid to put themselves out there or try something new. For many, Mugs is a relaxed time to chill with friends, devour junk food, and play card games. 

Several students were moved by the spontaneity of the night, and on a whim, followed that little voice in the back of their mind, prodding them to perform. Audrey Shing (12), new to Dalat this year, spontaneously walked on stage and sang “This Time” by Lea Michelle and Darren Criss. When asked about why she wanted to perform, she explained, “It was incredibly spontaneous. I was sitting with Tim [Baek] (12) and Vivien [Chang] (12), and we said this would be our last chance to do something we’ve never done before… something outside of our comfort zone. For me, I don’t have a great singing voice, but I’ve always wanted to use this as an exit song. The lyrics are really meaningful, and it shows that this isn’t our last goodbye. I also wanted to thank Ashley [Kim] (12) for sacrificing so much time and effort to create Mugs as StuCo’s president.”

While some students performed on a whim, others had thoughtfully prepared personal and emotional pieces. Celestine Teoh (11) had recently written a song and had the courage to perform it for the first time ever. When asked about the debut of “Regret This Song”, she explained, “The inspiration behind it was a breakup. I just thought that I didn’t want to lose my chance to perform it in front of the person because I knew there would never be another time where I could talk to him about how I felt. And I was just hoping I could tell him indirectly but directly how I felt through the song.”

Another emotional moment, for the seniors at least, was completely butchering the closing song from our childhood favorite movie: High School Musical. In his presidential manner, Nicholas Khor (12) announced that he wanted all the seniors to sing it together, as a goodbye to each other, StuCo, and the school. On the Class of 2019 Facebook page, Nick posted, “Hey guys, if any of you are going to Mugs tonight, we seniors are gonna sing and dance to High School Musical for the last performance. It'll be cute - the more the merrier.” 

At the end of the night, some seniors were in tears, overwhelmed by the brevity of our dwindling days together. Overall, Mugs was a great success, and in many ways, a farewell. It was the night Dalat International School bid farewell to the legendary Student Council, sponsored by Miss Emily Grad and Mr. JD Thompson. And it was only the beginning of farewells to the Class of 2019.

Cheers to the Journey

Jeremy Worten

It's about that time of year again, the clock counting down, students don't know what to feel towards the end of a school year. "Have I done enough?", "O shoot! What am I going to do all summer?"


These types of thoughts naturally come into the minds of students, and they might cause uneasiness but...


have peace and breathe because everything is going to be okay.


AP's are approaching, and its ride or die time. The pressure is on, and all that work is about to be tested. All those countless hours put in, extra teachers’ sessions, caffeine runs, and sleepless nights. “Can I do this?”


Everyone handles adversity differently, and right now, people are preparing themselves in

their own different ways but...

have peace and breathe because everything is going to be okay.


Like I said earlier, APs are approaching and the school year is almost done, but there is still

time, and there are still cool things that happen on the island. Recently, one of these was the big 3X3 pro basketball tournament, where teams from all around the world came to Penang to compete for a spot at the master’s tournament. Dalat School was one of the partners of this tournament, and so a bunch of students helped this weekend, taking a necessary study breaks to watch quality basketball.

In this time of busyness and tiredness, it’s important to be efficient with your time and to work hard, but also to take good breaks. Refreshment is the key to rejuvenating the mind and keeping sharp. 


To the seniors out there, we have less than thirty days left. Everything up to this moment has been a blessing, and it’s time to finish strong. Be intentional with everything that you do, make sure the people in your life know how much you value them, do things that you will remember forever, and go make an impact before we leave.


Remeber: have peace and breathe because everything is going to be okay.


Tuesday 7 May 2019

Broadway Musical Comes to Dalat: A Roaring Success!


Jackson Miller

After a whole semester of memorization and hundreds of hours of rehearsals and construction, the first ever Broadway musical at Dalat opened its doors on Friday evening last week. Students in the Dalat Drama program got a chance to perform in the critically acclaimed 50-year-old musical You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.

The cast included new initiates into the world of theatrics, Daniel Choi (11) and Benjamin Hollon (9), who played Schroeder and Linus respectively. Both performed extremely impressively. Their singing voices and acting abilities spoke volumes about a potential future in show business, if they so choose. Mr. Franceschi, who was the technical director of the show and has an extensive background in theatre, said, “Daniel was a delightful surprise of the show! He has great potential ahead of him.”

Benjamin had the guts and confidence to create his own dance with a blanket, which was well executed and should have been taken with the utmost seriousness.

Seth Kelley (12), who played the eponymous anti-hero, has had years of experience in drama at Dalat. He played Charlie Brown with deft skill and resounding characterization; he was perfect for the part. When asked about the production, however, he humbly replied “I didn’t think I would get casted.”

Everyone who saw the show agreed that the relatively small cast acted and sang together beautifully. Tim Baek (12) said, “They worked really well as a team, more than just their individual acting.”

Backed up by an enthusiastic chorus, the Peanuts Gang brought wholesome old-fashioned comedy to the Dalat community. Interestingly, for one of the cast members, this was not her first time involved with a Charlie Brown production. Hannah Peek (11), new to Dalat this year and who quickly showed her talent and seniority in the performing arts, had previously played Sally Brown’s understudy. This time, however, Hannah performed as Lucy van Pelt, the “super crab” and foil of Charlie Brown.
The cast also included Alejandro Garza-Lainez (11) and Su-ji Lim (12) as Snoopy and Sally Brown. Dressed in a full dog costume, Alejandro had two musical numbers, “The Red Baron” and “Supper Time,” with the latter reminiscent of elaborate Broadway dances. Su-ji pulled off sweet and innocent blond-haired Sally extremely convincingly; “My New Philosophy” consistently brought a smile to the audience’s face.

The audience who watched the Friday and Saturday shows could see the effort and hours that the cast on stage had brought to the production. But maybe not so immediately obvious was the work and love that many others had given. Many behind the scenes individuals were responsible for making the show a success. Alice Chang (12), Student Technical Director, also spent many hours with her crew perfecting the lighting and audio cues. She remarked on the work that went into making the sets and costumes: “I'm really thankful for the parents that showed up for workdays and Saturdays and helped build sets like the couch, piano, and doghouse. Without them, we wouldn’t have finished all of those things.”

The week following this theatrical success will surely be filled with music from the stage, as it's stuck in everyone’s head. But, unfortunately for some, not everyone will remember this unique experience. In a characteristic manner, Esther Ko (12) bluntly said, “I didn’t watch it.”

Most Likely to…Re-wards

Vivien Chang 

What comes to mind when Hollywood and musical eras are mentioned? 2019 JSB, The Awards! After a long year of preparation, the juniors successfully pulled off one of the best and funniest JSBs to honor this year’s seniors. As the night came to an end, Nicholas Khor (12), the senior class president, announced, “Juniors, you are invited to the After JSB Dinner!” 


After JSB Dinner, also called a spoof, is where seniors find very small mistakes during JSB and recreate them in order to show appreciation for the juniors. However, this also meant that seniors returned home late on the previous night and arrived at school early in the morning the next day. As tiring as it may sound, seniors were still more than willing to come early, as we were excited for the last workday we had together with each other and the excitement for the dinner. 


Working from 9am to around 4pm, the seniors came up with a new spoof theme—Bollywood: the Re-wards—to contrast with the theme by the juniors on the previous night. During the time of preparation, seniors came up with an entertainment plan, cooked food, and decorated the Vintage Chapel. Although everyone was exhausted by the end of the day, all tiredness from the seniors left their faces as the juniors walked into the room at 6pm. 


Compared to the actual JSB, the After JSB Dinner was put together in a way shorter amount of time, so the quality would never be as good as what the juniors put on for us. Even so, in terms of entertainment, it was still very interesting and enjoyable. According to Nicole Lee (11), “I really liked the entertainment. It was really funny to see what we got wrong for JSB.” 


It was also very enjoyable for the seniors to put on a memorable event for the juniors. 



DINGBAT DALAT STUDENT SPENDS PRECIOUS TIME CONJURING UP SELF-REFERENTIAL SENIOR SCRIBBLE RATHER THAN GATHERING LEGITIMATE WORK

Yusoof Monawvil

PENANG, MA - As the deadline drew near and the stars aligned in the night sky above the majestic waters of the Strait of Malacca, one particular Dalat student—Yusoof Monawvil (12), despite a plethora of school events to select and report on—opted instead to spend a remarkably well-wasted 24 minutes staring at a blank Google Docs page, fruitlessly drawing up and shooting down brainstormed ideas. 

In a moment of sheer and undeniable epiphany, Monawvil deemed it only fitting to self-referentially satirize his own ingrained incompetence and dingbattery. Commenting on the flash of insight, Monawvil quoted himself, saying: “It all just kinda made sense. I went on DISCourse to look at the little rubric thing Ms. Grad and Mr. Hieber posted, and I checked if I was following all of the guidelines... And I technically am/was; [N]ot like there’s any specific direktive [sic] prohibiting self-quoting.” 

In a turn of events, Monawvil did come to find his self-quoting endeavor lazy and perhaps lacking in effort. In an effort to secure the rubric requirement in a safe manner for at least one correctly attributed quote, Monawvil turned around in his swivel chair to ask a lackadaisical and conveniently placed Justus Goh (12) for a quote on his opinion of the entire matter; to which he replied “How about you just cite this particular moment where you ask me for a quote and I tell you that you should quote what I’m saying right now?” Monawvil concurred with Goh’s opinion. 

Critics such as Tyler Ronning (10), coincidentally seated two seats over from Monawvil in the B-Lab, decried the Senior Scribble article, saying “Yeah, it’s more than kinda lazy. It’s called .... Yeah.. Uh.. That’s it.” Monawvil retorted to this most stinging of criticisms, citing the fact that hardly anyone besides the teachers who grade this piece actually read the Senior Scribble.