Tuesday 27 August 2019

Laughter, Learning, and Leadership


Elizabeth Horton

On Thursday at 4:00 pm, High school and Dorm Executive Committee’s gathered together in Sydney for the kick-off of the 2019 leadership retreat. The retreat was calculated to be a healthy mix of work and play, encouraging students to think critically and engage each other's ideas. Excitement buzzed through the air, as the student leaders formed their groups and anticipated what challenges the day would hold. Several beach activities were planned for the first day, and students came prepared to get sweaty!

At the beginning of every year, leaders of the high school, who were elected the year prior, take a day off from school to attend a retreat. There they learn what it means to be a leader. This year, the first order of business was to cultivate teamwork through a series of games.  

In total, there were four team building activities set up along the beach. One required students to work together to plug as many holes as possible in a large plastic pipe, while a single member ran back and forth from the ocean pouring water into the pipe with a pitcher! To win, the ExCom had to race against time to float a tennis ball, that was inside the pipe, to the top. Another challenge involved "jumping [into a] large filled with ice and water while searching [for a] tiny metal ring… Trust me, it was freezing cold!" remarked Esther Tse (11) on her chilly experience.

After a long afternoon in the sun, the student’s arrived at The Lost Paradise; a resort tucked away from the busyness of the island. It provided a beautiful escape and an amazing view. One which captivated many students to wake up early, sacrificing precious minutes of sleep, to watch the sunrise! After snapping a few pictures, it was right back to business, and onto session two. 

The majority of the retreat consisted of Mr. Abdulla's sessions, of which there were three. He challenged students to think critically, resolve conflict correctly, and listen to each other’s ideas. Natalie Khor (9) said this about her experience, "[It] really made me realize what the role of the student government was, and it inspired me to do my best and go all in." 

The sessions focused on analyzing James 5:19-20 and directly applying it to the Dalat community. Student leaders have a responsibility to their peers. If a brother or sister should wander from the truth, it is up to them to try and bring them back to the truth. It takes courage, and it takes love, but in the end, it is their responsibility to care for their peers. 

The retreat required great focus and critical thinking, but it wasn't all hard work. There was a lot of laughter and fun mixed in with the crucial content which, therefore, created a healthy balance for everyone!  The 2019 leadership retreat was a success, equipping students with a foundation for a thriving ExCom and class in the year to come.

Buffer Time


Gabe Roberts

I started walking to school about a year ago. Since then, I feel like I've been more awake in class, more ready to work, and have gotten better grades. I feel energized after my morning walk and have gotten to know my neighbors and those that live near me better. Arriving at school a little sweaty is a small price to pay for the benefits I feel.

What about walking is so good? Firstly, it's a low-impact physical activity, which means anyone can do it. Studies have long shown that exercise is beneficial for your brain. The American Psychological Association found in a 2014 experiment that subjects who walked scored higher on creativity tests than those who sat. Taking a stroll is also surprisingly good for your body. 

Renae Roberts, a P3 teacher at Dalat, frequently walks with her family and has started the "Walking Club" KIC (Kids' Interest Club) for elementary students to come walk with her. "I heard a quote from a doctor once," she said when asked about the benefits of walking. "He said that 'If I tell everyone that there's a pill that can make you sleep better, lower risk of heart disease, and destress you, then everyone would take it.' But merely by walking 30 minutes a day, you can reap all of these benefits."
           
On a more philosophical level, walking helps me with my mindset and attitude. Instead of driving to school, which takes all of five minutes from where I live, walking allows me to pace out my day better. Instead of feeling like I've just jumped from one thing to another with no break in between, walking is a buffer period where I can relax and get ready for what I'm going to do next. The short amount of time I'd spend in a car wouldn't be enough for me.

Having that reset time from walking also helps me focus on the outside world. With this year's school theme being "Focus," it's a conventional interpretation for people to think that it means to focus on assignments and the work you have to do. I think it means more, though. While focusing "down" on work is good, focusing "out" – seeing the world outside and the people inside of it – might be even better. Rather than driving from one place to another, merely hopping from one bubble to another, realize that the world is more than the bubbles you inhabit. It's easy to get stuck in the various places you frequent and forget about what's in between the places you stop. There's a whole island in the in-betweens, so walk around and see it.

Tuesday 20 August 2019

The Sweaty Start of Sports Season


Dael Kim

Conversations about season one sport filled the air on the first day of school as Mr. Davis, the new athletic director, sent out an email with the signup list.

Over the course of two days, August 12th and 13th, Dalat students from 8th grade to 12th grade had an opportunity to try out for either the varsity soccer or varsity volleyball team. As the school bell rang to announce the end of school, students quickly gathered up their things and got ready.

On the lower field, the girls who were trying out for the varsity soccer team started off with a 3km run where the course included stairs, the high school building, and the middle school building. On the upper field, the varsity boys’ soccer team ran sprints, different drills, and scrimmaged. The varsity boys’ and girls’ volleyball tryouts took place in the gym, where students got evaluated on their serves, bumps, sets, and spikes. After two days of intense work, students waited nervously for the roaster email to come out. Finally, the official teams were announced, and the Dalat 2019-2020 season one sports were set to start.

When asked about how tryouts went, Mycah Winsor (11) answered with a smile on his face, “I really enjoyed getting to see the new people and the returning players at the tryouts! I’m looking forward to making some new friendships that will last even after soccer season and also to continue growing in ones that I had before.” Winsor cheerfully expressed his passion for soccer, and he also went on to say, “Congrats to everyone who made the team.”     

Every year, the Dalat sports teams have something unique that is different from other teams. According to Haeon Park (10), “Something special about Dalat sports team is our sportsmanship! While we push each other to do our best, we always encourage to one another. We don’t blame each other whenever someone makes a mistake. This season, I’m really excited to bond with my team and also to improve on my goalie skills.”

As the curtains open for a new beginning, both the players and the coaches are hoping to find joy through playing the sport they love, which is also an excellent opportunity to grow in skill, leadership, and friendship. For Seniors, this will be the last year of their high school sports career, while for the Freshmen, this is just the starting point. With sweat dripping and heart pumping, the old and new faces of the finalized varsity players welcomed the start of the season with a new hope ahead of them that will soon become a long-lasting memory. 

“All You Have to Remember From AHOD, Mr.Steinkamp, Is That…”

Jun Lee

An outburst of applause and cheering. But only a handful recognize how this semester’s first All-Hands-On-Deck (AHOD) marked as a successful “Setting Sail” into the school year 2019-2020.

Without a knock of notice, our high school principal Mr. Brewster entered, advancing towards the podium with a casual demeanor. Having asked Mr. Ronzheimer for a few minutes of interception from the seniors’ Spiritual Disciplines class on Monday, Mr. Brewster addressed, “Seniors, you are now responsible for leading the school, for positively influencing the younger classes. So I request that all of you, during AHOD three days later, gather around the stage and cheer and clap as loud as you can so that the younger kids follow suit.”

As the saying goes, “time flies.” Three days became two days, two days became one hour, and one hour became zero minutes. The boat horn’s buzz trumpeted across the Deck, and our beloved host country’s anthem “Negaraku” rang across the soils, “where the people live, united and progressive.” All followed the usual, customary procedures until an unexpected burst of hoorays and claps roused the entirety of our high school into a fever pitch. Daniel Choi, junior class president, entered the stage to promote the Galley’s amazing bubble tea for RM5. The subsequent activity of “Guess the Teacher” inherited the heated applause and this school year’s first AHOD finished a huge success, receiving an energetic response from the audience.

Of course, Choi’s exemplary performance, Mr. Thompson’s veteran hosting skills, and Dalat’s overall cheery disposition might have contributed to the enthusiasm. Few, however, may have noticed the senior contribution; they circled the stage and whooped as loud as they could, setting an example of how “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). Such an encouragement did the stage receive that Choi effervescently recounted, “I was so glad to serve. It was a great experience for my first public speech to receive such a positive hail.” Instead of demanding reverence of the younger classmen, the seniors became servants and slaves amongst our high school, lifting the efforts of junior class as their representative Choi made his grand debut on the Deck-stage.

Again Mr. Brewster entered and interrupted Mr.Ronzheimer for a commentary on how AHOD went. Tension grew along with anxious anticipation for Mr.Brewster’s remark. AEOB (All Eyes On Brewster) went on for a few seconds that felt like a lifetime until Mr. Brewster’s lips rose up: a grin!
“Thank you so much, seniors! Do you know what I said when Mr.Steinkamp asked why so much noise came out of AHOD? ‘You only have to remember that seniors rock!’”

Perhaps Mr.Brewster wanted to say, “Seniors set a rock, a milestone for true Christian leadership through service, by pushing themselves down and lifting the junior class as the stars of the day.”