Monday 25 November 2019

Pipes and Arrows


By Hannah Peek
As they drew the curtain on the opening night of first semesters two drama performances, The Pied Piper and Robin Hood, an excited cast was revealed. Many spectators never know how much effort is put in behind the scenes of each drama performance. Here is a deep dive into the mounds of practice and energy that is behind every word, prop, and movement.

Six months ago, preliminary auditions took place, requiring each person to perform an excerpt from either Robin Hood or The Pied Piper. Nervous contestants had to wait over the summer until after the fall auditions to learn whether they had received a role from the directors Mrs. Horton and Ms. Geiman. The cast list was doubly anticipated because up until that point, the play was a mystery. Then the email was sent out, and Robin Hood was set into motion. Rehearsals began right away, including three two hour practices a week and the occasional Saturday rehearsal. Each line of dialogue was carefully thought over and tested with different emotions.

One monstrous foe faced by the cast was projection (def: the strength of speaking whereby the voice is used loudly and clearly). While this may sound simple, the directors decided not to use microphones, and therefore each actor would have to double or triple the volume they used onstage.

Corrine Fraley was a senior cast member who aided many of the fresher actors; she said,  “We did a lot of exercises about breathing with the diaphragm and not using our throat, so we did not damage our vocal cords. We spent a lot of our time yelling at each other to work on projection.” Along with these voice exercises, the cast had to figure out the blocking (def: careful choreography of actions on the stage) to make their scenes and movements appear natural. As Robin Hood took shape, the directors made the executive call to include The Pied Piper into the final performance. This change included a whole new script to memorize and more roles to assign. Rehearsals were now packed with both plays.

As the performance approached, the list of things to get accomplished spiked with the nerves of the cast. Costumes, run by Ms. Geiman, needed to be assigned, altered, and made. As each piece of clothing was placed, characters began to take a physical form. Mr. Franceschi started crafting the set pieces with the help of parents. Sherwood Forest and the town of Hamlin were built from the ground up, including many unique pieces such as a running fountain, a laughing statue, and a significant tree stump.

The week of the performances was a hectic blur. With rehearsals four hours every day of the week, all the anticipation was pointed at Friday's first performance. Props were set, costumes were on, and the crowd was waiting. As the curtain opened at each performance, a cast was waiting, prepared by hours of rehearsal and ready to give it their all.

Monday 18 November 2019

The First Game of the Varsity Boys Basketball Season


By Emily Chew
In the locker alley, I heard the murmuring of the varsity basketball guys talking, and the rustling of them getting their jerseys and shoes on. It was the first game for the varsity-boys against Youngsters, a team based in Chung Ling High School. Every player was recognized with compression garments that fitted tightly around their limbs– these compression gears are very important for the basketball players. Some of the guys seemed excited, longing for this day to come, and some seemed nervous before they were called by Coaches Loustale and Lee to huddle around in a circle. The returning basketball players were filled with confidence, and positive vibes as they walked into the gym. This year’s starters were J Cho (12), Eddy Seong (12), Wansuk Kunawaradisai (12), Aaron Worten (12), Kaden Keefer (10).

The referee began the play with a jump ball, and the crowd went wild as Youngsters managed to get a head start. After several missed shots, Wansuk Kunawaradisai (12) led the team for offense. The game started off steadily, with the opponent team created many chances for the Dalat varsity starters to squeeze through the gaps in the opponent's defense.

Throughout the first and second quarter, both Eddy Seong (12) and Kaden Keefer (10) managed to receive most of the offensive and defensive rebounds, as the opponents raised their arms up in the hope of avoiding foul calls made by the referees. Eddy Seong (12) stated, “Kaden has such great wingspan, he could reach the rebound moving in any direction.”

Anxiously, the crowd stood up as every shot was made by the players. As Jae Cho (12) made his third three-point shot in the third quarter, the gym shook with excitement while the crowd cheered as hard as they could. The bench players were seen to be clapping and cheering for their teammates, and one of the audience sitting next to me, Daniel Choi (11), repeatedly shouted “Jae is on fire!”

The Dalat varsity boys basketball’s first game ended with a score of 67, leaving Youngster with a score of 47. The first game of the season allowed the boys to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses and find their own strengths. All of boys represented the school well– let’s earn more medals!

The Start of A Winning Journey


By Edward Seong
“Get yourselves together!” shouted Jae Cho (12), as the varsity boys’ basketball team warmed up for the upcoming game. Finally! It was the time that all the players and crowd had longed for. Varsity boys’ first game against Chung Ling Private!

“We are the king of the island so far, so we should continue this legacy,” Aaron Worten (12) told the boys with pride. The boys stretched themselves in the workout room. As coach Lee walked into the weight-room, he said, “Alright boys, we will do some stretching and core workout before the game.”

All of the boys were shocked and looked as if they were questioning his authority. But later on, the boys realized that he was joking. The boys, Coach Loustale, and Coach Lee gathered up for a short meeting before the warm-up. The meeting consisted mostly of how the play would work.

“Just have fun and play basketball,” said Coach Loustale.

They started warming up with lay-up lines, shooting lines, and working on their individual moves. One by one, group by group, the bleachers began to fill up with people. When the warm-up time finished, it was impossible to see the bleachers as it was filled with the home crowd. With the intensity and excitement spreading through the gym, the referee blew his whistle and marked the start of the game.

At first, it started as a close game with only a three-point gap. Nevertheless, the Dalat boys got more focused on the game, and they began to dominate. The boys gave everything they had, even leading up a twenty-point lead. The crowd went insane with every shot that was made, and the boys felt spirited and uplifted instantly. If it weren’t for the supportive home crowd, the boys would not have pulled this game off. The game ended with a 20 point lead for Dalat. There were still so many things that need to be fixed, but the boys knew that this was just the start of their journey, and it would be a thrilling one.


Monday 11 November 2019

Beginning to End: A Weekend in the Highland


By Wesley DeLaughter

After ten hours of winding roads, exhausting travel, and buses breaking down on the side of mountains, the dorm students finally arrived in the Cameron Highlands on 12 November, Saturday, for their dorm retreat.

That morning, all three dorms had boarded the bus with high spirits, excited for a weekend that promised to be fun, bonding, and educational for them. Aside from the slightly bumpy start, it was just as promised. Together the dorm students played games, laughed, and enjoyed life as a dorm family away from the stress of school.

Away from Dalat, up in the mountains, stress was not the only thing that dropped. At 62 degrees, the cooler temperature proved to be a shock to those who had adjusted to the tropical island of Penang. It was a blessing to some and a burden to others. The words “I’m freezing” were forced out by Madaline Rude (12) through chattering teeth as Jack Cura (9) ran past her to receive a football thrown by his father, Jackson dorm dad Tom Cura. Sweaters and hot cocoa were as common a sight as shorts and strawberry milkshakes.

Up in the Highlands, the food and drinks were very different from Penang. Strawberries, a product Cameron Highlands is known for, were the clear favorites of the dorm students, with many of them buying boxes fresh off the farm. The strawberry shortcake prepared by the dorm parents worked like a charm to calm the grumpy mass of students. Right after this was the first session with Mr. Beau Abdulla, who had come along to present a difficult topic to the students.

Mr. Abdulla spoke on Sex, Relationships, and Intimacy, topics that are not very well addressed today in our community. One of the points of his talk was that our sexuality is not something to be ashamed of but is something that we are to be careful of. The difference between God’s view of sex and Culture’s view of sex was another significant point that was touched on.

On the last night, the students came together one last time in the Highlands to show their talents in the annual dorm Talent Show. Singing, dancing, jokes, and laughter rang throughout the chapel that served as our conference room. Caleb Jun’s (8) performance received an explosion of applause. The other students reacted with surprise to his angelic singing voice accompanied by his sister, Julia Jun (12), and her guitar skills. The reactions varied from clapping to joking outbursts such as “MARRY ME!” from students, including Daniel Choi (11) and Isaiah DeLaughter (10).

The next morning the dorm students boarded the bus, packed their bags, and took with them the last of the strawberries they had been devouring throughout the weekend. With a bittersweet goodbye, the bus took off down the mountain road to leave behind the Cameron Highlands. Returning to Penang, the students were tired and relaxed after a much needed weekend break. Getting off the bus at Dalat, the students returned to the dorm, reminiscing about their weekend adventure in the Highlands.

Dorm Retreat 2k19


By Onyu Kwak

Finally! It was the time that many dorm students had waited for-- the dorm retreat to Cameron Highlands! Everyone was excited about this annual trip and people would mark their calendars to count down the dates.

“Dorm retreat helps us to bond as a whole dorm, as it helps us to get to know new people better. Cameron Highlands is one of my favorite dorm retreat sites that we visit, as well. The strawberry farm that we visit every dorm retreat is fantastic,” Megan Septon (11) mentioned as she was thrilled for the retreat. 

One of the most unexpected events that happened during the trip was the bus breaking down in the middle of nowhere. It was already a long bus ride. People were tired and some were even sick to begin with, so the malfunction of the bus did not bring out positive reactions from people. Everyone had to either wait in the bus or stand by the roadside for approximately 4 hours until it was functioning again and ready to go.

However, like a rain soothing the ground after a drought, when the bus was fixed and started to move, everyone was impressed by the sunset that appeared around the corner.

Riley Philips (12) shared her thoughts regarding the bus ride event, “Having the bus breakdown extended our journey by 4 hours, making our retreat feel very rushed. Everyone was tired and in desperate need of a bathroom. Standing on the side of the road in the Highlands for a long time has taught us many things like how to decorate people’s hair with leaves, how to remain patient, and for many, how to use the bathroom in deep shrubs. While it was not the most enjoyable experience, we were all rewarded for our time when the bus finally made it around the corner of the mountain and the sky was glowing through the clouds as it was setting over the other mountains.”

When we reached Cameron Highlands, we were welcomed with the cooling weather and delicious food. After we finished our dinner, we encountered the main theme of our dorm retreat-- sexuality and sex. Everyone had differing opinions on this subject: some saw no point in this topic because they thought they already knew everything, some thought that it would be awkward, and some thought that this was actually helpful. Unexpectedly, many people found the sessions insightful and took away helpful advice from it.

“I did not expect a lot from it because I thought I knew what I had to know, but I did not have a strong foundation on this topic. In contrast to my expectations, the dorm retreat established a firm foundation in me as a strong Christian man,” said Daniel Choi (11).

Through the many ups and downs, everyone bonded together as one big dorm family. The unplanned turn of events showed us that there are always two sides (positive and negative) to an event, and the seminar taught us to be more confident in ourselves.

That Simple, Challenging Task to a Better Lifestyle


By Niki Tsumagari

In Dalat, a student’s life revolves around his/her school. This is a reasonable statement to make. Elaboration: sometimes, a student’s life can be very well-organized, making everything that’s happening in it seem like they’re placed correctly in the right spot. Other times, however, things don’t look like they are. In addition to this, problems sometimes seem to fancy piling up on one another…

The life of a high school student (in Dalat) involves both mountains and valleys all the time. As much as there are ups and downs that make one’s life so complicated as it is, there is always room for improvement; a little extra thinking and effort put in will never fail to increase the number ups while reducing the amount of downs. Solutions to a slightly/much better quality of life can require you to perform the simplest of tasks.

One of the best examples for this that a good number of Dalat students currently aren’t accomplishing is getting enough sleep. Not a lot of people should be surprised by this fact. One of the biggest enemies of growing, daily challenges-facing teenagers is sleep deprivation. A well-established pattern of nights of getting enough good sleep can easily be pushed off track by a single, unlucky night consisting of a slumber short by a few hours.

“When I only get like 6 or 7 hours of sleep, I don’t participate in class discussions. Even just talking takes effort. When I get home, I can’t focus on getting work done for the next day,” says Elise Johnson (12).

One night of inefficient sleep can affect a student’s performance at school the next day and how he/she will be able to get their work done once they’re back home. Depending on how well the student adjusts his/her situation, there is a potential of additional days of similar disorientation, which is why the simple task of getting enough sleep is challenging.

Another quote that contributes to the importance of sleep was stated by Laviynia Jaya (12): “On nights that I get enough sleep, I actually feel a drastic difference in my productivity and energy going through my daily activities. I find myself walking a little bit faster, getting a little more work done, and smiling a whole lot more.”

Watching an extra episode of that amazing TV series, going to Gurney Plaza to get bubble tea on Monday, opening YouTube to watch a clip of your favorite movie; these are all necessary spices that give your life some extra fun. Getting enough sleep is necessary and fun too, just, unlike these activities, you won’t know that it is until after you experience it, and you won’t be able to do it at ease until after you’re done with all your work. So give “sleeping” a chance; work a little harder to get your daily tasks done on time just to experience that delightfulness in the morning.    


Monday 4 November 2019

(Dis) Connection




By Livinia Menon


It’s easy to get lost in the work we have, it’s easy to forget why we’re doing what we’re doing. It’s easy to only focus on what seems important now. But what is hard, is laying in your bed at night and realising that you don’t know why you’re doing what you are. College applications, SAT exams, AP exams, tests, quizzes, the homework that’s due first block tomorrow, they all just seem like pieces of the cognitive overload accumulating at the back of your brain. You don’t go out anymore, you decline invitations to hang out, and it isn’t until you’re standing on stage receiving your high school diploma that you realise you never really did experience high school at all.

That’s the nightmare that haunts every high school student, the urge to do our best in academics overriding the high school experience itself. It’s the sugar crash after Halloween, the sick feeling after eating all your candy. We are all bound to burn up if we get lost in the storm of work. We don’t all realise this, as Anya Kaloo (11) said, “ It wasn’t until I stopped competitive training for martial arts and being unable to make time for friends in and out of school that I realised it was because I was dedicating myself to the high demands of keeping up my grades at the level I desired.”

As November flies past us, there is no doubt that deadlines will start catching up, making us all busier and increasingly tired. What we have to remember in times like this is that we aren’t going through all this alone. Our friends and classmates are all going through the same thing, and even if you do have that AP Statistics test on Wednesday, you aren’t going to fail if you take time to relax with your friends for a few hours that weekend. Because at the end of it, you only go through high school once. The people surrounding you now aren’t going to be with you forever, so it’s just as important to make those memories as it is to earn that grade you want.

Sleep that extra hour, say yes to that invitation, and maybe even write that essay the day it’s assigned. If we start managing our time right, we might find that we have a lot more opportunities to do the things we love with the people we love.

Hey, Who’s the Homeschooler?


By Corinne Fraley

Some might say Dalat has invaders in its midst…. Others would just call them home schoolers. It may be hard to believe, but Dalat actually hosts a community of homeschoolers right on its own campus as part of DLRC (Dalat’s Learning Resource Center). They are the unique “inbetweeners” that both are a part of Dalat’s vast community yet not quite fully immersed. That does not stop them from joining and planting themselves as part of the community.

Homeschool kids seems to have a whole world of their own when it comes to schooling. While some of these homeschoolers have siblings at Dalat or some are waiting to return to Dalat the next semester, others are purely rogue, only showing up for social interaction. For some, homeschooling works as a better suited alternative to brick-and-mortar schools. While most Dalat students experience the normal 7 hour grind, homeschoolers participate in a very different routine involving co-horts (meetings with other homeschool students), work and special outings all over Penang as their schedules are particularly flexible when working at home.

When asked about her favorite part of homeschooling Addie (Grade 5 Homeschooler) responded, “It’s really fun because we get to do stuff with groups and get to go places and get to sleep in and finish school early. And my mom and me, we go to coffee shops sometimes and get coffee and sometimes do school.”

Coffee shops are not the only special places some homeschoolers get to go to. For a small fee, Dalat allows homeschoolers to participate in school life including auditing classes and engaging in school extracurricular activities. Students, like Caleb Fraley (Grade 9 Homeschooler), get to be involved in the drama program and act in productions like the school’s upcoming “Robin Hood” while others can participate in sports or afterschool x-blocks.

Unfortunately, since they are not fully students at Dalat, they cannot go to school sponsored events like JSB or CB and are the first to be cut from sports rosters no matter their skill level. Though they don’t get to attend some of these events, they create their own, like the recent Luther movie night celebration. Dalat’s teachers and parents have stepped up in many big and small ways to involve these students to the best of their abilities. Many of Dalat’s teachers have even offered and expressed interest in helping invest in these homeschoolers to encouraging them to grow and learn in new ways.

So, perhaps instead of being “invaders,” these students are just another incredible part of Dalat’s diverse community, adding to the rich culture and bringing a different perspective to everyday life.