Tuesday 25 August 2020

New Aquatic Classmates: Mr. Jens’ Growing Fish Tank

 

Abby O.

Right before the 2020-2021 school year started, Mr. Jens more than doubled the number of fish in his tank.

Eleven fish joined the tank in Busan, bringing the total of occupants up to twenty. Unfortunately, several of the larger fish that used to occupy the tank passed away over the summer. While they will be missed, students can enjoy getting to know the six green neon tetras and five rainbow fish Mr. Jens added to populate the aquarium. The arrival of new fish further enhances the positive influence of Mr. Jens’ aquarium on his students’ ability to learn as the fish relax the students and create a pleasant environment.

Watching fish swim around together in a tank has proven to reduce anxiety levels. This assertion is supported by Ethan Chan (11), who, when asked his opinion on the fish, said, “The fish are amazing. Mr. Jens’ fish have good-natured souls. The fish provide a sense of calm for all the students in the class.” The relaxation that the fish provide Mr. Jens’ students helps quiet any anxiety they might face, which in turn allows them to better focus on the material being covered.

The sound of the water filtration system in the tank also contributes to decreasing stress levels and aiding students in achieving academic success. Listening to the water flowing helps students focus as it covers up potentially distracting background noise. Yong-Yu Huang (11) feels, “It’s super calming to just sit there and listen to the fish tank while doing your work or listening to the class. The fish add something unique to the room that somehow manages to finish off the perfect cozy English classroom atmosphere.” By establishing a relaxed and open classroom environment, the fish promote conversation—an essential element of any English class.

The relaxation and environment fostered by the fish tank help students focus and feel comfortable sharing their opinions, allowing them to better engage with the course material and glean more from the texts they cover; thus, it is with great enthusiasm that we welcome the new members of Mr. Jens’ aquatic class (shown below) and thank them for their role in our search for the deeper meaning of literature.


Monday 24 August 2020

The First Chapel Amidst COVID-19

 By Mikaela Yeap

“I missed chapel so much...our first chapel in four months. It was a good break from classes,” Sharisse Leong (12) mused.


Dalat held its first chapel of the 2020-2021 school year this Monday. Chapel has been one of the many facets of the Dalat experience lost to COVID-19, among other beloved cornerstones of school life such as off-campus lunch privileges, lunchtime basketball, and open campus on Fridays. Thankfully, unlike the others, chapel is a privilege the community has actually gotten back.


It was an unusually empty chapel, the front row seats of Harbor Hall sparsely filled thanks to social distancing—only juniors and seniors were permitted to gather under the SOP, with freshmen and sophomores having taken the previous slot in the morning for a chapel of their own. The worship team, primarily composed of seniors, is a sea of teal shirts this semester; bizarrely, the drum set sits behind a glass wall. But the team sang and played with marked emotion and passion, nevertheless. Despite the strange separation holding the students at arm’s length, the swelling worship music filled the spaces between us.


After two worship songs, Mr. Ronzheimer took to the stage to speak on the importance of perspective during times of uncertainty. He addressed the constant low-level anxiety permeating the community in light of the pandemic and urged the student body to trust in God. It was sobering to begin the school year with an honest acknowledgment of the struggles to come.


Students and staff have been working together to respect the SOP restrictions, but the rules are easy to forget even with the tape marking the floors and the meticulously separated desks. COVID-19 cases in Penang are rising, and while STEP kids have begun to trickle in from various countries, weary from quarantine, many are still stranded overseas. The Dalat community has to work together in these odd, trying times to maintain SOP and keep our school open.