Tuesday 27 October 2020

Riveting Midday Adventures

 

By Abigail Soo

 

After a supremely long wait leading up to Friday, 3rd of October, off-campus lunch for seniors was finally available.

During D block on Friday, October 3rd, the classes in the Harbor building were buzzing with excitement due to the ability to go off campus the next block for lunch. Between the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the SOPs that were put in place, going off campus for lunch, a senior privilege, seemed like an impossible feat. In World Literature class, there was a lot of leg tapping going on, nervous glances at the clock, and chatter in the room. All signs pointed to adrenaline coursing through the seniors’ veins as they waited for the glorious sound of the lunch bell.

Weeks ago, when the semester started, the SOP caused the launch of disappointing rules, especially for the students of Dalat, who enjoy a close-knit community that loves group activities. The students weren’t allowed to stay on campus after hours for any reason, even for sports and extracurriculars. The impact on the culture at Dalat caused by that was significant, enthusiasm and excitement ran low, and the students were not as motivated and energetic as before. Overall, it just didn’t feel like Dalat anymore.

Then, a miracle happened on the 2nd of October; an email was sent to the students titled, “Senior Off Campus Lunch.” That email caused an uproar and immediately restored the spirits of the students. Some had been waiting for this privilege since 1st grade, and the moment had arrived, after a decade-long wait.

“Finally!” exclaimed Saebom Won (12), a known foodie in the class of 2021.

Fast forward to Friday the 3rd of October, the long-awaited moment had finally made an arrival. The students, waiting for the bell, felt like they could taste freedom on the tips of their tongues. They were so close, yet so far. Only a few millimeters away on the clock, it seemed, but in seconds, the wait was oh-so-long.

Then, it happened, the sweet and haunting tune of the lunch bell rang throughout the school, louder that day, as if it also knew of the exciting news. The students, bags packed and ready, ran out of the classrooms, doors slamming shut behind them as they finally attained freedom to go on an adventure in the middle of the day. Some went to restaurants nearby, and some tested their luck and went farther. They might have been late, but they didn’t care. After all, they were having some riveting midday adventures.

What Students Do During Teacher Training Days

 

By Anya Kaloo

For weeks, students of Dalat International High school division have been working diligently to fulfill their aspirations. Sadly, however, this does not leave much time for their favorite pastimes such as sports, hanging out with friends, and exercise. On Monday, 26 October, Mr. Brewster had blessed the students with a Dalat holiday. But little did the students know that this was not a holiday for everyone.

Early Monday morning, teachers rolled into school thrilled to go through teacher training. During teacher training day, many students finally found the time to take a break from university searching and school work to have fun and bond with friends. Students enjoyed their time by doing anything that was not related to school. Examples of these games that are commonly played in Dalat is Minecraft, Among Us and sports games. Students that do not spend their time gaming usually find time to make plans to be with friends.

As Gabe Kontsas (11) said, “I enjoyed playing soccer on a muddy field although I struggled with the slippery ground. I also went to Let’s Meat with my friends, then invited my friends to my house to play video games.”

Dalat community is a community that actively practices giving back to others. From Kids For Kids is a club that raises money to aid other children around the world through school. The recent long weekend provides an opportunity for members to meet up and make plans on methods to raise money for the children they are sponsoring. A few ways how this club is raising money is through donations, no uniform days and bake sales. Sharisse Leong, who is a member of From Kids For Kids, shares what she did during teacher training day for the club.

Sharisse Leong (12) said, “I spent Monday baking treats to raise money for From Kids For Kids Club with my friends.”

Other activities that students indulged in was catching up on rest. Many children in the dorms enjoyed spending their Monday off by appreciating the possibility to sleep in and have their first meal of the day. How long could you sleep in for? 

Senior Class Lock In

 

By Kris Chong

 

The one-and-only senior class “lock-in” was held on the afternoon of Friday, October 23rd. All of us had the privilege to skip our afternoon classes, and we gathered in the vintage chapel for the lock-in.

With Covid cases on the rise in Malaysia, the Ministry of Education had decided to stop all extracurricular activities. Naturally, we have temporally lost the privilege to go off campus for lunch, and there will not be any intramurals for now.

We had a class meeting on Tuesday, October 6th. The class committee announced that for our class, there would be two significant activities coming up in the next two months (October and November), the former being the lock-in, and the latter being Senior Sneak. The lock-in was chosen to be held on the Friday after fall break.

During the class meeting, Jimin Park (12) told us further information about the lock-in We were all excited because our class is the first class to do this in years, since Dalat decided to ban lock-ins, but we were lucky enough to get to do it. We were all anticipating an all-night “class party” because the lock-in was supposed to go from Friday after school until Saturday morning.

I was asking Palmer Ford (12) during the class meeting what he would do during the lock-in, and he said to me, “I will play games on my PS4 and not go to sleep until 6 am.” Looks like people were bringing their game consoles for the lock-in!

Two weeks hal passed since the meeting and looking at the daily Covid statistics, our hope of having a full Lock-in was getting smaller. Once the Ministry of Education changed their minds, we were disappointed by the fact that the MOE cancelled all after-school activities.

No worries though! Mr. Brian Brewster came to the rescue and told our class we could still do a lock-in on Friday afternoon, though not all night, and we still had a blast. Team activities like murder in the dark, breakout boxes, and popping balloons with a plunger was the highlight. We went from doing indoor activities to having a water balloon fight outside the dorm building.

After all, even if this lock-in was not what we expected, we still had the chance to get together as a class and had lots of fun. All that I wish now is for Covid cases in Malaysia to gradually drop, because who knows what our senior sneak experience is going to be. We, as a class, have to cherish the time that we have together because in six months we will all part our ways. In light of Covid 19, we will have to try our best to be together as a class. Cheers!

Wednesday 21 October 2020

Serving Local Furry Friends

 

By Sharisse Leong

Graduation service hours have always been in the minds of high school students. Getting the 10 hours of service by the end of the year is important to them. Though due to the recent outbreak of Covid, it has not been easy to find opportunities to serve. The high schoolers were ready to serve as an email was sent out concerning a service opportunity at the Cat Beach Sanctuary.

For the graduation hours to be approved, the project has to be something non-school sponsored. On Tuesday, October 6, Zoe Grous, a senior, sent out an email explaining that she had contacted the people working for the cat beach, stating that they needed volunteers to help out at the shelter. She sent out a signup form, and up to 32 kind-hearted high schoolers were willing to participate.

I asked Zoe Grous (12) the question of what inspired her to reach out to the Cat Beach Sanctuary: “Through the Student Impact Club I have been able to reach out to different organizations in Penang, which has been very inspiring. I felt inspired to reach out to Cat Beach Sanctuary because often people overlook animals and see them as less important. Providing the high schoolers with a service opportunity seemed like a great way to get students involved and give back to the community.”

On Saturday, October 17, a group of high schoolers ranging from freshmen to seniors made their way to the Cat Beach Sanctuary, located in Teluk Bahang. They were met with an unexpected obstacle, where there was heavy traffic. What was supposed to be a 25-minute ride became a 45-minute ride due to a fallen tree on the way.

Even though the students got to the cat beach later than expected, they still kept the smiles on their faces. Once they entered the gates, the local cats greeted them with excitement, rubbing against their legs, meowing, and purring. The students fell in love with the furry friends instantly.

The volunteers were then split up evenly into three groups. One group got to clean the cats, another had to clean below the main cat house, and the last group got to play with the cats and clean around the area.

The volunteers continued their work for two hours, till four in the afternoon. It was an exceptionally hot day and there was no air conditioning, but nobody complained. Everyone worked hard and made sure that the cats were left clean and happy.

At four, the students were picked up by their parents, and some of them left with a grab, paying about 4 to 6 ringgit per person for the ride back. The sweat and hard work were worth it, knowing that they had done something good for the community and provided a better environment for the Cat Beach Sanctuary cats.

It was heartwarming that the group of high schoolers were willing to take time off their fall break to serve the local community. This shows what Dalat is all about: being selfless and serving the community.

Two Months of Cherished Memories With Angel

By Alice Yang

 

After two months of teaching human anatomy class, Mr. Guerrero Angel, the substitute for the incoming teacher, held a small farewell party with the seniors in B block, cherishing the two months of happy memories.

Due to the absence of the incoming teacher, Mr. Riffey, who was supposed to be teaching the class, Mr. Guerrero substituted to teach in these two blocks of Human Anatomy.

Ever since Mr. Guerrero became a substitute for this class, the students, composed of all seniors, had experienced attentive and enjoyable class learning environments through intriguing laboratories and activities.

A vibrant, relaxed class environment and atmosphere have been created through having class activities such as sunscreen lab comparing the level of skin protection of each different sunscreen brand, a "skincare" activity trying out a facial mask and blackhead packs and review games helping the students to learn and prepare for upcoming tests.

As Sean Park (12) says, “One of the activities I enjoyed the most in Human Anatomy so far was whenever we played Kahoot as a class. I liked how competitive everyone was to be in the first place. High intensity made the Kahoot more interesting. Also we not only reviewed through Kahoot, but we were able to learn new things because some of the questions were unexpected, such as questions on concepts we never learned. But those questions helped me to get a better understanding of Human Anatomy as a whole. In the end, it was worth it.”

Moreover, the seniors got to have exposure to intriguing facts and knowledge about the human body parts, bones, and skin. Most importantly, these labs and activities further brought greater joy and motivation for seniors to learn better.

An unforgettable moment of playing fun games in the last few minutes of each class, such as musical chairs, heads up, seven up, mafia, and Kahoot quizzes about Disney music, helped the B block seniors and seƱor, Mr. Guerrero,  to bond stronger. Through this, the seniors were able to spend a good first two months of the senior year learning the human body in various ways while also making good memories.

On the 9th of October, the last day before fall break, the B block class held a small farewell party for their "angelic" teacher, Mr. Guerrero, as means to show their gratitude and appreciation for the previous two months of teaching. With a board written 'goodbye Mr. Guerrero', two small firecrackers, Dorothy Koay’s (12) baked chocolate chip cookies, and a bag of pretzels, the seniors and Mr. Geurerro spent the last day of class playing games cherishing the memories.

When the last minute of class left, with a class group hug, the seniors ended the last class with their angelic teacher, Mr. Angel Guerrero. 


Photos from Sean Park


A Time for Relaxation and Fun

 By Jeremy Kim

The school was empty, with no students to be seen anywhere. What was going on? It was fall break! A week off from school that everyone, even the teachers, was excited about. It was a time to relax and hang out with friends and family. 


Fall break was a one-week break where students and teachers can finally let go of anything school-related and enjoy a short rest. Even though people missed school when it was closed due to the pandemic, they can still find school tiring, especially when it takes up a solid 8 hours of their day. Sometimes a good break from school can really help us mentally and physically.


Anisha Kaloo (11) said, “ I got to go back to KL over the break and got to spend time with my family and friends.” Students and teachers got to spend this time doing whatever they needed to do: visiting their family, going on a short trip with friends, etc. Students also enjoyed this time since they could do things they liked and get lots of rest at home without having to worry about their academics.


Enee Crosslin (12) said, “ I didn’t do too much over the break, but I really enjoyed staying home and getting a good rest.”


During fall break, high school students also participated in lots of different service opportunities. The high school Impact Club planned service opportunities for students since it was hard to find opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students could choose to go to either a dog or cat shelter to serve. The animal shelters had hundreds of stray cats that were being taken care of.


Students were able to play with and clean the animals. Ji Hwan Kim (11)  said, “it was fun playing with the cats there. We helped clean the shelter where the cats were to help the cats live in a cleaner and better environment. It was a good experience.” Fall break was a wonderful time for Dalat students to branch out and serve the community they live in. 


Everyone enjoyed their short yet restful break. It was a good time to take a step back and chill. Even though students were sad about returning to school on Monday, it was great to be back amongst friends again. 


A Day with Lovely Animals

 By Ally Kim


“When I look into the eyes of an animal, I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I see a soul,” said Anthony Douglas Williams, an animal rights activist. Over the 17th and 18th of October, Dalat high schoolers had an opportunity to serve animals. Seventy students signed up for this animal service, which far exceeded the expected number.

There were two separate programs – one cat focused (at Cat Beach), and one dog focused (at 4PAWS Dog Shelter). Each student was given a chance to choose between the two based on their preference and experience. Despite its distant location and quite inconvenient transportation, many students were more than willing to spend their last two days of fall break on this animal service.

The main tasks for both projects were washing, walking, and playing with the animals. There were over one hundred cats and about six hundred dogs in the centers. Many of them had uncomfortable legs and poor visions. Some cats only had half of their tails, and some dogs had their ears half cut. All animals there were wounded deeply both inside and out.

To cure and show love to the animals, Dalat students devoted all their heart and energy to them. Students gave the animals warm hugs and sweet smiles. Although washing many dogs and cats at once and cleaning their shelter were laborious, they never lost their happy smiles and caring hearts for the animals.

Ji  Choi (12), who served in the cat program, said, “I never knew there was such shelter for cats in Penang. Although washing the cats was not an easy experience, they were all so cute that I could not feel tired. I was a little scared at first, but they were so adorable. I feel like they healed my soul and definitely made my day.”

Erica Jang (12), who worked with the dogs, said, “The dogs were so active and loving. Their positive energy lightened up my mood!”

This Animal Service had become a memorable experience for the students who participated, and they are excited for the next opportunity to see the animals again. Animal Service is a student-led service run by the student impact club that provides students with opportunities to serve animals. This week was a successful start on the program that will continue throughout the year.

Tuesday 6 October 2020

The Little Things Matter

Dorothy Koay

What does a small group of fifteen Dalat high schoolers do every Monday to directly impact individuals who are as far as 4,500 miles away? They walk into the Penang classroom during X-Block, with a heart to serve those who are less privileged than them, as members of the From Kids 4 Kids Club.


As a devoted and supportive supervisor of the club, Ms. Shawna Wood recounted that the club was first formed seven years ago. It was started by a group of eighth graders who were inspired to serve after a Social Studies lesson that talked about an individual’s rights and responsibilities in their community. As the young servant leaders recognized their potential to bring about positive influence on their community, they reached out to Ms. Wood and decided to form a club where they can carry out realistic plans in hopes of bringing even the smallest change to the world.  


From Kids For Kids Club stands with the notion: “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.” For the members of the club, it is not so much about changing the world, than it is about changing someone’s world. This firm and intentional mindset guided the club in making major decisions such as becoming the financial supporters of three kids: Mostafa Ibrahim, Sasidu Deadiyale Gedara, and Thi Loan Bui, for as long as three years, six years, and seven years, respectively. 


Not only does the club puts its focus on funding children to ensure they get their needed education, members of the club also connect with the children on a personal level by sending each child at least one letter every month. 


Some ways that the club have raised money in the past was by doing baking sales or by collecting donations through chapel services. One chapel service on February 2019, for instance, have collected as much as RM1735 from both the High School and Middle School department. 


As Dalat students go on from middle school to high school, from high school to college, and college to the outside world, Ms. Wood encourages students to be intentional in making positive influences on the people around them as she enthusiastically declares, “Everybody can make a difference! You just have to get involved.”

The Joy of Intramural Sports by Ethan Chan

 By Ethan Chan

With the ongoing chaos from Covid, many seniors have had their senior sports seasons stolen from them in a bad stroke of luck. On the bright side, this led to the creation of an intramural co-ed sports league that recorded participation from 279 students across both middle and high school. While it may not be the competitive interscholastic environment many varsity players might have been hoping for, the league presents its own relative benefits.

Currently supporting two sports, soccer and volleyball, the league shows great representation of a wide variety of skill levels. We have players taken straight from the varsity teams, but the majority of players in the league have little to no experience with their respective sport. To some, this intramural experience is serving as an introduction to a sport they might have wanted to play, but never had the chance to. In addition, the league also has the added virtue of being inconsequential, which makes for intense gameplay but without the pressure to perform well that is often seen at the interscholastic level. This makes the games far more enjoyable.

So far, my experience playing intramural soccer has been filled with pure, uninhibited, lighthearted enjoyment. If it weren’t for the horde of mosquitoes prowling around upper field, I might even call it perfect.

Bennett McIver (10) said, “it’s great to have something fun to do after school.” 

Zoe Seeveratnam (12) commented, “I look forward to intramurals because it gives me a great opportunity to get to know others outside my grade.”

The league isn’t even halfway to completion, yet it goes without saying that we are excited to see how the remainder of the season plays out. Looking towards the future, I personally wish to see the continuation of intramural sports at Dalat. While this may prove difficult after restrictions are removed on interscholastic sports, due to more regular usage of Dalat’s sports facilities, I think it’s been immensely valuable to many of our students and would continue to be in years to come.