Wednesday 23 March 2022

The Freshness

 By Alina Yeoh

The first week of the fourth quarter ended with an email sent by Mr. Penland informing students that sports games during lunchtime are allowed once again. When I checked out this email, I was in the hallway waiting for the X-block to start. Quite a few students were preparing themselves for sports—some sitting on the benches simply for relaxing and having fun. I walked myself to the tennis court while a smell of vitality floated in the air. At that moment, this place suddenly brought such a freshness to me.

Two years ago, I was lucky enough to come to Dalat, but I could also say that I had the misfortune of being enrolled during the pandemic. During these times, students have either had to follow the rules of not being able to participate in activities or take classes online. Even when we finally returned to school, we were unsure when we would be back to the computer and locked up at home. This back-and-forth created a lot of resentment among the students, including myself.

Since I was a new student at that time, I didn't even have the opportunity to engage in the events mentioned by most of the students. Therefore, the image of Dalat has been formed with emptiness in my mind. No one was wandering.

As Sophia Kang (12) said, "I miss the day when we could stay after school until 5 p.m., and just sat on the swings to watch the sea view with friends." I regretted that I might not experience the same thing as others in the past until I graduated.

Fortunately, that was not the case. As the situation turned stable, many things began to emerge. And I finally attended the X-block activity and stood on the tennis court for the first time. Not only did I feel fresh when I enjoyed time with my friends after school but watching students chat with each other because we didn't have to rush home made all the difference.

Even though we still couldn't linger after school for a longer time than before, there was a return of intramurals to change the circumstances. The epidemic made people lose enthusiasm. I couldn't represent everybody to say that intramurals would help switch the mood immediately, but at least we have the chance to make new memories with people in the school. As one of the seniors, I wish to carry this freshness to the end of high school life.

The Return of Sports?

 By Eugene Tee

The end of the Class of 2022 is around the corner. The tormenting, agonizing, despicable academic school life is finally coming to a grand finale. Unfortunately, we aren’t yet granted the freedom of athletic lifestyles. March 2nd, the date I often recollect: the absence of intramurals’ presence. The day the Ministry of Education barged into our campus due to a sudden pandemic rise and halted all joy and wonders. Disappointment, misery, and unwillingness summed up the emotion of the conclusion.

All ball sports were prohibited once again. That led to the top 3 popular sports in school, basketball, soccer, and volleyball, forbidden on campus. “Noooo, I wanna ball so badly during lunch, man!” Darryl Dwumfour (11) cried while munching on his sandwich. The sorrow continued as time flew by.

Finally, on March 18th, Mr. Penland announced the plausibility of Intramurals after spring break. Last but not least, sports balls are back! The news was delightful, and students rejoiced for its arrival. Without any hesitation, students brought their sports balls to school. Ball pounded, and students roared on friendly matches. The intensity can be heard a few meters away from the cafeteria. Without ball sports, lunch would never be so-called “lunch.”

“I miss playing volleyball with my classmates on the lower soccer field. The fun we have is irreplaceable,” Liwei Koh (12) comments while preparing to spike the volleyball to his friends.

Though sports are now available during lunch, intramurals are yet to be returned. Students are intrigued by the champions for each intramural category. Whether which team will reign the throne in either basketball, soccer, or volleyball is still a mystery.

“I can’t wait for intramurals to start!” Ryan Chan (12) is anticipating the season's resume to showcase his dunking skills. Nevertheless, remember to prepare your sports attire to compete for the glory and honor of your team!

Tuesday 15 March 2022

Quarantine Season Reflections

By Alexa Chandra

Every day we do our own things repetitively for the whole year. But this pandemic that started in the beginning of 2020 came by and ruined almost everything all of us had planned. We could not enjoy our life and experience as a teenager properly as we were wasting our time alone or together in our own house, quarantining. 

All of us, the seniors of 2022, spent our first week and most of the first semester digitally, and time passed by really fast. Gabriel Kontsas (12) said, “Quarantine sets us back physically and mentally. For example, I have a test on Wednesday in my Math class. It feels like I have been in class for five days during the whole chapter.” 

It feels like everything is dragged out for all of us. Some of us couldn’t catch up with the work given to us online. Some of us couldn’t pay attention to classes and get distracted with other apps on the computer while online. My GPA did not show good performances at all.

It has been a hard time for all of us; though I love being alone in my room and having my own time, not being distracted by other people, somehow I still miss my best friends. I thought about the limited time I have left with them as a high school student and I don’t know if I will get to meet them after graduation because we come from very different places and we are going to separate countries for universities. 

Emilia Park (12) said, “It was very depressing. I never got to hang out with my best friend, Alexa and annoy her.”

It wasn’t a good experience for me as I want to spend my last year with my best friends in Dalat and Malaysia before I leave for college. Luckily, these last few months of being at this campus are offline, and we get to see each other almost every day. I would love to spend my last laughs with my best friends and partner until graduation and leave a very good memory with them.

Senior Transition Retreat

By Jaesung Kim

As 12th graders approach graduation day and prepare to turn a new page in their lives, many adults and teachers attempt to assist them via the annual Senior Transition Retreat. The event took place on March 11 to 12, 2022, and answered questions about faith, fear, finance, relationships, sex, etc. 

Following the pandemic and half a semester of online schooling (and taking place before Senior Sneak), the transition retreat was rather unusual and surprising. Many students were not able to be present due to the virus, while new students had few opportunities to make an impact in the class. Wayne Khor (12), who hesitated on going to the retreat due to a relative’s case, said, “The virus restricted me from going to school and half the senior retreat.” Students who transferred to Dalat during the pandemic were unable to reach out to all of their classmates due to the cancellation of extracurricular and social activities. 

However, despite the oddities, the retreat still provided the seniors with priceless memories and advice. During free time from 12 to 4 pm on March 11th, students gathered around the beach and pools to enjoy their breaks. 

Dylan Chew (12), who was on the losing side of the football encounter, said, “It was a very fun experience being able to play beach football with my classmates, but the ref got the wrong call near the end.” Despite one side’s loss, the match ended in smiles and excitement for round two, which they decided would be on Senior Sneak. 

Other students spent their time swimming, filming Tik-Toks, and sleeping. In the lectures that followed the break, students received advice from teachers and adults about mental health and faith. Emilia Park (12) expresses her gratitude towards the teacher’s advice: “On the day after STR, I tried listing down my daily routine like Ms. Foster suggested and it really worked. My mood was instantly boosted.” 

In the midst of frustrating and confusing times, seniors showed a positive mindset heading forward. Esther Lo (12), former varsity athlete, said, “This retreat reminded me of when times were simpler in our 8th grade retreat and made me really excited for Sneak because I love seeing our class interact with each other.” 

Rather than lamenting over what was stolen from us, the seniors look to take back what was lost. By choosing to be hopeful, they are an excellent example of strength and growth. 


Monday 7 March 2022

March Mammal Madness

By Marissa Yost 

Every year, certain classes of Dalat participate in a worldwide – though little known – event called March Mammal Madness, named partly after the college basketball NCAA March Madness.

March Mammal Madness places two different animals (not always mammals, contrary to the deceptive title) against each other in battle. The result is simulated based on both scientific research and situational chance. Winners continue, and losers are eliminated until the final animals battle it out for the championship.

There are four categories of animals competing. The first is Mammal Collectives, where individuals from the same species work together to win. These groups, as students have found, can have humorous names, such as an embarrassment of pandas. The second category is Wild North America, which features fearsome animals like the grizzly bear. The third is Queens of Sea and Sky, which includes animals where the females of the species are bigger or in some other way superior to the males. One such competitor is the beautiful blanket octopus. Finally, there is the Why Not Both category, where the organism contains several unique traits. One example of this is the spotted salamander, the only vertebrate capable of photosynthesis, which is possible through a symbiotic relationship with green algae at the cellular level.

This year, every individual in Biology, AP Biology, and seventh grade gets to fill out their predictions of who will win. Each student also researches one randomly assigned animal or group of animals, creating a slide that describes the defense mechanisms, physical characteristics, and temperament so that they can make educated predictions on who will win each match. “My animals are doomed,” biology student Keiryn Sandahl (grade 11) predicts mournfully. “I have the labor of moles, and the thing about moles is that they cannot dig in arid soil. Since they’re being dropped right into the savannah, they have absolutely no protection against the pride of lionesses!”

Since everyone makes one slide, every student can take time to peruse through the slides, getting to know each competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their peculiarities. Upon being asked which animal they thought was the ugliest, seventh graders Ashley Khoo and Samuel Yeoh instantly replied, “the hairy frog,” while Halle Yost (grade 7) argued that the hagfish is the most repulsive. All had different thoughts on which animal would be the ultimate winner.

March Mammal Madness is academically beneficial, for it is a way for biology students to learn about probability and the benefits and practicality of research. Even more than that, though, it offers students an exciting way to learn about the beautiful world and the fantastic creativity of its Maker.

Missions Emphasis Week

 By Esmarie de Jager

At Dalat, there has always been a focus on the spiritual development of students and teachers. We do that through Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW) and Missions Emphasis Week (MEW). Last week was MEW, where the whole school had chapel time on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Although MEW was considerably affected by the current covid situation, a lot of good experiences came from it.

MEW has always been an exciting week for me since I joined Dalat in Middle School. Not only are teachers not allowed to give us homework, but we get to go hang out with our friends till “late” at night: worshiping, praying, and listening to sermons. Some of my best MEW memories were in the vintage chapel before the Harbor Hall was even built. Listening to the teacher tell their stories about mission trips and how they live out their love for God struck an interest in me to want to pursue God that way. Every year MEW has a special significance in someone’s life.

Covid has obviously made a lot of this very challenging; a lot of close contacts could not come to school, and several grades were out of school because of a few cases in their grade. When I asked one of the 9th grade girls about their experience at MEW, they told me that they were quarantined and only watched the zoom recording for one of the days. A 12th grade boy said that for him, the experience of MEW was “lukewarm.” Part of this is because of all the restrictions like only having the day sermons, not being able to have worship nights, and not being able to get into groups and pray together. This reminded me again of the challenge we are facing due to the pandemic.

However, a lot of good has come from this. Josiah Andrews (10) said that he “really liked it… loved the worship and sermons.” He also noted that Ms. Munson’s sermon stood out to him significantly.

Grace Neeley (11) said that she loved the worship and added, “the worship team did an amazing job.”

Yannick Theriault (12) said that he “really liked Uncle Tony’s message… about how we are made for the specific purpose of glorifying God.”

A lot of other people also had good experiences either through worship or through the message shared by the teachers. It makes my heart happy to see how our school is so resilient despite all the obstacles put in our way, and it brings me joy to know that this amazing tradition of MEW will be continued even after we graduate. Through all the lows that covid has brought us, MEW was a spiritual high for a lot of people. So, thank you to the teachers, the worship team, Pastor Bob and Ms. Henderson, the tech team, and everyone involved in making this MEW memorable.

The Cavity of my Tooth and Life

 By Grace Bae


As an ordinary day after school, I leaned on the counter and ate the after-school snacks. As I started chewing on the cracker with the cheese on top, I heard a loud noise that sounded like rocks cracking. I stopped chewing and froze at that moment, and I knew this feeling because this had happened to me before. 


When I was young, I wouldn't say I liked the taste of toothpaste. So I avoided brushing my teeth with the paste, which resulted in four cavities. Since my tooth was severely damaged, my dentist insisted that I should never eat hard food. But I never listened. Crackers, meats, and ice-creams are the love of my life that I can not give up. There was a consequence for following my heart though I had to visit the dentist every few years, and today was the day. 


Since leaving the tooth with the cavity for long can end up with it breaking, I went to the dentist with Pastor Bob and Aunt Nancy to get my cavity filled. The process did not take long, and it wasn't too painful. On the way back to school, PB asked how it felt to have the hole on my tooth filled. The conversation quickly turned into how this would make a great Senior Scribble.


PB preached how we all have a cavity in our lives, and it can only be filled with Jesus. All of the things Jesus does, Jesus fills our lives with peace, joy, purpose, love, self-worth, etc... PB says, "Only Jesus can fill the cavity in our hearts." It was astonishing how there are always connections with God in our daily lives and how much evidence God loves us. 


Sadly, we could not get Starbucks as usual PB trip because the dentist said no eating or drinking for a few hours. But Aunt Nancy said, "PB owes Gbae a Starbucks." And she permitted me to record it in my Scribble. I will gladly and happily wait for that time to come, PB!


Tuesday 1 March 2022

Dorm Retreat

By Emilia Park

Last Friday, the dorms went on a two-day trip to Ipoh. Because it was only a short getaway, no one was anticipating the trip. My roommates and I put off packing as much as possible until late the night before we left.

On the following day, we drove for about three hours and arrived at Adeline's Villa before lunch. We checked in, and as soon as we heard we were going rafting and caving, we changed our clothes and loaded into the back of two trucks. Five rafting guides were waiting for us when we arrived at the rafting location, and we broke into teams of 4-5 people. The rafting route had breaks between the large and small rapids to swim and take short rests. 

Since we had four to five people on each raft, we started to compete. We splashed water on each other's faces and pushed each other off the boat to win small competitions we created. Everyone was so into it that there seemed to be conflicts even between team members. Haylee Douglas (11) from Ziemer Dorm bragged, "As we were about to flip, Joycelyn hung onto half of the raft and looked at me with pleading eyes, so I pushed her off. It was yummy!" indicating that even her best friend was not an exception in the competition.

Meanwhile, only five people went caving. Sharon Kang (11) from Jackson Dorm, one of the cave explorers, said, "The cave was so cool. We had to crawl the whole time, so we got all dusty, but it was worth it." It seemed like the caving participants also had fun exploring.

After returning from an exciting afternoon schedule, we returned to the resort and had a short devotion time. We talked about identity and spent time looking back, reflecting on ourselves, and getting to know others better. Later we grilled marshmallows around a bonfire and gathered at a small cafe to play games and chat. Due to the long day, we all went straight to bed at 11 that first night.

The next day the final activity took place at a nearby waterfall. Since it was the last event of the dorm retreat, everyone enjoyed a cold waterfall shower and even participated in an impromptu karaoke session. The trip, which started without many expectations, turned out to be so perfect that not even a single hour was wasted. Though brief, it was a precious time for the dorm students to escape from the reality of daily school life and feel free and refreshed in a new place. 


Secret Superstar or Smiled Upon by Lady Luck?

By Liwei Koh

Will this serve be the last? Ryan Chew (11) thought to himself, feet planted behind the white outer line of the volleyball court following a spree of seven serves in a row. Many call volleyball a team sport, as it is about setting up good attacks through passes and communication. Yet services are an exception to that rule as players can gain points themselves.

This match should have been like any other match, the volleyball being exchanged after a few serves from each member succeeding exciting, unpredictable rallies from last-minute saves to quick reflexes. The score was zero to five, with the Lions crushing the Bulldogs in the last fifteen-point set, spirits were high on the other side of the net with the anticipation of victory, but this would soon change. 

Following the defeat, Jacky Park (12) (Lions Captain) grudgingly agreed, "Not a bad game plan, but spectators would not understand the pressure on the court."

The Bulldog team was preparing for defeat, but an unlikely star appeared, known worldwide for his legendary chokes when serving the volleyball. Chew reached for the ball as it was exchanged after the Bulldogs managed to snag a point from the other team; he stood behind the white line as his teammates cheered him on for a chance of a comeback. He lifted the ball for an overhand serve, praying that it would go over, watching as the ball dramatically fell onto the opposite team's court; he was in disbelief as he had just scored an ace. The team cheered him on, and he believed this time for sure it would be out, but by either sheer luck or skill, he managed to get not one, but ten more serves in a row single-handedly, bringing the score in favor of the bulldogs eleven to five. The other team was not in a victorious mood now as Chew was in the zone, hitting five last beautiful serves ending the game with fifteen consecutive serves in a row. 

Chew, after the game, stated that "at least they tried."

Tawan Teekaariyapak (12) (Ryan's Biggest Fan), who was watching from the sidelines, said, "Ryan was so hot no one could stop him but himself"

With the game time cut short, both teams decided to play another set for fun, and everyone was expecting Ryan to go for a twenty-five and zero score this game. But with his arms red and the ball coming back for him, tragedy struck as the hero who flew too close to the sun burned as the ball dropped in front of him, ending his reign of terror. 

The most dramatic reaction came from Tawan and Dylan (Ryan's Proud Brother), who almost fell out of the bleachers in disbelief with Dylan (12) afterward sadly saying, "It was not the way to end the streak."

Who knows, with his extraordinary service prowess and volleyball skills, we may see Ryan Chew on the big screen carrying the Malaysian national team to Olympic gold soon.


The Joy of Intramurals

By Addy Tan

Sports plays quite an important role within the Dalat community; students and parents are actively involved with after school sports. The recent re-introduction of intramural sports has sparked joy within the Dalat students; the ability to stay after school to play your favorite sport brings people together as a team once again. Randomized teammates give us a chance to connect with the younger grades and make new friends. 

“I was excited because it was the first organized sport in a while and we could actually play full court basketball instead of half court scrims,” said Soo Wei Goh (11). 

After almost two long years without sports, almost everyone has been panting like a tired puppy trying to chase the ball. The sweat on their faces brings the joy of playing the sport everyone loves; the pain lasts a second while the memories last forever. Seeing the smiles after winning a game or the frowns after losing gives a sense of ordinary, it is as if Covid never happened. Students are working hard to not miss any chances that may interfere with their ability to participate in the after-school intramurals, working hard to stay off the NFL and keeping up with their classes. 

The foundation of sports is trusting your teammates and their judgements, and you can see the participants take the spare 50 minutes before their games to talk about strategies and do some warm up activities brings the team together. You can see the happy smiles while playing before the games, but as soon as they step on court, that friendship turns into motivation to win the game and advance through to the next round. 

“Have an open mind and not be afraid to ask for the pass, play as a team and not as a singular student,” said Dylan Chew (12). Work on what your plan is as a team and trust one another, and most importantly, just have fun! 


Postponement of Sneak

 By Sophia Kang

Exciting talks and whispers of Sneak were heard through the school week before Sneak. Packing lists and plans were made, and students were looking forward to the trip. Some wanted to go to the spa, others wanted to kayak, and a few others were excited for the buffet breakfast at the hotel every morning. Unfortunately, just a few days before Sneak, it was announced that Sneak had gotten postponed due to Covid-19. 

A few students felt that “the postponement was a safe choice” – Liwei (Grade 12). The postponement of Sneak was to prevent further Covid complications, especially during the trip. Because of the spike in Covid cases these few weeks in Malaysia, there have been concerns about going on the trip. The postponement of Sneak was a good decision for the safety of the seniors so that we could enjoy Sneak without any worries later on.

A few other students were a little sad by the postponement, primarily because of their effort to pack for the trip. Alina Yeoh (Grade 12) said, “I’m kind of disappointed because I packed a lot for Sneak during the weekends, and it got postponed.” We had plenty to pack for the trip. 

Tawan Teekaariyapak (Grade 12) also said, “I didn’t want to go with some people missing,” as a few students couldn’t come to Sneak, and it wouldn’t be as fun without all the seniors present. 

The Covid-19 had ruined a lot of plans for people these past three years, including travels, meet-ups, and many other activities that people usually do. But students are hopeful that the Covid situation will improve and that everything will work out. 

I hope that the seniors will be able to spend quality time with each other before we move on to our separate destinations. For now, we will enjoy each other’s company in school and classes.


"Normal" Life

By Maggie Koay

For the first time since the first semester of my Sophomore year, school life has started becoming normal again. Well, as normal as it can be at this unpredictable and unprecedented time in our lives. 

Intramurals is the temporary replacement of school sports. Of course, it’s not the same as having our usual varsity sports and competing in big tournaments like the Island Shootout or ACSC, but it will have to suffice for now. It’s amusing to hear people talking about how their game went yesterday and see them rushing excitedly with their sports bag and shoes towards the gym after school, just like pre-covid times. Sadly, other than intramural sports, there isn’t much going on after school and on Friday nights like how it used to be. Beside Intramurals and AP B-Blocks, students have to go home right away after school. There’s still no late Friday nights in school, Music and Monopoly in the student centre, or class parties.

The class of 2020 is finally going to experience our first (hopefully) and last JSB, or Junior Senior Banquet, which will be held in the Harbor Hall but just as special nonetheless. We are also so fortunate to be able to go on our Senior Sneak (again, hopefully). We’ve also recently been allowed to leave school during our lunch break to find out that it's actually much tougher than it seems to finish our food and be back in school on time.

We have lost so much of our school life such as sport trips and school events because of the virus. But at the same time, there is so much to be grateful for right now as restrictions are gradually lifted, and we still get to experience some of the best parts of senior year. 

Reflections

By Chor Ee Ng

Fate is something that is very miraculous to me. I didn’t believe in fate when I was a kid but as of right now, fate has happened way too many times in my life for me to neglect its existence.

Due to Covid hitting our school and our country in waves, I thought that we would be able to have our senior sneak at the end of February since our cases have been low for the past month. A lot of places like cinemas, restaurants, and other outdoor activities were starting to be reopened by the government. People are going out to dine in at restaurants and people were able to do things they weren't allowed to do during the Movement Controlled Order. There were strict SOPs in the past, but most of it has been either removed or eased up.

As for Sneak, I planned out all my outfits and imagined the extra activities I was going to do with my friends, like, scuba diving, riding the ATV, and swimming with turtles. But fate caught upon us and because of the rise in Covid cases, and the rise in senior parents withdrawing their child from going to Sneak, our sneak got postponed to ****. A lot of people were disappointed, and a lot of people already started packing their Sneak bags weeks prior to the actual date of Sneak.

When I got the email from Mr. Penland, I looked at my “already packed” luggage, sighed, and unpacked. I could just leave the luggage as is and have it ready for Sneak, but I thought to myself if our fate run out again, the senior Sneak is not going to happen, and my bag would just be packed for nothing.

With all things considered, I still have hope in our senior sneak in ****. Regardless of whether there is a Sneak or not, I think the most important thing is that we are safe and there are other ways for us to bond with one another. Fate will tell in due time.