Monday 27 February 2023

New Waiter, New Restaurant

By Larissa Lee

Drama Club on Fridays have been a staple X-Block for many of the theatre kids at Dalat for around five years. Every Friday, as the bell rings at 3:10, we’d all scramble our way down to the room Auckland on the first floor of the Harbor building, excited to see what improv game that day would bring. Last Friday, Keiryn Sandahl (12), student leader of Drama Club, had introduced a twist to an improv game she had introduced two weeks prior. 

“I took the concept from the New Neighbor game and made it a game with a waiter and restaurant simply to change the premise so the skits wouldn’t get old. The game mechanics are essentially the same,” explained Sandahl.

The game’s premise is simple. It consisted of one person acting as someone new moving into a neighborhood of that actor’s choice, while others would act as residents of that chosen neighborhood, each possessing a specific trait catered to the prompt. For example, every member of the neighborhood would have a different hobby from each other, or a different allergy. In this new variation of the game, however, the starting actor would serve as a waiter and pick a type of restaurant to function as the setting, like a steakhouse. Then, instead of residents of a neighborhood, three other actors would come in one by one, acting as customers with different traits based on the given prompt. 

When asked about his favorite skit, Hudson Brooks (10) said that “the fear one was quite funny since we were in a pizza place, and Gabe (Roylance, 10) was speaking in an Italian accent and asked if I wanted to try all of the pizza, but I was afraid of olives, so when he said ‘all of’ it sounded like olive, and I fell on the floor screaming.” 

Another memorable skit included three delusional customers who each thought they were different animals. Keiryn spent the skit attempting to lick her own eye as a delusional person who thought she was a frog, Marcus Lim (10) portrayed a person who was convinced he was the “Eagle of God,” and Michael Silverstein (10) played a cat who was engaged in a chase with said eagle.

Improv games aren’t unusual in Drama Club. In fact, one of Drama Club’s main purposes is to work on improv skills. All the games played focus heavily on improvisation to practice thinking on our feet, but the variations of the New Neighbor game don’t only focus on improv, but also developing a character on the fly. Starting the skit for this game requires a quick establishment of setting by the “waiter,” and careful yet quick thinking from each “customer” to decide what trait they’ll embody based on the prompt.

Drama Club concludes the week with fun and excitement for many Dalat thespians. Between the improv games, the lively group of people, and the buzzing atmosphere, it certainly provides unforgettable memories, and last week was no exception.

Senior Transition Retreat

By Adelina Chee

On February 23rd, a normal weekday, seven seniors lined up by the wall at Flamingo Hotel to launch fruit loops from their noses. Meanwhile, the rest of high school attended their regular classes.

The event consisted of several informative sessions about transitioning after graduation. It started with lectures regarding a few topics; values, culture, faith, and relationships were some important subjects mentioned by the presenters. As the day progressed, some interactive activities were added which kept the class focusing a bit more.

The program included some activities such as the fruit loop challenge which determined who could get a piece of cereal further across the room with their nose. The mentos eating contest also provided some unusual entertainment. Another activity had participants swinging a tennis ball wrapped in a long sock around their head to display their spinning skills. The winner had to pull off the sock from the other person’s head. 

David Kilgo (12)—one of the two contestants—when asked about the showdown, replied with, “Yeah, it was a lot of fun, but Noah Lee’s rhythm was far better than mine so he deserved to win.” Although some of the activities seemed silly, each of them had an insightful meaning which connected to topics from the lectures.

Later on, after lunch at the hotel, the class had free time to explore the landscape and engage in other activities. Julien Goh (12) mentioned that his favorite memory was “going kayaking during the break because it was a fun experience with friends.” He also mentioned that the lunch buffet spread had a “nice selection, especially with the meat. The meat was good.”

Overall, the retreat brought some new memories and provided meaningful insights for the senior class to transition to their lives after high school.

It’s Pool Time!

By Ester Kato

Last week, on the 23rd and the 24th of February, seniors got to skip school to attend the Transition Retreat at Flamingo Hotel. During the retreat, seniors engaged in activities, sketched on a random paper, munched down tons of mentos, did henna, and put tinsel on each other’s hair while listening to Mr. Dobson’s lectures. 

On the first day of the retreat, students got about four hours of free time after lunch. Many students went down to either the pool or the beach. 

“I enjoyed the pool train rides, coconut hunting, playing catch [with a rugby ball], and just simply having fun with my classmates,” Sharon Kang (12) said as she looked back on her pool time experience. 

Eleanor Emis (12) explains the pool train rides as how “we were able to all connect together in one giant line that floated down the whole pool,” which Anna Phuah (12) in the front led the girls around the pool. “We squealed and giggled for what felt like an hour,” Eleanor adds. 

Around the end of our free time, Jeta Anderson (12) and Millie Morgan (12) returned from the beach with some cracked coconut. All of us at the pool shared the raw coconut, gnawing on the hard fruit. 

As for me, I got henna on my hand for the first time in my life. Jeta drew a nice flower design on my hand, which dried up nicely. However, it was really hard to wait for a while until the henna dried up since I am very impatient. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and we got to bond a lot. 

“It was nice swimming and having a full grade once again after Sneak. I hope we have more chances like this before we graduate,” Erica Shin (12).


Value and Fun in what Seems Mundane

Owen Lai

On February 23rd to the 24th, the seniors had their annual Transition Retreat, going to Flamingo Hotel instead of their usual classes. 

Senior Transition Retreat is essentially Senior Sneak’s little brother, but it has a very different purpose. Sneak is all about bonding with your classmates and having fun. On the other hand, Senior Transition Retreat is the annual retreat meant to prepare seniors for life after Dalat, where alumni and teachers talk about important topics such as “leaving well,” “values,” “culture,” and many more. 

The schedule for the retreat reflects this purpose as it consists of listening to teachers and alumni talk for 715 minutes or approximately twelve hours in one and a half days. That is a lot of time spent listening to people talk, and it was. It was hard to stay awake at times and stay completely engaged, and it was definitely not fun listening to people talk for that long.

So far, I have made it sound like the retreat was boring and should be skipped, and this was my initial impression going into the retreat. However, this could not be further from the truth. It is important to remember that you are going on this retreat with the rest of your class and friends. Whether or not the retreat will be a fun experience or not is up to how you spend your time at the retreat. You can spend your time complaining about having to listen to talk to people for so long, or you can see this as time spent with your classmates and friends. An example would be when two tables decided to host a paper-folding war where they created two massive paper armies of tanks, aircraft, and ships during the talks. They chose to see this as time spent with classmates and friends where they could have fun. 

The retreat was not spent listening to talks the entire time either. During the downtime, we were allowed to leave the hotel and go out and have fun, or we could stay in the hotel and go swimming, play on the beach, kayaking, and do many more activities. Even during the talks, games and small competitions were held meant to keep us awake which also linked back to what we were talking about.

The purpose of the retreat was to prepare seniors for life after Dalat, and if you stay awake and pay attention, there are many important ideas you can take away from the alumni and teachers. Yoseph Yang, a senior, had one such takeaway: “I learned a lot about college part-time jobs and am now considering whether or not I should work during college." Portions of the retreat are dedicated to asking where you can learn a lot if you engage in the topic or if you have any burning questions that need to be answered about the array of topics discussed during the retreat. 

This retreat is about preparing seniors for the upcoming transition in their lives, and whether or not you have fun is up to you.

Time for The Final Stretch

By Dominic Cheang

There comes a time where every senior is faced with the impending reality of having to graduate, leave Dalat, and go into the wild. For many seniors, this is the Senior Transition Retreat, an annual event planned by the school to aid seniors in their transition to going to university or anywhere else they might go.

Most, if not all, students are faced with the harsh reality that they will be leaving Penang, some for good, a place they have called home for years. For the local Penagites, they are faced with the reality that they will be leaving their home for some 18 odd years to study abroad.

The Senior Transition Retreat has a large focus on giving students advice on how to cope in their transition to a new place. For TCK students, this might be routine, but it will still be a challenge as it will for anyone moving to a different country. The retreat also gives a wide array of advice on various topics that students will face once they go to college and beyond. 

The venue of the retreat this year was the Flamingo Hotel, just down the road from Dalat. At first this was controversial between the students because, unironically, we could still see Dalat from the balconies of our rooms. However, those thoughts and feelings changed immediately after going in. Students were greeted with the familiar ocean view of Tanjung Bungah, surprisingly good food provided by the hotel, and the quality of the rooms.

Some students also commented on how they enjoyed the rooming arrangements and facilities. Evan Kuan said, “I really like how we have conjoined rooms. I feel like it’s a really great opportunity for me to have conversations and get to know my peers better." 

Haylee Douglas said that she “really enjoyed swimming with [her] classmates.”

Students also commented on the topics covered over the retreat as well. Natalie Khor said that she “really liked the relationship panel because we were able to ask the panelists any questions we wanted and they were super real with us.”

Overall, this retreat has provided the Class of 2023 with valuable knowledge and insight into life after high school. We as a class can say that we were ready to face the challenges that will face us in the months ahead.

Tuesday 21 February 2023

More Than Just A Team

By Ellie Guffy

The word “bonded” would be a serious understatement to use when describing what happened to Dalat’s varsity girls basketball team during this year's ACSC tournament. The countless hours spent strategizing, exploring, singing and laughing together allowed all 15 of its members (or 14 ½ as Coach Davis put it, being that he wasn’t able to join us on the trip), to experience a new, candid version of each other. 

Between the night market trips, exotic meals of fried crickets, and smoothie runs, the trip is one I’m confident will not be easily forgotten, especially by Sharon Kang (12). “I had at least one smoothie day,” she says, “and when I didn't have it I would talk about it until I got one. The smoothie trips bonded me with the rest of the team and made me appreciate Bangkok a lot more.” 

Scouring for burnt trash next to a nearby clinic, as apart of our service project, helped strengthen the connection between the team and showed us what we were really there for. Gathering with the other teams to worship and pray at the end of the day allowed us to look beyond the games and compelled us to appreciate the small moments in-between. Though winning games was certainly a priority, serving others and worshiping together served as a needed reminder to refocus our minds on what truly matters. 

The daily game debriefs, self-care sessions, and late night talks made the pre-existing connection we all shared even deeper. Riding the highs and lows together while being pushed to the brink of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion allowed us to become vulnerable and rely on one another for needed support. “One thing I love about our team is how close we are and that definitely showed during ACSC,” says Joycelyn Fung, a senior on the team. “I don't think we would've made it as far as we did if it weren't for the support we had for each other. Constantly cheering both on and off the court, we pushed ourselves through early mornings, injuries, and tough games with the team in mind.” 

By the sound of the final buzzer, the impending end was near; we all knew our time was up. While huddling together, we shared one singular thought: I wish it hadn’t ended so soon. Despite the eventual parting, each one of us retreating back to our familiar groups, we will always carry these memories with us. The good and the bad, the brilliant and the ugly, this experience will always be ours. Basketball has left an impact on all our lives - we will never forget this adventure. 

Bitter Sweet

By Lauren Worten

Who would've thought that the Varsity Girl's Basketball team would get second place at ACSC going into the finals undefeated? Our team came into ACSC hungry, wanting to win, taking that gold, and making history by being the first girl's team to win a championship. The first game of ACSC we played was like no other I've seen all season. We started strong, confident, looking professional, and appearing intimidating to the other teams, and we managed to give off that look. The whole tournament, you could see the fear in the other team's eyes when they were going against us because we dominated any team that came our way.

I not only had a blast playing basketball, but I had a fantastic time with my team. Nicole Khor (12) said, "It was the end of my last basketball ACSC, but the start of a forever bond." I've never been on a team that makes me laugh until I start getting stomach cramps, that I'm so comfortable with I can share my deepest thoughts and feelings, that pushes me to the best of my abilities, that comforts me through losses and celebrates with me through wins. Words cannot express how much I love this team and how proud I am of how far we've come. 

Something I didn't mention earlier is that we lost the finals against Faith… Haylee Douglas (12) said, "Not going to lie, losing the finals was heartbreaking, especially it being my senior year and not being able to have this experience again, but I've never been so proud of my team for all the hard work and effort they put throughout the tournament to get here." 

After the buzzer went off, the emotions hit me. I realized that was the last time I would be in a Dalat Jersey, the last time I could go to a basketball ACSC, and my last high school basketball game. Obviously I wish things were different, and I wish we had brought that first-place trophy home, but that was not the case. We lost. And especially going undefeated throughout the tournament and losing the one game we needed to win sucked. 

But through it all, there was one thing I would never change—my team and how we played. Yes, the finals wasn't one of our best games, but it was a learning experience for the team and for me. The emotions of not winning hurt, but the idea and looking back at how hard we worked to get there is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. And I am so thankful for this experience and for this team.

ACSC Tournament

By Luke Ng

During the week of February 13, 2023, both the boys and girls varsity basketball teams traveled internationally to participate in the ACSC basketball tournament. The boys traveled to Morrison Academy in Taichung, Taiwan, while the girls went to ICS Bangkok.

The tournament was a round-robin with two pools, Pool A and Pool B. The first two days, the teams would play within their pools, and both Dalat teams were able to go undefeated in their pool. The third day marked the start of the playoffs, and the games were decided based on your ranking in your pool. The Dalat boys got a 14-point win against the home team, Morrison, but lost against Grace. The girls were able to go undefeated all the way and secured a spot in the championship game.

On the final day of the tournament, the boys had to play Morrison one more time to advance to the finals. The home crowd was loud, kids were screaming, and the biased refs were making bad calls for Dalat. However, there was nothing that Morrison could do to slow us down, and the Dalat boys beat Morrison by 8 points to have a chance at winning the gold. 

The boys would once again face Grace to decide who would be the champions of the 2023 ACSC tournament. It was a tight battle between the two teams, with Grace holding a small lead at the end of the first half. However, with tight defense and intense offense, Dalat was able to tie the game at the end of the third. Both teams fought hard in the fourth quarter, but Grace's tough full-court press defense helped them to steal the ball from us many times, and Dalat ended up losing the game. It was a disappointing loss for the boys, but Dalat had shown everyone how hard we fight, and Team Captain Soo Wei Goh said, "After losing in a close loss and coming 2nd, I couldn't be more proud of our team. We fought our hardest and made history as we're the first team to achieve such a feat."

Faith managed to take down the Dalat girls in a blowout win, even though Dalat had originally beaten them in the semi-finals. The girls played the best they could during their tournament, and despite the loss, team captain Haylee Douglas said, "I have such an amazing team who work so hard and do everything with passion, and I'm going to miss being able to lead and play with them again."

Post-Taiwan-ACSC

By Chris Jang

After a week-long travel to Taiwan, the boys Dalat varsity basketball team brings back 2nd place from the annual ACSC tournament. Now back in school, the boys go through mixed emotions reflecting on the whole trip and the ending of the season.

"[I'm] sad, because we now have to do school work and basketball is over," ACSC top rebounder and all-tournament team Luke Ng (12) contemplated the morning of the first day back to school. And with the senior transition retreat approaching fast, it is no wonder that Mrs. Kearney is assigning her absent Calculus BC students an encyclopedia of calculus work (although her care for her students' success is undeniable). There is no question that junior year is the busiest year of a high school student is a myth; in senior year, it is a constant race against time.

"We got to skip Mr. Riffey's class to go watch, and the Student Center would be very full and exciting -- an enjoyable break from regular school work," Mark Ho (12) noted as one of the many supporters that cheered on the Dalat teams from Penang. 

Most of the guys on the basketball team brought their laptops to Taiwan -- to keep up with school work, of course -- but as basketball starter Darryl Dwumfour (12) explained, "I was too tired playing two games a day, frankly, I forgot I even had a laptop... it was funny to see my Mac at 100% battery after the trip, even though I didn't bring a charger." It was a struggle, for students in Penang and Taiwan, to get much work done during the ACSC week.

And waking up to a warm Malaysian morning again, the whole team must go through a sudden and rough transition, only to transition again during the transition retreat. There is already a laundry list of make-up tests and assignments that only snowball with a continuous stream of new academic work, displaying the true feat and responsibilities of a student athlete.

It was and is an enduring cost, but the experience was and is truly rewarding. With the track and field ACSC also headed to Taiwan in April, it is something a student athlete can be passionate and excited for.

The End is Near

By Haylee Douglas

The 2022-2023 Varsity Girls Basketball team traveled last week to attend ACSC in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the first ACSC for many of the girls on the team, but for 8 girls not only was it their first but also their last. 

Senior Ellie Guffy (12) expressed how she felt about it being her first and last ACSC: “It was really bittersweet that this was my first and last ACSC for basketball. I felt that experiencing the many highs and lows on the trip brought the team together.”

Within the weeks leading up to ACSC, the team practiced so hard and prepared so much in the hopes to bring back a gold for Dalat. Unfortunately despite the fight we put in, we could only bring back a silver. Losing that final was so hard, and the emotions that came after it were tremendous. But the pain of losing the final didn't so much come from just not winning, but that for most of the team it's something we can never go back to. We had one shot at the win and that was it. For us 8 girls, we can't go back next year to fight for it again and get our revenge. 

Not being able to go back is what hit me; this is senior year now. Everything we do is our last. There is no going back, there is no 2nd chance, there are no redos because we are leaving. The pain after the loss was so much more than losing; it was a reality check that the end is truly near. This was just the first of many painful lasts, but as we go forward with senior year, I want the seniors to really enjoy everything they do and put their best effort into everything. 

The team didn't get the gold, but I have no regrets for our team. We worked so hard from the beginning of the season to the end. We fought together as a team and bonded together as a team. I made a whole new family who I love so much and this is what I'm bringing forward with me as I graduate soon.


ACSC Boys Basketball

By Bennett McIver

The boys ACSC tournament was hosted by Morrison Academy in Taichung, Taiwan. The capital of Taiwan, Taipei, is a 4-hour direct flight from Penang; however, Taichung is a two hour drive from the airport in Taipei. This brought our ACSC Travel time to around 9 hours including the bus ride to the Penang Airport and transit time. We left school mid-day on Monday and arrived later that night and checked into the Morrison dorms. 

We started the next day off with an intense last practice to get used to the new conditions; it was just over 20’C on the first day we were there! We then went to Costco as a team to kill the rest of the day before the tournament started. 

The next morning, we had our first game. We played ICS-Bangkok in our opener which was fueled by some soccer ACSC rivalries (Dalat boys beat this school in the soccer ACSC final a couple of months prior). We won that game and had our next game scheduled against YISS. At half-time of that game, we were down by 12 points, however, we came back to win the game by 8 or more points. After this we proceeded to beat SPH, Hong-Kong, and Morrison before playing our toughest game against Grace. We lost that game and were scheduled to play Morrison in the loser’s bracket semi-finals. We won by a 6-point margin and were onto the finals to play Grace again. 

In the final, we were down by 10 points at one point before pulling it together and going into the 4th tied 50-50. However, we let the game get away from us and had to resort to sending Grace repeatedly to the free throw line to get possession back in hopes of scoring. It was too little too late, and we lost the game. 

It wasn’t all a loss though as we won the sportsmanship award which our coach said is “a very respectable achievement” as we were recognized for our character which also has value. Sean Lee (10), Noah Kaney (12), and Luke Ng (12) won All Tournament players; Luke also won the best rebounder award, averaging almost 12 rebounds a game. 

Regardless of the disappointing loss in the finals, ACSC was still a great experience and was filled with fun moments we got to share with our teammates. 

When asked about his favorite part of ACSC, Noah Kaney (12) said “hanging out with the boys.” 

Soo Wei Goh (12) said that “ACSC was an amazing experience. We all had our eyes set on winning and did everything to set ourselves up for success. After losing in a close loss and coming 2nd, I couldn’t be prouder of our team. We fought our hardest and made history as we’re the first team to achieve such a feat.”

Thursday 16 February 2023

Untouchable Pt. 2

 By Olivia Elliott

From the drizzly rainforest of Penang to the skyscrapers of KL to the quad of Malaysia’s university of science, Varsity Girls Rugby had an amazing season from start to finish. The players expressed that rugby is unlike any other sport they have played. 

Natalie Khor (12) described that she usually plays “brute force sports, but rugby required much more agility and speed” than she expected. 

Jing Xuan Leow (10) also commented that rugby revolves around speed, having “sticky fingers,” and the ability to observe the opponents and decide on a play on the spot. Additionally, rugby requires teamwork and trust; one can not go off alone and hope for the best. It calls for a team who communicates well, runs fast, and has nice dumps. 

But through that speed and agility, the team placed second in the Penang State Championship, was awarded fourth place at ISKL, and on February 11th, won gold undefeated at their final tournament. 

Chad Neeley (teacher), the team’s number one fan, says that the rugby “girls embody the character of Christian athletes. They play hard, through hardships, finish strong, build off of each other, love one another, respect their opponents, respect the refs, want to learn, want to get better, run the whole game, celebrate well, and stay humble.”

Beloved by passionate parents, supportive siblings, and caring coaches, this team improved significantly for the intrasquad match between the Sky Queens (blue) and the Golden Slayers (gold). During Senior Night, rugby coaches Bob Wright, Rachel Brooks, and Adam Daniels expressed their deep gratitude and encouragement to the Sky Queens, which include Millie Morgan, Grace Neeley, Jeta Anderson, and Eleanor Emis. They also showed sincere appreciation and affection for the Golden Slayers, consisting of Moriah Windsor, Natalie Khor, and Olivia Elliott. After the recognition speeches, the team and parents interacted over snacks, karaoke, and a photo shoot. But this event could not have happened without the behind-the-scenes teamwork of Margret Emis and Juni Worten.

During the season, the team members connected almost instantly. Kathrine Boyd (11) and Jane Lee (9) were both surprised and grateful for a warm welcome to the team and the friendships they did not know they needed. 

The 2022-2023 Varsity Rugby team will never forget the beautiful teamwork, the thrill of scoring, and the support from teammates- they felt untouchable. 


“There’s been an update to your application”

By Natalie Khor

After the first semester of college application frenzy, the long, arduous wait awaits seniors in their last semester of high school. Every day, we check our emails obsessively to see if there will be any updates to our applications. 

Angelia Loo (12) applied under early decision to Northeastern University and was among one of the first to receive an admissions decision. “The waiting game was pretty torturous and painful because all it was that it would come out by December 15, but it had come out earlier previously, so I was just checking my email every morning,” she said. When that fateful day arrived, she opened her university portal to gratifying news. 

Joshua Emmanuel (12) received similar news in his applications and admitted, “Once I got [the acceptance], I couldn’t care anymore at school.” 

There’s a long-standing joke that no one is more pathetic than seniors in second semester, and with acceptances pouring in as time goes on, it is only inevitable. After all, why keep working hard when you’re already in college?

However, the decisions that wait in the portals aren’t always good news, and seniors have to make the difficult choice of fighting the urge to check during the school day or giving in to temptation as it can make or break their mood--deferrals are disappointing, and rejections are downright devastating. Not to mention, college admissions is not just about being accepted but also about whether they offer enough scholarships and financial aid for the student to have the means to attend. Oftentimes, financial aid packages come after decisions and thus commence the second “waiting game.”

Decisions may be trickling in slowly now, but in March, they will start pouring in, and all the seniors have to mentally prepare themselves for the rollercoaster of emotions that will be sure to come in the month of March.

Monday 6 February 2023

Going in Blind

By Alia Peterson

People have always told me that senior year goes by fast. However, I only really believed that now. The past three years of high school have gone by quickly, but senior year truly does flash by. Here we are in the second semester of our last year of high school, except it feels like our freshman year. We never had a full year of high school due to Covid putting us online. 

The social aspect of the past years has been abnormal, with no sports and the inability to go to school and see friends. Everything became online, and sports disappeared for a little while. Covid has affected everyone's lives, but as I think about it, being a senior is crazy. With these last few months of school before graduation, most of us seniors have already applied or are in the process of applying to colleges. Others have different plans. As I look back on it and realize that this is the closest to an ordinary high school year for us, it's eye-opening seeing how far we have made it. Despite the bumps in the road, we have survived this far through high school, especially Covid. 

We seniors are excited to have our first full year of high school before heading off because we don’t know what to expect in our future. When I asked Eleanor Emis (12) what she thinks of this year so far, she said,  “It’s encouraging, and I'm very grateful that we’re able to have a full year of high school without being online. We will be able to transition more smoothly into our futures and manage extracurriculars and full schedules better after having more experience our senior year.” 

Some of us look forward to and are excited to graduate, while others consider it a bittersweet moment. Personally, I am excited to graduate and see what the future holds. I look forward to growing socially, emotionally, and academically as I start a new journey. Although it can be scary thinking that we don’t know what the future holds and are going in somewhat blind, I think that our high school experience with Covid has prepared us for the unexpected.

Jr. Island Shootout Champions

By Mark Ho

After a busy school day, the JV boys’ basketball team got ready to play in the Dalat Jr. Island Shootout Tournament. Right when the clock hit 3:10, the boys pushed aside their math homework and hurried straight to the gym. 

At 5 pm, all thirteen boys and their coaches huddled in before their first game against Oasis. The boys were keen on showing what they were capable of. The game was tense and close. For every point Dalat scored, Oasis scored too. Unfortunately, the boys just barely fell short of the win, and it ended in Oasis’ favor 48-46. Team captain Caleb Jun (11) said, “We were sloppy and missed many layups that we shouldn’t have.”

After the disappointing first game loss, the team focused only on what lay ahead. Instead of looking back on their previous game, the boys were prepared to win against their next opponent, Chung Ling Private. With their newfound mindset, they were able to crush Chung Ling in a thirty-point blowout. 

With two games played by the boys, the day ended, and they would have to rest up for the games tomorrow. 

After having a whole night of rest, the JV boys were eager to win the rest of their games and take home the gold. With their revitalized energy, the boys cruised past POWIIS twice with a comfortable thirteen, then twenty point lead. 

Beating POWIIS put the boys in the finals. Once again, they were up against Oasis, whom they lost to just a day ago. Before the game, Coach Latham pulled the boys aside and worked his magic. He told the team about the game plan he was cooking up. Jun said, “When I heard the game plan, I knew we were going to win.” 

The gym was packed with students, teacher, and parents. Their cheers were resounding. The boys played hard and made up for the mistakes they made in their first game. They were ready to get their revenge. The game wasn’t easy. Oasis fought hard, but Dalat fought harder. This time, the JV boys came out on top with a ten point victory. Winning them first place in the Jr. Island Shootout. As soon as the final whistle was blown, the crowd went wild and their claps were thunderous. 

For now, the team will be preparing for their journey to The Jungle, to face ISKL once again. They will be working to fix the faults in their gameplay and in their individual skill to take home another first place for the Eagles.

ISKL Tournament

By Soo Wei Goh

This past weekend, the varsity boys basketball team and the varsity girls basketball team travelled to Kuala Lumpur to face our rivals, ISKL. Before this meeting, we had already met them on our home grounds. The girls had won both games, whilst the boys had fallen short by 1 point. The girls sought to continue their winning streak, while the boys sought revenge on their home floor.

The bus ride was chaotic, as usual. Everybody complains about the long bus rides, but I genuinely enjoy them. Spending 4 hours with your friends at the back of the bus playing clash royale is as fun as it gets. For many, it was our last ISKL trip, and we wanted to make it memorable. 

Fast forward a few hours after the bus ride, we tipped off against ISKL in their home crowd. Adrenaline was rushing through our bodies as we started the first quarter. We got off to a slow start and ended up down 4 points in the first minute. After a timeout was called, we went back on the court and defended against ISKL. While guarding the ISKL guard, I rolled my ankle on the hardwood and collapsed to the ground. I was in pain, but the game carried on, and I had to be subbed off.

Exactly 3 minutes after, Luke Ng sprained his ankle, landing on the ISKL centre when landing. With three starters out and a depleted team spirit, we couldn't make a comeback and stay in the game. We lost 37-16 on the first day.

It was a rough night going back to the hotel. Everyone was bummed out that injuries were plaguing our team, and we didn't have a fair shot of beating ISKL. This meant the rest of the team had to step up if we wanted to have a chance against ISKL, and that's precisely what we did.

Playing ISKL for a second time, everybody expected us to lose with an injured team. Instead of admitting defeat early on, we went out and gave them a fight. Darryl Dwumfour (12) led the way in the first half by dropping 13 points, whilst Sean Lee, Drew Worten, and Ezra Latham provided a much-needed offensive boost by scoring 3's. 

Going into the second half, we lead by 5 points. Fast forward to the 3rd quarter, we lost the lead as they gained momentum, and the game ended 47-55. It was a great game. We showed a lot of heart despite our circumstances and grew so much as a team. Noah Kaney said, "I'm proud of this team. In the face of adversity, we pushed through and gave it everything." 

The next stop for our varsity basketball team is to take on ACSC in Taiwan in precisely two weeks. This means nonstop practice, matches, and rehab for our injured players. ISKL was a blast and will most definitely provide a huge confidence boost in our team going into ACSC.

Wednesday 1 February 2023

Relationship between Panthers and Eagles

By Chika Tsumagari

I stood at the centre of the court, on top of the huge logo of ISKL, The International School of Kuala Lumpur. I was ready for the tip-off, but there was some unknown complication among the referees, so I took the chance to talk to the ISKL panther standing in front of me. I offered my hand to wish them luck, and I shared with her that this was my last time at ISKL, and my last time competing against them. She took my hand to shake it but told me that she still had future games against Dalat since she was only a junior. 

The game started and I was able to tip the basketball to Lauren Worten (12), our captain and point guard, who was waiting for the ball behind me. We beat ISKL 29 to 16; it was a clean win. Our skills and teamwork lead us to 4 total victories against the Panthers this season. The victory was well deserved, and I have no doubt about that, but I couldn’t help but feel slightly sad when we finished the game. 

Sharon Kang (12), Joycelyn Fung (12), Haylee Douglas (12), Nicole Khor (12), and I have played in the same team since 7th grade and have played against ISKL many times. Not only for basketball but for soccer and volleyball as well. There were many defeats and victories, making ISKL our best rival school. But the thought of never playing them or coming to their school again was bittersweet. Our other captain, Haylee Douglas (12) says, “I think it was really cool that I was playing with the same people on my team at ISKL in 8th grade when we lost all our games to now winning all our games against them.”

Unfortunately for the boys’ varsity basketball team, it was more of a bitter finish in ISKL. Their skill levels were much closer to one another, so each game was always intense. Their last game was painful to watch. Three of their starters were injured, there were many biased calls against Dalat by the referees and much unsportsmanlike conduct from the panthers’ players. Though our boys came very close to winning, the panthers took the victory in the end. 

Nevertheless, the captain of the team Soo Wei Goh (12) took it as a growing experience and said, “I’m proud of the guys who stepped up their game and our team grew a lot. This experience prepared us for ACSC.”  

We’ve had our sweet and maybe more bitter moments with ISKL. We never really became friends, and they’ve said some nasty stuff about our school. But I’m glad we had a rival school that pushed us to become better and challenged our sportsmanship. I will admit, they made our basketball season more interesting.  

Diving to the Finish Line

By Jeta Anderson

The end of rugby season is approaching as the first ISKL trip for season two sports occurred last weekend. The teams who attended included the varsity boy's basketball, the varsity girl's basketball, and the varsity girl's rugby team. 

All the teams did very well in the tournament. However, the most surprising result was for the varsity girl’s rugby. Having only started a few months ago, the girl’s rugby team was relatively new to Dalat. Out of the original eighteen girls on the team, only four had ever played rugby before; the vast majority of the team not even knowing the basic rules of touch rugby. With little to no prior experience, the girl's rugby team surprised everyone when they placed fourth out of the six teams. The other teams consisted of club teams that practiced all year round and teams from other international schools that had been playing for years. 

When asked about the growth of the team, Captain Millie Morgan (12) replied, “Even over the course of one day, we learned so much. Looking back to where we started, I am really impressed at the growth of everyone on the team. After seven games in one day, we were exhausted, but I am happy with how much work everyone put in and how much adjusting we had to do." 

In addition to being the most improved team, the girl's rugby team was also the most diverse in grades, with around half of the team consisting of underclassmen. The team brought together girls from all different grades and made them into one united team. 

“One of my favorite things about sports is the people I meet through them and the connections we form. It was an amazing journey and a privilege to play with these girls and help lead them. I can't wait to see how they grow as a team in the years to come,” said Grace Neeley (12), one of the team captains. 

ISKL Basketball Weekend

By Keilah Pickett

Over the weekend, the girls’ varsity basketball team travelled to KL to compete in the not-so-tournament (seeing as there were only 3 teams). Traveling is always something athletes look forward to during a sports season because of the new sights and bonding that can happen. 

Haylee Douglas (12) said, “My favorite part of ISKL was the whole team squeezing into one room because I felt like it really bonded us talking all night.” It is fun to see and experience new places and grow closer and more comfortable with your teammates.

The 5–6-hour bus ride down was filled with activities like karaoke, Tik Tok-making, and long conversations. From long hours tightly packed in a bus, we learned more about each of our teammates, which is an important part of any team sport.

Chika Tsumagari (12) said that “during this trip, we spent so much time together and bonded so well. It really showed on the court which allowed us to be undefeated.”

For some of the players on the girls’ team, it was their first time at the ISKL school grounds, and so not so surprisingly, there was an initial shock at the size and magnitude of the campus. After the initial shock wore off, the nerves started to kick in for the games ahead. The magnitude of the campus brought an intimidating feel to the game as we were the visiting school. However, the girls team went on to win all their games against ISKL and a big win against the Oasis team, scoring 44-14. Talking to the girls who have been going to ISKL since the 8th grade, the big win meant a lot because of the historical rivalry between the two schools. Despite the long, tiring weekend, it was filled with joy and excitement and long, crammed bus rides, and is an experience I think we will all cherish. 


Bus Business

By Millie Morgan

This past weekend, all of Dalat’s varsity teams traveled to compete against ISKL for basketball and rugby. While the games and tournaments are the focus of the trip, many hours are spent on the bus. The bus rides are always a great bonding experience for the team and full of fun memories! People always hear about how the games went and how each team placed, but no one seems to know about the fun things that happen on the bus.

The bus rides give us time to spend together as a team off the field or court and learn more about each other outside of the sport. Being stuck together for hours with the nerves and excitement for the upcoming weekend, brings the teams together. 

Olivia Elliott (12), a varsity rugby player, talks about how “we were able to bond over ‘never have I ever’” and how she got to know her teammates better, “especially the underclassman.” We filled the time with singing, eating fast food, fixing each others hair, and taking pictures of people sleeping.

Even the quick rest stops were fun. We’d have less than an hour to get lunch, eat, and do whatever else we needed to. A big group of us would crowd A&W, Pizza Hut, or Starbucks as we nervously waited for our food to arrive on time. Then we’d cram back into the bus and share our snacks as we continued the journey. We got to talk to each other about our lives, and learn things we don’t normally talk about. 

Jeta Anderson (12) said, "The best part about the bus ride for me was that I got to talk and hang out with all of the girls on the rugby team. We were able to spent a lot of time together as a team and I think being stuck in a bus together for six hours really brings people together." 

This was my last trip to ISKL, but I will always remember how fun the trips were. I have so many fond memories of my teammates and of the hours we spent on the bus. Even though they are long and I often end up sick and sleep deprived, I would do it all again. 

Ankles Injuries Left and Right

By Eleanor Emis 

If you have seen multiple people on campus with a boot on a foot, or crutches in their hands, and even me sitting in a wheelchair, then your observations are correct. These past two weeks to be specific, several students have been injured due to sport specific injuries, the majority being in the ankle. From myself to Kyra Brewster (10), Luke Ng (12), Soo Wei Goh (12) and Noah Kaney (12), all of us have shared sprained and broken ankles. 

It all started two weeks ago when Kyra and myself both injured our ankles. It was a Monday afternoon, and I had my weekly rugby practice. I was sprinting while doing a practice game and all of a sudden my feet stopped before my body had time to catch up. At the same time, my ankles inverted. It hurt pretty bad, but thankfully Mr. Riffey was able to come to my rescue and help me out. He told me later that I had a grade 2 ankle sprain on my right foot and a grade 1 on my left. After 2 weeks of recovery I am now boot free and can walk normally on my own. Little did I know right before I sprained my own ankle, Kyra Brewster had broken hers. 

Kyra explains how she felt after she found out it wasn’t a sprain but a hairline fracture in her foot: “When I found out that my ankle was broken I was really disappointed because it meant that my basketball season was completely over. Even though it was really sad to hear, I looked forward to learning about the healing process and set my goal to be healed for the football season." Thankfully Kyra now has progressed to only having to walk on her boot and not use crutches. 

ISKL the following week added 3 additional ankle sprains. Noah Kaney sprained his ankle a couple days before the team was due to head out to KL and at the tournament Luke Ng and Soo Wei Goh stretched ligaments in their ankles as well. Luke said, “It was disappointing to be down 3 starters and that I was very disappointed to be unable to play the rest of the tournament. It was tough to see ISKL win again.” 

Noah Kaney said, “I think that its super weird, within a 2 week span, around 5 people all injured their ankle and if counting the non-related ankle injuries it’s even more. It stinks because ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries and it just happens so much. It’s annoying because sometimes you have to use crutches and wear a boot, and it just inconvenient getting around places.” 

Noah is very true by saying that ankle injuries are very common, however it rises the question if there was any way to prevent these injuries or to have done something better or different. Mr. Riffey came to say that, “Some of the sprains are just unlucky and their feet fall on someone else’s foot. Or that the ground on upper field is bad or the students aren’t actually following rehab like they should. All of them are unlucky sprains. Very unfortunate for the players.” 

Overall these past two weeks have been having full elevators and lots of crutches to share around with other kids. Moving forward you have to ask yourself how to prevent an ankle sprain when you are being active in a sport. From all that I have learned by taking Mr. Riffey’s Sports Medicine class and seeing him work with students is that warm ups are important. Stretch out your ankles before using them and do exercises to strengthen those muscles and ligaments. And if you do injure yourself and sprain it, follow the correct rehab exercises for a full recovery. 

Untouchable, Untouchable

By Grace Neeley

Touch rugby has been a small sport at Dalat for a while; however, this year, taking home second and fourth place in the tournaments, it's become more popular. Girls of all ages participate, learn, communicate, and build friendships through this beautiful sport. 

Last weekend, the team went to ISKL for a tournament where six teams played competitive touch rugby and Dalat placed 4th. On the field, there was an impressive amount of learning and adapting that took place, the other teams played on a different level than we had been and that caused us to have to readjust and adapt. 

Some of the girls on the team were skeptical about joining the team as most had never played before. 

Jeta Anderson (12) said, "I had doubts about joining the girl's rugby team but I'm so glad I did because it was such a fun experience. I was able to learn a completely new sport and get to know so many of the other girls on my team." 

Every team member showed so much growth this season, and this ISKL tournament was an opportunity for everyone to shine. There was excellent communication on and off the field; positive criticism was going around as people gave tips on what others could work on. Teamwork was seen not only on the field but even in the hotel at night when Jane came down with a fever; everyone worked together to get her to Nurse Nancy. 

At the start, everyone was terrified of how this tournament would go and how much work it would be. But after a few bruises and scrapes, we all came out smiling and proud of ourselves. It was such an honor playing alongside everyone on the team. With more practice and time, I have no doubt we will beat ISKL at next year's tournament.

Prosperity, Wisdom, and Happiness

By Jordan Suen

Sounding off in the dark of the night, the fireworks illuminated the night sky with their vibrant colors and earth-shaking sounds. It was that time of year again, a time to celebrate a new year. A Chinese New Year to be more specific. Common festivities of Chinese New Year include lion dancing, family reunion, and red packet gifting. These practices have been passed down from generation to generation, all having their own meaning and purposes. 

The lions dance to the beat of the drums so that they may ward away evil spirits, the suits crafted to look like Nians from Chinese mythology in order for them to symbolize the power and wisdom of the creature. Chinese tradition also has the art of gifting red packets filled with money. These represent luck and good wishes so that people may carry these ideals forward to the next year. 

Chinese New Year is celebrated in hopes of good luck and prosperity, but also serves as a time to be with family. Friends and family from all over the world will congregate in order to spend the new year with loved ones. This creates a sense of communion within our nation of Malaysia, a country that is rich with culture. 

No matter your religion or race, gender or age, everyone is welcome to celebrate and partake in the commemoration. “I drove down to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate, there were decorations and people from all over the country gathered into one area,” said Natalie Khor (12) 

As the night becomes quieter with each passing day, the lessons, experiences, and views remain dormant in our minds so that we may remember the feeling of this New Year. 新年快乐 (Xin Nian Kuai Le)--have a happy Chinese New Year.

A Trip filled with Injuries and Disappointments

By Kai Ru Bok

On a calm Friday morning, the varsity boys' basketball team traveled to Kuala Lumpur on Friday, January 27th, to reclaim glory against ISKL (International School Kuala Lumpur) after a devastating loss in the recent Island Shootout tournament. 

ISKL's varsity basketball team proved better the first time after beating the Dalat boys in the finals after a close 40-41 game on home ground. Tensions were high during the days leading up to the team's trip to KL as they worked harder than ever to prove to ISKL, and more importantly themselves, that they were the superior team. After a long six-hour drive, the tired team entered The Jungle, ISKL's main gym, and prepared themselves for the competition. Not long after, all thirteen boys gathered for warm-ups on the court, followed by a pre-game shootaround. 

Starting the game, captain Noah Kaney (12) said, "Coming into the game injured with a sprained ankle is a big upset for me as I was looking forward to playing ISKL again. But I still believe our team will win this game even though I won't be on the court with them." Noah was one of the main contributors in the previous game against ISKL with ten points. Losing one of their main contributors in points, each player came into the game knowing they had to step up. 

Two minutes into the match, SooWei Goh suffered a sprained ankle after attempting to steal the ball while an ISKL player jumped in the air. SooWei, just like Noah, was one of the team's significant contributors in points, averaging eight points a game. Drew Worten quickly subbed in for SooWei, but the team's mindset was distraught. Not long after, Luke Ng suffered the same injury as Noah and SooWei, with a sprained ankle. Being the starting center, Luke scores most of the team's points, averaging 10 points a game. With all three starters out of the game, Dalat's team's mindset fell apart and ended in a disappointing 16-36 loss.

The following day, the boys woke up prepared for a rematch against ISKL. Darryl Dwumfour took it upon himself to lead the rest of the team. Darryl scored a career-high of thirteen points by halftime, and Dalat was leading 27-22. However, the second half of the game didn't go as planned when the referees made multiple bad calls, letting ISKL shoot more than ten free throws, giving them the lead. Despite their best efforts, Dalat fell short, ending the game 33-46. Nonetheless, the coaches and captains felt incredibly proud of the team for their battle against the panthers.

After coming back late Sunday night, the Eagles have been working to patch up the holes in individual and team play in preparation for ACSC. Noah Kaney, Luke Ng, and SooWei Goh hope to return to the court by Saturday, February 11th, in the game against Youngsters. Each of the thirteen members feels confident for ACSC and hopes to add another trophy to Dalat's collection.

Freedom of Expression

By Tian Xiang Hwang

“So, I wanna hear your opinions on Harry and Meghan,” Mr. Jason Knutson asked the class unexpectedly one day.

There are many classes in Dalat International School, ranging from a science class like Physics to the hard AP classes like AP Calculus. However, there is one very underrated class in particular called AP Comparative Government & Politics, which there are only four students taking. In that class, you learn about political concepts, type of regime, democratization, and the examples of the six countries of the United Kingdom, China, Russia, Iran, Nigeria, and Mexico.

The teacher, Mr. Jason Knutson, has done a good job on making the class discussion-based. He managed to keep the class engaged by talking about modern politics of the six countries and current events. Now, talking about current events might sound extremely unrelated to the class, such as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. However, Harry was part of a royal institution that has been around for many centuries, and his actions does affect the reputation of the institution a lot. Things like this are fun to talk about, which really gets people engaged. The mood in the class seemed very focused and enjoyable. It would be safe to say that the opinion of every student on this class is positive. 

Evan Kuan (12) stated, “I think that Comp Gov is a very good example of a class that has application in real life as well. The concepts that we learn in this class allow us or better understand the workings of governments around us.”

There are various reasons why people take that class, such as wanting to learn more about politics, liking politics, world events, the different types of governments, the history of those countries, or because it’s an easy AP class. 

According to Limey Chhor (11), “AP Comp Gov challenges me. It makes me more aware of things that are happening in certain parts of the world and pushes me to explore what factors lead to those events and what these changes are likely to result in. It's a class that takes me beyond my subjective view and to make sense of things from an objective standpoint.”

Everyone who has taken this class definitely would take away something once they complete the AP exam. Everyone currently taking it has something in mind as to what they hope to learn and take away. 

As Yuna Lee (11) said, “I personally hope to take away from this class a deeper comprehension of how governments operate, how they can impact the lives of everyday citizens, and the various challenges and opportunities that these governments and political systems present. Additionally, I hope to develop through this course a deeper appreciation for the diversity of political systems, cultural practices, and traditions around the world and how they help influence our way of life.”