Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

For the varsity volleyball team, the Twin Towers Varsity Volleyball tournament featured early wins but ended with two devastating losses and a valuable lesson about motivation.  Traveling to ISKL, the team confidently entered the tournament with high expectations. And although I sat on the bench for 99% of the tournament, I experienced and watched my teammates fight for every ball from the sidelines. The first day was basically perfect. We won both of our games 2-0, which hyped us up and gave us momentum going into the second day. From the bench, it was exciting to watch the team play with such confidence. Every receive, set, spike, and block piled onto the belief that we could really make a deep run in this tournament.  The following day began similarly, with another 2-0 victory. The team had been playing amazingly, and the energy on the bench was fitting our success. It felt as though everything was coming together perfectly. Then came the elimination game. Unlike the earlie...

Traveling four hours down the peninsula, the Dalat varsity volleyball and soccer teams traded Penang for Kuala Lumpur last Friday to compete in the annual Twin Towers x FNL tournament hosted by ISKL. The early-morning bus ride was filled with groggy and sleepy athletes, but as we neared our destination, a mix of nervous anticipation and excitement set in.  The gymnasium buzzed with non-stop energy throughout Friday and Saturday. Every match we played came with intense rallies, stressful huddles during timeouts, and an incredibly loud bench.  Edyn Roylance (12) said, “My favorite part about the ISKL trip was when Avery and I started barking at the sidelines.” Along the sidelines, the bench grew to be an unstoppable wave of noise and encouragement, bursting into cheers and chants after every single point. They were the backbone that carried the players through tough moments and lifted our team spirit when morale was low, unifying everyone.  With international teams coming i...

“I’m so tired, bruh,” yawned Ivan Chan (12) on a chilly Friday morning. The boys and girls of the varsity volleyball and soccer teams boarded the bus at a crisp 7:30 am for a long bus ride ahead to ISKL. Every team there had spent months preparing for a tournament like this, some with high expectations, others believing their time at ISKL would be rough.  The bus ride was pretty calm, even on the usually rowdy boys' bus, because everyone was eager to catch some sleep before the tournament. Once the buses touched down, everyone scrambled out to check out the enormous ISKL campus, with the two free hours they had. For the volleyball teams, the first day went well, with both teams going undefeated over two electrifying games. The soccer teams, however, didn’t share the same success, with the boys' team suffering rough losses, while the girls' team managed to pull away with a win and a loss.  The suffering of the soccer teams, unfortunately, didn’t end there, because while the ...

“Why is everyone dating?” Addison Elliott (12) exclaimed, articulating a question that has been circulating the Dalat campus this past week.  Historically, Senior Sneak has left the senior class with iconic memories, stronger friendships, senioritis, and a plethora of new couples. While on Sneak, I naively believed my grade would be the exception to this Dalat phenomenon. But sure enough, within the past week, rumours of new situationships have been spreading across campus.  One theory for this trend is that seniors handle their relationships like their assignments- with procrastination. With graduation on the horizon looming like a deadline, some seniors have finally taken the next step in their prolonged texting/talking relationship stage.  “Honestly, I think some people are just bored, like anything to shake off the senioritis," Olive Berends (12) hypothesized. This theory perfectly reflects the attitude of the senior class post sneak. With the novelty of wearing brigh...

After months of serving freezies and boiling-hot cups at Surf Shack ‘27, the Class of 2027 traded schoolwork for sand, sunshine, and adventure during Senior Sneak at Little Planet in the small village of Kampong Juara. The journey to Tioman Island began with a 12-hour bus ride and ended with a two-hour ferry ride. Then, the seniors were loaded into pickup trucks and driven through the jungle until we finally reached our destination. Boys and girls were each split into five rooms, each room filled with friends and different dynamics. Soon after, the screenagers’ phones were collected by the Class Sponsors. Then, 66 seniors were divided into three randomized groups to break out of their usual social circles and form new friendships.  Josh Lacap (12) explained, “At first I was sad about being the only Beat It Kid member in my group, but I soon realized that it was a good thing. It forced me to get closer to people whom I don’t normally interact with.”  Not only did the seniors pa...

The night air was filled with the buzz of chatter and anticipation as the senior class arrived on campus, laden with bags of snacks, stuffed animals, backpacks, and luggages of varying size. Last Monday, the senior class piled onto two buses at 8:30 PM, just a ten-hour drive and two-hour ferry ride away from officially beginning their Senior Sneak trip. A very successful run with their Junior Class Store, the Surf Shack, allowed the seniors of 2027 to choose Tioman Island as their secret destination. Tioman is an island off the southeast coast of west Malaysia, known for its beautiful beaches as well as its diverse rainforests. In other words, it was the perfect place for both relaxation and activity before the chaos of senior year truly unfolded. Little Planet, an educational activity organizer, welcomed the seniors to their property at Kampung Juara. Their camp of beach front halls nestled between the pines and cozy residences filled with bunk beds would become home for the next four...