Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

Sabrina Ly On Thursday night, 22 October, at approximately 6pm, loud cheering emanated from the gym as parents, students, and teachers could be found watching the much anticipated volleyball event, Senior Night.  Volleyball Senior Night shone a spotlight on the seniors of both the girls’ and guys’ team. The eight seniors, consisting of six girls and two guys, would face the combined might of the both the volleyball teams.  The senior’s team consisted of Angelene Woo, Tayah Lee, Charlotte Combrink, Mary-Claire McIntyre, Karissa Steinkamp, Sarah Tan, Harrison Taylor, and Joseph Leech; they played three sets against their younger teammates with only two subs throughout the entire match. With seven out of the eight players having several years of experience under their belts, the match clearly featured a quality versus quantity aspect. The first match started off with the combined team leading the scoreboard; however, within a short amount of time, the seniors quickly...

Peter Lee On October 16, 2015, the day before the students and staff embarked on a one-week break from school, the seniors finally met their eighth grade buddies for the first time.             Every year, the seniors and the eighth graders spend time together for the sole purpose to bond as a community. The inevitable segregation between high school and middle school undeniably separates both physical and verbal communication amongst these students. Thus, the seniors take some time of their own to interact with the eighth graders. In the midst of all the fun time they share, the seniors also offer some advice for the eighth graders when they make the daunting transition to high school. “I don’t even know what he looks like!” cried Yang Sheng-Ting (12), who was eagerly curious to find out who his buddy was. The seniors choose their buddies from a list of names, and some seniors may know their buddies while others have no ...

Rachel Halbedl On October 16, 2015, the seniors (the class of 2016) and the eighth graders (class of 2022) gathered for their first meeting together on the outdoor court. Chatter and conversation filled the court as everyone met their new buddy. Some pairs had known each other for years, but others were meeting for the very first time. “Two Lies and a Truth” was the first game everyone played. Suddenly, all ears on the court perked up as the words “ice cream,” resounded. Mr. Steinkamp announced the arrival and distribution of ice cream. Practically everyone went towards the ice cream that was being distributed. As eighth graders and seniors were consuming all the ice cream, they went on to discuss the upcoming costume party. The costume event would be held on October 30 th . The buddies would make plans to coordinate their future costumes to encourage team spirit. As the first buddy event rounded to a close, both the eighth and twelfth graders walked off satisfied and...

Robert Kilgo and Keegan Oppenheim Ushering in the second quarter, Spirit Week (6 October-9 October) provided both students and teachers alike the chance to relax and show school pride. Seniors especially embraced this pride. It was good week, especially because of the blessing that Monday was. Thanks to the haze, the school was closed for students, but the staff still had to come in—sorry, guys. It was no loss to students, as Spirit Week was originally scheduled to start on Tuesday anyways. Tuesday was class Color Day, with some seniors taking it very seriously by dressing completely in the class color (good job, Abby Bengs), while others were not so serious and  hardly showed any class pride (looking at you, Joseph Leech). Needless to say, the entire senior class looked like they were attending a funeral, as their color was black. But one look at the sophomores burned the eyes a bit, as they were dressed in pink!  On to Wednesday, which was the Swap Day. Teachers d...

Amanda Goh  On Wednesday, 7 October, dreams came true in Dalat. Students became doctors, astronauts, princesses, ballerinas, and engineers, while teachers relived their experience as students again, as the roles were switched.             During Spirit Week, one of the days was themed Teacher-Student Swap. This year all the teachers and students from Pre-K to the seniors were included; the oldest and the youngest of the community came together to dress up for this fun event. Throughout the day, students asked each other what they wanted to be when they grow up and giggled at their teachers’ school outfits.             During recess, little kids—dressed in lavish costumes—pretended to act out the daily duties of their career. Doctors started treating their patients on the playground and giving injections to their “sick” friends. Chefs cooked for a busy restaurant, m...

Noel Teng On October 4, 2015, what seemed like any other Sunday before school, students and parents of Dalat received a surprise e-mail by the headmaster of Dalat International School. The haze from the fires of Indonesia’s forest had engulfed the island of Penang in a thick cloud of toxic smoke. Along with decreased visibility, it had brought sickness to many students and adults alike. This haze was feared by many students and parents who care for their children’s health. All across Penang, schools were said to close for two days. It was the first time Dalat has closed due to haze. “Well, it was the first time in my 10 years at Dalat to have a day off for safety reasons,” said Gloria Kim. Students with plans for Monday were left disappointed and awaiting Tuesday. Many homework assignments due on Monday were postponed to Tuesday. Teachers who expected to also get a day off were very wrong, for they had to come to school and work as usual. The hot and sweltering heat tra...

Sunny Kim On Tuesday, 29 September, the anticipated crowd of high  schoolers sat still, waiting for the all-in-one Ted-talk speaker, stand-up comedian, and youth speaker, Javier Sanchez to come up.             A few seconds after opening his mouth, Sanchez stole the crowd's heart and a roar of laughter erupted. In the midst of all the jokes about feeding his son fire balls to the atomic aftermath of a baby's burp, Sanchez expounded on his formula to happiness.             Javier Sanchez says, "The formula to happiness is smiling, giving thanks, and serving others." He explained how smiling releases endorphins in the brain that makes one happier, perform better, and appear more attractive. After hearing this, students and teachers alike began to flash their smiles, testing to see if it was really true and, perhaps, also hoping to look good.    ...

Mackenzie Jordan The air buzzed with a young energy on Friday, 2 October after school. Second through fifth grade boys and girls gathered Dalat’s upper field for a tournament against SCIPS. “They all had so much energy,” commented Hannah Buhr (11). “It was refreshing to see so much excitement on the faces of all the little soccer players.”             The event presented a welcomed opportunity for the Varsity soccer girls to coach and referee the games. Those with thicker skin decided they could face the sometimes terrifying task of making tough calls on the tiny second-graders. "At times it was difficult to tell what team should have possession but we needed to have confidence in our decisions so that the games could be fair," said Chloe Castro (11). Others took on the responsibility of keeping their team of mini-eagles as calm and organized as possible. The excited energy bottled within each player was, at times, dif...

Elisabeth Brokaw With two bags of balls slung over shoulders, a big jug of water lugged by two more arms, and a stool carried by a fifth hand, a group of seventeen cleat-clad girls and an amazing coach prepare for football/soccer practice. Four school days a week, the Dalat Varsity girls’ team loads into PE vans or scale the stairs to Upper Field for practice, and they meet on the fifth day for captain-led conditioning. Some might just roll their eyes at this dedicated crew, and others might see a bunch of girls who are crazy in the head (after performing too many “headers”); but hopefully all see a loving lot of sweet girls who are devoted and hard-working, because that’s who they really are. The soccer girls might be a batch of silly high schoolers who play a sport that the rest of the island seems to think isn’t a girls’ sport, but does that stop them? Absolutely not. It takes a lot of brainpower to focus on giving one thing with absolute energy for an hour or two straight,...