Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

Zach Tan “We did it!” exclaimed President Wen Chi Chen (12), as Student Council members gathered at the Student Center after the annual Christmas Banquet. Hudson McManus (11) glimmered with joy as he laid back on a couch reflecting on the wonderful memories made that night. After months of planning and preparing, the student council’s Christmas Banquet finally came to a close. The Paradise Ballroom had burst to life with flash mob dancing, cake decorating, and lots of crazy activities for students to spend the night celebrating Christmas with each other. Along with the glamorous Christmas Banquet, the Student Council plans many exciting events for the Dalat community. But what makes the Student Council different from any other organization? What drives their passion to continually work at bringing the community together? They uphold the vision to SOAR: Serve others, be Original, take Action, and Represent God (inspired by Isaiah 40:31: "But those who hope in the LORD will...

Cheryl Yeap   'Twas a peaceful night in Paradise Hotel.   Dalat high school students gradually trickled   into the ballroom, awkwardly greeting their dates and taking pictures. The girls felt beautiful as ever in their CB gowns, and the boys shone like stars.    When everyone was asked to take a seat, sweet Santa (a.k.a. Mr. Allen), Mrs. Claus (Miss Grad), and two elves strolled down the aisle, bringing joy and excitement to the entire hall. Suddenly, the gentle Christmas music   was switched to a menacing tune. The joyful atmosphere of the hall was completely uprooted. A   group of Asian rebels, wearing creepy masks, invaded the   merry ballroom. They ran around the hall like mad people and danced in the middle of the hall. They gathered on the stage and wrapped Santa and his friends in thick, inescapable ropes. As Santa and his companions shouted for help, Peter Lee, the mastermind behind the whole operation, escorted ...

Wen Chi Chen As Christmas draws near, the students’ much-anticipated Christmas Banquet finally arrived and was held at Paradise on Friday, 11 th December 2015. And while we often hear about it from a student’s perspective, few people actually know what happens behind the curtains... At the start of November, the Student Council members began to let their creative juices flow and the CB preparation started. The hotel was already booked since the start of the year, and it was time to somehow connect all the various ideas together and select a theme for this year’s CB. Hoping to bring something new and fun to this year’s banquet, we as a StuCo team, decided to try something radically different and upbeat. And so we thought: what’s more upbeat than a bit of flashmob and Korean-pop (K-pop) to start off the night? With K-pop expert, Peter Lee (12), as this year’s Public Relations manager, StuCo had no trouble finding the perfect song to start off the night. And so, as the “Okey...

Aaron Kelley With one book published and another on the way, Jana Kelley writes a harrowing tale of a more dangerous side of Christianity that few have endured. Having spent more than half of her life away from her passport country, Jana Kelley has written two devotionals and one novel about her experiences of living overseas. Prior to coming to Southeast Asia, Kelley lived in Sudan for eight years, along with her husband and three boys. Her time in Sudan taught her about the dangers that Arab believers face. In strict Islamic countries like Sudan, Muslims who convert from Islam to Christianity disobey Islamic law and face potentially fatal persecution. Kelley retells her personal experience with one such Arab Christian in her debut fiction novel, Side By Side . Based on actual events, Side by Side tells the story of a Muslim woman named Halimah who becomes a Christian. Her Muslim family abuses her because of her faith, forcing her to escape and seek refuge in the...

Evan Chinn “Let’s go to Gurney together! We still need to get CB presents!” exclaimed Peter Lee (12) to his group of friends loitering outside of the band room on a hot Friday afternoon. Across high school, students scrambled to acquire a suitable gift, amidst the stress of the approaching finals week. As the end of semester one approaches, family gifts, secret Sant’s, CB gifts, and Christmas charities filled the shopping lists during the season of giving that is December. On the quest for CB gifts, students hitched a ride in friend’s or parent’s cars or traveled in buses to various destinations with the intent of finding perfect CB gifts. Students hopped from store to store looking for a gift with a combination of affordability, originality, and creativity. “I wanted my gift for CB to be creative and fitting for my partner's style, and I, of course, wanted it to have a touch of awesomeness!” said Bijay Rana (12). In addition to CB gifts, staff and students prepared for Ch...

Bijay Rana It’s the end of the day. It’s the end of worries and stress. It’s time to chill. Right after homework, the tension drops out of your shoulders, and your mind clears of worries about homework and school, as you prepare to chill for the rest of your day. People have their own way of chilling; it depends on that person’s particular taste. The ability to reduce the amount of stress in your life, and have a minimalistic and clear mind when it comes to stress, is difficult, but there are ways to reduce stress and just relax.  Here are what some students have to say about what they do to chill during and after school, and their secrets to chilling. "After school I enjoy going home, taking a nice cold shower, and relaxing on my computer before I work on my homework. If I had a ‘secret,’ I guess it would be taking time to wind down before starting my homework really helps me stay focused and retain my sanity later in the day," said Evan Chinn(12). "I t...

Kai Fraser A number of students from Dalat International School have been promoting an unfamiliar and unusual practice: breakdancing! What is breakdancing, and why do people do it? The term 'breakdancing' was a term coined by the mainstream media. It was an attempt to use a more 'professional' word to refer to an aspect of hip hop culture that most Bboys, or 'break-boys' refer to as Bboying. 'Breakdancing' referred to a publicized form of the art, and often many bboys viewed the terms 'breakdancing' or 'breakdancer' as an incorrect or derogatory term. The reason being that the media exploited 'breakdancing' for their own gains instead of preserving its original intent: to be an art that promoted self-expression. Simon Jeong (10), and Chia Hoong Ewe (10) are two notable pursuers of the art. When asked why they sought to conquer 'Power Moves' (moves that primarily consist of spinning in circles) such as flares (...

Joel Halbedl Bursting through the curtains, Mr. Mark Sasse exclaims, “Doors are opening! 10 minutes left!” This statement sends actors and tech people alike into a frenzy, checking to make sure everything is ready. Every year the RLT players manage to astound their audience with funny analogies, sad plotlines, and deep meanings. After the departure of many legendary RLT performers, this particular group struggled to fill the shoes left behind. With a large group of new players, there left only veterans Aaron Chand (11) and Lexi Zimbulis (12) to whip the new recruits into shape. As described earlier, the opening night of the RLT players was a nervous step of faith for many amateur actors. I speak for most of the other actors when I say that the tension was visible in the air that night. The only thing that held this group of ragtag performers together was courage—the courage to step out of the box, and do something incredible. I myself struggled with controlling the shaking...

Abby Bengs (Inspired by Clement Mark Moore’s poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”) ‘Twas the week before finals, when all through the house Not a creature was studying, not even a mouse. The notes were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that the fire would make them soon disappear. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of holiday freedoms danced in their heads. All of them exhausted with procrastination at a wrap, Their brains had already settled for a long winter’s nap. When coming from above there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter. Awakened from my daydream, I flew like a flash For the bell had rung, so to my last final I dashed! For the last hour plus half my mind scattered like snow, Not a pencil mark was left on the paper below. When, what to my wondering mind should appear, But the curse of senioritis that produced many a tear. Floating around me was a list of to-do’s, English, Scien...

Kaela Ruble Audiences can always count on Mr. Sasse’s dramas to be entertaining, moving, and transcending different generations and cultures. This year’s “Tales of Wonder,” performed by the RLT players at Penang PAC from December 3-5 th , was no exception. The night kicked off with Thizbe Balzer (12) leading the RLT dancers in a festive Christmas dance to an upbeat remix of “The First Noel.” After that, the series of impactful performances began. The wide array of themes ranged from capitalism to a redneck Santa Claus. The untraditional themes forced audience members to question the true meaning of Christmas from many different viewpoints. "I really enjoyed RLT this year because of the Christmas themed show. It was a wonderful way to combine the hilarious and poignant aspects of Christmas traditions and bring the audience to both chuckling laughter and meaningful tears," Hannah Graves (12) shared.  It was refreshing to see some newcomers join the RLT players this...

Alwyn Tan                                                                                                     Just one more week! Students in Dalat International School have been waiting for this moment for way too long. Soon, it’s the time for joy, relaxation, and connection – the time of Christmas. After a long semester, students can’t wait to enjoy a one-month break from school. For most seniors, they will finally be able to free themselves from the tiring SAT preparations and the university ap...

Calvin Thompson The crowd went wild as Shawn Lim (12) scored yet another 3-pointer against ISKL (International School of Kuala Lumpur). The Island shootout in Penang was underway. Schools from Singapore and KL came to compete in the most competitive tournament of the year. Dalat’s varsity boys’ team competed against Youngsters club earlier in the morning but the competition was not tough.  “We had played against the Youngsters and won, but the team we played this morning did not have their full squad because apparently they were sleeping or taking college exams,” commented Adrian Nonis (10). The game against ISKL later that afternoon was tough and exciting because ISKL was still looking for revenge after losing against Dalat twice last season in their own home tournament. The gym was packed during that game, with the bleachers completely full. “Let’s go Eagles. Let’s go,” chanted the crowd. “It was really awesome to finally have a really big home crowd, normally there is h...

Shawn Lim             It was the 3rd of December and the Dalat boys faced their first challenge of the year, the Island Shootout Tournament. Teams from Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore came for a fierce battle on the hardwood floor.             Dalat’s first battle was their long term rivals, the Youngsters. They had faced them twice already this season; the first time being defeated by 18 points. However, the next time they faced they took their revenge, defeating the Youngsters in a close margin of only 2 points.              In their first game of the tournament, these two teams faced each other. The Dalat boys, however, started off their tournament well, defeating their rival 44-23.             The second team the boys faced was ISKL. It was a matc...

Joshua Moon The sky was grey, and rain trickled down on a Wednesday morning. Nevertheless, the seniors were ecstatic to run, jump, and smile their way out of their last Track and Field day at Dalat.             As the buses headed for the USM stadium, students began to worry about the dark clouds hovering over their heads. The disappointments of a few students lead others to feel depressed as if it was a virus. The team spirit that teachers emphasized had died off by the time students arrived, and the roaring of team chants was nowhere to be found. To make matters worse, the schedule that placed the high school 100m dash first, early in the morning, left many disgruntled and unmotivated. As for the seniors, the hope of experiencing the best and last Track and Field was fading. Crack! The race started with the clashing of the clappers, and so did the senior’s final Track and Field. Legs were working hard to push bodies closer ...

Jethro Lee The middle and high school students did their best to accomplish great achievements and to contribute to their teams on Track and Field day. On November 25 th , Dalat held Track and Field day at the USM campus. There were many events for students to participate in. Four different teams (Red, Blue, Yellow and Green) competed with each other to get higher scores. Some events, such as the javelin throw, discus, 3000m and 1500m, were held at Dalat before the actual Track and Field day. Other events were held on the  actual day from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. In the morning, the U16 and U16+ 100m races marked the beginning of the Track and Field day. Even though it was raining at the beginning, students kept running through it to win events. Fortunately, the sun came out again and runners had no problem with weather the rest of the day. Most running track events were more intense than the field events, because the competitive attitudes among the great runners was tremendous. ...

Joseph Leech On the morning of Wednesday, November 25, Dalat students bustled onto the outdoor basketball court, each student wearing clothes according to his or her team color. Red, blue, green, and yellow clothes and flags mixed together in the big pile of students. Many students radiated excitement as they waited for the buses that would take them away from classes and to fun and running. As students arrived at the stadium, the sky began to show signs of the coming of a big storm. Within a half hour of arriving, the rain started to fall and it seemed it would almost be impossible to complete the events. Students and teachers crowded under the stadium roof in order to avoid the rain. Time passed and the rain continued to fall giving the impression that it would never stop. However, after an hour of downpour, the rain finally stopped and the skies cleared allowing Track and Field day to continue. Throughout the rest of the day, students competed ferociously in ord...