To Ask or Not To Ask

Yeorin Yun

With Christmas Banquet rolling around the corner, many askings took place on Monday, November 21st. According to Andrew Kim (12), the StuCo president, the purpose of having CB is to “have a formal gathering and fun before the start of winter break.” Like Andrew puts the meaning of CB, there is no doubt that our Dalat students truly enjoy CB. Moreover, there’s so much more to the meaning of CB than just having kids dress up for the night.

Given the privilege to ask a date in any shape or form, some took on the idea with an endearing mind, while others took on the idea of asking as a dreadful thought. Despite the ambiguity of how students would reflect on this idea of asking, I personally believe that CB helps the young student population to take a lesson or two from this. CB mildly exposes the students to the sophisticated acts of mannerism. In other words, they are learning to adopt a doctrine of courtesy and learn the social etiquette norm of this world. With these aspects, the students can truly mature and grow to become ‘ladies and gentlemen’.    

That aside, all the askings had a varying range of quirkiness to them. Some opted to settle for simplicity while others asked with creative ideas. The latter was seen in Andrew Kim’s asking on Friday, November 18, where he boldly asked Lillian Li (12) to CB by reciting an original sonnet—while on stage in front of the whole HS student body; he was speaking at chapel about “not losing hope” subsequent to breaking his leg at the ACSC volleyball tournament. He also proceeded to encourage the girls to ‘man up’ and ask the boys to CB.

This became true on the following Monday of November 21st. With Darby Kendrick’s (12) sense of great humor, she asked Jonathan Lafferty (12) out to CB by giving him a candy called Laffy Taffy—a short and sweet pun about one of his nicknames. Kylie Toh (12) asked Keito Watanabe (12) out by arranging sushi into the shape of the letters CB. The list of senior girls creatively asking senior boys continues: Justina Cryder (12) asked Sam Huang (12), Aster H'ng (12) asked Emmett Balzer (12), and so on. After this eventful Monday, many others are awaiting their chance to ask or to be asked by someone.

The CB asking week surely leaves many in excitement. Anticipation is undoubtedly high among the students. CB isn’t just about the night. It’s also inclusive of the exciting week of asking, in which students can display an extravagant showcase with, again, a tinge of quirkiness in their ways of asking.