Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

Tian Ooi As the bells rang once more, the school year picked up steam like a shiny new train chugging out of the station. Though many things stayed the same, most students had a deep awareness (or unawareness) of moving up to the next grade. With last year’s graduation barely past, ex-juniors found themselves filling the void their predecessors left behind. Between front-row seats in Chapel and freedom from shifts in the Junior Class Store, twelfth graders grappled with a mini existential crisis as they ascended to the top. Pondering deeply, Peter Kim (12) said sagely, "To be honest, I don't feel like a senior; I still think about planning for JSB. But looking at college applications takes me back to what I'm supposed to do—be a senior.” Newly minted juniors, on the other hand, jumped straight to business. The class put in many hours managing and running their store, which proudly advertises brand new products such as funnel cakes or cookie dough balls. ...

Hyun Ji Kim Carrying her overpacked sling bag on one shoulder, Shannen Leong (12) excitedly boarded the white van that would take her from school to paradise, Lost Paradise, for the next two days. Extending from the 10th to the 11th of August, high school students with positions in StuCo, ExCom, and Dorm Council took part in the Leadership Retreat. At this retreat, students redefined their understanding of leadership, bonded with their group, and planned for the year. After arriving on the exotic Thai-style resort, students spent the first two hours getting comfortable and interacting with their peers. Students were found playing Korean games in circles, chatting in the conference room, and playing volleyball in the garden. One of the highlights of the retreat was when the senior class president, Rahul Gill (12), stepped into the ocean without hesitation, attempting to retrieve the volleyball that he had bumped over the fence. Other students cheered him on as they recorded t...

Harin Park The noise of the students’ clapping hands got louder, and the atmosphere intensified as the rhythm of the game started to pick up speed—the Korean games had just begun at the leadership retreat, August 11th. As a group of students walked into the conference room of the Lost Paradise Resort and sat in a circle on the floor while waiting for dinner, they quickly noticed that three-quarters of their number were Koreans. Soon after that, the Koreans introduced those from other nations to the irresistible world of Korean games. To start off, they taught the concentration game to the group, a game which, as its name suggests, requires much concentration from the players. This game starts with a short introductory melody accompanied by a rhythmic clapping of hands, which decides the speed of the game. As soon as the beginning tune ends, a player calls on another player’s name followed by a number between one and four. Then, the player who is called on says their names...

Theodore Zimmer, President of StuCo   It was the first full week of school and all high school students were back. StuCo (Student Council) had finished up their elections during the final semester of last year, and they began to come up with ideas of activities that they could introduce to the high school for the new school year.  Seniors and juniors finished up their elections last week, and the new Dorm Council members had finally been chosen. With all the members accounted for, these leaders loaded up and went to Lost Paradise on Thursday, August 4th, 2017; the Leadership Retreat was finally on its way. We arrived around 3:40 p.m, right after school, and received our room assignments. The women went one way and the men another. We men were placed in the two rooms above the conference room, while the women were a little bit more spread out. After room assignments, we were allotted free time till 6:00pm. Most of us young men went swimming while the woman chit cha...