Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

Louise Kim Throughout the month of May, many students at Dalat were involved in big, end-of-the-year events, from AP exams to the Fine Arts Festival. Alongside the major events, students were faced with final tests and projects in classes. As an overwhelming time for both student and teachers, all stood at the decision to give up or persevere through their final lap of the race. For the last two weeks, students taking AP courses went through dreaded days of studying and cramming. Resisting surrounding temptations, most students worked their hardest to pay for their yearlong hard work. When asked how she felt before taking her exam, Rosie Shin (12) said, “I feel ready for the exam.” Some students like her, who worked hard and strongly persevered, reaped positive results, while some went half-prepared, worried but trusting their memory. AP exams began on a Monday morning, the 7th of May, with AP Chemistry and AP Psychology. Although first to be tested, student...

On May 21, 2018, from 7 o’clock to 8 o’clock, the Senior Class of 2018 played their prank on the school by spray-painting the old high school building. This building is going to be torn down this Sunday, so the students were allowed to spray-paint the windows, floors, ceilings, and doors. “I spray-painted a panda unicorn on the outside of Mrs. Debbie Chinn’s classroom, and I also spray-painted chicken breast. I like chicken breast because makes it makes me strong and has emotional value,” said Aidan Frusher (12). From inside jokes to elaborate symbols, there was not a single wall left untouched by spray-paint. Shannen Leong (12) spray-painted a beautiful rose, a cat, and a small stitch on the floor. Jesse Lohman (12) spent the majority of the night spray-painting the Spongebob Squarepants outside of the World History classroom. While many of the students spray-painted their names on the walls, Mr. Larry Chinn spray-painted “Juniors rock” across from the Junior lockers. To ...

Peter Kim The Fine Arts Festival this year spanned a course of three days, starting with the elementary school on the first day, the middle school on the following day, and the high school on the last day. Every performance in the Fine Arts this year was exceptional, highlighting the abilities of the students in our school, culminating in this final event that tops the end of the year. Held at PenangPAC, the Fine Arts Festival provided a time for artists, performers, singers, and musicians to exhibit a true display of skills. The art exhibition, in particular, most definitely emphasized the quirks, the uniqueness of every student’s artistic style. Tian Ooi (12) thoughtfully says, “I really enjoyed seeing everyone’s exhibits; it was really great to see every single piece being recognized for what they are.” From middle school art pieces to Foundation, Advanced, Master Studio, and AP Art pieces, the variety of masterpieces that decorated the walls of the exhibition was a tru...

Shion Fraser The end of the year approached. AP classes had finished all their material and gone through the review. The week started. Tension spread across campus. Students went missing from classes and came back hours later with death in their eyes. Almost nobody was safe.  Every day, more students were taken. All students prepared weeks prior for this horrible event. AP testing took up the entire week and would keep going through the week to come. Stress built up since the beginning of the year peaked at this critical moment. This was the moment of truth for the majority of those attending Dalat. “Confirm five,” said one student who had slept through his final. “...minus five,” he added after a bit of consideration. Another student, Kimberly Hills (11), said that the exams were “cruel and unusual punishment accepted by society.” Some students made life harder for themselves by having unattainable goals. Ke-Erh Huang (12) said, “I aim for a six.” As bad ...

Jerald Ooi The clock indicated 1 pm. His calendar displayed May 7. The questions on his paper numbered forty-five. The student was lost. Months of preparation had led him to this moment as he anxiously tapped his pencil against the desk. Countless explanations and possible answers danced in his head as he began a process of elimination to determine the best possible answer. “It has to be this answer,” he thought, as his brain finally narrowed down answers to a selected few.  The clock now indicated 1:40 pm. The question on his paper numbered one. However, something was different. Not multiple choice, but free response. Stumped, our student took some time to stare at the ceiling as he beckoned the dusty corners of his mind to come alive and grant him the answers of his desires. The clock indicated 9 pm. His calendar displayed May 6. The tablet that lay before him had a Google search bar with the words “how to pass an AP without passing the test” typed out. APs, or A...

Rahul Gill The StuCo store is a center for student activities on the Dalat campus. Many students come here during lunch to snack and hang out together. I believe that students enjoy the space and service, but I went to the student center to ask students themselves. I asked Aaron Worten (10) about what he thinks concerning the store. “I think it’s good,” he tells me. “I like the variety of food.” Whilst he enjoys the atmosphere and food options, he says that other people may feel differently. “Yeah, some people think that they could add more stuff, but I like the variety.” Another person, Jian Yi Lai (10), gave me a slightly different opinion. “No,” he tells me first off when I ask him if he likes the store. I ask him if he’s serious and he replies, “No, it’s good,” he says more decidedly this time. I ask him about his favorite foods and he tells me that he particularly likes the Shin cup noodles. However, he thinks that StuCo could up their game a little, saying, “They sho...

Jung En Seo Tuesday, 1st of May, the school gate was firmly closed, and there were no students to be spotted. On this particular day, the school was closed to celebrate Labor Day, a public holiday. Labor Day in Malaysia started in the 1970s and was established to recognize the contribution of workers and celebrate the coming spring. Labor Day is a day for leisure and rest for people who have worked hard for the past few months. Not many people were able to leave the country because the holiday was too short. However, fortunately, on May 1st, the sun was bright, and the weather was perfect for outside activities. So, people were able to enjoy their leisure and hobbies outdoors. Ji Woo (5), who spent her day under the sun, said, "I rode a bicycle with my sister because we did not have to go to the school that day. I had fun.” For some people, this day meant more than a public holiday. Vivien, a senior, quoted, “It is a great time to spend with your family. Especially in...

Asher Kim  The end of the school year is quickly approaching, and there are quite a few changes coming along. One of them, as many of you will have noticed, is the new school building. The gigantic building is on its way to finally reveal itself. The building consists of several spacious classrooms that come together as one to form a big ship. The new building does not only consist of classrooms but also a majestic auditorium. This new huge auditorium is a clear indication of how far Dalat has come. Some senior students were able to experience some parts of the building as they helped move the brand new lockers with Mr. Kilgo on Tuesday. I could tell from their faces that they were somewhat envious because they would not be here anymore to enjoy the new facility. I asked Daniel Go (12) about the new building, and he told me, “I wish I was a junior now, so that I could study in a better environment.” The new building faces the crystal blue ocean and the clear sky, and i...

Aurelie D’Couto Has anyone seen anything humorous or had “coffee with God?” From April 27 to April 28, the drama department brought the chapel to life with their Short and Sweet sketches! Even though the spring semester was packed with events, the busy schedules didn’t prevent the drama department from setting up a delightful spring performance that involved ten sketches and fifteen high school students. The spring performance took a lot of attentiveness and dedication, and five of the sketches were written by some of the students during winter break. Students had the opportunity to put their “hidden” imagination and inventiveness to work by making their written works come alive while dreaming with their eyes wide open; anybody can see the magic in themselves. The students were given a chance to break free. As a result, the scripts were witty, funny, and hilarious with poignant moments and intelligent writing; the students smartly utilized their creative writing and a...