Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

Alice Chang What is so special about Dalat drama? What makes Dalat drama unique? Is it the script? Is it the actors? Or is it a unique tradition of our own? The answer to this question would be all of these. Dalat has had this unique tradition for the fall/Christmas productions since 2011. Mr. Sasse, former drama director, formed a new group called the Road Less Traveled Players. Dalat students would perform out of Mr. Sasse’s and student-written scripts, which were unique and special to the Dalat community.                                                                                ...

Justus Goh It’s almost Christmas, and even more almost Christmas break! But amidst all the presents and decorations and the like, especially here, it’s necessary to remember the true meaning and traditions of Christmas. Modern Christmas has become so soft, so commercialized in this modern age. We have lost so many old cultural practices and so much meaning to the inexorable march of the legions of consumerism in this modern age. What is the true meaning of this season? What should it be like? Obviously, a mad bacchanalian carnival of anarchy, social havoc, and quasi-paganism, as the Medieval pioneers of the tradition did. As finals begin to end this year, and Christmas break begins, consider abandoning the tinsel and toppling the Christmas tree onto a pyre; reject these icons of modern Christmas and celebrate a truly traditional, truly consumerism-free Christmas. First among Christmas traditions is obviously the recreational frightening of strangers. Even unto the late Renaiss...

Ashley Kim This recent week, our school has been infested with sneezes and coughs, tears and mourns. It seems that the End-of-the-year Virus we have all learned to dread has struck the Dalat community once again. It was 9:25 AM, November 26 th , in the ES choir room. High school students sluggishly dragged their bodies to class, only to then plop themselves back into the grey couch or the carpet. Some stacked themselves upon each other, like a pile of corpses; their sunken eyes had lost their last vigor. Trudging in upon the death scene, Miss Goh frantically tried to wake the choir up by singing “I’m Alive, Awake, Alert, Enthusiastic.” And as the students sang the chorus, the supposed cheery song turned into a death anthem, “I’mmm…. alive….” *cough* “awake…” *achoo* “alerr-” *yawn* “ennnthusiastic…” Isabel Smith (12) said, “It’s very tiring, but at least the people around me liven me up.” Students were faced with overwhelming stress: juggling projects, tests, social li...

Min Guk Kong November 24 nd , six days before the day of the trial, many students trembled in fear, hoping that their hard work would not result in failure. Due to their captivity in fear, many scrambled to their homes after school to mentally prepare themselves for Doom’s day. Three days before the SAT, I interviewed an applicant for the examination. Audrey Shing (12) stated, “I am very frantic because I just realized that the SAT is coming up because, right now, I have a lot of things due, such as applying to the Universities of California. And because this is my last SAT, I feel very pressured to do well.” Truly, the horrors of this test day encapsulate the minds of many in agitation. Finally, December 1 st , is D-day for many students. The examination entry began at approximately 8:30am, and proctors could see the trembling of many students as they continuously drank water and went to the bathroom. As the test ended at 1:45pm, the air was filled with mixed feel...

Jacqueline Leech     The day has finally come. Some of us just remembered about it, while others have been counting down to this moment for months. Even though some students chose to prepare, while others didn’t, preparation never seems to change the mental strain and pounding headache of this day. This event is truly never easy – physically, mentally, and emotionally. While no one likes to be rated and compared to others, it is the very purpose of this thing called standardized testing, specifically the SAT. Although taking the SAT is stressful, it shouldn’t be overwhelming. The test is just a test, and in the end, doing your best is all you can do. The truth is the SAT is cruel but necessary, and no one at school can avoid it. For high achievers, the pressure is tremendous. As I asked Grace Wan about her plans for Christmas break, she thoughtfully responded with a concerned look, “Oh…but that is like SAT grind time.” I realized then, that she, among many oth...