The Farewells Begin: Mugs, Music, and Monopoly

Kimberly Hills

What comes to mind when you hear the word “StuCo”? For many Dalat high school students, we think of unity, school spirit, and fun! This past Friday, Dalat International School’s Student Council hosted its last event from 7-9:30: Mugs, Music, & Monopoly, or “Mugs” for short. 

At Mugs, students have the opportunity to share their musical talents. Or, they have the chance to make others laugh at their lack thereof. In this supportive and light-hearted atmosphere, people are unafraid to put themselves out there or try something new. For many, Mugs is a relaxed time to chill with friends, devour junk food, and play card games. 

Several students were moved by the spontaneity of the night, and on a whim, followed that little voice in the back of their mind, prodding them to perform. Audrey Shing (12), new to Dalat this year, spontaneously walked on stage and sang “This Time” by Lea Michelle and Darren Criss. When asked about why she wanted to perform, she explained, “It was incredibly spontaneous. I was sitting with Tim [Baek] (12) and Vivien [Chang] (12), and we said this would be our last chance to do something we’ve never done before… something outside of our comfort zone. For me, I don’t have a great singing voice, but I’ve always wanted to use this as an exit song. The lyrics are really meaningful, and it shows that this isn’t our last goodbye. I also wanted to thank Ashley [Kim] (12) for sacrificing so much time and effort to create Mugs as StuCo’s president.”

While some students performed on a whim, others had thoughtfully prepared personal and emotional pieces. Celestine Teoh (11) had recently written a song and had the courage to perform it for the first time ever. When asked about the debut of “Regret This Song”, she explained, “The inspiration behind it was a breakup. I just thought that I didn’t want to lose my chance to perform it in front of the person because I knew there would never be another time where I could talk to him about how I felt. And I was just hoping I could tell him indirectly but directly how I felt through the song.”

Another emotional moment, for the seniors at least, was completely butchering the closing song from our childhood favorite movie: High School Musical. In his presidential manner, Nicholas Khor (12) announced that he wanted all the seniors to sing it together, as a goodbye to each other, StuCo, and the school. On the Class of 2019 Facebook page, Nick posted, “Hey guys, if any of you are going to Mugs tonight, we seniors are gonna sing and dance to High School Musical for the last performance. It'll be cute - the more the merrier.” 

At the end of the night, some seniors were in tears, overwhelmed by the brevity of our dwindling days together. Overall, Mugs was a great success, and in many ways, a farewell. It was the night Dalat International School bid farewell to the legendary Student Council, sponsored by Miss Emily Grad and Mr. JD Thompson. And it was only the beginning of farewells to the Class of 2019.