Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

Elizabeth Horton On Thursday at 4:00 pm, High school and Dorm Executive Committee’s gathered together in Sydney for the kick-off of the 2019 leadership retreat. The retreat was calculated to be a healthy mix of work and play, encouraging students to think critically and engage each other's ideas. Excitement buzzed through the air, as the student leaders formed their groups and anticipated what challenges the day would hold. Several beach activities were planned for the first day, and students came prepared to get sweaty! At the beginning of every year, leaders of the high school, who were elected the year prior, take a day off from school to attend a retreat. There they learn what it means to be a leader. This year, the first order of business was to cultivate teamwork through a series of games.   In total, there were four team building activities set up along the beach. One required students to work together to plug as many holes as possible in a large plastic p...

Gabe Roberts I started walking to school about a year ago. Since then, I feel like I've been more awake in class, more ready to work, and have gotten better grades. I feel energized after my morning walk and have gotten to know my neighbors and those that live near me better. Arriving at school a little sweaty is a small price to pay for the benefits I feel. What about walking is so good? Firstly, it's a low-impact physical activity, which means anyone can do it. Studies have long shown that exercise is beneficial for your brain. The American Psychological Association found in a 2014 experiment that subjects who walked scored higher on creativity tests than those who sat. Taking a stroll is also surprisingly good for your body.  Renae Roberts, a P3 teacher at Dalat, frequently walks with her family and has started the "Walking Club" KIC (Kids' Interest Club) for elementary students to come walk with her. "I heard a quote from a doctor once,...

Dael Kim Conversations about season one sport filled the air on the first day of school as Mr. Davis, the new athletic director, sent out an email with the signup list. Over the course of two days, August 12 th and 13 th , Dalat students from 8 th grade to 12 th grade had an opportunity to try out for either the varsity soccer or varsity volleyball team. As the school bell rang to announce the end of school, students quickly gathered up their things and got ready. On the lower field, the girls who were trying out for the varsity soccer team started off with a 3km run where the course included stairs, the high school building, and the middle school building. On the upper field, the varsity boys’ soccer team ran sprints, different drills, and scrimmaged. The varsity boys’ and girls’ volleyball tryouts took place in the gym, where students got evaluated on their serves, bumps, sets, and spikes. After two days of intense work, students waited nervously for the roaster email ...

Jun Lee An outburst of applause and cheering. But only a handful recognize how this semester’s first All-Hands-On-Deck (AHOD) marked as a successful “Setting Sail” into the school year 2019-2020. Without a knock of notice, our high school principal Mr. Brewster entered, advancing towards the podium with a casual demeanor. Having asked Mr. Ronzheimer for a few minutes of interception from the seniors’ Spiritual Disciplines class on Monday, Mr. Brewster addressed, “Seniors, you are now responsible for leading the school, for positively influencing the younger classes. So I request that all of you, during AHOD three days later, gather around the stage and cheer and clap as loud as you can so that the younger kids follow suit.” As the saying goes, “time flies.” Three days became two days, two days became one hour, and one hour became zero minutes. The boat horn’s buzz trumpeted across the Deck, and our beloved host country’s anthem “Negaraku” rang across the soils, “where the pe...