Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

  By Jimin Park   Six months have gone by since the school filled up the liveliness of sports. There were no sounds of bouncing basketballs, hitting volleyballs, kicking soccer balls, and last but not least, the sound of people. Yet, this was all changed by an email sent by Mr. Davis on September 9 th : “HS Intramural Sign-Ups (Due Thursday @7: 00 pm).” That was enough to bring life back to Dalat. Everyone was talking about the Intramurals – deciding whether they would join either soccer or volleyball, persuading their friends to play the same sports, and expressing how they were so ready for this change.   58 people signed up for soccer, and 77 people signed up for volleyball, which exhibited the excitement of students playing sports with friends after school. The teams were mixed throughout the grade and gender, having everyone from freshman to seniors, girls and boys, and a few varsity players on each team. Some seniors were denoted as team captains to lead so ...

  By Yebeen Kil The hallways of the Dalat high school buildings lit up colorfully as the students moved from one room to the next, trying to get to their next classes. On the 23rd of September, students donated RM 10 each to the Student Impact Club’s charity fundraiser in order to participate in No Uniform Day. The students received a ribbon—that they could pin to their clothes—after they made their donation, showing that they had paid to wear their own clothes. Students of all grades took this opportunity to express themselves and to have fun. The middle school students dressed up in animal costumes such as lions and unicorns, while some of the high schoolers wore matching outfits.   Students were to wear one of the corresponding colors, orange, green, white, blue, or pink. These colors all symbolized things that the students could support. If students supported the homeless, they could wear the color white. The color orange meant that the students supported orphans, gr...

  By Kalia Brewster Before lockdown happened, sports were one of the most time-consuming, important, and enjoyable parts of my day. After school, I could hardly wait to leave the classroom and get out on the field or court — to play a game that I loved with people that I loved and coaches who invested deeply in me. Nothing has quite impacted my life in the way sports has. It is hard for me to describe how something that has been part of my life since I can remember has been so formative.  I know that many others feel the same way about sports and how it has shaped them. Esther Tse (12) said about sports and how it impacted her life, “Sports has helped me not only work on my personal skills but also work on communication skills and the ability to understand each other’s strengths.” Sports has a profound and sometimes unseen effect on athletes. Not only the physical aspect of sports, but the emotional, mental, and relational challenges that it presents helps athletes become ...

By Esther Yang Due to the pandemic, the Music Department announced recently that there would not be any live concert performances this semester. But students still get to perform what they have learned in class differently, by recording videos. The current situation changed many aspects of our society, especially in the Music Department. Band trips and choir trips are canceled, and there is no showchoir or men’s and women’s ensemble rolling in this period. So right now, there is only one choir happening: the concert choir. This year’s choir is filled with talented people from different grades. However, since the students didn’t get a chance to bond by going on the trip, the class’s vibe is different compared to the previous years. Moreover, when school had just started, many students seemed like they gave up on having a concert. Students learned various songs without the certainty of having a performance. However, one day, Ms. Goh surprised the students by announcing that there would b...

  By Joel Kelley The never-ending question among students of whether or not uniforms should exist at Dalat will finally be answered this Wednesday on September 23rd -- but only for 8 hours. For as long as anyone can remember, Dalat International School has had required uniforms that all students must wear throughout the school day. While they have changed over the years, two things have stayed the same: the Dalat logo on the right side of the chest and the portion of the student body who wishes they could wear t-shirts to school. However, the uniform policy does not exist to torment these wishful students. Rather, the policy exists to encourage unity within our school and maintain modesty and image on a large scale. While a sense of unity on the school campus is a goal for the staff, yet another holds high value in their eyes: community service. Every year, students are encouraged to engage in service opportunities regularly, not just within the Dalat community but in the large...

  By OnYou Kim Seven STEP students, who stayed an additional month in Korea due to the MCO extension, returned to school on September 14th. The journey of the students began on the evening of August 29th at the Incheon Airport; the group involved OnYou Kim (12), Sieon Park (12), Grace Bae (11), Haeon Park (11), Sharon Kang (10), Hajin Kim (7), and Joseph Lim (7). The plane ride took approximately six hours, and their arrival at the KL Airport signaled their five hours of immigration. Downloading and signing into an app was the first step. The second step involved getting numerous documents verified and the COVID test done in the nose and mouth. The final step was the passport check, which took the longest with nearly four hours of waiting. After claiming their luggage, the students were led outside where Uncle Brian Weidemann, one of the dorm representatives, was waiting to drive them to Penang. While wearing enormous protective suits, the students were taken to Penang in a v...

  By Jia Yi Sim Restrictions from the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) that began in the June of 2020 have caused a slowdown in numerous businesses, one of them being Dalat’s Junior Class Store. The MCO prevented the store from operating after school, which has generated the most income for the juniors in the past. Right now, juniors are stuck selling snacks in between classes, and the store only actively operates for about 15 minutes a day. Such a narrow window of time makes it difficult for the store to collect large amounts of income each day.  Helen Jang, a member of the junior class office, voices her concerns about their sales: “We had a head start because last year’s juniors donated many goods to us, but with the restrictions of MCO, I am worried that we will not earn as much money as we hope to.” For many years, working in the Junior Class Store has served as the long-awaited experience for juniors. Spending long days after school in the store can be tiri...

  By Min-Song Ko The seniors were given the opportunity to share, listen, and serve the freshmen on Wednesday, the 9th of September. The lunch line was crowded with an unusual mix of students, hungry for food. The seniors walked into the overcrowded gym with an excited heart to meet their arranged freshman partners, sitting patiently at their table. With their innocent eyes, the freshmen seemed nervous to listen to what story awaited them.  At first, it took a lot of courage to bring up a conversation, striving to cut the awkward silence filling the area. Students showed their habits of grinding their teeth, biting off their nails, or scratching their scalp repeatedly every time the conversation went silent. While the seniors were hesitant, looking down at their lunch and showed signs of helplessness. The thought of an idea popped up. Grasping the white activity paper in between their lunch trays, the seniors thought of playing several games with their partners. A few mi...

  By Zoe Seevaratnam   Leadership Development is an optional class where students grow in spiritual truths while leading others to do the same. This year, however, has posed some challenges in ways the class can exhibit leadership practically. However, this past week has provided the course with a unique and creative outlet to demonstrate spiritual leadership--leading chapel. The process of planning to lead the chapel made students aware of the need for God's presence and the importance of gratitude. A theme needed to be established, yet a whimsical idea cannot be enough when it comes to a chapel topic. Mr. Ronzhiemer told the class to pray before discussing ideas within groups. “Pray first” has become the unofficial class motto, as they have learned that they need to acknowledge God before planning anything. This motto proved evident during the class planning session as a common theme occurred during small group discussions--gratitude. Gratitude repeatedly appeared on the...

  By Alix Stuart             Try this, hit the computer space bar, then scroll back up. Just try it. S P A C E. Hit it a few times. What if instead of putting a space into a document, it deleted a character. Now after years of using the keyboard one way, getting used to typing differently will take time.  With space between normality and reality rapidly increasing amongst the new regulations with coronavirus, God is in control and always has His hands on the keyboard. Mr. Brewster, Dalat’s high school principal, perfectly explains the struggles of social distancing, a new reality on Dalat campus: “Afterschool social-distancing has not gone well. It’s not surprising. It is unnatural to stand far apart; it is hard to hear each other through a mask; the rule does not always make sense, and sometimes you just forget.” Change is hard. Changing habits is even harder. Not giving high fives and “hugging” from a distance is weird. Not being able to...

  By Jared Douglas Have you ever wondered what it is like to be in the STEP program? Keilah Pickett, a Dalat 10th grader, is sadly stuck in her home country of Brunei. She has given us some insight into what her day as a STEP student is like. We all remember the time when we had to do online school during lockdown. Those were the days of waking up late, procrastinating, struggling to understand some of the lessons, and wishing to be with our classmates. What is it like knowing everyone else is at school, and you are stuck in the STEP program ,1000 miles away, having left your previous school, and not knowing when you will be at school face to face? During these times, a STEP student must dig deep to persevere, stay focused, and remain positive during this lonely and uncertain time. Keilah starts her day at 7:30 am with a walk around her community to get the blood pumping to the brain. Her first Zoom call is at 8.25 AM, and she does not leave her desk much until lunchtime. U...

  By Jirawan Tritham   On Tuesday, Sept 2nd, the upper floors of the Harbor were filled with nervous chattering and lockers opening and closing. It was the dreaded week of MAP testing for the freshmen and sophomores. Coming back from a long weekend of celebrating Merdeka, an air of laziness mixed with panic permeated the environment. Unsure freshmen whispered in groups on the top floor of the Harbor. Many rushed to grab books and hoodies to prepare for the nightmarish 2-hour test. The more experienced sophomores stood around coolly on the second floor, checking their phones and cracking light jokes. MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) Testing was a tiring ordeal that Dalat students of all ages must experience, unless you were a junior or senior. Students missed multiple blocks from their school day to take an online computer test. The tests consisted of multiple-choice questions in subjects like math, science, and reading. It was an aptitude test that allowed students a...

By Esther Tse   The two most asked questions in 2020 are: How long do you think this pandemic will continue, and when will it end? For the past weeks, Penang was proud to accomplish 100+days without a case; however, a first case appeared in the mainland, and since then, cases have slowly risen. As for Malaysia, the rising cases led to an emergency announcement. Three days ago, the prime minister announced that the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), which was initially to end August 31, had been extended to December 31st. Under the RMCO movement, interstate travel is allowed; however, foreigners, especially in countries with high COVID-19 cases, are not permitted to enter Malaysia. Though the renewed RMCO had some approvals, some may differ and believe this enforcement is unnecessary.  Thankfully, Dalat International School is still open with strict restrictions, and the STEP program continues to operate for overseas students.  The good news is that the dorm...