8 Hours of Freedom

 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 larger, Penang community. Students have served in churches, retirement homes, and local schools throughout the years and have learned the importance of looking outward, beyond their own needs and desires, to help those in more need than themselves.

With a required uniform policy and a heart for community service, Dalat is taking advantage of its unique opportunity to serve the community and provide the student body with a break in the monotony by offering No Uniform Day. No Uniform Day is a charity fundraiser run by the Student Impact Club that offers students the opportunity to wear their own, non-uniform, clothes to school for one day. Any students that are interested can make a donation of at least 10RM and receive a ribbon, color-coded for the charity they donated to, in order to participate.

Sumin Lim, a Dalat senior, said, “No uniform day is one of my favorite events in school. Especially because of the limitations due to the coronavirus, I think that the no uniform day is a good way for us to have a school event and raise money for charity. It is also fun and comfortable wearing whatever we want to school.”

While not eradicating the uniform policy, No Uniform Day offers students a chance to express themselves through clothing as they all get to see their friends in ways they may not have before. And let us not forget, each 10RM donation is put towards helping refugees, orphans, Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital, and more.

Coronavirus is on the loose and opportunities are being taken from us each and every day; but Dalat’s heart for the community cannot be quelled by a global pandemic. For 8 hours, Dalat students will get to experience an unusual type of freedom as hope is given to the elderly, orphaned, and sick in the community around us.