Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

 By Isaac Lee Tuesday, 7 a.m., October 17, the Varsity boys volleyball arrived in Korea. After a defeated 5th place finish out of 6 teams last year, few had hope for the volleyball team. Some even mocked them for spending so much money to go to Korea to lose. They didn't know that the volleyball team was in business this year. Volleyball ACSC started with a round-robin where all teams can play each other once. The number of wins and losses determines the seed for the official double elimination, which determines the placement for ACSC. The first three days were round-robin games where the guys won against Morrison, Faith, ICS-Bangkok, and ICS-Hong Kong.  With a 4:3 record, the guys were placed on the fourth seed. In the first double-elimination game, the guys went up against SPH, a team they had lost to previously. They played and won against them. The guys were feeling good and went straight to the next game against Faith, where they faced their first official defeat. The guy...

By Alexia Nyul Last week, our school hosted the girl’s volleyball ACSC and had eight teams compete for first place.  After a long week of games and competing against other schools, our girls unfortunately came in fifth place. Anna Ruble (12), a senior on the varsity volleyball team, said, “Although we lost two players and ended in 5th place, this has been my favourite team to play with. This ACSC was an amazing way to end the season. I’m so proud of my team and how we didn’t give up. We cried together, encouraged each other, and won so many games together. I will forever remember this team.”  Although our girls placed lower than they wanted to, they did play very well and had the full support of the crowd that watched them play. Some of these watchers even skipped class to support them during their games. The gym was always full of posters, cheers, and both positive and nervous energy that had us on the edge of our seats.  ACSC was not just an excuse to skip class but als...

By Yuna Lee It is with immense pleasure and excitement that we bring you the latest updates from the highly anticipated ACSC (Asian Christian Schools Conference) sports tournaments, where Dalat International School (DIS) proudly participated, displaying immense talent, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Our Varsity Boys Volleyball team set the stage at Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS) in South Korea, while the Varsity Boys Soccer squad demonstrated their skill and passion at Grace International School (GIS) in the picturesque city of Chiang Mai. In the meantime, our Varsity Girls Volleyball team captivated and thrilled the crowd on our home campus with their spectacular performance throughout the tournament.    Incredible was the palpable excitement that swept through our campus last week as students eagerly anticipated the opportunity to witness an ACSC (Asian Christian Schools Conference) event live and cheer passionately for our beloved Varsity Girls' Volleyball team....

By Ezra Latham  After a week of Fall Break, Dalat students are jumping back into action, not only with academics but also with the yearly ACSC (Asian Christian Schools Conference) sports tournaments. Even on break, players and teams were still dedicated to their sport and were focused on final preparations and getting locked in for the week of games that were coming.   In this first season of sports, Dalat has three teams competing: the Varsity Boys Volleyball at the Korean school YISS, the Varsity Boys Soccer team at GIS in Chiang Mai, and the Varsity Girls Volleyball here on our campus.   In the midst of an intense week of competition, all the teams will come together for a day of service towards a local community in their city. It’s a great chance for athletes not only to serve but also to get to know students from other schools through working together.  “ACSC is a great opportunity for student-athletes to connect with people from other schools around Asia,” says...

By Amy Park Waking up early in the morning and meeting with a group of people you don’t usually hang out with at 7:30 a.m. is quite unusual. But there I was, doing the “unusual” every Tuesday and Friday to prepare for the Impact trip, a service/mission trip outside Penang.  This year, there were three options for the trip: Bandung, Johor Bahru, and Perak. I chose Bandung because flying overseas appealed to me. After weeks of preparation, my team could finally head out to Bandung, Indonesia, on Friday, the 6th of October, for the Impact trip. Despite waking up at 4 a.m. because of the early flight, everyone seemed excited about the upcoming service projects and activities we had planned for weeks. However, two hours of flying and four hours of bus ride with cockroaches everywhere were enough to exhaust our tensions.  Thankfully, though, we only had one activity on the first day, the prayer walk. During this time, we had the opportunity to walk around the neighborhood and litera...

By Julia Jang October 6th, 2023. It was a tranquil night, and our Bandung Impact team gathered at Dalat Upper Field while carrying suitcases so we could head to the airport together.  Impact trips are back! This year, they offered several service trip locations: Indonesia (West Java), Johor Bahru, and Perak. I once participated in a Johor Bahru Impact trip during my junior year and enjoyed each moment to the full degree. Therefore, I challenged myself to explore the different cultures and dig deeper into the dynamics of the people around the world. What I like most about the Impact trip is that you’ll learn much about humanity and how it varies worldwide by placing my perspective into others’. One of the main reasons I decided to go to Bandung is because of my sister, a Dalat alumni. She also went on a Bandung Impact trip constantly told me how much the trip was worth. She mentioned the friendliness and peacefulness of Bandung and how she was able to respect people regarding their ...

By Himani Alagan Since the beginning of Grade 12, it was the senior sunrise that kept the seniors on their toes with excitement. All were asked to gather at the Galley at 7:00 a.m. sharp to watch the sunrise and eat breakfast together. We had a delicious spread of rotis, curry puffs, Krispy Kream doughnuts, spring rolls, and cinnamon cake, with hot chocolate, milo, coffee, and chai to supplement.  Our class food coordinator, Packia Alagu Nagarajan (12), said, “It was really hard to find shops that sell roti at that time, but I managed to talk to SAB, and they came through.”  Overall, the feedback regarding the breakfast was positive; Leyla Lee (12) said, “The roti and doughnuts were so good.” Alexia Nyul (12), our activity coordinator, stated, “I’m so glad I was able to pull off planning the senior sunrise, as getting to spend time with my classmates is always fun, and I’m so glad I was able to enjoy it.” Excitement stirred even more when a dead rat was spotted on the ground i...

By Amos Koay Two weeks ago, from September 28 through October 1, a group of high schoolers in choir were invited to the Bangkok International Choir Festival.  There were many schools from all around Asia that were invited to this festival. Among many other schools, Dalat had a fantastic opportunity to be conducted by Carrie Tennant. Carrie Tennant, Vancouver Youth Choir's founder and artistic director, helped everyone prepare for the concert in just one and a half days.  Sammy Jung (12) said, "Her style of conducting was none like anyone has ever seen. She used very useful hand motions to help us get better in tune. As a result, we sang better as a whole choir."  Carrie Tennant used many different hand motions and tools, like a ball, to help the choir understand more about how singing works. Not only did it help them improve significantly, but it also resulted in a more fun practice. Her unmatched passion and skills inspired every student to get better.   Not on...

By Samuel Jung A couple of weeks ago, members of the Dalat Choir went to the International School Bangkok to have an annual Choir festival. The Choir festival was called the Bangkok International Choir Festival hosted by the International School Bangkok, and before this huge meeting the students in Dalat worked every morning during A-block to prepare for this event. Ms. Vossler led the choir every morning and her hard work truly helped the students not only sing better individually, but as a whole group as well. As for the event, it was led by Carrie Tenant, who is the choir director and founder of the Vancouver Youth Choir.  Many schools from all over Southeast Asia came together to create a big choir and perform in front of parents and on a livestream. In just 1 and a half days she was able to lead the choir to perform in front of countless people.  According to Drew Worten (12), “It was very interesting getting to learn from a professional choir director. She made practices...

By Jason Cho  From super early Monday seven a.m. sessions to hungry Thursday lunch meetings, our Impact team is finally ready to create a joyful experience for the kids in Johor Bahru! Impact trips have only one purpose… To make an impact, of course! This year, students were given the opportunity to sign up for multiple service trips: Johor Bahru, Perak, Indonesia, and North Borneo. I decided to list Johor Bahru as our first choice; soon, I was able to redeem my choice and begin my journey to prepare for the upcoming service trip. Each impact trip was designated to a specific place; in our case of Johor Bahru, we would be traveling to the Rohingya Refugee School & Center to offer education and service through English learning activities.  Preparing for the Impact trip was not a hard process but more of an exciting experience. Although the early morning pre-trip training sessions were truly excruciating for me as a senior with senioritis, they were still memorable experienc...

By Cullno Mah In a heartbreaking turn of events, a devastating virus swept through Dalat International School during the week of September 25-29, 2023, tragically claiming Aidan and Himani as its first victims among the seniors. Monday came by like any other Monday, but something felt amiss; there were a couple of missing faces among the seniors that continued to pile up over the next few days at Dalat International School. Classrooms felt emptier, and the absence of fellow seniors left an undoubtedly sad presence among the senior community. Devastating news dropped in the parent’s WhatsApp group chat on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. Himani’s lovely mother, Auntie Daveena, texted, “Himani got into the car today saying she’s feeling unwell. And also that some friends are feeling unwell. I took her to the clinic and was told lots of international school kids are down with Influenza. I got Himani tested and she’s positive for Influenza A and she’s already started on her antiviral meds.”...