Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

By Limey Chhor At the beginning of the semester, pages were laid neatly into tiny piles on the wooden table near the Singapore Room. Dalat students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, auditioned for a play they would later come to know as Afraid of the Dark by James Reach.  Throughout the three performances, the audience witnessed the sweet love of the newly-wed Chauncey, played by Michael Silverstein (11) and Lilum, played by Olive Berends (9). The romantic and quiet honeymoon that Lilum expects comes crashing down with the thundering voice of General Lee, played by Gabriel Roylance (11) and his sidekick, Gridley, played by Jun Sheng Leow (12). Despite the craziness of the tenants, Lilum insisted on staying, only to regret her decision when the big reveal that they had been caught in the middle of an extensive espionage unfolded in the Third Act. Each performance keeps the audience on the edge of their seat and ends with roaring applause from the audience.  Dalat Drama Produc...

 By Aidan Leong “One hundred and fifty billion dollars!” exclaimed Mata Hari (Limey Chhor, 12).  Exactly how much I thought this production was worth. Dalat Drama production once again delivered with a great play called Afraid of the Dark .  The play boasted a diverse range of real-life characters, from Mata Hari to Queen Elizabeth the First to even General Robert E. Lee. Moreover, the actors brought these characters to life with phenomenal acting and voice projection.  Jun Sheng Leow (12), a vibrant and enthusiastic actor who played the role of Admiral Gridley, describes acting on stage as “a chance to make me feel… …alive in some odd ways I can’t describe. I just like to act different from my character contrary to what people would expect about me.” The show went on for two days, one show on Friday and two on Saturday. At first, Michael Silverstein (11), one of the main leads, said they were very nervous and tense before performing. But by the third showing, he tol...

By Dora Liu It’s time to take a peek behind the curtains.  Last Friday, November 17th, Dalat Drama Production returned with another showpiece, Afraid of the Dark . The premiere night was an immediate success, packed with an excited audience. Tech Week, usually the most busy time of year for cast members, was especially significant to the show's success.  What is Tech Week? Tech Week is the first time most of the “tech”—lighting, sound, etc, become part of the rehearsal, which usually takes place in the week leading up to the actual show.  Due to the tight schedule, all actors and backstage crew must stay in Harbor Hall and rehearse every night of Tech Week until the premiere night. Nightly rehearsals can run from 4 until 8 or 9 pm, with at least one full-dress rehearsal that simulates an actual performance to ensure everything goes smoothly.  Wonhoo Shin (9), one of the backstage crew, discloses his schedule for Tech Week. “I would have to do everything from 3...

By Packia Alagu Nagarajan The Senior class of 2024 invites all elementary school students to bond over freezies and a fun game of duck-duck-goose. As a senior, I remember in my elementary days, I used to be intimidated by the seniors. I would genuinely think they were going to bully me and be mean to me on purpose, so, as the five-year-old that I was, I used to avoid them at all costs. However, as a senior, I realize what the elementary students think when we walk past them. Most of them look up to us, wonder what it’s like to be the oldest in the school, and wish to grow up just like us.   The senior class planned this event as an opportunity to let the elementary students know that we’re really not that scary. In fact, this is the first step taken to bond with them over a freezie and some games they enjoy playing. We decided it would work best to split the elementary school grade-wise to be more organized. During their morning recess, a group of seniors volunteered to cut up...

By Sam Owen It’s time to face our fears.  At least for those of us Afraid of the Dark. Opening night is finally upon us. After months of preparation, our drama department is ready to present its production. Crowds will make their way to Harbor Hall to be seated tonight at seven p.m. as the pride and joys of our upcoming play realize the fruit of their efforts. Elizabeth Silverstein (12), one of the tech students responsible for the sound effects that hold the power to make or break a performance, embodied the emotions of many of her crewmates, expressing, “I feel like we are almost there and, although it is stressful, everyone is filled with anticipation and excitement to share what we have worked so hard on.” Returning veteran Emma Yeap (12) is also a devoted crew member. She opened up about tonight’s performance, explaining, “I am feeling excited and nervous for the play. I am glad that it is coming up and really proud of the cast, the props, and the programming that everyone wor...

By Drew Worten On November 10th, 2023, there was an event called Freaky Friday hosted by the Dalat senior class for grades 5th through 8th. They did many events that day, including Capture the Flag, Knockout, Cat & Mouse, Just Dance, Min to Win It, Tic Tac Toe, Trivia, and water balloon fights.  This event is a time where seniors can be role models and leave lasting memories on the Dalat community. Cullno Mah (12) was a leader for one of the middle school grades; he said, “For some reason, I really bonded with the sixth-grade middle schoolers on Friday till they even said hi when I’m around. I had a deep talk with one of them about growing up and maturing, and he said he was too mature and apologized for his grade when they kept shouting at me. They also decided to throw their one water balloon at me, and I even banter with three sixth-grade girls who were shouting and complaining about Freaky Friday and we laughed about it. Their core memory was probably me, not gonna lie, and...

By Douglas Koay Freaky Friday is a long-standing tradition in Dalat, where seniors run games, provide food, and have fun with the middle schoolers. This year, it allowed seniors to give back to the Dalat community by providing a night filled with various activities, including Capture the Flag, Cup Pong, Just Dance, Knockout, and many others for the kids in school.  With so many activities needing to be set up, the senior class had to prepare the stations before the wave of kids flooded in. Stations of games were set up in Harbor Hall, Just Dance was projected onto the screen behind the stage, and 600 water balloons being filled in anticipation of the kids led to more water on the seniors than in the balloons.  Senior ExCom Service Coordinator Aidan Leong (12) said, “Many seniors came together to help out in Freaky Friday to bond with the middle schoolers, which made the process smooth and enjoyable.” The middle schoolers were bursting with excitement and glee, participating in...

By Josiah Andrews One month. One month away until the final bell of the semester. A day that is hard to imagine that will come on the first day of school. Having said that, that specific bell is starting to loom over the heads at Dalat. That bell will be a relief for some freshman who survived the first of eight semesters in their high school years. That bell also will mean that there is only one last semester for the Class of 2024 until their high school journey ends. Many seniors have started to feel some signs and symptoms of Senioritis. Even so, the excitement to graduate and be done grows. In contrast, the motivation and want to attend school dissipates quickly amongst the Co24.  Holding us students back from that freedom is the dreaded final exams. Preparation for exams is about to get underway if it hasn’t already. This period of time before the exams and after the mid-semester break is what I like to call “the quiet before the storm.” The phrase often describes a peaceful p...

By Savanna Choi The last volleyball net descended, cleats gave way to high-top sneakers, and the balls were finally allowed to touch the ground again. The echoes of cheers and claps that filled the gym just a few weeks ago faded away with the sounds of dribbling on the hardwood floor and concentrated breaths. The new season surfaced among high school students in the form of basketball players.  You heard it right: it's basketball season.  Players who eagerly counted the days to this moment gathered in the gym last Thursday and Friday to kick off the season. Dozens of students, freshmen and seniors alike, exchanged glances filled with purpose and anticipation. As the whistle blew and tryouts began, the once-nervous expressions on their teenage faces transformed into the determined looks of professional athletes.  Caitlyn Chan (11), a returning Varsity Girls Basketball player, shared her experience, saying, "I was so nervous before tryouts, but being back on the court with ...

By Abbi Rinkenberger Darkness cloaked the room. I stood with my eyes fixed on the lyrics on the screen. My hands were lifted, open. The soft strum of the guitar and the quivering of the piano and violin died out, but the voices of the students continued. In unison, we filled the air with worship, whispering words from Brandon Lake’s song Gratitude: “I've nothing else fit for a King / Except for a heart singing hallelujah.” I experienced a sense of unity and faith in that moment. While this experience occurred during the last night of SEW, the humility palpable in Brandon Lake’s lyrics mirrored the atmosphere of Spiritual Emphasis Week as students and speakers offered their voices, talents, and hearts to Christ.  During chapels and night sessions, we had the honor of listening to speakers from Avant Life Church in Canada. In alignment with the theme of Pursuit, Ps. Sarah Graston guided us through the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son. She touched the audience w...

By Kathryn Boyd Pursued was the phrase that came into the minds of the Leadership Development Class of Dalat International School when deciding the theme for the Spiritual Emphasis Week this year.  Anna Ruble (12) explained her thoughts behind the theme this year, “I think that the theme ‘Pursued’ accurately depicts God's love and desire for a relationship with us. We are His creation, and He desires so strongly for us to accept what He did for us on the cross. I really enjoyed the theme this year and the sermons that came with it.” Three days, three nights. The sound of praises unto the King of Kings echoes from the Harbor Hall. A team from Avant Church in Vancouver, Canada, joined the students and parents for an amazing three days of grasping the truth of the Gospel and God’s love for us. The Avant Church team spoke to the Elementary, Middle, and High schools. They shared stories from Luke 15 about the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son. Through these ...

By Noella Seevaratnam The heart of mankind indulges in two distinctive desires. To pursue and to be pursued. Often, the word “pursued” demonstrates a state of wantedness and being sought after. It’s what translates a soul from a place of individualism and singleness to a partnership of sorts, being “taken.” Unsurprisingly, that desire stems from a deeper longing of the heart to be pursued and to pursue God. During our annual Spiritual Emphasis Week, our speakers from Avant Life Church in Canada spoke about how God pursues mankind.  Upon the arrival of the speakers, the Leadership Development Class was given the opportunity to choose the theme for S.E.W., and the choice was formulated based on what the Leadership Development (L.D.) class thought the school needed the most: to know the pursuit of God. Being a part of the L.D. class myself, the motive behind choosing the theme was to see our campus aware of the radical love of God, a move from mere legalism and religion into a genuine...

By Ha-Eun Jeon Tuesday, October 24, 2023. While the rest of the highschoolers get a day off, the sophomores and juniors faced another day in school. The reason? The PSAT.  The PSAT is an exam the sophomores and juniors take every year. This year, the exam was taken digitally. This exam helps students prepare for the upcoming SATs, letting them experience how the exam works. The PSAT is also known as the NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), if a high score is achieved in one’s junior year, a merit scholarship is rewarded to the individual. However, this scholarship only applies to United States citizens. Unlike the SAT, which is out of 1600, the PSAT is out of 1520.  This year, most of the students found the math module more challenging (36.2%), than the reading and writing module (30.4%). 14.5% of the students found it both equally challenging and 18.8% of them did not find the modules challenging at all.  With data collected form 34 juniors and 35 sophomor...

By Wei Ee Goh Through ankle sprains, bruises, blood, sweat, and pain, the Varsity Soccer Boys team gave ACSC everything they had. On Tuesday, October 17th, at 5 AM, the Varsity Boys Soccer team arrived at Dalat to leave for Chiang Mai. The first flight was to KL, then a 4-hour layover before taking another flight to Chiang Mai. After reaching Chiang Mai, the boys had an hour ride in a red truck, which is a leading form of transportation of the people in Chiang Mai. The day of travel ended by reaching the Alpine Golf Resort and with a team meeting to get everyone in the right mindset for the many gruelling games ahead. The first game started with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Morrison. Although the team got the win, the team felt that it shouldn’t have been that close as they were better technically than the other team but struggled to score easy goals. In the second game against ICS Hong Kong felt more or less the same. The Dalat players were much better technically but could not gain a m...

By Joseph Lee Ten weeks of hard and gritty work of practices and games all amount to a week of soccer. A week at a Golf Resort in Chiang Mai where eight teams compete against each other for the ACSC Soccer champion crown. Last year, Dalat saw a lot of success by easing through the tournament with a comfortable 6-0 record, making ACSC history by not losing a single game. But this year, we knew the stakes were different since we were the team to beat.  We started our first game off against Morrison, where we would see victory with a 2-1 win. Our second game was against ICS-HK, which we won 3-1. Our last group game against YISS was a hard-fought and intense match where we saw victory by scoring in the last five minutes, winning 1-0. These three group games placed us as the first seed, facing the other group’s last seed for the first bracket game. We started our bracket journey against SPH, a tough and physical game that we won 3-0, which set us against Grace, the host team, in the sem...