The Old and The New: First Day of School!

By Annabelle Fan  

The shuffle of footsteps and the opening of lockers echoed through the hallways. The chatter of students complaining about how it was too early for them, how their summers went, and how long they hadn’t seen someone. The melody of students re-entering a familiar site rose to a crescendo as more cars rolled through the Dalat front gates on August 7, 2024. 

For seniors, the first day of school brings mixed feelings, from the excitement of beginning a new year to the bittersweet feeling of entering their last year of high school. 

“I dreaded coming back to school because it meant I had to actually leave my house. The only thing keeping me going is knowing that I get to come back home as soon as the clock strikes at 3.10,” said Liv Gohan (12) - a reluctant returning student.  

As years pass, “first days” may no longer hold a special place for some students. However, current senior Sandy Choi (12) said, “Coming in as a senior, it felt surreal to wear a red shirt instead of the usual HS uniform. The fact that this was the last year of high school felt weird. However, I was also excited to go out for lunch and enjoy the Senior privileges that we’ll get. So far, I’ve enjoyed being a Senior, and I’m just really excited for Sneak!” 

As seniors enter the new year, they come in with new, contrasting perspectives to the last “first day” they would experience at Dalat. 

On the contrary, the newest 9th graders exhibit hints of nervousness and thrill as they step foot into the next chapter of their lives, from 8th graders to freshmen who face new responsibilities and the daunting thought of college. Evangeline Fan (9) stated, “It felt like stepping into a completely new area despite it being the same school, and I felt very uneasy as to what is to come.” 

Many freshmen felt the same way coming into high school. “I felt extremely nervous but also excited to finally be in High School. I think that the only reason I looked forward to it was because of my friends, but other than that, I was super scared. I knew there would be a lot of homework and was intimidated by the fact that grades really mattered now,” Kyra Lim (9) expressed. Advancing from middle school is no small feat; it takes courage.  

Though we are already ending our third week of school, these three weeks have progressed differently for students. Some seniors have already begun to feel the senioritis creeping up behind them; some feel like they have already been through an entire semester, and some are still basking in the goodness of enjoying their current school life. However, as we drift further away from the beginning of the semester, students slowly become accustomed to the familiar pace of school, leaving the 2024 summer as pure memories.  

Phone Detox

By Jadyn Bui

At some point, every media literacy class does a Nokia Phone Project, where everyone in the class goes without a smartphone for two weeks. This semester’s F block class started with a bang, deciding to start the project the very Monday after the beginning of school. We exchanged our smartphones for a Nokia 105, a “dumb phone” which could send messages and calls but could not access the Internet. We honestly kind of wanted to get it over with.

Our world has so much media and technology, but we often don’t realize its effects. The goal of Media Literacy is to make students aware of these effects, and the phone project was an important part of this goal.

So, on Monday August 12, we filed into the media literacy classroom carrying our smartphones. After transferring the SIM cards to our Nokias, we handed them in to Mr. Chin. “Remember, this is on the honor system,” he reminded. “You could have an extra smartphone at home, and I would never know. But you only get as much out of this class as you put in.” 

As a result of not having smartphones, many people could not communicate as well as they wished to. “I went to three birthday parties this weekend,” Michael Silverstein (12) lamented. “I almost didn’t make it home from one of them!” 

Esther Jung (12) agreed that lack of communication was the hardest part of the project: “I can’t quickly write to my friends or call Grab.”

However, the project certainly had its benefits. Aidan Boyd (11) was glad to “have more homework time.” Many students claimed that not having a phone eliminated a major source of distraction and allowed them to give more attention to more valuable pursuits. Except, perhaps, for playing Snake on the Nokia.

The project also offered valuable insights into the relationship between humans and technology in general. “I learned I have a phone addiction,” Caitlyn Chan (12) admitted. “Not having a phone is liberating.” 

Jung observed, “We’ve come to an age where we constantly have to rely on our devices. I’m able to take a break from all the apps I used to constantly be on.”

We will all be glad to get our phones back, but it’s been amazing to observe the benefits of fasting from phone use. In the future, we hope to manage our devices wisely so that we can reap the benefits of today’s technology without suffering the consequences of overuse and addiction.

It’s Show Time

By Timothy Hollon

Nervous stretching circles spread throughout campus, eager 8th graders laced their cleats in anticipation, experienced veterans and optimistic newcomers alike focused their mental and physical energy, focused on one thing, and one thing only: tryout week.

Last week, the tryouts for the girls and boys’ varsity and junior varsity teams were held over two to three-day periods at Steinkamp court and the Upper Field. Masses of high school and middle school students congregated with the hope and excitement of representing our school in athletics. 

The honor of representing Dalat at the Varsity and Junior Varsity levels is immense, and many of the boys and girls trying out worked hard with the memories of all the great Dalat athletes that came before them. 

As Peter Hsu (12) put it, “Representing Dalat through volleyball is a privilege that embodies dedication and excellence.”

However, the tryouts weren’t all sunshine and rainbows for everyone trying out. At the end of the day, the teams only had a certain number of spots they could hand out, 12 spots for each volleyball team and 18 each for the football teams. Because of this, many felt worried or stressed as the tryouts were carried out, even some of the veterans. 

Braydon Lee (11), a veteran Varsity athlete, said, “I always have the thought, ‘What happens if I mess up?' Obviously, I shouldn't have that thought… but personally, the pressure is always there.” 

Sion Kang (8) described felt this pressure physically, describing his heart as “bumping because of nervousness.”

Others, like Kyra Brewster (12) and Russell Lee (11) were trying out for sports that they weren’t as familiar with and hadn’t grown up playing. Russell commented on trying out for the Varsity Boys Football team, saying, “Playing basketball as my primary sport, [trying out] with guys that have more experience in the game as well as being far more skilled, it was physically challenging to stand out.” 

And every athlete wants to stand out.

As the coaches discussed among themselves and deliberated on who stood out and on who could bear the pressure of intense athletics, the athletes gave their all to ensure they would make the spot. For one week, all the athletes gave just a bit more than their best. 

They ran a bit faster, kicked a bit harder, set a bit cleaner, and communicated a bit more.

And, as the week came to a close and the tryouts came to an end, the teams began to take shape as Dalat’s finest and hardest working athletes were rewarded for their hard work and dedication. 

Nevertheless, through all the chaos and excitement of tryouts, it’s easy to forget--the season hasn’t even started yet. 

As the whistles begin blowing, and the shoes begin squeaking, and the coaches begin shouting, Dalat’s familiar feel of spirit and pride and culture will begin to return, and both athlete and parent, coach and staff will come together in the beautiful unity that only sports can provide.

The Power of Singing in the Hallway

By Finley White

Late June. That’s when I saw the summer homework for AP Computer Science Principles and immediately knew I wasn’t going to survive that class. I had already talked to a few people about how disappointed I was to not be able to take Leadership Development because I felt like I needed another AP, but I realized looking at that assignment that I needed to change classes. I filled out the LD form in the KL airport, sent in my schedule change request in ORD Airport in Chicago, and had Leadership Development in my schedule by the first day of school back in Penang.  

Excitingly, there is an LD retreat that happens only three days after school starts. We went to paintball, ate dinner, had a bonfire, stayed overnight at a retreat center, and had good discussions, but the best thing for me was the worship.  

An important part of our stay was the two sessions we had with Pastor Grom, who taught us a lot about being spiritual leaders at our school and in general. We had deep discussions with each other and got to know each other's relationships and struggles with God. Before and after the sessions we sang songs to worship, but that just wasn’t enough.  

During the course of our evening, we realized that the acoustics in the hallway in between the girls’ and boys’ dorms were crazy good. We started singing hymns as we waited for people, passed by each other, or walked up towards the conference room. ‘Because He lives, I can face tomorrow” is a powerful enough lyric without it being sung in a cool hallway by a bunch of teenagers. But I think that the power of singing in the hallway came not so much from our voices and harmonies, but from the fact that we could have sung any song, and we chose to sing with God in mind.  

Even after our bonfire got rained on and we had to go up early, we sat up in the conference room and sang worship songs right up until we had to go to our respective dorms. “During our small time of worship in that upper conference room, God came, and his presence rested in that room. The very air was thick with it, drawing us to him and together as a team. It was awesome,” says Joshua Conklin (12). 

The awesomeness of God was so apparent at that time that even after we went back to our dorms, the girls chose still to continue worshipping (we had the guitar). Then, some people woke up at 6am to worship more. I woke up, stayed for two songs, then went back to bed. I love the Lord--but even Jesus slept.  

Real worship helps keep our hearts focused on God. I’ve found that I experience a special closeness with God when in a room filled with peers whose hearts are fully set on Him. His presence ‘fills the atmosphere’ to quote the song Holy Spirit buy Jesus Culture. 

Michaela Parsley (12) says, “At the LD retreat, I was able to grow closer with my classmates more than I thought was possible in just 24 hours. …Seeing my friends praise God was an encouragement to me. It was a great reminder of how great and worthy God is of all of our praise.” The element of closeness to each other and to God that she describes is such a valuable aspect of the Leadership Development class that really drew me to it in the first place.  

So, all that to say this year’s Leadership Development class is a group whose hearts are set towards God. We are all excited to go forward in the year continuing to become closer with each other and our peers all while glorifying God. I am eternally grateful to be part of planning student-led worship, chapels, SEW, MEW, and more as I grow and develop as a leader.