Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

By Hudson Brooks “Do you have a relentless pursuit of excellence?”  On September 17th, at our first cross country practice of the year, this was the question Coach Will Brooks asked us. After a long wait over the summer and during the first few weeks of school, it was finally that time of year again: time for us to resume cross country, and with it, our endless pursuit of speed, strength, and agility.  There were a total of 20 people there at the grand reopening, which was more than came to all of the workouts from last year combined. With such a large number of runners, it may seem hard to imagine that every single person there contained within them a “relentless pursuit of excellence.” Despite this, showing up to a workout is often the hardest part, especially when there’s running involved. Everyone who shows up displays their pursuit of excellence and their drive to better themself. While cross country at Dalat is still only a fledgling sport, it has a very tight knit commu...

By Yong Xi Tan I think of when I got my day off for Malaysia Day and the entire week. My time grows shorter as I progress daily through my school years, and I feel it for the first time in many years. The exciting yet slightly daunting feeling felt back when I left my primary school for where I am now: Dalat International School. It strikes me as the days count down in the style of a numerical continuous value, right down to the zeros, where it reaches the fundamental limit of approaching zero, and something big happens. That moment when you leave a country or city that you consider a hometown. That moment when you realize you have left a place you’ve lived in for nearly a decade or nearly two. As I work with my AP Statistics tutor, she tells me, “This is your last Malaysia Day. You better enjoy it while it lasts!” Still, I still really don’t know where I’ll end up yet - My senior year just began, and I have lots to apply for. Unexpectedly, however, I found myself dumbfounded; despite ...

By Sabrina Boyd Tell me, what sounds brighter than taking jet skis and fishing rods out in South-East Asia’s infamous monsoon season? The waves shook the jet ski so hard it sickened me while an endless dark cloud blackened the sky, threatening to make an already-miserable experience even worse. Nate Johnson (12) accelerated into the storm, swerving around the larger waves, while Tee Yu (12) and I held on to the hand belts for dear life. It all began a few weeks ago when Andrew Tan (12) suggested a morning spent riding jet skis to Nate, Tee Yu, and me; you’d have to be crazy to reject that kind of offer. Naturally, we accepted and spent the week dreaming of that coming weekend.  A public holiday presented itself as the perfect opportunity to make it happen, so I woke up early to prepare, wrap, and pack sandwiches for us; Nate and Tee Yu went to the market to pick up some lovely-smelling raw chicken and squid for bait; and Andy slept through his alarms and phone calls at a friend’s h...

 By Natalia Nosker A Saturday morning begins with a rare sight—juniors and seniors practically rising with the sun to attend a riveting game of captain Ball.  The CAP Games Penang tournament is a tradition hosted by Dalat. Six teams of students from different schools gather to participate in a captain ball event, one of many social and Gospel outreach programs run by Scripture Union.  Scripture Union is a Christian Organization that aims to reach youth with the Good News of Jesus through working with churches and organizing Bible study opportunities, children ministries, youth ministries, and sports ministries.  The teams slowly pour into the gym, new faces everywhere and excitement building for the games ahead. Bundles of neon yellow are passed around as the players receive their captain ball T-shirts—some say this year's color is better than last year’s neon orange, but that is up for debate. Everyone gathers as a Scripture Union staff member speaks into the mic to...

By Sandy Choi Yellow, red, green, and blue: those are the only colors visible in school today. Not the red Senior uniforms that you would usually see, nor the yellow-striped high school uniform. Painting their faces with their house colors, everyone’s eager to represent their house. Students are gathered around the outdoor basketball court, and heat and excitement are overflowing. It takes a while to settle down and contain the thrill. Bolt, Blaze, Quake, and Blue all take turns to show that they are the best with a chant that unites their house. The chants for all four houses are loud and full of passion, and the Eagle Games that everyone waited for finally start. However, not everything goes as planned. Rain starts pouring, just like the last two Eagle games. Yet, nothing can stop the spark that already started. Students continue playing in the hard rain, not minding how wet they get; they’re only eager to win and get more points for their house. The awkwardness between teammates at ...

 By Liv Gohan Eagle Games is the one day each year where students get together with their houses and compete against each other to prove once and for all that their house is the champion of champions! It is an incredible school-wide event that encourages friendly competition, good sportsmanship, and incredible teamwork.   The day of the Games did not start off great. Just like the last two years, this year’s Eagle Games was opened with cold and brutal rain. Students were drenched and forced to take off their shoes and walk barefoot around campus to avoid marinating their feet in soaked socks and shoes, while the upper field that hosts an outdoor game transformed into a muddy slip and slide. However, towards the end of the day, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and the rest of the day was bright again.  This year, the team that brought back the Eagle Games trophy was none other than the reigning champions: WAVE! The blue team that brought back its trophy from...

By Madison Abrams This past Friday, Dalat high school students received a break from school and were able to participate in Eagle Games. Eagle Games is a day of fun, interactive events and activities that encourages bonding and cooperation between our high school students. This has been an annual tradition for many years. Now, our seniors are able to lead and interact with their underclassmen and an opportunity to promote bonding between the grades.  The way Eagle Games works is that all high school students are randomly split up into one of four groups, known as “Houses.” The blue house, known as Wave, the yellow house, Bolt; the green house, Quake; and the red house, Blaze. Each house splits off into smaller teams that represent their respective houses in exciting, challenging, and creative head-to-head games, competing against the other teams to earn points for their house. In addition to representing their houses in the activities, students also embraced team spirit by wearing ...

By Caitlyn Chan For the past week, it has been pouring rain each morning, making our campus wet and slippery for outdoor activities. Despite all the prayers, it still rained on the morning of our seniors’ last Eagle Games.  Every year, Dalat High School hosts the Eagle Games, similar to an elementary school sports day but consisting of station games rather than regular track and field events. The teams consist of Wave, Quake, Bolt, and Blaze, all in coordination with the colors blue, green, yellow, and red. Each year, the winning house will bring back a trophy shaped like a wave (which could be biased) with their house name written on it and have bragging rights for the rest of the year.  Today was finally the day that we, the class of 2025, were group leaders in each group within our houses, which meant responsibility and a weight on our shoulders to fight for that trophy. To continue the tradition, every house had their juniors and themselves covered in their respective colo...

By Ellie Park In an impressive show of sportsmanship and team spirit, the annual Eagle Games at Dalat International School brought together high schoolers in fierce competition. Team Wave emerged as the champion, claiming the title, while Blaze, Bolt, and Quake fought fiercely, showing their determination throughout the event. At Dalat, high school students are divided into four houses—Bolt, Blaze, Wave, and Quake—which compete against each other in various games. Despite the Eagle Games beginning on a rainy morning, the atmosphere on campus was electric with enthusiasm. Each house, represented by a distinct color, added vibrant energy to the event. Blaze showcased red, Bolt burst with yellow, Quake splashed green across the grounds, and Wave unveiled blue, as participants proudly displayed their team colors. The houses rallied behind their unique chants: Blaze shouted, "You’re cooked! You’re cooked!" Bolt cheered, "Oh it’s cold in here! There must be some bolts in the a...

By Renee Tay It was a Friday afternoon and there wasn't a soul in sight moments before the tournament. Mid afternoon, the buses began rocking up; all the new faces stormed the school.  The hype was about to begin. As the crowd pulled up, people could feel the aura building up from within. As the Dalat team took their places on the court, the whistle blew and the crowd erupted. Giants were pounding balls across the net as their opponents fought to stay on top of the game.  While the Eagles were crushing their opponents, the Junior Class was selling lots of fun things. Funnel cakes, drinks and yummy snacks were bought by everyone. “Please come and support our store!!” said Anna Chand (11).  No matter how nervous the players seemed, they kept their heads in the game. Players were diving left and right, eager not to let any ball touch the ground. As the play ended on the first day, all the athletes were gassed but left with their heads held high, eager to come back the next d...

By Daniel Willoughby For myself, the last two weeks have been a blur, a whirlwind of activities and travelling.  On August 27th, just after 6:00 PM, we departed Dalat for Senior Sneak, with a long and tedious day of travelling ahead of us. After over ten hours on the busses, five hours waiting at a ferry terminal in Johor, and four hours on the boats, our arduous journey was over. Was it worth the time it took to get there and back? That is questionable—but there is no doubt that staying at Telunas was an incredibly refreshing experience for most people. Many activities were planned for the days we were there, both on and off the beach, and there was plenty of time for swimming and playing various board and card games.  The brevity of being a senior does not hit right away, or even at all, really; it trickles in slowly. The first day of school was certainly the first shock; seeing myself and my classmates in the iconic red shirts, as well as being now the oldest high school st...

By Tee Yu “Music draws people together,” Conductor Dr. Matthew Arau from Wisconsin said, as two-hundred students from schools in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and India listened closely.  Once a year, ten selected students from each school get to audition for a band trip called BIBF: Bangkok International Band Festival. But maybe students are actually auditioning for the Bangkok International Bonding Festival.  Driving to dinner after we landed in Bangkok, Jing Xuan Leow (12) expressed that she was most excited about “collaborating with other schools at the festival.”  A lot of us were excited to make music with new people from different schools. BIBF is a band trip that usually occurs once every year, so making new friends and reuniting with friends is always something that students look forward to.  During the festival, Aiden Kinchington (11), a student from Raffles American School in Johor said, “One memory I won’t forget is being with t...

By Ryan Khaw\ My grandmothers grew up in Japanese colonial Malaysia on their father’s plantation. Atrocities, too graphic to list on a senior scribble, surrounded her family consistently. When regular Japanese patrols came, my maternal grandmother would hide in her house, and my paternal grandmother would hide in the drain sewers on the side of the road. Fear and anguish gripped the colonized lands until the war ended.  Peace fell upon Malaysia, but the cries of independence over twenty years became unavoidable to the British, and this was the case on August 31st, 1957. My grandmothers must have been so proud when our first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, raised his fist three times, yelling “Merdeka.”  “She must have been so proud holding her Malaysian passport, Malaysian IC; everyone felt unified; we all shared one culture,” My mother said, recalling the strength of the national unity on Independence Day and during her childhood. During Merdeka Day all the public schools...

By Nikita Sarhad Bleary-eyed, exhausted, and famished after a long journey, when we first climbed out of the small ferry that took us to Telunas Beach Resorts on our first official day of Senior Sneak, we were all overjoyed to be met by the smell of delicious food. Stomachs rumbling at the sight of steaming trays of rice, sweet-and-sour chicken, fish soup, and vegetables, we hastily took our seats and sipped the sweet fizzy welcome drinks we received in anticipation.  Throughout our time at Telunas, seniors made many fond memories at mealtimes, whether they be of discussing the activities for the day, enjoying the different dishes, or playing games with friends. Most of us enjoyed the food at Telunas and looked forward to meals each day.  One student, Ryan Khaw (12), even commented that “the highlight was every morning waking up to the most perfect scrambled eggs,” going on to express his disappointment that breakfast “always ran out.”   But good food wasn’t the only...

By Marissa Elliott From ferries, to bus rides, to 5am pickups, the senior class was exhausted after returning on September 1st from their week away at Senior Sneak at Telunas Indonesia; but what better way to relax then dinner and a good show?  The ‘After Sneak Dinner’ is a long standing tradition among the Junior and Senior classes here at Dalat. While the seniors are rewarded with their trip after a long year of hard work raising money as former juniors, the current juniors put on a dinner to surprise them the night after their return.  This year's amazing Grade 11’s put on an unforgettable After Sneak Dinner filled with laughter, surprises, and memories with the theme of High School Musical!  The dinner preparations were no easy task, as Aiden Boyd (11), the star of the show, playing Troy Bolton said, “From the first workday, all the committees were working very diligently not wasting any time, because of this, (the) entertainment (committee) had an entire script. And ...

By Anju Takikawa On August 28th at 5:30 pm, senior students began shuffling with their luggage to the upper field parking lot benches. They talked fervently amongst themselves as they gathered. When two buses were spotted, one of the sponsors enunciated over the crowd’s exhilarating talk, “Make sure to use the bathroom before you get on the bus! There won’t be a bathroom break any soon!” Bus? Bags? Where are the mysterious seniors headed?   It is revealed that they were headed for Senior Sneak! Senior Sneak is a senior class trip where Grade 12 students are given a last chance to bond with the class, serve the local community, and create a long-lasting memory as part of their last year in high school! In junior year, students worked laboriously to raise money for the highly anticipated class trip by working at the Junior Class Store (JCS), Juniors for Hire, Junior-Senior Banquet (JSB), and the multitudinous events and services.   Senior students headed inside the bus...

By Rebecca Wong It was the second full day of Senior Sneak, around 10 am on Friday, August 30th, when we stepped off our boats and into Buah Rawa, a rural community on the other side of Sugi Island.  Water lapped lazily at the wooden posts beneath our feet, and the village was still sleepy as we walked past dirt roads and houses on stilts, carrying hoes and shovels that we would later use to mix cement. The night before, we had been through a thorough cultural briefing that highlighted the many differences between foreign and Malay culture, but as we neared the local school, the sound of children laughing and playing was universal to every one of us.  Wide, curious eyes peered out at us from under hijabs and from behind the leaves of bushes. Giggles and screams of joy filled the air as children chased each other around, climbing and scrambling over walls and up flagpoles, returning to the ground in disappointment when reprimanded by the teachers. As we watched the chaos, Mrs. ...

By Sandra Nguyen As we started to exchange goodbyes and pack our suitcases away, students began to board each respective bus one by one. We waved one last time to our family members and settled down in our seats. Senior Sneak had finally begun, hitting the trip off with a 10-hour drive.  The traveling experience is a very important aspect of a trip, especially for trips that have long distances set between the starting location and the destination. Sometimes it’s a mere two-hour drive in a car; sometimes it’s a sixteen-hour flight to a different country. For Sneak, students spent around 20 hours each way traveling to our destination spot.  These hours being cramped in a bus, freezing in the ferry, or melting in a boat with no air conditioning made quite an experience for our seniors, an experience that students could look back on and laugh in nostalgia. The travel itself adds to the overall experience because it allows more time to bond and connect with fellow students, creati...