Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

On December 1, 2025, Student IMPACT Club's Music Team arrived at Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital, kicking off the Christmas season with a heartfelt performance. IMPACT’s music outreach, though less renowned than its food drives or Zoom tutoring, is nonetheless a key part of its identity, involving just as much work, dedication, and behind-the-scenes mayhem. At 8 a.m, the Music Team members gathered at Dalat for last-minute practice, their passion for serving stronger than the irresistible urge to sleep in. “I just love the joy we bring by making music,” said Sharon Baek (12), the Music Team’s main Guitarist.  One would be mistaken, however, in assuming order or organization based on this enthusiasm. In fact, Haw Zheng (12) was meant to play piano at Mount Miriam before dengue confined him to a hospital bed, and two other members of Student IMPACT only announced their absence the day before the performance. “It was chaotic,” Sharon recalled with a laugh. Even with the frantic lead-up t...

What did one alumni, six seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, and three freshmen do this Thanksgiving? It might sound like the setup to a joke, but the real answer is that they went to the Dell Technical Skills Bootcamp. Organized by Dalat students, this two day event consisted of a mix of theoretical and practical learning in an actual Dell facility in Bayan Lepas. The first half of both days were theoretical lessons, where Dell employees taught the high school students the basics on how their servers, networks, and cabling works.  For Zachariel Ooi (12), these lessons were so important that “even though [his] transcribing app broke, [he prepared] a physical notebook and pen to take notes.” Notetaking was optional, but they would come in handy for the second half of each day: practical lessons led by Dell engineers. These consisted primarily of “server teardowns,” where actual servers were wheeled into the classroom and students were able to disassemble them. From fan compone...

 While most families in the Dalat community will welcome the long weekend attached to the American holiday, Thanksgiving is honestly something that very few families (outside of a select few) chose to celebrate this weekend.  Esteemed classmate, and future valedictorian, Lee Yan Tan (12), had this to say, when referring to her own family's thanksgiving celebration: “I didn’t do much.” This no-care attitude that Lee Yan brings to the table reflects how most people who are not American will simply choose to do nothing, or at least very little instead of celebrating the holiday themselves.  Another extremely important member of our school, head librarian, and junior class sponsor, Ms. Smail had this to say when I officially interviewed her and asked what she did over Thanksgiving: “I worked.” Dalat School themselves had our own teachers working on the famed holiday! This only serves to give even less respect to Thanksgiving, as the American faculty members are forced to work...

As the Thanksgiving and ICEC long weekend comes to an end, the Dalat seniors are busy, locked in their rooms, rushing through the “to-do” they have swept under the carpet since Wednesday night. Procrastination is a common symptom of senioritis, a chronic condition of seniors accompanied by a lack of motivation and melancholic retrospection. One moment, they may be scrolling social media for hours. Another moment, they may be crying that they are not ready to leave… and yet, they desperately beg for graduation every morning as they head to school. Each senior responds to senioritis differently; some suffer greatly from it, while others pay little to no attention to it. In this article, we will examine various extremes of Dalat seniors dealing with senioritis. Early in the morning, Jonathan Ooi (12) begins his day complaining about having to wake up early for school. In the library, rather than finishing the homework he boycotted last night, Ooi is fully immersed in daily Wordle, along w...

As a Malaysian, I’ve never celebrated Thanksgiving in my life. Don’t get me wrong,  we have Chinese New Year, where, like Thanksgiving, we gather with family to spend time together. But a day especially set apart for “giving thanks?” Is it really necessary? I thought that idea was wild; couldn’t we just be thankful every day? It wasn’t until I had almost completed all my years of high school, approaching its end, that I realized how important it is to have a day to be thankful and celebrate the little things every day.  The Thanksgiving holiday originated with the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native Americans in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621. It was initially a festival that celebrated gratitude for a successful harvest. As more years passed, it became a national holiday in the U.S., where family and friends gather to express gratitude for life over a shared meal. Some other things associated with Thanksgiving include turkey trots, sweet potato casseroles, and, of course, foo...

A week before, the atmosphere at Dalat was exceptionally warm. Although the unpredictable rainy weather has been annoying us, it was the energy of our staff community gathering for our annual Thanksgiving lunch. Seeing every single national and international staff member in one place, chatting and interacting, was awesome. It showed us a powerful reminder of how connected we are as a school community. This event is a highlight because it removes any imaginary dividing lines within the school. Getting to see all the staff, whether they were a national or international staff member, or if they've been here for decades or if just arrived, everyone was simply a colleague and a friend celebrating our shared community. That feeling of togetherness is what makes the day so memorable and truly makes Dalat feel like one huge family. But the real attention seeker of the lunch, as always, was the food, and the incredible initiative shown by our parents and staff. They truly went above expecta...

The tournament began not with a jump ball, but with a loud rustling of snack bags early in the morning on the bus. On November 21, the Dalat Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball teams departed for Kuala Lumpur to attend the basketball tournament at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL). Within less than 20 minutes into the ride, the girls were full of energy, eating nachos with salsa and hummus with vegetables. Soon, we arrived in K.L. in the early afternoon.  Our first game was against the host team, ISKL. Shoes squeaking, and adrenaline spiking, we secured our first win of the tournament. Then we played against a local club team, Selangor BA, who had won against us in a close game. After the games, we went to a mall for dinner and bought snacks with money that was generously donated to us by an anonymous parent. Not much later, back at the hotel, the girls gathered in one of the rooms to eat the snacks, play games, and talk. Not everyone had arrived, but people had already...

On Tuesday, November 18, Dalat easily defeated TLC 84 -32 thanks to their unwavering defense, frequent steals, and excellent performances from JD Guffy (12), Sam Yeoh (11), and Aaron Morrison (12) that set the tone for their entire game. Dalat put on one of their most dominant performances of the year, defeating TLC 84 - 32 thanks to aggressive defense, quick scoring, and a standout 25 point effort from JD.  Dalat set the tone from the first few minutes. Before TLC could even organize their offense, their pressure defense suffocated their players, forcing turnovers. I saw the same pattern while I was sitting courtside: steal, sprint, score. Dalat finished with eighteen steals, and each takeaway felt like a blow to TLC’s self-esteem.  A TLC player collapsed with a torn ACL after a drive, clutching his knee, and the game took a serious turn later on. The gym fell silent.  “It was a stern reminder that anything can happen when you’re playing,” JD said after the game. Instead...

Last weekend, our Dalat varsity boys’ basketball team fought through one of the toughest tournaments we’ve played, finishing second at the ISKL Twin Towers Tournament in Kuala Lumpur after a hard, physical championship game that tested every part of us. The tournament took place from Friday to Saturday on the ISKL campus, with four teams competing: PUBA placed 4th, Southern Wolves placed 3rd, Dalat placed 2nd, and the host team, ISKL, placed 1st. We played one game on Friday, followed by three more on Saturday, and the intensity increased with each matchup. The championship game against ISKL was the most emotional moment of the weekend. We started rough, falling behind by over 20 points early. Nothing was going our way, shots weren’t falling, and the game was already getting physical because the referees were barely calling anything. But we didn’t quit. As a team, we locked in defensively, pushed the tempo, and slowly started climbing back. When we cut the lead to just five points, the...

 After the hard fought battle against ISKL, the boys were tired and were in desperate need of nutrition. Matthias Seevaratnam (12), who fought valiantly on the bench, cheering us on, sought a source of protein. On our journey to the mall via bus, the boys were split for dinner. Matthias decided to enjoy Nandos, consuming many pieces of chicken. Later on, he made a journey to Jaya to acquire his most prized source of protein, milk. This wasn’t any ordinary milk, this was extra protein milk. As he described his experience, “I bought the HL Super Milk because it has protein.” He has talked to the team about his desires of getting bigger, or as he calls it “the bulk.” He brought back his gallon of milk back to the hotel for later consumption. The next morning, the team assumed that the milk was no more, however, the milk was brought down into the lobby of the hotel. Warm and half full, the milk made its way to the campus of ISKL. The gallon of milk got bench row seats for the games to ...

“What is the goal?” Coach Bang asked the captains on the Song Taew ride to Grace International School. The captains, Lee Yan Tan (12) and I, confidently responded, “We are thinking of 3rd.” In October, the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team headed to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where Grace International School hosted the 2025 Girls’ ACSC Volleyball Tournament. The Varsity Girls’ Volleyball team has spent hours practicing for the final tournament. ACSC is a conference to which Dalat is affiliated, along with other schools such as SPH, GIS, Faith, YISS, MAC, ICS-HK, and ICS-BKK. With many ups and downs throughout the season, we were unsure what place we would achieve during ACSC. On the first day of the tournament, we started with a 0-2 loss against ICS-HK, followed by a closely contested 1-2 game against YISS. Our day then concluded with a 2-0 win against SPH, after which we walked the nearby “One Nimman Flea Market”. The second day went smoothly, as we secured two easy wins against GIS and Faith...

I was standing right behind the front curtain, about to step onto the stage where many watching eyes would soon be examining me, when the entire side of my dress popped open. Panicked, I looked around for something to help, but there was no time. There were only a couple of lines before my entrance. Then, just as all hope was lost, Ruha Kim (12) stepped forward. She reached into her sleeve and, with a flourish, pulled out a single safety pin. She rushed to my side and pinned my dress back together right as I entered my scene. I don’t know why she had that safety pin; all I knew was that it was beautiful.  This is what I love most about drama: when people make mistakes or accidents happen, everyone works together to fix them. The cast and crew stop being our individual selves and instead come together as a cohesive unit to put on the best performance we can muster. The small mess-ups and mistakes are what make the show memorable, and the teamwork that springs from them is a truly in...

Coming into senior year, I promised myself I would stop procrastinating and work efficiently. Unbeknownst to me, finding a conducive place to work after school would be my greatest challenge. The library is an obvious first choice. Air-conditioned and furnished with sofas, it’s comfy and inviting. However, it turns into more of a social area for elementary and middle school students who shout, run around and generally make it impossible to focus between 3.15 PM to 4:30 PM. As such, seniors with impending college essay deadlines have to explore alternatives. The tables along the first floor have been crossed off most of our lists. Between outdoor sports and general socialising, you can’t avoid getting pulled into a game of basketball or a conversation. Additionally, playground noise impedes any chance of concentration. Sound travels upwards, therefore eliminating the second floor of Harbour. Even though the third floor looks quiet, the epidemic of mosquitos turns the majority off. The t...

Walking into the gym this year feels different. Tryouts are over, but this time it’s not just about the season that lies ahead; it’s knowing this will be the last time I do this as a Dalat player. Everything that used to feel normal and repetitive now feels different. Shoes squeaking whilst running through the gym doing some warmup that feels totally out of place for basketball, the ball echoing through the gym as we run the Laker Drill (for the third time), and those moments before practice, when the gym is quiet and empty, all remind me how much I’m going to miss this. Basketball has been a huge part of my life at Dalat, and it’s difficult to picture myself leaving it behind. Basketball has become much more than a game in my life. It’s been “bonding” during inchworms, encouraging words when I was close to giving up, and becoming friends with people you would have never imagined.  Mary Grace Guffy, a player from last year, even said, “Basketball challenged and expanded my capacity...

“I’m so cooked!” yelled Hugo Yeoh (12), his voice echoing dramatically down the hallway like a warning to anyone brave, or foolish, enough to open another SAT practice test. It was only a few days before 8 November, when Dalat students would sit for the SAT, and stress levels were high above the roof.  Meanwhile, having experienced the horrible effects of the sinister SAT myself last December, I sat nearby watching my fellow senior classmates scramble through the SAT question bank, muttering formulas, and their eyes glued to laptop screens as prediction scores dropped, completely unaware that they looked like stressed-out pigs running straight into a metaphorical academic slaughter farm. The energy this past week? Chaotic. Confusing. And as Martin Scorsese would say—absolute cinema.  The Scholastic Aptitude Test, better known as the SAT, is designed to break the spirits of college-bound high school students with its combination of tricky reading passages, nit-picky grammar que...

This year’s worship team has done a fantastic job filling the immense shoes of the prior worship team, which looked almost impossible to fill. This week was a special week for the students and the teachers. From Wednesday to Friday, due to the chapel, students had shorter class periods, and not only that, but SEW was held each day in the evenings.  Each day, chapel and evening sermons were preached by several different local guest speakers; however, on the last evening, Leadership Development students shared their testimonies. All sermons were equally impactful, but especially when Leadership Development students shared their personal experiences of the true God working in their lives, many students were strongly impacted, as it was more relatable to them.  Often, each year SEW or MEW is led by seniors, and every year, people worry, ‘Who is going to lead the worship or fill that spot for the instrument once he (or she) graduates?’ But miraculously, each year, there is always s...

It was that time of year again, the rain was pouring, the sun was hiding, and everyone was ready for a new week of SEW. I’ve attended two Spiritual Emphasis Weeks (SEWs) before, one in tenth grade and another in eleventh, and had powerful experiences in both. It is with a happy heart that I can report that last week's SEW did not disappoint. The week of October 27th started quietly; the whole school was still buzzing with the triumph of Boys Volleyball in ACSC the Saturday before, but things had quieted down now that all the extra people on campus had left. Since the week started on a Tuesday, it made it much easier to ease into rather than the jarring coldness of a Monday. The first day of SEW started slower than I thought it would, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t really enjoy the chapel service on Wednesday. There were some good themes, but I just felt like they weren’t tied together all that well, and all in all, it really just didn’t speak to me. The second day was better tha...

This past week has been Spiritual Emphasis Week, also known as SEW. Over the three chapels and night sessions, a lot was taught, and I’ve never felt so close to God. Every day was memorable, but the most memorable service was the last day: Student-Led night. We had the opportunity to hear from the Leadership Development class, and there were testimonies from seniors such as Hajin Kim, Rebecca Wood, Candy Kim, and others. Each of their testimonies taught the audience something valuable, and it was amazing to see how God has been working in each of their lives. After the student testimonies, we entered into a time of prayer. As Gyeom Kwak (12) and Joseph Yim (12) came up to lead in worship, the room was filled with the Holy Spirit, and an unwavering feeling of peace and love fell upon us. I saw students gather into circles, praying for each other, or people who weren’t as close putting their hands on one another and praying over their lives. The LD people stood in different corners of th...

For three days and three nights, the school's auditorium turned into a space where many students both young and old were able to encounter God.  What stood out most was not the sermons or worship, but surprisingly the quiet moments of prayer afterwards. It was in these moments that the heart of SEW showed. During the first night of SEW, the 29th of October, a student from the Leadership Development class really stood out. When I looked up from my own prayer, I was encouraged to see Aaron Andrews (12) surrounded by a group of young children.  Later, Aaron shared a word of encouragement at a youth worship night the Saturday following SEW: “I was encouraged to see the amount of young people, especially those who had the courage to come up and ask for prayer. I’ve never seen that many students come forward for prayer at any SEW before.” Moments like these reflected the overall feel of the week. This year's SEW held from October 29th-31st featured chapel services during the school ...

As another Spiritual Emphasis Week passes by, and we are truly feeling God’s goodness and presence wash over the students of Dalat. We are blessed to see a spiritual revival among the youth, with hundreds of students and parents in attendance and dozens of students being called by the Holy Spirit for prayer.  When asked how SEW was compared to previous years, Joseph Yim (12) had this to say: “More people are praying for each other. I personally saw more of my friend group praying during SEW. Seeing also elementary schoolers go up in groups and pray for each other was also another shift I saw that differed from last year.”  Both the noon and evening chapel sessions felt empowering, and each message challenged us to consider the eternal nature of Christ’s kingdom and how we can contribute to and look forward to it. It is typical for the majority of students to attend the third evening of SEW to witness the senior testimonies. However, this year, the seats were jam-packed wi...

Prior to arriving in Korea, we felt rather confident in our abilities, winning a majority of our local domestic matches and learning from our defeats. The team was growing, and it was very evident through our repeated will to improve during every practice. We took the first day off in Seoul to sightsee and to prepare ourselves for a long week of nonstop football that would prove to be somewhat disappointing.  The tournament was underway after an exciting display of martial arts from university students. We ended up losing our very first game 4-0, leading to a deep decline in our sanity, and it proved to be ultimately disappointing. Our hunger to win rapidly grew, but for some reason over the course of 4 games, we just could not win despite our determination. After several deep talks filled with various emotions, honesty, and bitterness, we decided to not see this tournament as a loss, but as a learning opportunity. We ended up growing as a team, but more importantly as people. Play...

The 5th set of the most important game that they would play.  Dalat had 11 points and YISS had 6; they were 4 away from winning, but YISS was 4 away from catching up to them. They knew they had to act fast. Each set had been back and forth, YISS had won the 1st and 3rd sets, and Dalat had won the 2nd and 4th sets. No one could predict who was going to come out of this with a 3rd place in the ACSC tournament.  YISS caught up to Dalat, and the score was 11-10; they were still one point behind us. Both teams were exhausted; they had both played games back to back and had lost the one before. The mentality of the teams were down and had now been playing for two hours straight.  “My legs felt like they were going to fall off,” said Clarisse Yeoh (10).  With their bodies and their mentality being exhausted, they knew they had a tough fight ahead of them if they wanted to win this game. Everyone held their breath as the score went to 12-11. YISS was right behind them ready ...

“I thought break would be a time for rest, but it was just more time studying for the SAT,” said Ethan Cheam (12), laughing on his first day back. While most Dalat students spent their mid-semester break traveling or catching up on sleep, many seniors had an experience far from restful. Instead of enjoying the bits of freedom to their fullest, they found themselves drafting essays, reviewing applications, and preparing for exams. For some, the week off from classes just meant a toxic mix of writer’s block, caffeine, and stress. Mid-October is a crucial period for first-year college applicants, as early action and early decision deadlines approach while regular decision applications begin to pile up. Although I had four more universities to complete applications for (12 supplemental essays in total), I was already struggling to keep up with the pace even before break started. Multiple unit tests planned before wrapping up Quarter 1 meant there wasn’t a single free day before jumping rig...

As the mid-semester break begins, students can finally relax after the tests and assignments they have been assigned over the past few weeks. With this free time, some students decide to pursue some personal goals, like obtaining their driver’s license. My final driving test will take place this Thursday, and it will mark the culmination of everything I have learned from the 16 hours I have spent at this institution. This is my second time retaking the test, and I would be embarrassed if I failed again. Thankfully, I passed the road and had only the circuit to complete.  The driving test consists of three sections for someone to pass, and this is reasonable as driving can be dangerous if not handled correctly. During the first section, examiners at the institution will test the driver on one of the three roads (A, B, or C) taught during the mandatory 16 hours of lessons.  The second section commences when the driver successfully passes. They are to be escorted to a car, whose ...

After months of intense practices and early mornings in the gym, Dalat’s varsity boys and girls volleyball teams entered the 2025 ACSC Volleyball tournaments with one shared goal—to represent Dalat with excellence, teamwork, and heart. This year, the boys had the honor of hosting the tournament on home court, while the girls traveled to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to compete at Grace International School. The atmosphere at Dalat was electric as the varsity boys fought to defend their title. Backed by roaring crowds of students and families, the team played with confidence and composure, taking one game at a time. Their chemistry, skill, and grit carried them all the way to the finals, where they secured first place, making it back-to-back ACSC championships. “Coming into ACSC, we had the pressure of being the host and defending champs,” said Samuel Yeoh (11). “But we handled that pressure together as a team and pulled through like Kobe.” Meanwhile, in Chiang Mai, the varsity girls faced fier...

ACSC is here! The long-awaited tournament for which our varsity athletes have been preparing all season has finally come. The Asia Christian School Conference (ACSC) is a body of Christian international schools that meets yearly to compete in various sports. While many may consider it a week of sports and competition, ACSC is more than that. As the Varsity Soccer boys head off to YISS in Korea and the Varsity Volleyball girls to Grace in Thailand, Dalat has had the privilege of hosting the 2025 ACSC Varsity Boys Volleyball Tournament from October 22-25 this year. The boys from the participating schools arrived fresh and ready for a quick start to the tournament on Wednesday, October 22nd. A crowd filled Sandycroft as Dalat started the tournament against SPH for the opening game at 8 AM. The game ended in haste, with Dalat grabbing a commanding 2-0 win, sending rumbling cheers throughout the gym.  Keeping this momentum, Dalat only lost one game throughout the round-robin games, wh...

While most people had a fun week for mid-semester break, whether it was spent with family, or with friends on impact trips, no one had a more emotionally confusing week than Judson Kenneth Robert Nosker (12).  In the light of recent events, Judson, despite all odds, had gotten in a relationship with one of his classmates, and as the break started, he had started to spend a lot of time with her. While with her, he started to experience a new level of joy and completeness that he had never felt before. In the words of Judson Nosker, “The first half of the break was good, but the rest of it was horrible.”  The reason for such a quote and the roller coaster of emotion was because half way through the break, disaster had struck. Judson’s girlfriend had gone on a trip with her family to Thailand, leaving Judson all alone. For the rest of the week, Judson was in a state of longing for her presence.  His friends have reported numerous occasions when Judson would be sitting with t...

Fall Break might have been the week of rest for most Dalat International School students, but for many, it would have had an enduring impact on individuals with service. The Impact trips were trips where God chose people to serve the communities in faraway places. Revealing that this could be someone’s first trip or one of many trips, each individual has made a sacrifice, either by not having rest or spending time with family, friends, or animals, but knowing that the value of serving others through the image of God brings happiness and impact upon others is the true form of gratitude and peace.  This year, Dalat introduced a new trip to Sabah, or a new place to serve, focusing on the CFFM Community, home to many stateless, underprivileged children who had different stories of how they ended up here. Staying in this community center was the safest place to get what is enough because privileged individuals like us would complain about cleaning, washing dishes, or even about the hygi...

We should make more friends. This week was the last week of school before the mid-semester break, and different teachers have taught students the importance of making friends. This week, in the middle school chapel, Mrs. Sierra Veerasingam (Referred to as Mrs. V) and her SAT group worked together to show a visual example of the story of Paul, who went over countries to share his testimony and resulting a wide spread of Christianity around the world. This day, Mrs. V taught about choosing who influences you, and what influence you have on others and presented the 3 actions, which are: Adding friends/relationships, subtracting negative influencing relationships, and influencing other people, to multiply your influence. The middle schoolers chose a wise choice of giving positive influence to their teachers and friends this day. For the elementary chapel, the Leadership Development team (Referred to as LD), has come to play a skit on what a wise choice is. The LD team has shown an example ...

“Come on, guys, do it for Kyra!” yelled Evangeline Fan (10) beside me as we pushed through the second set against Yangon International School. We were fighting for third place in the Twin Towers Volleyball Tournament, hosted by the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), and every point mattered. The first set had been a breeze—Jacy Ho (10) had an incredible serving streak, with Lee Yan Tan (12) following closely behind. We ended that set 25–4. But the second set felt endless, with each point traded back and forth. The bench couldn’t sit still. Every one of us played with Kyra Lim (10) in mind—she was out due to an injury, but her spirit was with us.  “We just wanted to win it for her,” Evangeline said afterward, still beaming. When the score hit the 20s, Yangon called a timeout. Coach Schultz gathered us in a huddle and told us, “Finish strong—this is your game.”  We went back out, hearts racing, and fought for every serve, every dig, every hit. When we finally won 25–23...

The past weekend was the long-awaited Twin Tower Tournament in ISKL. It was the last major tournament the volleyball teams would have before ACSC, and it was a chance for the varsity volleyball teams to show how much they had improved since the beginning of the season.  After the first day, the girls’ team had only one win out of the three games we played. The next morning, we faced off against Grace Volleyball Club; it was a tough 0-2 loss to start the day. If we wanted to place, we had to win the last game of the round robin, which was against Yangon International School.  Unfortunately, during warm-ups, we lost one of our best players, Kyra Lim (10), due to an injury. We really had to string it together if we wanted to finish strong. The game started well; we won the first set 25-19, but we lost the second, forcing a third set. We were tired, which led to a rough start in the third set; we were down 3-8 in the first half. Hopes were diminished, but we had to pull it togethe...

“You’re invited to an after-sneak dinner hosted by the Class of 2027!”  As weary seniors filed out of the bus returning from their annual sneak, a host of juniors stood at the exit, handing out dinner invitations exclusive to the Class of 2026 and their sponsors. Pocketing the cream-colored invitations in their duffels and backpacks, the seniors, with growing anticipation for the following dinner, reunited with their families and headed home for some much-needed rest. On the following Monday, succeeding an eventful Senior Sneak at Nomad Adventure in Gopeng, Ipoh, a crowd of excited seniors poured into Heritage Chapel, buzzing with anticipation. The after-sneak dinner, carefully planned and assembled by their subsequent juniors, was a long-standing tradition that both classes looked forward to each year. Met with a crowd of welcoming juniors roaring with applause at the doors, the seniors marveled at the decorations upon entry. This year’s celebration was themed around a vibrant nig...

The crowd stood in anticipation as Jackson Closs (11) walked to the edge of the service line and tossed up his ball to serve. Breaths were held as the yellow V200W FIVB MIKASA ball got caught in the net, barely crossing over to the other side and falling straight to the ground. Cheers erupted from all sides of the court. The Dalat Varsity Volleyball team had just come back from a 4:10 setback in their final set to become champions of the Twin Towers Invitational Tournament. However, the question of whether they would secure their position as 1st place remained. As the 2025 Twin Towers Invitational hosted by ISKL approached its date, Dalat Varsity Boys Volleyball players couldn’t hold their excitement. An opportunity to prove the results of their training for the past few months was finally here. Getting off the buses and entering ISKL high school gym, the boys were greeted by the sight of multiple teams already warming up, volleyballs flying everywhere, and the constant thuds of balls ...

In the past week, Dalat International School’s very own varsity volleyball teams saw countless victories at their final tournament before the season comes to an end at ACSC. The Twin Towers Tournament, held at ISKL, featured teams from across Asia, including international schools like ISKL and YIS, club teams like AVA, and even the KL State team. Despite the odds stacked against them, both the boys and girls teams rose to the occasion, securing podium placement with the boys taking home gold medals and the girls bronze. The teams left for the capital early on the morning of October 3rd, playing a series of round robin-style matches that same afternoon. Though their legs were weary from the interminable bus ride, they persevered and played their hardest. On their final day, both teams won games, with the boys' team going undefeated —a feat that ultimately led to their victory. One of the most exciting matches of the tournament was the final match for the varsity boys' teams, in ...

Things might be slowing down for students as the break approaches, but the athletes must face one more obstacle before they get their well-deserved rest. Last Friday, the varsity volleyball teams travelled to KL to partake in the annual Twin Towers tournament. Participating in the tournament wasn’t a decision for the mere meek, as it featured matches against state teams and other schools. Fortunately, the volleyball teams maintained their composure and strength to play through the two days of matches. The beginning was tough for both teams, as they faced losses, but it gauged their engines to grab a couple dubs before the end of the first day. After the games, our teams still had another day of work, so they took the night to recuperate and rest in their hotel rooms. The second day was no different in pressure and adrenaline, and our volleyball teams were not the only ones more motivated to grab gold. In the aftermath of the battles, the smoke cleared from the chaos, and our athletes c...

My last class had just ended, and my favorite part of the day had started. As I heard the bell ring, my friend Hugo Yeoh (12) asked me, “Why do you have such a big smile on your face?”  I quickly responded, unable to contain a smile, “Because I’ve been waiting all day for this.” I walked quickly to the Math Club, only to be stopped by my brother asking when we were leaving. I gave him a quick response and scurried upstairs. As I entered the class, I felt a sense of relief and excitement for what was to come. I won’t pretend, I was a little drained from the school day, but since I had gotten there rather early, I had some extra time. I placed my arms in front of me and took a quick nap.  I was awoken by ExCom president and Math Club founder Hsien Ler Sim (11).  “Why are you so tired?” he asked “College applications,” I briefly stated and went back to sleep for a solid 10 seconds before he decided to announce what we were doing today. “Today we are going to be working on a ...

Last week was “Celebrating Differences, Embracing Uniqueness” week, formerly known as Bullying Prevention Week. Like in previous years, special awareness weeks are acknowledged through Friday’s chapel. Usually, we have the honor of listening to PB give us a sermon. Some are actively listening, some are waiting for the lunch bell to ring, and many of us are doing both.  This chapel, however, we were honored by a different presence: six of our wonderful Dalat staff, Ms. Hu, Ms. Kwon, Mr. Craig, Mr. Ben, Ms. Bang, and Mr. Emmanuel. Ms. Hu had spent the week planning for this special chapel, and it was definitely a new and unique learning opportunity for us all. It started off with an entertaining video of students sharing what they believed made them different, and it ended with a newly shared sense of understanding among us all.  When asked what it was like planning chapel, Ms. Hu said, “It was pretty fun to interview different staff/students. Communication and collaboration is ...

Dalat senior students learned on Tuesday, January 21st, that Sikhism's most profound lesson came not from formal presentations about karma and divine union, but from a temple president's spontaneous decision to serve French fries to hungry teenagers. The moment transformed everything students thought they knew about religious education. Here was a temple president who could have simply redirected hungry students to a nearby restaurant. Instead, he served hot fries to ten surprised teenagers—demonstrating seva (selfless service) more powerfully than any lecture ever could. This was authentic faith in action, revealing how genuine religious understanding often emerges from the most unexpected encounters. In Pastor Bob's World Religion class, ten students went on a comparative religion tour through Georgetown's three major worship sites. The tour began at 9:20 a.m., when students first visited the Khoo Clan Temple, where Mr. Khoo, a former member of the Khoo Clan, explaine...

Dalat International School launched its first ever "Celebrating Differences, Embracing Uniqueness Week" last week, a schoolwide initiative designed to highlight diversity and encourage students to embrace the qualities that make each other unique. Celebrating Differences means to honor and appreciate what makes each person special, whether it is where they are from or how they see the world. Embracing Uniqueness means accepting one another unconditionally, recognizing that God created each of us uniquely and with equal value.  The week centered around the verse Psalms 139:13-14, which says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” The verse was chosen to remind the community that God created each person with care and a plan, making everyone unique and worth celebrating.  Ms. Muvumba, the director of student services, said in the Dalat ...

After Clark Zhang's singing performance at the After Sneak Dinner, which was equivalent to the Super Bowl halftime show, he was the talk of the town, especially in Dalat. Now, here's the thing: this career is just the start. Rumors have been about his growth as a singer and where this will lead. Many people have been asking how he is progressing in his career and how he is doing, as he was a very popular man then. Nathan Thompson, from the junior class said, "He's been working on his high notes, which has progressed his singing, and with his good looks, we are looking at real potential here." Now, this is some good news for Clark's fans and friends, as if he's progressing, so is his confidence in performing. Fellow senior classmate Soniya Peters says, "During the After Sneak Dinner, Clark sang twice, showing extreme confidence, as in 9th grade he would never have done that, and I would love to see him sing at chapel."  He's gone from a shy fr...