Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

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 ...