Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

I always thought that “monkey bar” is such a great name to describe the ladder-like bars in the playground; everyone dangles there like monkeys. Perhaps the name is the reason why the kids love the monkey bars so much. Elementary kids always love something silly, and a monkey is the representative of silliness. My little sister, who is currently in grade one, loves the monkey bars to a degree that “love” cannot adequately describe her feelings. Every morning, until the minute before the bell rings, she will run to the monkey bars and hang there, despite her hatred of being late to class. She never got tired of it for a whole two years. What surprised me more was that she was not the only one who loved the monkey bars so much. The elementary kids, from preschool to grade 3, come to school early just to hang on a bar and torture their hands. Unlike their typical behavior of crying upon pain, they feel proud when their hand turns red, and pain starts to rise. When I asked one of the top f...

Dalat is famously known for encouraging wholesome relationships with the opposite sexes, being largely successful with their vision of virtuous relationships. Originating as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, Saint Valentine’s Day has become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance, commitment, and love. From February 3rd to 6th, dedicated parents took pre-orders every lunchtime for RM5. The Dalat PTO had their annual fundraiser selling their homemade chocolate chip cookies. From besties to siblings, this gift is appropriate for anyone who appreciates something sweet for Valentine’s Day. They also sold Valentine’s themed strawberry popcorn on February 13th only. The proceeds go to the PTO fund which supports the school meaningfully. An announcement was made in the Dalat newsletter expressing their gratitude for the Dalat community's support seen in the quote below. “This year we sold 1,807 cookies, a new PTO record. We are so gra...

The time of celebration and renewal came--Chinese New Year. Enlightened spirits of families filled the town with the help of the beautifully crafted traditional lanterns ornating the place. The decoration reminded me of the festivity. Despite such derived enthusiasm, there was no significant change in my routines. Due to the fate of being a senior who had only a couple of weeks for university applications and more AP studies, I had no other choice but to spend most of my time tutoring for my allowance, and finishing my tasks that were expected to be done with no fault. However, wanting to grasp the CNY spirit at the same time, I decided to spend my short break in a cafe to complete my tasks. Merry chatterngs and gatherings occupied the space and it was an ideal environment for a person like me who thrived in finishing tasks with a background noise. Therefore, the commotion in the cafe was a perfectly fine environment for me, and in fact, a more preferable place than a dead-silent place...

The Dalat varsity boys basketball team secured a flawless 5-0 run and placed first place at the Island shootout this past weekend. The tournament ran from Friday through Saturday. The first game began at 6 PM against CLPHS. The varsity boys team secured the win with a solid 53-30 victory and a 17-point differential. The team played five physically and mentally demanding games in just two days and showed great grit to remain undefeated. The final game on Saturday afternoon against USM X RG ended with a close 44-35, only a 9-point differential game, but this win solidified the position at the top of the podium, earning them the tournament title of the 2026 Varsity shootout champions.  Although the impressive 5-0 wins looked like a complete domination of the opposing team, the team’s shooting percentage of the team was not as clean as their 5-0 record, as they often had to fall back on defense to make up for the lack of shots made in the paint. The team’s average FG percentage over fi...

Four hours down, and eight more to go. One would question why anyone would be willing to do 12 hours of ATSA shifts for this past weekend's Island Shootout. But being on ATSA is fun, you get to watch and support the varsity teams while being useful, or you can be very unfortunate and lose a bet to one of your fellow ATSA members. Which is what happened this weekend to me. ATSA, also known as the Athletic Training Student Aides, is a club that anyone who takes the Sports Medicine class can join. You help out by evaluating injuries, make ice bags, or, during games, help fill up bottles and jugs to keep the athletes hydrated.  During this weekend’s Island Shootout, I made a bet with Aaron Andrews (12) on who would come earlier on Saturday to begin our ATSA shifts. The deal was that we can’t be earlier than 30 minutes from our shift which starts at 8 am. If I had won the bet, Aaron would have to buy me breakfast, but if he had won, I would have to get him a drink of his choice. Waking ...