Dalat International School: Senior Scribble

Despite blistering heat and long travel times, the varsity track and field team secures a combined third-place finish at ACSC in the Philippines. The events were held on Brent International School's massive campus following an amazing opening ceremony, cultural event, and service project, situated at Faith Academy. I managed to set personal records in all my events, which was great, and won a bronze medal in the 4x100 relay. The 200m, however, proved to be a humbling reminder that speed and endurance are two very different things. Crossing the finish line felt more like finishing a marathon than a sprint, highlighting a noticeable lack of cardio as I collapsed onto the track. Teammate Zoey Dunham (8) understood the physical toll. "The 200m is one of the most competitive events at ACSC, yet it is also one of the most rewarding," she noted. "Achieving your PR is worth the pain later on, as Ethan learned while he laid on the track completely spent five minutes after his...

From Wednesday to Saturday, Dalat Eagles track athletes battled heat and competition in Manila, earning a combined 3rd place, multiple school records, and memories beyond medals. The four-day ACSC tournament at International School Manila saw the varsity boys secure 2nd place overall, while the girls finished 4th. Their combined score lifted Dalat to 3rd among international schools from across Asia. But the real story was the record board. Aaron Morrison (12) broke the school record in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:02.8. Not to be outdone, Aaron Andrews (12) shattered the 200-meter record at 22.9 seconds. Meanwhile, Eliza Setzfand (11) took down the 800-meter girls’ record with an astounding 2:26.8. Even the relays joined the party: both the boys’ and girls’ sprint medley relay teams broke their respective school records, running 3:54.0 and 4:47.1. “My most memorable moment during ACSC was after both the 4x4 and SMR relays,” said Eliza Setzfand (11). “I was incredibly proud of our ...

As Dalat's Varsity Track and Field team stepped off the plane at the Ninoy Airport in Manila, Philippines, they were immediately met with a hot breeze and the blazing sun. Although the heat was similar to that at home in Malaysia, the dryness was a new condition they weren't used to.  From April 8 to April 12, the team of 26 athletes and 4 coaches traveled to Manila for their biggest meet of the season, ACSC Track and Field, hosted by Faith Academy and held at Brent International School. This is it: the team had trained and practiced hard for two and a half months, and everything they'd learned would now be put to the test. With multiple events lined up, each athlete had something to look forward to on Friday and Saturday. ACSC stands for Asia Christian School Conference, with Dalat representing Penang, Malaysia. Other schools competing in ACSC tournaments include Morrison Academy Taichung, Faith Academy of Manila, and more. The first activity was the cultural event at Fait...

I have loved being in every play here at Dalat, but this semester’s felt more important. It was my eighth and final play at Dalat. I never imagined this day would come, as it always felt so far away. I always had one more semester, one more thing I could do, but not this time. I knew I really needed to treasure this play, but as we got closer and closer to the performance day, it still hadn’t hit me.  I only really saw the finality of it on the Saturday of our performances. I was sitting backstage with my friend Edyn Roylance (11), waiting for my scene, when a thought hit me: “This is the last time I’ll get to talk with my friends backstage.” A heaviness sank over me, and I finally felt that sadness I knew was coming. I pushed these thoughts aside and focused on the play. The sadness lifted, and everything returned to normal, but not for long. After Yejii Lee (9) said the last line of the play, I looked across the stage and found my friends looking at me, tears in their eyes. The e...

Over the long weekend, my friends and I thought it would be fun to go on a hike to a waterfall. The hike was about an hour and a half from Permai Gardens. The only issue was that we did not know the trail. This should’ve been our first red flag, but we trusted in our sense of direction to get us there. We thought it would be fine as long as we knew where the start was and what we were heading towards. The plan was simple: start the hike at 9:30 am, hike an hour and a half to the waterfall, spend some time there, hike back out, and eat lunch together at the Permai Stalls. There should not have been any complications, or so we thought… The day did not start off to plan; some miscommunications led us to start the hike at 10:30 am, partly because of Suyoung Lim’s (12) genius idea to go to the Astaka Stalls instead of the Permai Stalls. We also thought it was a good idea not to have breakfast before the hike.  Fifteen minutes in, we faced our first fork in the road. We did not know whet...

Based on the title, one would think that an industrial accident had happened. Fortunately, what actually happened this weekend were back-to-back visits to the Penang State High Court and Sunway Medical Centre spread out across two days. The first day, April 3rd, was the State High Court visit organized by Zack Lee (12) and Nathan Ng (12). With Ms. Keister as their chaperone, the students were ushered into the heritage site and directly into the High Courtroom. For Aidan Boyd (12), just seeing the courtroom and having its functions explained were his favorite part of the visit as, “it was really different from what you see in movies and TV shows.” Then, through a subsequent Q & A with a state magistrate and former federal magistrate, the students learned about the inner workings of the legal system as a whole: Ms. Keister’s inquiry about how juries work here revealed that Malaysia actually abolished the jury system, and Zack Lee’s query on why Sabah and Sarawak are the only states w...

Dalat offers a unique transitional bonding experience for seniors called the Senior Transition Retreat. Basically, this retreat is all about leaving well and entering well. The first day of this retreat focused on leaving well, and the second day on entering well. The words "leaving" and "entering" stood out to me because they reminded me that we will leave this place soon.  As we, the seniors, leave our beloved place and start a new chapter in our lives, we can expect nothing about what will happen next. This Senior Transition Retreat held deep conversations between peers and the teachers, who thankfully volunteered to help us.  Chavelle Thornton (12) said, “It was really great to have one last opportunity to bond with our class.” It was an amazing experience to hang out with my classmates who will not be able to see each other often once we graduate. We went to the 1st Avenue mall to eat and do some activities together, which were the arcade and roller skating. Th...