Eagle's Eye - June 2015

Eagle’s Eye Dalat International School, Tanjung Bunga, 11200 Penang, Malaysia

What’s Inside: Teamwork & Swollen Lips . 2 MSSPP sports in May challenge students; Dalat wins big in baseball

The Key to Oz . . . . . 3 NHSers visit Oz to find new candidates for the Society

Post Peter Pan . . . . . 3 Seniors thank juniors for their night in Neverland in an evening of spoofs

Transition-ers . . . . . . 4 Seniors spend two days discussing next year and life after Dalat

Campus Clean-up . . . . . 4 “Dr. Nick” helps middle schoolers clean students of “character flaws” in NJHS skit

Accumulating Pressure . . 5 A new take on the acronym “A.P.” builds stress for high schoolers in early May Eagle’s Eye Staff Note: This copy of the school paper has been written by the students in the AP 12 English class.

Wr i t e r s : D a v i d B e a k , Jonathan Chandra, Lucia Combrink, Derrick Lim, Shion Matsumoto, Matthew Shafer, Shaikha Shahtaj, Jennifer Yook Adviser: Mr. Tommy Tompkins

Eagle’s Eye

June 2015

A Mission-Minded Week

By Jonathan Chandra favorite speaker.”

“Even though he had a funky dress sense and was really tall, he really relayed a good message,” said Emma Hofer (11) more succinctly.

MEW also highlighted the artistic talents of elements of the student body, with the worship team playing three to five songs and student actors performing skits during every session. These experiences enriched the faith of both the participants and the audience.

“As I got up to do my first solo act for MEW, I was super nervous,” said Aaron Chand (10), “but then I realized who I was doing it for: Jesus. That belief helped me get through it.

I learned that sometimes it’s not

As the bell sounded at an unusual time, students seated in the library during their study hall bore puzzled looks on their faces.

“Oh!” exclaimed Shaikha Shahtaj (12). “It’s MEW!” Realizing that a special week had begun, the gaggle of study hall students headed down to the chapel, joining a mass of the rest of their peers.

Missions Emphasis Week, or MEW, ran from 3-5 March.

Opening with passionate praise from the worship team and continuing with the message of guest speaker Mr. Kirk Ronzheimer, the week served as an opportunity for students and teachers to learn more about mission work and deepen their faith in God. Mr. Ronzheimer, whom Spiritual Life Director Mr. Tom Cura announced would take his position next year, seemed undaunted by the idea of sharing his stories. Speaking in a total of six sessions—three in the morning and three at seven at night—the missionary told tales of God’s faithfulness during his youth and in his mission work in Laos.

“From the moment he stood in his battered old shoes, I realized I liked this guy,” said Matthew Shafer (12). “When he spoke in his subdued and calm demeanor, he developed a presence that kept me interested as he spoke the bold words of a mission-minded man of God. In three years at Dalat, Mr. Ronzheimer was definitely my

about us but about Him.” “I really enjoyed helping lead worship this MEW because through the all-day practices, we got to know each other—and we had the opportunity to worship our God with the student body,” shared Gabriela Mims (11).

As the week drew to a close, students appreciated the words of wisdom shared and the knowledge gleaned from their time. Jonathon Chinn (10) summed up the experience of many: “I thought that MEW was great. The worship team did really well, and so did the speaker. It was a great opportunity to grow in relationship in Christ and learn a lot about what missionaries are doing in other parts of the world.” •

Off to Neverland “Where do you think JSB will be held?” asked David SeungWon Beak (12) as the bus drove in circles around the Tanjung Bunga neighborhood.

In the weeks l e a d ing up to the event, the mystery of the theme and the rumors of who’s going with whom created an at1

By Derrick Lim

mosphere of suspense and excitement.

The girls worried over their dresses, their braids, and their makeup; but the guys merely looked forward to the night, knowing that a suit and tie would fit all formal occasions.

As the bus drew to a halt in front of Jen Hotel (formerly known as Trader’s Hotel) the chattering gradually died down and a general feeling of anticipation filled the air.

(Continued on page 2, col. 1 June 2015

Teamwork, Perseverance, and Swollen Lips

E

VEN amidst the stress of upcoming AP exams and the quickly approaching last few weeks of the semester, many high school students participated in a variety of varsity sports: softball, tennis, and track and field.

Training under various regimens, the student-athletes prepared for their MSSPP t o u r - n a ments this last April and showcased their athletic prowess on the pitch, the court, and the track.

“What happened to your lip?” shouted Tayah Lee (11) as she struggled to suppress a laugh after seeing the two bananas Joseph Um (12) had for lips.

In pain, Um muttered out of his swollen jaw, “I got hit by a softball.”

Though their practice had hilarious moments such as this,

the boys’ softball team had yet another winning year as they travelled to ISKL and beat their rivals by three games to two in a five-game series as well as defeating local teams to place first in the Penang zone MSSPP tournament.

Um commented on the continual growth of the team at ISKL: “Since it was our first competitive game, we struggled a bit; but throughout the series, we managed to shake off the first game jitters and win the series.”

Captain Josh Basha (12) expressed his happiness for the team’s success at the end of the year: “As captain, I came into the year with high expectations for my team. In the end, I believe we achieved those expectations and more. Our goal at the start of the year was to win State—but we couldn’t play in State [because of the tournament’s overlapping with final exams]. However, we still destroyed every team we faced in our Zone tournament and

came out champions.”

The girls’ achieved similar dominance as they defeated teams by massive margins. But in the mainland finals, they faced a fierce rival, Simpang Empat, and lost, placing second in the tournament.

Recently, students gained interest in tennis and participated in the MSSPP meet.

Ziwei Moey (12) and Wen Chi Chen (11) entered the doubles tournament and fought fiercely all the way to the quarterfinals.

The pair and Lilian Li (10) also entered the singles division and qualified to advance to the second round.

The boys’ team also had multiple players who participated in the tournament: Sheng Ting Yang (11), Noah Graves (10), Ning Kang Chia (10), and Keito Watanabe (10).

According to Moey, “We [the players] came to school around six, got on a bus, and headed towards the mainland. When we got there, the courts were really hot, and we played under the

Junior-Senior Banquet...

was an interestingly [spontaneous] night, all somehow tied together with the Peter Pan theme.

I thoroughly enjoyed the floating head of Mr. [Jason] Hall, Evan’s Bear Brills’s monotone impersonation, and Zach[-ary Tan]’s solo on ‘I Believe I can Fly.’” “One of my highlights of the night was when the basketball boys came up in these outgun uniforms and did a high school dance. I think it meant a lot to the senior boys, and it was really entertaining,” said Kia Thompson (12).

Tributes followed the performances, and seniors found themselves rather teary-eyed as they recollected the shared memories of the past—while others laughed at the ridiculous things they had done before.

Each bittersweet moment came to conclusion with a junior handing a carefully handmade gift, a notebook filled with encouraging, personalized notes written by other students, and an antique alarm clock to his or her senior, perhaps in hopes that he or she would not be late for class in university.

Between the heartwarming tributes and hilarious skits, Peter Pan, aka Keegan Oppenheim (11), would announce the courses of the meal. All sorts of dishes highlighted the buffet line, but what really grabbed the attention of the attendees was the dessert section with an assortment of cakes, pies, and sweets.

Cindy Chiem (12) fondly recalls, “I loved the food that they served” as did Lucia Combrink (12), who described it as “really incredible.”

When all the activities came to an end, students mingled, chatting and taking photos with the various decorations.

It started with a small group of senior guys in front of Skull Rock before all the senior guys arrived and then the girls finally followed. Ben Tse (12) stated, “I enjoyed the group photos as a class. We had the senior guys

by Skull Rock, then the girls, then we had the whole class—a class selfie.”

With that the event came to a close, and the weary-butcontented seniors boarded the bus again, leaving their high school life behind and heading toward the unknown future. •

(Continued from page 1, col. 4) There was a sense of nostalgia when the seniors walked across the reception area, toward the ballroom, across the same places where the JSB they had attended in their sophomore year had taken place.

When the doors to the ballroom swung open, what awaited them did not include pirate boats or c a n n o n s but an array o f landmarks from Neverland—from Skull Rock to the L o s t B o y s ’ Tr e e to the Mermaid Lagoon—each made life-like in size and appearance.

In addition to the decorations, the juniors put on a variety of entertainment for the seniors to enjoy and for the sophomores to learn from.

Ranging from a spoof on Bear Grylls to a dance by the Lost “Basketball” Boys, the night overflowed with laughter and sentiment as the students reflected on their time spent with each another.

Matthew Shafer (12) said, “It Eagle’s Eye

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By Shion Matsumoto sun for two hours. I still enjoyed the experience and believe my hard work paid off.”

Often seeing jogging around campus for their warm up, the athletes of the track and field team prepared themselves both physically and mentally for their respective events ranging from the 100-meter sprint to javelin, from long jump to shot put, from high jump to the 3000-meter run.

Regardless of t h e i r events, the team trained together under the guidance o f their coaches a n d strove to become stronger, faster, and more skilled.

Danielle Combrink (9), a promising young track athlete, who competed in the 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter races, commented on the value of joining the team. In retrospect, she said, “Although it was challenging and not always easy to hold my own amongst the crowds of Malay and Indian competitors, it was totally worth it in the end. I learned valuable lesson and also had a lot of fun.”

Throughout the season, the athletes learned to appreciate the valuable life-lessons learned from sport and athletics in general. Benjamin Tse (12), a veteran long-distance runner on the track and field team said, “Even though I didn’t achieve my goals, I am proud to represent Dalat. I still remember that I was being courteous to the volunteers and thanking them for sacrificing their time to make this event happen. One of the officials told me in Malay that I was the only student who was being thankful and that Dalat students are not like the others.”

As the third season came to an end and students changed from their uniforms into their school clothes to review for their final exams and begin their offseason training for the next year, they will remember the importance of teamwork, perseverance, and—most notably— mouth guards in softball. • June 2015

The Key to Oz The fifteen members of NHS twittered nervously backstage as they anticipated the curtains opening and the spotlights hitting them.

These NHS members had worked tirelessly over a month coming up with a script, practicing their parts, and rehearsing the special event of inducting new members into the National Honor Society.

This age-old task saw the seniors pouring in several early mornings and weekends to perfect their duties under the advice of Mr. John “Tommy” Tompkins.

“I have the feeling we’re not in Penangsas anymore!” cried Lucia Combrink (12) to the general laughter as the show began and the audience settled in.

Traditionally, the skit performed by current NHS members has always had a central theme and attempted to show the four main qualities the Society seeks in its inductees: leadership, scholarship, service, and character.

Past themes have included The Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, and Marvel Superheroes. This year’s NHS members decided upon The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as their theme and quickly began adapting it to suit

the new members into the Society. New inductee Juliet Suen (12) said, “The hardest part for me was repeating the pledge after Tommy because I was so nervous.”

The senior NHS members had also prepared a small token of appreciation for their leader, Tommy, for all of his hard work and guidance with the National Honor Society. Upon presenting him his gift, NHS members cried out “O Captain, my Captain!” as a nod to both the movie they had watched as sophomores in his class, Dead Poet’s Society, and the Walt Whitman poem.

After a quick prayer by Mr. Karl Steinkamp, parents and students proceeded to enjoy a sumptuous luncheon courtesy of the Dalat staff. The new inductees enjoyed examining

their needs.

The story line involved Dorothy and her dog, Toto, trying to make their way to see the Wizard of Oz. Along the way, they encounter the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Wicked Witch of the East, and the Lion, all of whom lack one of the four NHS qualities. All of them needed to cross the barriers along the yellow brick road, and they manage to do so with the help of Dorothy.

They then meet the Wizard, who needs new leaders to govern his land.

Upon watching the play, Tayah Lee (11) commented “I loved seeing the individual personalities of each NHS members come out in their characters.”

Asked about the play, Shelly Choi (12) said, “I was so nervous about the one line I had to say.”

The seniors remained anxious and afraid that they would forget their lines, but everyone performed as rehearsed and entertained the crowd.

“Playing Toto the dog allowed me to entertain in the form of a comic character, but it also gave me bruised knees for a week!” said Cindy Chiem (12).

Once the skit finished, Tommy gave his usual speech about the significance of NHS, and current members began inducting

Post Peter Pan At 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, 25th April, juniors, tired from months of planning and a night of executing the JSB—but expectant for the evening’s parody program—filed down the steps strewn with paper mache rocks that formerly comprised Skull Rock, following their tour-guide, Lucia Combrink (12), to the chapel.

After all their labor, Saturday work days, hours of overtime, and last minutes stresses, these juniors excitedly waited outside the chapel doors for the seniors to playfully satirize all their hard work.

As they stepped into the chapel-turned-coffee shop, they met with a voluminous round of applause from seniors lined up along the walls. On a table, sat coffee mugs with names matchEagle’s Eye

By Shaikha Shahtaj

By Matthew Shafer

As the entertainment started, parodying the previous night’s theme of Peter Pan and Neverland, juniors found themselves in a now corporate-owned, child-friendly tourist attraction and joining the grown-up “Lost Boyz”—Jonathan Chandra (12), Joseph Stoltzfus (12), Jessie Brandon(12), and Shaikha Shahtaj (12)—in Starfish Bucks (an establishment directly lifted from a JSB skit the night before).

Discussing their lives postPeter Pan’s exit of the once ageless world taken over by Peter Tan (12), the Lost Boyz contemplated the loss of their childhoods in the midst of other incidents.

All this included a basketball crew showing off their skills (lampooning Malaysian drivers

ing the juniors’ along with notes from senior friends. On their way to their seats, the 11th grade students grabbed their personalized cup to use them throughout the evening with the coffee bar and lemonade stand on either side of the entrances.

Junior sponsors had their cups already at their seats on the specially set couch and chairs in the middle of the large room.

On either side, a mixture of decorations both from the previous night, rearranged for effect, and originally constructed crafts that afternoon lay scattered around the room, including the (foreclosed) Lost Boyz tree. Few, though, noticed the life-sized cutout of former teacher Mr. Jason Hall on one wall next to a window.

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their gift, a green key symbolizing a key to Oz, as they chatted and posed for pictures with their parents.

After the luncheon, NHS members and parents helped reorganize the chapel speedily for the afternoon NJHS ceremony. When asked about the whole experience, Lexi Zimbulis (11) admitted, “I think my favorite part of the ceremony was seeing the look on my fellow students’ faces when their names were called!”

As the new inductees walked out— Angelene Woo (11), Aaron Kelley (11), Sunny Kim (11), Charlotte Combrink (11), Alexis Zimbulis (11), Hui Min Tang (12), Sarah Tan (11), Juliet Suen (11), Ziwei Moey (11), Karsten Ladner (12), Zachary Tan (11), Amanda Goh (11), Wen Chi Chen (11), Tayah Lee (11), Jing Yi Khoo (12), Brenda Ng (11), Ysabel Loh (11), Karissa Steinkamp (11), and Jet Oh (12)—laughing with buoyant spirits, the air felt tinged with an unmistakable sense of pride and accomplishment. •

in the process) and a light-show of tie-dye shirts and glow sticks purposefully dancing badly on and off the blacked-out stage as well as several other skits spoofing the previous night’s entertainment.

Kyle Fischer (12) appreciated the good-natured humor: “The jabs they made at our mistakes were clever and hilarious!”

Laughter resounded as the juniors watched and caught their breaths as well as second, thirds, and fourths on coffee in between acts, along with an array of food platters aligned at the back.

Juniors and seniors alike found enjoyment in the evening.

“I enjoyed embarrassing myself in bright-red lipstick and dancing on stage,” said Combrink, reflecting on her roles that night.

Speaking about his experience as a senior putting on the event, Chandra said, “Though (Continued on page 4, col. 1) June 2015

We Are All Transitioning...

“Stop! You are hurting me!” shrieked Ting Hui Lim (12) as he tried to push away from Mr. Bob Pagee, who demonstrated how to protect oneself from a possible assault by simply attracting attention from others.

During the Senior-Transition Retreat, seniors participated in a variety of sessions that prepared them for college, society, and the future ahead of them.

On the morning of the 12th of March, the class embarked on their two-minute walk to Rainbow Paradise Hotel to kick start their Senior-Transition Retreat. The excited group strolled across the lobby with big smiles on their faces, conversing with each other about the things they should do in the hotel. The class gathered in a meeting room where all the sessions took place throughout the retreat.

The seniors sat around tables of eight and received a booklet that contained all the essential “information” that might come into good use later on. The retreat included five-to-six sessions in which special guest speakers came to talk about the different aspects of life the students would face after they graduate and move into the next chapter of their lives.

Mrs. Jacki Steinkamp spoke about overcoming hardships and finding closure. She showed video clips from the movie Castaway and told the seniors to reflect on how they plan to seek

After-JSB Dinner...

(Continued from page 3, col. 4) the entertainment group was beset by stress, as each subcommittee had its own interpretation of what we wanted to convey, we managed to make everything work on time. Though it wasn’t necessarily incredibly coherent, I think we accomplished our goal of giving the juniors a good time.”

Unbeknownst to everyone else, the senior sponsors gathered on stage decked in childish garbs to give a rendition of the classic “This Is the Song That Doesn’t End,” to the amusement of all who had or had not expected such antics from this group, especially Mr. Scott Uzzle.

It all climaxed in a dramatic crowd of all the seniors on stage humming along to the ending Eagle’s Eye

closure from all the memories in Dalat.

“I learned that I needed to intentionally say good-bye to things that I hold dearly as I depart for a new chapter in life,” said Benjamin Tse. In between sessions, Mr. Scott Uzzle had fun recreational activities for everyone to participate in. One of them included eating or drinking the “mystery” food made of random ingredients all mixed together.

John Kim bravely volunteered to try out Mr. Uzzle’s Mystery Sandwich that tasted like rotten sardines and smelled like durian; Kim almost puked the entire sandwich. Everyone laughed out loud at Kim’s reaction, backing away whenever he came close.

“I remember Cindy [Chiem] feeding Joseph [Um] wet, sour Skittles with her feet. It was the epitome of grossness,” said Jennifer Yook.

For the next session, Mr. Tom Cura came to talk about spirituality in college. He shared his story of maintaining his faith in college and emphasized the importance of finding a good mentor. Most seniors listened intently, while others wrote notes in their booklet. Some, however, did not find the lecture as inviting as others and dozed off—as a result, Mr. Uzzle went around poking sleepy seniors to wake them up.

After receiving the keys to their rooms, the seniors quickly unloaded their belongings and

By David Beak

dashed to the restaurant for dinner. They gasped at the fullcourse buffet in front of them.

Hunger-stricken boys like Shion Matsumoto, Yan Rong Tan, and Joshua Basha piled their plates with food, constantly coming back for more. Sharing conversations and shoving food into their mouths, the senior class left the restaurant fully satisfied.

With stomachs full and bodies recharged, the class entered the meeting room once more for the last session of the night. The boys and girls went into separate rooms, the boys with three male teachers and the girls with three female teachers.

In this session, the students could ask the representative teachers any questions about sex, drugs, alcohol, or any other personal topics. In privacy, the boys and girls could freely ask the teachers the questions they wanted answers to.

After an hour and a half, the male and female teachers swapped rooms, giving the boys the opportunity to ask questions of the female teachers and the girls to ask questions of the male teachers. The seniors went into their hotel rooms with questions answered and continued to share their opinions on the topics they had discussed during the session.

“I thought the session was really meaningful even though it was a little bit embarrassing to

ask all these personal questions,” said Jessie Brandon. “The deep discussions we girls had really helped me to understand more about marriage and the values I have to adopt and keep in college and later on in life.”

Morning came, and as all the seniors munched down on breakfast, Kirk Ladner slowly walked into the restaurant while rubbing his droopy eyes. After a quick meal, the class congregated in the meeting hall once again. This time, Mr. Brian Brewster came in and “testran” his new game called “The University Game,” which aimed to teach the seniors about the importance of money in college.

The seniors had to do pushups to earn money, and lost a “Brewster Buck” every minute to simulate the tuition fee that continuously burned throughout college life. The seniors left this session with sore arms but most importantly, with the realization of the preciousness of money.

The retreat quickly came to a close, but the seniors did not regret a single moment of it.

For them, this retreat became the last time they would spend the night together in a hotel as a class. In a few months, all of them would finish life in Penang and part ways.

All the lessons learnt during the transition retreat and all the memories made throughout the small span of two days remained in the hearts of the class of ’15 as they resumed their final months in Dalat. •

Dr. Nick Cleans Campus

song of JSB, “I Believe I Can Fly.” “It was strange and hilarious at the same time because everyone knew the chorus— you know, the part that goes ‘I believe I can fly’? I mean, who doesn’t?” said a jocular Hung-Jie Song (12). “So we just continued awkwardly mumbling until we could sing with vehemence and puffed out chests ‘I believe I can fly’ before jumping off the stage!”

After pictures and talking with their senior friends, juniors walked out with smiles on, still laughing over the evening and singing along to “Lost Boy,” which would stay stuck in their heads for weeks to come.

Through the event, juniors appreciated and enjoyed the lighthearted mockery and spoof of their JSB at the 2015 After-JSB Dinner. •

By Lucia Combrink On Tuesday, 10 March, the chapel curtain swept open dramatically as a round of applause resounded through the room.

A group of enthusiastic eighth graders filtered on stage and animatedly performed “Doctor Nick Prescribes” —an amusing, side-splitting skit about a doctor who “healed” his patients’ character flaws.

After the entertaining skit conducted b y the existing NJHS members, the inductees, Alice Chang (8), Joy Kiehl (8), Ashley Kim (8), Esther Kim (8), Sin Ler Oo (8), Courtney Soon (8), Yi Yao Tan (8), Lydia Brooks (7), Jordan 4

Chang (7), Bernard Combrink (7), Elizabeth Horton (7), and Jerald Ooi (7), were called on stage amidst the flash of camera lights and the sound of applause to light the candles, sign the book, and recite the oath to the National Junior Honor Society.

The excited middle school audience thoroughly enjoyed the inventive hospital skit performed by the former NJHS members.

“The skit was about a doctor who took care of pat ient’s flaws, like character flaws; some were too bossy, some (Continued on page 5, col. 1) June 2015

AP = Accumulating Pressure

By Jennifer Yook

“I can’t tell you one single question I know for sure that I got right,” said Juliet Suen (12), after taking the Advanced Placement Chemistry test on Monday. Suen frowned when asked about the test, eager to put the harrowing experience behind her.

Shelly Choi (12), with a similar expression of glum desperation, assented, stating, “AP Chemistry was

a lot harder than the mock exam, which was the 2014 exam.

It was very discouraging because the mock exam was hard enough. I don’t think I did well.”

AP week began with a bumpy start. Students, trying to demonstrate a year’s worth of work in three hours, struggled to overcome both academic and mental hurdles.

Near the end of the year, students, seniors especially, found themselves in need of motivation and energy. Unfortunately, their supply tanks of these necessities had diminished significantly.

Kirk Ladner (12) boasts of his ability to not burn out and maintain his straight-A average. He clued his friends in on his secret

NJHS...

(Continued from page 4, col. 4) didn’t take part of school activities, some were too media influenced,” explained Celestine Teoh (7). She continued by exclaiming, “I liked it because it was funny; it was educational, teaching students about how they shouldn’t be too stuck up or too shy.”

T h e “doctor,” played by Nicholas Khor (8), aptly “healed” his patients— not by addressing physical illnesses—but by mending their character flaws so that they could become NJHS candidates.

Jia-Jie Toon (7) observed, “I Eagle’s Eye

when he informed them, “I’ll be holding a bonfire ceremony for my calculus notes, and you’re all invited!”—his anticipation of the said event fueling him through the week.

Like Ladner, every high school student in Dalat experiences a level of misplaced hope and curiously strange motivation during the AP week.

Switching between a hopeless outlook and a surprisingly aggressive one, students hobbled back and forth from school to their respective houses, as they tried to cope with the accumulating stress. The walk back to school on Tuesday morning was especially hard for Shaikha Shahtaj (12) as she tried to rein in her nerves before the AP Calculus exam.

Waking up half an hour earlier to get to school by 7:50 a.m., Shahtaj rose from a bed, trudged to get ready and eat something substantial, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she wiped her sweaty palms against her school uniform, repeating a chant about trusting herself.

In the room, she took four 2B pencils out of her bag as well as her graphing calculator and her two other back-up calculators.

She fiddled with her erasers and pens, arranging them to a degree of perfection that only

arises when she feels too nervous to speak.

Mr. Kerry Mahoney, the appointed instructor, droned in the background about policies, adding quips between the scripted words.

Then, she began. Section after section, Shahtaj faced decision after decision that would affect her score. Even when she had completed half the test, she knew that the latter would be her death. As she solved the freeresponse questions, she tried to remain calm and not think about how failing the test would put a year’s worth of staying up late and visiting Mrs. Sara Kearney, her AP Calculus teacher, after hours to study to waste.

After three hours of toiling under the cold blast of the air conditioner (not unlike the cold shoulder she would receive from her engineer dad if she did not do well), Shahtaj emerged from the room. The only words she had to spare were, “I’m glad it’s over. Now, I can say good-bye to my Princeton review.”

Shahtaj’s experience was not an isolated case study: other test takers provided more harrowing accounts that could not but be filtered to match the strict Dalat standards of no-gore.

A few students, however, as they tried to recover from their recent trauma of the week, volunteered to give advice to the

kinda felt bad for the person who was treated badly by the mean character. Then I felt happy because the mean character was not being rude anymore—when they ate the medicine the doctor gave them.”

The skit effectively mixed humor and lessons; it embraced the serious aspect of NJHS while still using jokes to reach out to the middle-school audience.

After the skit, the inductees moved to the stage to light the candles, sign the book, and swear the oath.

Bernard Combrink (7) stated, “I was thankful that Dalat has provided a way to recognize the hard work of students, not only in academics, but also for traits like service, leadership, character, and citizenship.”

Furthermore, even students who didn’t get inducted into NJHS also enjoyed and felt in-

spired by the ceremony. Aaron Worten (7) remarked, “[The skit] motivated me by telling me to believe in myself and to get up when I fall and to do the best and work hard at everything I do.”

The NJHS induction ceremony not only welcomed new, deserving members, but it also motivated and encouraged students to work harder and be rewarded for their well-rounded achievements; furthermore, the skit taught the audience important lessons about character, leadership, service, and scholarship in a fun, entertaining, and meaningful way.

The NJHS annually serves as a positive motivation for students to strive for excellence in all aspects of their life. • 5

underclassmen on how to prepare for the tests. Cindy Chiem (12), speaking from experience, cried, “Never procrastinate when preparing for your AP exams because you can’t learn an entire course in three days.

Trust me. I’ve tried.”

Andy Kim (12), after taking both AP Biology and AP Physics on the same day, said, “Highlight main concepts and try to think in terms of application.”

Zi Wei Moey (12), in unison with Kim, declared, “Don’t take Physics online unless you know what you’re doing.”

Of course, in the corner of the room, the lone, monotonous voice of Shion Matsumoto (12) whispered—in conflict with every other person in the room— “It was kind of fun.” •

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June 2015