I’ll never forget the moment when I first stepped on campus as a staff member. I knew, without a doubt, that this place was still Dalat. It looked very different, but it felt the same.

A lot has changed on the Dalat campus over time. Just in the last six years, we’ve renovated CASTLE and added the Lighthouse, Harbor Hall, and the Galley. Our newest project, the new middle school building called the Marina, will begin construction later this year. This means that we’ll be saying goodbye to the old cafeteria building and Vintage Chapel soon

As an alumna of Dalat, I have complicated feelings about this. Some of my best memories of Dalat took place in Vintage Chapel (back in the days when we just called it “the chapel”). My very first day at Dalat as a shy ninth-grader started in the chapel with an all-high school assembly. (Yes, we actually all fit in there.) Over the years, it was the scene for all the fundamental student experiences: weekly chapels and student-led prayer meetings, Missions and Spiritual Emphasis Weeks, high school dramas, Christmas Banquets, band and choir concerts, junior class workdays, and After-Sneak and After-JSB Dinners. My senior Bible classes were held in the chapel, and often my friends and I would stay behind and spend our lunch block discussing what we’d learned before running up those ridiculous stairs to our next class. 

When I returned to Dalat as a staff member 12 years later, I was apprehensive about how much had changed. My old dorm was gone, along with my former classrooms and the cafeteria. There wasn’t much left to physically represent my memories here. 

I’ll never forget the moment when I first stepped on campus as a staff member. I knew, without a doubt, that this place was still Dalat. It looked very different, but it felt the same. If you’ve been on campus for any amount of time, you likely know what I mean. There’s something about being here in this community that is unlike anywhere else. Even though a lot has changed over the years, the spirit of Dalat remains. 

Just as I’ve learned and adapted and grown since my time as a student, Dalat has experienced its own growth and change. We are excited about change while also honoring memories and holding true to who we are. This is a special place because of the people and because of the way God works in our community. The lower campus will look very different soon, but we are still who we are. We are still Dalat.

Written by Catherine Foster

Mrs. Foster (Director of Development) is an alumna of Dalat (Class of 2009) and has been on staff since 2027. Before returning to Dafat, she worked in communications and public relations for schools in the Unit. States. She is passionate about telling the story of our school and serving the community which was so impactful to her as a student.
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