The majority of alumni who have lived and studied on Dalat’s Penang campus remember going down to the seaside chapel for worship and school gatherings. This well-used and loved space got a facelift and new equipment, thanks to the most recent Annual Fund in 2019. While we now have the large 500-seat Harbor Hall auditorium and performance space, Dalat still uses our chapel, fondly called the Vintage Chapel, for classes, activities, and smaller gatherings.
 
Generous alumni, parents, and friends made it possible to purchase a new audio system, stage and house lighting systems, and video equipment, but pandemic closings stalled the progress on other projects. We are glad to report that the chapel now sports a new roof, gutters, drains, air conditioning units, carpeting and wall boards, and a nice fresh coat of paint throughout to help it to last a few more years. The former classrooms behind the chapel were repurposed into a large work space and storage for the Drama program. You are welcome to come visit this special place yourself, post-COVID, of course!

Believe it or not, four staff members in the Development Office are leaving Dalat this June, paving the path for a new team to join the community of alumni, parents, staff, and students. We’re excited to announce and introduce the three new development officers who will arrive in Penang this July!
 
Cat Foster-Gruber
Director of Development



Dalat’s Class of 2009 alumna Catherine Foster-Gruber, who goes by Cat, spent 15 years moving around Southeast Asia with her family. She finished a degree in Mass Communications from Colorado Mesa University after returning to her home state of Colorado in the U.S. Cat worked for magazines in Aspen, Colo., and Los Angeles, Calif., then moved back to Western Colorado to help develop a new charitable foundation to benefit public schools. In 2015, she took on a communications and public relations role for a large public school district in Western Colorado, assisting with a bond campaign to build a new middle school and renovating existing campuses. 

Cat shares that “my husband, Brandon, and I love traveling the world and exploring the incredible Colorado outdoors. I’m so excited to return to Dalat, and my goal is to build upon the great work already happening there, and to create opportunities for current, former, and future students. I look forward to getting to know you more, and sharing my experience as I return to Penang.”

Christina Parsley
Marketing Communications Associate


 
Christina is an American hailing from New Mexico and Texas. She and her husband have a 17-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter who will study at Dalat. In the last 20 years, she has gained great experience in communications and marketing working at a major U.S. public university, a military boarding school, and a junior college, as well as serving as a missionary in Japan, Canada, and Malaysia. Christina and her family are coming from an American international school in Kuala Lumpur where she served as Director of Admissions.
 
Christina wants you to know that “I am looking forward to meeting you! It is a joy to learn about Dalat and the ways God has used this school for so many decades. I am looking forward to hearing your stories and your greatest memories. I hope to talk to you on a phone call, greet you as you visit, get to know you via email, or video call with you. It is an honor to help hold the torch high for past, present, and future Dalat families. My heart is to join forces with you, our alumni, to continue seeing God do amazing things!”
 
Heidy Hartley
Development Associate


 
Heidy Hartley brings 28 years of experience spanning missions, ministry, and Christian education, having served with Teen Missions International, Moody Bible Institute, and most recently at Biola University. At Biola Heidy worked in the Advancement division with her primary focus on communications, donor relations, and events. Her husband Marty will also be joining the Dalat team in an Information Technology position. 
 
Heidy says that “being avid international travelers and lovers of interesting food, we are excited for this opportunity to relocate to Malaysia and to continue our kingdom service at Dalat International School.”
 

From the 2005 Reflector: With eyes shut, Lydia Ng protects herself from sand thrown by Robert Whiting. The beach gave students a place to relax as well as play. (Senior trip to Redang)
 
Do you have a flashback photo you’d like to share? Send it our way and we’ll post it in the next newsletter.