Amidst the early morning bustle, elementary classrooms buzzed with excitement as young minds poured into the Jetnasium for the first spring assembly in many years on March 28. Secondary students waited for their turn until fourth period. Throughout both events, students and teachers took center stage to showcase their achievements over the second season of the year. 

The school administration brought back the spring assembly this year to enhance student engagement and ensure that all assemblies ended right on time, leaving the audience yearning for more. “The idea was that because we’re running the sports and the activities in the trimesters, it made the most sense to host [the assembly] after each trimester,” said Mr. Jolly, the head of school. 

Gallery • 6 Photos

Luna Kang

Lost in the moment, Akari Kojima in fifth grade channels her passion into the melody. She supports the rest of the band to truly bring the music to life.

The elementary assembly kicked off the day with a lively introduction from hosts Bonnie Kim and Sophie Lee in ninth grade and a loud cheer from the mini-Jets. After a strong start, Ms. Suozzo and Mrs. Cameron came up to the stage to recognize the achievements of the elementary volleyball teams and Girl Scouts respectively. To freshen up the air, the elementary rock band Rocking Tangerines performed “Sunroof” by Nicky Youre and dazy, “You Belong with Me” by Taylor Swift, and “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction to showcase their season of practice. 

Mr. Jolly summed up the awards with a special recognition to Mr. Bae, the director of Facility and Faculty Housing, and the school for its agricultural project. “Being one of the few schools in Daegu that was awarded [the Agriculture award], I wanted to acknowledge that for the entire community in the sense that it was initiated by the school. The elementary students especially played a big role in planting the sweet potatoes and whatnot, and those things could be utilized for lunch.”

To finish with a blast of energy, the elementary dance team performed a Kidz Bop adaptation of “Timber” by Pitbull and “It Is What It Is” by Jenna Raine.  

Gallery • 5 Photos

Catherine Park

Michelle Doh in seventh grade steals the show with her powerful vocals, backed by Luke Cho in eighth grade and Daniel Beck in seventh grade.

To spice up the secondary assembly, veteran host Leanne Yoon in 10th grade her pal newbie MC Jerome Kwon cracked the audience up with their ad-libs. Afterward, the rock bands sang and strummed their hearts out. Blue Day, BPM, and Kebab Party from middle school revved up the stage, and the final junior band melted the hearts of the audience with “All For You,” a Korean classic. In the high school segment, ASAP performed a groovy rendition of “Treasure” by Bruno Mars. DISBAND carried on the heat with “Toxic” by Britney Spears, featuring Aiden Huh’s jazzy tunes on the violin. 

All members of the band Blastoise performed solos before their actual show to top off the rock band segment. Members remixed a popular song “Beat It” by Michael Jackson as a prelude, and they performed “GROWING UP IS _____” by Ruel. Blastoise drummer Bolt Yi in 12th grade said, “I did a drum solo. I broke my sticks because I hit the cymbals too hard – I was caught up in the moment. I felt awesome.”

Subsequently, Mr. Bae, the Computer Science Competition Club, the middle and high school sports teams, and over 60 National History Day (NHD) participants received recognition for their hard work. During the middle school volleyball awards, coaches Mrs. Jolly and Mr. Balint exchanged a warm hug as they bid each other farewell in memory of Mr. Balint’s last season at DIS. 

Gallery • 2 Photos

Catherine Park

With electrifying energy, the dance team Illusion brings the song 'Drama' by Aespa to life. Their impeccable moves captivate the spectators.

For the finale, the Illusion dance team divided into two units to showcase their grooviest moves for their fans. The first unit captivated the audience with their bouncy choreography to “Drama” by aespa, and the second group, which performed “Easy” by LE SSERAFIM, refreshed the audience with polished perfection.  

“The assemblies used to be a little too stuffy. They had a game to them sometimes, but that was almost a little bit too crazy, and then the other parts felt very structured. […] The assemblies were better than they’ve ever been because they feature more items that are for and by the students,” said Mr. Jolly. With more student involvement than ever, the Jets left the gymnasium with a brighter spark in their eyes than in previous years.