March 2012 - Al

Periodic Bulletin of Al-Noor Academy, Mansfield, Massachusetts
unbroken!
Academy sweeps to
Will You Be
My Friend?
T
fifth MIST victory
by Sara Adra
special to the Lighthouse
here once lived a red ant all alone
in her house. Every single morning
she gathered food and saved it in her
food bank until winter. She felt lonely and
was very scared to live all by herself, especially in the long cold winter. She wanted to
have someone to talk to, so she decided to
go look for a friend to share her food with.
The next day, during her friend hunt, she
ran into a black ant eating a seed. The red
ant asked “Do you want to be my friend?”
The black ant said “I cannot be your friend
because you are red and I am black.” The
red ant felt bad but she did not quit. She
went looking again. Then she ran into a ladybug eating a tomato, she asked the ladybug, “Do you want to be my friend?”
“No, because I can fly and you can’t”
said the ladybug. The ant got really sad
but she kept on looking for a friend. Later
on that day, she came across a turtle that
was eating a leaf. The turtle said “I cannot be your friend because I am slow and
you are fast, I am big and you are small.”
The ant still did not give up. She was feeling tired and sad, but she went on looking
continued on page 2
T
by Habibah Fahr
of the Lighthouse staff
he room was dark, hot; the heavy air
a mixture of nervous sweat and expensive floral perfume. There was
a stage, a big one. No, not like the small
platform at the Sharon masjid; a stage; ones
where college students and entrepreneurs
have plays, comedy shows and presentations. On this grand stage was a simple
white table with all the glimmering trophies
and shiny medals. This theater held 300 student hearts, all expecting to win first place
for their competitions. The MIST executive
board shuffled left and right with papers,
laptops, tablets in their arms. Most of the
e-board members are Al-Noor alumni. It instills anxiety in the Uber Noobers hearts, as
we call ourselves. They give us grim looks:
“You’d better win.” Or so it seems.
The scene is very hard to describe, considering I spent most of the time looking
at my nervous team mates’ faces, making
dua and comforting them. The Uber Noobers chanted, like patriots in a revolution,
demanding the respect they worked hard
for. Some parents came to watch. At first
they sat in the suspended upstairs seats,
when they saw our unreleased tension, they
came down to us, like angels, to support
their children’s team. They advised us and
pushed us to remember Allah’s Greatness.
Since Imam Suhaib Webb was late to
deliver a speech, the e-board members decided to give out some of the awards. We
placed in almost every competition. With
each victory, Youbie hollered “When I say
Uber, you say Noober!” and we obliged,
proudly. Suddenly, the whole room calmed;
quieted down. We see a six-foot, four-inch
Suhaib Webb walk on to the stage, dressed
in typical imam apparel, except for his vibrant, Celtic green, glow-in-the-dark Nike
sneakers. He instantly connected with the
audience of teenagers. For once the always-noisy teens sat in the fold over chairs
calm, listening to what valuable essences
and stories the beloved imam had to tell.
The much-awaited award ceremony was
interrupted for something better, something
everyone in that room needed and shared:
advice for religious maturity.
The imam joked and spoke, everyone
continued on page 4
2
Another Hopeful Star Shares
Her Dream of Achievement
A
by Hoda Eldifrawy
special to the Lighthouse
nd the final member of the U.S.A
Olympic Gymnastics team is…
Hoda Eldifrawy!”
Omg! Omg! Omg-omg-omg! I can’t believe it! I’ve been waiting for this for forever! Let me tell you how it all happened.
It was the day
of the tryouts for
the skills team in
Joan’s
Olympic
Gym. I had practiced for like a
whole year for this
day. Finally it was
my turn to try out.
I went up and did
all kinds of trips. I
did flips and cartwheels and jumps, front handsprings and
so on. I think I did pretty well and my
coach also told me I was amazing. She also
said that the results were going to be announced in the upcoming week.
At the end of the tryouts the coach for
the USA Olympic Gymnastics Team came
up to me and asked if I wanted to try out
for the Olympic team. She told me to not to
be too excited because I didn’t have a big
chance of getting in. Even after she said
that inside me I was jumping all around.
I said yes immediately and then the next
day early, before school, I went to the gym
and started practicing. Then after school I
rushed through my homework and went
to the gym. I practiced really hard for two
months and a week before the tryouts I
went to the Olympic training center to get
familiar with the place.
Toward the end of the training the coach
who asked me to try out called all the gymnasts in and reminded us all that the tryouts
were just around the corner and told us to
practice really hard for the next week. After the talk I went back to training. I got really tired, but imagining myself up on the
podium with an Olympic gold medal in my
hand got me going for the rest of the day.
A week later it was tryouts day. I was so
nervous. I was the first one to try out and
did really well. I had perfected my moves
and made up new routines. I think the
judges really enjoyed it because they were
smiling at the end of each of my routine.
After me a lot of people performed.
The judges were tallying up the scores
to see who would be on the team, and I
couldn’t stand still, I was walking around
everywhere and my hands were sweating so hard. Finally the judges got up and
called the names: “Shawn Johnson. Nastia Liukin. Alicia Sacramone, Samantha
Pszek...” and so on. Then suddenly everyone was quiet, as they were about to announce the last member: “And the last
member of the USA Gymnastics Olympic
team is Hoda Eldifrawy!”
I couldn’t believe my dream was finally
true! Representing the USA in the Olympics for gymnastics!
Children’s Nurturing Center
32 Church St., Mansfield
508-339-3545
bestnurturing.com
continued from page 1
again when she met a butterfly drinking
some orange juice. The ant looked at the
butterfly and asked “Do you want to be my
friend?” The butterfly looked very annoyed
and said, “I will not be your friend! I am
beautiful and you are not and I can fly and
you cannot.”
The ant went along feeling down because she did not find a friend, when she
saw a bird eating some seeds she felt hopeful again. She looked up at the bird and
asked him “Do you want to be my friend?”
He looked down at her carefully with his
sharp eyes and answered; “I cannot be your
friend but you can be my food.” The ant
was so shocked and frightened that she ran
as fast as she could back to her house.
Later, when she felt safe, she decided to
eat. She was very hungry and miserable, so
she went to her food bank thinking of what
will she eat today. It could be a tomato, an
apple, a leaf, maybe an orange, or maybe
some seeds. Then all of a sudden an idea
popped into her mind. She will go to sleep
tonight and tomorrow she will try again to
make some friends.
The next day, she woke up as early as the
sun. She got some food from her food bank
and prepared a feast; she put in each plate
a piece of a tomato, an apple, an orange, a
leaf, and on top of all that, she sprinkled
some seeds. She sent an invitation to everyone she met yesterday. To her neighbor the
ant, then to the ladybug, also to the turtle,
the butterfly, and to the bird.
Everyone came and had a great time;
then the ant told everyone that we do not
look alike, but we can still enjoy the same
food and each other’s friendship. They
looked at each other and had a great laugh
and since then they were never seen apart.
3
Still More Dreams Reach for
Preeminence in Gymnastics
I
Noor Adra
Aram Monawar
Science Winners
Sophomores Noor Adra and Aram Monawar recently won second and third place
awards, respectively, at the BCC/Rensselaer Science & Engineering Fair in Fall
River. Noor won the Dr. Levine Award for
“project of most public interest,” and a
certificate for ability and outstanding creativity in her atmospheric science project.
Aram won a certificate of third award from
the U.S. Metric Association for best use
of SI Units in a science project. Both won
eligibility compete at the Massachusetts
Science & Engineering Fair in May at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
by Malik Hafiani
special to the Lighouse
t was the final class of the year. If I get
a good score on the trampoline I will
start going to the professional classes.
I have passed everything else including
the still rings, vault, parallel bars, pommel horse and high bar. Only this last one
.someone scored a very good score a nine
point three!
I was stressed out; to make me even
more stressed out a judge got an e-mail
saying that the professional classes can accept only one more person. It became my
turn so I just remembered that I practiced
on a certain height, and this was nothing
like the height I practiced on. I just had to
leave it all up to Allah.
I jumped!
If you are thinking how did I get to this
amazing moment I may just tell you. I was
in fifth grade when some students started a
gymnastics club/show so I thought it would
be easy because I used to be a fan of martial
arts and it had all sorts of flexibility moves.
So I got into the club. I was told to do two
flips and land on a split; it was sort of easy
the first time I tried, and the second time I
tried I improved. On the third time it came
out perfect but I ripped a muscle because I
forgot to warm up. Luckily, it was a small
rip.
After it healed I started studying about
gymnastics in my free time, and I learned
that ancient Greeks were the ones who
created gymnastics and that the gymnasium in ancient Greece functioned as a
training facility for competitors in public games.
When the show started it went excellently. I started practicing both gymnastics and
martial arts. I started working on back flips
for about five to six months. I started taking intermediate classes and learned how to
make a different splits, and how to make a
back flip then land on my feet, I went to the
expert classes. To this very moment I still
remember all this.
Back to the championship. At the end I
did two flips then landed on a split. I scored
a ten. I made it to the professional classes of
gymnastics. Then I was competing against
the best in the United States of America. I
won first place for men. Then I started to
go against the best in the world. It was a
pretty good competition but they altogether
against me would be like a drip of water in
the ocean. They all were no match for me!
4
Sweet Victory
continued from page 1
enjoyed it. For a second, everyone in
the theater forgot that they were in a
competition. His speech concluded, the
crowd clapped and chanted. The peace
in the competitors’ stomachs only lasted a few moments. The ceremony resumed. With every mention of an Uber
Noober, the others would scream and
yell with pride. Parents would exclaim
with delight. Smiles stretched our tired
faces. The other teams watched us, silently. They rued the days they chided
us, good fun though it was.
When it came time to announce the
top three individual scorers, it was a
surprise that there was an Uber Noober in each category. Congratulations
to Amina Fahmy and Omayr Abdelgany for winning third place. For second
place, Malak El-Sayed’s victory didn’t
seem like a surprise, considering she
was the pioneer of many projects. Last,
but definitely not least, I salute Amal
Adra who won first overall individual points. Her work was breathtaking,
creative and insightful.
The moment of truth: the moment
we knew we had one first place. ISlam had won second place, putting
last year’s second place winners, AlRahmah, in the dark. They cheered for
their efforts, we laughed. Emam Sanousi, a senior at Al-Noor a few years
back, had the honor of announcing his
own winning team. We hurried on to
the stage, we pushed Sister Siham to
the front, handing her the heavy trophy
to happily display.
Sister Siham is the one who made
this team what it is. She has consistently showed effort, support and insight
on all our projects. She deserves the
first compliment and congratulations.
For the closing of the annual MIST,
Mohamed Hassan and Sherif Abdelal
composed a creatively sensational rap
to commemorate their final year with
their beloved Uber Noobers. We exalted their work, hugged everyone
who won (everyone) and walked out
into the chilly Boston streets. I walked
alone to the Sawyer building where my
uncle was waiting for me. I thought of
the series of events, the stress, sleep
deprivation, the hunger. I can’t believe
we survived through it. Another year
was gone. I learned how close we had
become, a unit. Even in a room filled
with different people, the Uber Noobers filled the room with light, a spark
no one could deny. I reached my car in
a haze; I felt that I didn’t know who or
what I was. Was I Habibah Farh or an
Uber Noober? The answer was simple:
I am both. I contributed to the much
deserved victory of our team, unit, and
family. And I don’t believe it.
So when I say Uber, you say Noober!
5
Charity Emerges True MIST Victor
Clockwise from far left: Habibah Farh works on scrap booking the Friday before MIST; Al-Noor’s victorious Team MIST
and adviser Sr. Siham gather in the masjid to display all five
consecutive trophies, together with jubilant “five fingers”
wave signifying their wins; Nour Eldifrawy (front) and Omar
Sorour sort donations from the seemingly countless ones collected as part of MIST charity efforts; and Aram Monawar
(front), Amal Adra (center) and Habibah lug donations to
the Big Brother-Big Sister truck.
(Mr. Booth)
6
Poetry
This poem won first place in poetry at the recent MIST tournament.
Dreams of the Past
Growing up, I didn’t know who death was
Few of my loved ones encountered him, but his goal was hard to swathe.
I collapsed in his deceitful traps once, twice
But now he’s come, a sinister cancer; no healing can suffice.
I used to sleep pleasantly on a lavish bed perfumed with rich lush rose oil
Now I lay on a bench of bleach-stained sheets, ready to spoil.
I was beautiful. I was young.
When I married, to my handsome children I clung.
Now that I am broken and foul, I wonder if that was enough.
I fed them. I taught them. My precious desires I had to scuff.
I helped them on their journey to find True Islam.
My love for them be can’t be measured with countless kilograms!
In retrospect, I was harsh, mean. Of my humorous side they weren’t keen.
All I could do was prepare them for their life outside
Now I wish whole heartedly for them in my life to coincide
When mother bore me, she dressed me in silks ethereal and white
Now, years later I dress myself black; tears can do nothing but add to my blight.
Like yesterday I remember her buying my first hijab, eventually my bridal gown
With her guidance, I steered through obstacles sunrise till sundown.
No words of any tongue can express my intense emotion,
A simple “Thank you” is not ample restitution.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, whose traits do I embody, of them all?
Oh daughter, oh daughter, don’t you realize you are your mother! Feel no pall.
When I was a young, puerile vile young son, home I braced
Rebellious, rough in nature, my parent’s wishes I disgraced
I wish I knew the menace if filial respect was debased.
Rapidly I grew; the vision was clear! My unfortunate conduct revealed upon me.
I attempted my best to give them submission, and immense luxury.
Now, ruefully watching my mother decay, unable to fulfill my duty exhausts my sanity
Regretfully I chased joke and jest, in lieu of enamored family’s sanctity.
I was young, dapper. Allah granted me with a career and blessings plenty.
Lavish wealth and regal riches beguiled my innocent mentality.
I spent limitless years laboring for my family to indulge without boundary.
My young grew; then left. My wife’s health retrogressed; soon I’ll be alone,
Her final breath is near. Now, has a pretty penny’s worth been shone?
I missed my family’s glee and bliss! Memories I shall never atone!
Materialism, amusement. What lies! What joy is it if my precious family I disown?
Wretched death is a disastrous storm: you pick up the broken pieces of life that have sown,
Happiness, content: few of the many blessings Allah gives society homegrown.
—Habibah Farh
A New Face
Delves into
ANA’s Future
I
by Janan Zatoun
special to the Lighthouse
want to change the world.” Isn’t that
what we all say during some time in
our lives, most probably when we’re
young? Then one day we grow up and stop
believing that we can.
I decided, a few years ago, to replace
one word in that sentence, and make all the
difference possible. Now I say: “I want to
change my world,” because, really, that’s
all we’re responsible for. But sadly, most of
us don’t even try to do that.
I am the new, part-time, Marketing and
Public Relations person at Al-Noor Academy. Sounds epic, doesn’t it? I also take attendance, answer the phone, and open the
main door, when I’m working on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That sounds epic, too,
doesn’t it? Believe it or not, I enjoy every
bit of it.
Al-Noor Academy has become part of
my life. Interacting with the students, listening to what they have to contribute, and
making them happy through extra curricular activities is what’s important to me.
We need to get Al-Noor on the map.
There are several ideas we need to execute
to make that happen. The school’s website is a main concern. Also, assisting Sister Rukhsana Nazir, promoting ourselves to
prospective families and Islamic elementary schools is top on my list.
Speaking of lists, I have a long one for
student activities. Every student is encouraged to sign up for any activity we are organizing for the rest of the term. The basis
on which I’m working is a Student Talent
Survey I conducted. There were 22 talents
listed, divided into either a talent students
have or want to develop. From there I was
able to figure out the main interests of our
students, and in which direction we should
set out. Sports was their first concern, then
came acting; photography; (surprisingly)
baking and cooking; painting, and all the
way down to sewing.
7
Training Helps Teachers
With Useful Information
A
by Richard Booth
Lighthouse adviser & English teacher
Special Friend
M
by Boshra Farh
special to the Lighthouse
y name is Boshra and I will be
talking about by best friend. Her
name is Hoda. Mr. Booth calls
her “Little Hoda,” and it’s true she is short,
slim, funny and smart. These are all the
things you probably want in a best friend.
Of course I have many other friends, but
this is a special one. So this is how she is
who she is today. When we were little we
were really good friends. Our moms knew
each other. And so did our fathers. We
loved each other. She helped me in good
times and bad and I did the same when
something wrong happened to either of us,
whether its homework, school, family anything. She was there, I was with her forever
and I hope I will be to. And plus who would
not love her?
And so I was having trouble in school.
And when the other children talked she
helped me. I love her and she is the nicest
girl ever. And you know what I don’t just
think of her as my best friend. I think as her
as my sister. And you know what’s funny,
my little sister is in the same class the sister
is in, and her big brother is the same class
as my sister. Hoda always knew what to say
and how to make me happy. I love seeing
her little silly face in the morning and before I go to bed. We live next to each other.
And we like the same things.
She gets me things I don’t need. But I
love them. She made me have the best
birthday ever and the whole school sang
happy birthday! It was cool . She told me
that I was one of the best friends. I love her
and I always will.
recent in-service day hosted by AlNoor Academy afforded our own
teachers, as well as those of the
Islamic Academy of New England (IANE)
an opportunity to hear presentations covering a wide array of topics designed to bring
useful information into their daily work.
The pesenters included Dr. Mohamed
ElGabri who spoke of “Creative Thinking
Techniques”; Imam William Suhaib Webb,
who spoke on teachers as role models, as
well as delving into teaching Islamic students in a contemporary American setting;
and Michele Friel Mullen of the Norfolk
Advocacy for Children, who spoke on conditions requiring school personnel to report
child abuse and neglect.
A scientist, Dr. ElGabri posed the question, “What is thinking?” He then answered
it, explaining which side of the brain controls which functions (for instance, creative
thinking versus analytical).
“We live in a left-brain society,” Dr. ElGabri said, meaning the side of the brain
which controls analytical functions. “And
this is very emphasized in school.” Care
must be taken, he pointed out, to ensure
school curriculum pays attention to the socalled creative right brain functions. To
do otherwise, he said, runs the risk of tuning out students who would otherwise excel. There have been many examples, but
Dr. ElGabri chose as his examples the late
mathematical genius Albert Einstein, and
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who left college behind to become one of te world’s
richest men.
Dr. ElGabri categorized and explained
thinking, including such examples as critical thinking (precise, persistent, objective
analysis); creative thinking (different ideas
which work better than earlier ones); convergent thinking (processing information
around a common point, to reach a common conclusion); divergent thinking (starts
at a common point and moves outward and
away, toward a variety of perspectives);
Imam Webb
and inductive thinking (reasoning from
parts of the whole, from examples to generalizations). He then worked into other
types of mental processes, including visual, music and math, and verbal logic (for
example, people who absorb foreign language with ease).
Understanding how people think, Dr. ElGabri stressed, is essential for teachers becase of its impact on how people necessarily learn.
Imam Webb, a native of central Oklahoma, delved into the necessity, in his eyes,
of engaging Islamic students in the context
of contemporary American society. Imam
Webb, well-known as a dynamic speaker,
used examples from his own experience to
underscore the need to avoid being too narrow from an Islamic perspective. To do so,
he said, leaves students without the tools to
meet threats to their Islamic values.
Ms. Mullen’s presentation included video and spoken elements, covering stuations
educators are likely to meet which may require intervention. She then entertained
many questions from a rapt audience.
8
How Short Can a
Fiction Story Be?
I
by Habibah Farh
of the Lighthouse staff
look into her scintillating azure eyes
and ask again, “Are you coming to
Yara’s?” Her azure eyes scan the
dirty white tile. I don’t know why she
won’t look straight into my less vibrant
eyes. “Yeah, totally!” I feel crossed. The
ambience between us wasn’t like it used
to. I miss her laugh and delicate voice.
Ever since she started to loiter with
the wrong crowd, she has ignored me;
ridiculed me. She detached me from her
heart, and replaced me with the matters
I hated. All those years, could she really annul our friendship in those short
months? I thought I lost almost everything. Now, I’m sure.
I look in her azure eyes. I’m hoping my glare pierces her soul, “So, you
want to go out to lunch?” She looks at
her phone, ‘Umm, yeah sure. I got to go
now.” She walks away. That liar.
Being Yourself Is
Always Right Path
S
by Ali El-Sayed
special to the Lighthouse
ometimes I see people trying to
act cool around their friends. They
can be rude or they start acting
like they are cool. You should not be
somebody that you’re not, because it can
start to affect you.
The reason I said it can affect you is
because you can be on the phone with
your friend and then your mom or sibling asks you something, you can be
mean or try to act cool and yell at them,
even though you are a well-behaved and
nice young person.
So you should always be yourself and
never be somebody you’re not. I was
once on my phone with my friend and
then my mom asked me something and
I was trying to act cool and it didn’t turn
out well.
Mr. Frank enlightens ANA students and staff on the basics of CPR and First Aid.
(Mr. B.)
A First Aid Primer
T
by Mr. Richard Booth
Lighthouse advisor
he right training can mean life or
death in an emergency, as ANA
students learned on Feb. 28 when
a guest speaker introduced us to First Aid
and CPR.
Mr. Frank, a longtime teacher and coach
in area schools, was invited to address the
Al-Noor student body in our cafeteria,
thanks to the efforts of Sr. Rukhsana, who
introduced him.
Mr. Frank complimented ANA students,
who knew that CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or “starting the heart
and lungs.”
“Essentially,” Mr. Frank said, “when
you must perform CPR, the person had
died, and you are trying to bring them back
to life,” by causing oxygen to circulate in
their body artificially. Some reasons for
needing to do this might be a drowning or
heart attack, he said. Another means to revive victims might be resuscitation packs
now being placed in public buildings They
need only be opened and started, “And then
you listen and follow instructions.”
Mr. Frank also delved into the basics of
First Aid, which sees to beathing, circulation and, finally, hemorrhage, or bleeding.
One of his subjects was choking, where
he described someone unable to utter a
sound. “Because if they can make a sound,”
he said, “there’s air coming through their
vocal cords, and you should encourage
them to keep it up, even if they’re coughing.”
The program was not designed to train
ANA students in First Aid or CPR. Its aim
was to introduce students to what training
is available.
Be sure to get
LUNCH SLIPS to
Sr. Rukhsana
on time!