Sting No. 5 - February 2014.pub - Universal American School in Dubai

February 2014
Letter from the Principal
Dear Parents and Students,
the students on their achievement.
This week, the senior students begin their mock exams. All the
teachers, including Dr. Russell, Mr. Terry, Mr. Edwards and I wish
all of them the best. I am confident that each and every student
has been diligent in their prepara%on and will be confident walking into each exam.
The annual UAS Track and Field day will be held on Monday
March 10. I encourage parents to come watch as students par%cipate in events. It is a fun day with school spirit at its best. The day
is a regular school day and a2endance is mandatory. If students
are not par%cipa%ng in events, they can be helpers or cheer for
their team mates. Students can sign up for events via the student
portal.
The grade 7-10 students sat for their ACER, MAP and PSSS tests
last week. The MAP results will be sent in a few weeks and the
ACER and PSSS results are expected in a few months. I would like
to thank Mr. Kuestermann and Ms. Mouganie for planning and
organizing the test sessions along with the counseling team and
teachers who also contributed to the smooth running of the
tests.
As you know our KHDA inspec%on took place two weeks ago.
Thank you to the parents who have completed the survey. It is
s%ll possible to do the parent survey if you have not done so
already. The results will be collated later in the year.
This is a reminder that the semester one report cards are available on the parent and student portals. If you are having technical
problems logging in, you can contact: [email protected].
In this edi%on of the S%ng, we have printed the names of students on Honor Roll for the first semester. Congratula%ons to all
Orders for school photos have been given to the students. Please
return your order with the correct money to the homeroom
teacher as soon as possible so that the orders can be placed with
the photographer.
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
Sunday 02 March will be a teacher professional development
day. There will be no school for students.
Monday 03 March will be a regular school day.
I am looking forward to seeing you at Interna%onal Day.
Simone Sebban
Secondary Principal
Student Council News
The Student Council is happy to take part in one of the great
school event of the year: Interna%onal Day. This year we will
once again provide fun ac%vi%es for the li2le ones, chief amongst
them will be a bouncing castle but we will also offer face pain%ng
(in collabora%on with the Prom Commi2ee) as well as different
games and compe%%ons. We hope to see many of you there.
At the beginning of next month, we will hold a Cookie Compe%%on, open to students and teachers (places are limited and will
be granted on a first come first serve basis) who want to show off
their culinary skills. The Student Council will provide the milk.
The Sting
Page 2
First Semester Honor Roll
Principal Award
Student Name
Albanna, Nasser
Grade
10
Morera, Cecilia
8
Naser, Rama
10
Almutawa, Saud
8
Koehler, Lisa
7
Dimoulas, Stephany
10
Siddiqui, Fa%ma
8
Shimizu, Homare
7
Alkhaja, Janan
11
Khalife, Naiade
8
Tayfour, Tayma
7
Khalife, Natacha
11
Lawrence, Jared
8
Anoohi, Aisha
7
Lootah, Sara
11
Cornelissens, Emelie
8
Roushdy, Farida
7
Fa2ouh, Rawan
11
Youssef, Fadi
8
Ialamov, Leann
7
Laz, Nabta
11
Salama, Sarah
8
Hamod, Luna
7
Ibrahim, Lina
11
Fabeck, Emily
8
Barrie, Caitlin
7
Zaki, Adham
11
Mar%n, Ren
8
El-Nagar, Yasmeen
7
Ismail, Karim
12
Ahuja, Vaibhav
9
Dela Cruz, Pia Mikaela
7
Sarkawi, Gina
12
Hatzis, Georgios
7
Albanna, Yasmine
12
Wawrina, Iris
Rao, Shilpa
9
9
Albanna, Majed
7
Kurji, Sahir
12
Shaheen, Mohammed
9
Moussa, Georgio
7
Khayat, Jamal
12
Chu Zhen Xuen , Kymberley
9
Dahhan, Sidra
7
Singh, Sahej
12
Bae, Jeonghun (Phil)
9
Naga, Aya
7
Saleh, Mohamed
Al Mansoori, Marwan
12
12
Armstrong, William (Billy)
9
Chakraborty, Saptarshi
9
Constan%n, Lara
9
Eid, Yousef
9
Kim, Haeun
8
Seddiq, Essak
8
8
High Honor Award
8
Student Name
Grade
Bayyari, Laith
9
8
Galibdin, Anaya
7
El Marj, Nathalie
9
8
Brown, Emily
7
Bainbridge, Estelle
9
8
Clement, Angela
7
Morones Robles, Renata
9
8
Rahman, Jahana
7
Mesanovic, Muhamed
10
9
Jamal, Ailiya
7
Aleali, Alia
10
9
Al-Kamil, Adam
7
Mahir, Tajwar
10
9
Ferydoonfar, Zahra
7
Moaswes, Hiba
10
9
Bha2acharyya, Varun
7
Ahmed, Syed Mohammed
10
9
Moussa, Jad
7
Velani, Areesha
10
9
Alshaali, Omar
7
Alkhaja, Aadel
10
9
El Beshlawy, Abdullah
7
Anoohi, Asma
10
9
Abdalla, Haitham
7
Lawrence, David (Noah)
10
de Hoog Bouthoorn, Jasmijn
9
Khales, Fay
7
Van Zyl, Alexander
10
Jain, Naveli
9
Rago, Lucila
7
Anwar, Muhammad
10
9
Majzoub, Aya
7
Huang, Jiacheng
10
9
Osama, Rawan
7
Kawam, Nada
10
Ghilom Bogatsion, Rodas
9
Heikal, Ameena
7
Zhang, Chunbo
10
Abdulaziz, Eric
10
Ahmed, Syed Hamza
7
Hanna, Chris%na
10
10
Kha%b, Mia
8
Arjomand, Abdulla
10
10
Dimoulas, Markus
8
Hameer, Jinaan
10
Zafar, Imaad
10
Kamal, Yasmeen
8
Vedvyas, Simran
10
Esmaeili, Sara
10
Kalaaoui, Omar
8
Tamer, Mira
10
10
Collier's Valencia, Luis
Namir Ahmed Abdelkader,
Nadin
Bodo, Tamas
8
Elassi, Karim
10
Faran, Misha
11
Algergawi, Amal
Dahhan, Layan
11
11
Singh, Abhay
Hameed, Shekhaa
Jauhari, Fatema
Moiz, Khadija
Huq, Naveed
Osseiran, Ghayas
El Cheikh, Mona
Haj-Diab, Larah
Khayat, Ahmad
Marion, Jade
Alhariri, Rama
Taha, Hana
Fakih, Ali
Hanna, Elianna
Dandache, Hoda (Aya)
Bergeron, Catherine
Manghardt, Ma2hieu
Surma, Jan Piotr (Janek)
Saleh, Farida
Montazeri Pour Agha,
Aminollah
Al Braik, Waleed
10
10
8
8
The Sting
Page 3
First Semester Honor Roll
Koinuma, Rei
11
Honor Award
Mishlaoui, Ibrahim
Grade
8
Rivera, Marco
11
Student Name
Taormina, Jacob
8
de Hoog Bouthoorn, Femke
11
Sarkar, Subhadeep
7
Mendez Gomez, Valeria
8
Ali, Noura
11
Naaman, Lea-Maria (Lea)
7
Abudiab, Adam
8
El Sawy, Malak
11
Hanna Al-Shaikh, Quejo
7
Suleman, Khadijah
8
Seddiq, Oma
11
Raad, Rashad
7
Mouchantaf, Jad
8
Khosh, Arman
11
Golam, Saad
7
Mashini, Tia
8
Warrayat, Faris
11
Armoush, Zainab
7
Al-Hennawi, Sara
8
Wehbe, Karim
11
Allam, Mohammed
7
Said, Nadine
8
Rahme, Maurice
Namir Ahmed Abdelkader,
Yasmin
Moran, Leah
11
Kiflai, Mery
7
Raia, Roukia
8
Dogan, Jayda
7
Bouziani, Lina
8
11
11
Salem, Ammar
7
Jishi, Mohy Dean (Mo)
8
Jamal, Aimun
7
Jaouni, Zeid
8
Sharif, Samar
12
Jimenez, Roberto
7
Kojan, Kays
8
Lawrence, Bethany
12
Shantouf, Sami
7
Casey, Omar
8
Elnaggar, Nariman
12
Khalifa, Fahad
7
Mustapha, Ali (Lucci)
8
Muwahed, Joan
12
Surury, Burhanuddin
7
Sahni, Saibani
12
Rebeiz, Benjamin
7
Van Schalkwyk, Lianri
Suresh Cordano, Navin
8
8
El Sadek, Aya
12
Cavagnoli, Gaia
7
Abdalla, Mohannad
12
Zaidi, Syed Sajid
9
Pant, Gargi
7
Shaikhly, Ihsan
12
Campodonico, Sabrina
9
7
Anoohi, Amal
Qasemi, Humayun
12
12
Shaikhly, Hamza
Cardoso De Oliveira Da Cruz,
Nicolas
Tarabeine, Lana
Duvanov, George
9
7
7
Ajine, Mahmoud
9
Zafar, Adeel
9
Teklemicael Woldu, Delina
7
Honor Award
Student Name
Grade
Ashour, Bana
7
Sarkar, Subhadeep
7
Bou Ayache, Faisal
7
Naaman, Lea-Maria (Lea)
7
Alalami, Khalid
7
Hanna Al-Shaikh, Quejo
7
Alheraiz, Norah
7
Alsuwaidi, Omaran
9
Wagdi, Farida
9
Al-Tamimi, Dania (Lizz)
9
Khan, Manahel (Mona)
9
Salibi, Thea
9
Haj Brahim, Mohamed
9
9
9
Raad, Rashad
7
Nimer, Yasmeen
7
Golam, Saad
7
Guerin, Lenaoria
7
Armoush, Zainab
7
Detchev, Victor
7
Jaouni, Ahmad
Rojas Tijerina, Luis Eduardo
(Luis Rojas)
Allam, Mohammed
7
Molvizadah, Faeezullah
7
Jamal, Hassan
9
Kiflai, Mery
7
Chehabeddine, Tareq
8
Fakhruddin, Alefiya
9
Dogan, Jayda
7
Saba, Lily
8
Wardah, Zeid
9
Salem, Ammar
7
Manja, Ma2hew
8
Pourghorban, Ali
9
Jamal, Aimun
7
Scholz, Katharina
8
Miyazaki, Sana
9
Jimenez, Roberto
7
Kalaaoui, Nour
8
Baker, Yousuf
9
Shantouf, Sami
7
Shan Kumar, Aryaan
8
BhaJ, Lyba
9
Khalifa, Fahad
7
Elhlak, Lara
8
Ferraz, Isabelly
9
Surury, Burhanuddin
7
Muller, Eren
8
Rebeiz, Benjamin
7
Elsadig, Madeline
8
Abdallah, Mouna
Meeto, Nuthatai (Belle)
9
9
Cavagnoli, Gaia
7
Costa De Araujo, Julia
8
Pant, Gargi
7
Kamal, Syed Faisal
10
Fawaz, Pamela
8
Shaikhly, Hamza
Cardoso De Oliveira Da Cruz,
Nicolas
7
Maderazo, Carlo
10
Ahn, Jung Yoon
El Jamil, Mohamad Badr
8
8
Sarwar, Suniya
10
Rawal, Ankush
van Schalkwyk, Ruan
10
10
7
The Sting
Page 4
First Semester Honor Roll
Koinuma, Rei
11
Honor Award
Mishlaoui, Ibrahim
Grade
8
Rivera, Marco
11
Student Name
Taormina, Jacob
8
de Hoog Bouthoorn, Femke
11
Sarkar, Subhadeep
7
Mendez Gomez, Valeria
8
Ali, Noura
11
Naaman, Lea-Maria (Lea)
7
Abudiab, Adam
8
El Sawy, Malak
11
Hanna Al-Shaikh, Quejo
7
Suleman, Khadijah
8
Seddiq, Oma
11
Raad, Rashad
7
Mouchantaf, Jad
8
Khosh, Arman
11
Golam, Saad
7
Mashini, Tia
8
Warrayat, Faris
11
Armoush, Zainab
7
Al-Hennawi, Sara
8
Wehbe, Karim
11
Allam, Mohammed
7
Said, Nadine
8
Rahme, Maurice
Namir Ahmed Abdelkader,
Yasmin
Moran, Leah
11
Kiflai, Mery
7
Raia, Roukia
8
Dogan, Jayda
7
Bouziani, Lina
8
11
11
Salem, Ammar
7
Jishi, Mohy Dean (Mo)
8
Jamal, Aimun
7
Jaouni, Zeid
8
Sharif, Samar
12
Jimenez, Roberto
7
Kojan, Kays
8
Lawrence, Bethany
12
Shantouf, Sami
7
Casey, Omar
8
Elnaggar, Nariman
12
Khalifa, Fahad
7
Mustapha, Ali (Lucci)
8
Muwahed, Joan
12
Surury, Burhanuddin
7
Sahni, Saibani
12
Rebeiz, Benjamin
7
Van Schalkwyk, Lianri
Suresh Cordano, Navin
8
8
El Sadek, Aya
12
Cavagnoli, Gaia
7
Abdalla, Mohannad
12
Zaidi, Syed Sajid
9
Pant, Gargi
7
Shaikhly, Ihsan
12
Campodonico, Sabrina
9
7
Anoohi, Amal
Qasemi, Humayun
12
12
Shaikhly, Hamza
Cardoso De Oliveira Da Cruz,
Nicolas
Tarabeine, Lana
Duvanov, George
9
7
7
Ajine, Mahmoud
9
Zafar, Adeel
9
Teklemicael Woldu, Delina
7
Honor Award
Student Name
Grade
Ashour, Bana
7
Sarkar, Subhadeep
7
Bou Ayache, Faisal
7
Naaman, Lea-Maria (Lea)
7
Alalami, Khalid
7
Hanna Al-Shaikh, Quejo
7
Alheraiz, Norah
7
Alsuwaidi, Omaran
9
Wagdi, Farida
9
Al-Tamimi, Dania (Lizz)
9
Khan, Manahel (Mona)
9
Salibi, Thea
9
Haj Brahim, Mohamed
9
9
9
Raad, Rashad
7
Nimer, Yasmeen
7
Golam, Saad
7
Guerin, Lenaoria
7
Armoush, Zainab
7
Detchev, Victor
7
Jaouni, Ahmad
Rojas Tijerina, Luis Eduardo
(Luis Rojas)
Allam, Mohammed
7
Molvizadah, Faeezullah
7
Jamal, Hassan
9
Kiflai, Mery
7
Chehabeddine, Tareq
8
Fakhruddin, Alefiya
9
Dogan, Jayda
7
Saba, Lily
8
Wardah, Zeid
9
Salem, Ammar
7
Manja, Ma2hew
8
Pourghorban, Ali
9
Jamal, Aimun
7
Scholz, Katharina
8
Miyazaki, Sana
9
Jimenez, Roberto
7
Kalaaoui, Nour
8
Baker, Yousuf
9
Shantouf, Sami
7
Shan Kumar, Aryaan
8
BhaJ, Lyba
9
Khalifa, Fahad
7
Elhlak, Lara
8
Ferraz, Isabelly
9
Surury, Burhanuddin
7
Muller, Eren
8
Rebeiz, Benjamin
7
Elsadig, Madeline
8
Abdallah, Mouna
Meeto, Nuthatai (Belle)
9
9
Cavagnoli, Gaia
7
Costa De Araujo, Julia
8
Pant, Gargi
7
Kamal, Syed Faisal
10
Fawaz, Pamela
8
Shaikhly, Hamza
Cardoso De Oliveira Da Cruz,
Nicolas
7
Maderazo, Carlo
10
Ahn, Jung Yoon
El Jamil, Mohamad Badr
8
8
Sarwar, Suniya
Rawal, Ankush
10
10
7
The Sting
Page 5
First Semester Honor Roll
van Schalkwyk, Ruan
10
El-Cheikh-Hassan, Reem
11
Abdulaziz, Savannah
10
Moghimiasl, Seyedehsarvenaz
11
Kim, Geo
10
Hamza Abd El Motaleb, Karim
11
Nuaman, Omar
10
Moiz, Mehlam
11
Paetzelt, Yannis
10
El Baba, Hadi
11
Hassen, Omar
10
Haj-Diab, Sarah
11
Elfaramawy, Kareem
10
Abdulhussain, Ahmed
11
Kaskas, Shereen
10
Chol Deng Alak, Deng
11
Mukherjee, Aditya
10
Farazinia, Fatemeh
12
Atari, Karim
10
Khan, Aadil
12
Govers, Sanne
10
Jarrah, Bashir
12
Abdelghany, Karim
10
Khadem Khorasani, Ghazaleh
12
Ali, Zyyad
10
Bostani, Alexandra
12
Hazim, Ramzi
10
Bou Saab, Samer
12
Osseiran, Sabine
10
Alawadhi, Faisal
12
Uy, Adrian Kristofer
10
Soliman, Tamer
12
Elsharawy, Sondos
10
Al Kishtaini, Aseel
12
Mansour, Eyad
11
Khan, Basim
12
Amkieh, Layan
11
GiulieJ, Camilla
12
Naga, Mariam
11
Nuaman, Abdulla
12
Collier's Valencia, Carlos
11
Keyrouz, Andrea
12
He, Wenlin
11
Ghammachi, Maysa
12
Khayat, Allaa
11
Ortega Alonso, Saul
12
Yoo, Jungwoong
11
Otaki, Christopher
12
Soueid, Lynn
11
Tuazon, Shinih Hannah
12
Bae, Junhyung (Steven)
11
Kim, Eun Jeong
12
Jauhari, Husein
11
Taher, Nancy
12
Abou Chacra, Lynn
Al Mansoori, Mahra
11
11
Singh, Mehr
Elcheikh-Hassan, Farah
12
12
Featured Department: P.E.
The physical educa%on department is growing stronger this year.
We have teachers who are now in their 5th, 6th and 7th year at the
school and a new addi%on as the athle%c director and P.E. teacher with 7 years of experience at previous schools. We have been
able to expand our program of offerings in physical educa%on by
improved Health, Personal Health and Fitness, Dance, Wrestling,
Basketball, and yoga guest speakers. We have incorporated our
fitness tes%ng to be done 3 %mes over the year to see students’
ever improving fitness levels and providing a meaningful mo%va%on to increase all fitness levels across the school. The fitness
program results have been very strong with a majority of students being able to max out their core strength tes%ng and fall
among the healthy fit zone or exceed it in the mile run. The average BMI (Body mass index) is well within the healthy fit zone too,
this is a good guide to ensure students are staying in the health
range of height and weight propor%ons. We do encourage all of
our students to always work on improving their core and physical
strength by doing some sort of exercise daily and do specific
strength training (like body weight exercises) 3 %mes a week. A
healthy ac%ve lifestyle is what we wish for all of our students,
you must try new experiences to see what helps you keep ac%ve!! There are a lot of new and exci%ng ac%vi%es in the aOer
school ac%vi%es program that you can try out and see which you
want to pursue in life.
Outdoor Educaon
The grade 7 program is in its 2nd year here at UAS and students
are learning new and exci%ng things in the class. They have started with a basic first aid that gives them a li2le more knowledge if
faced with an injury while being ac%ve. They move into a survival
unit where they learn how to %e 12 different knots, do case studies that give them a be2er idea what to do if in a survival situa%on and use their camp assessment tools to know where to look
The Sting
Page 6
Featured Department: P.E.
for the perfect place to set up a camp if ever out in the wilds of
the world. Students then get to learn all about the insects that
are all around us, they learn the major insects that we deal with
and even capture and pin a few to be able to see what they look
like and how we can have a be2er understanding of why insects
are so important in our lives. AOer the entomology unit they
move into the biggest unit of the year with the outdoor pursuits
which gives them knowledge of how to operate marine craO
safely, use compasses and geotracking devices and other ac%vi%es that give students a be2er understanding of an outdoor lifestyle. I am sure the students are looking forward to it for this
year and the grade 6 students who are coming into the grade for
2014-15 school year.
We look forward to all students in grade 10-11-12 to use the
fitness room at lunch %mes but remember that you must have a
signed waiver from your parents that you can get from any PE
teacher so that you can get your card to work out at lunch.
As a famous pair of Canadians said, “keep fit and have fun…”
The Sting
Page 7
Experiential Trip
The first annual Week Without Walls is complete and from the excited stories I have heard from students and parents it seems to have
been a great success. We had 185 students travel interna%onally and another 210 involved in programs within the UAE. The week would
not have been possible without the many teacher chaperones who volunteered their %me and the parents who supported their children’s decision to experience educa%on outside of the classroom.
Planning is already underway for next year’s Week Without Walls and feedback is welcome from parents to ensure the program grows
successfully. Please read on to hear from our students and teachers about the exci%ng experiences they shared.
Hattie Smith
Experien%al Trip Coordinator
[email protected]
Grade 7: FUJAIRAH
In December, the 7th graders went on a trip to Fujairah for Week
Without Walls. We had a blast and did so much cool stuff. North
Star camp was by far the best! When we were at the camp we
did loads of adventurous stuff such as mountain biking, an awesome team building course, raO building, and climbing and abseiling down a 10 meter plaTorm.
In our free %me we made human pyramids, walked on a %ght
rope, hung out with friends and chilled in their awesome cabins.
We did a first aid course and had to look aOer our teachers that
were in a simulated "car accident", it was a race, and the blue
team won! Our teachers included Mrs. Miller, Mr. Cour, Ms. Kim
and Ms. Pereira. We had the most fun %me of our lives.
Caitlin Barrie
The Sting
Page 8
Experiential Trip cont’d.
Grade 8&9: ISTANBUL
Istanbul is a city that accumulates much of its wealth as an economic and cultural center in Turkey. In fact, it once was a stronghold for both the Byzan%nes and O2omans. Our group composed
of 24 students, three teachers and one tour guide, were eager to
embark on a cultural, historical and ar%s%c trip.
On the first day, Ozan, our tour guide, took us via private bus
transporta%on to Camlica Hill. Surrounded by vast greenery and a
bit of snow, Camlica Hill is known for being the tallest out of the
seven hills located in Istanbul. For the next day, our group visited
a majority of important places in the old town sec%on such as
Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cisterns and the Sultan
Ahmet Mosque. Furthermore, both the Hagia Sophia and the
Basilica Cisterns were reminders of the Eastern Roman Empire.
While Topkapi Palace was built by the O2omans under Mehmet
II in 1453. In addi%on, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque was built in the
years 1606-1616 and known today for its blue %les.
The third day of the trip consisted of visi%ng Suleymaniye
Mosque, Minia Turk and the Panorama 1453 History Museum.
Our group was stunned by the large three dimensional panorama
created for the purpose of illustra%ng the origins of the O2oman
Grade 7: ITALY
The 7th grade Italy trip of 2013 (featuring Ms Layton, Mr Regan
and Mr Barry) was indescribably epic. It is virtually impossible to
express the delight, the awe, the beauty, or even the wondrous
thoughts that constantly flu2ered around our excited minds.
There was never a dull moment- even on the plane ride there,
fun brewed. The first thing we no%ced was the beau%ful and
refreshing cold. Oh the wonderful cold; how it hit us as we graciously welcomed it in. On our first day we were able to go on a
lovely tour through the streets of Rome (which were magnificent
in its diversity and preJness) and make it all the way to the Trevi
Fountain. We made our wishes and proceeded to explore what
we could of Rome.
The next few days were marvellous too. We went to the famous
and stunning Coliseum, where we learned so many remarkable
things. We saw tremendous temples and ruins, striking art, and
hiked up what seemed like a million stairs of an overwhelming
Empire. Eventually, we spent %me at Minia Turk, a park that consisted of miniature monuments sca2ered around Turkey. This
was followed by the Suleymaniye Mosque, the largest in Istanbul.
Various a2rac%ons we later visited during the rest of the week
included Prince Islands, Galata Tower, Dolmabace Palace, Is%klal
Street, Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar.
Despite the wide range of loca%ons we visited, personally I
found the Hagia Sophia (place of worship turned museum in
1934) the most compelling and was fascinated by its architectural
design. Specifically, the calligraphic disks embodied in black and
gold, along with the ancient and fading Byzan%ne mosaics caught
my a2en%on. Personally, I find that the Hagia Sophia is beau%fied
by the unifica%on of both O2oman and Byzan%ne art under one
place of worship. More to the point, the Hagia Sophia is indeed a
rare treasure containing many historical and cultural values, and
it will always remain one of my favorite monuments I have visited.
Privileged enough to witness the many historical a2rac%ons,
our group succeeded in learning the historical, cultural and ar%s%c aspects of Istanbul. A diverse city rich in history as a result of
bridging the two con%nents Europe and Asia.
Kymberley Chu
staircase to the top of St Peters Basilica. The view was stunning
and took my breath away. I saw Rome in all its splendour and
wonderfulness. But another great thing about Italy was its food.
The pizza, the pasta- all of it was delighTul and I could not get
enough food. Not to men%on the gelato. Gelato can make ones
taste buds dance and cry for more. Rome was glorious and more
perfect than anyone can ever imagine.
Finally, we went to Sorrento. Mt Vesuvius, the live and ac%ve
volcano, was perhaps the best place I have ever been. We
walked up to the top, saw a more than perfect view, and stared
past the vapour pouring out from the rocks and onto the crater
the last explosion leO. Then there was Pompey, with all its ruins,
history, beau%ful skeletal remains, and confused Americans. I
think we all leO Italy sa%sfied and extremely happy. It was quite
an experience and one I doubt any of us will forget. Thank you,
Italy, for the best trip ever!
Leann Ialamov
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Experiential Trip cont’d.
Grade 10: KENYA
Our trip to Kenya started on Thursday the 12th of December
2013, when on a day that seemed to be like any other, Team
Kenya members roamed throughout school hallways, eagerly
awai%ng that bell that marked the end of the school day and the
start of our Week Without Walls journey. Star%ng right aOer
school, we were to start our prepara%ons, and there was a lot to
be done. That aOernoon, we decided on who we were to share
tents with for the course of this trip, learned how to set up the
tents, something we found challenging at the %me and became
experts at by the end of the trip. We also went through the kit
check list and allocated leadership roles to each member of our
team, all with the guidance of our chaperone teachers, Ms. Dunfee, Mr. Painter and World Challenger representa%ve Jules. Later
that night, parents arrived for a pot luck dinner and to say goodbye. The staff room was filled with excited cha2er and hungry
tenth graders; their stomachs eager for delicious food aOer a
long day and their eyes hungry for adventure, filled with excitement, an%cipa%on….and sleepiness. AOer dinner and farewells,
we showered, zipped up our bags and had free %me for the rest
of the night.
At 3am we loaded the bus and headed to Dubai airport. There,
we split, walking around in smaller groups, and ea%ng at McDonalds and Starbucks. We then boarded our first flight which was a
1 hour long trip to Doha. Although it was only 1 hour, it felt much
longer to all of us as we were all %red and sleep deprived. Once
we arrived, we had an hour stop in Doha un%l we boarded our 56 hour flight to Nairobi. Upon arrival, we got onto a bus and
drove to a motel (?) where we were to stay the night. There, we
showered, se2led into our rooms, and played with the children
of the owners, dancing, singing, playing music, kicking around a
football and enjoying the rain that we had, at the %me welcomed, and later on our trip, dreaded. We then had dinner, and
went to bed, marking the end of our first night in Kenya.
Early next morning, we all woke up to a warm breakfast of hot
chocolate and sausages. We cleaned up, packed our things, and
loaded them onto the bus preparing for a long bus ride to our
next loca%on: Hells Gate Na%onal Park. On our way there, we
passed through mountains and stopped at the top of one. There,
we enjoyed the beau%ful scenery, took photos and bought souvenirs. We then con%nued our way down to Hell’s Gate. Once we
arrived, we unloaded our things and took a brief break, aOer
which we got back onto the bus, had a quick packed snack and
drove off to the gate of the park. At the gate, we started our trek
amongst the park’s wildlife and nature. This trek was many hours
long, around 7.2km, however, it led to a worthwhile loca%on that
instantly raised all our spirits; the park’s stunning gorges. There,
we saw baboons, took many pictures and walked through the
gorges, which at many parts proved to be challenging to cross,
but made for a good laugh as many of us fell, backside first, and
got soaked in mud, water, and some%mes both. Once the gorges
came to an end, many locals were set up with souvenir stalls
which we bought loads from, said farewell and made our way
back on our 7.2km trek in perfect %ming to be soaked by the
heavily pouring rain. Once we got back to camp site, we set up
our tents, showered amongst spider nests, crawling cockroaches
and a thin stream of cold water and ate a warm dinner. We then
got into our tents and quickly fell asleep aOer a long day.
The next morning, we were all woken up in the early hours of the
day by our group leaders Danielle and Karim. We ate breakfast,
packed up our tents and bags, once again loading them onto the
bus. Before leaving Hell’s Gate, we enjoyed another must-try
ac%vity the park had to offer: boat safari. We split into boats, 7
on each, and cruised into a lake, in which we saw hippos, though
making sure to stay a safe distance away. Sailing further into the
lake, we reached a small island on which we admired a picturesque view of giraffes, zebras and much more of Africa’s wildlife.
Once our boat safari came to an end, we got off the boats and
onto the bus, our next des%na%on: project site.
The next two days were perhaps the most memorable days for all
of our team. On the first day which was mostly a day for us to
relax, we got to the site, set up our tents (which were surrounded by several cows), got introduced to the school's leaders and
then our favorite part; we bonded with the local children. The
boys played football whilst the girls braided each other’s hair.
Hours passed by with us just having fun, laughing and really just
connec%ng with the children un%l it was %me for them to go
home. AOer we ate dinner, since our tents were pitched in a
circle we all sat in the middle for hours upon hours just talking
and sharing stories un%l we eventually se2led in for the night.
The next day we woke up early and ate a hearty breakfast. This
was the day we were to start our project work which was;
pain%ng two classrooms and building a fence around the school.
We knew we had a lot of work cut out for us and very li2le %me
so we sent two people to the stores to get supplies and as soon
as they got back we began. It took a long %me but finally the
paint work was done. We were unable to finish the fence, however, before leaving the next morning we donated money to the
school and hired people to ensure the job would be finished.
Early the next morning we leO the project site. This was very
hard for us as we made bonds with the children that could not be
forgo2en. AOer saying our goodbyes and packing up our tents we
leO to go to a hotel called 'Hotel Jams.' Before arriving at the
hotel we stopped at a mall called 'Westside mall' where we were
able to buy various snacks for our personal needs. As many of us
were feeling homesick by that point the mall made it seem like
we were at home for just a while. We then got to the hotel
where we had an opportunity to shower aOer two days! We leO
our bags and headed for the safari. When we entered the safari
park in our bus the sun was shining. We sang songs and saw various animals such as bulls, zebra's, giraffes and deer. Then the
clouds rolled in and before we knew it, it was pouring. The rain is
one thing we did not mind due to the lack of it in Dubai. Yet it
was not %ll our bus got stuck in the mud we learned to be careful
about what we wish for. The bus was stuck for almost forty
minutes and then finally we were free! We yelled in excitement
as we could con%nue our safari yet our bus got stuck again two
minutes later- something which we found comical un%l we realized it was an actual problem. We waited for help and for the bus
driver to just drive us out of the mud… but nothing. AOer wai%ng
and wai%ng we were informed that we needed to get out as the
lions would be coming out to hunt when the sun was down. At
this point we were desperate. The boys had to get out of the bus
into the mud and push it. They slipped and slid all over the place
yet nothing was achieved. We were s%ll as stuck as ever the only
progress we made was that our bus was now filthy and extremely
muddy. Finally a family of three's car came around and we decided we would %e the bus to that car and the car would pull the
bus out of the mud. We were all told to get out of the bus. AOer
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Experiential Trip cont’d.
a lot of whining and complaining from the girls side we all were
finally out in the mud, huddling because it was very cold and at
the same %me terrified as there could be savage animals anywhere. Mr. Painter's reassurance that something was 'watching
us' and every two minutes yelling out 'what’s that?' made the
girls even more terrified yet it did make everyone laugh and feel
be2er about the situa%on at hand. AOer a lot of pulling and mud
the bus was finally free. By that %me we were all dirty and ready
to head back to the hotel. AOer long showers we went down for
dinner and ate to our hearts content. We stayed in the dining
area for a long %me talking about our day and our prevalent bad
luck with rain un%l we finally went to bed for the day.
The next morning we got up bright and early and made our way
to the water raOing. This was to be our last day in Kenya which
was such a bi2er-sweet feeling. The plus side of this was that it
was a hot and sunny day. When we got to the raO site we unloaded the bus and then we were given basic instruc%ons about
the raO and safety precau%ons. By the end of it we were eager to
get into the water. We got into another bus and headed towards
the river. On the way to the river we passed by a Rastafarian
man's shop and we sang Bob Marley's don't worry be happy song
to him which brought a smile to his face. When we got to the
river we split up into groups of 5 and got into our separate raOs
with an instructor for every raO. These two hours were filled with
fun. We splashed around got pushed and pulled into the water
and there was a feeling of just ease and joy for everyone. AOer
this we got to the campsite which was right next to the river. This
place was by far the best camp site. It had clean showers and a
pool too! We ate our lunch, set up our tents and the rest of the
%me we had to relax. Later that night aOer dinner, a campfire
was prepared and we roasted marshmallows and talked and sang
and also played hide and seek un%l very late. None of us wanted
to sleep that night as we knew we were leaving the next day but
soon our exhaus%on got the best of us and we fell asleep for the
night.
We woke up the next day with a sorrowful feeling. We packed up
our bags and ate breakfast then headed out. We were able to
leave our tents behind and donate them to the locals. We had
some %me to kill before we headed to the Kenyan airport so we
went to the souvenir shops buying stuff to take back home to
remind us of the %mes we had, not forgeJng to stop by the Rastafarian man's shop too who fell in love with Nabil's Bob Marley
top! On our way to the airport we were all exhausted. All the
fa%gue from the past week caught up to us and we were looking
forward to geJng some rest. When we got to the airport and
checked in, we all were able to eat and charge our electrical devices (for many this was a relief as being without them for a week
was not easy!) We then boarded our plane to Qatar and from
there everything was smooth sailing. We got back to Dubai and
rushed to go home keeping in mind the trip we would never forget. Kenya taught us a lot of things. It taught us to be humble, it
taught us to be grateful and when things are tough to be posi%ve. It taught us how to be responsible, independent and how to
face problems head first. Most of all it taught us the importance
of teamwork. More than being a team on the trip to Kenya we
became a family, the memories we shared together through the
laughs and the fights, the crying, stress and happiness brought
the students and teachers closer together, and that is a bond
that we will carry for a very long %me.
Suniya Sarwar and Farida Saleh
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Experiential Trip cont’d.
Grade 10&11:
LONDON
This year, 37 students from years
10 and 11 travelled to StraTordupon-Avon and London and had a
drama%c experience!
Our journey began in the beau%ful
and quaint town of StraTord-upon
-Avon where we learned about
where Shakespeare was born,
where he grew up and where he
re%red. It was an interes%ng and informa%ve day as we explored
Nash’s House and Hall’s CroO. It gave us all a new apprecia%on
for the history and life of a beloved author. We rounded out our
experience in StraTord with a drama workshop that focused on
honing our Shakespearean
ac%ng
skills. We looked at
a monologue, studied the power of
words and how
dialogue
impacts
characteriza%on, all
the while learning
how to make a
script come alive.
AOer travelling to London, we par%cipated in the “Jack the Ripper” tour where we walked the eerily empty streets in the early
evening and experienced the terror of this harrowing story first
hand. Our tour guides definitely had a flare for the drama%c as
they described the stories in great detail and empathe%cally
brought us into the lives of the vic%ms. We also learned about
Sweeny Todd and other dark parts of London’s history as we
toured through the London Dungeons.
In our second drama workshop we focused on developing musical theater skills. We learned and choreographed the song
“What Is This Feeling” from the musical “Wicked” and we learned
how to use facial expressions and stage movements that are
appropriate for a musical theater performance. Taking part in
this workshop heightened our enjoyment of the musical
“Wicked” later in the evening as we watched the professional
actors taking the stage. We were all inspired by the performance
of “Defying Gravity” and were inspired to be our own person no
ma2er what kind of pressure we may experience.
AOer
mee%ng
some of our favorite celebri%es
at Madame Tussauds, we learned
about the inner
workings of the
BBC as we toured
the studios. We
were given some
insight into how
the studio runs,
were given help-
ful broadcas%ng %ps, learned how to use a green screen for a
weather report and also were able to put together a short piece
of radio drama.
Watching the “Lion King” come alive on stage was a spectacular
and unforge2able experience. We were all in awe as the life
sized elephant marched down the theater aisle and were impressed at how lithe and accurate the actress was who depicted
the cheetah on stage. The amazing combina%on of puppetry,
ac%ng and singing inspired us all.
Our final
drama
workshop
helped us
to use our
body
posture
to convey
personality traits
and characteriza%on in a humorous and comedic way. This workshop
directly related to the play “39 Steps” which we saw later in the
evening. AOer experiencing the workshop we definitely had a
greater apprecia%on for the four cast members who kept us in
s%tches during the performance as they played approximately
150 different roles throughout the hilarious comedy.
Our final morning in
London was spent on
the London Eye. This
was a fantas%c way
to wrap up our trip
as we were able to
enjoy the city from
above and reflect on
our journey and how
much we learned
about ourselves and
about each other. The students were definitely stretched to their
limits as they developed and grew as actors in the workshops,
learned how to apply their knowledge of literature and literary
analysis to develop a character on stage, as they walked further
than they have ever walked before and as they became closer as
a group and as friends.
Ms. Scheirer
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Experiential Trip cont’d.
Grade 8&9: NEPAL
This year, I was fortunate enough to go on a trip to
Nepal with some of my other grade nine classmates in addi%on
to some eight graders. Although the bus ride to our quarters,
The Last Resort, was long and bumpy it was worth it. The Last
Resort was filled with lush vegeta%on, great food and a tent
that became our new “home” over the week.
AOer we had the first day to relax we were thrust into
day aOer day of fun ac%vi%es that pushed all our boundaries.
From our long hikes, to rock climbing and abseiling that opportuni%es were limitless and the day’s ac%on packed. I will never
forget all of my doubts I was able to overcome as well as all of
the friendships I formed. Although my trip was only a weeklong
the fond memories I have of Nepal will be everlas%ng.
Elianna Hanna
Grade 8&9: RAS AL KHAIMAH
%ed in first posi%on, team Sherpa! We had to be in our room at
eight, but in bed by nine, because we had to wake up at seven
every morning.
We started off our journey to Ras al Kamiah on December 15th.
We headed to school for 8am to take the bus and head to Ras al
Kamiah. The traveling %me was approximately two hours long,
but it didn’t seem that long to most of us, because we were all
chaJng with our friends. When we finally reached the camp we
went to the Majilis to have a quick talk about the rules and to
assign the rooms to each group.
On the second day we went to the aqua%c center to do the
aqua%c ac%vi%es. We leO the camp at 8am and reached the
aqua%c center around 9am. The aqua%c ac%vi%es were composed of four ac%vi%es, sailing, kayaking, canoeing and raO
building. We spent the whole day over there and had a great
%me!! When we came back we ate and went to bed, everyone
was so exhausted. On the two last days we got to go for a walk
in the desert. This was a long and %ring walk that lasted on the
first day for three and a half hours. We got to see some amazing
scenery and had a lot of fun along the way. We had to build our
own tents which proved to be quite a challenge, and then sleep
over night in the desert. On the next day, we had to walk back
to camp, it was a very long walk and one that we did not think
was going to end.
AOer we se2led down, we went with our assigned group to our
predetermined ac%vi%es, such as the leap of faith, rock climbing, mountain biking and archery. Those were the four camp
based ac%vi%es that we did over two days. They were a really
fun %me and the leap of faith was scary at first. During lunch
%me, we had to do a swimming test to know if we could do the
aqua%c ac%vi%es, we had to jump in the pool with a life jacket
and swim to the other side of the pool, but one thing that we
didn’t know is that the pool was really cold! AOer the swimming
test some of us stayed and hung out in the freezing pool.
AOer those ac%vi%es we had free %me for the whole aOernoon.
At night, we always had team challenges, for example we had to
turn one of our team members in a “robot” to make him “fight’
the other team’s robots, but the fight was with eggs, flour and
water!!! Even the teachers got in on the egg throwing. Another
night we had to make a parachute for an egg to fall off the rock
climbing wall without cracking and land safely, my team finished
AOer all of this, we got on the bus and headed back to the
school. On the way back some of us were talking about the trip
while others were sleeping the whole way. According to me the
best ac%vity was the sailing, because I had not done that before
and my team that was with me on the boat reached some high
speeds for beginners. We had some big challenges and some
really fun ac%vi%es but overall I s%ll really enjoyed my trip and
would surely do it again.
Andre Bergeron
Grade 8
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Experiential Trip cont’d.
Grade 8&9: SRI LANKA TEAM ONE
they go through to make it, almost every day we would have a
fresh cup of tea.
We leO Sri Lanka on the 12th December 2013 on an unforge2able journey. AOer a long plane ride everyone was burs%ng with
excitement at the sight of the beau%ful green land and the awesome weather. This was a great experience, not only for the
students but also for the teachers who came along with us.
Every single person learned so much from this trip, especially
when we visited the schools and met all those amazing kids. I
was so happy that we got the opportunity to help them and
build them a playground; and when comparing our lives with
theirs we all learnt to appreciate what we had.
On our last few days we stayed at a magnificent beach hotel
and explored the streets of Sri Lanka learning as much as we
could about the culture, food and tradi%ons. On our very last
day we went to the famous elephant orphanage. It was so
touching and heartwarming seeing the elephants and learning
about their stories and how they came to be there. Overall the
trip was unforge2able and life changing, everyone learnt different things from this trip which we’ll never forget. We all came
back to Dubai crying, not wan%ng to leave. However, we will
always carry with us the memories.
We also learnt the value of hard work and to live the hard life
others have to go through every day. We went to a tea factory
and learnt so much about how the tea is made and the process
Jana Roumie
Grade 9
Grade 8&9: SRI LANKA TEAM 2
it. Thankfully, the drive was absolutely beau%ful, we saw a lot of
tea planta%ons, animals and a completely different type of life to
which we are used to in Dubai. AOer we reached our hotel we
got into our rooms, all the girls were in one room and the boys in
another two smaller rooms. We all just relaxed un%l lunch%me
when we had rice, curry, and noodles and then relaxed for the
remainder of the aOernoon. Ms. Debnam and Ms. Affagard decided to go for a walk so four of us 8th grade girls joined them. It
was a really beau%ful walk, we saw a nursery and even some
ladies making material which was fantas%c. When we arrived
back, we had a team mee%ng about the following day’s plans,
the team responsibili%es, financial situa%on/obliga%ons and who
would be leader the next day. We discussed our expecta%ons
and fears and just how excited we were – which was very! Then
we had tradi%onal Sri Lankan food for dinner, which was spicy
and went upstairs to our rooms to relax, play cards and sleep.
On December, 12th, 2013, 30 students and 4 teachers
excitedly arrived to school with their backpacks with the
knowledge that that night, they would leave on an adventure to
Sri Lanka. The only thing in their way, was a full day of school, a
pot luck dinner and then at 7:30pm, they would be OFF!
AOer school that day we got ready for the trip, we split
into our two teams and one group was in one room and the other group was in the other, each group had amazing teachers and
one awesome World Challenge leader, they were both Bri%sh so
it was entertaining listening to them talk because of their accents! The leaders taught us a lot of important informa%on like
how to purify our water, health and safety and what to do in
emergency situa%ons. Around 6pm our parents came to school
to say their goodbyes, we shared the yummy pot luck food and
then it was suddenly it was 7:30pm and %me to leave. We took a
school bus to the airport, got our boarding passes and all went to
our gate to wait for our flight…unfortunately there was a 2 hour
delay. So we waited un%l the %me came to jump onto the plane;
we were ready to say goodbye to Dubai and hello to Sri Lanka!
When we landed, we were all very excited but exhausted due to a lack of sleep. We collected our luggage and split back
into our teams. Group one was in one bus and group two was in
the other. We drove to a restaurant to eat breakfast which most
of us did; some just ate their snacks from Dubai – they obviously
weren’t ready for curry for breakfast! AOer finishing ea%ng we
said our goodbyes to the other group and jumped on the bus to
go to our next des%na%on where we were going to be based for
the next 5 days. It was a 6-7 hour drive and we were all dreading
At 8:30am, we were woken by a very loud knock on our doors.
Guess who it was?! It was the teachers telling us to wake up, get
ready, and eat breakfast. So that’s what we did. For breakfast we
had eggs, toast and a glass of juice. AOer that we quickly jumped
onto the bus and headed to the school we were going to help.
We were all excited and curious to see the students and the
school. We reached the school and got an amazing welcome
with some 10-11 grade girls playing some instruments. It was
quite a steep walk up to the school. The li2le kids gave each of us
some flowers, which was really very sweet of them. We headed
to the assembly hall/class where the principal of the school gave
a speech and where some young children performed tradi%onal
songs and dances for us – They were so cute! In return we had to
perform for them so we all sang the Na%onal anthem of U.A.E
and danced to a song, which was hilarious. AOer that they prepared some snacks for us, which were delicious, then we played
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Experiential Trip cont’d.
with the students at the school. At that point we realized we had to get serious and the planning work needed to
start! First we headed out to the supermarket to buy some
lunch supplies for the next couple of days and then sat down to
plan what we would do with our finances. It was great that we
had so much control over what we would do and how to spend
our money – it made us think about how much we had available
and what we could realis%cally afford to do. AOer that, we went
to the hotel and rested un%l dinner. We had curry and rice,
which was delicious and a li2le too spicy for some students!
AOer that we had our evening group mee%ng about the next
day, aOerwards, we ran upstairs to play games and talk.
The next morning, we all got ready quickly, grabbed
some toast and eggs and headed straight to the school to do
some renova%ng. When we reached there, we decided what we
would all do and divided the jobs out to one another. Some of
us painted the assembly room, some carried bags of cement up
the hill (to be honest, Ms. Debnam and the boys did that because it was quite heavy for most of the girls). We con%nued
working un%l 2pm when we had some snacks given to us by the
school and played with the kids for a few minutes. We were
really touched that the staff at the school made us snacks every
day, they were obviously very very poor, with barely enough to
eat themselves yet they made us food every day we were there;
amazing really. Then we headed back to the hotel, ate a proper
lunch and planned our drive to the main city of Kandy, which
was fun. When we arrived, we went looking for a shop that sold
sta%onary as we had been told by the school that that was what
the kids needed most at the school. We had all the money we
had raised at school from our bake sale and were glad we had
our World Challenge body guard with us! There were 150 students at the school and so we bought each of them a pencil
case and a full sta%onery kit, plus lots of toys, games and equipment for the KG class. To be honest, we looked into the classrooms and they really were empty, it is amazing how li2le they
have. Then we headed back to the hotel jokingly singing “we all
want curry” because we passed by a KFC but weren’t allowed to
go in as it wasn’t Halal – we all REALLY wanted junk food! When
we reached the hotel, we ate and most of us went straight to
bed because we were exhausted.
The next morning we ate breakfast quickly and headed to the school; we knew we had a lot of work to do. We had
to finish pain%ng, filling in holes in the walls with pu2y, clearing
the garden and cuJng the plants. AOer we finished all that, we
got changed and went to sit in the assembly room. The principal
was delighted with what we did and gave an emo%onal speech
saying how thankful they were; we wished we could have done
more. We presented each of the students with their giOs and
they were so very happy – it was almost a li2le shocking to see
how apprecia%ve they were with such small things but made us
realize how lucky we are. We were really sad that we had to
leave but took lots of pictures before heading on to the bus.
AOer showering and changing at the hotel, we jumped on the
bus to Kandy. We decided, despite realizing how lucky we were
with material things…to go souvenier shopping! Ironic, we
know! We were really hungry and didn’t want curry so we were
allowed to eat PizzaHut - the Muslim students had cheese pizza
and the others could choose. It had been such a busy day and
we were all exhausted so we headed back to the hotel, we had
to pack up because next morning we were leaving to go to Negombo to relax with the other group. Before going to bed, we
had our evening mee%ng and a luggage and room check. The
boys had to clean a lot in their room because they had made a
huge mess. AOer we cleaned up we went to bed aOer talking
and having fun.
The next morning we were quite excited to leave because we were going to an elephant orphanage. We ate breakfast, gathered our luggage and sat in the bus. Everyone fell
asleep because it was a long bus drive; it was 5 hours to the
orphanage. When we reached the orphanage, we saw a huge
number of incredibly cute elephants, some of us even decided
to be brave and hand feed the %ny baby elephants! Then we
watched the elephants go down to the river, where they played
and washed. Most of us spent a li2le %me browsing in the shops
and buying souvenirs before heading to our final des%na%on;
the beach resort of Negombo…which was another 4 hour drive!
When we reached the hotel, because we had arrived before the
other group, our team were lucky enough to get some par%cularly nice rooms – we were so happy! They were awesome! Our
hotel was right on the beach, which was amazing, it was so
beau%ful. We ran to our rooms to quickly unpack and then went
for a long walk into the city. We were in charge of finding somewhere nice to eat, but struggled because we had forgo2en to
bring the Lonely Planet guide with us – you would think that we
would have been be2er prepared with all the experience we
had gained that week. Ooops! AOer grabbing a drink from the
local bus sta%on, we walked back to the hotel. When we
reached there, the other group had at last arrived. We were so
happy to be reunited with our other friends and spent some
%me catching up, comparing stories and watching the gorgeous
sunset. Later on, we ate dinner in the hotel and chilled out in
the lounge area; then we went to catch up on our beauty sleep.
Our last day in Sri Lanka was an exci%ng and sad day
for most of us. Exci%ng because we were going back home and
sad because we were going to miss being part of the adventure.
The other group went to the elephant orphanage whilst we
woke up late and had a yummy breakfast. For breakfast we had
pancakes, fruit and fresh cocktail juice - delicious. Then we went
to the fish market to check out some really cool fish. It was
interes%ng to see local people just going about their business,
bartering with one another and buying fish. We then went back
to the hotel and some of us went shopping. Around 4pm, two
8th grade girls and Ms. Debnam went to look for a place where
we could have a nice feast to celebrate our last night in Sri
Lanka. When they got back, we all went down onto the sand to
watch one last sunset together and reminisce over the previous
few days’ fun. When the sun had sunk, we got ready for our last
team night out; luckily they had chosen well and the food was
incredible. Then we went for a nice walk and shopped for giOs
to take back home. Just before we all went to bed, we sat down
one last %me as a team and discussed the trip, we talked about
what we were most proud of, what had scared us the most and
the things we had learned. It was interes%ng and showed us
how much we had all grown – even in a short period of %me.
That night we packed and went to bed super early as we had to
get up at 2am for our flight back to Dubai.
At 2am we woke up aOer a rela%vely short sleep, collected our boarding passes and hung around the airport. When
we got on the plane, most of us were so %red we were knocked
out and slept the en%re flight. By the %me we knew it we were
in Dubai. We landed, got our luggage, said our goodbyes to each
The Sting
Page 15
Experiential Trip cont’d.
other and headed out to
our loved ones. When we
walked out into the arrival
hall, all our parents were
there wai%ng, clapping
and cheering for us because they were proud of
us. We ran to our families
and hugged them very
%ghtly. We had so many
stories to tell them.
had in Sri Lanka
was awesome, we
helped poor students, made lots
of new friends,
learned a lot
about ourselves
and Sri Lanka and
we had SO MUCH
FUN! It was the
trip of a life%me and one that none of us will ever forget.
During this trip we learnt not to take everything for
granted and appreciate everything we have. The one week we
Khadijah Suleman
Grade 8
Student Profile: Simran Vedvyas
Environment /Youth—Keeping up with the Tradion
SYNERGY planng 34 trees observing the 17th UAE Naonal
Environment Week Celebraon
Dubai –UAE, 8th Feb’2014 at Tadweer Waste Compos ng Plant
SynergY led by
Simran Vedvyas,
for the second
%me celebrated
UAE
Na%onal
Environment
Week 2014 by
plan%ng
trees
and encouraging
youth to get an
insight on waste
compos%ng and
waste management, thus reducing and liOing the pressure off
the landfills. The enthusias%c group planted 34 trees observing
the 17thUAE Na%onal Environment Week celebra%on symbolizing the first half of 17 trees for the present genera%on and the
following half for the future genera%ons’, on 8th Feb’2014 hosted by Tadweer. Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin
Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, every year the country
marks the Na%onal Environment Day on February 4 and the
week follows ac%vi%es and events to highlight and galvanize
public ac%on and awareness about key environmental issues in
the UAE suppor%ng the spirit of individual and collec%ve ini%a%ves and responsibility among all segments of the society on
environmental issues. Towards this direc%on, Tadweer is the
first company in the region to pioneer in waste management
solu%on applica%ons for producing alterna%ve fuel and green
products and also to support environment leadership.
Proud to organise this event once again, Simran Vedvyas, the
founder of SynergY and a high school student at The Universal
American School Dubai stressed with determina%on that “We
have to hold ourselves accountable for our ac ons, and only
then are we going to contribute and build a sustainable Future
We Want.” Well known at various global plaTorms Simran has
shouldered successfully over the past two years’ the big responsibility of inspiring and mo%va%ng the youth to gain a more
sustainable society. She is the Climate Leader and Ambassador
from UAE for Climate Reality by Al Gore, the only student from
UAE to be chosen
Paryavaranmitra Leader
for
Change
and represents the
Global Youth Board of
Plant-for-theplanet.
Recognised
for her efforts recently
at the Clean Up the
World Award Ceremony by Dubai Municipality and encouraged throughout her endeavours by Eng. Salah Amiri, Assistant Director General Dubai
Municipality and Eng. Abdul Majeed Saifaie, Director of Waste
Management Department, Simran looks forward to par%cipa%ng as an official delegate at the United Naon’s First Arab
States Regional South-South Development Expo 2014 to be
held in Doha Qatar later this month.
Touring the facility, the youngsters got an opportunity to see
the process of solid waste sor%ng and recycling, understanding
the sor%ng process and end compos%ng products. This event is
a tes%mony of Tadweer's mission that goes beyond the commercial purposes and aims at crea%ng and establishing a quality
environment through educa%onal partnerships and leadership,
increasing waste reduc%on, recycling and resource conserva%on.
The par%cipants were
excited and here’s what
they had to say- “I am
happy to plant the trees
and they mean so much to
us” says Aishwarya She@y,
Student from Our Own
English High School
“Last year I missed coming
for this event, so I am very happy to parcipate” Akshay Menon
student from Indian High School, Dubai.
“ SynergY is one of the interesng experiences that I engage
with” Sara Esmaeili student from The Universal American
School Dubai.
The Sting
Page 16
FABC/Library News
Youmaypurchase
Americanahinthe
SecondaryLibraryfor
70dhs.
One of The New
York Times Book
Review's Ten Best
Books of the Year
THE FABC BOOK CLUB
The next meeting is
a dazzling new novel:
a story of love and
race centered A
round a young man
and woman from
Nigeria who face difficult choices and
challenges in the
countries they come
to call home.
Tuesday March 11th 2014
JOIN US IN THE UAS CONFERENCE ROOM
FROM 11:30AM - 13:30PM
AMERICANAHbyChimamandaNgoziAdichie
Bestselling author of HALF OF A YELLOW SUN winner of the
Fearless, gripping, at
once darkly funny and
tender, spanning
three continents and
numerous
lives, Americanah is a
richly told story set in
today’s globalized
world: Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie’s most
powerful and astonishing novel yet.
The Sting
Page 17
Library News
CHARLIE HIGSON
LIFE AS A WRITER
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 5TH,2014 10:00AM11:00AM
AT UAS IN THE MPH
Sign Up Today
In the Secondary Library
FOR THIS EVENT
The Sting
Page 18
Library News
Fesval Prologue
New for 2014, the Fes%val Prologue is a series of 2-day workshops, scheduled the weekend before the Fes%val, Friday 28 February and
Saturday 1 March. Our aim is to provide regionally-based writers with the opportunity to enhance skills and techniques associated
with their chosen genre in a more in-depth workshop than we usually offer. Tutors will be published authors with a strong track record
of providing crea%ve wri%ng courses and classes will be restricted to a maximum of 15 par%cipants.
The Fes%val prologue is held at the Universal American School, Al Badia,Dubai Fes%val city. Food will be served at Al Areesh Club, 5
minutes walking distance from the school, plus coffee breaks within the school.
Each course is 1480 AED for two days' tui%on plus food and coffee. Transla%on is not available for these courses.
N.B. This is a prologue to the fes%val and not part of the Open Door series.
Fesval Prologue: Ficon Workshop with Sherry Ashworth
A two-day course at Universal American School, Al Badia, Dubai Fes val City
Event 201 Friday 28 February 09:00 to Saturday 1 March 17:00 Room TBA FICTION WORKSHOP
Day One
9-10 Introduc%ons
10 – lunch CHARACTER. Characters that engage are pivotal in the success of all forms of fic%on. How do we find our characters, and
how do we develop them? Sherry will take you through some exercises to help you invent characters that work for you and for the
kind of fic%on you hope to write. There will be %me for some individual wri%ng, and some group feedback.
AOernoon
Session One SETTING Prose fic%on must always be grounded in a world that either is real or feels real. How can we achieve
this? Sherry will provide more exercises and also look at the importance and use of research in the wri%ng of fic%on.
Session Two WRITING SURGERY Each of the par%cipants will have a chance to discuss their own wri%ng with Sherry, and map out a
plan for development. Sherry will give an honest and helpful cri%que of the wri%ng done so far.
Day Two
Morning
Session One DIALOGUE How can we write dialogue that is easy on the ear? And how can we make it work for us in our fic%on? There
will be more %ps and exercises.
Session Two PLOT Through collabora%ve wri%ng, we will work on basic plot development and how to play around with this. There
always needs to be a beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order!
AOernoon
Session One
There will be %me for more individual wri%ng and feedback from Sherry. If there is %me, there will also be a session on pitching and
selling your work.
Session Two
A celebra%on. All par%cipants will get a chance to read to the rest of the group, and take the %me to appreciate what they have
achieved.
About the Tutor
Sherry Ashworth is a Visi%ng Teaching Fellow of Manchester Metropolitan University, where she taught fic%on wri%ng for seven
years. She has wri2en more than twenty books herself. These include comic novels such as A Ma!er of Fat and more serious novels
for young adults, Blinded by the Light and Paralysed having won awards. She also writes short fic%on – her most recent story has been
published in Timelines, an anthology of wri%ng for teenagers published by MMU. Sherry has taught crea%ve wri%ng skills in schools
across the UK and has worked with the Bri%sh Council in India and Uzbekistan. She lives in Manchester with her husband.
The Sting
Page 19
Library News cont’d.
Sherry’s crea%ve wri%ng workshop is for anyone with the desire to write fic%on. Over the two days we have together, there will be a
number of s%mula%ng exercises and guidance given in the key skills of fic%on wri%ng, such as character development, plot construc%on, effec%ve dialogue and establishing seJng. There will be opportuni%es for par%cipants to complete some original wri%ng, and to
get extensive feedback from Sherry and from the rest of the group.
English - no translaon available
Max 15 parcipants
Ages 18+
AED 1,480
Script-wring workshop with Anjum Malik
A two-day course at Universal American School, Al Badia, Dubai Fes val City
Event 202 Friday 28 February 09:00 to Saturday 1 March 17:00 Room TBA Day One:
Morning:
Introduc%ons.
What are the challenges you have faced in script wri%ng, what are you looking for from the workshops.
How To Get Started Workshop - crea%ng ideas, developing the idea and film study.
AOernoon:
Main character development, premise, theme and acts with exercises, feedback and wri%ng %me.
Day Two:
Morning:
Feedback, share wri%ng.
How To Keep Going Workshop – developing acts, wri%ng key scenes, step outline.
AOernoon:
Tips, handouts and advice on what next aOer the workshops and feedback.
Read through of some scenes to celebrate and appreciate work produced.
About the Tutor
Anjum Malik is a Visi%ng Teaching Fellow of Manchester Metropolitan University where she teaches script wri%ng, poetry and performs her poetry and monologues. She has wri2en several cri%cally acclaimed plays for radio, TV and film, poetry for publica%ons and
performances. These include an adapta%on of Anthony Burgess’ play ‘Napoleon Rising’, ‘Before The Rains’, a poetry collec%on and
‘Hidden Stories’, her latest project of performance monologues. Anjum has taught script wri%ng, poetry and performed probably in
every village, town and city in UK, some%mes even abroad. She has also been a Writer In Residence for Commonwealth Games and
Cheltenham Literature Fes%val amongst several others.
Anjum’s script wri%ng workshop is for all script writers who want to turn their ideas into a script. Anjum’s ‘From Idea To Script In 12
Steps’ will involve studies of films, exercises and guidance in key skills of script wri%ng, such as premise, characters, plot, scenes,
seJng and dialogue. There will be opportuni%es for par%cipants to gain skills and learn to develop their ideas into synopsis, treatment
and scenes with feedback from Anjum and the group.
h@p://www.anjummalik.com
English - no translaon available
Max 15 parcipants
Ages 18+
AED 1,480
Creave Wring in Arabic with Mohammed Achaari
A two-day course at Universal American School, Al Badia, Dubai Fes val City
Event 203 Friday 28 February 09:00 to Saturday 1 March 17:00 Room TBA Moroccan poet and novelist Mohammed Achaari has had
a long and successful career in both genres. His literary works have been translated into French, Spanish, English, Italian, Russian and
Portuguese and in 2011 he was declared joint winner (with Saudi writer Rajaa Alem) of the Interna%onal Prize for Arabic Fic%on for The
Arch and the Bu!erfly. He has worked in journalism and poli%cs, which led him to take up various government posts, including that of
Minister of Culture from 2002 to 2007.
In 2013 Mohammed was a mentor on the IPAF Nadwa workshop programme in which writers explore new texts as they are created,
and compare different styles and approaches. The writers read chapters from their novels or short stories, and hold wide-ranging
group discussions on the art of wri%ng. They examined the rela%onship between personal experiences and wri%ng, structure and narra%ve techniques, and how human concerns are explored in their work.
In this 2-day Fes%val Prologue workshop in Arabic, The Art of the Novel, Mohammed Achaari will give par%cipants the opportunity to
develop their understanding of the elements of wri%ng fic%on, including narra%ve structure, crea%ng character and effec%ve use of
language. There will be key %me to prac%ce their own wri%ng, share their work and reflect on what others have wri2en.
The Sting
Page 20
Library News cont’d.
In this 2-day Fes%val Prologue workshop in Arabic, The Art of the Novel, Mohammed Achaari will give par%cipants the opportunity to
develop their understanding of the elements of wri%ng fic%on, including narra%ve structure, crea%ng character and effec%ve use of
language. There will be key %me to prac%ce their own wri%ng, share their work and reflect on what others have wri2en.
Arabic - no translaon available
Max 15 parcipants
Ages 18+
AED 1,480
The Art of Paper Sculpture – Dave Wood
A two-day course at Universal American School, Al Badia, Dubai Fes val City
Event 204 Friday 28 February 09:00 to Saturday 1 March 17:00 Room TBA What par%cipants can expect to gain from the session:
Par%cipants will learn to enrich the page from the flat surface to a new and exci%ng dimension using a variety of paper techniques to
create a flowering plant and an illustra%ve image as well as combining paper textures to create a a subtle arTorm of beauty for personal or commercial pursuits.
Course Outline (9-5 / 2 days)
Day 1
The par%cipant will discover new and crea%ve ideas and effects using the versa%lity of paper. This workshop explores the diverse ways
of changing the shape of this material by using techniques including cuJng, folding, creasing and bending the paper. On day one the
student is introduced to the fundamental and prac%cal methods of crea%ng a sculptured image.
Day 2
A more complicated sculptured image is created involving photographic reference to shape the sculpture. The concepts of crea%ng a
2D illusory effect using the paper to make various layers will be demonstrated and then put into prac%ce.
About the Tutor
Dave Wood’s dis%nc%ve style and progressive aJtude towards calligraphy have earned him worldwide recogni%on and acclaim.
Dave had been intrigued with the art of beau%ful wri%ng since the age of 17, and in the broader view of calligraphy in the commercial
field. He believes his work demonstrates a 21st century approach by expanding upon tradi%onal techniques rather than simply copying
history.
In 1991 his peers awarded him a Fellowship of the Society of Scribes & Illuminators in London, becoming one of only two Fellows in
Australia.
In 1998 his self-published artbook, The Painted Word, was distributed worldwide.
English - no translaon available
Max 15 parcipants
Ages 18+
PTO
Dear UAS Community,
“It is me for parents to teach young children early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength”. -Maya Angelou
The PTO has enthusias%cally started the Planning and Prepara%on for the forthcoming Internaonal Day, listed to take place on March
8th 2014, from 11 am onwards.
Star%ng February’2014 Every Monday Parents are willingly and very ac%vely par%cipa%ng in the weekly Coffee Mornings’ at UAS. If
you haven’t a2ended one yet and want to par%cipate and take pride to lead your country as Ambassador or contribute in any way to
the self-nominated Country Ambassadors’ then please don’t wait any further.
As previous years’ the Interna%onal Day will showcase the mul%-cultural, tradi%onal ethnic bonds with nearly 79 na%onali%es of students enrolled in the current school academic year celebra%ng it with pride together along with their parents, siblings, family members, UAS teachers, faculty and management. There will be an array of colors, tradi%onal costumes to see, dance, music, games, cap%va%ng booths, food and drinks, entertainment etc. Not to be missed, Start of the Day ‘Internaonal Day Parade’ and Closing Ceremony celebraon to the Beats of Dubai Drums with Prizes to be won in a fun Raffle Draw etc.
The Sting
Page 21
PTO cont’d.
We strongly encourage that the parents step forward with ideas to compliment not only their na%on’s booth but also (as we all frequently travel), if they have any ar%facts, decora%on items, food items, costumes etc that can enhance other na%onal booths then
please do not hesitate to offer help and be of assistance.
The Booth Management team has decided to Award Recogni%on to the respec%ve booth set –ups and you may find yourself lucky to
win one of the many awards listed, which is a complete “Surprise for ALL”, but here’s an example of just three Awards to intrigue your
“DESIRE to win”. So here we goMost Inspiring Booth
Most Indispensible Booth
Most Fashionable Booth and More…
The PTO is also encouraging all students and especially those who wish to earn some CAS me too, So YES this will be a Great Opportunity for ALL.
So Please email your support to Parent Teacher Organiza%on at [email protected] On behalf of the PTO Execu%ve Commi2ee, we
look forward to your con%nued support and a stronger partnership to promote the learning experience of our children through par%cipa%ng to support the Interna%onal Day ac%vi%es because “Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement”.
-Nelson Mandela
Warm Regards,
Swa Vedvyas
PTO Volunteer Coordinator
For any further informa%on and sugges%ons please email the Parent Teacher Organiza%on at [email protected].
PTO President - Jouhaina Wehbe: [email protected]
PTO Vice President - Lucien Ghanem: [email protected]
PTO Secretary – François Marcadé: [email protected]
PTO Treasurer - Faten El Marj: [email protected]
PTO Elementary Parent-At-Large – Ammar Husary: [email protected]
PTO Secondary Parent-At-Large - Mona Helmy: [email protected]
PTO Volunteer Coordinator – Swa Vedvyas: vedswa%@eim.ae
The Sting
Page 22
FABC Mosaic Bench
Mosaic work is underway!
AOer the successful MOMS GOT TALENT fundraiser in December, the FABC is now working on the crea%on of a
community-driven mosaic to cover the concrete bench that was built during the winter break on the UAS campus.
The mosaic is being made out of found and broken objects collected through a
school-wide recycling drive.
Everyone is invited to join our workshops in the outdoor tent:
Sundays: 8am-11;30am
Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 11:30am – 4:15pm
Parents, teachers and students please sign up to join us any%me you wish by sending an email to the Secondary
Librarian Vicky Murray [email protected]
Hoping to see you all there!
The Sting
Page 23
College Counseling News
The Sting
Page 24
Athletics News
ECC Tournament Round Up
Over the past two weeks our athle%c teams have par%cipated in their respec%ve ECC Tournaments. All teams have done very well
throughout the season working hard to improve and show the UAS figh%ng spirit. UAS hosted 4 of the ECC Tournaments and a big
thank you has to be given to all those who helped make the tournaments a success.
A round up of our teams ECC finishes:
V. Girls Basketball - Div 2 Champions
V. Boys Basketball - Div 1 4th Place
U-14 Girls Basketball - Div 2 Runner Up
U-14 Boys Basketball - Div 2 Runner Up
V. Boys Soccer - Div 1 Runner Up
V. Girls Soccer - Div 1 4th Place
JV Boys Soccer – Div 1 Runner Up (lost to GWA in Championship game 7-6 on penal%es)
JV Girls Soccer – Div 1 4th place
U-14 Boys Soccer – Div 2 3rd place
U-14 Girls Soccer – Div 2 4th Place
JV Girls Basketball – Div 1 4th place
Badminton Tryouts & Pracce
Any boys & girls interested in playing Varsity & Junior Varsity Badminton should sign up with Mr. Hellman in Room 1224. Tryouts/
prac%ces will begin on Monday, February 24th at 3:30pm. Prac%ces are scheduled for Monday 3:30pm – 4:30pm & Tuesday 4:30pm –
5:30pm.
Updated Website
Please check out the updated Athle%cs sec%on on the UAS website (www.uasdubai.ae). You can find the Athle%cs sec%on under Campus Life. You will be able to keep up to date with team game schedules, team prac%ce schedules, rosters, scores, updates, upcoming
events, and more. This will serve as the main hub of informa%on for the athle%c department.
CAS