IB Busy! January 2013

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ISSUE

04 January 2013

AIS’S OFFICIAL IB NEWSLETTER

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this issue Egypt’s Constitiution P.1 IB Busy’s Personalities Quiz P.2 CAS Opportunities: Giza Zoo P.3

Egypt’s Constitution: Views & Opinions We asked some students to provide us with their opinions on Egypt’s new constitution, which was put into effect by Presidential decree on December 26, 2012. “I think it does not protect the rights of women and children. It’s an unfair constitution that was drafted by one party backed by an authority that uses thugs and villains to get what it wants. It also infringes on the rights of minorities. “ -Sarah Gharib “In the matter of the last few decades, the Egyptians have changed in so many ways, you can’t just step in and say we are going to start all over, it takes time, and gradual change is one of the solutions for this not sudden change.â€? -Lujaina Hesham “Absolutely despicable.â€? -Abdel Aziz El Sabrout “I think that even though there are some imperfect articles, it is still good overall and those articles could and will be amended later on.â€? -Yasmeen Abul Naga “It’s corrupt w haywadeena f moshkela.â€? (Rephrased) -Engie Ezeldin “The constituent assembly does not represent the whole people and does not include all social and religious backgrounds of the people, which is against revolutionary demands. The assembly did not have Nubians, Bedouins, 6XÂżV %DKDÂśLV &KULVWLDQV DQG women: something that is completely unfair and unjust.â€? -Mourad Kamel

AIS Teacher Stories 2.0 P.4

The Constitution: Is it the audacity of Egyptians for closure? Khaled Khalifa Over the past 23 months Egypt has been going through political unrest and turmoil. Those 23 months will forever be remembered not only in the minds of Egyptians but also worldwide. Most importantly, the 18 days of continuous demonstrations, when Egyptians entreated their prerogatives clamorously, that marked the end of the iron-fist rule of Egypt’s third and last president of the First Republic, Hosni Mubarak. With the ousting of Mubarak, Egyptians envisaged a civilian government, with a completely independent decision making system that does not defer to the military’s prerogatives. Egyptians sensed a new era in Egyptian history, a long awaited one, an era of peace and prosperity. One in which Egypt returns to its previous position as the leader of the Arab World and a beacon of knowledge and advancement. However, this change doesn’t seem immediately possible, since any impromptu change produces unintended consequences. Some Egyptians failed to comprehend such fact, which in turn resulted in a tough transitional period. While Egyptians were hopeful, other countries were ambivalent about the revolution, some of which had supported it in the first place. Egyptians were at crossroads; either establish a free democratic nation or another dictatorship. Indeed Egyptians were puzzled; some argued that a constitution should come first. While others argued that a freely elected president should come first. Liberals who supported the idea of a constitution first, argued that the constitution tells the government what it is allowed to do. They argued that as government expands; liberty contracts. They also argued that the office of president isn’t a sinecure, and in turn, people should get ready before the elections. However, other parties saw that a president will abate the brutal spasm of violence that the country has been witnessing. Amid arguments, the well respected writer, and former aid to Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Hassanein Heikal, made it clear that the choice was already made, and that it was dictated to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). It was later announced by SCAF that they would hand the power to a freely elected president. Within a few months and two rounds of presidential elections; Egypt’s Second Republic gets its first freely elected civil president, Mohamed Morsi, who won presidency by a small margin. As the president came to power, the people were optimistic; they viewed it as a new shiny day in the history of the world’s most ancient civilization. Shortly before the president came to power a new Constituent Assembly was formed after the dissolution of the first one. The new assembly consisted of 39 Members of Parliament, six judges, nine law experts, one representing each the armed forces, police, and the ministry of justice, 13 members of unions, 21 publics figures, five from Al-Azhar and four representing the Coptic Orthodox Church. However, this relatively eclectic assembly didn’t last for

long. A number of parties embraced Dr. Baradei’s call for a boycott of the constituent assembly. All of those who embraced the idea got together, and formed a group under the name of The Egyptian Constitutional Front. They announced that they do not recognize the constitution that was being drafted and instead they seek to draft a constitution that is built upon popular consensus. It was reported that at least 40 members withdrew from the assembly. Yet the Muslim brotherhood had announced that the constituent assembly would vote on the constitution on the 29th of November 2012. This way the assembly would be able to avoid its possible dissolution by voting before the release of a ruling by The Supreme Constitutional Court on the assembly’s legitimacy. Although this wasn’t approved by the public, which is evident, by a poll conducted by Al-Ahram, the state-run newspaper. It turned out that 82.3% of the respondents said that they wanted the assembly reformed to better represent the Egyptian society. Still, the assembly proceeded and the constitution was put to public referendum on December 15th and 22nd 2012. The constitution did pass with 63.8% of voters voting in favor, however that was almost 11 million Egyptians, which is only one fifth of the population. Arguably the small number of participants was due to the huge number of people who chose to boycott the referendum. The president signed a decree on the 26th of December, putting into effect his country’s newly approved constitution. Critics of the constitution say that it was passed too quickly. Liberals, Christians and other minority opposition groups said that they felt excluded from the assembly and that the wording didn’t include their voices. They also accused the Brotherhood of pugnacity. However the Brotherhood denied such accusations, claiming that they were not desirous of any high political post, they were only fighting for the best interest of the Egyptian people. Opposition members critique the constitution saying that the charter’s language is very vague and that it will not protect the rights Egyptians fought for in the revolution. Supporters of the constitution say that it protects personal rights. Especially its provision on the handling of detainees in the judicial system. The international rights group, Human Rights Watch, said that the constitution “protects some rights but undermines others�. It “fails to end military trials of civilians or to protect freedom of expression and religion�. Therefore it can be said that Egyptians have voiced deep concerns about the substance of the constitution and the constitutionality process. The president is now responsible to move in a way that recognizes the urgent and engulfing need to build trust, bridge divisions and broaden the support for the political process. Truly the future power dynamics in post-Mubarak Egypt remain ambiguous.

Deadlines Class of 2013: January 10: Extended Essay Done & Submitted January 20: TOK Essay 2nd Draft February 3: TOK Essay Done & Submitted February 7: AUC Application Deadline February 21-24: CAS Retreat

Class of 2014: January 13: 1st CAS Deadline

Students: January 5, 10, 12, 19, February 2, 14, 16, 23: IELTS January 12, 18, 25, February 2, 15, 23, 24: TOEFL January 26: SAT & Subject Tests

Days Off: December 21 – January 7: Winter Break January 8: Staff development January 24: Prophet’s Birthday January 31: End of Term 2

*College Board Deadlines expire at 11:59 pm Eastern Time, USA

Dates and deadlines are subject to change. IB Busy! cannot be held liable for any changes.

IB Busy’s Personalities Quiz Do you know what kind of person you are? Have you ever thought of what your unique traits add up to? You are a mixture of characteristics that make you \RX 7DNH WKLV TXL] WR ¿QG ZKLFK RI WKHVH IRXU SHUVRQ\RX 7DNH WKLV TXL] WR ¿QG ZKLFK RI WKHVH IRXU SHUVRQ alities you have: the idealist, the doer, the inspirer and the nurturer.

1) You’re organizing a party. Which role do you see yourself playing? D 6ROYLQJ SUREOHPV WKDW WKDW RWKHUV ¿QG ¿QG QR VROXWLRQ WR WR D 6ROYLQJ SUREOHPV RWKHUV QR VROXWLRQ quickly b) The one who is impatient to get things done right away c) The one coming up with new ideas that no one dared to think of d) You do what people ask you to do with no input of ideas, and they know they can depend on you

2) You just came back from the trip of a lifetime. You‌ a) Look back and think of how you could have improved it b) Laugh at all the rules you broke to have a good time c) Tell everyone about it vaguely, but without details d) Think back about the people you met and how different their culture is

3) As usual, your friends are talking about politics. You usually‌ a) Don’t contribute much until someone obviously mentions or attacks your religion or political view b) care, but you don’t want to offend anyone c) Are convinced easily with other peoples’ points of view d) Respect the people who back up their traditions

4) Friends go to you when they need help if a) They need someone to back them up b) Need someone to get something done now c) They know that this thing interests you d) They need almost anything

A teacher leaves alone in their classroom 6) A 6) teacher leaves you you alone in their classroom where you know that there an important upcomwhere you know that there is anisimportant upcoming laying test laying around and easy to access. ing test around and easy to access. You You a) Know it’s wrong to cheat so won’t you won’t a) Know that that it’s wrong to cheat so you eveneven think of looking for it b) You for it for notitjust ace but because b) look You look not to just to the acetest, the test, but because you see this as a challenge F <RX NQRZ \RX FDQ ¿QG LW LI \RX WU\ EXW \RX FKRVH F <RX NQRZ \RX FDQ ¿QG LW LI \RX WU\ EXW \RX FKRVH not to G :RXOG OLNH WR ¿QG LW DQG JHW D JRRG JUDGH EXW \RX G :RXOG OLNH WR ¿QG LW DQG JHW D JRRG JUDGH EXW \RX care too much about your teacher’s feelings

7) The perfect pet would be a a) Turtle b) Snake c) Dog d) Bird

8) Your best subject is a) Language Arts b) Any type of science c) Art/music d) Psychology

10) When meeting new people a) You’re friendly unless are extremely different a) You’re friendly unless they they are extremely different b) You friends quickly without a second b) You makemake friends reallyreally quickly without a second thought c) Talkative and friendly with almost everyone d) Shy and too afraid to hurt anyone’s feelings

FlipBusy! IB Busy! around to our seeanalysis our analysis of your Flip IB around to see of your per- personality.

Aid Giza Zoo is a group that was started at the end of last year. Nardine Botros and Hana El Safoury are the heads. This group was established to show support and help the animals at Giza Zoo. The efforts have been directed so far towards the chimps. We have succeeded in creating an enrichment activity to stimulate the senses of the caged mammals and make their day a little more interesting. Paper machÊ’s were made in an afterschool workshop from the school’s recycled papers. Bottles were also collected. Then the two were ÂżOOHG ZLWK IRRG DQG JLYHQ WR WKH FKLPSV RQ D 6DW ÂżOOHG ZLWK IRRG DQG JLYHQ WR WKH FKLPSV RQ D 6DWurday. Right now, an awareness campaign that will run at the Zoo in the winter break titled “How to behave in the Zoo?â€? is being planned.

ISAC Qatar In December, the AIS varsity boys football team travelled to Qatar WR SDUWLFLSDWH LQ WKH ,6$& YDUVLW\ WRXUQDPHQW 7KH WHDP ÂżQLVKHG WR SDUWLFLSDWH LQ WKH ,6$& YDUVLW\ WRXUQDPHQW 7KH WHDP ÂżQLVKHG VHFRQG LQ WKH JURXS VWDJHV RXW RI ÂżYH WHDPV DQG HYHQWXDOO\ ORVW VHFRQG LQ WKH JURXS VWDJHV RXW RI ÂżYH WHDPV DQG HYHQWXDOO\ ORVW SODFH SOD\RII ÂżQLVKLQJ 4th SODFH SOD\RII ÂżQLVKLQJ in the semis, and they won the 3rd and third. Two IB juniors are members of the team, Amr Mohy and Mahmoud Mandour. Mahmoud said "we [the team] deserved more than third, but unfortunately many matches were decided by mistakes coming from us." Mahmoud and Amr both had a great time and they both enjoyed the trip. Amr said "It was a great experience, I wish I could go back, but this time to win 1st place!"

IB IB Busy! Busy! is Seeking is Seeking Writers Writers We are looking for students, preferably but not necessarily IB students, to write for IB Busy! All you have to do is email us, aise.ibbusy@gmail.com, telling us why you want to join us. Being an IB Busy! writer does not necessarily mean that you will be assigned articles to write in every issue. We will send emails to all our writers with our topics, and if you do want to write about that subject, just reply back. We expect all applicants to be able to meet deadlines. Please do not forget that we are not interested in plagiarized articles, or articles that are based on uncited sources. The articles must be your original work.

In the Making

Mostly Ds: You are a Nurturer Quiet and kind, you are dependable and you love helping people – you even often put their needs before yours. You care a lot about people’s feelings and always try not to hurt them. You like security and organization and you value traditions. You have deep thoughts and you are interested in analyzing those around you.

Mostly Bs: You are a Doer You like action and are adaptable, but you prefer immediate results. You are a risktaker with a fast-paced lifestyle. You get impatient with long explanations. Even though you are loyal to your friends, you don’t respect laws and rules if they keep you from getting what you want. You also have great people skills and you’re friendly.

Mostly Cs: You are an Inspirer So, you are enthusiastic and creative. When something interests you, you do it perfectly. Speaking of that, you have many interests and abilities. You have great people skills and are excited by new ideas but you hate details. Even though you live in accordance ZLWK \RXU LQQHU YDOXHV \RX DUH RSHQ PLQGHG DQG ÀH[ZLWK \RXU LQQHU YDOXHV \RX DUH RSHQ PLQGHG DQG ÀH[ ible.

Mostly As: You are an Idealist. This means that not only do you usually want things to go perfectly as planned, but you also usually think UHĂ€HFW RQ WKLQJV <RXÂśUH SUREDEO\ EDFN EDFN DQG DQG UHĂ€HFW RQ WKLQJV <RXÂśUH SUREDEO\ XQGHUXQGHUstanding and interested in helping out people and humanity in general. You are loyal to people and to your values. Therefore, you are usually laid back unless these values are threatened. You may be a good ZULWHU DQG \RX ÂżQG VROXWLRQV HDVLO\ DQG TXLFNO\ ZULWHU DQG \RX ÂżQG VROXWLRQV HDVLO\ DQG TXLFNO\

On the day this was published, the 15th of January 2013, 108 days were left to the start of the IB Class of 2013’s exams. Good luck from the IB Busy! and the IB Busy! team.

Save Save Giza Giza Zoo Zoo

9) If had you to had to pick a sport you would choose 9) If you pick a sport you would choose a) Yoga b) American football c) Gymnastics d) Cooking (consider a sport forsake the sake of this d) Cooking (consider that athat sport for the of this quiz)

5) Your dream job is along the lines of a) A writer/journalist b) An important business (wo)man who takes risks and deals with money c) An artist/musician d) A volunteer in charity organizations

IB Exams Countdown

CAS Opportunities

Karim G. El-Eita Khaled Khalifa Rebecca Tenna Maria Azer Abdul Aziz El Sabrout Marina Milad Omar Allam Under the Supervision of Dr. Dina Taher, Ms. Nora Elmarzouky & Mr. Khalid Dinnawi Special thanks to Hana El Safoury Pictures courtesy of Farahnaz Abdel Bary We hope you find time to read this even though we know that U B BUSY!! Copyright Š 2013 IB BUSY!. All Rights

Reserved.

EYE ON IT: Courage The dictionary definition of courage is the ability to do something that frightens one. However, for many different people, the meaning of courage varies. For some, it means to have consistency. For others, it’s to not do certain things that they might be forced to. Either way, courage is one character that is usually necessary for life. IB students have already demonstrated courage through taking a leap of faith and jumping into a difficult program, and for some, that is a truly frightening concept. It usually takes courage to get used to certain things that might not be part of our daily lives. It is through courage that we can have an open mind. That means that if we have the courage to face new things, things that we might have considered less than ideal previously, then we can have a different view of the world. That would make people have an open mind, see the point of view of others. Courage, however, doesn’t only imply facing something, or conquering fears or trying something new. It is also closely linked to being consistent. When something is followed through, it shows that we have the strength to continue what we started, regardless of how much it might frighten us. If we show that we can follow through with it, it becomes part of our daily life, and we have already conquered our fear, which is the main purpose of courage to begin with. In regards to bullying, courage takes on a somewhat different meaning. It means to stand up for what we believe in, and in society that might be frowned upon. Standing up to a bully might be one of those things that might not be popular, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t. Sometimes, certain opinions are not everyone’s cup of tea. That does not mean that those opinions should remain unexpressed. Instead, we should have the courage to be ourselves and show our true colors and hope to be accepted for that. And if we have the courage to, we will be able to accept others in their true form as well. In conclusion, to have courage means to face your fears, stand up for yourself and what you believe in, and to stay consistent. But if you decide to be courageous and express yourself, make sure that you encourage others to do the same, as that will show that you practice what you preach. Rebecca Tenna

IB Playlist IB Busy! compiled a list of songs that IB students are currently listening to. Abdelhalim Hafez - Bahlam Bee Abu El Leef – Ana Mish Kherong AC/DC - Rock N’ Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution ASAP Rocky - 1 Train (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Yelawolf, & Big KRIT) Big Sean - 100 (feat. Royce da 5’9 & Kendrick Lamar) Big Sean - Clique (feat. Kanye West & Jay-Z) Busta Rhymes - Do That Thing Coldplay - Politik Drake - Shot For Me Dido – Let Us Move On (feat. Kendrick Lamar) Dizzee Rascal - Bonkers Frank Ocean – Swim Good Game – Martians vs. Goblins (feat. Lil’ Wayne & Tyler the Creator) Green Day – Last of the America Girls Guns ‘N Roses - Sweet Child ‘O Mine Hopsin - Ill Mind of Hopsin 5 Ice Cube - Hood Mentality Jay-Z - Politics As Usual Kanye West - Cold Kanye West - Mercy (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2Chainz) Kanye West & Jay-Z - No Church in the Wild Lana Del Rey – Lolita LOGO – Fabrice MGMT - Kids Taylor Swift - All Too Well Maroon 5 – Daylight One Direction – Little Things Pusha T - New God Flow (feat. Kanye West) Pusha T- The Morning (feat. Common, Cyhi the Prynce, Kid Cudi, D’banj, Raekwon, & 2Chainz) Red Hot Chili Peppers – Snow Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars The XX – Crystallized Umm Kalthoum Ana Bentezarak

IB Opinions What do you think of our newsletter? Send us an e-mail. aise.ibbusy@gmail.com

IB Busy! Issue 04, January 2013

Teacher Stories 2.0 – Principals Edition As promised, IB Busy! is back again with more stories about your teachers. But they aren’t just any teachers – they’re our principals. Mr. Lentz and Mr. Malek shared with us their most memorable, but more importantly embarrassing situations. Read them only in IB Busy!. Mr. Loay Malek: On an early morning of Mr. Malek’s senior year, him and some friends were playing with a ball outside of a classroom. Class had not started yet and there weren’t any teachers around. So, as he and his friends were “just” (he asked that the word be emphasized greatly) fooling around, the ball hit a glass window and broke it. As a response, he was sent home and his parents were called. In his defense, it was a “very thin window” and a “poorly constructed piece of glass.” Nevertheless, he broke it and he paid the price. Mr. Mark Lentz: After lots of thinking and looking for an appropriate story, Mr. Lentz shared one that made us laugh, and we hope that it makes you laugh too.

When he was 13 years old, Mr. Lentz had a job at D UHVWDXUDQW DIWHU VFKRRO +LV ¿UVW MRE WKHUH ZDV WR wash dishes, and at the end put them on trays and stack these trays. Now you might have noticed that Mr. Lentz is a little bit on the short side. Even worse, back then, he was the smallest one there. So, he was carrying trays of plates and headed to the table that he was supposed to put them on. The table was not there so he tried to put the heavy trays of GLVKHV RQ WKH ÀRRU Now imagine a short teenager carrying trays stacked on top of each other so high that he couldn’t see over them. He obviously couldn’t bend RYHU DQG JHQWO\ SODFH WKHP RQ WKH ÀRRU EHFDXVH WKHQ they would fall over. So, his only option was so bend his knees until the trays reached the ground. But then it happened – halfway down, Mr. Lentz heard a huge rip. His pants had ripped and he couldn’t go back up, his only option was to continue going down. As he bent his knees further, he could feel his pants splitting even further and the stares of people watching him burning into his head. Finally, as he reached the ground his pants had ripped all the way open. “I had to call my mommy to get me pants,” Mr. Lentz said.

IB Teacher Interview: Ms. Susie Belal IB Chemistry Do you enjoy your job as a teacher? What are some advantages and disadvantages? I love my job as a teacher. I really like the people interaction that comes out of it; I like interacting with students and getting to know them. I like helping people learn, which is part of being a teacher. In addition, one of the advantages of being a teacher is that your hours, compared to other jobs, are reasonable and you get the summer off to be with your family, which is something that is important to me. One of the disadvantages of being a teacher is that it is very structured. It is hard not to be here or to be absent on a day since it messes up your structure. But I like structure so it doesn’t bother me, but it can be seen as a disadvantage.

Do you believe IB is a successful program? I do believe IB is a successful program and I actually personally like IB a lot. There are different ways to implement the IB program. I think that it is implemented well here. I like teaching IB students because they seem to be very self directed and independent learners. They enjoy the actual learning process, more so than the non-IB students. But that is a generalization. I like the way IB brings in internationalism, I like the Theory of Knowledge, I think those are fundamental to the fact that IB is a whole program, its not just one class.

What are your thoughts concerning the school year so far? I think it has been a good year so far. At least as far as my classes went, we have learned a lot, we have been going at a really decent pace. Politically it has been a little crazy. I do not think things are getting better. So there maybe some unrest to the school, but so far so good. What do you think of the eleventh graders? I think they are a great group; they are pretty strong, in general. They are fun to teach for sure. They work well in groups. They are a good group of kids. How about the seniors? The seniors I know for a while now. This is my second year teaching them. Some of them I have known from classes before or from homeroom. I know them well, I like them a lot. What characteristics in the IB learner profile do you think AIS students are not implemeting? Some of the kids, until they get into IB, lack the inquiry part. Therefore, the students that are not in IB have a harder time thinking for themselves and thinking outside the box. It would be nice if the school works on that as a whole. Also, some students are not very ‘principled’, however as a school we are working hard to change this. Do you have any questions for specific teachers. You know how to reach us: aise.ibbusy@gmail.com

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