Beyond king's (Vol. 3, Spring 2015)

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IN THIS ISSUE

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Message from the headmaster

Uncovering the uncanny: Robert Bahou captures the human essence of animals

7 Unaware or ignorant? 8 Round Square International Conference 2014 Middlebury, with conviction: Joshua Claxton 10 Toshares an unexpected education from King’s 12 14 i2 Camp a winning combination of fun and science Rewind, rethink, reframe: Freshmen think “big� with new GOA course

18 Boston alumni reception 2015 20 In loving memory of Ala’ Al Baw Return of the graduate

24 Maria makes ‘em think

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Demystifying Arabic and the Arab world

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There’s an app for that: Catching up with Mutasem Aldmour ’12 Myth vs fact: King’s Academy fundraising Protecting the planet: Yazan Fanous pioneers reverse printing project at AUB Why we give back and the future of Jordan’s underprivileged children Arabic poem

Breaking the mold with AP Capstone

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The story of a logo The liberal arts in a global age: A review of Farid Zakaria’s, In Defense of a Liberal Education News in a nutshell Class notes

I just wanted to praise the excellent work you are doing. The magazine was amazing and it was great seeing what everybody from teachers, fellow students and King’s itself are up to. Keep up the great work! OUR FIRST LETTER TO THE EDITOR Wishing you the best, Juman Tabbalat ’12

Spring 2015 Volume 3 Editor in Chief Vera Azar Editor Hanan Abdallah Designer Shadi Hasweh Contributors Meghan Metzger Matt Westman Photo credit Andrew Lehto (front cover) Wasim Ayesh Ala’a Hamdan Zeina Rehani Š 2015 King’s Academy, Madaba-Manja, Jordan. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without express written consent from the publisher. Beyond King’s is published by the King’s Academy Department of Communications and Publications P.O. Box 9, Madaba-Manja 16188, Jordan. www.kingsacademy.edu.jo For contributions and corrections tel +962 6 430 0230 ext. 1005 email beyondkings@kingsacademy.edu.jo

Beyond King’s aims to keep the greater King’s Academy community – including alumni, families, donors " # $ " % & and noteworthy achievements at the school. It also serves as a forum for alumni to stay connected with King’s and with each other by sharing news about developments in their lives.

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER ' ) * " % these last eight years, and about the ongoing turmoil in the region, I can’t help but think how truly fortunate we have been: for the vision and leadership of His Majesty, for our students and faculty, for the resiliency of the Jordanian people, and for all those in the Jordanian armed forces who protect the kingdom’s borders and ensure our safety. To soldiers like Lieutenant Muath al-Kasasbeh, we owe an unpayable debt of gratitude. But there is a different kind of soldiering, beyond the $ & & $ & " & that is the call to stand in support of peace, educational opportunity, and respect for difference – the very values that stand at the core of a King’s education. Those are more crucial now than ever before. Chairing the United Nations Security Council Meeting a few weeks ago, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein ’12 captured this challenge. He said: “We have / & / " / future . . . to form intellectual networks and alliances that can reach out to [and lead] members of their next generation,� to shape public opinion and champion the values of “coexistence, respect for diversity and the rejection of violence.� The philosopher William James called this undertaking “the moral equivalent of war.� You are now almost 500 strong – truly an army and one in a unique position to wage the battle for a better world and to protect those things that make King’s unique: its $ & outreach and civic engagement, to transformational teaching and learning. We have been inspired by your successes, and we know, that with your help and support, King’s will continue to

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John Austin

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UNCOVERING THE UNCANNY ROBERT BAHOU CAPTURES THE HUMAN ESSENCE OF ANIMALS BY HANAN ABDALLAH

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$ ;; August 6, 2009 – a few days after his 16th birthday – as a gift from his uncle who had recently returned from a trip to Germany. Although his interest in photography had already begun to develop six or seven years earlier, it was upon receiving his very own “artistic tool� that he was able to take his passion to another level. During his time at King’s Academy, camera always in hand, Robert was notorious for his campus documentation, particularly special moments with his friends, as well as for $ " & " < & 7 “Photography has been a part of me for a long time,� he said. “Ask anyone at King’s, I’ve always been referred to as ‘the camera dude’.� But it was at college in Holland that he found a way to turn his hobby into the beginnings of a lucrative career. =/ / &

& & studies at Amsterdam University College, Robert launched a start-up company in an effort to come up with rent money. “It basically started with me getting in touch with my friends and asking them if they’d like me to take pictures of their pets,� said Robert, who was originally inspired by

= & / % / " / " & 7 “So people would bring in their dogs and cats, and it just took off from there, like a domino effect.� In the photos, all of which are close-ups displaying the intricate details and subtle differences of each animal’s face, Robert successfully captures the “slightly more human expressions� from his subjects. “I was taking hundreds of photos of cats, dogs and horses before I realized I could make a living by doing something I loved,� he said. “It’s like a niche I found - nobody really does this sort of thing.� Robert went on to photograph stunning views of different cities during his extensive travels and occasionally experiments with portrait photography but – despite the challenges of getting animals to cooperate in front of the lens – he admits he prefers snapping shots of his furry models to his human ones. “There’s always issues with people – location, makeup artists, contracts. You don’t have to worry about that with & >Q / & 7 X % " & work with. They have to feel like it’s their choice.�

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After wanting to get a visual of his photos on paper, Robert put together a portfolio entitled Faces and later created a website, which has since gained a strong following among supporters and fellow enthusiastic digital photographers. His award-winning feline with attitude, aptly named “The Dictator,� was recently featured on Zoom, the leading online digital photo community in the Netherlands. And after a & % & " " & $ business in France sparked sales, the job opportunities came knocking. “It would be my dream to someday photograph bigger animals, such as tigers, lions and pandas,� said Robert, who is willing to travel across the globe to capture the right $ X % \ 7Q

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UNAWARE OR

IGNORANT ?

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n my very short time in the United States, I have come to realize the very distinct line between ignorance and unawareness. Telling people that I am an Iraqi who grew up in Yemen is an instantaneous jaw-dropper, but I fail to understand why that is. Yes, the situation in both of these places is not entirely great, $ ) &" / / * & people so much. I am curious as to whether it is knowledge or ignorance that drives these reactions. Many people that I have come across have been refreshingly open to learning the truth about where I come from, and how life back home really is, but I am overwhelmed by the stubbornness of the few who simply do not want to believe that cultures exist outside of the United States. I am a citizen of the United States, yet I do not identify as an American; this unfortunate truth is due to the numerous individuals who have made it clear that where I come from is a place associated with some kind of stigma – a mark of disgrace, and I blame all of this on ignorance. I lived in London for a year before I moved to the United States, and in retrospect, I realize that there is a fundamental difference between the general mentalities of the people that I encountered. In London, the international community is welcomed and respected – the British people living in London seem to have adapted to the vast majority of international individuals and have therefore adjusted their methods of judgment. People were extremely careful making statements about the Middle East, and the general majority of people who chose to speak up either on behalf of or against a certain issue were obviously very well educated on the matter; Ignorant comments were rare. The general reaction to my background was more obviously interest than shock, more curiosity than judgment. No matter where you go in the world, the news will always be biased; the independent variable in this scenario is / $ 7 _ % & / && $& & accept what they hear, the same one-sided argument, and that is misinformation – you are being fooled. Now, let’s take it a step further: let’s imagine that you choose to argue with someone based on this misinformation, and suddenly the accurate information is presented, but you choose to ignore it. You close your eyes and ears and pretend to have not heard what was said, or seen what you saw, simply because it provokes a challenging thought; I call this surrendering to ignorance. The information has been laid out in front of you, and your only job now is to form your own opinion based on this raw and factual material. While it takes effort to think for yourself, it is fundamental in eliminating ignorance.

BY NOOR AL-HAIDARY ‘12

I do not expect everybody to share my opinions, and I am well aware that many people have opposing ideas and sentiments. However, the important thing is that they are credible and not a product of blind conformity. The line between ignorance and unawareness is drawn when a person is given accurate information, but chooses not to believe it, and this could be for a number of reasons: it could be easier to adhere to the norm, it could be a matter of security. Learning something new can cause a state of discomfort, but whatever the reason is, the results are clear. Racism, sexism, and any other form of discrimination are all the results of ignorance. Education is key, and the media does not help with this issue. People need to start making up their own minds, thinking their own thoughts; this submission to the mainstream idea about anybody who is “different� is getting old. Ignorance is not bliss. Originally printed in the Foghorn of the University of San Francisco

Noor is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in international relations at the University of San Francisco.

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ome 600 student and adult delegates from 53 schools across the globe travelled to King’s Academy last October to attend the 2014 Round Square International Conference. Delegates came from the United Arab Emirates, India, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, among other countries. Under the theme of “Al Salamu Alaikum� (Peace Be With You), the conference program included a diverse selection of keynote speeches, stimulating barazza discussions, adventure trips to Petra, Shobak Castle and the Dead Sea, as well as a selection of 26 different service projects that took place both on and off campus throughout the week. The opening ceremony took place in the Abdul Majeed Shoman Auditorium, at the entrance of which lay a colorful mosaic of the conference logo – an olive tree – with individual pieces installed by participating schools. Audience members were welcomed by HM King Constantine, whose speech was delivered by HM Queen Annie-Marie. Delegates were also welcomed via video by HRH Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, who graduated from King’s Academy in 2012 and currently studies at Georgetown University. The keynote speakers of the conference were King’s alumnus Noor-Eddin Amer ’12, Afghani education pioneer Shabana Basij-Rasik, Yemeni researcher Azd Al Kadasi, _ _ ;| < & Nadine Toukan. In the evenings, guests were treated to a wonderful array of performances: one night, student delegates put on impressive dance performances and sang songs from their native countries; another night, the spotlight was on King’s own performers – the King’s Players, Glee Club, orchestra, evening dance group and dabkeh troupe – who showed off their musical talents with traditional and contemporary numbers as well as a comical theater skit and improvisational performance that brought in the laughter. “I’ve met some amazing people from all over the world, and I feel like I’ve had my world view opened to different cultures,� said Spencer Albert, a student delegate from Lower Canada College. “It’s been incredible and eyeopening. It’s different when you read something in the news and then hear it from someone who’s experienced it.� HE Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour brought the conference to a close, speaking about the direction of Jordan’s future & & % extremism, overcoming division and promoting tolerance.

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TO MIDDLEBURY, W

JOSHUA CLAXTON SHARES AN UNEX

Joshua Claxton AY’14 packed his bags and left the United States to start the Arabic Year at King’s Academy program in fall 2013. Now a freshman at Middlebury College, Joshua wrote the article below for his college newspaper, The Middlebury Campus, and shared it with Beyond King’s.

Photo credit: Michael Pallozzi (Middlebury College ’18)

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n the summer of 2013, I decided do a postgraduate year at King’s. I had no idea how the year abroad would impact me, but I was ready for an adventure. As you can imagine, it proved to be an excellent decision. The year was incredible; I learned so much and met amazing people. I also developed a passion for Palestinian sovereignty and justice. Fervent and opinionated, I entered Middlebury this past fall determined to stand up for my beliefs. I had many && / & school newspaper to best convey my thoughts. In writing the piece I thought of all I learned in Jordan and how I formed such opinions by speaking with friends at King’s. Hope you enjoy! A year and a half ago I decided to take a gap year. The term “gap year� invariably implies backpacking through some countries, picking up the local tongues, and doing some pro-bono work. I did a bit of that, but was never one of & ~ " 7 ) ) " " &

year) in Jordan at a school called King’s Academy. Fast-forward a year and a half later to here at Middlebury. Since my arrival, I’ve had several discussions about the ) & € & 7 ) / " && after this past summer, and when it enters the domain of conversation, people become pretty impassioned. I am undoubtedly among the zealous people who are moved by the situation. In Jordan, the topic was always relevant and many of my friends were of Palestinian descent. There was understandable frustration with Israel’s existence; my Palestinian friends’ families immigrated to Jordan because of what occurred between 1947 and 2000. Much of the animosity was towards policy like the occupation and the general treatment of Palestinians in Israel, which I will get into later. In America, we cannot truly empathize with the Palestinian struggle. Many other ethnic groups have been forced out " % % ‚ < / & " * & 7 ƒ / % suffering in Palestine is unique in its own right and we (here in the US) can’t imagine how it feels to live in Gaza right now. But before talking facts and morals, about whose side to take, and how peace can be achieved, the approach to 7 = & $ &

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of “pro-Israel� or “pro-Palestine� are aggravating. Everyone / & ~ the other, which is incredibly counter-productive to peace. To consider oneself pro-Israel connotes an absolute antiPalestine mindset. It’s the mindset of ultra conservatives in Israeli government like PM Netanyahu, who care less about Palestine or its people. They rather believe in the triumph of Israel and the eradication of anything that may inhibit Israel’s climb to hegemonic status. Similarly, to be pro-Palestine implies a degree of extremism, believing that Israel shouldn’t exist at all. Groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah preach this rhetoric and commit themselves to the destruction of Israel rather than focusing on Palestinian sovereignty and equality. The radicals on both sides perpetuate hatred and polarize the situation in a horrendous way. Thus, to label oneself pro- (either nation) is to align with the morally reprehensible ideals of radicals. „ &" & " $ & " precedent of obstinacy that inhibits diplomatic and political progress. To be obvious and idealistically frank, the goal

WITH CONVICTION

XPECTED EDUCATION FROM KING’S

Hamas is a dangerous threat to Israeli civilians and enemy of Israeli defense, but the military answer should not be the destruction of 531 Palestinian villages. This demolition left innocent Palestinians homeless, seeking any refuge available. UN schools were made available as safe havens but those were later bombed too. Israel is becoming increasingly more brutal with its treatment of the Palestinians. Those within Israel suffer from a segregation and inequality that is analogous with the former apartheid in South Africa. Those in the occupied territories seek sovereignty, but are denied all freedom of assembly or speech. The global community should not tolerate this injustice because if left unaddressed, what remains of Palestine will continue to shrink and nationhood will always evade its people.

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should be peace and equality for the people, not one country over another because both have a right to exist. There is an intricate and controversial background to what is now geographically Israel and Palestine but it’s not too & & \

7 † & " how you feel about the history, Israel has been thoroughly established over the past sixty years and it’s not going anywhere. The same way Palestinians aren’t going to stop & $ 7 = " needs to be in the present tense, about the policies and issues of today. The match-up right now is unbalanced to say the least. Israel’s a big grizzly bear and Palestine is a squirrel throwing acorns. The death toll from the Gaza this past summer was about 2,200 and about 2,100 were Palestinian. Moreover, to quote the political analyst recently brought by Justice for Palestine, Josh Ruebner, “Israel administered a sort of collective punishment� in Gaza that took nearly 1,500 civilian lives and demolished Palestinian infrastructure.

Our lecturer from last week, Josh, advocated for an intense series of boycotting, divestment, and sanctions to punish Israel for its unjust treatment of the Palestinians. I’m not sure that’s a bad idea because many of Israel’s policies have been utterly unacceptable. Israel is gradually annexing remaining Palestinian land, similar to Russia’s efforts in Crimea. America should criticize Israel the way it did to Russia. Perhaps if Israel’s greatest ally, America, turns its back towards them in the form of divestment, etc. we’d see more Palestinian integration and equality and a big step towards an autonomous Palestine. In turn, Israel could /

& $ ƒ € & better because that mitigates Hamas’s case for battle. Ultimately, extremists cannot be reasoned with and the radicals on both sides will always demand more concessions from the opposition. I still have hope though, as everyone should, that a solution can be reached. As our generation comes to power, I envision new, progressive political parties working towards a single state. We, as " & & " ) & € & $ " justice, equality, and an end to the violence. Originally printed in The Middlebury Campus of Middlebury College

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LEEN MEAN PROPAGANDA-

FIGHTING MACHINE

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BY HANAN ABDALLAH

hen Class of 2011 graduate Leen Hajjar left her hometown of Amman to study at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, she knew that dealing with Arab stereotypes was inevitable once she crossed the Atlantic. “When people met me, they were very surprised to discover I was Arab,� said Leen. “They’d ask why I wasn’t covered, and other things like if there were Christians in the Middle East. All my friends really knew about the region was the Iraq war.� One time during a ski trip with some friends in Vermont, someone even asked Leen what she thought of snow. X€ & / >Q with a laugh. “I told them we have snow in Jordan and it’s not just a big desert!� Unfazed, Leen opted not to take these “common misconceptions� to heart and instead chose to educate her friends the best she could about the culture and heritage she takes pride in representing. “There’s a huge barrier between east and west. I feel like many people don’t know about the rich culture of the Arab world, the knowledge and the arts – all it has to offer.� As a student of sociology and journalism, Leen grew steadily more aware of – and increasingly frustrated by – the “biased and controlled� news coverage of the Middle East portrayed by mainstream media, even in pop culture. “We’re always seen as terrorists or villains. Look at any Hollywood movie, the bad guy is usually an Arab,� said Leen, who blames western media for its propaganda and “very narrow perception of the region.� After spending weeks conducting research on the negative portrayal of Muslims and the Arab world in western media

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(for her sociology and media class), Leen was compelled to take action. With the help of her professor, she developed Middle Eastern Diaries, a blog that exposes “the positive, cultural and inspirational attributes of the Arab world.� But the platform isn’t all about Leen’s personal experiences. ) % " & shared by Arabs and non-Arabs who have lived or traveled throughout the Middle East, providing a “different lens� through which western audiences can form their own authentic views. “I don’t want to always be the voice in my blog, I want others to share their own powerful stories,� said Leen, who hopes this will initiate global conversation and ultimately change the West’s skewed perspective of the Arab and Islamic world. Since launching this past fall, the blog has gained a substantial amount of attention, due in part to the ease

% & ' ( )

" " X & Q & media, added Leen. “Thanks to family, friends and even strangers, the blog has made its rounds across the web and even ended up in front of a professor who recently discussed it in an Islamic studies class at Boston University!� On the blog, which features contributions from Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates so far, audiences will also read about King’s Academy alumna Maria Zabaneh ’10, who currently works with = ‡ &

\ / Arab youth through education) and Amman Baccalaureate School graduate Noura Al-Mutairi, who launched the viral Pass the Pizza campaign (an initiative encouraging people to feed the homeless in Toronto, Canada). And readers will get a glimpse into controversial political € & ) &

/ _ $ & & the management of such posts in order to allow readers to draw their own conclusions. “I don’t want to start arguments or create animosity,� she said. “I just want to spread a positive message.� Now in her senior year at Mount Holyoke, Leen has big plans for a journalistic future in which she sees herself covering Middle Eastern affairs. She credits the blog for helping her realize her dream. “This began as a project I did for myself, and when I was encouraged to share it I saw this incredible potential there,� she said. “American journalists are always being sent to the Middle East to conduct interviews and report back, but I know the language and I know the culture. Why shouldn’t that be me someday?�

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A WINNING COMBINATION

OF FUN AND SCIENCE

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or three years now, King’s Academy has held its Summer at King’s Academy program, which fuses education with recreation, including a highly successful sports camp, academic programs in Arabic, English and math, and an SAT prep course. In summer 2014, however, a new addition to the summer offerings proved to be a winner with campers from across Jordan and the globe. A series of fun and inspiring weekly courses that blend science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), i2 Camp creates an exciting new educational experience for kids ages 11 to 14. Brought to Jordan by King’s, the program was developed by some of the world’s leading institutions in innovative learning, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), NASA, Columbia University, the New York Academy of Sciences and the Boston Museum of Science. “It was a great learning experience for the kids and for us as teachers and staff,� said Faculty Member and i2 Camp \ <

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mission as a school. The approach is similar to what we do at King’s, with our guiding principles that teach respect, responsibility and independence.�

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Over 30 students from Jordan, Russia, the United States, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia enrolled in the i2 Camp STEMbased courses offered at King’s last summer: digital game design, surgical techniques, rocketry, engineering prosthetic devices and robotics I and II. During class time, kids delved into a variety of hands-on activities ranging from programming games to engineering prosthetic devices (for different species) to designing and launching rockets. “In prosthetics class we built cool things but I also like programming computers,” said Sari Bseiso, who traveled from Wisconsin to enroll in digital game design and engineering prosthetic devices. “I made a lot of new friends. It’s fun and I wouldn’t want to miss it next year!” The courses, added Jarrar, all demand critical thinking and creativity, which allows students to express their individuality and make things their own. “The kids were like a sponge! It was amazing to see the difference in how students at this particular age can maneuver from applying something to thinking and designing it,” said fellow Faculty Member and i2 Camp teacher Lina Shahin.

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REWIND, RETH

FRESHMEN THINK “BIG� W BY HANAN ABDALLAH

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ast fall King’s Academy joined forces with the Blake School in Minnesota and Columbus Academy in Ohio to offer ninth graders an exciting opportunity to learn about the origins of existence from an all-encompassing lens that spans billions of years.

The Big History Project, based on the hybrid academic discipline of the same title spearheaded by historian David Christian, introduces students to 13.8 billion years of history – starting with the big bang and leading up to the present day – through a non-traditional multidisciplinary approach that simultaneously builds a framework for other classes.

Labelled by educators as a “modern Q ƒ Project fosters autonomous learning while providing students with the best of both worlds – a relaxed in-class environment as well as a unique online learning platform, where students can communicate globally via accessible tools such as Canvas, Skype and email. “You get to meet people from different parts of the world and discuss really big questions, controversial thoughts and ideas,� said Raya Tarawneh ’18. “You can go anywhere, there are no limits.�

During the year-long course, which was developed in partnership with the Global Online Academy (GOA), students survey the history of the universe across eight different “thresholds� (critical points in time), review the relevant “Goldilocks conditions� (the ideal situation for a phenomenon to occur) and apply principles and theories " % & & " &&

& As a core high school course, reading, & & " % 7 writing and research are an integral part of the project, but it also cultivates a strong sense of The “big historians� then question one another, form independence and responsibility, according to Watsky. And their own ideas and collaborate with fellow students and despite the challenges of dealing with different time zones, teachers from other schools. students always receive steady support from their teachers and peers both in the classroom and online. “Our shared mission to teach an excellent Big History course drives our agenda, rather than attachments to “The course is accepting to all ideas and all thoughts, and individuals’ scholarly interests or preferences,� said GOA it doesn’t exclude or discriminate against anything,� said ) & ˆ _ " & ‰Š' Sara Nahhas ’18. blog. “We divide up responsibilities, providing leadership roles for everyone and continual feedback, which leads to In addition to establishing meaningful relationships that would otherwise be impossible, “the level of communication ongoing improvements.� created is invaluable,� said Watsky. And whether students The initiative was launched in 2011 with the support of are discussing star formations or sharing news from their Bill Gates, who teamed up with Christian to provide world- parts of the world, “there’s a degree of connection and wide access to the curriculum for free. It has since evolved empathy that couldn’t exist in a purely brick and mortar to include students from schools across the globe and – class.� " # " ' / 15 freshmen are currently enrolled in the class taught by King’s students have “keyed into the narrative and have a real sense of the scale of everything,� Watsky added, and Faculty Member Ben Watsky. there’s no doubt the course will continue to be a “big� hit. “The course offers an incredibly broad perspective on history; the big picture sticks with kids,� said Watsky. “They “I love this course because it’s history mixed in with learn that big forces lead to change. There’s a real sense of philosophy, and it’s served as an academic outlet to understanding of what these thresholds represent and how consider existential questions, such as ‘where do I belong in the universe?’� said Lynne Khouri ’18. complexity in the universe occurs.�

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HINK, REFRAME

WITH NEW GOA COURSE

! * ' ( +

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IN LOVING

MEMORY of

Ala’ Al Baw

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ast summer we suddenly and tragically lost a very special young lady, Ala’ Al Baw. Ala’ touched the lives of everyone she met. Whether it was within the King’s Academy community, the world of education at large or the random person who had the privilege of meeting her, she always left a lasting impression as a vivacious lady who loved life. Ala’ was a breath of fresh air, a positive role model, a loyal friend and committed colleague. She was a dedicated educator who, while helping establish the University „ & Š" " $ $ &&7 _ a kind and gentle demeanor yet was strong and determined as well – especially when it came to our students. She loved each and every one of them, and worked tirelessly to help them achieve their goals and realize their dreams. It did not come as a surprise to receive messages from all over the world after this tragic event. The Director of the Fulbright Commission wrote, â€˜â€Śwhat a senseless loss of a wonderful, energetic, impassioned young woman and dedicated professional. I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Ala’ (on certain aspects of our Fulbright-Jordan program at the time) when she was with AMIDEAST Jordan. She had a unique presence and spirited personality‌’ ˆ " " " / & / to convey their sadness – from American University in D.C., ‘My heart stopped...I had known Ala’ since her days at ' )ˆ~'_= < 7 & caring and a true international educational professional.’ '& '& / # " && # will always be missed and never forgotten.

HALA YAISH-SALAH UNIVERSITY COUNSELING DIRECTOR

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On March 31, 2015, King’s Academy held a memorial reception for Ala’ that was attended by members of the King’s community as well as by Ala’s family. At this event, Headmaster John Austin announced the naming of the Ala’ Al Baw University Resource Center.

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very day my well-formed habits that expect to '& " % phone and swap the latest funny stories from work and life are now a reminder that she’s no longer there. But it is more than just that. Her memory, advice and laughter are waiting around every " " 7 ' ) / & && " " ) can still hear her footsteps and see her smiling face as she enters with Starbucks coffee, a giant smile, mankoush hair and a warm hug. As I talk with those who knew and loved Ala’, I see how many lives she touched and somehow I am closer to her, remembering just how much she cared for the students, colleagues, friends and family members in her life. " '& / % / < " / / 7 _ under her wing and no request was ever too big. Whether it was brunch at Books@Cafe or shopping for towels, Ala’ was ready to help at a moment’s notice. She was not simply a good resource, she was a great friend. Having her in my corner was currency; I had support, friendship and care in a country far away from family because Ala’ made King’s Academy and Jordan home.

And for many of our students, Ala’ was a beacon of hope, a comforting shoulder and a supportive voice. Our students " $ " " school and found in Ala’ a friend that would listen. Our students were drawn to Ala’s energy and big heart; she was genuine with each and every one of them because she was truly passionate about her job and passionate about making a difference in the futures of our students. Her care and mentorship meant the world to so many of our seniors and alumni. We have all learned from the enthusiasm with which Ala’ approached life. She was a great example to us all. She lived her life to the very fullest, never taking for granted those she loved or wasting a single minute. And whenever I am down and I miss my colleague and best friend, I just remember that Ala’ would never accept us to be in pain or sad. She would want us to chase our happiness just as she did, remaining grateful for the people in our lives and always pursuing our passions.

JANAN SABEH UNIVERSITY COUNSELOR AND TESTING COORDINATOR

You’ll always be missed. 21

RETURN OF THE

GRADUATE I

t was a warm November evening in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Eric Widmer, the founding headmaster of King’s Academy, had come all the way to my hometown of Udhailiyah in the middle of the desert to interview me. We sat in the computer lab in the elementary school wing of my ARAMCO school and he pulled up some photos of King’s. I was amazed at the elegant architecture of the buildings, the beautiful clock tower and the stunning natural landscape surrounding the school.

I listened closely to what Dr. Eric had to say about King’s. He told me about the school’s mission and about His Majesty King Abdullah II’s vision for the school. I was captivated by that vision: to create an academy where young Arabs could grow in their knowledge of the world and become the problem-solvers we so need in the region. Dr. Eric told ) & $ " % 7 † that statement, as well as on the opportunity to study in my home country and develop my Arabic skills, I took a leap " " ' & 7 From that moment, my life would never be the same. Being a student at King’s at the time of the school’s inception was like riding a rollercoaster. In 2007, the student body numbered around 110 students, only in grades 9 and 10, and there were about 30 faculty members. The boys lived in Nihal and the girls lived in Alnilam. There were about 10 full-boarding boys and zero full-boarding girls. Over the next three years we certainly went through some growing pains, but by the time my class, the Class of 2010, graduated, much had changed: the student body numbered about 275, the faculty had grown to about 75, many AP

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BY GHASSAN GAMMOH ‘10

courses were being offered, a variety of conferences were being held, sports tournaments were being won, concerts were being performed, plays were being produced, and & $ & / $ && 7 Œ it despite the many doubts that a boarding school in the Middle East could work. Fast forward four years and here I am back at my alma mater teaching history, the subject I initially became so passionate about after taking AP World History and AP Art History with our very own John Leistler. I owe a huge debt to my teachers and mentors from King’s. The impact they had on me in high school has proved long lasting. They taught me to be bold in my pursuit of knowledge, to go beyond my limits and to strive for excellence in all that I do. To be teaching alongside many of them today is surreal. Teaching history at King’s has been an absolute privilege. History is everything and everything is history. Through history class, King’s students get the chance to contextualize their existence as global citizens in the modern era. Analyzing the past enables them to better understand the present and become problem-solvers for the future. But beyond getting them to understand facts and historical trends, this past year, I have strived to teach my students how to be curious and how to empathize. I have tried to provide them with the space to make their own observations and formulate their own questions. I have also tried to make & / not distant memories, but were once living and breathing human beings who experienced the ups and downs of life just like us. My students have impressed me wih their ability

to meet the challenges that I pose to them. Most of all, I have admired their love of learning and their thirst for knowledge. When I was a student at King’s, the guiding principles, including “love of learning,� used to be just words that I acknowledged at the start of the school year. But today, as a teacher, I see these principles in a new light. They speak so much truth to me and remind me why I am here. I’m reminded that His Majesty is striving for a new paradigm in the kingdom and in the region. When we begin to apply the guiding principles in our daily lives, with respect at the top, we begin the journey towards a brighter future for Jordan and the Middle East.

% ( ( , - .

/ Ever since my return to Jordan, I have been so encouraged by the fact that I am not the only alumnus back in the kingdom " & && ƒ % " &7 classmates, including Dana Al-Jawamis, Maria Zabaneh, Dina Shawar, Swara Salih, Mohammad Shdeifat, Moutasem Al-Bitar, Sanad Qarrain, Majd Afaghani, Nadine Sousou, Rinad Salaita, and so many more are back in Jordan serving $ " & &

$ & 7 Π$ $ our own choice and our own sense of loyalty to Jordan. This

is truly inspiring to me and I hope that alumni will continue to feel motivated to give back to their school and region in the years to come. As for me, King’s has started to truly feel like home. I feel at home in my classroom, I feel at home in the history department, I feel at home helping students in after-school activities, I feel at home on the weekends with the boarders, and I feel at home in the dorm. I am honored to have the opportunity to be a teacher here and I look forward to continuing my education in order to better serve my school, my country and my part of the world in the years to come.

23

MARIA M

W

hen Maria Zabaneh ’10 returned to Amman last year after graduating from the University of North Carolina with a degree in international business, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. But there was one thing she did know: she wanted to make a difference in her local community. “I didn’t have a solid plan but I’ve always been interested in education reform,� said Maria, who was in the process of $ / " organization Think Unlimited. Founded in 2011 by returned Peace Corps volunteers Shaylyn and James Garrett, the organization aims to empower Arab youth through education by fostering achievement motivation, and teaching the critical and creative skills needed to implement social change. “Think Unlimited’s mission to create a powerful global movement of Arab change-makers fully resonates with my vision for the Arab world, especially in relation to the education system,� said Maria, who now works with the “transformational educational initiative� Solutionaries.

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One of the three programs offered by Think Unlimited (including a summer camp facilitated by Peace Corps volunteers and a training program for Jordanian public school teachers), Solutionaries comprises a team of young educators, known as “solutionaries,� who teach an elective of the same name at participating universities in Jordan. The year-long “social innovation� course teaches college freshmen how to achieve self-actualization in order to inspire leadership, civic engagement and entrepreneurship in Jordan. Currently offered at the American University of Madaba, Petra University, Zarqa University and German Jordanian University, Solutionaries covers topics that range from how to develop a growth mindset for success to how to cultivate curiosity and become an active member in society. “As Arabs we face problems with our education system,� explained Maria, adding that this has led to a suppressed culture and society that believes it’s incapable of progress. “The effects of being fed this narrative over a long period of time are huge, both psychologically and socially.�

MAKES EM

Departing from the “banking model of education,� students also examine the importance of “grit� constructs, such as persistence and perseverance, and draw examples from their personal lives to engage freely in an informal setting through fun activities and games. “The ideas are already there, within our students. We just want to bring them to the surface,� said Maria, who teaches these classes in Arabic and in English depending on the university. “Nothing gets me as excited as seeing potential, and when I do, I’ll work tirelessly until that potential is actualized.� Despite the challenges of dealing with the initial skepticism of students (and often administrators), the experience has proven very rewarding for Maria, especially when she witnesses a positive shift in her students’ attitudes. “A lot of them come in with no expectations but then they see the value in what we’re doing because they begin to realize what they’re capable of,� she said. “Many of these kids have expressed that the course has made them feel / " " & 7 ) what this could do for every student in Jordan.�

BY HANAN ABDALLAH

0 + ( ! ( ! "

Being in the same age group as their “solutionaries� also helps students connect with them on a more personal level. “We’re not here to judge,� Maria said. “We’re offering transformative learning experiences so young people can reach conclusions about their capabilities and their roles in society. The problems we see will never be solved unless & " $ & % &% 7Q

25

26

BY JOE SILVESTRI

A

& _ / King’s Academy classroom looks like a nicely decorated "

7 Colorful illustrations and textiles animate the walls. Bulletin boards feature student hand-drawn selfportraits. Small baskets of brightly colored plastic fruit line a bookshelf. While reminiscent of early childhood education, these items are actually the building blocks for teaching novice Arabic speakers in the Arabic Year (AY) program at King’s. On a recent class day in February, six American King’s Academy students drawn to Jordan for the opportunity to intensively study Arabic spent 90 minutes inching their way toward 7 27

X " / & ) Q said Abby Hungate, a student from Catlin Gables School near Portland, Oregon. “Now I feel like it’s one of my easiest.� Hungate is joined in her Arabic class by students from Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, Rhode Island and London. Together with a group of students placed in a higher level Arabic class, they comprise the 2014-2015 cohort of the King’s Arabic Year program. Hungate, who came to King’s for her junior year with no Arabic background, said learning the basics of Arabic – & $ # " the year stressful. But once she became comfortable with & " & /

/ * Hungate said learning Arabic became truly enjoyable. “Now everyone is really comfortable. Class is more like just a 90-minute conversation,� she explained. Since AY was launched in 2011, Hungate and her classmates are the third group of students to participate in the unique program. Students from grade 10 through postgraduate can enroll in AY, and most stay at King’s for only a year before going back to their home schools. Ever since King’s was founded, the school has attracted students who wanted a short-term high school experience in Jordan. In the early days of King’s, one or two students would enroll for a year or term in order to experience life in the & ~ % ' $ & 7 In 2010, the school developed a formal program – Arabic Year – to shape and formalize the experience and attract students in greater numbers. AY is unique among the myriad opportunities available to high school students for study-away experiences. Among the programs that offer a year in China or European cities, semesters in the woods of New England, policy study in Washington, D.C. or urban studies in New York, the King’s program is the only one that offers students a chance to advance Arabic language learning and experiential education in the Arab world. Over three years, Arabic Year has attracted nearly 50 students from American public and private schools, with 15 to 20 more expected to enroll for the 2015-2016 school year. Many of these students have now graduated from high school, and most are using the AY experience as a foundation for further study in Arabic, Middle Eastern history or various strains of international relations. The program has helped students gain entry into many of the United States’ most selective universities and programs, including Yale, the US Military Academy at West Point, Georgetown and George Washington universities. _ / % % % force of language acquisition for AY students. This year she is teaching all of the program’s entry-level Arabic students, & ‘ " \

28

only one year. Although vibrant and easy-going by nature, Samawi leads her AY class like a kind-hearted taskmaster. “I have very high expectations for my students,� Samawi explained. “Arabic is not an easy language, so they have to be committed and be willing to work hard.� Her students take a language pledge that requires them to speak to her only in Arabic, and by December the entire class is conducted in the target language. The class uses a textbook, but Samawi liberally supplements the material with instruction and practice on using Arabic in daily life. At age 27 and with degrees in English language and literature, Samawi is becoming well-known throughout the world for her Arabic teaching skills and innovative practices. As part of her faculty role at King’s, she is the designated Arabic teacher for the Global Online Academy (GOA), teaching beginning Arabic to about 15 students each year from GOA schools in the United States and 10 other countries. Her YouTube videos, mandatory conversation groups pairing native and non-native speakers, and usage of local resources offer her students many ways to move / ' $ 7 Hungate agrees that Samawi’s passion for Arabic and approachable style make for great teaching and easy access to the language. She noted that learning Arabic in the Middle East also provides a great opportunity to improve her skills. “I hear it everywhere – in the dorm, in class, from my friends – so even if I am hesitant to speak Arabic, just hearing it all day makes me understand it better.�

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THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT CATCHING UP WITH

MUTASEM ALDMOUR ‘12

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT STUDYING AT JOHNS HOPKINS? All the resources available to me! I’ve learned and grown a lot among very smart people who are always challenging me to be my best. There are so many interesting classes and opportunities at labs that are ready to take on undergraduates to tackle some of the most fascinating questions in science and technology. It’s also exciting to know that I’m always & " & " " " discovery. TELL US ABOUT THE APP YOU CREATED. Looking up the courses required for biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins can be frustrating because many of them are not offered every term and the lists can be outdated. So I automated the process and put up the results on a website hosted by the university. It was a challenge that I took on for fun and ended up learning a lot as I tried out different programming languages, function libraries and databases. BME students and faculty were really appreciative of the upgrade on the current process, and it’s been posted on our department’s website. But just to let you know, even though I went to great lengths to make my life easier, I sometimes still miss my course registration deadlines! HOW HAS THE KING’S SCHOLAR UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP OPENED DOORS FOR YOU? I ended up at Hopkins because I simply wanted the best education I could get in biomedical engineering, and this is where it is. But I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the scholarship. It has really allowed me to reach my maximum potential and I strive every day to be the best I can be to live up to what I’ve been given. HOW HAS KING’S ACADEMY INSPIRED YOU AS A PERSON? King’s opened me up to meeting different kinds of people and got me excited to learn from others who were different from me. I lacked these interpersonal skills when I entered King’s and I wouldn’t have grown to be the person I am today without them. King’s also helped me transition to being on my own. Not just living on my own and doing my own laundry (I even cook now!), but also learning to think independently and reevaluate the things I stand for. WHAT HAVE YOU TAKEN WITH YOU FROM KING’S THAT YOU NOW APPLY AT COLLEGE? The most important thing, which I’m still working on, is how to become a well-rounded person. At Hopkins, you meet a lot of people that are focused on their studies. King’s taught me to try my best, to explore different passions and to learn to balance my studies with other activities. Right now I’m president of Students for Justice in Palestine at Hopkins and I also take time to read books and listen to podcasts on different subjects.

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KING’S ACADEMY FUNDRAISING

MYTH FACT VS

King’s Academy is a school for the elite.

King’s Academy makes a

King’s Academy

make a difference.

His Majesty King Abdullah II envisioned a school accessible to all deserving students, even if their families couldn’t afford the full cost of tuition. King’s Academy prides itself on being the most diverse school in the region! A key aspect in ensuring this diversity (it’s currently home to 509 young men and women from

aid program that served over 500 economically disadvantaged students from across Jordan and the world since 2007.

As a matter of fact, the tuition fees do NOT actually cover the full annual cost of a King’s Academy education. Each and every student is subsidized by the school! This is a big part of why we fundraise – to make up the difference between tuition and the cost of an exceptional academic experience. If there is ever a surplus at the end of the year, it must be directly

Fundraising is a designated and strategic part of King’s Academy’s annual income budget. Generous contributions from alumni, families and friends are

and King’s Academy solicits and receives donations from individuals, corporations and foundations around the world to achieve its fundraising goals. Even if we had an enormous surplus every year, we would still be fundraising to ensure the future of King’s Academy!

Each and every bit counts! Donations contribute to co-curriculars and athletics, professional development for faculty, bringing guest speakers to campus, and enrichment opportunities for our students.

" $ " ' & ˆ % & Š" development@kingsacademy.edu.jo

31

PROTECTING THE PLANET

YAZAN FANOUS

32

PIONEERS REVERSE PRINTING PROJECT AT AUB

BY HANAN ABDALLAH

W

hen Yazan Fanous ’11 found himself fascinated by environmental issues during science class in the fourth grade, he had no idea he would one day lead a recycling initiative that / & $ " & ~ 7 “We were learning about energy production and resources, and I remember thinking I wanted to be able to create a small sun to provide everyone in Jordan with energy!� Yazan said with a laugh. “But it all starts with insane dreams, doesn’t it?� During his sophomore year at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Yazan participated in the Global Energy Essay Contest, an annual competition that serves as a platform for students across the world to share their ideas on energy issues. “The region suffers from many sustainability problems, which tie in with the other problems we’re facing, such as safety issues and political instability,� he said. “Everyone is %

>Q Yazan was later invited by the Global Energy Initiative, a

\ $&

& ~ " & $ & network Students for Sustainable Energy for All (SSEA). “I was very excited to start from scratch and help build a team that was dedicated to ensuring energy sustainability in third world countries,� he said. “Sometimes things seem far-fetched but you need to think big and start small.�

Currently standing at 70 members from university departments ranging from environmental health to psychology to English literature, SSEA at AUB simulates real world experiences through energy consumption projects, most notably “reverse printing.” Inspired by the reverse vending machines across campus through which students earn vouchers (redeemable in the cafeteria or in the form of donations for the local cancer center) by recycling plastic bottles, Yazan and his team members constructed a solution to the “insane energy and paper consumption” at AUB. Piloted in the engineering department, which – along with several other departments at AUB – provides students with a printing and photocopying quota, the reverse printing project rewards students with an additional quota for free depending on the amount of recycled paper trash they bring in. “People did not recycle in the engineering department,” Yazan explained, but within four months of launching in October, over 210 kilograms were recycled and the project has since expanded to other departments at AUB.

“We can’t just leave this to the engineers. Everyone should be included in this mission,” he said. “It’s everyone’s job because each and every little bit of effort helps this cause.” To provide students with an accurate representation of how much energy they’re conserving, Yazan and his SSEA crew developed a simple yet sophisticated interface that calculates how much energy is saved (in terms of money, water, trees and oil barrels) per every kilogram donated. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” said Yazan about the database, which will become an embedded system at AUB in the near future. Currently one of the most productive chapters in the world, the SSEA team at AUB is expanding its network in Lebanon and in Jordan. Yazan also has hopes – and plans – to bring some of the SSEA recycling projects to King’s Academy, which he says “played a huge role in greenness” in his life. “At King’s, we learned how to have an integrated life and how to be responsible,” Yazan said. “As His Majesty stated, we’re ‘the leaders of the future.’ We need to lead by example and make the future the present.”

33

WHY WE

BY ALI SHAJRAWI ‘11

GIVE B

ack in 2009, when I was a sophomore at King’s Academy, a guest sat through my English literature class and asked us a question at the end of class that left me puzzled: “What is the most important thing to remember about your * "

’Q " $ the vagueness of this question, my classmates and I were even more surprised to hear our guest’s answer: “Remember to give back!� he said. What does he mean? How is this the most important thing to remember? We learned later on that the visiting guest and his wife were big supporters of the school – generous people who believed in the mission of King’s Academy and were altruistically donating to the school. They recognized the values that make King’s Academy a unique place with potential to graduate generations that will make a difference in the region and around the world.

Before attending King’s, when I was still at a small public school lacking an intellectual culture and any form of extracurricular activity, I often found myself needing something more than what I had in front of me. My passion for basketball and my enduring interest in physics and history were restricted by the limited possibilities my humble school "" 7 Œ )

% ) / & & ~ & 7 “ / && &

appearing passive and indifferent were tactics I used in my indomitable endeavor to avoid the use of the language. My efforts were bound to fail, however, as I was being taught English as a Second Language by an amazing teacher. It was, to say the least, the most intimidating, frustrating and inspiring class I have ever taken. Little did I know that that tiresome and once dreaded 45-minute period a day was to become the door towards my becoming a global citizen. I am now in my fourth year at Wesleyan University, and I cannot fully state how much King’s Academy has helped me shape the person I am today. My experience at King’s taught me how to overcome the many challenges that one often faces in the transition to a different culture. Currently,

34

I’m writing a thesis on the political economy of Islam. This ) / && $ /

New York City. Only seven years ago, I spoke no English! This is why I believe in the value of the experience at King’s Academy, and I will always contribute to King’s as much ) % $ " && % ) &" % $ " 7 I now understand the question and the answer the guest provided seven years ago. But I would like to encourage current students at King’s Academy to start learning about the value of giving back to maintain the level and quality of experience they are receiving – to make sure that the King’s Academy mission continues to produce generations that are capable of impacting the region and changing world around them in a constructive way.

MATT WESTMAN

CONNECTS WITH ALUMNI

. + 1

Over the past several months, I have loved having the chance to connect with a number of King’s Academy alumni who are currently attending or have graduated from colleges in the United States. After three years of teaching at King’s, it’s been great to see so many familiar faces – and new faces – as I’m introduced to some of the school’s original students in an unfamiliar American landscape. As I talk with King’s Academy graduates, I am always struck by how engaged they are in various aspects of their new communities, which speaks directly to their experience in an engaged, mission-driven setting like King’s. I met Ali Shajrawi ’11, a member of the & " Wesleyan University where he is currently a senior. I enjoyed talking with him about his experience managing the Red and Black Calling Society for The Wesleyan Fund and the senior annual gift committee. I also had a chance encounter with Sewar Quran ’13 in New York City this February. We both happened to be at the opening of the new BjÜrk exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, and afterwards, were able to catch up about her leadership role in the international student community at Kenyon College. I’ve had countless other conversations with alumni who are similarly passionate about

&& % $ their time at King’s. & ‡_ Š" " has given me a much clearer sense of the & & me even more excited about the growing community of alumni and faculty who love King’s Academy.

35

FROM KERAK TO KING’S Barik Mahadin reflects on his journey and the future of Jordan’s underprivileged children What makes King’s Academy unique is not only its guiding principles that ensure the comprehensive development of students, but also its noble quest of making this experience accessible to all deserving students, irrespective of their & $ & 7 = / " & that money is never a barrier to success, that hard work is rewarded and that the world is surely a better place when we invest in the education and empowerment of our youth. Within this light, attending King’s Academy was a journey of education both inside and outside the classroom. Given the diversity of King’s Academy, the discussions and talks we had as students were of an immense added value to our understanding of other cultures, our appreciation of different perspectives and our respect for different opinions. Equally important, King’s Academy provided us with the opportunity to meet with leaders from across different sectors of society, both domestic and global, allowing us to ask questions maturely, provide comments insightfully and % & && 7 † $ X$ Q ) &" $ & " shaping the open mindset and positive character that I have, and the ambitious individual I am today.

A

wakened by the sound of thunder, slightly before dawn, I peeked through the window into " / " && / 7 were the thoughts triggered by this scene. As the temperatures slumped, chilling memories of past years came to my mind. I vividly remembered the shattered desks, the crooked yard and the broken windows of my old school in Kerak, a city where, for many of us, opportunities were far beyond reach. Located at the edges of the southern desert of Jordan, the relatively small city of Kerak did not have much to offer except the bare necessities for life and an ancient castle visited by tourists every year. Remembering my school there, I can still feel the cold that permeated our classrooms in winter, and I can still hear the sound of trembling lips of young boys longing to be home. ' ) & & ) from my academic journey. Towards the middle of my ninth grade, I applied to the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program. Having been Arabic-educated up until this point, I embarked on a self-learning program to develop my English and take part in the YES program. The opportunity of spending my sophomore year of high school as an exchange student in the United States prepared me to undertake my next, more challenging and truly lifechanging opportunity of attending King’s Academy for my remaining two years of high school.

36

% 1 ) $ $ 1 +

( As the storm slowly subsided, I went back to my old school in Kerak and found myself thinking about those young boys and girls who were not lucky enough to have the same opportunity that I had to attend a school like King’s and unleash their intellect. They, too, deserve such an opportunity. As such, I vow to dedicate myself to working to provide these children with equal and better opportunities, because they, like me, have dreams and ambitions that are as tall and as proud as Kerak’s old castle.

Barik Mahadin ’11 is a recipient of the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Tomorrow’s Leaders scholarship at Lebanese American University in Beirut. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in political science and international affairs, with a minor in economics.

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37

BREAKING WITH AP CAPSTONE BY JOE SILVESTRI

D

ina Kuttab is not a “C� student – not by a long shot, according to her. But when she walked out of her AP Seminar teacher’s " & Š $ / * &

" & couldn’t have been happier. “I spent half an hour with Mr. John [Leistler] going over all his comments on my paper,� she said. “His basic point was that it was not good enough, that he wanted me to learn how to write, analyze and think better,� the sophomore from Amman explained. “I came out of that meeting smiling even though he had given me so much criticism.� Kuttab is one of 38 students in the AP Seminar course, which was added to the King’s curriculum in the 20142015 academic year. The course was designed by the College Board in the United States two years ago and is $ " & & worldwide. Upon being invited by the College Board to join this group of schools, King’s decided to offer the course – along with its sister course, AP Research, next year – to round out its Advanced Placement offerings, which now total 27 courses. The Seminar and Research courses combine to create the opportunity for King’s students to receive an AP Capstone Diploma, which is awarded if a student does well in both courses and in four additional AP courses. The diploma is described by the College Board as an innovative program that helps students stand out in the college admission process by developing critical skills needed for success in college. King’s chose one of its leading teachers, Dean of the Faculty John Leistler, to head the course. He was assisted in the classroom this year by science teacher John Wolff. When King’s introduced AP Seminar to students in the spring of 2014, it was unclear how many would be interested in taking it. Happily, however, scores of ambitious King’s students soon signed up, and the school decided to double its original plans to offer only one section of the class. Kuttab is one of only a handful of sophomores in the class, and she / % / &" & $ and accomplished juniors and seniors. She didn’t want to

$ ‘ & & \ perspective and observations were valuable. '€ _ & " because it does not emphasize learning facts. Unlike all other AP classes, where teachers lead students through a

38

$

& " & '€ _ "" % & & 7 = vary day to day, and in a recent two-day span students " of stem cell research, Jordan’s water shortage, capital punishment in Texas and the WASP legacy at American boarding schools. X= $ & 7 ) && '€ & Q said Leistler, adding that AP Seminar is intentionally designed to allow students the breathing room to become good thinkers, researchers, writers and speakers. “It’s about skills, not about content,� he said. Wolff and Leistler urge students to become deep thinkers, focusing not on obvious facts or data, but to synthesize information, understand implications and form opinions.

THE MOLD “

*

Leistler has been a teacher for 25 years and a member of the King’s faculty for eight. He’s a savvy and experienced ' % €& % % "" history courses in the AP regimen over the years. But when he and faculty from across the world went for training last summer on how to teach the AP Seminar, Leistler said it was an AP teacher experience unlike any other.

In a recent class, Leistler came right out and told students / & % & & which can be unnerving even to the bright and insightful students the Seminar class has attracted. “Do you notice that I’m not giving you answers today? I’m just letting you bubble around,� Leistler told the group. “But will you at some point?� asked a mildy plaintive student.

“Our jaws were on the ground,� Leistler recalled when he and other teachers learned what their role would be in & & 7 ) " % $ a particular paper or project, Leistler said he is allowed only to talk generally about good ways to write and present. The main idea, he said, is to give students room and an environment in which they strengthen their analytical and inquiry skills.

Kuttab admits she struggled a bit with the loose nature of the learning process, but said AP Seminar has opened her eyes to what real learning is all about. “I came from a system where if you used big words and good grammar on a paper, you were going to get an A. In this class, that’s not good enough,� she explained. “The grade stopped being the most important thing – that was new for me.�

39

by Vera Azar

40

T

he King’s Academy logo. You see it everywhere – on the huge King’s Academy sign that peeks at you from among the olive trees as you

* " " Al-Sabah Administration Center, on your school blazer and tie, on Commencement Walk, King’s merchandise, website " & $ 7 = & & 7 But have you ever wondered how the King’s Academy logo came to be? Why it looks the way it looks and what it symbolizes? Well, everything has a story! The original King’s Academy logo was created by a young Turkish graphic designer named Zeynep Oguz who was hired in 2006 to design a logo for the school which was && " $ $ & 7 Š \ / that starts in the center with the gold Hashemite seven point star. This grounds the logo with the actual physical location of King’s and symbolizes that knowledge, much & / $& ' < 7 = * & " / $ " / / on campus. Aside from the physical reference to the school, windows also represent freedom, openness and the gateway /& 7 = & & & $& " / / / knowledge to the community. The logo pulls together various disconnected subjects to make up a whole, similar to King’s Academy, which brings together various nationalities, views and backgrounds. There is an emphasis on individuality with each of the unique layers and overall harmony, as all these layers work and come together to form the overall image.

The idea for the motto, scientia (let knowledge ” " ƒ ~ ÂŒ 7 And it was perfect, in light of the fact this Latin exhortation has an almost exact equivalent in Arabic: Al-ma’refah tazdaher (Ç?Ć€ȢÇŽĹŻ ǀźÇ?ĆŻĆ“Čš). By late 2006, as King’s was preparing for its opening the following year and the Department of Communications was $& & / $ & and took on its current shape.

41

THE LIBERAL ARTS BY DR. JOHN AUSTIN

A Review of Fareed Zakaria’s In

A

s a young man in the 1970s, Fareed Zakaria – now a well-known columnist, TV analyst and author – made what appeared to be an odd, even risky, decision. He decided to attend college in the United States, rather than in India or England. That may not strike a reader today as unusual: the United States, after all, educates thousands of international students each year, and the excellence of its colleges and universities is well known. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, US colleges and universities enrolled almost 900,000 students last year, the largest number in American history. Yet at the time, Zakaria’s decision to study in the United _ * 7 ) ;•|– ) was clear: a young person of promise studied science, took the national exams at the end of grade twelve (the Indian equivalent of the Tawjihi), and then, if he did well, went to the Indian Institutes of Technology, the most prestigious colleges in the country. For a young man of Zakaria’s ability to head off to the United States to study something as fuzzy

" ( a ‘ ( " ( $ Zakaria’s new book, In Defense of a Liberal Education, is an explanation of that choice, a personal and professional history, and an impassioned argument for the relevance and value of the liberal arts in the 21st century. The liberal arts have been around for a long time. Zakaria sees its antecedents in classical Greece and Rome, in the great Islamic madrasas of the Middle Ages, and in the European universities of Padua, Paris and Oxford. But it is in the Unites States, beginning in the 19th century, that the liberal arts found their most profound expression and where they were most fully institutionalized. As Zakaria points out, American colleges and universities elsewhere. In contrast differ greatly from their counterparts

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to Europe, Asia and other parts of the world, the US system of higher education discourages students from early specialization; instead, students are required to take a broad and balanced course of study with mandatory courses in the sciences, social sciences and humanities. This often includes the study of art and literature, philosophy and ethics, and history. Students in the United States generally do not specialize until their third year in college when they declare their “major� discipline of study. According to Zakaria there is great value in such a broad study of the disciplines and in separating out undergraduate from graduate study. As he notes, the emphasis of the liberal arts is on methods of study, modes of inquiry and learning as an end unto itself, where students have freedom to select from among a wide range of courses, pursue their own intellectual interests and cultivate curiosity. Of his own experience, he writes: “I now realize that what I gained from college, far more & " " piece of knowledge, has been the ability to acquire knowledge on my own . . . I learned that learning was a pleasure – a great adventure of exploration.� Zakaria writes at a time when the liberal arts are under attack in the United States. He quotes a number of political leaders in the United States who have questioned the economic utility and value of the liberal arts. These critics often cite the underperformance of American students on internationally normed exams, particularly compared to their peers in Asia and Europe, and they play off fears of economic decline and joblessness. Zakaria answers these arguments with devastating effectiveness. Accordingly to Zakaria, the United States’ commitment to the liberal arts largely accounts for the creative genius of American industry and its entrepreneurial strength.

S IN A GLOBAL AGE Defense of a Liberal Education

For Zakaria, an education in the liberal arts provides young & / & * $& & " && # & the ability to write and speak, to formulate questions and to && # / && $& % & a rapidly changing economic landscape and to seize new opportunities. Countries that rely on high stakes standardized tests, Zakaria reminds readers, risk creating a “testing elite,� skilled at taking tests, rather than an elite of talent, who can synthesize information, think creatively and formulate new questions # ‘ & " " & $ that are essential for success in an age of rapid change and economic transformation. Zakaria’s book offers testimony in support of the liberal arts from a range of economists and business leaders, including Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and Jack Ma, the founder of China’s internet giant Alibaba. He notes that Mark Zuckerberg studied Greek in high school and majored in psychology in college. He quotes the late Steve Jobs, who, while introducing a new edition of the iPad shortly before his death, explained: “It is in Apple’s DNA that technology is not enough. It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing.� None of their accomplishments, Zakaria suggests, would have been possible without broad exposure to the arts and humanities. Other countries have taken note. Even as the liberal arts are attacked in the United States, they have been embraced elsewhere in the world, particularly in India and Asia. Seoul National University and the University of Tokyo, as well as Ashoka and Nalanda universities in India have established strong liberal arts programs. Yale University has joined with the National University of Singapore to establish a new and innovative liberal arts college, Yale-NUS. And then there is the revolution in online education. Toward the end of his book Zakaria suggests that Massive Open Online Courses (known as MOOCs) – recently brought to the Arab world through Edraak, a pioneering partnership between edX and The Queen Rania Foundation – have the potential to make a liberal arts education available to millions of young people across the world. Of course the great downside to a four-year liberal arts degree is that it is time-consuming and expensive. Yet for those who can afford it – or who can, like Zakaria, successfully compete " " && " && $ & aid that US colleges and universities offer to international students – a degree in the liberal arts is the best possible preparation for the 21st century.

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NEWS IN A NU BY VERA AZAR

King’s takes care of its furry friends The King’s mascot may be a lion, but the most visible feline on campus is the cat! As the school population of cats continued to grow, the King’s Fe-lions (inspired by the school mascot) initiative was born. Launched in fall 2014, King’s Fe-lions aims to help care for the population of feral cats on campus. In partnership with the Humane Center for Animal Welfare, a group of faculty, staff and students have implemented a trap-neuter-return program through which our feline friends are neutered and cared for before returning to their homes on campus, creating a healthier environment for the animals as well as campus residents and visitors. The initiative has also focused on organizing a regular feeding and care schedule, building shelter areas, as well as a special co-curricular and club on animal care, awareness and activism. Like the King’s Fe-lions page on Facebook, and stay up to date on this furry new project!

King’s Academy joins Giving Tuesday On December 2, 2014, King’s Academy joined over 18,000 organizations worldwide in celebrating Giving Tuesday, one day a year of giving back to the people and places that matter the most to us. Alumni and friends of King’s Academy responded to the call to action put out over the King’s social media network. Over the course of one day, 27 alumni and friends of the school donated $1,340.

King’s says goodbye to Joe and hello to Greg After six years of working tirelessly to bring batch after batch of great new students to King’s Academy, Director of Admissions Joe Silvestri is calling it a day. Joe returns home to the United States this summer, where he’s taking on the " " & Blake School, a K-12 day school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Regarding his time at King’s, Joe said he was “happy to have played a small role in helping to build the school and its admission program.� He added that “living in Jordan and working at King’s has been the most meaningful experience of my life.� And he noted that, as the parent of Hannah Silvestri ’14, he will always have a connection to King’s. Taking over from Joe is MacGregor Robinson. A graduate of Brooks School in Massachusetts, and of Princeton and Brown universities, Greg comes to King’s from TrinityPawling School in New York, where he has served as the " & ;••• where he was appointed assistant headmaster for external affairs the following year. “I’m very excited to be taking up a position at King’s Academy. The school has fascinated me since its founding due to its unique setting and mission,� said Greg, who will bring to King’s over 25 years of independent, boarding school experience — as a teacher, dorm parent and " 7 “Having lived and worked in Jordan in the past, I welcome the opportunity to return to the region and look forward to getting to know the students and faculty that make the school unique,� he said.

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TSHELL Four new members join King’s board Over the past year, King’s Academy has elected four new members to its board of trustees, bringing the size of the board to 13. The new trustees are Chairman and Chief ~* % Š" " ' $ € & ) % „ (APIC) Mr. Tarek Aggad, Chairman and Chief Executive Š" " ˆ & ƒ 7 = & & _ Director at Wedbush Capital Partners Mr. Peter Shoemaker, and Mayor of the Greater Amman Municipality His Excellency Akel Biltaji. The addition of these new members “with their extensive experience in the worlds of business, education and non / && && / & $ " & && ‘ pioneering mission,� Headmaster John Austin said.

The end of an era She’s been here since day one. Hailing from South Africa where she headed a renowned girls’ school for 17 years, she came to Jordan to teach English and to establish King’s † _‘ & ' $ / & 7 “ only did she accomplish that, but she also managed to garner King’s its biggest international student conference ever – the 2014 Round Square International Conference. And now it’s time to say goodbye‌to Ms. Tessa Fairbairn.

Commencement Walk is built‌piece by piece Last year, Dean of Students Julianne Puente came up with the perfect idea for the senior class gift: large reproductions of ancient Madaba mosaics to line Commencement Walk. Each class would have its own mosaic block and each year another emblematic and evocative mosaic would be added to the existing row of blocks. “We wanted something indigenous to the region,â€? Puente said. “What better way than to replicate mosaics from Madaba? A mosaic of the King’s Academy logo – the only exception to the authentic Madaba scenes – starts out the series. It is followed by the Tree of Life from Mount Nebo for the „& " ™–;– " $ " playfully swimming away from the Dead Sea, for the Class of 2011. The image representing the Class of 2012 is that of a bird from a mosaic excavated in Mount Nebo. The Class of 2013 mosaic shows a donkey, which has been misconstrued by some who consider that beast of burden a symbol of stupidity and laziness. But as Puente explained, in the past images of donkeys were found in the mansions of the richest farmers of Madaba, because they “symbolized hard work and resilience, a kind of ancient grit.â€? A mosaic of the lion from St. Stephen’s Church in Um Al Rassas represents the Class of 2014. “The kids loved this lion because he looks so poised and graceful,â€? Puente said. ' && " „& " ™–;š && pattern with grapes in the middle, which comes from one of the most recent Mount Nebo excavations. The Commencement Walk mosaics all use stone from Jordan and are done by a local artisan in Madaba whose family has been making mosaics for generations. “We were able to create a legacy and meaningful traditions that also have the spirit of the land in them,â€? Puente concluded.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that Tessa has helped create this school and breathed life into its mission,â€? said Headmaster John Austin. “She has encouraged all of us to " $ / && the broader community: through our Summer Enrichment Program, the Palestinian Issues Club, our environmental programs, refugee relief, and of course Round Square.â€? “It feels very strange to be leaving‌as if it’s not really happening,â€? Ms. Tessa told Beyond King’s. “However, it also feels right because a lot has been established and I’m pleased to be going at a point when the students and the & && $ 7Q Ms. Tessa says she’ll be back. But for now she plans to keep / $ _ '" && a project to restore historic schools. And she leaves us with the reminder that King’s Academy is a great Jordanian school that has the capacity to be both national and international. “It is and always should be a Jordanian school,â€? she said. Spoken like the true Jordanian she’s become.

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2010 CLASS NOTES

Mohammad Al-Quraan Mohammad graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He is currently studying for a Master’s degree in geotechnical engineering at Virginia Tech, where he also works as a teaching and research assistant. Rakan Al-Shbeikat Rakan is a fourth year medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Bahrain. He is a member of RCSI Neuroscience Society and, as an active participant in Bahrain Universities Model United Nations since 2011, has represented RCSI in Rome MUN and Harvard National MUN. During the summer of 2012, Rakan trained in the emergency and surgery departments at Prince Hamzeh Hospital in Amman. Mohammad Alshdaifat After graduating from Queen Mary University with a degree in electrical and electronic engineering, Mohammad moved back to Amman and began developing a business strategy to contribute to Jordan’s plan to $ X

Q

&" " 7 ƒ & " „ Spark Energy, which aims to turn create solar rooftops. In addition, he / $ › ‡ % '& $ Jordan. Hala Halaseh Hala attended New York University (NYU) in Abu Dhabi and spent her junior year at NYU branches in New York, Buenos Aires and Berlin. She graduated with an honors degree in economics with a concentration on

7 Œ & “œ‡ ƒ & / " of TEDxNYUAD, a member of the economics and entrepreneurship & $ $ " $ % & $7 ) completed internships in the United Arab Emirates and New York in "" & &

& 7 _

& / % '& _ ˆ $ 7 Fawaz Hourani In 2014, Fawaz graduated with a degree in management science and engineering from Stanford University, where he played on the men’s varsity tennis team for four years. After graduation, he moved to New York City, where he currently works as an equity derivatives trader at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Fawaz remains connected within the tech scene, an interest he developed while at Stanford, by following early-stage companies both in New York and in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also a member of Arab Bankers Association of North America.

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Sima is all smiles at graduation. Zena Kokash Zena graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from La Sorbonne-Paris 6 (l’UniversitÊ de Pierre et Marie Curie) and is pursuing

% 7 = & married, Zena is currently living with her husband in Bremen, Germany. Mabrook, Zena!

Tamara Jaber =

& " " Š $ � ‡ % in Cairo. Since starting college, she has made the most of her summers by interning at hospitals in Jordan and Italy, and has attended lectures at the University of Cambridge and the University of Manchester with medical students from all over the world. After graduation, Tamara hopes to do a one-year medical internship in Jordan.

Swara Salih Swara graduated from Columbia University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and environmental science. He has previously interned at the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and blogs for The on energy policy issues. Swara currently works at the Columbia Global Center in Amman as a program assistant for the Institute of Sustainable Development (ISD).

Faisal Kawar After graduating from Yale University with a degree in mechanical engineering last May, Faisal joined The Abraaj Group, a private equity group based in Dubai, as part of their global analyst program. He is currently working with the energy infrastructure fund out of the Dubai " / && / " " ) $ & * „ Singapore and New York City over the next two years.

Sima Shabaneh After graduating from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in psychology and anthropology, Sima accepted a position at New York University in Abu Dhabi as a research assistant in the social science and public policy department. Among the topics she has been exploring are gender bias in academia and the visibility of Arab women in technology.

2011

CLASS NOTES

Faisal (left) with Ismail Al Tamimi ’11 at Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto. Saleh Abdellatif The clinical medicine program at Lund University has opened Saleh’s eyes to the importance of holistic methods of medical treatment. Over the last year, he has been independently learning about alternative practices of medicine, and is currently performing a study about the over-prescription " 7 ƒ X / $ / / and eastern medicine can be combined to give us something better.�

Reem Alhaddadin Reem is majoring in water environmental engineering at the German Jordanian University, and is pursuing her love of painting and drawing in her free time. Last September, she began the semester-long exchange program at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), before she went on to do an internship. For Reem, the experience has been both culturally and educationally enriching.

Faisal Akkawi &

& & œ & ‡ % / studying global affairs. This September he will begin working as an " = „ & ‰ ˆ $ " 7

Yousef Alireza Yousef graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He spent the last two summers interning in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs in London and New œ „ % & $ " " && % banking analyst in 2015.

Burhan Aldroubi Burhan is double majoring in physics and economics at Williams College, where he is a teaching assistant in the Arabic department. His continued interest in art history has seen him travel to Lebanon and Jordan to research / ' $ _ 7 ) has interned at two different investment banks in the Middle East, most recently at Ernst & Young. At Williams, Burhan co-founded and currently serves as the executive director of the Williams Globalist chapter of Global 21. He is a board member and co-founder of Ephs for Peace in the Middle East, co-founder of the Williams Arab Society, and marketing manager " " & / Œ && † 7 & & & 7

Faisal Al-Kabariti Faisal took time off from his studies at McGill University last year to do a year-long internship at telecommunications company Ericsson Inc., where he worked as a support engineer. Over the course of the year, he witnessed innovative technology in development. Now back at university, Faisal has participated in fundraising events for charities including the Children’s Aid Society and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

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Layla Al-Naif After graduating from Royal Holloway University of London with a degree in business management and marketing last summer, Layla moved to Dubai to work alongside her sister Yasmeen as the managing partner for their street wear brand Juniors be Junior. The company, which started off selling accessories and recently moved into clothing, has given Layla “a good kick start to the entrepreneurial world.� Last November, Layla and œ && $ && „& of Junior. Layla is in touch with many of her King’s classmates, including Leen Hajjar ’11, Farah Matalqa ’11, Hayat Abu Samra ’10, Yasmine Salah ’10, Faisal Kawar ’10 and Zaid Al Rifai ’10.

Barik Mahadin Barik is at Lebanese American University (LAU), where he is studying political science and international affairs with a minor in economics. Most recently, he led a team of LAU student debaters to the Regional Youth Forum in Tunisia, where his team won the Best Debating Team award, and in April he represented LAU at the Qatar Debate Competition in Doha. & % " & $ / $ Jordan and the United States; most recently at the Jordanian Ministry of '"" ~* Š" " ƒ '$ && ))7 Following his graduation this summer, he plans to pursue his postgraduate studies in international relations at Nottingham University.

Katrina Al Nimry & ‡ % " Â&#x;

/ is double majoring in biochemistry and philosophy. She plans to continue her studies at the University of Texas medical school – Houston campus. Leen Hajjar Leen is studying journalism and sociology at Mount Holyoke College. Determined to provide a different lens of the Middle East that exposes the positive, cultural and inspirational attributes of the Arab world, she developed her own Tumblr blog, Middle Eastern Diaries, to share her & * & / " & 7 her blog will initiate global conversation and help “bridge the barriers between the East and the West.�

Seema (right) poses proudly with her friend after the AT&T Spartan Race in San Francisco. Yasmin Lukatah Yasmin is in her third year of hospitality management and luxury brand management at Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland. She is currently living in Abu Dhabi, where she is completing her second internship at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Canal in sales and marketing. She has previously interned at the Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo. Last February, Yasmin joined forces with the University of Jordan alumni forum to help organize the second annual charity gala dinner aimed at supporting Jordanian students through college. The event was also held in honor of the late Jordanian pilot Mu’ath Al-Kasasbeh. Yasmin is in touch with many of her friends from King’s Academy and considers Jordan her second home. She hopes to open her own spa in the near future and continue working with

\ 7 Jamil Madanat At McGill University, where he is studying mechanical engineering, Jamil has gotten heavily involved in the industrial aspect of engineering. In January 2014, he joined Rolls-Royce Energy as an engineering intern working in the customer facing business unit. For eight months he worked on multiple tasks responding to customer issues, such as safety alerts, design reviews and risk analysis. Last term, he founded an aerospace design society, Aero, to promote hands-on experience on campus. Aero offers students the opportunity to participate in various aircraft design competitions across Canada and United States.

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Omar Istanbouli ’14 (right) catches up with Matt Westman near The Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. Seema Samawi Seema is majoring in computer science and minoring in music at Smith College. In January 2014, she was voted president of the Athletic Association. In May, she was awarded the Settie Lehman Fatman Award for the best musical composition (in an extended form) which was performed by the New York-based Mivos String Quartet. She spent her summer in California, where she interned at a tech startup, ThinkSpider Inc. Seema continues to play on the varsity tennis team and she teaches tango dance. This year, she competed in two Spartan races and placed within the top 100 for her age group. She has been invited to become a member of the Committee of Athletics for her senior year of college.

2012

CLASS NOTES

Sharif Abdelrazeq Sharif is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech. Last summer, he had the opportunity to work for the Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCIC) as an on-site and quality assurance/control engineer for the Opera House project located in Dubai. For Sharif, “it was a very valuable experience that revealed to me the beauty of turning plans and concepts into reality.� Bashar AbuAlghanam Bashar is majoring in global studies at Randolph College. He has earned recognition as a federally registered lobbyist in areas including Washington D.C., Virginia, Michigan and New York, and is on his way to becoming a registered trading adviser in the foreign exchange market. Bashar is also "

& / $& & Eastern cryptocurrency exchange. Mutasem Aldmour At Johns Hopkins University, Mutasem is studying for his Bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering, and serves as president of the Hopkins Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter, which he helped found when he was a freshman. So far, the group has put together a protest, a play and a conference.

Hazem Hashem Hazem is majoring in international business management at the University " _ " & 7 ƒ % " & $ selected to go on a year-long exchange program at Lund University in Sweden. Hazem says he feels “privileged to get the chance to learn from different cultures and represent both Jordan and my university.� Majd Masannat Majd is majoring in business administration at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and minoring in art history. She is currently doing a semester abroad at Universidad Carlos III in Madrid. Noor Masannat Noor is currently an undergraduate at Bryn Mawr College, where she is double majoring in political science and French. She is a member of the student council, volunteers in the critical care unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and is co-president of the NETwork Against Malaria club, which fundraises money for unprivileged students in Uganda. Noor spent the fall semester of her junior year studying in Paris to enhance her French and studying at the Sorbonne University. Last summer, she interned at the Jordanian embassy in Washington D.C. where she shadowed Jordanian leaders and got the chance to connect her interest in Jordan with the United States. She also has her own blog, The Reverse Clock Strikes 13.

Noor Alhaidary After graduating from King’s, Noor took a gap year during which she travelled and volunteered around Southeast Asia and Africa. She visited India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia, and her volunteer work included teaching English (and other basic courses) to people of all ages and from all walks of life. After spending a year in London, Noor moved to the United States to study international relations at the University of San Francisco. Dima Alhourani At Trinity University, Dima is double majoring in economics and urban studies and minoring in Spanish. She has served as a cabinet member for the International Club and Students Organized for Sustainability, and founded Students for Justice in Palestine, of which she is an active member in San Antonio. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the city, traveling and spending time with friends. During her summer vacations, Dima continues to play music back home in Palestine with the Palestine Youth Orchestra. In addition, she has worked with a variety of NGOs, such as Al-Haq Organization, Palestinian Red Crescent Society, Unite HERE and Palestine for Credit and Development. Faisal Al Tell Faisal is pursuing a degree in industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech, where his brother (and Class of 2013 graduate) Jaafar is also currently studying. Faher Elfayez At Georgetown University, Faher is studying politics government with a minor in women gender studies. She has continued to work with the ‰

/ " „ & " Œ

\ runs projects in third-world countries to support women’s education. As the director of project management, she works to connect the seven chapters of the organization (across universities including Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Williams College) on the on-ground projects, and hopes to “truly make an impact� in the lives of women.

Noor in the City of Lights during her study abroad. Henry Reynolds Henry is studying Arabic and philosophy at the University of Virginia, where he is currently the sole student representative to the board of trustees of the College Foundation and will serve as the president of the College Council next year. He also chairs the program for coordinating student volunteers " " 7 ƒ & "

& $ and will live on the Lawn (the original grounds President Thomas Jefferson " % ” & " 7 = plans to complete his private pilot’s license in Boston. Osama Sbeitan Osama is in his third year at Ryerson University, where he is studying entrepreneurship and business law. He founded the 400-member Middle Eastern Student Association and currently serves on its board of directors. In addition, Osama is the managing director of an import-export business & < ™–;¥ / % % & its brand name. Osama has been in touch with Jadallah Kahook, Faisal Badran ’11, Basel Jayousi ’12, Faris Jayousi ’11, Ismail Al Tamimi ’11 and others around the greater Toronto area. He would like to offer his help and guidance to any King’s graduates who are interested in applying in Toronto.

49

Hazem Hashim ’12 during his year-long exchange in Sweden.

Omaymah Harahsheh ’14 stands up for women’s rights in front of Butler Library at Columbia University.

Reem Alhaddadin ’11 enjoying her time in Munich last October.

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Sewar Quran ’13 braves the Ohio cold.

Class of 2013 graduates Jinseul Jun and Noor Masannat reunite at Bryn Mawr College.

Layla Al-Naif ’11 with her good friend Zaid Al Rifai ’10.

Majd Masannat ’12 catches up with Señor Carlos Abellanosa in Madrid.

Sharif Abdelrazeq ’12 on site at the Opera House Project in Dubai.

Beautiful bride Zena Kokash ’10 on her wedding day. Mabrook!

(Left to right) Giulia Abdel Latif ’12, Yara Rawashdeh ’12, Raneem Aldroubi ’13 and Aisha Fodio.

(Left to right) Majed Zahran ’14, Najwa Kaawach ’14, Mariam Fitaihi, Zain Kossous ’14, friend and Zaid Attar ’14 in Boston last November.

51

2013 CLASS NOTES

Zain Abdelrazeq Zain is at Bates College, where she is pursuing a degree in engineering management systems with a double minor in math and physics, and a concentration on the Middle East in a global context. Raneem Aldroubi † $ " & / ‡ % " _

amazing and she has reunited with various friends from King’s Academy. She is grateful to King’s for the many opportunities it provides, including the variety of co-curriculars. “It has shaped my life, and given me a great future and great friends.� Shahd Al-Jawhari Shahd is at Mount Holyoke College, where she is pursuing a double major in biological sciences and mathematics with a Chinese minor. She currently tutors Arabic and works for Mount Holyoke’s alumnae association as the coordinator of one of their reunion programs. In addition, she is an active member of the Arab Student Association and plans on returning to King’s as a SEP teacher this summer. Husam Alkhreisat Husam is in his second year at the German Jordanian University, where he is studying industrial engineering with a minor in management systems. ƒ * && ‰€' " % improve his German language skills further when he travels to Germany this summer to take more language courses. Husam represented the university’s table tennis team at an international tournament that was held in Aqaba this past April. This year, he was elected to be the director and " ‡“ / & " $ & GJUMUN’15 conference, which involved about 180 participants from around Jordan. He is happy to announce that he recently welcomed a little brother, Shahem, after being “the only boy in the family for 20 years.� Joseph Alnimri Joseph is following his dream of learning more about music in hopes of someday becoming a professional guitarist and performer. He is pursuing a degree in music at the University of Jordan and has performed in several concerts in Amman. Ammar Al Saadi Dubai has been eye-opening for Ammar, who studies industrial engineering and political science at International Horizons College. Living in a diverse and developed city has helped him reconsider his career path and adjust his course selection. He hopes to transfer to the United States to complete his degree and attend graduate school. Jaafar Al Tell < " $& / philosophy at Virginia Tech, where he is also a member of the Virginia Tech Club Tennis Team. Last summer, Jaafar was chosen among a pool of 800 applicants as one of six fellows to the Ibrahim Interfaith Leadership and Dialogue Program. He has traveled to the West Bank, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates as part of a month-long & & & transformation fellowship. Khaled Sheikh Amin & $& ‰ && ‡ % 7 ƒ part of the sports management club and plays football in a semi-pro league

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King’s alumni volunteering at Summer at King’s Academy last summer: (Left to Massanat ’12, Hamzeh Alsarhan ’13 and Hussam Alkhreisat ’13. in Montreal. Along with some friends, he started an events management company, AGON Events, which organizes various events for college students in Montreal. Khaled has also spent some time studying abroad in both Florence, Italy and Melbourne, Australia. Layth Ismail Layth is studying economics with a minor in applied mathematics at Franklin & Marshall College. He has been writing for the student newspaper, The College Reporter, and has worked as a student manager at && 7 ) $ / Š" " & & & '"" " % $ of the diversity council on campus. Layth has spent an “unforgettableâ€? winter break with Ghazi AlZyoud ’13 and Osama AlAwamleh ’13 exploring Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He looks forward to returning to Jordan this summer. Zaid Jarrar ¢ at the American University of Beirut. Last summer, he interned at Capital Bank and at Ernst & Young (with fellow Class of 2013 graduate Faris Naffa),

March that included delegates from across Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia and North America. Last April she ran the Paris Marathon # # & " " support. Omar Megahed Omar is studying industrial engineering at Concordia University and is loving the museums, architecture and diversity of Montreal, particularly the variety of Arab cafes and markets downtown. He has reconnected with many of his fellow Class of 2013 classmates, including Khaled Daoudi, Sanad Zu’mot and Zaid Al Mahasneh as well as old friends from Jeddah. Omar also lives in the same student residence as Dina Hinnawi ’13 and says that seeing her in the dining hall reminds him of their time at King’s. He enjoys taking late-night jogs around the city and has traveled to Ottawa to visit family and friends. Sewar Quran A sophomore at Kenyon College, Sewar is double majoring in sociology and economics with a focus on political development in the Middle East. She is currently the president of the Middle East Student Association and the International Student Association at Kenyon, and lives in the international house which serves to bring international and American students together. For Sewar, Kenyon is similar to King’s “in the sense that it’s a small school that is up on a hill with a strong sense of community. Despite the fact that I ended up in Kenyon unexpectedly, I absolutely love it and thank King’s for opening up this opportunity for me!� Alia Suleiman Alia is fully enjoying everything Smith College has to offer in the classroom and beyond. She is pursuing a degree in neuroscience with a minor in Spanish, and is a mentor and tutor for urban high school students with the organization Project Coach. In addition, Alia has enjoyed being a student academic advisor this year, as well as a social chair for the Muslim Student Association. She works at the Northampton Public Library and is involved with social and political organizations on campus, such as the Students for Justice in Palestine and the Black Student Association.

right) Mohammad Sarhan ’12, Aya Aljalamdeh ’13, Nadine Massad ‘12, Majd

where he was introduced to the real business world and learned about the challenges of working in a fast-paced corporate environment. Jinseul Jun Interning at the Embassy of Jordan in Washington D.C. this past January was an invaluable experience for Jinseul, who is studying political science at Middlebury College. Overall, the intensive “real-life experience� reinforced her love for politics of the Middle East, especially Jordan. In addition, it assured her that her imposed identity – nationality, race, and gender – is no hindrance to her deep passion for Jordan and the Middle East. Jinseul is very excited about spending next year in France (the fall in Paris and the spring in Bordeaux) for her study abroad. Johanna Lee < & _ € preparing for her transition to Columbia University in the fall, where she will follow a major in Middle Eastern studies and a concentration in religious studies as part of the dual BA program. This year, she served as the logistics coordinator in her campus branch of MUN – Mediterranean Model United Nations (MEDMUN) – and participated in a conference in

Jaesok Surh Jaesok is currently enlisted in the Korean army and is stationed about 14 kilometers from North Korea. After demonstrating strong physical and mental performance in aptitude tests, he was able to obtain a high level " & 7 ) place among 260 trainees and had scouts from the special forces and commandos strike force but decided to stay on the training grounds as a drill sergeant. Jaesok has received several accolades, including an award of excellence from the division commander. He is undergoing training for drill sergeants and will complete mandatory army service in July 2016. Dyala Zeine Dyala has been enjoying every minute at Ryerson University, where she is studying theater production and learning about costumes, set design, advertisement and budgeting. Dyala has also been producing and designing two plays a month at college, which she calls “a great and rewarding challenge.� She credits King’s Academy for inspiring her to X$ & " Q " X " you can accomplish it.� Farah Zumot Farah transferred to Lebanese American University from the American University of Beirut and is pursuing a degree in architecture. She is thoroughly enjoying the experience despite its challenges and says it reminds her a lot of her time at King’s.

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2014 CLASS NOTES

Rajaa’ Al Borqan Rajaa’ is studying accounting at the University of Jordan. She plans to / high grades. She credits her teachers and advisors at King’s for helping prepare her for the college experience. Omaymah Al Harahsheh Omaymah is loving Barnard College and life in New York City. She is majoring in economics and human rights, tutoring Arabic and learning French on the side. Omaymah also soaks up the city’s culture scene by attending shows and visiting museums whenever she has some free time. In addition, she actively participates in Barnard’s Arab association, Turath. Nasam AlTwal Nasam is a freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College. She is studying mathematics and was named to the fall semester dean’s list. Joshua Claxton < & $ „ && / && in Arabic class. He especially enjoyed his First Year Seminar, Beast in the Jungle, which was a literature class, and he says the campus at Middlebury is beautiful. Lilian Gharios Lilian wasted no time getting involved in community service since enrolling at Bowdoin College, where she is pursuing a degree in government and legal studies. The courses at Bowdoin have been very helpful and enjoyable for Lilian, who also began teaching an advanced weekly Arabic class last term. Zain Kossous Zain is studying architecture at McGill University. She was granted AP credit for many of the classes she was required to take at McGill, which has allowed her to explore other courses of interest, such as law, philosophy, art history and marketing. Zain is happy to have some of her friends from King’s Academy, including Khaled Daoudi ’13 and Raed Khouri ’13, and from Amman close by as it feels like a “mini Arab community� when she feels homesick. She credits King’s for providing her with the “precise tools� she needed to reach her full potential at university. “While others around me were struggling to adjust to a new system, I realized that the King’s mission statement is universal in the sense that it is ultimately working on the goal to teach you how to succeed beyond its doors.� Nora Nesheiwat Nora is currently majoring in child psychology at Sarah Lawrence College, / & project on early-onset schizophrenia. She has participated in clubs such as the Sarah Lawrence Activities Council and the Immigration Advocacy Club, and has taught toddlers at the on-campus Early Childhood Center. Nora hopes to pursue a psychology internship in the fall. Class of 2014 alumni catch up in the Big Apple: (Left to right) Mohammad Tobolat, Nawal Abbasi, Nora Nesheiwat and Omaymah Harahsheh.

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