Beyond King's (Vol. 5, Spring 2017) by King's Academy

IN THIS ISSUE 3

Deerield in the desert

Fikra 3al Mashi: In the service of others

10 Jeff Bezos: The key to success 13 Quiz: How well do you know King’s? 14 To read and to write, that is the Middle School 18 When students do the teaching 21 International alumni: The pull of Jordan 22 Memoirs of a founding headmaster 24 King’s quirky co-cos 26 The evolution of JMP 29 Laila Hzaineh ’16 meets sexism head on 30 Mostafa Salameh: Nothing is impossible 32 Relections of an American 9th grader 35 Talal Sisalem ’13 forges a path to rap stardom 36 The Middle School newspaper 38 Infographic: King’s in numbers 40 The heavyweight champion of GOA 42 John Leistler: Why I’m still at King’s 44 John Austin: Why King’s exists 49 Dima Khozouz reminisces about the early days 50 Oh, the places you’ll go 53 Faisal Kawar’10: Going after the millennials 54 Omaymah Harahsheh ’14 gains conidence thanks to King’s 56 Showtime at King’s 59 An equal goal 62 And ode to King’s 64 The courage of putting pen to paper 66 Then & Now 70 Leaders already: A UCO perspective 72 Where faculty learning never stops 74 Alumni happenings 75 Alumni: Living the mission 76 Boston reception 2017 78 Class Notes 88 News from the Board of Trustees

EDITOR’S NOTE Spring 2017 Volume 5 Editor in Chief Vera Azar Writers Muna Al-Alul, Leen Hajjar Designer Shadi Hasweh

Last May, when the fourth issue of Beyond King’s came out, it was so well received that I immediately began worrying about how we would ever manage to top it this year. Surely all the good stories had already been told — this was a school, after all, and not that much happens at schools. As the 2016-2017 year went by, and we began to brainstorm for our ifth issue, I soon came to realize that at a school like King’s, the river never runs dry. When you have students who continue to astonish with their intelligence and creativity, when you have teachers who give of themselves every moment of the day, and when you have alumni who are already being acclaimed for their achievements despite their tender age, you don’t run out of good stories to tell.

Photography Wasim Ayesh Front cover Nuo Lu ’18 Beyond King’s is published by the King’s Academy Department of Communications and Publications P.O. Box 9, Madaba-Manja 16188 Jordan. tel +962 6 430 0230 ext. 1005 email beyondkings@kingsacademy.edu.jo www.kingsacademy.edu.jo

In 2006, a year before King’s opened, I came on board to put together the school’s irst website and viewbook to market the school — well before any student had set foot on campus (now that was a challenge, if ever there was one). But the contrast between then and now (see photo spread on p. 66) goes far beyond obvious visible changes such as the mushrooming of the student body and the transformation of saplings and seedlings into lush foliage. As the articles within these pages attest, what was just a kernel of an idea just over a decade ago is now a living, thriving, learning and teaching community with countless stories to tell. Happy 10th anniversary, King’s. Here’s to the next 10, and to many, many more.

Vera Azar

BEYOND KING’S

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY FROM

DEERFIELD IN THE DESERT

In 2006, Nick Paumgarten of The New Yorker wrote what is probably the most famous article to have been published about King’s Academy: “Deerield in the Desert.” The quintessentially New Yorker piece also featured two illustrations by satirical writer and artist Bruce McCall that generated a lot of heated discussion back then. Some people were offended, particularly by the image of New England school buildings being parachuted into the desert. Others, however, found that picture wonderfully clever, seeing the humor in it. After all, King’s was modeled on Deerield Academy, and King’s was being built in the desert — more or less. And of course, the inspiration behind King’s was a former Deerield student: His Majesty King Abdullah II. Not to mention that the former headmaster of Deerield, Eric Widmer, was the founding headmaster of King’s. The list goes on. King’s will, indeed, forever be indebted to Deerield. But as these past 10 years have shown, while the original idea might have been parachuted over from New England, what has since developed is very much a singular school unlike any other in the world. Not a marketing statement. A fact. Vera Azar

SPRING 2017

In the

SERVICE

OTHERS Three King’s students create an awardwinning outreach program

BY MUNA AL-ALUL

BEYOND KING’S

SPRING 2017

t was a cold January day. Some 25 young women and men between the ages of 15 and 21, most of them strangers meeting for the irst time, milled around the small classroom in Madaba. The crowd broke off into smaller groups, sitting around laptops hooked up to the internet. It wasn’t immediately clear who the teachers were and who the students were. A couple of teenagers moved from table to table, listening, asking and replying to questions with more questions, leading the groups to turn to the laptop for answers. The conversations taking place were as varied as the people in the room, with topics such as education, poverty, technology, women’s rights and astronomy.

This was the start of the latest training course run by Fikra 3al Mashi, the award-winning community outreach program established by three King’s Academy students: Rami Rustom ’16, Sari Samakie ’17 and William Close ’16. The aim of the program, now in its second year of operation, is to introduce Fikra’s students to critical thinking skills. The catch is, most if not all the students are young refugees — Syrian, Iraqi and Palestinian — seeking refuge in Jordan’s urban areas, with limited access to formal education. Jordanian youth participate too, because, as Samakie puts it, “all students deserve an education.” The idea for Fikra 3al Mashi — which is Arabic for ‘ideas on the go’ — came about while Fikra’s founders were researching the education needs of local refugees for a class assignment. They discovered that those residing in refugee camps were fairly well served in terms of traditional education, but noticed that the education of urban refugees was suffering. “I found that refugee students need an education tailored to their speciic needs, because they are very mobile,” said Rustom, who spent many weekends of his junior year visiting and helping out at Hussein Refugee Camp. Rustom and Samakie decided to help students develop skills to learn by themselves. Rustom came across a Ted Talk by Sugata Mitra. Mitra’s research — that by creating self-organized learning environments, groups of children, no matter what their situation, with access to the internet, can learn almost anything by themselves — inspired Rustom and Samakie to try and implement it in Jordan. “We wanted to create something sustainable, affordable and engaging for both the students and the volunteers teaching them,” said Samakie. “Something that would have an impact on the students’ lives.”

BEYOND KING’S

While Rustom and Samakie prepared themselves to lead the training sessions, Close — currently a student at Duke University — registered Fikra 3al Mashi as an NGO charity in the United States. To secure funding for the project, the trio set up an online fundraising campaign in summer 2015 on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. In under a month, they raised $US 10,000 — half of that donated by Karam Foundation — to support the operational costs of the cause, including internet usage and the purchase of laptops. In June 2015, Samakie, Rustom and Close organized a pilot program in Madaba, the town nearest to King’s Academy, where displaced Iraqi children were being hosted on the grounds of a local church. The weeklong workshop taught the teenage boys basic English, computer skills and internet research skills. Two more pilot courses were held during what Samakie calls their “experimental stage”: a course for traumatized preteen refugee boys and a three-month long course for 40 Syrian, Palestinian and Jordanian girls at a local UNRWA school. Fikra’s current courses — three are scheduled for 2017 — are modelled after the three-month course, which they consider the most successful. What the founders discovered was that as the course progressed the students felt increasingly empowered. “The girls were researching problems within their communities, offering solutions and presenting their issues in English,” Samakie remembers. “We’re talking about girls who barely speak English. They were learning it through their research and using online translation programs.” According to Samakie, who is currently running Fikra with Sara Awad ’17, their purpose as trainers is simply to provide guidance to the students. Modelling their method after how they were taught at King’s, they keep asking the students questions until they come up with their own answers. “It was frustrating for the students because they had never been treated that way at school before,” he said. “It was challenging for us too; last year we were two boys teaching 40 girls!” In October 2016, the global Round Square organization awarded Rustom, Samakie and Close the prestigious Kurt Hahn award. Named after the founder of Round Square, the prize is awarded to students from one of the 162 Round Square schools worldwide “in recognition of an exceptional act of service to others.”

“Many times we had to choose Fikra over school work, because Fikra is the bigger idea, the dream,” said Samakie. “So it’s nice that our work was recognized.” “We were so fortunate to be in an environment where service was cherished,” said Close. “This award should be a reminder to us, King’s, and the greater King’s community to continue to work in the service of others and not ourselves.” Now, three years after the idea for Fikra 3al Mashi was conceived, and as the last founding member prepares to graduate from King’s, the trio are as committed as ever to ensuring that their “baby” remains sustainable, relevant and impactful and continues to evolve to relect the future of education. “Critical thinking, collaboration, research, thinking outside the box and looking at multiple perspectives are the skills needed in today’s world,” explained Samakie. “If we can provide refugees with these skills, they will be able to change their perspective of the situation they are living in.” They are already planning Fikra 3al Mashi’s next steps. “We want to have someone full time on the ground,”

said Rustom, now a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “The irst place we are going to look is among King’s alumni for someone who is interested in taking it on and helping it grow. King’s students will continue to volunteer, but we need King’s alumni to manage it.” “As we graduate from school, the idea of sustainability and keeping things going and maintaining impact becomes increasingly important,” added Rustom, who is coordinating with MIT to regularly send volunteer teachers to work with Fikra (see sidebar). “I am trying to ind the right partnerships to sustain the program and keep people interested and passionate about it.” To ensure continuity of the program for its students, the founders are working on setting up a center that offers both a computer café and a communal space for students to come to after they complete the course. “To keep it sustainable, we want Fikra to have a social enterprise aspect,” explained Samakie. “I would like to open at least one center this year and expand the program into areas that need it most, such as Amman, Zarqa and Mafraq. That’s the plan for now. That would be beyond what I could hope for.” SPRING 2017

What’s next for the founders of Fikra? Sari Samakie ’17 This year, Sari Samakie graduates from King’s. He is going to Georgetown University after which he wants to build a career in humanitarian work. Eventually he plans to move back to Syria and establish a boarding school like King’s. “Fikra 3al Mashi is a life-time commitment. This year I have been researching how to measure the program’s effectiveness and how to make it sustainable and grow in any area of the world affected by a lack of education. This summer I will also be teaching at King’s Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), applying Fikra’s educational ideas to the students.”

Rami Rustom ’16 Rami Rustom is currently enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), double majoring in architecture and computer science, although he says that might change in the next four years! “I’m interested in the future of cities and smart cities. Last year I spent a lot of time working on a design for a refugee housing unit that is modular and could replace tents and permanent settlements so you don’t have a situation where a tented refugee camp turns into a permanent slum.”

William Close ’16 William Close is attending Duke University and plans to double major in Arabic and Political Science. “I stay involved with Fikra by handling any problems that come up with inancials and continue to make sure that we remain a 501(c)3. Fikra and being in Jordan has shaped my life and turned me into the person I am today. Helping others and being immersed in a culture that is so rich and welcoming is something that I can never repay or forget. Currently I am using the Arabic I learned at King’s to tutor Syrian refugees in the area around Durham in English through a studentrun organization at Duke called Injaz.”

BEYOND KING’S

MIT STUDENTS VOLUNTEER WITH FIKRA 3AL MASHI BY MUNA AL-ALUL

n January, four students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) volunteered as teachers with Fikra 3al Mashi.

Fikra co-founder Rami Rustom ’16, who is currently a freshman at MIT, coordinated with the university’s pioneering educational program MISTI, to offer students teaching opportunities in Jordan through King’s and Fikra 3al Mashi. This resulted in MIT students Kristina Schmidt, Megan Fu, Kendrick Manymules and Louis Cammarata coming to Jordan to spend a month teaching Syrian refugees and disadvantaged Jordanian youth living in urban areas. “What really interested me in Fikra is the method they rely on to teach students,” said Cammarata, a graduate student studying statistics and policy. “Fikra had us watch

Sugata Mitra’s Ted Talk about creating self-organized learning environments, which they are trying to implement with the kids.” During the course, in addition to learning basic English, IT and entrepreneurial skills, the refugee students also practiced research methods, discussion and public speaking. They were introduced to learning skills such as basic programming and scientiic methods of testing out hypotheses. Rustom believes that as MIT is a research institution, the volunteer teachers can bring a lot of perspective to this method of learning, and are given the freedom to create their own curriculum. “Fikra is having a real impact on me as a teacher,” said Manymules, who is studying environmental engineering and anthropology. “The

teaching methodology is based on the belief that children are inherently curious, so by fostering that curiosity I’m fostering my own sense of curiosity.” “We had some really fantastic discussions,” said Schmidt, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in political science. We’re not teaching them subjects like math; it’s more about critical thinking and looking at the world around them and dissecting people’s motives, biases and agendas.” “We’re encouraging the students to brainstorm questions and focus their questions, said Megan Fu, a sophomore studying computer science and neuroscience. “You learn a lot more out of asking questions rather than requesting answers.”

SPRING 2017

THE KEY TO SUCCESS ACCORDING TO JEFF BEZOS BY MUNA AL-ALUL

ast fall, King’s Academy excitedly welcomed one of the most prominent speakers it had ever hosted on campus: Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

The billionaire entrepreneur shared with students how he had built one of the most successful e-commerce companies on the planet, talked to them about his passion for pioneering affordable space travel, and explained why he is so optimistic about the future. Bezos established Amazon.com in 1995 after quitting a lucrative job in inance and setting up ofice in his garage in order to target the as yet untapped potential of the internet market. “To start an internet company, you need very little capital,” he said, addressing a full house in the Abdul Majeed Shoman Auditorium. “Two kids in a dorm room can do something great. Take it from me, anything can happen. It’s one step at a time. I started off delivering packages to the post ofice myself, and I dreamed of a time when we could afford a forklift.” Bezos told students that the key was to ind something that they love to do. “Figure out your passion, it will give you direction. It needs to be something that energizes you, not something that steals your energy. Once you identify that, you can build something amazing.” Twenty-one years and a globally successful company later, Bezos says his job is still fun. “I dance into the ofice.” To have a successful business, one should ind where customer dissatisfaction lies and then provide a solution, Bezos said. This was the premise on which he founded Amazon.com, which in its irst month of business received orders from customers in 50 US states and 45 countries. Today, Amazon has over 270 million active customer accounts worldwide.

BEYOND KING’S

Bezos believes that focusing on customers is at the heart of Amazon’s success. “I’m always looking for signs that we take our customers for granted,” said Bezos, who spends two days every two years working at the customer service desk, and requires all Amazon employees to do the same. “We try to keep a culture of inventiveness and long-term thinking, but it’s the focus on the customer which is the most important.” The company continues to outpace its competitors and lead the e-commerce industry. Bezos explained that by being customer-obsessed rather than competitorobsessed, his staff — who number 117,000 worldwide — remain motivated to keep doing better. “The great thing about customers is that they are always dissatisied, so you can always improve! If you are better than your competitors, you might not be motivated to run as far. But customers always want something better, so if you are trying to keep them happy, you’ll go further.” Bezos told students that if there was one take away from their discussion that day, he hoped it was knowing that it is alright to experiment and to fail. “The core of the company now is its culture of customer obsession, willingness to invent, and eagerness to fail. We invented a lot of things that we thought were amazing, but the customers didn’t care. But you can’t do big, bold, experimental things without a gamble. It’s important to be able to fail with no stigma attached,” he said. Asked about the skills that he looks for in his employees, Bezos listed resourcefulness, ingenuity, creating solutions and inventing ways to get around problems as essential. He is careful to look for people who are thoughtful about not taking the easy way out.

“Figure out your passion. Once you identify that, you can build something amazing.”

SPRING 2017

“I need people who think long term, because they realize that things worth doing take time. They do it right because it’s important to them to do it right.” Headmaster John Austin asked Bezos if he thought advances in technology and increasing workplace automation, such as self-driving cars, would result in a jobless future for the current generation. “Automation has opened up the possibility of new careers that previous generations never dreamed of,” Bezos answered. “We need continued progress and activity; we need to keep building. Increasing productivity creates wealth in society. But rapid change can cause problems, so we need to train society to be able to cope with change.” Amazon’s success has also made it possible for Bezos to pursue his life-long interest in space. In 2006 he began investing in Blue Origin, an aerospace company that develops technologies to offer space travel to paying customers.

“To get to space is expensive, and the cost holds back creativity. Blue Origin wants to take on the heavy lifting of the infrastructure costs, to make space travel affordable,” he said. “I want my legacy to be that Blue Origin lowered the cost of access to space, so that the next generation can be creative in space.” Bezos was also asked if Amazon was responsible for disrupting traditional methods of buying, selling and reading books. He admitted it was, but explained that a good entrepreneurial company needs to disrupt the old way of doing things. Bezos noted that customers will inevitably choose new and better ways of doing things. In that way, disruption actually leads to improvements within the industry. “I think we can see that same kind of entrepreneurial dynamism in space now,” he added. “I’m an optimist. If you go back over the centuries, there has never been a better time to be alive. We are living in a world that continues to get better. We should be optimistic about the future.”

BEYOND KING’S

QUIZ How well do you know your King’s Academy history? 1. What colors were initially chosen as the school colors before red, navy blue and gold were adopted? • Teal and silver • Sage and umber • Maroon and gold • Black, crimson and emerald

2. What King’s Academy program was launched in 2006, a year before the school opened? • SEP • AY • Summer at King’s • Fikra 3al Mashi

3. Who was the founding chairman of King’s Academy? • • • •

Karim Kawar Safwan M. Masri Bassem Al Salem David Pond

4. What was the name of Dr. Eric’s cat? • • • •

Zaytoon Mr. Darcy Totoro Olive

5. What other animal was tied with the lion when it came to voting for the school mascot? • Tiger • Hoopoe bird • Oryx • Falcon

6. Who first ever wore the King’s Lion outfit? • • • •

Ms. Julianne Mr. Ryuji Ms. Tourkan Ms. Reem

7. What is the name of area between the Dining Hall and the Student Union called? • Refractory Square • Relection Square • Refectory Square • Dining Hall Courtyard

considered for the school? • Hashemite Academy • Royal Academy • Raghadan Academy • All of the above

1. Sage and umber 2. SEP 3. Safwan M. Masri 4. Totoro 5. Falcon 6. Ms. Julianne 7.Refectory Square 8. All of the above

8. What names, other than King’s Academy, were once

SPRING 2017

TO READ AND TO WRITE, THAT IS THE

MIDDLE SCHOOL BY MUNA AL-ALUL

With the opening of the Middle School in August 2016 came a unique opportunity for King’s Academy to build a new curriculum from the ground up for its seventh and eighth grade students. With Arabic and English in particular, the Middle School is forging a revolutionary way of teaching and learning language. The curriculum is based on awardwinning educator Nancie Atwell’s approach to teaching children to read and write; as Atwell puts it, “how to help kids become skilled, passionate, habitual, critical readers.” 14

BEYOND KING’S

SPRING 2017

Gone are traditional classroom furniture, lessons and the handful of pre-selected books; in their place are comfortable chairs, reading zones, writing workshops and classroom libraries illed with a generous assortment of appealing titles to choose from. Atwell’s approach is to make reading a personal art and to trust children to choose their own books. The reading zone aims to create readers for a lifetime by allowing students to actually enjoy what they are reading and by taking time out of each day for them to sit quietly in class and just read. “The more you do something the better you are going to get at it,” says Dean of the Middle School Reem Abu Rahmeh. “So every day, and on weekends, students spend 30 minutes reading in English and in Arabic. Most kids have read over 20 books; some have read over 50.”

“If I can get the right book into their hands, they are just going to read more and more.” Middle School English teacher Eric Hansen believes this approach is vastly superior to a traditional curriculum where the students would have read at most eight books chosen by him in a year. “The secret to creating both enjoyment and luency is to provide choice and agency,” says Hansen. “So the kids were given a lot of freedom about what books they wanted to read. If I can get the right book into their hands, they are just going to read more and more.” In addition to reading, students have conversations with their teachers about books, give talks to their peers about their favorite books, or write

BEYOND KING’S

letters to friends about the book, author, style, characters, and what they like about it. There are no tests or worksheets, but students keep journals in which they write about what they are reading. In the same vein, writing workshops give students regular chunks of time to write and the possibility to choose their own topics to write about. Teachers keep close tabs on their work and provide one-on-one feedback during the writing process, in addition to mini-lessons that teach the whole class the mechanics of writing. “One of the great strengths of this model is that reading and writing go hand in hand because students are learning from the reading what they can use in their own writing,” says Hansen. “In that way, the literary devices that I teach have more value.”

The students are reading so much, according to Abu Rahmeh, that they are building a library of thoughts, ideas and literary styles in their minds that inspire them to write. In the process of writing, however, they struggle with things like punctuation and grammar and that’s when teachers give them a minilesson on those subjects. Students get the same skills they would get in a traditional school, but they have greater meaning and students remember the lessons better as they are a part of their own work that they actually care about, not just something that they are required to do. “It’s a problem-based approach,” Abu Rahmeh explains. “Otherwise they are just memorizing and they don’t know what to do with it.” The small classes of the Middle School – on average 16 students to a class – allow teachers to dedicate individual time to each student. After spending half an hour quietly

“It really is a different fundamental model of teaching, and I think it’s better for 21st century teaching.” reading, students are given the opportunity to work on their writing. During this time, the teacher will call up students individually for a private writing conference to address areas where they are struggling. This process results in instruction that allows for much more differentiation than traditional classrooms. “In reading and writing workshops, differentiation is built in,” says Middle School Arabic teacher Hanan Al Bqour. “I have books in my classroom library for beginners, books that are “just right” and ones that are more dificult, so students can read at their own pace or challenge themselves. We don’t want to separate them into different classes; by mixing different levels together they learn from one another and it’s the best way for them to improve.” To Abu Rahmeh, one of the biggest surprises was how well students responded to this new approach in their Arabic classes. “They actually love reading in Arabic now the same way they do in English,” she says. “At the start of the year, some students didn’t want to read in Arabic at all, or even if they wanted to they said they couldn’t ind anything that interested them,” says Al Bqour. “I tried to ind every book in Arabic suitable for this age group, and then illed the gaps with books from other languages and countries translated into Arabic.”

“Students coming to King’s who struggle with English or Arabic really beneit from the Middle School approach, and are better prepared for Upper School, having really digested the ability to read and think deeply,” says Hansen. “It really is a different fundamental model of teaching, and I think it’s better for 21st century teaching.”

parties” where their work is printed out and shared with the class.

Although Middle Schoolers may seem chaotic on the outside, they thrive on structure and routine, says Hansen. He explains that the workshop model provides the structure they need as well as the freedom to produce their best work. Middle Schoolers are also social creatures who are highly motivated by the opinion of their peers, he says, which is why every couple of weeks they hold “publication

What is equally impressive is that the students are not learning for the sake of grades, in fact, there is no traditional grading system in the Middle School; instead they use a “mastery” transcript to track students’ progress.

“Peer motivation has been really powerful,” says Hansen. “It’s been sort of a tide that lifts all the boats in the room. If they know the whole class will be looking at their work, they are a lot more concerned about making it as perfect as possible.”

at the beginning of the year and now they are stringing together long complex sentences in coherent paragraphs.” Al Bqour adds: “Everyone is capable of producing great work, it just depends on the way they are taught. This kind of learning exposes talents students never knew they had.

Reaching this stage, of really enjoying and wanting to read and write for the journey of it, is wonderful to see.”

“There has been enormous growth since the start of the year,” says Hansen. We have students who struggled to create simple sentences

SPRING 2017

BEYOND KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

Photo by Ala Hamdan

WHEN STUDENTS DO THE TEACHING 88 KEYS: A CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY AND MUSIC BY MUNA AL-ALUL

From the irst poignant notes of Kiyoshi Yoshida’s “Big Fish and Begonia” on opening night, to a inal stirring performance of Frédéric Chopin’s “Fantaisie-Impromptu op.66 C-sharp minor” two weeks later, the second annual 88 Keys Piano Festival delivered on its promise to celebrate the “emperor of instruments: the piano.” Named for the 88 black and white keys of the piano, the festival provided 93 King’s students — up from 50 students last year — with the opportunity to perform for their family, friends and teachers. On nine different February nights, the festival’s performers — who also included 10 faculty and two guest pianists — demonstrated a range of experience from just two months to an impressive 25 years.

SPRING 2017

According to history and Chinese teacher Wen Yu Ho, an accomplished musician who came up with the idea of 88 Keys, the festival showcases King’s pianists while allowing the community to learn from one another. One of the remarkable things about 88 Keys was the number of performers who had never played a note on the piano before learning to take part in the festival; this year they numbered 35. Also remarkable is that these students received tutelage not from music teachers, but from piano-playing students. “Students teaching students is the most powerful part of the program,” said Ho, who was seconded by Ghadeer Abeidoh and Rania Ejeilat, Jordanian pianists who gave instruction to students at two master classes. “Students teaching other students encourages them to communicate better and explore the differences and variety in music, especially when it’s with someone the same age that they resonate with,” said Abeidoh. The student-teachers found the experience of instructing their peers enjoyable, but it also challenged them in ways they hadn’t expected. A student of piano for the past seven years, Kareem Fanous ’20 didn’t hesitate when asked to teach three other students, but admitted he had forgotten what it was like to be a beginner. “I forgot what I was like when I irst started. It’s hard to press the keys, I didn’t expect their hands to be that weak,” he laughed. Letong Qian ’20 has been playing the piano for 11 years and instructed no fewer than four of his fellow students for the festival. His pride in his pupils’ progress warred with nerves about their performance. “They are impressive and amazing as beginners, they are such hard workers,” Qian said. At the end of the day, however, he just wants them to play for “fun and joy.” Teaching proved to be a valuable lesson in itself, as the student-teachers found themselves learning new skills such as how to read different people and give instruction targeted to their individual needs. Teaching “takes you out of your comfort zone but is really fun,” said Dina Kuttab ’17 who has been studying piano for seven years, but says she was always too shy to perform herself until 88 Keys. Kuttab had also never taught anyone before. The experience of teaching two friends, she said, proved to be an interesting one. “My students were maybe a bit 20

BEYOND KING’S

too excited because they kept picking pieces that were too dificult,” she said. “They know what the music is supposed to sound like, so when they played it and it didn’t sound the same they got frustrated. We had to work on simplifying it and making it fun.” Meanwhile, for students learning how to play and perform for the irst time, 88 Keys was a unique opportunity to do something they had either never considered before, or had always wanted to try. Some students used the opportunity to challenge themselves, while others just wanted to have a little fun. Kexin Huang ’18 has been playing the violin for three years, but when she was young it was really the piano that she wanted to learn. 88 Keys gave her a chance to do that. “It was good having a student teach me because we could talk and communicate easier as friends,” said Huang who performed a four-handed piece with a fellow beginner.

“It was good having a student teach me because we could talk and communicate easier as friends.” Rafé Zoubi ’18 has also always wanted to play the piano. “What I like about 88 Keys is that I don’t need to worry about meeting certain expectations, I learn because I want to,” he said. “We learn quickly because students know better how students learn.” “It’s a lot more dificult than I thought it was going to be,” said Abigail Smith ’17 who began to learn how to play the piano after signing up for 88 Keys this year. “My friend taught me so it was this interesting dynamic because we’re not on equal playing ields like we usually are, but she is so supportive.” With over 100 performers, six concerts, two master classes and a recital, this year’s 88 Keys Festival was not only a triumphant celebration of the piano and the diversity of music spanning genres from Bach inventions to ilm music numbers, it was also a celebration of community, of learning and a shared passion for the joy of making music. “I went to ive different concerts during last year’s 88 Keys and I loved that it was such a community event,” said Smith. “There were so many people you would never think would learn piano. I wanted to be a part of this big musical experience and give it my best effort.”

THE PULL OF JORDAN THREE INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI COME BACK FOR MORE ARABIC, MORE MIDDLE EAST

BY LEEN HAJJAR t seems that Korean Jin Seul Jun ’13, and Americans Josh Claxton ’14 and Whitney Anderson ’16 can’t get enough of Jordan. While at King’s, the three alumni developed a passion for the Middle East and the Arabic language, which led them to take a break from their universities in the United States and return to Jordan this past year to improve their Arabic and to make new memories in the country they consider their second home.

Claxton believes that his current interest in Arabic and Middle Eastern politics were fostered during his year at King’s, where he was enrolled in the Arabic Year program. It was also his experience at King’s that spurred him to return to Jordan.

All three alumni enrolled in study abroad programs in Jordan where they spent a semester savoring the opportunity of meeting local students and engaging in conversations held completely in Arabic, while gaining a deeper understanding of the country, its people and culture.

Before coming to King’s in 2013 as a sophomore also enrolled in the Arabic Year, Whitney Anderson ’16 had never traveled outside the United States and knew little about the Middle East. She soon developed a strong interest in Arabic and an admiration for the region and its people. So much did she enjoy her experience that she decided to remain for two additional years and to graduate from King’s.

Both currently Middlebury College students, Claxton and Jun enrolled in a four-month program at the University of Jordan, which included political, social, and economic courses, as well as Arabic fus-ha (formal) and colloquial speaking classes. The program required them to live with Jordanian families, further immersing them in local traditions and experiences. Since graduating in 2013, Jun says she has often thought about her King’s Academy experiences, especially the sense of family, security and belonging that King’s and Jordan imparted. “During my time at King’s, I always felt like I lived in a safe environment that inspired me to think, question and wonder,” Jun said. “For this reason, I wanted to come back and gain whatever new experience I could in Jordan.”

“If I didn’t come to King’s, I wouldn’t be studying Arabic and I wouldn’t be this interested in the Middle East, so I felt like I owed it to Jordan to return,” Claxton said.

For her study abroad program, Anderson, who is majoring in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies at Brigham Young University, enrolled at Qasid, a wellknown language institute in Jordan. During the fourmonth program, she worked on further developing those Arabic writing, discussion and presentation skills she’d irst started to acquire as a King’s student. Having lived in Jordan for three years, Anderson wants to remain connected to the region and plans on pursuing future internships or volunteer opportunities. “I believe that for me to truly understand the Middle East, its people and culture, I need to fully know the Arabic language,” she said.

SPRING 2017

BEYOND KING’S

The Clock Tower by Lynne Khouri ’18

MEMOIRS OF A FOUNDING

HEADMASTER O

n the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the school’s opening, King’s Academy has published a book by Founding Headmaster Eric Widmer that brings to life those heady early days in the history of King’s. Here are a couple of excerpts to whet the appetite and unleash the nostalgia.

From Chapter 2: The King’s visit to Deerield The next morning (or three hours later) the house was suddenly alive again, with the business of getting ready for Commencement, the academic procession to start off promptly at 9 a.m. Along with Meera and I, His Majesty was soon downstairs and said he hoped we could have breakfast together with David Pond, just the four of us. Of course, we agreed. And that was when he began to tell us about his thought of building a school in Jordan for which Deerield would be the prototype. He said that it had actually been a recurring idea ever since his own Deerield years, not needing to add that to make such an ambitious plan materialize it certainly helped to be king. All I could think of by way of responding was to say that it seemed like a terriic idea; at which point His Majesty interjected: “No one could do this all by himself.

Would you be willing to consult along the way?” To which our reply was of course a yes. How little did we realize at the time where this narrative would lead in the years ahead! His Majesty gave a rousing speech at Commencement, amid so much excitement just to see him there. Afterwards, I escorted the king, prince, and princesses back to their helicopters for the beginning of their return to Jordan. As King Abdullah and I said good-bye to one another, it was with the sense – at least on my part but perhaps on his as well – that destiny had indeed brought us together, and that the idea that underlay our meeting at breakfast that morning would, before long, ind us seeing one another again, and again.

From Chapter 8: Starting up and hitting our stride As opening day approached, we rehearsed the Deerield paradigm to our satisfaction. We even became convinced that this would be the key to the general reconciliation of King’s Academy to the Deerield model. Of course our assumption soon collapsed amid the reality of an effervescent student body, happily intent upon adapting to their new environment — to their dining hall, and their school — in their way. It’s not to say that there was no comparability with Deerield. We did indeed have the seated lunch, and irst and second waiters, and announcements. And yes, the whole school was there partaking of the midday meal, all together in one room. But anyone from Deerield, and there were a fair number of us, observing a King’s Academy lunch in September 2007 would surely conclude that it was the most rambunctious exhibition of supposedly mannerly

dining imaginable: coming and going at will, jackets on, jackets off — no matter, shirt tails out, noise insufferable, acoustics impossible, lunch inished in half the allotted time. And yet — and yet there was something about it that brought a smile to my face. And when His Majesty came to dine with us, he smiled as well. I think we all smiled. Here was our school up and running at last. Beneath the turbulence we could sense the special spirit of King’s Academy beginning to express itself. And before long we found ourselves hoping that, if anything, such spirit would not be stiled over time, that lunchtime at King’s would always remind us of that moment when we opened the doors to the school, as well as to the Dining Hall, and we knew we were off and on our own.

SPRING 2017

KING’S QUIRKY CO-COS

o-curriculars: also known as cocos. Love them or loathe them, these afterschool activities are an important part of school life. By exploring options beyond the classroom, students expand their interests and gain experience in areas such as service, leadership, civic engagement, athletics and the arts. Over 50 different co-curricular activities are on offer any given term to appeal to the varied interests of the student population. This year, more students than ever are taking the initiative to propose and lead activities they are passionate about. Here we highlight some of our favorite fun and creative co-cos seen around campus.

SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKEUP Whether on a movie set or for Halloween, the out-of-this-world makeup skills of these students are sure to be in high demand. This co-curricular starts with students conceptually analyzing and designing science iction and fantasy characters, before developing their chosen characters through sketches and drawing complex designs. They learn how to cast molds of their own faces and then sculpt and shape silicone prosthetics applied to their faces before inally painting to make their characters come to life.

STREET ART Despite its name, no art skills are required in the Street Art co-co. Their motto is “everyone is creative” and pretty much anything goes, as long as you’re enjoying yourself. Students work individually or in groups, and use art supplies as well as reuse and recycle random materials found around campus to create their art work which includes furniture, sculptures and even shoes! What started out as a community service project — each term Street Art students also help paint and beautify a local school — has turned into a form of artistic expression. 24

BEYOND KING’S

FENCING Fencing is one of King’s many sporty co-curriculars. What is unique about fencing is that it provides both a physical and mental challenge as students concentrate on technique and strategy. Rapid footwork and thrusting provides Fencing students with a high-impact aerobic workout while building stamina, strength and coordination. Fencing evens the playing ield: it doesn’t matter what your size, age or gender is, in this sport only skill matters.

LIVE ACTION ROLE-PLAYING (LARP) During live action role-playing (LARP), students create ictional characters within a fantasy world and physically act out their characters’ actions and pursue goals while interacting with each other in character. During the LARP co-co, students work on creating their fantasy world and characters’ backstories before embarking on a quest. Immersed in this mythical world, players must ind clues and undertake tasks to complete their mission. Who knew that you could wander into the realm of the dwarves or explore an abandoned castle on campus?! And if you were wondering why a group of students in costume keep calling you a cat as they run past with swords in hand, now you know…they’re LARPing!

JEWELRY MAKING This co-curricular focuses on expressing individual style through the creation of statement jewelry pieces. Taking inspiration from the world around them, students decide as a group on what materials they need to procure and then work on designing and creating their own beaded fashion statements.

MOSAICS Jordan, and in particular King’s hometown of Madaba, is famous for its mosaics. It’s in Madaba that centuries-old masterpieces like the map of the Holy Land in the Church of St. George can be seen. As a result, mosaics have become part of the fabric of King’s Academy; traditionally each graduating class gifts the school with a large mosaic which is embedded into the walkways of the school. In this co-co, a mosaic artisan guides students through the ancient art of creating mosaics using traditional methods and natural stone. SPRING 2017

THE EVOLUTION OF THE JORDAN MODEL PARLIAMENT BY MUNA AL-ALUL 26

BEYOND KING’S

t started in 2013 as a small forum on the sidelines of the annual Model United Nations (MUN) conference at King’s Academy, during which 19 students gathered to discuss, in Arabic, hard-hitting topics speciic to Jordanian society. It proved so popular that two years later a stand-alone conference was organized, conducted completely in classical Arabic (fus-ha), and with that, the Jordan Model Parliament (JMP) was born.

Over 100 students took part in the inaugural JMP, where for two days student delegates from 15 public and private schools participated in eight simulated forums. In lieu of countries, students represented the 12 governorates in Jordan, and debated selected topics before laboring over solutions to pertinent Jordanian issues. The conference was led and run by students. King’s second JMP conference took place in 2016, this time with around 300 participants including delegates from 12 public and eight private schools across the kingdom. The number of interactive forums increased to 12, dealing with Human Rights, Environment, Economics, Law, National Security, Foreign Policy and Education. MUN conference staples included Arab

League, Security Council, Crisis Committee and the General Assembly while the World Bank and Ministers Cabinet forums were introduced for the irst time. Delegates discussed hard-hitting topics such as tribal conlicts, the Israeli-Palestinian conlict, freedom of the press, women’s rights, the Syrian crisis and refugee rights, the Arab Spring, the threat of ISIS, the Tawjihi system and solar energy in Jordan. With the opening of the Middle School at King’s in 2016, the JMP Secretariat proposed extending the JMP concept to the Middle School. Soon afterward, some 85 students from Jordanian public and private schools joined forces in November at the irst Jordan Model Parliament (JMP) Middle School Conference. Designed for a younger audience, the Middle School conference incorporated more interactive activities and fewer debate and writing sessions, instead focusing on teaching skills needed for the conference. “Seniors are doing a great job preparing the younger students to take the lead next year,” said JMP SecretaryGeneral Amr Almghawish ’17, who also taught the Middle School JMP workshop this year.

What motivated them, he said, was one of the school’s core guiding principles: “Students will learn that they are stewards of what they receive and that it is their responsibility to pass on this stewardship to others, such as younger students and the community as a whole.” Fast forward to 2017 and JMP continues to go from strength to strength. Upper School students joined the JMP co-curricular activity to prepare for the conference. Over 115 students signed up for JMP — up from just 25 the year before — making it oficially the largest cocurricular on campus. “Students are interested in JMP because it is a way to apply and work towards His Majesty King Abdullah II’s vision,” said Almghawish. “In order to create positive change, we need to start with the youth of our country because they are the ones who will go on to become its future leaders.” Conducting JMP in Arabic has actually been a draw for many students who see the activity as an opportunity to express themselves in their own language, in an otherwise English-speaking school.

SPRING 2017

“All other school conferences in Jordan are in English, so having one in Arabic makes the conference unique,” said Almghawish. “It reminds us that we need to solve our problems in our own language and embrace our identity.” “The fact that it is in Arabic, our mother tongue, helped me connect more with my community and country,” said Dina Dawood ’20, a JMP delegate who represented Irbid Governorate at the conference. International students too have jumped at the chance to immerse themselves in an activity where they can learn more about Jordan, be part of something that is stimulating change in Jordanian society and pick up some Arabic words and phrases in the process. Although not proicient enough in Arabic to participate as delegates, they can be involved as organizers, photographers and volunteers. “Speaking strictly in Arabic during JMP helped improve my grammar and vocabulary a lot,” said JMP Head of Staff and Planning Abboud Hassan ’18, who grew up in the United States. “I used to get lost talking to students from all over Jordan who sometimes had different accents. Now that I’ve had more exposure, I ind it easier to understand and talk with people.” Almghawish explained that in order to give all students an equal opportunity to take part in JMP, no matter their level of Arabic, this year an English-language forum was introduced that enabled non-Arabic speakers to get a better understanding of Jordanian society and key local issues. “When international students come to a new country they want to learn about its culture, and how it works and its politics; they want to meet its people,” said Almghawish. “They get to meet people at the JMP conference they never met before because of the diversity of students taking part from across the country.” “I joined JMP to learn about this country I’m living in for four years,” said Chinese student Zhiwei Lin ’19. “At school we are in a bubble; JMP is our access to connect with the real Jordan and real Jordanians.” “It’s interesting to hear people arguing when they get passionate about a topic,” she added. “It gives me a sense of the strong emotions they have on these issues.” While King’s has always conducted training sessions for students from participating schools ahead of upcoming JMP conferences, this year they kicked it up a notch and held training for teachers too, to enable them to reach and prepare more students. Four sessions for 80 schools took place, helping to spread the JMP message 28

BEYOND KING’S

far and wide and educate students around Jordan about the issues their country faces, in addition to ensuring all delegates are on an equal footing when they take part. Jordan Model Parliament 2017 was the largest conference yet. The Secretariat doubled in number to cope with the work load, and over 500 students representing 80 schools across the country converged on the King’s Academy campus to participate in 19 forums including new ones on Technology and Communications, Arts and Culture and the Court of Justice.

“In order to create positive change, we need to start with the youth of our country because they are the ones who will go on to become its future leaders.” “The nice thing is we get to communicate with people from different places who have different perspectives,” Dawood said. “We see their points of view and share ours, which helps to shape our arguments and create resolutions.” Over the past four years, the Jordan Model Parliament has evolved from a small workshop to the biggest cocurricular activity on campus and one of the most eagerly anticipated interscholastic events nationwide. Its success lies in its mission, which mirrors that of His Majesty King Abdullah II: to empower young leaders to drive change within and beyond their communities, to think for themselves, and to discover that the differences between us enrich our experiences and broaden our horizons.

VLOGGER LAILA HZAINEH ’16

MEETS SEXISM HEAD ON BY LEEN HAJJAR warthmore College freshman Laila Hzaineh ’16 is using video blogs to empower Arab women and challenge societal norms in the Middle East. Since she began vlogging in November 2016, the Palestinian-Jordanian feminist has gained some 7,000 Facebook followers.

Hzaineh quickly became an internet sensation after she launched her irst vlog in response to a video posted by a man on Facebook titled, “One of the reasons for harassment is what girls wear.” Hzaineh shot back in a vlog that garnered the attention of people across the globe, reaching over 76,000 views. “I never planned on becoming a vlogger, but when I watched the man’s video I got really angry. I felt like I needed to do something about what he was saying, so I chose to record a video that very same second,” she said. In her video, Hzaineh countered the man’s comments, slammed those who justify harassment and argued that it was repulsive for people to use women’s manner of dress as an excuse for harassing them. She went on to say that women are entitled to dress as they please and should not be obliged to live their lives according to the preferences of men. Since then, Hzaineh has continued to post videos about issues many Arab women face including sexism, domestic violence and virginity testing.

“My goal is to be a voice for Arab women and help other women become more conident to speak up,” said Hzaineh. “My videos allow me to share my views and encourage women to know and defend their rights.” “I get messages from women as young as 16 years old telling me that I gave them the courage to speak up and they now feel empowered to express their views because they know they aren’t alone,” she said.

Her powerful statements and fearless attitude, however, have also made her a target for online criticism. Many people have told Hzaineh to “shut up because you don’t know what you’re talking about.” She has also received threats from men who oppose her views. “Self-oppression and ignorance have taken over the mindsets of many people; many women are also conditioned to think a certain way because they don’t know their true rights,” said Hzaineh. “For example, some women think it is okay for their husbands to hit them because that’s what they’ve always been told, so they instantly attack any opposing view that disagrees with their beliefs,” she added. Key to changing people’s perspectives is education, according to Hzaineh. Sexism and harassment are common in Arab society because many people are illinformed about these matters, thus, awareness needs to increase for people’s mentalities to change, she added. In the future, Hzaineh plans to further expand her vlogs and highlight the history of feminism in the Middle East. “Many Arabs view feminism as a western invention that goes against our values, but feminism is not exclusive to the west,” said Hzaineh. “I’m planning on creating a video to address this matter and talk about the history of Middle Eastern and non-western feminism.” Many people in the Middle East reject feminism due to its ‘western’ appeal, explained Hzaineh. “We need to know that feminism is not exclusively western to be able to accept it; the change must come from within.” SPRING 2017

Mountaineer Mostafa Salameh inspires students to dream big

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

BY MUNA AL-ALUL

BEYOND KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

ow many of you have a dream? How many of you believe you will achieve your dream? Let me tell you, nothing is impossible!” This was how adventurer Mostafa Salameh began his rousing speech at the irst special assembly of the academic year that took place in the Abdul Majeed Shoman Auditorium last fall.

“H

physically and mentally. Look after your body and make sure there are no doubts in your mind.” In addition to education, Salameh told students that teamwork is essential to achieving goals.

“Without the Sherpa guides I would never have made it to the top of Everest,” he said. “No one can make it without teamwork. Teamwork starts at home with your Salameh is the irst Jordanian, irst Arab and one of only 13 mom and dad, brother and sister, it starts with your people in the world to ever climb the Seven Summits - the school and your teachers and colleagues. The reward highest mountains on each continent - and conquer both is so much better when you do something as a team.” the South Pole and the North Pole. Surprisingly, mountain climbing had never been a dream of Salameh’s. That is, Salameh went on to climb Mt. Everest. Forced to turn until he had an actual dream in which he saw himself back because of illness during his irst two attempts, he inally achieved his goal on the third try, becoming the praying for peace on top of the world’s highest peak. irst Jordanian to make it to the top of Everest on May As one of 10 children born and raised in Jordan’s Palestinian 25, 2008, Jordan’s Independence Day. Upon his return, refugee camp, Al Wehdat, Salameh’s irst dream, to Salameh was awarded the Independence Medal by HM attend university, seemed out of reach. Demonstrating King Abdullah II. He went on to climb all seven of the his now characteristic determination, however, Salameh highest mountains in the world. started working as a waiter, taught himself English, and worked his way through hotel management school while Not content to stop there, Salameh decided to trek supporting his family. From there, he quickly rose through to the North and the South Poles. This new challenge the ranks of the hospitality industry to become assistant required that he learn a whole new set of skills, such as general manager of a ive-star hotel. His next goal was skiing, which he had never done before. to travel the world, and that is when he dreamed of the mountain. Following this calling would change the course of Salameh’s life. Salameh admits that when he irst started out, he knew nothing about climbing, was not athletic and wasn’t even sure where Mt. Everest was. Education and preparation he believes are crucial to achieving a goal, so he concentrated on educating himself about everything and practiced climbing smaller mountains, at the same time drumming up support for his irst attempt to climb Mt. Everest. Eventually attracting the attention of His Majesty King Abdullah II and the Royal Court, Salameh was issued a challenge. If he could irst summit Mt. Denali, North America’s highest mountain, they would support his Mt. Everest expedition.

“You need to ind out what your Everest is, and ind out how to achieve it.”

Equaling his passion for mountaineering and trekking to the Poles is Salameh’s passion for giving back to his country and supporting his community. He started a number of charitable initiatives including ‘Lowest Point to Highest Point for Cancer’ where he and a team of 20 Jordanians climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and raised two “How I ended up standing at the top of North America I million dollars. have no idea,” Salameh said. “But I knew this would be a turning point for the rest of my life. I climbed it, and the These days, Salameh is excited to be working on outdoor sponsorships started coming.” education initiatives, through which he hopes to raise awareness about the importance of outdoor activities Although Salameh described his irst major expedition as for youth. This year, his book Dreams of a Refugee was “terrible” due to lack of experience, he learned valuable also published. lessons that served him in future expeditions. Salameh ended his talk by reminding students to never “I take lots of risks, but I take calculated risks. I train so give up. “I failed the irst time and the second time, but I well. I learn about everything I need to know, I read all knew in my soul and my mind that I was going to reach the books. I study everything before I go, so there are no the top of Mt. Everest. You need to ind out what your surprises,” Salameh said. “You need to be prepared both Everest is, and ind out how to achieve it.”

SPRING 2017

REFLECTIONS OF AN TH AMERICAN 9 GRADER Brady Pattee, of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, joined King’s Academy as a freshman in 2016. She had previously attended Journeys School, and independant school in Wyoming. This is her irst time at a boarding school and the irst time she’s so far away from her family. Why King’s My dad was a big inluence on my dreaming of going to boarding school. When he took us to Jordan and we saw King’s Academy, it felt like home. I felt comfortable and I knew I wanted to be there. King’s Academy is different — there are so many countries, beliefs, and religions all together and nobody treats each other differently. We are all just high school students and it shows. Arriving at King’s When I irst came to King’s Academy, I could instantly see that everyone had butterlies in their stomach. There were seniors who had the school in the palm of their hands, and then there was me and I didn’t know anybody. But everyone at King’s was welcoming and I quickly made friends who I am still close with. I met some girls the irst day who helped me around throughout the beginning blur until I was able to do it on my own. There were many sophomores who took me under their wing and I will always remember that and will try to do that for the freshmen next year. First impressions My irst impression of King’s is that it is a very welcoming community, with lots of happy kids and teachers. People smile at you when you see them around campus and even if I don’t know them we say hi. It’s like all of us belong no matter what. King’s Academy is a huge family. It’s small enough to feel comfortable but big enough that I feel like there are still more kids I can meet. 32

BEYOND KING’S

Day 1

We are all the same at 14

My irst day at King’s was scary. I didn’t know anybody. I was terriied to be so far away from home. I wasn’t scared of being hurt (like most Americans would think) but I was instead just scared of leaving home. At lunch, so many people made it a point to come up to me to tell me that I was so brave. It happened about ive times before I looked at my mom and whispered: “why are they saying I’m brave but not to anyone else?” I got scared thinking maybe it wasn’t safe. She asked me to go outside because I couldn’t stop the little tears and she knew I’d be embarrassed at my table with my advisor, but that was hard because then all the action happened outside. I had lots of people looking at me and then my mom could tell I was upset so she started to cry. It was funny that we were trying not to cry and strangers were trying to be helpful but all we wanted was two minutes to catch our breath. I was ine up until that moment and would have been okay if people didn’t keep telling me I was so brave. I didn’t think of it that way. I just thought of this as going to boarding school, like in all my dreams. This one girl I had met for about three seconds came up to me and gave me a hug. I instantly felt better and didn’t cry again. The irst night was also tough, I got a little sad when I called my mom and then the wii went out. Then I remembered that I was going to meet my teachers and more people the next day and that there would be activities and fun things to do.

The most surprising things to my family and friends back in the States is how easy it is to make friends and how nice everyone is, and that the kids don’t talk politics or care about your religion or your inancial status. They might be surprised that my two best friends are from Kuwait and Gaza. I ind that we are all the same at 14 no matter where we grow up. We like similar things like music or talk about fashion or boys. I think it would be pretty much the same kind of hangout I’d do if it was a school in the US. I am also quickly learning Arabic, who knew? And funny enough, even though I have been doing my laundry for months, I still can’t do it right. Ha! But they’d be shocked that I do all of this on my own. Some of my friends are at boarding schools in the US but they are not on their own like I am — they have their parents come see them all the time, they send their laundry out, they leave campus a lot. I also haven’t seen my brother in 14 weeks and that was so hard. The time change makes it hard because I can’t facetime him that often.

“When I came to Jordan and when I came to King’s more speciically, everyone said ‘welcome’ to me and it felt like they really wanted me to be there.”

Advice for newcomers Breathe. You have to remember to breathe. It is a whirlwind and everything happens so fast and it can be scary but if you relax and breathe and have fun, everything will be better than you could imagine. And write it down because you think you will remember it all but you forget. There are so many funny moments and it has gone way too fast. 34

BEYOND KING’S

Friends My closest friends are Yara who is from Kuwait and Lian who is from Gaza. I always go to the gallery to play music with Yara but then I ride horses and play soccer with Lian. On the weekends, I would usually do the fun activity or Friday Night Lights, which I love. You can most likely ind me hanging out and playing soccer with some of the boys from Saudi Arabia funnily enough. Being a full boarder has helped me expand my friendships around the school. I want to do all of the activities because they are never the same people and it doesn’t matter. Everyone is easy to hang out with. Of course I want Yara or Lian or someone to go with me but if they can’t then I still go.

The power of words At convocation, Dr. John gave a speech about the power of words. Afterwards, I started to think about the word “welcome.” It is a powerful word. When I came to Jordan and when I came to King’s more speciically, everyone said ‘welcome’ to me and it felt like they really wanted me to be there. People in America don’t randomly say ‘welcome’ to strangers on the street or I realized we don’t say that to people who come to our house. We say hi or come in but that isn’t the same feeling for the person. I never thought of that word as very important until that speech made me think of what words have power. I now think the word “welcome” is possibly the most powerful and simple word that everyone should use every day. That word, that one simple word, changed my entire point of view on the Middle East and I am so glad it did.

KING’S RAPPER:

TALAL SISALEM ’13 FORGES A PATH TO RAP STARDOM BY LEEN HAJJAR ince he was a young boy, Palestinian native Talal Sisalem ’13 had one goal: to share his music with the world. Now, at 21 years of age, this King’s Academy alumnus is making his dream a reality. A senior at Brigham Young University, Sisalem is determined to make his mark in the industry; he has recorded his own rap videos, using music as his way of inluencing positive social change and peace-building efforts in the Middle East. Earlier this year, he spoke with the Department of Communications and Publications about his musical journey and hopes for the future.

Where did you get your inspiration to create music? The plight of my people in Gaza inspires me every day. I’ve never been to Gaza because I’m not allowed to go; being deprived from seeing my homeland fed a lot into the inspiration behind my music. As a child, my grandparents told me stories about Gaza and I constantly saw photos of the situation on the news, so I’ve been very attached to the struggle of the Palestinian people my entire life. This instilled within me a passion to do something, and when I irst started writing music, I wrote about Palestine and the political issues surrounding the conlict. How and when did you start writing songs? I began writing when I was around six years old – initially poems. I was particularly good at writing and people around me such as my mom and school teachers encouraged me to pursue this talent. During my teen years, I developed an interest in rap music, so I decided to combine my passion for writing with music and transitioned from writing poetry to rap. What are some of your favorite lyrics you’ve written? “Don’t be stuck in a cave of this human condition, of glorifying the peripheral and skewing your vision. All you have to do is try for you to achieve, and all you have to do to try, is to believe. You can accomplish what you can conceive, but you must open up your eyes before you can see.” Did King’s help nurture your passion for music? King’s deinitely helped me; it provided me with a platform to share my talent with my fellow students and teachers, which prepared me for future performances and enabled me to learn to express myself to big audiences. I was even given the freedom to start and lead my own extracurricular activity which combined music composition and dance choreography. All in all, King’s encourages students to think outside the box and strive for excellence, both things that are necessary for a successful career in music (or any other ield!).

What advice would you give to up-and-coming musicians? Just focus on your passion. Many people will try to convince you otherwise and turn you away from your path, but you must be resilient and have faith in yourself and your abilities. If everyone followed the same path, the world would be void of breakthroughs and discoveries. So whether it’s music or anything else, follow your heart and work hard at what you truly love. Why did you decide to create music videos? I wanted to share my art with my friends and family and, ultimately, the world. I’ve been making music for a long time and I’m inally at the stage where I feel eager and conident to share it with everyone! Are you working on any other music projects now? Yes, I am always working on music. I’m working on my debut LP which will be released in 2017 and I’ll have several music videos to go with it as well! My aim is to always keep growing and improving so that my next projects hopefully outdo my previous ones. Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years? I hope one day to reach a platform where I’m able to inluence positive social change, and to contribute to peace-building efforts in the Middle East. Music is just one tool that God gave me to able to reach that goal. I also hope to keep inspiring people with my music and make a living doing what I love.

READ ALL ABOUT IT! THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PUBLISHES ITS OWN NEWSPAPER BY MUNA AL-ALUL

he Middle School newspaper Wasat, which translates to ‘middle’ in Arabic, is giving a voice to grade 7 and 8 students at King’s Academy. As the school’s irst cohort of Middle Schoolers, they feel that they have a lot to live up to. Not least in response to the much debated article “Does King’s need a Middle School?” published last year in The Rexonian, the Upper School newspaper.

Wasat is produced by students taking Publications as an afterschool Engage activity. Engage is the Middle School’s answer to cocurriculars. According to English teacher Eric Hansen, who is leading the activity, Publications aims to extend the writing skills that students practice in English class by providing an authentic topic and purpose. It also aims to foster a culture of literacy in the Middle School, where students are reading and writing all the time, not just for assignments.

BEYOND KING’S

“This authentic, real world writing teaches and enforces grammar better than any workbook ever could,” said Hansen. “When it is an article that you know all the teachers and students are going to see, it matters.”

Although the budding journalists embraced the different tasks required to produce the newspaper, they did face some challenges. Most daunting, they agreed, was approaching people for an interview.

The newspaper aims to strike a balance between tackling real issues, some fun and some serious, while giving students a reason to read the newspaper. The students decide on topics that they think their peers would ind interesting. This has resulted in some unusual ideas for the paper, but Hansen is impressed with his students.

“I was shy in the beginning, but with experience I’m gaining conidence and getting better at interviewing. We learned how to ask good questions, open and closed,” said Angelina Abuhilal ’22. “We discovered how a simple question can lead to a great answer.”

“They are tackling the purpose of a Middle School at King’s, why it exists and how it is different to the Upper School. They want to talk about deep learning,” Hansen explains. The activity is ideal for students looking for a creative outlet and who love writing. Students learn to investigate stories, conduct interviews and take photos. They also learn that they have a responsibility as journalists to tell the truth, not to manipulate the information they receive just to get the story they want, nor to interject their opinion into an article.

Aman Serhan ’22 agreed that you need conidence to interview someone. “You have to go out and be a bit nosy to get the information you need, and not get frustrated when people refuse to talk to you,” she said. The young journalists also discovered another skill vital to getting a great story: persistence. Abdulhadi Al Bustanji ’21 is one student who quickly mastered the art of persistence and can often be seen chasing interviewees down the hallways until he gets his quote. “I learned never to give up,” he said. “I love to do investigative stories.”

The young journalists also discovered another skill vital to getting a great story: persistence. Students prepared for the newspaper by practicing essential journalistic skills. They spent time reading articles, breaking down the structure and working on leads. They learned the difference between facts and opinion, and interviewing techniques. The group brainstormed ideas together, listed them and then assigned articles to everybody. They also used an oldschool method, known as paste-up, of putting together the newspaper.

Yazan Alrayyes ’21 inds it challenging to talk to people who do not want to be interviewed, but relies on his recently learned interview skills. “I learned to organize my thoughts to get good quotes, and I keep asking follow up questions until I get one I can use.”

Wasat takes on some complex issues such as whether the open cubby system is a symbol of trust or a disaster waiting to happen, if the school’s lexible furniture is too fun for deep learning, the role of the press within society, and the pros and cons of the Middle School’s controversial mobile phone policy (sorry, no phones allowed!).

“You have to learn how to use all the different bits of information you gather in a way that makes sense. I’m learning how to do that,” said Rakan Qawas ’22.

Through the newspaper, the school community is informed about topics unique to the Middle School, such as its ‘mastery level’ grading system that does away with traditional A, B, C grades in favor of a more insightful approach that encourages deep learning. Wasat covers current events like Middle School plays and environmental conservation efforts; other articles are more for the entertainment value: groundbreaking scientiic discoveries, sports and tech news, upcoming movies and book reviews, an eccentric comic strip and fun, school-wide competitions.

Another challenge the students faced is transforming raw information into a good article, as well as deciding what subjects are newsworthy and timely.

To Hansen, the newspaper exempliies what great middle schools do. “They create a structure, and within that structure is freedom to practice skills and choose their own topics. The students are making the newspaper writing their own. They are owning the structure of the newspaper. I just play referee every now and then,” he concluded.

SPRING 2017

BEYOND KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

SPRING 2017

KHALED ABDULAZIZ ’18

THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF GOA! BY MUNA AL-ALUL

haled Abdulaziz ’18 is the reigning champion of Global Online Academy (GOA) at King’s Academy, with six GOA courses under his belt, and plans to take at least a couple more before he graduates.

experience, while letting students learn in different ways about topics they care about. It gives students and teachers the opportunity to connect with people from many different schools in many different locations and the courses are just as interactive, rigorous and interesting as on-campus offerings.

“They are really awesome,” said Abdulaziz of the GOA courses he has taken, namely Big History, Fiction Writing, Bio Ethics, Game Theory and Practical Astronomy. Last term he enrolled in Linear Algebra. “After I took the irst course I really liked it, so I thought I would take more.”

Abdulaziz has always enjoyed learning. When he was younger, he would often buy books that were too dificult for him, but that he nevertheless enjoyed reading and that gave him a glimpse into possible areas of study and career paths for the future.

Since its establishment in 2011, the Global Online Academy — founded by King’s Academy and nine leading independent schools across America — has been growing in leaps and bounds. More and more students, are enrolling in more than one class. GOA started out with 120 enrollments in 10 classes. By 2016, the GOA network had increased to 64 schools and more than 1,300 enrollments in 45 courses.

“I really love to study. What interests me is knowing about things around me and how the world functions,” he said. “GOA courses allow you to have a broader view of the world. If you take a course you’ll have a really global perspective, because literally people all around the world are with you in the same class. In my Practical Astronomy class there were students from Singapore, Japan and the United States.”

According to GOA Director of Teaching and Learning Eric Hudson, GOA offers a high quality learning

His favorite course was the irst one he took, Big History. “It was a really fun class. Three schools in three different

BEYOND KING’S

“GOA courses allow you to have a really global perspective, because literally people all around the world are with you in the same class.”

coursework, spreading the work out over the week. He says that King’s provides the right atmosphere for students who want to take GOA classes, as students learn to manage their time and can therefore easily it GOA classes into their schedules. “It’s a heavy course load, but it will help you to adjust to an even greater course load when the time comes to go to university.” Abdulaziz, who plans to study physics at university, believes that the GOA course material he is taking now will stand him in good stead. Next year he will sign up for GOA’s class on Multi-Variable Calculus, to help him prepare for the math he expects to learn at university. Abdulaziz encourages all students to take at least one GOA class. “It’s not as hard as it sounds, its actually easier than you would expect it to be. Content-wise they are just as dificult as regular classes, but the work load is a little easier,” he explained. “I am actually done with everything I have to take, all I need to do to graduate is take math, English and Arabic. I’m just taking classes now because I’m interested in them.” In GOA courses, trust between teachers and students remains one of the most crucial factors for success. GOA teachers must trust students not to cheat on assignments or tests, and students must honor that trust, which comes with its own rewards.

countries collaborated on delivering the course, sharing material with each other, and giving the same tests.” One of the major differences between GOA and regular classrooms is that the students and teacher do not meet face-to-face, instead communicating online and through Skype. GOA offers classes most campuses can’t offer, in an online environment that everyone needs to know how to navigate these days. Despite their physical distance from each other, students are still assigned group projects, and must collaborate with their classmates, contending with challenges such as working together in different time zones. “It was hard to ind a time for all of us to meet. Someone had to stay up late or wake up early,” said Abdulaziz of his course-long assignment for Practical Astronomy. “Our project was to keep observing the stars and measure how altitudes change as the earth rotates around the sun. I got permission to go and measure the stars during study hall!”

“Last year another student at King’s and I took the same GOA class. I liked how the teacher actually trusted us not to talk to each other even though we were given the same test,” Abdulaziz said. Khaled Abdulaziz is not alone in appreciating the opportunities for learning that GOA has to offer. According to Eric Hudson, King’s Academy has the second highest number of enrollments in the GOA consortium, numbering 49 in 2016-2017. “Over the years, King’s has always enrolled many students, but more important to us, the feedback from students has been consistently some of the most positive,” said Hudson. “King’s students love the opportunity to take a different kind of class, and they embrace the challenge and opportunities of online learning. We have found King’s students’ openmindedness and intellectual curiosity make them very well-suited for our courses.”

Three assignments are also due at the end of each week, so Abdulaziz spends about half an hour a day on SPRING 2017

KING’S LONGEST-SERVING EXPAT FACULTY MEMBER ON WHY HE’S STILL AT KING’S BY JOHN LEISTLER

t is nearly 10 years since I moved to Jordan from the United States to join the faculty of a brand new boarding school called King’s Academy. On August 1, 2007, as the faculty gathered for the very irst time, we heard opening speeches from various administrators, learned about dry cleaning options, struggled to take in all the policies that had just been formulated, and hoped to make sense of this new endeavor. Founding Headmaster Eric Widmer began his address with a historical anecdote, relaying the story of the irst message sent by 19th century inventor Samuel F.B. Morse on his brand-new telegraph. Eric shared the fairly well-known message that Morse tapped out, the question, “What hath God wrought?” He then shared the lesser-known reply: “Yes!” Eric joked that it was a very strange reply, albeit an optimistic one, but then suggested that as we open this new school, we might often pose such elegant and profound queries as “what hath God wrought?” He reminded us that the answer might turn out to be a non-sequitur like, “yes.” Eric wondered if we should just say “yes” to every question!

to the ones who matter most — our students. “Years from now, you will tell your children about coming to this school. You will tell your children we hoped compassion and respect and patience would triumph. You will tell your children about this night. Remember this night!”

Towards the end of his opening remarks, Eric focused on one phrase, a few words at the end of the King’s mission statement, that exhort us to “cherish one another.” He noted that if we do not cherish each other, “does any academic or athletic, artistic, or college-choice achievement mean as much?” After his speech and the warm applause, I made a bee-line to our boss, and thanked him for his words. By that time I had been teaching for nearly 20 years, and I had never heard an administrator speak that truth. It was an inspiring moment on our very 42

BEYOND KING’S

irst day. That evening, the faculty gathered for a formal dinner in what would one day become known as the Safwan M. Masri Courtyard. Under the stars, I sat by new colleagues Dragana Babic, Rola Jaber and Michael Kussaim, three colleagues who continue to enrich my days here at King’s Academy. I remember vividly that irst week of classes and the excitement and nervousness about this new project of a school for which so many of us had made a major move to join Eric Widmer’s team. On Tuesday, August 28, 2007, our school community gathered outside at what would later be named Refectory Square, for the irst-ever Convocation of the school. We had survived the irst few days of school, and that night we would all meet His Majesty King Abdullah II, and he would see, for the irst time with students, the school he had worked to build. While the highlight of the evening was, naturally, meeting His Majesty, one of the memorable speeches was from Deerield Academy English teacher Suzanne Hannay, a visiting teacher for that irst year of school. After Suzanne greeted all the dignitaries, she directed her remarks

After the program ended, the students had the opportunity to meet His Majesty. One little boy in my History 9 class, a very nice boy, seeing that His Majesty did not have a school tie on, offered his own tie. His Majesty immediately smiled, took off his own tie, and put on the regulation school tie. My student looked positively thrilled. The students cheered! Later on, I noticed that His Majesty shook every hand and greeted everyone — every last student, every last worker who had rigged the electric work and set up the dais, the nurses, the kitchen help - thanking them all for their hard work at King’s Academy. I followed Suzanne Hannay’s advice, and I have remembered and treasured that evening. Over the expanse of my hundreds and hundreds of evenings at King’s Academy, I have remembered many exquisite moments, met a vast array of people, and indeed been transformed by my time and work here. I have had scores and scores of professional colleagues, encountered hundreds of students from all corners of the world, taught seven different courses, worked with the Ofice of Student Life, directed a few plays, taught thousands of lessons, and constantly been dazzled by what our students have wrought. I have remembered odd things too, such as the irst time we had lasagna in the Dining Hall (Valentine’s Day in 2008 and the faculty served the

students) or the irst time we had bagels at school (the irst Commencement day in 2010), or the irst day when I knew my students could think critically above and beyond rote memorization (that would be October 24, 2007 as we discussed ancient Indian society in my History 9 class). I remember watching Hamzeh Al Qudah ’11 win a declamation in English in 2011, cheering and marveling at how his English had developed since that long ago time of August 2007. I remember the very irst prom in 2010 and Randa Qunsol’s handiwork to transform the area in front of the library into a club-like atmosphere. I remember watching

“I am often asked by friends and family (and some people here) why I have stayed so long at King’s Academy, and when I will pack it up and ‘move back home’.”

my beloved Class of 2011 graduate, holding very dear the memories of what they had been like in those irst few months back in 2007. I remember…oh, I can go on and on!

a former colleague with me in New York, said one time, “You will know when it is time to leave when you have learned everything you went to Jordan to learn.”

I am often asked by friends and family in the United States (and some people here) why I have stayed so long at King’s Academy, and when I will pack it up and “move back home.” Years ago I asked one of my wisest mentors, “When do I know when it is time to call it quits at King’s Academy?” My friend Doris,

I am asked if things are easy at King’s now that we are through the irst years of “growing pains.” No! If it were easy, I would have left by now. King’s is continually unfolding. Nothing stops being a struggle. No one, and no school, stops growing up. You triumph, you err, you succeed, you backslide. There is an

old saying that goes, “the struggle and the dance are the same.” That dichotomy, of the struggle and the dance, is what has kept me at King’s Academy for a decade! That, and yes, I continue to “cherish” these students and colleagues around me.

John Leistler joined King’s in 2007 as head of the Department of History and Social Studies, and was appointed dean of the faculty in 2012. SPRING 2017

HY KING’S EXISTS

HEADMASTER JOHN AUSTIN OUTLINES THE VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF KING’S “Are we ready for what the future holds and are we certain that the education we offer our students today will prepare them for the challenges they will face tomorrow?”

BEYOND KING’S

King’s irst decade has been one of remarkable accomplishments. Few schools have come as far or as fast in their irst 10 years as King’s has, and like any great endeavor, it has been the work of many. Yet as we celebrate our irst 10 years, it is important to look to the next decade — and beyond. The founding of a school is never fully complete, and to remain vital and relevant a school must always look to the future. That is not an easy thing to do. Change is constant, particularly in this part of the world, and history has a way of surprising us. In the 10 years since King’s welcomed its irst students, we have witnessed the global inancial crisis of 2008, the Arab Spring, revolution and unrest across the region, civil war in Syria, a refugee crisis unprecedented in the history of Jordan, and the steady growth of extremist, separatist and rabidly

nationalistic ideologies. The pace of technological change has quickened, and the emergence of artiicial intelligence and automation will further disrupt the economy and the future opportunities and career prospects of our children. It is likely, the best science tells us, that the world’s climate has been irreparably damaged and that an environmental crisis of unprecedented size and scope awaits. We are living through a period of revolutionary change.

POWERFUL LEARNING IS RELATIONAL Learning happens between a student and a teacher in a relationship that is dynamic, creative and supportive. This has been true since the time of Socrates (Plato’s teacher), it remains true today, and it is an idea that will endure, especially in a residential school like King’s that values above all else human connection and community. It stands at the very center of all that we do at King’s.

Photo by Abdullah Al-Hiyarat ’17

Are we ready for what the future holds and are we certain that the education we offer our students today will prepare them for the challenges they will face tomorrow? For schools, for parents and for teachers — for anyone who cares about the future of civilization — there is no more important question. It is impossible to plan for the unknown, but two orientations are essential for schools of the future. First, schools must be agile, lexible, open to change, fully awake to new and innovative approaches to learning, willing to experiment and courageous enough to discard tired and dated practices. At the same time, they need to move into the future dedicated to their mission and values and conident in who they are. Here is a four-pointed educational compass that I believe can guide us as we move into the future.

This simple truth has profound implications for how we structure the experience of school and how we think about teaching and learning. It means schools must identify and hire teachers of deep humanity, patience and humility — men and women who are not simply expert in their ields (and preferably more than one ield) but gifted at communicating the joy and pleasure of disciplined, rigorous inquiry. These are men and women who delight in the energy, potential and playfulness of young people between the ages of 12-18 (and know how to direct those energies) and who see these formative years as an opportunity for inspiration and transformation. American author William Deresiewicz calls these teachers “spirit guides.” Yet this relational model of teaching and learning is under siege. Recent abuse scandals in institutions and SPRING 2017

across the world have undermined trust and conidence in those who work with young people, creating an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion. A numbing emphasis on formulaic curricula, test-taking and crude systems of teacher accountability threaten to undermine the joy and excitement that is teaching at its most rewarding. New forms of technology divide young people and adults from one another, isolating children in cocoons of digital entertainment and social media. Residential schools like King’s have a unique opportunity to counter these forces. We believe that teaching is not simply a profession, but a vocation that develops over a lifetime of practice and relection. We seek to develop the capacity of our teachers and strive to deepen their sense of craft. And we have developed an approach to faculty appraisal that is inspired by our mission: empowering, strength-based and oriented towards growth. Even as King’s has grown in size and diversity, expanding downward into grades 7 and 8, we have sought to preserve the essential intimacy of the school and to provide increased opportunities for students and faculty to interact, collaborate and learn: a renewed advisor system; additional, structured contact time between students and advisors; small classes where learning proceeds through discussion, collaboration and inquiry; an increased emphasis on individualized support; a commitment to sit-down, family-style lunch; increased faculty housing on campus and in the dorms — all of these offer opportunities and structures for adults and children to build powerful relationships of trust and support. POWERFUL LEARNING RECOGNIZES AND CULTIVATES STUDENT INDIVIDUALITY We believe that every child is unique and has something important to give to the world. For that reason schools must remain fully alive to the unique talents and strengths of young people (rather than their deicits — an unfortunate and damaging emphasis in many schools). This, of course, is the only way to build a young person’s conidence and belief in themselves. And those are qualities of character that allow young people to take their place in the world and make a difference in their communities. His Majesty King Abdullah II captured this in his most recent discussion paper on education when he wrote: “Educational institutions must believe in the immense energies, promising capabilities, and diverse talents of our youth. They should seek to cultivate these qualities, driving young men and women to unleash their potential.” We live in an age of reductive standardization, and many schools — even some schools with a reputation for academic excellence — take a one-size its all approach to teaching and learning. Rigid graduation requirements (in many cases dating from the 19th century) and outdated curricular frameworks offer students little room for choice, exploration and selfdeinition. As the bestselling author Daniel Pink notes, 46

BEYOND KING’S

“The whole world is awash in customization — until we get to the school-house door.” This needs to change. Once the basic literacies of critical and appreciative reading, effective writing and speaking, and numeracy (including a familiarity with statistics) have been acquired — by around grade 10 — and students have been exposed to a broad range of disciplines, they should be encouraged to exercise thoughtful freedom over what they study, supported by teachers acting as mentors and coaches. When students graduate from King’s they must feel a powerful sense of autonomy and sense of future possibility. We have sought to provide our students with greater choice and opportunities for self-expression. That is one reason why we joined the Global Online Academy (GOA) ive years ago; it dramatically expands our course offerings and allows students to pursue their passions and explore new ields of learning. That is also why we have sought to expand — and plan to further expand — the elective courses we offer at the school.

“There is a place for tests in schools, but we should never confuse test-taking prowess with educational excellence.” There is further work to be done here, and we must remain alert to emerging ields (coding, artiicial intelligence, robotics, neuroscience), new hybrid disciplines, and opportunities to connect classroom work to forms of service and civic engagement. To do this we need to rethink how we organize the inal two years of high school and what is required of students during them, striking an appropriate balance between breadth of study across the curriculum — the core of the liberal arts — and depth of study. During these inal two years, our students need to be treated more like college students, especially in terms of the intellectual challenges we set for them and the responsibility we invest in them. To fully personalize learning, we also need to develop systems of feedback that encourage relection, require self-assessment and elevate engagement. As the educator Arthur Chiaravelli notes in an article entitled “Toward a Future of Growth, Not Grades,” the teacher’s historic “monopoly on assessment and grading has trained students to adopt an attitude of total passivity in the learning process.” Our Middle School has made pioneering strides in how it reports learning to parents and students with its use of standards-based, studentcentered assessment — an approach we should explore with older students as well. King’s recently joined other leading schools in founding the Mastery Transcript Consortium, the purpose of which is to transform how schools report learning to colleges and universities. Each of these initiatives has the potential to transform

the experience of school and the attitudes — the fundamental mindsets — that students bring to their learning. AUTHENTIC LEARNING IS EXPERIENTIAL, ACTIVE AND DIRECTED TOWARDS DEPTH OF INQUIRY Too many students experience high school as a kind of indentured servitude — a forced march through a bramble of tests and requirements from which they emerge bloody and bruised. This needs to change. Learning should be directed towards exciting and sustaining a child’s curiosity and shaping, directing and disciplining that curiosity. Students should be encouraged to see their education as a great adventure, a quest into the unknown, a journey to the Galapagos, an archeological dig. To accomplish this, schools of the future must become places of deep learning — where learning and inquiry are valued for themselves and where students are routinely asked to transfer skills and knowledge to new and unfamiliar problems. Another way of saying this is that we need to make learning more life-like, connecting it to the world and to real problems, academic questions, and issues. Perhaps our classrooms need to look more like design studios, research labs, legislative bodies, think-tanks and start-ups — spaces of real intellectual energy, purpose and urgency. Much of the academic work we ask of students has little resemblance to what historians, scholars, entrepreneurs and professionals actually do. (Only the arts really get this right, asking for student work that is genuine. As I have written in a former issue of this magazine, the standard for excellence in the arts is a professional one: the exhibition or performance before a live audience.) Schools abstract disciplines from the questions and human needs that are their origin. Schools focus on answers rather than questions. Every student is required to study set subjects— few can explain why (other than that they are obligatory and required). The greatest discovery of the enlightenment — science — is, in some schools, reduced to cookbook experiments and multiple choice exams; students rarely venture into the outdoors or engage in authentic scientiic inquiry, observation and research. Schools teach history as an inert body of fact, rather than an active inquiry into and reconstruction of the past. We can do better — and a school oriented to the future must do better. There is a place for tests in schools, but we should never confuse test-taking prowess with educational excellence. And we can prepare young people for tests without enslaving ourselves and our students to them — in the same way that the best medical and law schools prepare students for careers in the law and medicine without teaching directly to the bar exam or medical boards. What is needed are fewer high-stakes tests and exams and more opportunities for immersive learning experiences that approximate the kind of work professionals, artists,

“Our Middle School has made pioneering strides in how it reports learning to parents and students with its use of standardsbased, student-centered assessment.” SPRING 2017

entrepreneurs, civic leaders and scholars actually do: simulations and immersive role plays (including game-based, digital simulations), problem-based learning, case studies that hone decision-making skills, exhibitions and performances, science Olympiads and challenges in which teams of students compete to solve pressing technological and scientiic challenges. One reason we have piloted the College Board’s new AP Capstone course sequence and encouraged as many students as possible to take it is that it embraces active, interdisciplinary learning, encourages students to attack urgent issues of public importance, and results in authentic demonstrations of knowledge. In my view, every King’s student should graduate having completed a Capstone project. Such a project would entail original, independent and/or team-based research. It would explore actively contested questions. It would envision learning as a process that unfolds over time and that involves trial, error and thoughtful experimentation. It would require students to propose solutions to urgent real world problems and draw on multiple disciplines. It would result in a highquality, professional product. And it would culminate with a public presentation, performance, portfolio or exhibition that is shared with parents, teachers and professionals in the ield. LEARNING SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER With all of our concern for academic outcomes, university acceptances and career preparation, we risk losing sight of the ethical and civic purposes of education. Of course we must graduate what American professor and author Ken Bain calls “adaptive experts,” young people of searching, critical intelligence ready to tackle new and unfamiliar questions. That is one reason a concluding Capstone experience is so important. But ultimately our goal is to graduate good people, young men and women of character who will use their educations in the service of others. We must never forget this. Young people have an acute sense of justice and fairness. They are sensitive to oppression and unkindness in a way that adults often are not. They value freedom, and their sometimes refreshingly rebellious spirit is often an expression of just that. Schools of the future need to harness, direct and shape these energies, not suppress them. Too many schools have become places of control, whose purpose seems to teach unthinking obedience, rather than the responsible exercise of freedom. The sad truth is that many schools are simply afraid of young people. We are not. We believe in them, and we express that belief by entrusting them with real responsibility across all dimensions of school life — in the dorms, in their leadership of important school committees, in our new Student Leadership Council, and in the many conferences, clubs and summer programs they lead. 48

BEYOND KING’S

“Students should be encouraged to see their education as a great adventure, a quest into the unknown, a journey to the Galapagos, an archeological dig.”

Character cannot be taught in the classroom, though there are ample opportunities there to explore complex issues of social justice, ethical decision-making and our obligations to others. Character is forged through experience — by living in a community where we have obligations and responsibilities to others. This is why the residential character of King’s and its pioneering commitment to enrolling students from all backgrounds, walks of life, religious faiths and nationalities is so important. Sadly, their time at King’s may be the last time they live in a community of such diversity and richness, but the experience of doing so will fundamentally change them, because it will require sacriice, sellessness, compromise, trust, teamwork, collaboration and sometimes even courage. I am conident that if we surround our students with inspiring and caring adults, honor and respect their individuality and task them with meaningful intellectual and community challenges, we will graduate leaders, scholars, entrepreneurs and professionals ready to meet whatever the future may hold. That is why King’s exists. That is why we are here. That is what we must do.

KING’S FIRST STAFF MEMBER REMINISCES ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS BY DIMA KHOZOUZ

ack in February 2006 I was hired as King’s irst oficial employee. At the time, the campus was still under construction, so I was based in an ofice building in Amman. I remember being astonished at the idea of a boarding school in Jordan and feeling excited by the school’s mission.

Three years ago, I was asked to be an advisor for a group of students. Being these students’ advisor and caring about their wellbeing both on and off campus has helped me develop an even deeper understanding of the school. I discovered what my colleagues were already doing as teachers and advisors, and understood parents’ concerns better.

I only had two years of administrative experience when I started, so I felt honored to have the opportunity to work closely with the founding team and learn as much as I could from them. Memories of assisting the founding chairman, listening to the headmaster read aloud the speech he was preparing for his induction ceremony, and working with the director of communications on the irst King’s Academy publication still bring a smile to my face.

Another exciting moment for me is seeing King’s graduates come back to school as staff and teachers! In 2017-2018, we will have four of our very own alumni working at King’s. You can feel their passion to give their best to their school and to take what they learned at King’s and pay it forward.

Thinking back, one of our most memorable moments was when we received our irst email inquiry from a prospective student. We were jumping for joy! Another fond memory I have is of visiting campus for the irst time in March 2006 when the Abdul Majeed Shoman Auditorium was still being built. Now we have over 660 students and when I see the whole community gathering in the auditorium it is hard to believe that what felt like a dream back then has become reality. By the time King’s opened its doors in August 2007, our numbers had swelled to 246. What’s amazing is that 10 years later, of our 407 employees, 100 are members of the original team who started working in 2006 and 2007. These range from leadership team members to staff in Security, Operations and administrative ofices to faculty.

A strong community spirit is very important to us here at King’s and there are many ways we build that as a school. We hold staff and faculty dinners and events throughout the year, we attend school events, and many of us have sit-down lunch with students every day. Our staff also have many beneits; the school offers great healthcare and childcare, and it provides transportation and daily meals. This is why our staff turnover is so low, nobody wants to leave! Another way that King’s keeps its staff happy – as well as effective and productive – is by offering opportunities for professional learning and growth. Over the years, the Department of Human Resources has helped many staff members undertake professional development. We regularly hold training sessions as well as regular team building, leadership and managerial skills training. Faculty and staff travel the world for specialized training. We always encourage and support our staff to pursue Bachelors and Masters degrees if that is something they want to do. We believe that by helping our staff develop professionally we encourage and enable them to better serve the school’s mission.

“Of our 407 employees, 100 are members of the original team.” In any working environment there are ups and downs, but these precious moments and memories make us work each day with love and appreciation for King’s. I know I am not alone in this, as, over the years, colleagues who have left the school for whatever reason have always come back to King’s to visit as if they are coming home. And some have even returned to work here anew. They, too, obviously felt the need to come back home! Dima Khozouz started out at King’s as a human resources assistant in the Department of Human Resources. Today she is a certiied HR manager and associate director of human resources. SPRING 2017

ravel. We all love it, and for good reason. To travel is to invest in ourselves. It exposes us to people, cultures, food and lifestyles that we would not otherwise be exposed to if we never left our homeland.

The Round Square Ofice at King’s Academy certainly agrees; to date they have helped 20 students expand their horizons through school summer exchanges. In the summer of 2016, they sent nine King’s students on the adventure of a lifetime to Australia, India and South Africa.

INCREDIBLE INDIA

For the irst time, King’s exchange students travelled to India, the land of incredible diversity. Helana Al-Maqusi ’17 and Sama Issa ’18 attended Woodstock School in Landour while Maral Masarweh ’17 attended Vivek High School in Chandigar. The girls stayed with host families, which they describe as “the best part of their journey” and also boarded at the schools for part of their four-week stay. They gave talks about Jordan and immersed themselves in Indian culture, making friends, savoring local cuisine and experiencing day-to-day life. They noted how welcoming Indians are, “just like Arabs.” A particular highlight was dressing in saris and joining local celebrations to mark India’s Independence Day on August 15. The girls also visited famous landmarks including the Taj Mahal, which they describe as “amazing.”

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! BY MUNA AL-ALUL

“My favorite part was the friendships,” said Cao of her South African adventure. “I really loved the girls and they exposed me to their culture through the stories they told me, and through their art and dance program which was really impressive. It was really interesting to talk to them and tell them a bit about Jordan, King’s and also about China.” Despite her surprise at how cold it was in Johannesburg and some of its extreme weather – such as huge rocks of hail - Lou felt at home at the end of her ive-week visit, thanks to the hospitality of her host family. She also loved Roedean’s music department and joined the Glee Club and performed a piano recital for the whole school during her stay.

The experience was not without its challenges, however. Having had to climb very steep hills every day to get to her school in the mountainous Chandigar region, Masarweh said: “I’m so happy that King’s campus is lat!”

STUNNING SOUTH AFRICA

Qingyi Lou ’18, Ramsey Abdulrahim ’18 and Yuxuan Cao ’18 would be the irst to agree that “there’s a wow in every moment” in South Africa! The trio travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa where they stayed with host families or boarded while attending Roedean School, St. Stithians Boys College and the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls respectively. The students were impressed by how welcoming everyone was and how easy it was to it in. As they explored South African culture and traditions, they learned a lot by getting to know their fellow students and host families and by interacting with people during trips, such as to traditional marketplaces. They also celebrated Nelson Mandela Day and visited local attractions including Cape Town, Table Mountain National Park, the Cape of Good Hope and its castle, Johannesburg’s stunning beaches, and were stunned by the wildlife during a safari at Lion and Safari Park.

“When you go on exchange, you are exposed to something unknown,” said Lou. “When you stay for a longer period of time, you get to know people who have different perspectives and different social activities and ways of life. It was a brand new experience for me, and I learned a lot.”

AWESOME AUSTRALIA

There’s nothing like Australia, according to Mohammad Shdaifat ’18, Tiameke Dudley ’17 and Laith Al Hadeed ’18 who spent a number of weeks down under, attending Scotch College in Perth, Ballarat Grammar School in Melbourne and the Armidale School in New South Wales, Australia respectively. It was Shdaifat’s irst time on exchange, an experience he calls “amazing.” SPRING 2017

“What is nice about the exchange is that you might have stereotypical ideas about the place and people, but it shows you what it’s really like,” Shdaifat said. “I thought you just go to school and spend your summer studying but it’s not like that. It’s a rich experience going to a new environment where you are connecting and analyzing what you see so you can build actual ideas. That’s the best part of being an exchange. I’m telling everyone to do it.” Having visited South Africa last year, this was Dudley’s second exchange, but there were still some surprises in store. “I didn’t think Australian culture would be that different from my own, but it turned out to be really different,” he said. “Getting to see how and where people live, you get a sense of who they are, and you get to be a part of that.” For Al Hadeed, it wasn’t just his irst exchange but also his irst time travelling alone. “I didn’t want to stay in my comfort zone, I want to see other countries, explore the world and learn more. It’s this whole concept of being independent,” he said. The students each visited many local tourism sights, but it was Shdaifat who covered the most distance during a ive-day, 2200 km road trip with his host family, where he was awed by a tree top walk in the Valley of the Giants and visited Wave Rock. Shdaifat also participated in his school’s weekly community service projects, which included planting trees along a land bridge to provide safe passage for animals, and volunteering at a school for non-English speakers. All three students were fascinated by the Australian passion for sports. Dudley enjoyed attending his irst Australian Football League game. Al Hadeed, meanwhile, ran a challenging 14 km marathon along Sydney’s coastline along with 8,000 participants, including every student and teacher at his exchange school, Armidale.

Last summer, nine King’s students embarked on summer exchanges that opened the door to a world of new knowledge and experience.

BEYOND KING’S

Each of the nine students had a fascinating and unique, life-changing experience during their summer exchange. However, there was one common thread throughout. They all expressed a greater appreciation for their homes, families and Jordan. While there were a lot of practices at the other schools that they wanted to bring back to King’s, such as “less homework and more sleep,” they realized that King’s makes them “more productive and achieve more,” and that their summer exchange made them appreciate King’s Academy more than ever.

GOING AFTER THE MILLENNIALS FAISAL KAWAR ’10 LAUNCHES A VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTING PLATFORM BY LEEN HAJJAR

hen Faisal Kawar ’10 graduated from Yale University in 2014, he joined a highly-selective program with Dubaibased Abraaj Group, the largest private equity investor in emerging markets. With Abraaj, he travelled the world investing in companies representing almost every industry. Two years later, Kawar used the knowledge he’d gained and his passion for startups to launch a venture capital investing platform for millennials.

The platform, YNG Ventures, has 200 members — including King’s Academy alumni — in more than 15 cities across the world. It hosts city forums and online conversations with experts, in addition to investing in various startups. Since its launch, the team has reviewed over 100 investment opportunities and invested in their irst company. They plan to invest in about ive to 10 companies each year.

With startups on the rise in this day and age, Kawar explained that several successful startups have grabbed mainstream headlines, which has motivated many entrepreneurs to start their own ventures. “That entrepreneurial drive is necessary to forward economic activity as well as job creation.” Striving to diversify their investments, the team invests across a variety of sectors and industries, preferring, however, to invest in companies whose customer base is millennial, since it is most similar to theirs.

YNG Ventures aims not only to support startups with their capital needs, but also to leverage their global network to help these startups access new markets and connect with other startups. The team envisions the platform becoming a driving force in establishing the next generation of investors, while also captivating entrepreneurs in the Arab World and across the globe. “The idea was to create an angel investing platform for millennials to connect with and learn from a network of like-minded members in the investment and startup space,” said Kawar. Kawar believes that investing in startups is currently limited to a small group of established venture capital funds. YNG Ventures is a way of democratizing access to startup investments to allow their members to collaborate and learn from this experience from an early age. “We view this platform as an educational tool irst and foremost, so it made sense to limit it to millennials at the moment,” said Kawar. “When we invest in companies, we are able to leverage our network of members across various cities for feedback and for expansion opportunities. In some instances, companies that are millennial focused view us as their seal of approval,” he added.

“Investing in startups across networks will give us a broader lens into the startup ecosystem.” Consumer goods, digital media, software, sharing economy and machine learning are some of the industries and sectors that interest them. YNG Ventures has not yet invested in Jordanian startups, Kawar said. Their ultimate goal is to establish an Ammanbased network and partner with Oasis 500, the Middle East and North Africa’s Jordan-based education and counselor driven seed investment program, “to make it a point to invest and support the startup ecosystem.” Kawar believes that the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Jordan and the Arab World is growing, and says that “the Global Entrepreneurship Index 2017 estimated that entrepreneurship could account for over $700 billion to the MENA economy.” “This is a great opportunity for our region, and young people in Jordan should seize the opportunity,” he said. SPRING 2017

Omaymah Harahsheh ’14

GAINS CONFIDENCE AND COURAGE... Thanks to King’s BY MATT WESTMAN AND LEEN HAJJAR

BEYOND KING’S

rowing up in the city of Zarqa, northeast of Jordan’s capital Amman, Omaymah Harahsheh attended an Arabic-speaking military school, never imagining she would have the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate education in the United States. Harahsheh’s life drastically changed, however, after she passed the King’s Academy placement test in eighth grade. Today, Harahsheh, who is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in human rights and economics at Barnard College in New York City, attributes her decision to study abroad to a life-changing educational experience at King’s.

During her early days at King’s Academy, Harahsheh endured many new challenges. For the irst time in her life, she enrolled in all English-speaking academic subjects, quickly realizing the dificulties she would encounter. “I felt frustrated when I couldn’t understand the subjects,” Harahsheh said. “I was a straight A student my whole life before coming to King’s.”

“I would have never had the courage to study in New York City if I hadn’t gone to King’s.”

With immense determination and hard work, however, Harahsheh quickly developed her English speaking and writing skills, and proceeded to excel in numerous subjects throughout all four years. Prior to attending King’s, Harahsheh had aspired to pursue medicine and become a doctor, but once at King’s, it didn’t take very long before she began to develop new passions. After enrolling in a wide array of courses and engaging in long conversations with her teachers, Harahsheh realized that she was more interested in subjects such as international relations, human rights and economics than she was in chemistry and science. “King’s gave me the chance to actually discover what my passions are,” she said. By the time Harahsheh began her college application process during her senior year, she realized that her King’s experiences had helped her develop into a responsible, mature and independent young woman. “My parents thought I was going to apply to Jordanian universities and stay with them in Jordan, but I felt like King’s had prepared me enough to actually take the chance to travel abroad and live on my own,” she said.

She decided to apply to Barnard College, which appealed to her because it was a women’s college in New York City, a small-knit community, yet one in which students have the option to cross-enroll at Columbia University and utilize the resources offered at a world-class institution. Harahsheh is now a junior at Barnard, majoring in human rights and economics, in addition to pursuing a minor in French. Recalling the person she was before enrolling at King’s, Harahsheh said: “I would have never had the courage to study in New York City if I hadn’t gone to King’s. The school not only taught me that I had a chance of getting accepted into Barnard, but it also taught me conidence, courage and independence.” “If I were to have studied high school at home with my family around me, I would have been terriied to even think about going abroad, and been scared of studying at a university so far from my home,” she said.

SPRING 2017

SHOWTIME at KING’S The Department of Fine and Performing Arts presented a number of fantastic performances this year. The fall and spring English plays, the Arabic play and the Middle School’s irst theater production offered the school community plenty in the way of comedy, entertainment and food for thought. This year, studentled performances stole the show: theater students directed, wrote scripts and performed some completely original plays with the support of the student-led technical theater crew.

BEYOND KING’S

The Conference of the Birds A mystical plotline, original music and colorful costumes enthralled audiences at the fall play: The Conference of the Birds. Inspired by the Persian poet Farid ud-Din Attarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 12th century poem Mantiq-ut-Tayr, the play weaves together symbolism and wordplay in a metaphysical and spiritual story of struggle, relection and enlightenment. The Conference of the Birds follows

a motley lock of birds who embark on a journey together to ind the legendary Mt. Qaf and Simurgh, king of all birds, their only hope to ind a cure for the dreaded bird lu. The students were involved in every step of the creative process, from scriptwriting and songwriting, to helping design their costumes and handling backstage technical lighting, music and cues. SPRING 2017

Hoodies and Box

Hadath i Jomhoriyyat al Moz

The Middle School presented its irst theater production Hoodies and Box comprising two vignette plays by playwright Lindsay Price. Through small, fast-paced scenes and monologues, the plays — and their cast of 23 — highlighted issues that Middle School students face on a daily basis, such as body image, bullying and peer pressure. The cast’s passionate performance of Hoodies and Box engrossed its audience and successfully highlighted the many challenges of growing up and navigating tumultuous Middle School waters.

The Arabic play was based on an adaptation of Kuwaiti author Badr Mohareb’s book Hadath i Jomhoriyyat al Moz, which translates to “It happened in the Banana Republic.” Directed by Arabic faculty members, the cast of 12 presented a passionate performance of the play that —satirically — calls for freedom from oppression, dictatorship and fear. Students taking the co-curricular Fayrouziyyat also participated as the choir, singing a number of spirited songs by famous singer Fayrouz throughout the play.

Half-Past-Six

The Importance of Being Earnest

Half-Past-Six is an original play written and directed by senior Theater student Abigail Smith ’17. A fast-paced drama with a cast of only six, the play blends two stories into one. In the irst, a cast of actors deal with a tragedy that befalls them just a few nights before the curtain call on their inal performance. The second story is the play within the play, about a life changing decision that the characters have to make. According to Smith, Half-PastSix is about time, what we do with it and how we move past things.

In her directing debut, senior Theater student Maya Abdulqader ’17 led a cast of seven in a hilarious performance of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest from an adaptation by Jason Pizzarello. The play shines a farcical light on people’s attempts to escape burdensome social obligations. Directing teaches you a lot about yourself artistically and as a person, according to Abdulqader, who says the experience taught her to have a vision and communicate it to others.

BEYOND KING’S

AN EQUAL GOAL BY PLAYING FOOTBALL FOR JORDAN IN THE WORLD CUP, TWO KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SENIORS BREAK A GENDER STEREOTYPE AND ACHIEVE A DREAM

BY MUNA AL-ALUL

SPRING 2017

alking onto the ield to the cheers of 16,000 fans at their opening match of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016 was the moment that footballers Farah AlZaben ’17 and Jeeda Naber ’17 had always dreamed of. At Amman International Stadium, the crowd’s enthusiasm and pride was palpable as Jordanians demonstrated their support for their national team. Around the country, excitement had been building up for weeks as Jordan prepared to host the irst major women’s football competition ever held in the Middle East.

It may have surprised some then that national fervor for a women’s football tournament was so great, particularly in Irbid and Zarqa, two of the three hosting cities, generally considered more socially conservative than the kingdom’s capital, Amman. In fact, the packed stadiums and excited crowds in these cities relected true Jordanian spirit: both welcoming to visitors and iercely proud of their own. According to Naber, the crowds in Irbid and Zarqa were amazing: “You could feel the enthusiasm they had for us and how proud they were of us; it felt special when we played there.” Encouraging more girls to start playing football and promoting gender equity through sports was, to AlZaben and Naber, the main attraction of Jordan hosting the World Cup. “During the World Cup we became an inspiration to younger girls to start playing football no matter what culture they come from here in Jordan,” Naber said. “Last year we started coaching younger girls from public schools,” explained AlZaben. “We talked to them about how our lives changed after joining the national team and about our excitement for the World Cup.

support our team was getting and the effort they put into us as the years went by.” While some changes happened gradually over time, others took place much more recently, since the conclusion of the World Cup in October. “Prince Ali contributed a lot to those changes,” said Naber about the support the team received from Jordan Football Association (JFA) President His Royal Highness Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, a former FIFA vice president who successfully championed the lifting of FIFA’s ban on the hijab in women’s football. “After the World Cup he asked our team what we needed, and we told him that we just want to stay together as a team and continue to practice regularly because we really believe that would help our performance.” “We used to only practice before a tournament, but now we have U14, U16 and U19 teams,” said AlZaben. “That’s a really huge change, we never had all teams running together. Now we’re practicing all year long, even if we don’t have a speciic tournament.” Although Jordan lost in the irst stage of the World Cup tournament, the young footballers say that the experience of representing their country in the World Cup made it all worthwhile and the challenges they had to overcome to reach the international stage has instilled in them a resiliency to handle whatever the future may throw their way. “We travelled to many places and missed a lot of school,” said AlZaben. “We had to self-study everything when we got back. At King’s, we’re almost two hours away from practice so it was tough when we had ive practices a week before the World Cup, we would get home at 9 pm, shower and study. Our life is basically sports, studying and family. We barely have time for other things, but I feel that playing a sport has shaped our personalities in a good way.”

Naber and AlZaben have been playing football since they were seven and 10 years old respectively. Their fathers, both avid football fans, encouraged their daughters’ love for the game, which eventually led to them both joining Jordan’s national team seven years ago, which is where they irst met.

Meanwhile, keeping their grades up alongside a grueling practice schedule was the ultimate exercise in time management, and one that revealed another level of responsibility and team spirit.

“I played lots of sports when I was young, and when I started playing football I really loved it because it was different for a girl,” said AlZaben, who started out playing at a youth football academy established by her father. “But we were only two girls on the team.”

“Once I started playing, my grades actually got better,” said AlZaben. “Before the World Cup, our coach gave us more freedom on what we ate, when we slept and what we did with our free time. That independence actually made us more aware of what we should do and what would beneit us more; we took it as a responsibility towards ourselves and the team.”

Since joining the national team, Naber said that they have had front row seats to the changes taking place in women’s football in Jordan. “We saw how much more 60

BEYOND KING’S

Being surrounded by a supportive community both at home and at King’s Academy played a major role in

helping the girls prepare for the challenges of the World Cup. Headmaster John Austin and Deputy Headmaster and Dean of Students Julianne Puente were their biggest cheerleaders, encouraging them every step of the way. The girls became boarding students to reduce time travelling between school, practice and home, using the extra time to study and sleep. Their teachers also showed tremendous understanding when it came to schoolwork. In case they needed further proof, they saw that the whole school was behind them at their opening match. “Hundreds of King’s students and teachers came to our irst game, all of our friends were there,” said AlZaben. “It was amazing; you could hear them cheering us from the ield!” According to Naber, being part of the national team, whose team members come from all corners of the kingdom and have very different cultural backgrounds and ways of living and speaking, has had a big impact on their lives. “The nice thing about football is that it unites people,” said Naber. “I think that’s what we enjoy when we’re playing with different girls from all around Jordan. In practice we’re all the same, we don’t have any differences.” As a team they faced many challenges together and stood up to society’s stereotyping of women, but they believe it was worth every bump in the road. “A girl needs to be as strong as she can, no matter what drawbacks she faces,” said Naber. “If she believes in what she’s doing that’s all the matters. It doesn’t matter what she has to do and the challenges she has to face to achieve that dream. If she has something she wants to do, she shouldn’t give up.”

“I played lots of sports when I was young, and when I started playing football I really loved it. But we were only two girls on the team.”

SPRING 2017

ANode TO KING’S AFTER 10 YEARS, LILLI AUDEH BIDS FAREWELL TO THE PLACE THAT WILL ALWAYS HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN HER HEART.

e usually think of ourselves as living in a place, but what does one do when a place lives in us? Every moment of every day, I think about how this place that I have been a part of has become a part of me; how it has attached itself to my being and has claimed a place in my head and my heart.

When I am asked, “Where do you work?” I feel that it is somewhat of a betrayal to say that I work at King’s Academy when the reality is that King’s works at me. It works at making me a better human being by allowing me to do so much. It allows me to try and fail, and try again, and talk about what I could have done better and what that would look like. It allows me to become the best version of myself while realizing

King’s Academy is not simply a place of work; it is a place where ideas come to life and continuously evolve. Wherever one may be on campus, something is bubbling. In classes, students and teachers are eagerly exchanging ideas, and as a result, something new and greater than both sides is born. The library is a place where faculty and students seek refuge to ind peace in solitude, to read a book or to seek a university counselor’s guidance for their lives beyond King’s. In the labs, students experiment, dissect, wonder and hypothesize; while in the ields and courts, they run and play to detach from their hectic days. In the dorms, students socialize, nap, complain, laugh, study and simply are. There is life everywhere and at any given moment, something wonderful is happening.

“King’s allows me to become the best version of myself while realizing that there is still a better one in the making.”

BEYOND KING’S

that there is still a better one in the making. It pushes me to a point where I feel so overwhelmed that I cannot possibly do more and then when I do, it says, “You see…you could always do more, and now it’s time to try something new!” King’s Academy works at making me a better observer, listener and ultimately, a better doer. It has the machinery to make the engine

grass, driving people around or simply ensuring that technology is doing what it is supposed to do? Who ensures that all these people are doing their jobs and that everyone is getting paid on time? Who tells the world what King’s Academy is and why we exist? And who works around the clock to keep us safe? Each and every member of our community plays a distinct role in beautifying and enhancing our mosaic masterpiece and regardless of where the pieces end up over the years, no one can deny that the mosaic pattern of one’s own life is enhanced, as a result of having been a part of King’s Academy. work. The machinery resides in the administration building working behind the scenes and often being misunderstood and quite often not understood at all. After all, what do those people do in their ofices all day? It is true that the core of a school are its students and teachers and these make up the engine, but an engine needs maintenance, check-ups and a mechanism to ensure that its basic needs are being met. What would we do without the men and women cleaning the bathrooms, cooking three meals a day, cutting the

Although it is time for me to bid farewell to my beloved students, colleagues, our beautiful campus and everything that makes King’s Academy such a magniicent place, I don’t think King’s will ever be far. Its memories will continue to live inside me and for that, I will leave with a deep sense of gratitude and contentment, knowing that those who are once a part of King’s Academy will always be a part of King’s Academy. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my journey.

MS. LILLI’S ADVICE TO STUDENTS

As her time at King’s drew to an end, Lilli Audeh found herself thinking a lot about the messages she’d like to leave her students with. She decided to share with them some advice that would help them both at King’s and beyond. Here’s an excerpt: “As teachers, our role is not to simply teach you a subject or the skills attached to that subject. We need to teach you “Life” and for this reason, I would like to impart some advice that will help you not only at King’s, but in the vast world; beyond our walled campus.

For those of you who are of Arab origin, take pride in your language and learn it. It is a treasure because it is the one thing you have in common with your Arab neighbors. Rather than focus on the differences between you and students from other parts of the Arab world, ind the commonalties. Maybe one day, the Arab world will unite. After all, Europe, which has no common language did! Also, if you are not of Arab origin but are lucky enough to be at King’s Academy, it is your role to be an ambassador and return to your part of the world with the tools of expression and intellectual currency that will negate the ever increasing stereotypes about this part of the world. You are now empowered with the truth; spread it!” Lilli Audeh joined King’s Academy in 2007 as the school’s lead teacher of English as a second language. Since 2008, she has served as an associate dean of the faculty and has been closely involved in the hiring, training, development and appraisal of faculty. SPRING 2017

THE COURAGE OF PUTTING PEN TO PAPER

BY MUNA AL-ALUL

riting takes courage. Whether a novel, a poem, an article or even just a post online, sharing something carefully crafted out of words to express your own ideas, opinions and imagination is to expose yourself to judgement from those closest to you as well as strangers you may never meet. For younger writers, the potential of negative feedback can be even more daunting, and put many off taking that risk. At King’s Academy, at least two students have taken that leap, and are courageously sharing their innermost thoughts and imaginative wanderings with the world.

Nadeen AlQatamine ’17 Sixteen-year-old Nadeen AlQatamine ‘17 has written and published her irst novel: The World Through Her Eyes. The novel, which is in Arabic, is a story about the Arab Spring told through the eyes of its protagonist, a girl named Amal, which translates to hope, as she struggles to reconcile her painful past in order to pave the way for a better future. AlQatamine believes that the Arab Spring was the younger generation’s struggle for a better future, but one that, because there was no plan beyond the revolution, ultimately failed. Writing about the Arab Spring, and addressing some of its causes and struggles in her novel, is her own small way of contributing. 64

BEYOND KING’S

“Writing is a way of expressing myself and speaking up for people who maybe can’t speak up for themselves. It’s a way of showing that I really care about something,” said AlQatamine. AlQatamine is no stranger to controversy. When she wrote The Candle, a collection of her childhood musings, at the tender age of six, she faced a tirade of accusations from people who thought her father, a well-known journalist and writer, must have helped her. “They put me in a meeting room alone with seven adults, and each of them questioned me, and they asked me to write on the spot,” AlQatamine remembers. “I did, and proved to them that it was actually my work.” “Writing came from curiosity. In the beginning I was just observing things and writing about them,” said AlQatamine. “I always felt older than other kids my age, I would rather sit and watch and write than play with other kids.” In the decade since, continuously practicing her craft and exploring different approaches have helped AlQatamine ind the style that, for now, suits her best. Observation and listening are key skills that she says have served her well as a writer and enabled her to add realistic detail to her novel, inspired by random snippets of conversation she overhears. She loves that, through writing, she can create her own world and give life to characters and events from the comfort of her room, and in the process learn things about herself that she never knew. “You discover yourself through writing,” said AlQatamine. “It’s literally the best experience you can have.” As a student writer with a busy school schedule, however, she explained that it was a balancing act between determinedly following a plan she had set herself to write every day, while at the same time, allowing the inspiration to come naturally. “There were times when I was writing my novel that I wanted to give up, but then I’d come back the next day stronger and things would work out.” The World Through Her Eyes was published in 2016, and pre-sold 150 copies. It wasn’t easy to take the inal step of presenting her work to the world, but AlQatamine came to a realization that she would always face a degree of criticism and not everyone would like her work, but she was ine with that. “As long as I am convinced that my work is beneicial to me and those around me, then that’s enough.”

Sayf Abdeen ’19 At the age of 12, Sayf Abdeen ’19 was issued a challenge by his father: to sit down and write a poem. The result was the discovery of an innate talent and the irst steps on a journey of self-expression. Abdeen’s irst poem, “The End of Olympus”, was inspired by his passion at the time for Greek mythology. Abdeen’s father had also been writing poetry since childhood, so to discover a shared talent in his son was a source of great excitement. Impressed by his son’s irst poem, he encouraged Abdeen to create his own poetry blog. Since then, Abdeen has written numerous poems and short stories inspired by a range of subjects. At times light-hearted and at others serious, he has found that the medium of poetry helps him to express what is on his mind, be it mythology, social and political issues, or even school. “If I am inspired by a certain topic, then I want to put that into words as soon as possible. If I have a really intense emotion, it helps me to express that,” he said. Advice from his father and a lot of reading helped Abdeen improve his poetic writing skills, which were further enhanced by studying poetry at school and taking a summer creative writing course. His style continues to evolve, however, as he learns different styles and ways to express his emotions. “To be creative, you need to read books, listen to other people and understand how ideas are developed. I think it’s something you acquire rather than something you are taught.” Currently, social issues – such as the refugee crisis - serve as his main inspiration; he uses his poetry to question and comment on how society acts on its problems and the different perspectives that inluence those actions. Last year, Abdeen also discovered a talent for writing short stories. He gave his irst story, a 56-page iction called “Disconnection” to a few friends to read, and was buoyed by how much they enjoyed reading it. “A story needs a plot line that carries it full circle but also has to have details along the way and character development,” Abdeen said. “I need to work on those, on world building, which is a huge part of writing stories and one of the most dificult.” Always irst in line to read his latest work and share their constructive feedback with him are Abdeen’s parents, his biggest cheerleaders and the ones who encourage him to take extra writing courses to develop his skills.

Abdeen’s parents are his biggest cheerleaders, and friends and teachers also play an important part in his journey. Abdeen admitted that without the encouragement of this network of enthusiastic supporters, he might never have taken his love of writing seriously.

SPRING 2017

BEYOND KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

SPRING 2017

LEADERS ALREADY

A UNIVERSITY COUNSELING PERSPECTIVE BY JANAN SABEH

King’s Academy school day regularly includes a visit or two from higher education institutions from around the world. At a recent visit from four prestigious US universities, over 100 students and parents crammed into the lecture hall to hear the representatives speak. The week before saw the school’s largest college fair with over 40 US institutions and more than 200 students and parents in attendance. So why do colleges and universities come all the way to Madaba, Jordan to meet with King’s Academy students? And why do they do this every year?

“I have visited King’s on six to seven occasions — what strikes me on every visit is the politeness, respect and humility that students have,” says Andy Rowe, of Royal Holloway, University of London. “King’s students are very well rounded, and they seem ready and willing to take anything on.” The University Counseling Ofice writes, calls and speaks with representatives about the mission of King’s, contextualizing our students to colleges. After 10 years of reading application iles and visiting campus, colleges and universities have experienced irsthand the embodiment of our guiding principles in our students. Respect, love of learning, responsibility, an integrated life, and global citizenship — these guiding principles inform our school and our students. And that is why institutions keep coming back and that is why we have more and more visitors each year. So how do the guiding principles manifest themselves in our students’ college applications?

BEYOND KING’S

It’s simple, really. Students, and eventually graduates, of King’s Academy are powerful leaders and advocates. High schools and universities across the globe aim to develop leaders who will make a difference in the future, whether it is in their intended professions or in their communities. But at King’s, students are transformed by the educational experience and become genuine leaders now. Our students do not wait for the future to become leaders and that’s what sets them apart from other university applicants. “Although each student is unique and brimming with talents and accomplishments, there are some deining, transformational qualities that King’s has cultivated in all of them,” says Kristin Crosby, of Washington and Jefferson College. “Even the quietest or most conservative students have discovered a conidence and boldness within and found a way to advocate for themselves and for others. They soon uncover values that drive them to make a difference not only in their own lives, but within the King’s community and communities beyond.”

Universities talk about how a King’s graduate enters the classroom and thrives in a discussion with peers from all backgrounds, with differing viewpoints, and in a brand new subject. Through the Harkness method King’s students have learned to lead discussion and move learning forward every single day. King’s alumni have made a difference on their college campuses with start-up ventures, leading Arab or Muslim societies on campus, tutoring students in Arabic, and participating in theater, bands and sports. While at King’s, students are encouraged to chase after their passions through co-curricular activities and clubs, whether it be starting a rock band or being the captain of the football team. They are leaders already.

“What sets King’s students apart during the university application process is the vastly diverse ways in which they have already led and contributed to our campus and community.” And most importantly, King’s alumni lead in their communities. King’s alumni have launched online campaigns to stop sexual harassment in Jordan, are leading the Society of Arab Students at Harvard and in the greater Boston area, and regularly help with international student

orientations on college campuses. Current students choose to better the campus and the community through the dorm proctor program, the Acts of Kindness club, and the Big Brother-Big Sister program with the Middle School, to mention just a few examples.

Meanwhile, students tangibly impact the greater Jordan community through the Ecos and Greens Club, Round Square International and Jordan Model Parliament. When they enter a college or university, Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alumni are ready to advocate for themselves, for others and for

their communities. They are leaders already. Our students are academically and socially prepared for university, but what sets them apart during the university application process is the vastly diverse ways in which they have already led and contributed to our campus and community. Every university is searching for an applicant who will invest in their education and an alumnus who will shape the world. Despite travel warnings, distance from Amman, or budgetary restrictions, this year more than 250 higher education institutions from all over the world have visited or will visit Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Janan Sabeh, who joined Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academy in 2013, is the senior associate director of university counseling. SPRING 2017

WHERE FACULTY LEAR

V E R M O N T

SUMMER 2016 SENT KING’S FACULTY ACROSS THE GLOBE

WA S H I N G TO N

TO RO N TO

M I S S I S S AU G A

2 4

N E W YO R K

CO N N E C T I C U T N E W

UTAH

C A LI F ORNIA

I L L I N O I S

M A R Y L A N D

COLO R A DO

F LO R I DA

BEYOND KING’S

J ER S EY

1 1

RNING NEVER STOPS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

UNI TE D

K INGDOM

SPAIN

3 CZECH REPUBLIC 1 SERBIA I T A LY 6 1 GREECE 2

1 CHINA

UAE

M A S S AC H U S E T T S

A SAMPLING OF THE INSTITUTIONS FACULTY ATTENDED FOR PD IN 2016 CHINA UK UK USA USA USA USA USA

K-12 Chinese Language Teachers Institute at the Minzu University of China History, Politics and Society Summer School at Oxford University International Summer School at the University of Cambridge The Klingenstein Summer Institute for Early Career Teachers, Columbia Teachers College The Bread Loaf School of English Singapore Math workshop Bard College’s “Institute for Thinking and Writing” Stanley H. King Counselling Institute

SPRING 2017

ALUMNI HAPPENINGS 2016-2017

September

November

For the irst time at King’s Academy, alumni from the classes of 2010, 2011 and 2012 return to campus to host a career and university forum for juniors and seniors.

Alumni meet on campus to discuss the King’s Academy Alumni Association.

Alumni attend Harvard University’s Arab Weekend, an annual event bringing together Arab students from around the world.

December

Alumni and former faculty get together at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for a tour of the collection led by Dean of the Faculty (and art history expert!) John Leistler.

Over 60 alumni attend the annual winter brunch, held by Chief Financial Oficer Randa Qunsol at her home.

January Alumni, friends and prospective families gather in Boston for the annual King’s reception, hosted by Headmaster John Austin.

BEYOND KING’S

Jordan’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, HE Mazen Homoud, hosts a dinner at his residence for around 20 London-based alumni.

LIVING THE MISSION: Mohannad AlJawamis ’11: Just before I turned sixteen, I was overcome with excitement when I received my acceptance letter to King’s Academy, a place that pushed me beyond my limits and granted me countless skills that I still use to this very day. Two years later, I was equally ecstatic to learn that I was moving to New York to earn my Bachelor’s degree at Skidmore College. All of a sudden, I was a senior at college with two majors, four study abroad programs, and endless possibilities and interests going forward. After graduation however, I was intimidated by my indecisiveness and lack of clarity for the next part of the journey. I moved back to Jordan with a sense of excitement and nervousness; excitement about starting afresh and contributing to my home country, and nervousness about making more risky career changes. In summer 2016 I revisited King’s Academy as a volunteer teacher for the Summer Enrichment Program. I immersed myself again in King’s unparalleled environment of boundless learning while ignoring the fact that I had no idea what I would do at the end of the program. As my summer days at King’s came to an end, and I began checking my email more often knowing that another career change was almost due, an unforeseeable opportunity came my way. Bayt.com, the leading job site in the Middle East, approached me with an opportunity in marketing and communications. In my current role with Bayt.com, I get to maintain my love of learning, helping others, and even writing about career changes and matters.

ALUMNI REFLECT ON HOW KING’S CONTINUES TO SHAPE WHO THEY ARE

Hamza Naghawi ’12: I am a ifth year medical student at the University of Jordan and an active member of the International Federation of Medical Student Associations. As a proud King’s Academy graduate, ‘love of learning’ remains one of the major values that guides me through university and encourages me to remain engaged with ongoing medical advancements. I feel that King’s successfully equipped me with the skills I need not only to excel as a medical student, but also to contribute to the improvement of many aspects of the University of Jordan’s Faculty of Medicine. This reminds me of His Majesty King Abdullah II’s letter to King’s students and alumni, where he states that King’s mission is to “empower young leaders who will drive change within and beyond their communities.”

Yazan Fanous ’11: I spent four years at King’s, ive years studying mechanical engineering, and two years getting my Master’s in energy studies. The journey was illed with new experiences every day. One of the most fundamental guiding principles of King’s is to have an integrated life. I took this concept to heart throughout my journey. Establishing the irst Students for Sustainable Energy for All (SSEA) chapter in the Middle East has been a very enriching experience. Our achievements and the records we broke were unparalleled in the history of the American University of Beirut. Humans often fall into the trap of basking in the glory of their achievements, forgetting that the world is still moving forward rapidly. To avoid this trap, in September 2015 I made it my goal to become the youngest individual to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certiication in the university’s history. I have always believed that King’s students and alumni would change the world. Being a true member of the King’s family requires responsibility and commitment. Wherever we are, whatever we do, students and alumni will always represent this family. It is up to us to shape our careers and futures and relect the true mission of King’s Academy. His Majesty King Abdullah II’s vision is for King’s to create the leaders that our world direly needs. Therefore, to all my brothers and sisters of King’s, I say: now is the time to make His Majesty’s vision a reality; let us unite to make the world a better place!

SPRING 2017

BEYOND KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

SPRING 2017

CLASS NOTES

Nadine Sousou ’10, Hayat Abu Samra ’10, Maria Zabaneh ’10, Farah Al Fayez ’11

2010 Majd Afaghani After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in international business from Florida International University in 2014, Majd returned to Jordan and joined the investment and acceleration team at Oasis500. He consults for Kuwait University and Startup Kuwait in developing their entrepreneurial ecosystem. Hayat Abu Samra After graduating from Swarthmore College in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in political science, Hayat moved to Beirut to work as a campaign and advocacy assistant at Crisis Action. She moved back to Amman at the end of 2016 and now works at UNHCR’s regional policy unit. Bader Al Esayi Bader graduated from Birkbeck University in 2015 and moved back to Jeddah to work in the development and construction sector of his family business, Omar Kassem Alesayi Group. He loves his job and “can’t wait to return to Jordan” to see all the faces he misses. Ma’an Ahmed After graduating from the University of Southern California in December 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering, Ma’an moved to Switzerland to work at one of the “oldest private Swiss banks,” Lombard Odier Asset Management. He is an analyst for the bank’s emerging markets fund. Ribal AlKhatib Ribal graduated from Bentley University in 2014 with a double major in inance and media arts and society. He now works as a business development manager at Binshihon Group in Saudi Arabia. On the side, Ribal is developing his two startups: Dewaniya, a nonproit organizaiton that aims to gather, encourage and support future leaders of the region and Crate, which strives to help local startups share their products with the market. Mohammad Ali Al-Quraan After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Renssealer Polytechnic Institute in 2014, Mohammad went on to obtain a Master’s degree from Virginia Tech in geotechnical engineering. He now works for Geosyntec Consultants in Washington, D.C.

BEYOND KING’S

Moutasem Bitar Moutasem works as a Jordan-based Middle East and North Africa consultant at a German solar company In 2014, Moutasem and Mohammad Shdaifat ’10 co-founded City Spark Energy (CSE), which works to provide on-grid and off-grid solar solutions. Sally Bisharat Sally is the marketing communications executive for the Jordan Marriott Hotels, in which she manages the marketing of the Amman, Jordan Valley and Petra Marriott Hotels and the hotel’s social media channels. Rayan Fadul After graduating from Bentley University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in inance and minors in marketing and entrepreneurship, Rayan spent two years working for Deloitte’s management consulting practice in Saudi Arabia. He is now developing two startups, Lymoon and Crate: Lymoon builds programs for children to help reverse obesity and diabetes trend in Saudi Arabia, and Crate is a retail store that helps local startups share their products with the market. Fawaz Hourani After graduating from Stanford University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in management science and engineering, Fawaz moved to New York City to work at Merrill Lynch. Fawaz now works at YouNow in New York, a media technology startup and loves life in New York. Hashem Hadid For the past two years, Hashem was a inance and accounting teaching fellow, leading inancial accounting and corporate inance recitations for sophomores and juniors at New York University in Shanghai. This year, he decided to shift career paths and now works as an associate at Capital Investments in Amman. Tamara Jaber Tamara studied medicine and surgery at October 6 University in Cairo and graduated in 2016. She is currently interning at King Hussein Medical Center in Amman. Norah Jaffan Since graduating from the University of California Irvine in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in urban studies and business economics, Norah has been working at Paciic Planning Group, a planning and consulting irm in Newport.

Bashar Jarrar In 2016, Bashar moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a full stack software engineer at a quasi-governmental organization. Outside of work, he has joined multiple DC sports leagues for soccer and basketball. Faisal Kawar After graduating from Yale University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Faisal joined a highly-selective two-year global private equity program with Abraaj. After completing the program, Faisal established a venture capital investing platform for millennials, which hosts city forums and online conversations with experts, and completes investments in startups. Lynn Manneh Since graduating from Bentley University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in corporate inance and accounting, Lynn has been working as a inancial analyst in the treasury and investments department at the Bank of Jordan. Omar Majali Since graduating in 2014 from Babson College with a Bachelor’s degree in inance and economics, Omar tried out different industries through internships before delving into one. He interned at Hikma’s mergers and acquisition department in Jordan and at Monitor Deloitte in Abu Dhabi. He joined Monitor Deloitte in 2015 as a strategy consultant and has been loving the experience so far. Mousa Qawasmi Mousa graduated from McGill University in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Mohammad Qardan Mohammad is participating in a humanitarian operations program managed by Save the Children International that combines practical learning with academic study. He is also completing an internship with Mercy Corps Jordan in the economic opportunities department. Jumana Shahzadeh Jumana completed a Master’s degree in management science from the University of Waterloo in June 2016. She now conducts research and program development at Queen Rania Foundation. Aseel Soub Aseel graduated from the American University in Cairo in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in engineering and a minor in architectural design. She now works as the business development and community outreach head at Tip n’Tag Jordan. Leen Sinokrot In 2016, Leen completed a Master’s degree in development and planning from University College London. She now works in the Economic and Social Development Directorate at the Royal Hashemite Court. Sima Shabaneh Sima is a research associate at Global TIES for Children, a research center at New York University Abu Dhabi. In collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), she works to integrate two intervention programs at schools in refugee camps in Lebanon, Sierra Leone and Niger. Dina Shawar In 2016, Dina got married to her best friend, Hussam Hammo! She launched an Instagram food blog, “Whatsfordinz” as a way to escape the stress of her wedding planning. She’s met some of Jordan’s best food bloggers and reviews restaurants/food dishes and markets new restaurants in Amman. Dina has also been working as an investment associate with Silicon Badia for almost two years.

Dina Shawar ’10 and her husband Hussam Hammo

Maria Zabaneh Maria joined UNICEF’s education department in September 2016. Her job’s main priority is to ensure that all children have access to education.

2011 Lena Abdin Lena graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies with a Master’s degree in Middle East studies, conlict management and international economics in 2016. Hatem Abuteen Hatem is in his inal year at the German Jordanian University where he is majoring in architecture. After spending last year studying and interning in Germany, he returned to Amman and is now working on his graduation project in the capital’s downtown area. Faisal Al-Kabariti Faisal graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from McGill University in 2016. He works part-time as a software engineer at a startup company in Canada and is also learning French. Mohannad AlJawamis 2016 was a memorable year for Mohannad: he revisited King’s as a volunteer teacher for the Summer Enrichment Program and accepted a job offer at Bayt.com. He now works in Bayt’s marketing and communication sector. Suhayb Al-Jawhari After working in Washington D.C. at Qatar Foundation International and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Suhayb returned to Jordan to pursue a career in the ilm industry. He now works at Telemax Productions where he is learning about the newest techniques in ilming and production. Saad Abu Mohareb Saad graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from the American University of Madaba in June 2016. He now works as a maintenance engineer at Gulf International Packaging in Jordan.

SPRING 2017

Nagham Qandadilo ‘11 Mohannad AlJawamis ‘11 Dunia Alrabadi ‘11 and Izzat Mukattash ‘11

Malik Al-Jabori Malik works as a lawyer with Lufthansa Consulting and spends the majority of his time in Iraq, where he continues to work towards attracting foreign investment to Iraq and improving the country’s service infrastructure. Layla Al-Naif Layla graduated from Royal Holloway in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in business. In 2016, she became a certiied yoga instructor in Dubai and in September, Layla got engaged to Omar Yabroudi, at a celebration attended by many of her King’s friends including Leen Hajjar ’11, Farah Matalka ’11 and Hayat Abu Samra ’10. Nagham Qandadilo ’11 Mohannad AlJawamis ’11 Dunia Alrabadi ’11 and Izzat Mukattash ’11 Ismail Al Tamimi After completing a 5-year co-op program, Ismail graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a minor in management sciences. He now works as a structural engineer and designer at AECOM in Canada. Robert Al Bahou Rob graduated from Amsterdam University College in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in ilm studies. He is now running his own boutique production company that will be based between Dubai and Amsterdam as of mid-2017. Rob continues to work on various video projects with King’s Department of Communications and Publications and is the creator of the highly successful admissions video series, “It’s Good to Be at King’s.” Rashed Al Qudah Rashed is in the inal year of his combined plan engineering program at Columbia University, in which he majored in economics and quantitative business analytics during his irst four years at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and is now completing a civil engineering degree at Columbia. Last summer, he interned at a real estate inance company in New York City. Hamdi Alaud-din Hamdi graduated from the American University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in inance. He now works as a project analyst for a contracting company in Qatar. Rana Abu Laban Rana received her Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Princess Sumaya University for Technology in January 2015. She now teaches geography to 6th, 7th and 8th graders and history to 10th graders at Amman Baccalaureate School while also pursuing a Master’s degree in international education from the University of Bath.

Farah Al Fayez After graduating from Franklin University Switzerland in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in international relations, Farah returned to Jordan and now works as an activities manager at International Association for Human Values. Dunia Alrabadi Dunia graduated from Brigham Young University in June 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and minors in business management and computer programing. Since then, she has been working as a software engineer at Digi International in Utah. Dunia is also a member of the Debra Unity Gospel Group and is taking voice and piano lessons. Abdullah Arabiyat Abdullah is in his last year as a medical student at the University of Jordan. He completed an elective course at Harvard University in March. Raja Badr-el-din Raja is traveling around the United States in a 1973 milk truck to gather stories from the older generation and share them with others. He spent several months ixing up the truck to live and work in and set off on his journey in January. Leanne Conway Leanne graduated from Middlebury College in 2015 with a major in economics and minors in math and Arabic. Throughout her four years in college, she worked for the information security team on campus and developed a passion for cyber security. Leanne now works in the cyber security department at NBCUniversal in New York City. She loves her job and plans to pursue a future career path in cyber security management.

Omar Amara Omar is a medical student at the German Jordanian University. He is also learning German and is working in sales at Al Reyadh Group in Amman. Yousef Alireza After graduating from Yale University in May 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, Yousef decided to pursue a career in real estate inance and joined Goldman Sachs in New York City. He focuses on US commercial real estate loan origination for both securitization and balance sheet lending programs. Burhan Aldroubi After graduating from Williams College in May 2015, Burhan went on to pursue a Master’s degree in quantitative inance and mathematics at Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh. He now works as a risk analyst at GENPACT UK in Glasgow.

BEYOND KING’S

Leanne Conway ’11 at NBC

Ghaida El-Tayeh ’11

Omar Darwish Omar graduated from the German Jordanian University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in renewable energy engineering. He now works as a curriculum coordinator at the International Robotics Academy in Amman and as a part-time systems design engineer at City Spark Energy. Yazan Fanous Yazan is pursuing a Master’s degree in energy studies at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Last September, he participated in a workshop in Dubai conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which focused on technological advancements through augmented and virtual realities. Mansoor Ghoto Mansoor graduated from Dickinson College in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. Just before graduating, Mansoor presented his two-year student-faculty collaborated cancer research at the annual conference of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). He is now at Ross University School of Medicine, Dominica. Reed Ghandour Reed graduated from Wellesley College in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics. She now works at JP Morgan in New York City as an international equities sales analyst. Karim Habab Karim graduated from the University of Virginia in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in architecture. He now works for an architecture irm in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yasmin Jenee Yasmin graduated from the Glion Institute of Higher Education Switzerland in 2015 with a degree in luxury brand and hospitality management. This year, she chose to move to Australia to gain new experiences abroad.

Farah Majaj Farah graduated from Richmond, the American International University in London in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in politics. She returned to Jordan and plans to launch her own fashion line soon. Yara Momani Yara is completing her inal year at the German Jordanian University where she is majoring in logistics. After completing an exchange year in Germany, she returned to Jordan to complete her last semester. Omar Mourtaja Omar graduated from the Applied Science University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He is now completing a Master’s degree in automotive engineering at the University of Hertfordshire and working part-time at Mercedes-Benz. Hana Mufti Hana obtained a Bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of St. Andrews where she also developed an interest in ilm. After graduating in 2015, she went on to train at Warner Brothers with Director and Producer David Yates. She now lives between Limassol and London where she manages her production company, Meribelle Films. Suhaib Mohaidat Suhaib graduated from New York University Abu Dhabi with a Bachelor’s degree in economics. He now works as an analyst at the Commercial Bank in Abu Dhabi. Farah Matalka After working at the non-proit organization NOIVA in Jordan for one year, Farah now teaches various subjects at the American Community School in Amman. Jamil Madanat Jamil graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from McGill University. He now works as a sales application engineer at Camil Power Systems in Montreal.

Farah Kasih After graduating from the American University of Beirut in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Farah returned to Jordan to work at Oasis 500. She now works at Zain, as a member of the corporate entrepreneurship responsibility team.

Hani Murad Hani graduated from the American University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in business administration. At the end of 2016, he opened Sushito, one of the irst sushi burrito places in Jordan.

Omar Malkawi After graduating from Wentworth Institute of Technology in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in architecture, Omar started working for Ascent, a program management consultant irm in Boston, on a multi-billion dollar capital investment plan for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

Nagham Qanadilo After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in international relations and global business in 2015 from Washington College, Nagham moved to Colorado to pursue a job with Blueprint Schools Network. After completing almost one year, she returned to the Middle East and accepted a job offer at ASK Arabia in Dubai.

SPRING 2017

Abdulkareem Sheraif After graduating from Bentley University in 2015 with a double major in inance and global perspectives, and a minor in international economics, Abdulkareem went on to pursue a Master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics and graduated in December 2016. Hanadi Sabek Hanadi majored in business administration at the Arab International University. She now works at a telecommunication company in Syria and helps local charities coordinate activities for children. Rawan Saraireh Rawan earned her Master’s degree and the Legal Practice Course (LPC) from the University of Law in Leeds in 2015. She now works as a trainee lawyer at Eversheds in Amman. Sally Shaban Sally works at International SOS in Dubai where she helps provide medical and security assistance to people across the globe. Tala Soufan After graduating from Les Roches in 2015 with a degree in culinary arts, Tala worked as a private chef at the Royal Hashemite Court. She now works as a banquet chef at Faena Hotel in Miami, Florida. Seema Samawi Seema works as a software engineer at DCS Corporation in New Hampshire, focusing particularly on Air-Force mission planning systems. Seema also trains Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and purchased her irst home last year. Zahira Shaban After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in interior design from the Glasgow School of Art in 2016, Zahira returned to Jordan to work at an interior and branding design irm. May Zughayer May graduated from Birzeit University in 2016 with a major in political science and a minor in international relations. She is working on opening a non-proit startup accelerator based in Ramallah aimed to help Palestinian entrepreneurs and increase employment and economic growth.

2012 Rami AlTawil After graduating in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies and a minor in Spanish from the University of Miami, Rami enrolled in the university’s law school. Last summer, he interned with a circuit court judge.

in visual content. He speciically works with CGI visualisations, renders, applications, virtual reality and augmented reality, and is based between Glasgow and London. Yasmine Abuzeid Yasmine graduated from the George Washington University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in interior architecture and design. She now works as a research and coordination oficer at the Center for the Study of the Built Environment, a local Jordanian NGO. Zane Abu-Hantash Zane graduated from the University of Reading in 2016 and is now completing a Master’s degree in international and comparative commercial law at SOAS University. Kareem Ayyad Kareem graduated from City Law School in 2015 and now lives in Waterloo, Canada. He works in business development at PrinterOn. Shareef Abdelrazeq After graduating from Virginia Tech in May 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Shareef returned to Jordan to work at his family-established company, Ogareet Contracting. Lara Al-Qadi Lara graduated from Bentley University at the end of 2016 and moved back to Amman. She will go to England to pursue a Master’s degree in fall 2017. Sereen Ashqar Sereen will graduate from the University of Toronto in summer 2017 with a major in industrial engineering and a minor in business. She’s played on her university’s basketball team for the past four years and co-founded Arabs in Engineering, a campus club that aims to give Arab engineering students a sense of community within the university. She is also the operations director of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers at the University of Toronto chapter. Faisal Al Tal Faisal Al Tal graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering. He now works as a logistics engineer at JB Hunt in Arkansas. Subhi Anabtawi Subhi graduated from Carleton University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in inance. He now works in the sales and exports department at Al’ard Products Inc.

Layal Al Saadi After graduating from the American University of Beirut in 2016 with a degree in nursing, Layal decided to follow her dream of becoming a beautician. She now lives in London and is enrolled in various beauty courses. Noor AlHaidary After only two and a half years, Noor graduated from the University of San Francisco in 2016 with a major in international studies and a minor in Middle Eastern studies. As a result of her engagement in the community, dedication to public service and high academic performance, Noor was selected as the student speaker for the university’s commencement ceremony. Khalook Alyassin Khalook graduated from the University of Strathclyde in the summer of 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in marketing. He now works as a client services executive at Soluis, a company that specializes

BEYOND KING’S

Omar Halawa ’12 during his semester abroad in Argentina

Lara Abdel Sattar Lara is a ifth year medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland in Bahrain and will graduate in summer 2018. She is completing clinical rotations at various hospitals and studying specialties such as pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology and psychiatry. Last summer, she worked as a research trainee at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and completed an observership at the California Surgical Institute for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in California. Hani Akasheh Hani will graduate from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland in 2017. After he graduates, he plans to complete his intern year, most likely in Amman. Jude Barakat Jude graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in international and inancial economics and a minor in entrepreneurship. She has since moved to Washington, D.C. where she has worked on various short-term projects at a consulting irm. She is also a human rights advocate with Global Rescue Relief and a member of the Women’s Council on Energy and the Environment.

Dima Hourani Dima graduated from Trinity University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in economics and urban studies. She is completing a Master’s program in international development at Sciences Po in Paris. Omar Halawa Omar graduated from Columbia University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. He now conducts clinical orthopedic research in New York City and will attend medical school in fall 2017. Aliaa Ibrahim After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in law from Durham University, Aliaa pursued a Master’s degree in international inancial law at King’s College. She now works at Bakr & Odeh (Advocates and Legal Consultants) in Amman. Anoud Khalifeh After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in political science and history from the George Washington University in 2015, Anoud returned to Jordan and interned at the King Abdullah II Fund for Development.

Dina Hinnawi ’14, Lara Rawashdeh ’16, Zein Qussus ’14, Omar Megahed ’13, Faisal Kabariti ’11, Jamil Madanat ’11, Khaled Sheikh Amin ’13

Zain El-Jazara Zain graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 2016 with a degree in philosophy, politics and economics. She now works as a consulting analyst at Accenture in Chicago.

Majd Masannat Majd graduated from the American University of Beirut in 2016 with a business administration degree. She now works at Capital Investments in Amman.

Amr Farouki Amr graduated from the American University in 2016 with a double major in inance and international relations. He is now working on a book called Opening Minds, Stirring Hearts with Colman McCarthy, a well-known journalist in Washington D.C.

Firas Muasher Firas graduated from the University of Michigan at the end of 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and moved back to Amman.

Nadine Gildeh Last July, Nadine graduated from King’s College with a degree in law and began completing the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at BPP University in England. SPRING 2017

Zeid Morcos Zeid is in his inal year of medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland in Bahrain and will graduate in summer 2017. He is now in Ireland completing an orthopedic surgery elective and plans to specialize in orthopedics in either Ireland or Canada.

Haneen Tantash Haneen graduated in November with a degree in law from the University of Westminster. She hasn’t begun a career in law yet as she’s devoting some time to pursue her other passions – nutrition and health.

Noor Masanat Noor double majored in French studies and political science with a focus on conlict resolution and economic development at Bryn Mawr College. She graduated in 2016 and now works in the protocol section of the Royal Hashemite Court, which she calls an incredible experience.

2013

Nadine Massad Nadine graduated from Washington College in 2016 with a major in economics and worked in commercial real estate in New York City for two months prior to returning to Jordan in fall 2016.

Mohammed Abu Dalhoum Mohammed graduated from Washington College in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in international studies and a regional concentration in the Middle East. He also completed a thesis, “Youth Deradicalization: Strengthening the Bonds between Jordanian Youth,” which was published by the German National Library. After graduation, he moved back to Jordan.

Divij Mehra Divij completed a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from McGill University in 2016. In 2017, he began working as a business manager at Amaris in Toronto.

Mohammad Al-Huneidi Mohammed is completing his inal year at the University of Nebraska Omaha where he is pursuing both a Bachelor’s degree in computer science and a Master’s degree in science. He is a member of the honors association at UNO.

Hamza Naghawi Hamza is a ifth year medical student at the University of Jordan where he is an active member of the International Federation of Medical Student Associations. He was also a speaker at the Arab Simulation Conference in Medical Education in October 2016.

Aya Abuosbeh Aya is double majoring in economics and government at Cornell University. In 2016, she interned at the Permanent Mission of Jordan to the United Nations in New York and at the Embassy of Jordan in Washington D.C.

Lama Nassar After graduating from Lehigh University in 2016 with a major in industrial and systems engineering and a minor in business administration, Lama moved to Washington, D.C. to pursue a job at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Haneen Al-Moslam Haneen is studying English language and literature at the American University in Madaba. She is the UNESCO Youth Delegate from Jordan and the Arab region.

Jumana Risheq Jumana lives in British Columbia where she is pursuing a western herbal medicine and holistic nutrition dual diploma at Paciic Rim College. After she graduates in 2018, Jumana hopes to work on a permaculture dry land restoration project in certain parts of Jordan as the irst testing ground for potential “re-greening” of desert areas.

Maya Abdin Maya is completing her inal year at Nova Southeastern University where she is majoring in biology and minoring in psychology. She is on the e-board of the university’s pre-dental society and has launched an initiative to collect and distribute dental kits to Syrian refugees overseas. Maya plans to attend dental school in the fall.

Janine Shahin After graduating from the University of Westminster in London last November with a Bachelor’s degree in law, Janine began to pursue a Master’s degree in international business law at BPP University in England. Jude Sabha After graduating in 2016 from the University of Edinburgh with a Bachelor’s degree in international relations, Jude went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Arabic-English interpreting and translation at Heriot-Watt University. On the side, she volunteers as an Arabic interpreter at a charity organization in Edinburgh. She recently worked with a Syrian refugee family and helped them manage appropriate housing and accommodation. Mohammad Sarhan Mohammad graduated in 2016 from the College of Wooster where he majored in international relations and economics. He published his thesis “Just Let Them Move: Refugee Economic Integration and Conlict Spillover” in the Journal of Interrupted Studies, based at the University of Oxford. He is now pursuing a Master’s degree at Penn State University in international affairs with a concentration in development policy. Zeyna Tabbaa Zeyna majored in history at Brown University and graduated in 2015. She now works at Blue Engine, an education nonproit in New York that focuses on supporting schools in under-served districts.

BEYOND KING’S

Farah Zumot ’13, Zain Abdelrazeq ’13, Aya Al Jalamdeh ’13 and Yazan Fakhoury ’13 during winter break

Aakriti Raina Aakriti is in her last year at the American University of Sharjah where she is majoring in business management. She has interned at the Estee Lauder Companies and participated in Model United Nations. Tameem Samawi Tameem is a senior at Skidmore College where he is majoring in computer science. Khaled Sheik Amin Khaled is a senior at McGill University where he is majoring in economics. He plays semi-professional soccer in the Montreal Elite League and has interned at Ithmar Invest, Hikma Pharmaceuticals and Capital Trust Group.

Lorin El Kurdi ’13 at the Mansudae Grand Monument in Pyongyang, North Korea Lorin El Kurdi Lorin is pursuing a Master’s degree in international public management with a concentration in energy and environment at the Paris School of International Affairs. After inishing her undergraduate degree, Lorin completed an exchange year at the National University of Singapore.

Renee Underhill Renee graduated from the George Washington University in May 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern studies and Arabic. In September, she began teaching Arabic to native and non-native speakers at Denver Public Schools and hopes to continue expanding the school’s Arabic program. Farah Zumot Farah is a fourth year architecture student at the Lebanese American University. Last semester, she based a project on Amman’s downtown area.

Sandy Fahel Sandy is majoring in international banking, inance and international economics at Franklin University Switzerland. She graduates in summer 2017 and plans to pursue a Master’s degree in banking and inance. Zaid Jarrar Zaid is in his inal year at the American University of Beirut where he is majoring in inance. He is also working on launching an application that helps connect students with roommates as well as ind apartments. Jin Jun Jin is a senior at Middlebury College where she is majoring in political science. After she graduates in summer 2017, she plans to work for a company that deals with medical tourism between the Middle East and Korea and apply to a graduate program. Hanna Lee Hanna is in her last year of a dual Bachelor’s program between Columbia University and Sciences Po Paris where she is majoring in Middle Eastern studies. For the past year, she’s been the associate editor for Columbia University’s weekly undergraduate magazine. ind apartments. Tamara Nassar Tamara graduates from Lawrence University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in history and Russian literature. She writes and edits for the independent news website, Mondoweiss. Faris Naffa Faris is completing his Master’s degree in accounting at Brigham Young University. He will intern at Deloitte in Dallas, Texas this summer prior to joining the company next year. Zeid Qabar Zeid is in his inal year at Long Beach State University where he is majoring in mechanical engineering. He is also working on a project to develop alternative methods to replace some of the dangerous human tasks that engineers perform.

Aakriti Raina ’13 at the American University of Sharjah

2014 Zaid Ajlouni Zaid is studying electrical engineering at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He completed an internship in South Carolina as part of General Electric’s innovation team where he helped rebuild renewable energy prototypes. Mayss Akasheh Mayss is in her inal year at the University of Nottingham where she is majoring in law. After she graduates, she plans to pursue a Master’s degree in international economic law in the United States. Saed Al Zawahreh Saed is in his third year of mechanical engineering at the Hashemite University. He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers at his university. Saed has also been selected to be an ambassador of Jordan for the Middle East Students and Young Professionals Congress 2017.

SPRING 2017

Ali Mango Ali is in his third year of ilm directing at Columbia College in Chicago. He is working on producing a movie set in Jordan and the United States. Nora Nesheiwat Nora is a junior at Sarah Lawrence College where she is majoring in biology and psychology. She is a molecular biology research assistant and organization oficer of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). She is also a resident advisor and editor-in-chief of the campus translation magazine.

Nora Nesheiwat ’14 over the Hudson River in NYC

Raneem Aldroubi Raneem is in her last year of law at the University of Surrey. She got married in April and plans to pursue a Master’s degree next year. Nasam Al Twal Nasam is a junior at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln where she is majoring in math and minoring in biochemistry. She is also on the pre-medicine track and will be applying to medical schools. Heba Badr El-Din Heba is majoring in child development and minoring in energy systems at Texas Christian University. After graduation, she hopes to move to the United Kingdom and become a special needs/animal therapy teacher for young children. Joshua Claxton Joshua is a junior at Middlebury College, majoring in political science. Before he graduates, he plans to write a thesis. Ciwar El-Tayeh Ciwar is a third-year industrial engineering major at the University of San Diego. She is an active member of the institute of industrial engineers, the international student organization and the orientation welcoming committee. She also partakes in community service activities and this past year, she has helped Syrian refugee families by welcoming them to the United States, translating information for them and advertising their small businesses across campus. Nouf El Saadi Nouf is majoring in accounting and inance at the University of Sussex. She says that King’s equipped her with many skills that she uses at university, for which she is very grateful. Fawzi Itani Fawzi, who is in his third year at Amherst College, is majoring in Asian civilizations and languages with a concentration in Japanese language. Fawzi plans to connect Japan’s economy to the Middle East’s burgeoning startup scene to stimulate investments and jobs in both areas of the world. In his free time, he plays Ultimate Frisbee. Henry Keenan Henry is majoring in history and Middle Eastern studies and minoring in Arabic at the University of California, Berkley. He was a member of the varsity sailing team during his freshman and sophomore years. He has also started an initiative to help encourage youth innovation and entrepreneurship in Jordan called Startup with Purpose. The initiative will hold its inaugural boot camp this summer at King’s, aiming to bring university students from the United States and the United Kingdom to work and build companies with university students from the region.

BEYOND KING’S

Farah Naber Farah will obtain her Bachelor’s degree in intercultural relations and behavior from Jacobs University Bremen in June 2017. She is writing a thesis on how Abu Ghraib’s portrayal in the media has affected the Iraqi and American populations in very different ways. Hussam Yassin Hussam is studying medicine and playing professional American football at the American University of Beirut. In November 2015, he established an American football league in Jordan.

2015 Mohammad Abu Hawash Mohammad is majoring in foreign service at Georgetown University – Qatar. He is involved in Students for Justice in Palestine and Model United Nations. He is also a board member of MESSA, a student group that publishes an annual academic journal that is peer-reviewed and indexed on JSTOR. Jawad Alweleidat Jawad is a sophomore at Lawrence University where he is majoring in economics and math. He is on the university’s soccer team and earned top scorer during his irst season. He also established a new club called Arab Culture Club (ACC) and has been leading a Dabkeh troupe for the past two years. Mohammed Abu Eisheh Mohammed is majoring in mechanical engineering at the University of South Florida, Tampa. He loves his university and hopes to see more King’s graduates attend in the near future! Sara El-Jazara Sara is in her second year at Marist College’s Florence branch where she is majoring in art history. Rami Hamati Rami is a sophomore at Wesleyan University where he is majoring in physics while also pursuing a dual-degree engineering program. In December, he received a grant from NASA’s Connecticut Space Grant Consortium. Ban Hamadeh Ban is a sophomore at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg where she is majoring in education. Ban credits King’s for providing her with the necessary skills to succeed in both “college and in life.” Leen Madanat Leen is majoring in physics with minors in math and business administration at Muhlenberg College. She is part of the student government association and the Muhlenberg outdoors club. In January 2017, she attended the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at Princeton University.

Sarah Taha ’15 during a student government zipcar initiative opening

Sarah Taha Sarah is majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in electrical engineering at Union College. She was elected twice to serve on her college’s student government and is vice president of the sophomore class this year. Sarah received the dean’s “Rising Star Award” among all freshman, sophomore and junior classes for her campus involvement.

2016

volunteer to organize activities, such as debate and sports tournaments. Jouman Barakat Jouman is a freshman at Muhlenberg College majoring in media and communication. She was elected as a student representative for the Muhlenberg Student Government Association. She is training to host a radio show where she will play a mix of Arabic and English songs and teach her listeners Arabic words and phrases.

Hashem Abukalam Hashem is completing a foundation year at Royal Holloway where he is studying business management and international business. He will begin his irst year at university next year.

William Close William Close is attending Duke University and plans to double major in Arabic and Political Science. He is using the Arabic he learned at King’s to tutor Syrian refugees in the area around Durham in English through a student-run organization at Duke called Injaz.

Hareer Al-Qaragolie Hareer is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and English at Queen’s University, focusing on journalistic writing, clinical psychology and psychological research.

Seok Hyeon Oh Due to the different semester system, Seok applied to university after graduating from King’s and recently enrolled at Yonsei University in South Korea.

Whitney Anderson Whitney is a freshman at Brigham Young University where she is majoring in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies.

Suhail Nahhas Suhail is majoring in illustration at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. He is working as a gallery educator at the Vancouver Aquarium and plans to start an online mythology encyclopedia called “Bestiary” this summer.

Faisal Al-Alami Faisal is pursuing biology, history and public policy at the College of William and Mary. He continues to participate in Model UN conferences and fencing tournaments, just as he did at King’s. Wasan Al-Dalabeeh Wasan is studying medicine at Hashemite University. She is part of the university’s medical club, a student-led club where students

Rami Rustom Rami Rustom is currently enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), double majoring in architecture and computer science. He has partnered with MIT’s MISTI program to send volunteers to Jordan to teach refugee youth through Fikra 3al Mashi, the community outreach program he co-founded while at King’s.

Wasan Al Dalabeeh ’16 at the irst-ever debate tournament at Hashemite University’s medical school

SPRING 2017

NEWS FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Kolaghassi GW scholarship supports King’s students A scholarship fund established in February by King’s Academy board member Ali Kolaghassi and his wife Lama will provide a graduate of King’s with a full undergraduate scholarship at George Washington University (GW), Kolaghassi’s alma mater.

King’s dedicates main library hall to Dar Al-Handasah At a ceremony in the HRH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library in October, King’s Academy dedicated the main library hall to Dar Al-Handasah, one of the world’s leading architectural and engineering international consultancies. Dar Al-Handasah CEO Talal Shair, who is also a member of the board, made a generous contribution to the school in memory of his father Dr. Kamal Shair, who was born and raised in the city of Salt and founded Dar Al Handasah in 1956.

Spanish and Jordanian companies donate to King’s King’s Academy received a generous pledge of support from OHL Industrial S.L. and MID Contracting Company LLC in July. The donation, amounting to US $80,000 through a joint venture between the two companies, will be provided over the next two years and was marked by a signing ceremony attended by Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources HE Ibrahim Saif and Spanish Ambassador to Jordan HE Santiago Cabanas Ansorena. The memorandum of understanding was signed by King’s Chairman HE Bassem Al-Salem, OHL Industrial S.L. CEO Alberto Sicre Diaz and MID Contracting Company LLC CEO Ala B. Masri.

Shoman, Darwazeh and Abu Ghazaleh join Board of Trustees King’s Academy elected three new members to join its board of trustees this year: Executive Vice Chairman of Hikma Pharmaceuticals Mr. Mazen Darwazah; Board Member of Darat al Funun – The Khalid Shoman Foundation Ms. Aysha Shoman; and Chairwoman of the annual Les Createurs Libanais exhibition Mrs. Sirine Sidani Abu Ghazaleh, bringing the board’s size to 14 members. 88

BEYOND KING’S

GIVING BACK IS EASIER THAN EVER Support Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s www.kingsacademy.edu.jo/support-kings