KING’S ACADEMY Profile 2016-2017
King’s Academy P.O. Box 9 Madaba - Manja 16188 Jordan tel +962 430 0230 fax +962 430 0259 email info@kingsacademy.edu.jo www.kingsacademy.edu.jo CEEB Code 681069 Dr. John Austin, Headmaster
email: jaustin@kingsacademy.edu.jo
Ms. Hala Yaish-Salah, Director of University Counseling and Testing email: hsalah@kingsacademy.edu.jo
Mission In a setting that is rich in history and tradition, King’s Academy is committed to providing a comprehensive college-preparatory education through a challenging curriculum in the arts and sciences; an integrated co-curricular program of athletics, activities and community service; and a nurturing residential environment. Our students will learn to be independent, creative and responsible thinkers within an ethical community that encourages young men and women of diverse backgrounds and beliefs to excel, to cherish one another and to prepare for leadership.
History An independent, coeducational boarding and dayschool in Madaba, Jordan that opened its doors in 2007, King’s Academy provides outstanding young men and women from Jordan, the Middle East and the world a unique educational experience, blending an American style of education rooted in the liberal arts and sciences with Middle Eastern history, traditions, language and cultural values.
Accreditation and Memberships In the spring of 2011 and at the conclusion of its fourth year, King’s Academy was awarded full accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS). The school is also licensed by the Jordanian Ministry of Education. In September 2010, King’s Academy became the first Arab school to gain full membership in the global Round Square organization. In 2014, King’s Academy hosted the Round Square International Conference, which schools from over 25 countries attended. The student-driven conference, where delegates discussed and experienced issues related to Round Square’s IDEALS (internationalism, democracy, environment, adventure, leadership, service), focused on the theme of peace in the Middle East. King's Academy is a founding member of the Global Online Academy (GOA), a consortium of the world’s leading independent schools whose mission is to translate into online classrooms the intellectually rigorous programs and excellent teaching that are hallmarks of its member schools.
Financial Aid and Diversity As the only coeducational residential boarding school of its kind in the region, King’s Academy remains the most diverse school in the Middle East and is a pioneering leader in need-based financial aid. Some 43 percent of King’s students receive need-based aid with a total 2016-2017 financial aid budget of US $7.5 million. For the 2016-2017 academic year, 627 students are enrolled at King’s Academy, of which 136 are seniors. They come from over 40 countries, including various desert towns and villages in Jordan. This level of diversity allows King’s to create a unique community that educates students in ways the formal curriculum alone cannot and to forge a school culture that promotes social equity. August 2016
Service, Leadership and Meritocracy King’s Academy was founded to create what his Majesty King Abdullah II calls “a new tribe in the region . . . the tribe of the talented meritocracy.” King’s requires students to participate in an ambitious co-curricular program in the arts, athletics and community service that emphasizes service to others, teamwork, initiative, and community and civic engagement. King’s students feel a great sense of ownership in the culture of the school, serving in a variety of leadership positions: as residential proctors, as environmental stewards and as elected representatives to the Disciplinary Committee, Academic Honor Committee and Student Council. They volunteer to work in refugee camps, local government schools, Habitat for Humanity builds, water conservation efforts and fundraising initiatives to address urgent issues of poverty, social justice and human rights.
A Liberal Arts Education for the 21st Century At King’s Academy, where English is the language of instruction, students take a remarkably ambitious course of study, including four years of both Arabic and English. Many of King’s students arrive from large government schools at which the language of instruction is Arabic rather than English, where classes of 30 or more are the norm and where the traditions of reading, critical thinking and inquiry are weak. King’s aspires to be a school of engagement, teaching through discussion, debate and dialogue. In addition to courses in math, science, arts and humanities (28 at the AP level), our students take required courses in Arabic literature, history of the Middle East, world religions and Christian and Islamic theology. King’s strives to graduate students who are globally aware, inter-culturally competent and fully bilingual.
The Fine, Performing and Persuasive Arts In the hopes of unlocking each child's creative potential and individuality, King’s Academy offers a range of courses and co-curricular activities in the arts. In addition to classes in the traditional and modern arts of dance, ceramics, mosaics, painting, photography, drawing, acting, animation and design, King’s has a youth orchestra and a rich theatrical program. Over the last few years, the school has put on performances of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Molière's The Miser, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Noel Coward’s Private Lives, William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, most of which were premiered here in Jordan at King's for the first time. King’s also offers a comprehensive and required program in public speaking. Every year each student performs a public declamation in Arabic and English during an all-school competition. Students also participate in Model United Nations (MUN), Model Congress, Debate and Toastmasters.
Calendar
King’s operates on a three-term basis. There are 174 school days. King’s Academy Profile 2016-2017 www.kingsacademy.edu.jo