AISA's The Express: December 2010 (Vol. 1, No. 3)

8/8/2019 AISA's The Express: December 2010 (Vol. 1, No. 3)

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by Farida Nassar (Grade 11)December 1-3 were the UAEs

National Days, celebratingthe 39th year of the countrysuni cation. People danced andcheered the hundreds of deco-rated cars roaming the streets,

buildings were decorated withcolorful lights and there were

reworks on the Corniche.National Day at AISA was a

huge success. On the footballeld, there were camels, horses

and falcons, while Bedouins performed dances. There weretents for henna, and author Mo-

hammed Al-Fahim signedFromRags to Riches: A Story of AbuDhabi.

Both boys and girls assemblieswere very creative and the per -

formances were fantastic, withreadings from the Quran, andviewings of student-producedvideos on What is Abu Dhabi?combining traditional culturewith the ex-pat perspectives.

At the boys assembly, Emi-rati student Ibrahim Al Hashidi(Grade 12) read from the Quran,then students performed thetraditional stick dance. Studentsread poems and folklore in Ara- bic about the seven emirates.

Its a good way of represent-ing the connection between theschool and the country, said

Al Hashidi. It helps portray animage into the AISA communityabout the cultures and traditionsof the UAE. Plus every year weget new people so its a good

way of helping them to get toknow the history of the UAE.

At the girls assembly, MaryamAl Mannaie (Grade 12) readfrom the Quran, then students performed dances, with seniors performing a mix of Indian, Lo-cal, Egyptian and modern remix.There was also an Arabic poetryreading and a dialogue on what National Day means to ex-pats.

Emirati student Lamees AlMakkawy (Grade 11) said, Thegirls assembly was an excellentdemonstration of the UAEs cul-ture as well as a variety of others,

highlighting the importance of being an international school andcommunity.

by Farah Al Suwaidi (Grade 12)Kanye Wests Formula 1 concert

was one of Abu Dhabis high-light events that took placethe weekend of November 11.Formula 1 was a four-day eventat the Yas Marina Circuit on YasIsland.

The races took place duringthe day and would wrap up witha concert. Performing were thelegendary Kanye West, LinkinPark and Prince.

Mr. West did not disappoint hisaudience, despite having walkedoff a Matt Lauer interview earlier in the morning.

I loved Kanyes performance because he got so into it, saidDana Atrak (Grade 10). I likedthat the crowd was all our ageand generation.

The concert arena was well or -ganized and the stage set up wasgreat. Mr. West admired his stagedesign with simple Roman col-umns. On Twitter he said it was abreakthrough design wise. Healso admired Abu Dhabi saying,Sky diving, dune buggies andvintage jewelry and the fastestroller coaster.... I call those AbuDhabi Hobbies.

Linkin Park and Prince who performed during the next twodays were also successful. Alot more people showed up for the Prince concert, said Mr.Murphy, who attended bothKanye and Prince concerts.

Prince was the more excitingshow every time you thoughthe was he done he back on to play longer, he said.

by Maitha Al Mansouri(Grade 11) Arts & Culture Editor

The rst-ever Formula 1 Night,a school celebration of the F1races at the Yas Marina Circuit,had more than 80 attendees whoraised more than AED 2,000 for the Student Council on Novem- ber 4.

A smashing success, saidMr. Thomas, one of the eventsorganizers.

There was a live band and twoDJs, including seniors Salem Al

Neiami and Kamau Baaqi. Racesincluded the egg race and tricyclerace with prizes such as Ferraricaps. The idea of an F1 nightcame from the student leaders

who wanted to link the schoolwith the Abu Dhabi communityoutside of school, student leaderssaid. The Formula 1 races oc-curred from November 12-14.

With the slogan of BringYour Wheels, F1 Night was anexciting event with rollerbladers,skateboarders and students play-ing Xbox racing video games.Proceeds will help fund futurestudent council events, studentleaders said. Many students andteachers enjoyed the popcorn,

French fries and cupcakes.Ms. Levi, another eventorganizer, said, Once you startsomething, it can never go any-where but up.

by Fatma Al Khazraji (Grade 12) AISAs Voice Editor

During the summer, mostseniors (including myself) werethrilled for senior, since we were

ready to become school leaders.Seniors expected the admin-istration to reward us by beingmore exible with our freedomin the school.

In previous years, there weresenior privileges that includedordering lunch once a week,

being allowed to eat inside dur-ing recess and lunch, and beingallowed to use personal listeningdevices during quiet and inde- pendent work time, according toAISA graduates.

This year seniors overwhelm-

ing support senior privileges ina poll of 84 seniors, all but twosupported senior privileges, andthose two were undecided.

However, our plea for privileg-

es this year has been rejected.When asked why seniors donot have privileges Mr. Godley,the Secondary School principal,said seniors should be role mod-els without incentives.

It should not take the form of activities such as walking out toADNOC to buy snacks while noone else is allowed to, or tryingto get privileges that make onegroup on students seem moreimportant than another, he said.

But privileges are more than buying snacks at ADNOC. They

are a reward for us working hardfor 14 years in school, and theycould make current and futureseniors role models while allow-ing us to leave our mark.

Current seniors want privilegessuch as being able to stay insidethe building at break or leavewith a pass, having a tent as our lounge, leaving AISA property if we have free classes and order-ing food once a week.

These privileges would alsogive younger students more mo-tivation to become seniors.

Its more than just beingcalled a senior, said senior Hamad Al Fahim. Its a feelingweve waited for since kinder -garten and still havent found.

Kanye West Rocks F1 ConcertsThe crowd was all our age and generation

Formula 1 Night Revs Up the FunStudent Council Receives AED 2,000

Seniors Support Reinstating Privileges

National Day: Celebrating UAEs 39 Years withFalcons, Dancing and Videos, Oh My!

December 2010

Vol. 1, No. 3

Elementary School students Ahmed Al Mazrouei (left) and Fares Al Awlaqi demonstrate falconry, whileGrade 1 girls (left to right) Lama Kandil, Meera Al Hashemi, Rawdha Al Harmoudi, Etsub Afework.

Photos by Mrs. Pittman-Jones.

(Left to Right) Joumana Asfour (Grade 11) (left), Paula Fr onda(Grade 12), Mohamed Shaker (Grade Grade 11) (left) and Ke-

bure Assefa (Grade 11). / Photo by Ibrahim Al Hashidi (Grade 12).

Left: Grade 11 Student Council organizers. Front row: Lamees al Makkawy, Me, Joumana Asfour.Middle row: Menat el Abd, Mohamed Shaker, Quosain Memon. Top row: Brad Bixler, Kebur Asefa

Photo courtesy of Farida Nassar (Grade 11)Right (left to right): Grade 11 students Latifa Al Khumairi, Marcela Azucar, Shaika Al-Qassimi, Maitha AlMansoori and Sheikha Al Meraikhi. / Photo by Ibrahim Al Hashidi (Grade 12).

Where the lions roar!

Kanye Wests simple but effective stage at the Yas Marina Circuit. Photo by Mr. Baron

Is the late policy fair? P2RSTW Review:

Modern Art in AD P3

Robyn Fok spills the

beans on Boston P4

Were Jonas Brothers best

of Yasalam? P5

Can girls varsity bballswish a three-peat? P6

Formula 1 Fun: Party Photos


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AISAs VOiCEFun Facts

-Like ngerprints, everyones tongue print is different.-The most common name in the worldis Mohammed.-Former President George W. Bushwas once a cheerleader!-If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months,6 days, youd produce enough soundenergy to heat one cup of coffee.-The average chocolate bar has eightinsect legs in it.

by Sheikha Al Meraikhi(Grade 11)

The school year started withnew rules about being late toclass. If a student is late for classthree times, he or she must go todetention after school until 3:30.

In separate interviews, Ms.Spegele, Mr. Morley, and Mr.Godley all shared a commonopinion: that the rule is very ef -fective and students are headingto their classes on time.

Last year, many students werelate for their classes frequently

without excuses, which dis-turbed the teachers and students,the administration said. Today,many fewer detentions are as-signed.

Said one female student: Therule is fair since we have threechances, but sometimes evenwhen we have an excuse theteacher does not approve it.

Mr.Godley concluded: If you are late for your ight, youmissed it.

by Mona Nasser (Grade 12)Last year AISA had a problem

with students arriving late toschool. Some students wantedto hang out in the rotunda everymorning. Sometimes 150 stu-dents would come late to school,according to the administration.The school came up with a late policy to reduce the numbers of late students and it worked!

However, it is not fair that if we come late only two minutes,then we have to stay in detentionfor 45 minutes, especially since

some students live far away or are stuck in traf c. We think wedeserve to get one detention for every three times late.

It is certainly somethingwe can think about, said Ms.Spegele, secondary school as-sistant principal.

Though Mr. Godley, second-ary school principal, also said hewould consider it, he does notthink it is a good idea.

Awful lot of record keepingwhen it seems like our system isworking ne! he said.

by Shaika Al-Qassimi (Grade 11)Students and staff have differ-

ent opinions of The Expressstudent newspaper.Staff members Ms. Spegele

and Mr. Godley thought thenewspaper was a nice way of

showing the students creativityand that it shows what AISA is

doing as a school. They also likethe idea of adding an Arabic sec-tion, because it adds more thanone language.

But students saw it as a bor-ing newspaper, preferring thestyle of theformer studentnewspaper TheShout. Saidone student:I miss TheShout!

(Many boyssaid they hadnot even re-

ceived copies of the newspaper.)

Students saidthey wantedmore pictures,more humor andfun facts, moreinformation onteachers and

whats new and whats not, birthdays, comics, games, and to

show student opportunities.One section they said theywould like to see return is aGuess who? based on factsabout teachers.

The Express MastheadOur Mission:

The Express produces an up-to-date, fun, fresh, erce newspaper that will be liked by many, cussed

by some, read by all!Staff Advisors

Mr. Baron, Mr. KandilAISA Voices

Editor: Fatma Al KhazrajiSheikha Al MeraikhiShaika Al Qassimi

Mona Nasser Arts and Culture

Editor: Maitha Al MansouriHana Al Ameri

Rawdha Al MansooriMenat El AbdCosmopolitan

Editor: Hanna Al HassenShamma Al Khouri

Oshba Al Murar Farah Al Suwaidi

NewsEditor: Rana AlsaadiAlyazia Al Hamed

Farida Nassar Tanya Tarazi

Sports:Editor: Ameilia Fox

Paula FrondaAria Pavlic

Jessica van der Walt

Copyright 2010 AISA No portion of this newspaper or relat-ed online content may be reproducedfor public or comercial purposes

without prior written permission.

Corrections:In the November 2010 issue,the pro le of Evan Carstens waswritten by Sheikha Al Meraikhi,not Jessica van der Walt. The photo of senior cupcakes wastaken by Fatma Al Khazraji, notAyesha Al Braiki. The Express regrets the errors.

Winter Break and Getting Back to Basics by Mr. Godley, Secondary School Principal

As a kid growing up in Canada, I grew exponentially excited as December 25th approached, as this means the magical arrival of presentI also remember spending cold winter nights on the frozen pond playing hockey with my father. He worked with me for hours to focus o

details and speci cs of my game. Hockey is a game that people can learn to master, as long as they focus on the basics.He always reminded me of the basics: to keep my head up and to keep my stick on the ice. To a seasoned hockey player, these seem like-

vious skills; however no matter how good we get at something, it is important to remember the basics, if we do not then we will lose our wAt school, while students continue to grow and improve as learners, it is important to remember the basics of doing well and getting goo

grades. Do your homework, organize your time and pay attention in class. Just like a hockey player keeps his head up and keeps his stick the ice, students should focus on the basics to be sure not to lose their way.

If you have had a good start to the year, you can focus on improving. If you havent had a good start, you have the chance in January to back refreshed and with a new focus on the basics. I would like to give my best wishes to everyone in the AISA community for a relaxing joyous winter break. I look forward to seeing you all in January, rested and ready to work hard.

National DayDress-Up

Front row (left to right):Mrs. Godley (KG2), Mrs. Morley(Librarian), Ms. Spegele (Second-ary School Assistant Principal),Mrs. Pittman-Jones (ElementarySchool Assistant Principal).Top row (left to right):Mr. Godley (Secondary SchoolPrincipal), Dr. Jones (Director),Mr. Roth (Elementary SchoolPrincipal) and Mr. Morley (Sec-ondary School Assistant Princi- pal).

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New Lateness Policy is FairMany fewer detentions assigned

Above: Two pages from the rst issue o f The Shout, last years student newspaper.

Students: I miss The Shout!Call for more pictures, humor and fun facts

Bring Back ThreeLatenesses for a Detention

Not fair for students stuck in morning traf c

Space for Debate

The ExpressDec. 2010

Two Publications StudentsPublished in Abu Dhabi Week

by Mr. Baron

Renowned news magazineAbu Dhabi Week has repub-lished articles by two Publica-tions class juniors: Farida Nassar and Rana Alsaadi.

Both of their articles on AISAs30-Hour Famine appeared in lastmonths The Express and inthe November 4 edition of AbuDhabi Week, which has a circu-lation of nearly 82,000.

Nassars article on NationalDay is in this edition of TheExpress and in the December 9edition of Abu Dhabi Week.

The students were excitedabout being published. Nas-sar said: Im proud of myself because my work is good enoughto be published in a real maga-zine where everyone can read [it]and not just in school. Alsaadiadded: I was really surprisedand happy!

Publications teacher Mr. Baron,said he was proud of them.

Im glad the magazine

provides space for developing

writers, he said. Im lookingforward to more students being published. Read the republished 30-Hour

Famine articles online at bit.ly/pakistanmirzaand bit.ly/pakistanrecap. The Nation-al Day article is not yet online.

National Day article by juniorFarida Nassar in Abu Dhabi Week .

Right: Students in detention.Photo by junior Hana Al Ameri.

Admin Corner


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Fun Facts About the World

A hummingbird weighs less than a penny. Real diamonds can be made from peanut butter. Your brain is 80 percent water. Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse, was afraid of mice. Women end up digesting most of the lipstick they apply.

News

by Tanya Tarazi (Grade 11)Art students accompanied by Art

teachers Ms. Pegg and Ms. Emerick re-cently visited the RSTW exhibition at theManarat Al Saadiyat gallery in Abu Dhabi.

RSTW features six modern and con-temporary artists: Robert Rauschenberg,Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, Cy Twombly,Andy Warhol and Christopher Wool, fromthe private collection of art dealer LarryGagosian. The exhibit is organized by theAbu Dhabi Tourism Development and In-vestment Company with the GuggenheimMuseum-Abu Dhabi, and is on displayuntil January 24, 2011.

It was inspiring, exciting and a greatmove forward in art for Abu Dhabi, saidMs. Pegg. Besides the exhibition itself shelearned skills such as silkscreen printing,which she brought to the classroom. Her students will be creating an art project based on the exhibit.

Rauschenberg and Ruschas work arein the rst room. Rauschenberg mixesabstract and everyday objects in paintingssuch as Overdrive. Ruschas paintingsconvey themes of con ict that affect soci-ety, such as Burning Gas Station. Serrauses industrial metal to make long thick sheets that are balanced against each other by mathematics and physics.

Twomblys paintings are inspired by hisemotions. He uses bright colors of crayonand paint to draw childlike pictures. Stef -fanie Sanders (Grade 11) likes TwomblysRoses paintings. They were extraordi-nary, it truly inspired me, she said.

Pop artist Warhol, drew Triple Elvis,Four Marylin and Seventy Last Sup- pers. He also used everyday objects tomake them works of art. Examples of thisare the Brillo Pad Box and the Camp- bells Tomato Soup Can. Finally, Wools paintings are in graf ti and abstract art that

are inspired by music.

by Rana Alsaadi (Grade 11) News Editor

After the catastrophic magnitude7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in Janu-ary 2010, hundreds of AISA studentshelped raise more than AED 35,000 tosupport the more than 3 million Hai-tians affected by the devastation.

Last years Hope for Haiti charitycampaign, organized by former internMs. Jill Slutzker with Grade 11 and 12students, raised money and awarenessto the plight of Haitians.

Most of the AED 35,000 was donat-ed to Haiti Mission Inc., a faith-basedorganization that works in HaitisJrmie region, with the rest going tointernational medical humanitarianorganization Doctors Without Borders.

It was good to see AISA studentsdonating for a good cause, said Shan-zeh Nazar (Grade 12). It showed thatteenagers today care about more than just themselves.

Nearly AED 35,000 was donated to

Haiti Mission Inc., and was used as part of a package to purchase a truck that can drill wells that 300 to 500 people daily, according to their annualreport.

Last years International Night festivalraised about half of the money, witha large portion coming from students paying AED 5 each to participate in afree dress day to wear the colors of theHaitian ag, according to Mrs. FaizaMartin.

Humanities teacher Mr. LeBlanc rec-ommended Haiti Mission Inc., whichhe had worked with before comingto AISA. Members of St. Bridgets

Church in Schriever, Louisianafounded Haiti Mission Inc. in 1999,according to their website.

Although you guys [were] thefurthest away from our missionwork, the response of young peoplein schools throughout the world tothe plight of the Haitian people has been inspirational, Deacon LloydDuplantis, the organizations direc-tor, wrote in an email.In November 2010, HurricaneTomas hit Haiti, leading to an outbreak of cholera. Haiti Mission Inc.has written an emergency appeal.The work of Haiti Mission Inc.has become even more criticallyimportant, wrote Mr. Duplantis.Your support is needed.

For more information on how tohelp Haiti Mission Inc., visit www.haitimissioninc.com.

New Staff Pro le: Kefaya Omar by Paula Fronda (Grade 12)Kefaya Omar is an Islamic and Arab Social Studies teacher from Jordan. She has worked in

Abu Dhabi since 2004, previously for the Ministry of Education and as a teacher in Jordan. Itwill be a new experience to work in an international school with the different cultures, she said.

by Alyazia Al Hamed (Grade 11)Eco Club, a new school club founded last

month by teachers Mrs. Fairbarn, Mrs. Al Jen-abi and Mrs. Madden, helps students discussenvironmental issues and nd ways to improveour lifestyle.

The club meets every other week in Room 108, and hasabout a dozen members, led by co-presidents Rana Alsaadi(Grade 11), an Express edi-tor, and Khalid Al Mubarak (Grade 11).

The clubs biggest idea is to eliminate plastic bottled water in the canteen, insteaddistributing reusable thermoses to students. Asa result the school could eliminate its waste products, which helps sustain our environment,

club members said. The club is also comingup with ways to calculate the amount of water used by the school and to nd more ef cientways it could be used.

It really gives us a chance to show schoolspirit, and at the same time, do something good

to the environment we livein, said Sharon Albuquer -que (Grade 12), the clubscommunications of cer.

Club members have alsodiscussed camels that diein the desert due to human

litter, and ways to improve sanitation.If we start taking care of our environment

now, said Ms. Madden, we could promotea healthy environment for our future genera-tions.

Mr. LeBlanc and Ms. Emerick (right) help loadsupplies for Haiti Mission Inc, with Deacon LloydDuplantis, the organizations director, and his wifeFaye Duplantis, in July 2010.

Photo courtesy of Mr. LeBlanc.

Visitors to art exhibit RSTW, on display at Manarat Al Saadiyat until Janauary 24,2011. / Picture courtesy ADTDIC.

Andy Warhol a Winner at RSTW, Blockbuster Modern Art ShowArt Teacher Ms. Pegg: It was inspiring, exciting and a great move forward for Abu Dhabi

Hope for Haiti Raised AED 35,000for Last Years Earthquake Victims

Cholera outbreak presents new challenges

Nearly All Seniors Support Privileges

[T]he response of young people in schoolsthroughout the world has

been inspirational. -Deacon Lloyd Duplantis,

Dir. Haiti Mission Inc.

Facts and Figures

New Eco Club Proposes Bottled Water BanPromotes healthy environment at school and in Abu Dhabi

It really gives us a chance to

show school spirit, and at the same time, do something good to the environment we live in.

-Sharon Albuquerque (Grade 12)

3The Express

Dec. 2010

AED 80,000+ Raised for PakistanAISA has raised more than AED 80,000 for Pakistan ood relief, according to Mr. Mirza, who isleading the schools fundraising efforts. He counts more than 1,000 bags of clothes, food, toys, blankets and sanitary goods. AISA should be so proud for getting involved, he said. Mr. Mirzawill be traveling to Pakistan over winter break to see where the money is going. -Mr. Baron


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by Hanna Al Hassen (Grade 12)Cosmopolitan Editor

AISA alum Robyn Fok (Class 10),is studying Business and InternationalAffairs at Northeastern Universityin Boston, a city in the Northeasternregion of the United States.

She applied to USC University of South Carolina, UCLA universityof California, Los Angeles, BostonUniversity, Purdue University, andthe University of Washington, but

chose Northeastern University due toits co-op program.

The transition from Abu Dhabito Boston was easier than she hadthought it would be, especially sinceshe lives in universitys InternationalVillage residence hall.

Though the student body of nearly16,000 has students from all 50 statesand 125 countries, according to theuniversitys website, the InternationalVillage is a smaller living and learn-ing community.

The residence hall has a globaltheme that includes diverse students,ethnic cooking demonstrations, cul-tural excursions, and visits by guestspeakers with international insightsto share, according to the universityswebsite.

The people I am surrounded byare mostly international kids fromall over the world, she said. So its basically like AISA all over again!

Fok, 18, likes living in Boston, amajor city, which she had visited before.

The university has a nice campusthat is in Boston so its really con-venient and nice. It only takes 10minutes to walk to the main shopping

place Newbury Street! I loveuniversity life so far, there isalways so much to do.

Though her IB Business cred-its did not transfer over, shesaid AISA gave her life skillssuch as time management,organization and being able toget along with people from allaround the world.

Although Fok said shemisses everyone in AISA andits laid-back atmosphere, sheis enjoying her university life.Its a new challenging experi-ence, she said living alone ishard, especially when you getsick and have to take care of yourself.

At Northeastern University, everystudent must do at least two co-ops/internships.

Northeastern University is thenumber one school for job placementsafter university, said High-SchoolCounselor Ms. Merrell. Most oftenthe second co-op students do is the

one that offers them a job placementfor after university, so they donteven have to look for a job when they

nish.

Fok plans to work on Wall Street in New York City for a few years beforegoing to graduate school to get her MBA.

Enjoy every bit of senior year andwhat you have left of high school,is her advice to seniors. Dont benervous about university becausethere really is not any reason to be. Imade the most of my years at AISAand now Im trying to make the mostout of my life at university.

by Oshba Al MurarSenior Olivia Nunan is

an Australian who has livedin Abu Dhabi for the pastthree years.

Before coming to AISA,her family including hersister and fellow AISAsenior Tamsin Nunan lived in Chennai, India, the

countrys fourth largestcity, for seven years.

Olivia Nunan, 18, wentto the American Schoolof Chennai, and also

lived elsewhere in Indiafor two more years.Though the schools

gender segregation hasbeen an adjustment forNunan, she said she likesher fellow students andliving in Abu Dhabi forthe diverse range of na-tionalities and cultures.

Its really great to beable to experience them

rst hand, she said. Imalso proud of who I amas an Aussie but alsoconsider myself a globalcitizen as well. Living

in Abu Dhabi as an Aussiecitizen is awesome!

Besides being the startingpoint guard on the girlsvarsity basketball team, Ol-ivia also speaks Mandarin,acts and sings.

For the War and Piecesmusical performance lastmonth (see Novembers

Express article Perform -ing Arts Night ShowcasesHigh School Students),Nunan performed twosongs that made the crowdsscream and cheer loudly.

Before you sing you areoverwhelmed with nerves,she said.

But as soon as you singthat rst note, its like yousinging by yourself in anempty room and can singthe best you can.

Fun Facts-There are 170 septillion ways to playthe 10 opening moves in chess.-When you sneeze, all bodily func-tions stop -- even your heart!-The average person over 50 willhave spent ve years waiting in lines.-Cockroaches can live for nine daysafter their head been cut off.

-40,000 Americans are injured bytoilets every year.

Picture illustration by Hanna Al Hassen

Alumna Robyn Fok: Living the International Life at Bostons Northeastern Univ.

Alumna Robyn Fok (left) posingwith a friend in the Boston Com-mons. Photo courtesy of Robyn Fok.

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Paris-Sorbonne Promotes New Abu Dhabi CampusUKs University of Bradford Has Strong Engineering, Life Science Programs

Left: University of Bradfords campus. Photo courtesy qisan.com. Right: Artistss rendering of the Paris-Sorbonnes new Abu Dhabicampus on Al Reem Island.

Aussie Pride in Abu Dhabi

Photo courtesy of Olivia Nunan.

TheExpress

Dec.2010

by Shamma Al Khouri(Grade 11)

More than 120 universitieshave visited AISA this year tohelp juniors and seniors withtheir university plans. Univer-sity is a big step but a neces-sary one to prepare you forlife outside the school for theworkplace, said Ms. Merrell,

high school counselor. Manyof you may not be ready andthats okay there are wonderfulprograms available for 13th yearprograms.

The University of Bradford,located in England, visited AISAon November 25. It has strongengineering and life sciencesprograms, and also offer manage-ment sciences and internationalstudies, said Ms. Merrell. Theuniversity also offers an Interna-tional Foundation Year, to helpinternational students not yetacademically quali ed to startundergraduate s tudy.

Paris Sorbonne University, thetop university in France, visitedAISA on November 29. Theuniversity offers a wide range of majors in Humanities and Law,and promoted its new Abu Dhabicampus, located on Al ReemIsland, at which more than 500students representing more than50 nationalities attend, according

to its website.The curriculum is in French,

and follows the new European

system of higher education calledthe License-Masters-Doctorate(LMD) system, in which studentsreceive a European degree andFrench language experience without having to leave AbuDhabi.

[T]hey are a highly regardedinstitution, and anyone whograduates from the Sorbonne ispretty much guaranteed to obtaina job in their eld of study, saidMs. Merrell.

Student Profle


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Arts & Culture

by Hana Al Ameri (Grade 11)Allahu Akbar, Allahu akbar, Ash-had

an la illaha illa allahThese are thewords that awaken me and my familyon the rst day of Eid. We all get up andwe perform ablutions (ritual washing).My father and brother then go to themosque to pray, and me and my mother,sisters and I pray at home. In my family,sleep is very rare during Eid Al Adha.The day before, we stayup all night getting readyfor the day to come. Wego to the saloon to do our hair and henna.

Muslims celebrate twoEids during the year. The

rst Eid comes after theholy month of Rama-dan and it is Eid al Fitr.Ramadan is the monthwhere Muslims refrain from eating anddrinking from dawn until sunset. Thesecond Eid is Eid al Adha and it followsthe Hajj which is the pilgrimage toMecca and it is the fth pillar of Islam.

On the morning of Eid Muslims areawakened by the prayer of Fajr andmen usually go and pray in the mosque.

Men, women and children wear newclothing and gather with families.Money is usually given to children tospread happiness. In the afternoon a tra-ditional meal is served which consistsof rice and meat.

Eid is a very special occasion thatis celebrated in our religion, said myfather Mr. Al Ameri. Even though our families are always gathered this is an

excuse to gather withhappiness and makethe children smile bygiving them money,

My mother Mrs.Al Ameri said, Wehope that God alwaysgathers us with his

blessings and may our gatherings come moreoften.

Towards the end of the day, becauseeveryone is so happy, no one evenremembers about not having slept. Welaugh and talk until we hear the prayer of Fajr welcoming the second day of Eid. We pray then go to bed.

Allahou Akbar, Allahou Akbar, Ach- had an la illaha illa Allah. Cest par ces mots que nous sommes rveillsma famille et moi chaque jour delad. Nous nous levons tous pour aller accomplir nos ablutions (lavage rituel).Mon pre et mes frres vont alors lamosque pour la prire, et ma mre, messurs et moi-mme, prions la maison.

Dans ma famille dormir est trs rare pendant lAd Al Adha. Le jour davant,nous restons veills toute la nuit pour

nir les derniers prparatifs et tre prts pour ce jour mmorable. Nous allons engnral au salon de coiffure pour nousfaire coiffer et mettre du henn sur nos bras et sur nos pieds.

Les musulmans clbrent deux ftesde lAd pendant lanne. Le premier Ad Al tr marque la n du moissacr du ramadhan o, les musulmanssabstiennent de manger et de boiredu lever jusquau coucher du soleil.La seconde fte est lAd Al Adha quimarque la n du Hadj plerinage la Mecque, qui est le cinquime pilier delIslam.

Le matin de lAd, les musulmanssont rveills par la prire du Fadjr et

les hommes vont habituellement ac-complir leur prire la mosque. Pour loccasion, les hommes, les femmes etles enfants portent de nouveaux vte-ments et rendent visite leur famille.Les enfants reoivent gnralement delargent pour complter leur joie .Unrepas traditionnel compos de riz et deviande est servi dans laprs-midi.

LAd est un jour trs spcial dansla religion musulmane a dit mon pre:Monsieur Al Ameri. Mme si nous nousrunissons rgulirement dans notrefamille, lAd est une autre excuse pour se runir encore une fois dans la joie etde rendre heureux les enfants en leur donnant de largent.

Ma mre madame Al Ameri dit Jespre que Dieu nous donnera toujoursloccasion de se runir plus souvent

la n de cette journe et parce quetout le monde est heureux, nous nenous souvenons mme plus que nousnavions pas dormi. Nous discutonsrions jusqu la prire du Fadjr laubedu deuxime jour. Nous accomplissonsalors cette prire avant de nous mettreau lit.

Fun Facts

-The ngerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so they could be confused at a crime scene.-More than 10 people a year are killed by vending machines.-Right-handed people live nine years longer than left-handed people.-In France, it is legal to marry a dead person!

-Snails breathe through their feet.

Above: My 4-year-old sister Maitha Al Ameri.

Jonas Brothers Best of Beats on the Beach Manga Mania!Students draw and watch the Japanese comics in new club

Eid Al Adha: A Personal Re ection

LAd: Une Re exion Personnelle La traduction par Mme. Merazi

Translation by Mr. Hafez

Background: Drawingby Hend Al Sanadi.

5The Express

Dec. 2010

by Rawdha Al-Mansoori(Grade 11)

AISA has a new MangaClub, to promote and drawthe popular Japanese comicsthat are turned into An-ime cartoons. In Japanese,Manga means humorous pictures, and it is a big partof Japanese culture.

Club members work towards developing their own Manga characters andvolumes. Members try tocreate their own Manga,

and also watch anime showssuch as Pandora Heartsand Darker than Black.

They are working in groupson organizing a plot for theManga that they are creat-ing.

Manga Club has 14 members, and was founded byseniors Hend Al Sanadi andGrainne McClean, and ju-niors Amira Anthonijsz and Nahil Memon. The supervi-sor is Mr. McGrady. Theclub meets every Sunday,Tuesday and Thursday dur -ing lunch in Room 327.

Al Sanadi originally

expected that the club would be more of a Manga grouprather than a club with

activities. It wasnt what Iexpected, it was better! shesaid.

On November 25, the clubwent on a eld trip to theDubai Community Theatreand Arts Centre, where theylearned how to draw thefacial features of a Mangacharacter. They enjoyed the

eld trip, and plan on goingagain in February.

Salama Al Harmoodi(Grade 11) said, Whatmade me join the club is my

love for Manga!

by Menat El Abd (Grade 11)Many artists performed concerts in

Abu Dhabi during Eid Al Adha break inmid-November as part of the concert se-ries Yasalam. There were the free Beatson the Beach on the Corniche beach,and the paid concerts on Yas Island andSkybar.

Beats onthe Beach performersincludedSean Paul,Haifa, KellyRowlandand Kel-lis. Seeingthe number of people who were attending was justamazing. Lamees Al Makkawy (Grade11), who attended the Sean Paul concert,said: It wasnt as good as I expected itto be. The organization in the beginningwas very poor.

At Yas Island, there were KanyeWest, Linkin Park, Prince and the Jonas

Brothers performed (see the articleKanye West Rocks F1 Concerts). AlMakkawy, who also attended the JonasBrothers concert said, It was a greatconcert and better than I expected. The band didnt just sing, they played their instruments and connected with the au-

dience very well.

The Nationalnewspaper added,The noise level of screaming teenageJonas Brothersfans at Yas Arenayesterday wasalmost enough torival the roars of the F1 cars on the

track this week.Eid is about spending quality time

with your family, so many restaurantsand hotels had family packages. Oneof the high demand places was DubaisAtlantis Hotel and its water park, whichcombined fun and family time.

Jonas Brothers photo by Menat El Abd (Grade 11).


6/6

SPORTS

by Jessica van der Walt(Grade 11)

The girls varsity basketballteam (including this reporter)hopes to win a third straightISAC championship. The team isstarting strong with a 2-1 record,and will be ending the season by participating in the ECC andISAC tournaments.

This years team, coached byMr. Synoground and Ms. Sam-

bola, is relatively new with onlyve returning players from last

year out of eleven players.One of the returning players,

point guard Olivia Nunan (Grade12) said: Although it is a rela-tively new team, I believe thisseason will be very successful,

we have a strong team.The JV team is coached byMr. Armstrong and Ms. Levi, both new coaches. The teamhas twelve players, mainly fromGrades 9 and 10.

Last year the team came insecond place in ISAC, but thisyear the team is relatively newwith only three returning players.Still, the coaches said the teamhas a lot of potential. Im look -ing forward to a good season,said Ms. Levi.

Nadia Jacobson (Grade 10) is astarting forward returning for her third year on the JV team.

The team is pretty good, butwe only need more patience,she said. Attitude determinesaltitude.

by Ameilia Fox (Grade 11)Sports Editor

Danielle Cobrand (Grade11), an outstanding defender who hopes to play on CanadasUnder-18 team this year, is be-ing counted on to lead the girlsvarsity soccer team to a back-to- back ISAC championship.

I think this year, if we work really hard and really want it, wecan qualify for the ECC tourna-ment and win the ISAC tourna-ment, she said.

Mr. Deschamps returns for his third straight year as varsitycoach. We lost a lot of strongGrade 12 students from lastyear, but this is a strong group

of girls, he said. (This reporter plays on the team.)Though the girls JV soc-

cer team won last years AISA

Invitational Championship and placed second in EMAC, thisyear is is rebuilding team with avery young group of girls, saidMs. Morkin. It is an excitingteam to coach because since mostof them are eligible to play U14,they are very keen and excited to be part of JV, said Ms. Morkin,returning for her fth year of coaching.

Jude Al-Hajeri (Grade 8), amid elder, is the only returning player from the girls JV team.Ive been motivated by the timea player from Chelsea came toAbu Dhabi and offered me togo the Chelsea soccer school inItaly, she said. Though the team

lost their rst game 2-0 to theBritish School, Ms. Morkin saidthey continue to try their best.

by Aria Pavlic (Grade 11)The boys varsity soccer var -sity team aims for back-to-back ISAC championships, and Mr.Mangan is hoping for an unde-feated season.

The varsity team is playing intwo major tournaments this year:ISAC at AISA and the ECC inDubai. The team automaticallyquali es for the ISAC tourna-ment, however for the ECC theteam must come in the top four in order to qualify. So far theteam won its rst game againstleague team Dubai International

Academy by a score of 9-1.

Mr. Mangan praised team cap-tain Abdul Quddos (Grade 12).Quddos has the potential to bethe link between coaching staff and players, said Mr. Mangan.He can plan team events, and hecan provide leadership to play-ers, the team, and the program.

The JV team won the AISAInvitational tournament last year and placed second in the EMAC,and players said they cannot waitto prove themselves.

This years captain is TsotnePapavadze (Grade 10). Theteam this year is lled with play-

ers that have a great potential,

like Khalid Hashim (Grade 10)and Igancio Alonso (Grade 8),he said. I have big hopes for thisteam.

Theyarestartingwell,

beatingthe non-leagueBritishSchool4-2.

Fun Sports Facts

-It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enoughleather for a years supply of footballs.-At 120 mph, an F1 car generates so much downforcethat it can drive upside down on the roof of a tunnel.-Former President George W. Bush is related to allother U.S. presidents!-Tug of War was an Olympic event from 1900-1920.-All Major League Baseball umpires must wear black underwear while on the job!

by Paula Fronda (Grade 12)Last years boys varsity bas-ketball team was undefeated andwon the ISAC Championships.This years team has only threereturning players, the rest hadgraduated.

Mr. Pike, who coached lastyears Girls JV basketball team,is working hard to rebuild theteam. During the Eid Al Adhaholiday, the team practiced al-most every day and now practice

ve times a week.Though the team lost their rst game against the American

Community School, Mr. Pike

expects improvement. We mightnot be unbeatable like last yearsteam, but I guarantee hard work and a successful season, he said.This is a totally different teamand different style.

The JV team came in second place at ISAC and third placeat EMAC last year. This year Mr. Hansard takes over for Mr.LeBlanc.

Mr. Hansard said, The teamhas a lot of talent and dependingon how well they mesh and work in practice together, they willhave a successful season.

Junior Jessica van der Walt (No. 17) reaches for the block as se-nior Dorien Van Heerden (left) and junior Marcela Azucar (right)help defend against the American Community School.

Photo courtesy Jessica van der Walt (Grade 12).

Varsity boys basketball team defends against the American Com-munity School. Photo courtesy Jessica van der Walt (Grade 12).

Cheering for Boys Varsity Soccers 2nd Straight TitleJV Captain: Our squad has great potential

Above: (Left to Right) Seniors Louii Kayyali, Mohammed Al Shawa, Khalil Cheikha and freshman Zeid Sharif painted their bodies, senior Omar Haggag played drums to show support.Below: Khalid Mansoori (Grade 11) plays in a recent match. / Photos courtesy Paula Fronda (Grade 12).

Girls Varsity Baskebtall Shoots for 3rd Straight TrophyJV team hopes for good season after second place nish

The team is pretty good, but we only needmore patience. Attitude determines altitude.

-Nadia Jacobson (Grade 10), JV starting forward

Boys Varsity Bball: New Legacy After9 Graduate from Unbeaten Team

JV team has a lot of talent

Girls Varsity Soccer Plays forBack-to-Back Championships

JV team motivated after second place nish

6 The ExpressDec. 2010

AISA's The Express: December 2010 (Vol. 1, No. 3)

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Transcript of AISA's The Express: December 2010 (Vol. 1, No. 3)