Semester in Review - Fall 2018
Assalaamu alaikum,
As 2018 comes to a close, we wish to thank our community, staff, students and parents for an amazing Fall semester. Here are just a few brief highlights from the past four months.
-Dr. Haleema Shaikley
AP Capstone Diploma
The College Board has distinguished City of Knowledge as one of roughly 1500 schools in the world that are certified to offer the AP Capstone program. Through the two-year AP Capstone program, our high schoolers learn independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges. They also have the opportunity to earn the AP Capstone Diploma, which indicates to admissions officers that that they have mastered important college-level skills.
UN Award
A poster created by our 7th and 3rd grade students was awarded as one of the top 70 out of 17,000 entries in the UN Human Rights Poster Contest. It was announced by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights this month, and is now housed at the Queen Sofia Children's Art Museum in Spain.
Student Performances
Our students continue to build and impress us with their acting and Arabic skills! In November, hundreds visited the school for the Tragedy of Karbala play, an annual performance that engages actors from all grade levels, allowing them to both learn the story of Imam Hussein and build their confidence and public speaking skills. This month, our students engaged in beautiful performances including Qur'anic recitation, nasheeds, and plays in Arabic, for Arabic Language Day.
College counseling & Admissions
We’ve continued and enhanced our college counseling services, provided by alumni, staff and outside experts who work to advise our students on college admissions and applications. Hamada Zahawi from Write Track Admissions also made his annual visit to help educate students on how to perfect their college essays.
We also received some early collge scholarship news! CKS senior Ahmad Alhankawi has been named a Questbridge scholar! He has received a full four-year scholarship to his first choice school and one of the most selective and prestigious schools in the country, Pomona College.
Project-Based Learning
We continue to build on our commitment toward enriching students' educations through hands-on, project-based learning. When students engage in projects together indoors and outdoors, they build on teamwork and communication skills, increase self-confidence, and are more likely to understand and absorb the learning material. They are also able to move around and, when outdoors, explore and appreciate nature!
Some of this was in the form of off- and on-campus field trips! In November, we were visited by the Seed Survivors Mobile Classroom. In the mobile unit with talking walls, interactive games and a seed planting station, the students learned all about the importance of agriculture and had the opportunity to plant and learn to care for their own seeds.
Special Visits
We were honored to have hosted several special guest speakers at the school this semester, including the honorable Seyed Munir al-Khabbaz and Seyed Ali Khalkhali. Each enlightened and energized the students with discussions related to upholding and taking pride in the practice of Islam, particularly in a largely non-Muslim society.
AP Scholars
The AP Scholar award is granted to students who pass three or more AP exams. In the past year, the amount of AP Scholars at City of Knowledge has doubled as compared to previous years. AP courses and exams allow students to build college skills, earn college credits, and stand out to admissions officers.
Snowfall Festival
Led by our Senior student groups, our students, parents and staff worked together to put on the school's first ever winter festival. The event had large slides, jumpers, games, a petting zoo, and and activities for all ages, as well as a "snow" filled winter wonderland.
Hour of Code
This month, we continued our annual tradition of participating in Hour of Code, a global event aimed at demonstrating that anyone can learn computer science. As an institution that emphasizes the value of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and science), we teach coding beginning in elementary school.
Giving Tuesday
With many thanks to you--our parents, community members, staff, and supporters--City of Knowledge's first ever Giving Tuesday campaign in November was a success. We could not do this great work (as well as all the other stuff that just doesn't fit into this one newsletter!) without your help. Thank you, thank you, thank you.