Schutz Pins to AERO Standards

By Suraj Baadkar

Schutz recently has adapted to AERO standards and is incorporating service-learning as a part of curriculum. These new improvements in the curriculum will benefit not only the students but also the teachers and the community as a whole.
AERO is a project supported by the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools (A/OPR/OS) and the Overseas Schools Advisory Council to assist schools in developing and implementing standards-based curricula. Project AERO which stands for “American Education Reaches Out.” provides stability to curriculum mainly in overseas American international schools which generally have high turnover of teachers every year. Therefore, these set of standards will minimize the impact of staff turn-over at the end of the year.
“Schutz is adapting this set of standards because it believes that a standard based education system is a way of making sure that all students are on the same level regarding skills at any grade level”, said Massimo Laterza (the High School Principal). Schutz like any other international American school has a high turn over of teachers. This disrupts the learning process of the students towards the subject or a specific lesson. For example, the personal interests of a biology teacher might allow him/her to concentrate more on the human anatomy section but when she leaves the next teacher might concentrate more on the botany section, making the students weak in some areas of the subject. The concept of standardized education does not allow this to happen and keeps the students at the same level when they exit the grade. The Standards put a curriculum “floor” which is the minimum level of learning a student should know in order to pass the class. Any additional information is to the benefit of the students, therefore improving the educational system and the outcome of the curriculum in Schutz.
Service-learning is another addition to the curriculum that Schutz has been thinking of implementing. Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction to improve the community as a whole and responsibility of the student towards it. Schutz has always been very active in community service and implementing service-learning in its curriculum will further fulfill one of its missions. Service-learning has been derived from the IB schools model which offers 1 credit for 131 hrs of service in the grade levels of 11th and 12th.
Clearly, adaptation of both AERO standards and service-learning in the Schutz’s curriculum is beneficial to students in their overall development and teachers in their lesson planning. Due to this the school can expect certain basic skills of learning to be achieved every student who is part of the institution.

For more information on AERO standards please visit www.projectaero.org
And Service-learning please visit www.servicelearning.org

Dreams of Change from Strike to Chaos

By Ingy Fahmy
Human beings in general enjoy the act of expressing themselves and having the opportunity to be heard. Some call it freedom of speech, while others call it chaotic rumblings. People of different countries and nations might be more privileged than others in the sense of having more rights to political participation, including strikes, demonstrations, etc. Expressing yourself in a developed country that is open to democracy is something very different than expressing it in countries that are developing and still on their way to democracy. It is in the latter case that it may become chaotic.
On the 6th of April 2008, many opposition and workers activist groups called for a general strike. The strike was a result of the increasing inflation and the rising cost of bread and other important living necessities. The government’s response to this planned strike was to warn all those participating that they would take solid and harsh action, including the possibility of Egyptian citizens ending up in jail.
Egypt as a developing country has witnessed a growing awareness of civil rights. People living in Egypt are becoming more open about expressing their needs and their discontent, especially after the establishment of the Kefaya (the Egyptian Movement for Change) opposition group. The term “strike” in Egypt, however, seems to have had the meaning of going on to the streets aggressively and having the government respond to them in an even more aggressive manner.
Engaging in a strike, especially in Egypt, is never going to be the answer to any of this country’s problems. Egyptians have the wrong definition of strike in their vocabulary, and due to that it will never be the resolution to anything but only a cause and spark to start a fire and open the door to many other issues. If the people of Egypt continue to participate in these strikes, Egyptians will keep failing in their attempt to have their voices heard. The chaotic rumblings will be never ending!

Out with the Old, In with the New!

By Tarek Talaat

Many people disagree with the fact that the Arabic language should be included in Schutz American School's curriculum. I think it should be taught just as a foundation level, and then students should feel free to continue or discontinue the Arabic language class based on their interest in the subject.
The basic level of Arabic is important because the school is located in Egypt, and most students are Egyptian. I feel that students should learn how to communicate, read, and write in their native language. Students eventually will need to know how to read a letter or an email or even read the newspaper to learn about what happens around them. Some students plan to finish up their education and pursue their family business here in Egypt, these are the students who will need it the most because they need their native language to make business plans or write up contracts.
Another reason is that tuition fees at Schutz are very expensive, so I believe that if people pay that much money, they should get everything they can out of the school's curriculum, instead of students just taking private lessons at home. People might disagree with Arabic being included in the curriculum because Schutz is an American school; however, the inclusion of Arabic in the curriculum will not affect the quality of English taught at school if tightly and carefully scheduled.
I personally think that the Arabic language should be taught throughout middle school, and as students enter high school, they should have the option whether they want to continue with the Arabic language based on their interest in the subject.
There might not be a lot of reasons why we should include Arabic in the curriculum, but at least you are going to have enough reasons to argue against the points provided for excluding Arabic from the curriculum. Students can only gain from adding another useful subject to their education.

Gaza Stripped

By Laila Afifi
Special to The 83rd

Did you watch the African Cup of Nations? Remember the match Egypt played against Sudan on the 25th of January, when Abutreika scored that amazing goal? Do you also remember him lifting his shirt? Remember getting curious about what the second shirt said? Do you remember finally reading the slogan: “Sympathize with Gaza”? Not knowing what he meant, did you run to the internet to find out, or did your curiosity just die?
While the majority (if not all) Egyptians were celebrating their wins in the African Cup, its neighboring country was facing a crisis. Nine days prior to the Egyptians’ victory, Israel had begun air raids on Gaza City killing over forty people within six days. The Palestinian militia retaliated with rockets. Four days into the constant firing, the Israeli army blockaded the border of Gaza; nothing went in, nothing came out. Immediately, Gaza went black as the power was cut off. Hospitals did not have medical supplies, and people walked around the streets with candles. Pressured by the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel sent supplies that lasted 24 hours. 1.5 million Gazans were trapped in a ticking time bomb, desperate for the basic necessities to survive. When in desperation, one may make irrational decisions. On the 22nd of January, the wall bordering Gaza and Egypt was torn down. Two days later, the city of Al-Arish was flooded with over 50,000 Palestinians buying supplies and food to take back to Gaza.
Now back to the 25th of January. While Egypt was playing Sudan, Abutreika scored a goal, lifted his shirt to reveal a “Sympathize with Gaza” slogan, and then received a yellow card. That very same day thousands of protesters showed up on the University of Cairo’s grounds to support Palestine and hundreds of students had a silent demonstration on the Corniche in Alexandria.
After the match, Abutreika was verbally hammered about his position on the situation in Gaza. How could Abutreika take the side of the Palestinians? Perhaps it is not a matter of taking sides. We may find ourselves following our government’s stance, torn between our obligations to a previous peace treaty and our obligations to humanity. After all, what does it mean to support the Palestinians, or the Israelis? Upon what criteria will we base our decisions? If we claim it is a humanitarian cause, we will disrespect our past promises. If we choose to support the legal and sovereign nation, we will disrespect our obligations to humanity.
Although it is not always a matter of black and white, we must learn to recognize situations in which humanitarian relief is necessary. Abu Treika’s political showdown attracted the media, and many photos were taken. Everyone was in awe of this awareness campaign happening before their very eyes in no other than a soccer stadium. The internet was overflowing with his picture, yet three days later not one could be found. Questions arose about the reasons why the pictures were removed. This may be related to the reason Egypt was compelled to once again re-seal its border with Gaza. It may be the same reason there was an unsuccessful emergency Security Council meeting discussing the issue in Gaza (opposed by Israel and vetoed by the US). When a Danish cartoonist’s actions were supported by claims of freedom of speech, the very same people who supported this freedom restricted it when it was not in their favor.
Now where are we, Schutz students? Where are we in the midst of all this? We may be wrapped up in our protective little bubble, where our biggest worries are an “F” on an exam or whether a teacher likes us or not. Why don’t we fit in this political scheme? We should want to initiate change, want to take sides. We are indifferent to the idea that Abu Treika’s infamous pictures were removed from the Internet and about the situation in Gaza that we choose to ignore, but how can we change the world tomorrow if we do not know what it is today?

Preventing Misconduct or Punishing it?

By Suraj Baadkar

Lack of discipline is identified as one of the most serious problems faced by educational institutions all over the world. Many educators, parents and students are concerned with this issue and with its eventual influence on the learning process of individual students. About a couple of decades ago according to the 1987 Harvard Letter, the annual average suspension rate in schools around United States was two million per annum. Problems such as intimidation, smoking, cheating, etc., which result in countless classroom and school disruptions, have increased the number of suspensions to new higher levels. Repeated observations and studies have shown that half of the instructional time in the classroom is lost to other minor issues like misbehavior and conversing in languages other than the language of instruction amongst the peers.
All of the instances of misbehavior and other disruptions are due to low awareness amongst the students about disciplinary issues. In order to inculcate morals and etiquette in students, the awareness on such issues should be given at the elementary level of education. Through continuous routine practice, students become aware of the 'to do and not to do' in school environment.
Schutz has always used learning experiences at the very early grade levels to teach students discipline. Nevertheless, as the students grow some of the human characters such as rationality, egoistic behavior and pride grow along with them. They also develop curiosity to try new things and try to expose themselves to things above their age. Recently Schutz has faced some disciplinary issues which appear to be growing instead of decreasing.
Some of these current happenings raise a very important question, "Is discipline concerned with preventing misconduct or punishing it?" It can go both ways. It is described as enforcing classroom rules in order to minimize disruptions. Punishments to enforce these rules are not always the appropriate measure as many students may start to think in a vengeful manner and cause trouble intentionally. Therefore, solutions to such situations would be talks at different levels with individuals and their parents, followed by warning and suspension thereafter.
In order for an educational system to work efficiently and provide best service, both the staff and the students need to work co-operatively for the very simple cause of education. Students need to realize that a disruption to the disciplinary environment of the school worsens their own situation and future opportunities. The teachers should enforce classroom rules which do not allow students to disturb the flow of instruction. They should also not overlook little mischief which then will become a habit to students. This is how to create an environment of positive learning. Misbehavior can be reduced and controlled through spreading awareness amongst the students about the importance of discipline and etiquette on campus and inside the classroom.

Social Networking; Technology’s No Return Point

By Suraj Baadkar

Technological advancement may be defined as inventions and discovery, but it actually reflects the kind of community and the society we live in. One of the major reflections comes from what we call today "Social Networking. There are millions of people using it everyday. Social Networking is the use of the Internet to interact with friends, family and to make new friends with similar personal interests, hobbies etc. This technology has advanced a lot for many simple reasons. It is cheap, easy to access, and it removes distance between people. For entrepreneurs, it has become a source of business. The founders of such platforms use advertisements that bring in money.
Platforms like these have become a place for marketing as well. Some of the famous social networking platforms used today are Facebook, My Space, etc. They make millions of dollars in annual revenue. Now with these platforms becoming the hangout place for teens, some of these sites have also been made accessible on their cell phones. These upgrades bring improvement for sure, but all good things are accompanied by bad things. Bad things here mean that more and more people are vulnerable to break certain laws, more and more children are vulnerable to explicit content like adult rated photographs or videos.
As the social networks like Facebook and My Space grow, so do the concerns of Internet security and privacy. According to the Center of Missing and Exploited Children, there have been 2600 incidents reported in which adults have used such networks to track down their potential victims. In another instance, a qualified graduate was turned down by a company because he had posted explicit photos of himself on Facebook. One of the cases was astonishing. Five students were arrested for using My Space to plan out an attack on a boys' hostel. One of the social networks called Orkut, which is famous in Brazil, reported arrests of two adults who used to look for potential child victims whom they could use for their pornography website.
Caching is the technology that monitors such illegal things on the net. Caching is a procedure with which file images are saved as cache in the search engine servers. For example, suppose you upload a photo on Facebook and then delete it. The cache of this photo will still be saved in the archive.
People today use social networking sites to represent themselves in the community by uploading photos and music, etc. While doing so, they should keep in mind not to produce false identity and not to portray any potential harmful stuff for the viewers.
With this pioneering leap of comfort in the field of information technology by which people now can get in touch with each other, it is obvious that there is no way back. In the years to come, there will be ad-ons to this technology, but we should keep in mind the requirement of privacy, personal space and safety.

This I Believe

By Laila Afifi*
Special to The 83rd

First day of my freshman year, I walked into the English class, bewildered and anxious. The seats were set in a U form, different from my middle school familiarity. I sat down and noticed a peculiar box sitting in the middle of the room. After everyone was seated the teacher lifted the box and revealed a pumpkin. He asked us to describe it. I was not sure if he was testing our descriptive skills or just measuring our writing but we all sat down and started describing. The pumpkin was orange, it formed a vase shape: fat at the bottom thin at the top, and it had a pink paper pinned roughly in the middle. Then the teacher asked two students to walk around the pumpkin. The second student then lifted the pumpkin top and looked inside it, chuckled and set the top back on.
After the time was up the teacher asked one of the students who walked around to describe what he saw. “There is a pink piece of paper pinned up on one side, a red balloon pinned up on the other side, and an X mark on the third side.” We all gasped because while concentrating on what we saw, we forgot that the people opposite us saw something else. The teacher then asked the second person who saw the inside of the pumpkin to tell us what he saw, and he said, “A red heart.”
At that moment I realized I was guilty of looking at things in only one perspective. I began looking at my life and realized that there were times when I only saw one side of the story rather than look for all perspectives. When my friends tell me a story, I only hear their side of the story. I never considered another side.
This point is emphasized daily. In Nagiub Mahfouz’s novel, Miramar, this idea is shown explicitly. The book contains seven chapters. Each chapter gives the same story. All the events take place at the same time, with the same people. However, each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character in the book. The only way to understand the entire story and the motives behind each character is to read the seven chapters. This book is stimulating in the sense that it makes you think and analyze your life.
As humans we owe each other the truth, and this can only be achieved by seeing the entire story, in full 360 degrees. I realized that we only see one side of everything, and as humans, we judge. We judge solely on what we see, which is only part of the story. This is a problem because its human nature. To understand the full idea or whole concept we must look at all angles.
I believed that I was a fair and unprejudiced person; however, this exercise showed me that we all need to work on our perception skills. Now, I believe that school is the ideal breeding ground for open mindedness and that all classes should integrate such ideals into their day-to-day learning because not only is limitation of perspective a problem in our school but also in our community, nation, and world.



*Laila Afifi is responding to the topic of the Near East and South Asia (NESA) Call for Papers for the 2007-2008 academic year. Teachers were asked to reflect on the essential things they believe in in their learning/teaching career.

Sleep VS School!

By Tarek Talaat

Students always object to schools for making them wake up early. In fact, some students skip breakfast just to get to school on time. The school schedule works well for some people but a nightmare for others. In average, four people out of twenty would be found sleeping during the first two periods of the day.
Parents usually like the idea of their children leaving home before they do. It has been studied that sleep-deprived children are grouchier, poorer learners, more prone to attention deficit disorders, and are more likely to skip classes. Some schools start early because school buses need to make three full cycles to bring elementary, middle and high school students to school. Starting high school later would mean buying more buses and hiring more drivers or even sending younger students to school earlier.
According to Michael J. Breus, PhD, MD; there are many consequences that result from sleep deprivation. Decreased Performance and Alertness (reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32%), Memory and Cognitive Impairment (decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your ability to think and process information), Stress Relationships (disruption of a bed partner's sleep due to a sleep disorder may cause significant problems for the relationship, examples are sperate bedrooms, many conflicts, etc.), Poor Quality of Life (you might not be unable to participate in certain activities that require sustained attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play, or watching a favorite TV show), Occupational Injury (excessive sleepiness also contributes to a greater than twofold higher risk of sustaining an occupational injury), and Automobile Injury (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities).
In this regard, parents play a big role in establishing sound sleeping habits. Parents are responsible for getting their children in bed earlier since it has been known that the brain is fresher in the morning, students should not criticize schools by saying that it is too early, instead they should take matters in their own hands and make the right and responsible decision of sleeping earlier.

All Change!

By Suraj Baadkar

One of the major constitutions of an institution is its administration. At the end of last year in the midst of a contract of 2 years, the Head of School resigned. Many of the students were enthusiastic to meet Mr. Matt Farwell after having a wonderful summer, but they soon acknowledged the fact that our previous Head of School Dr. Tony Spencer has taken the position.
Dr. Spencer retired from his post as Head of School in 2006. He was recalled back last June as the Interim Head for the year 2007-2008 due to the sudden resignation of Mr. Farwell. It is not only the position of the Head of School that has experienced a change, but also that of the President of the Board of Trustees. After successfully serving two years as Board President, Mr. Frank Newell has been succeeded by Mr. John Luke. Mr. Luke has been re-appointed to this position for the third time. He held this position for two terms prior to the presidency of Mr. Newell.
On the very first day of the academic year, more changes were evident. Not only were there changes in the administration but also in the physical plant, including the renovation of the kitchen, the canteen and the high school office. There have always been changes in the Schutz facilities since it was established in 1924. However, on the timeline of approximately nine decades, this is an instance when Schutz seems to be undergoing very profound changes.
Changes do bring certain new things to the community and they are clearly evident, but it depends whether the change favors the community or favors an individual. We have to be careful about who benefits from the changes. The Schutz tradition has always valued and well-received the changes. It also anticipates more changes in the future.
Tradition is the thing that keeps Schutz rich and distinguishes it from other institutions. The fact that changes can be good but can also come with a great risk should not be forgotten. Dr. Spencer, having had the experience of holding the same post in the previous years, might bring some stability to the situation. However, after the academic year is over, we will have to be ready to welcome another major change in the administration when the contract for the new head of the school will be signed.

A State of Mind

By Laila Afifi
Special to The 83rd

As I sit in the TV room with my family, friends, and our friends’ families, I await the prayer. ‘Ahh… my stomach is growling and my head is throbbing.’ This is not just any other prayer; it is the signal to break my fast. The room is filled with loud noises, everyone talking to someone else in the loudest noise possible. My mother is running around the house trying to get everything ready for the iftar. ‘Please let the prayer start.’ Finally, I hear the prayer. We all get up to eat, finally.
It is Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the month the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet. The holiest and most venerated month of the year; prayers, fasting, and charity are especially stressed during this month. Of course, ask any Muslim about Ramadan and the first thing that pops to mind is fasting.
But why do we fast? Why do we deny ourselves food and water, even if we are thirsty? I thought everyone knew the answer to that. The fasting is intended to be an act of deep worship in which Muslims raise their level of closeness to God.
When properly observed, the fast allows the mind to completely get rid of everything worldly, induce a feeling of peace and serenity, and allow one to practice self-discipline, sacrifice, as well as sympathy for the less fortunate.
For many, Ramadan is a chance to redeem themselves and to focus on their religious beliefs. For others, it’s a time to gather around with family and friends, and to some it has evolved into a social tradition; a social tradition that revolves around the opinion of their parents, family, and society.
People have lost sight of the true meaning of Ramadan. Ramadan is more than just the huge iftars, more than the Ramadan tournament, and more than the fasting from food.
It is a spiritual month, for prayer and worship; it is the fasting of the mind, the renewing of faith. Ramadan has been taken out of its context and turned into a social event of gatherings, festivals, and hypocrisy.
Where are the humbleness, the moderation, the tolerance, and the spirituality that should exist? Where is the peace and serenity that we should feel? Has our society gone so far away from the true purpose of Ramadan, we cannot enjoy the simple things like our family, our privileges, and our blessings? Can no one feel thankful that they have an iftar awaiting them at home when others cannot afford a loaf of bread? When we are aggravated because of traffic, can we not think of those who stand for hours trying to get the microbus home?
Ramadan has not just evolved into a scheme of events, but has actually changed from the peace and transparency it was into hypocrisy. Why are people fasting? Is it because they are afraid people will judge them? Or is it because they have grown accustomed to fasting during Ramadan?
I ask you, as I ask myself, do you know why you are fasting?
Ramadan Kareem!

Your School NeedsYou!

By Tarek Talaat

The 83rd is this year’s Schutz American School’s monthly newspaper. We chose this name because it symbolizes the tradition that has been carried on for eighty-three years at Schutz. The goals for the newspaper are included in our Editorial Policy. Issues of interest and concern to The 83rd staff will be reflected in our editorials. However, editorials signed by the co-editors will express their personal opinions. We will adopt a multi-perspective approach for controversial issues.
As for the newspaper sections, we have different sections, mainly, Schutz happenings both in and outside of Schutz, feature stories, sports and entertainment, profiles, and teens’ stuff.
Our teens’ stuff section is specifically designed to interest you. We would like to extend an invitation to all students, parents, and staff to contribute to this section. All contributions will be thoroughly reviewed for publication.
You can also write letters to the editors. Letters sent to the co-editors will be given much consideration. We are planning on doing the best we can to make the newspaper an open forum to be the voice of the Schutz community.
The 83rd staff is looking forward to the online version of The 83rd so it can be reached at all times and so that viewers could interact with the staff.
The 83rd staff is looking forward to a great year in the journey of the ninth decade heading towards the first century of Schutz American School.
Editorial Policy

The newspaper staff will:
-follow the interests of the readers
-be committed to tell the truth
-seek to raise the awareness of students to news and issues around them
-keep the confidentiality of their sources
-promote the right to the freedom of speech
-abide by the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Code of Ethics
-work as a forum to express the students’ point of view and voice
-be loyal to the students.

"Rumor has it"

By Aya Kordy and Tarek Talaat

“A rumor is an unverified account or explanation of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue of public concern”. Rumors can be about something that affects the whole world like “a World War III” or something that affects one person such as “Aya’s dog died”.
Rumors are a major aspect in Egypt. In fact, rumors are a paramount issue in the world. Rumors may sometimes control our life, instead of us controlling it. There are about six billion, four hundred and seventy million, eight hundred and eighteen thousand, six hundred and seventy one people in the world. If everyone starts repeating what the other said till the time it reaches the last person, the sentence would have changed at least a thousand times.
In the beginning of September, rumors fled across the death of Egypt’s President Mohamed Hosny Mubarak. The rumors went as far as suggesting that his son took over after his death.
That leads us to a question, “Why is it that people believe in rumors?” We strongly believe that people’s dreams are normally all they talk about, and changing that dream into reality is all they want. As a result, believing what is being said around them regardless of it being wrong or right is not the issue, it is whether it is what they want to happen or not.
It has been a whole decade since Princess Diana was killed in a car accident. Every year people make up a minimum of 10 possibilities as to how she died. Nevertheless, the truth is still unrevealed. The truth still lies inside Buckingham Palace, and knowing it, is nowhere near impossible. But then why just make up rumors? Once again she was The Princess of Hearts therefore reiterating a rumor is what satisfies people’s needs and fantasies.