Dubai Leadership Conference: Bringing International Night Back

By Ingy Fahmy

Schutz students attended one of the most stimulating Leadership Conferences in Dubai (October 3-6). Schools from all around the Middle East flew into Dubai, and heads were put together in order for each school to create a strategic plan. Through the conference, a strategic plan was created to resume the festive tradition of International Night to Schutz American School. The Schutz students who attended the conference felt the urge to liven up the school by showcasing the diverse cultures that exist in Schutz.
In order to be able to come up with a strategic plan for each school, the conference organizers arranged for the participants to visit the Wild Wadi water park. During the time spent at the park, conference participants were separated teams to work on building the bridges from person to person and learning to be part of a squad. The objective was to have the ability to work together and cooperate within a group in order to have an effect on a greater cause.
Returning to the hosting school, the American School of Dubai (ASD), participants were sent off to find out more about their personalities and identities and getting acquainted with oneself helped with the developing of strategic plan through teamwork. Mr. Thomas Lungrin, a keynote presenter, talked about becoming true leaders and learning to work with what is available. Mr. Lungrin holds no college degrees yet he has managed to open one of the most leading retail furnishing stores, THE ONE (Total Home Experience), located all over the countries of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates. Through his presentation, he gave the following message that participants should follow for the rest of their lives, “Nothing great has ever been achieved without passion.” He taught participants to look for what would make them happy in the end, not what would make them successful.
The HSSC Treasurer, Aly El Attal, reflected on what he learned, “A fine leader is a fine servant.” The HSSC President, Youssef Talaat, added, “In order to be a true leader, one must discover the potentials of one’s team and execute them through a methodical and meticulous plan.”
The Schutz participants succeeded in completing this task of planning for an International Night and proudly presented the action plan in front of all the other participants.
The International Night will be taking place shortly to Schutz, and all people attending will witness the effects of the Dubai Leadership Conference that impacted the organizers of this event. Finally, the Schutz Coach, Kelly Sullivan stated, “I was proud to accompany the Schutz delegation, and I was pleased with their participation and with what they learned. They represented Schutz very well.”

Science Genius Inspires Schutz Audience

By Shereen Hassan

Susannah L. Clary, a senior in Los Lunas High School, NM who was scheduled to give a lecture at the Biblitheca Alexandrina on October 24, met the Schutz students to talk about her motivation and success in her research. The beauty of nature, which attracted her to science at a young age, has captivated her. Her parents are the two people who inspired her the most. They supported her in conducting research and collecting data in institutes in Canada, where she was allowed to use the facilities.
In fifth grade, she started writing research papers on salmon. She was trying to distinguish between the male and female salmon because their growth rate was declining. The only way until now to figure out whether they were male or female was to dissect them, but dissecting them decreases their number which was endangering their species. However, with her discovery it is possible to distinguish between the male or female salmon by using the scale she patented, which was her first discovery. This scale measures the ratio between the head length and the body length, this determining the gender of the salmon.
She won several awards from 2003-2007, and she published 5 research papers, the first one in 3rd grade. Some of her significant achievements were Intel Foundation Achievement Award and Intel ISEF Finalist & Second award in Zoology in 2005. She also won Grand award in Life Sciences from 2003-2006, and then in 2007 she won full tuition scholarships from University of Alaska Fairbanks and University of New Mexico. She did SATR Summer Research Intern at Sandia National Laboratories last summer. She would like to go to the University of New Mexico to study Biology & Engineering.
The advice she likes to give to all students is, “Do not let little failures discourage you. You have to do things over and over. Have good background knowledge of the stuff you are dealing with and do something you are interested in.”

As Direct as it Gets

Dr. Martinez Meets the Schutz Community
By Marina Guirguis

The search for the new Head of School is on, and the first candidate introduced to the student body publicly was Dr. Joyce Martinez. Her short stay in Egypt (October 20-24) was packed with hours of meeting new people including Board members, teachers, students and parents.
Dr. Martinez has always had a dream of coming to Egypt. She stated, “This is where I want to be”. Currently working as Head of the American School of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands off the shore of Spain, Dr. Martinez would like to move on to another international school. She declares that her main qualities are flexibility, patience, love for other cultures, and pursuit of visions. These are also qualities that Dr. Martinez claims every head of an international school should have.
She took a year off her busy schedule in Florida, and wrote Eight Steps to a Financially Successful School before resuming her career in international education. In her past, she has worked in cities from Miami to Denver, Los Angeles to Mexico City. This has influenced her views as a leader due to her work with different environments and cultural backgrounds. She describes herself, “What you see is what you get, blunt, direct, consistent, and open-minded.” Her leadership style is collaborative, but Dr. Martinez does not hide that she can be a dictator when certain decisions need to be made.
Dr. Martinez left behind her a strong impression of a tough leader who loves to work on a vision and excels in the international crowd. She definitely came across as someone who naturally fits in a multi-cultural environment.

Largest College Fair Had Great Turnout

By Ibrahim Fathelbab

Schutz American School hosted its largest annual College Fair on the 4th of October. This year’s fair was very special because there were as many as ten colleges. An assorted number of students showed up. This fair was very significant in giving the student body a clear prospect of college life. Colleges such as Suffolk and Villanova had representatives giving out handbooks and answering questions.
The fair was very helpful in guiding students on the path towards college life by giving advice on how they could make the college experience the best years of their life.
Students asked questions, such as “What are some of the requirements I need in order to get accepted to this college?” and “What are the SAT scores needed for this college?”
Kristen Kammarata, the Amideast representative, stated, “I am very happy to see that the students are excited.” Kristen Kammarata has been to many college fairs in the past and knows how much work really goes into setting up one such event.
The High School Principal, Massimo Laterza, had even higher expectations of the students. He stated, “I just hope that the people who are here are getting what they came here for”.

Welcome Back!

By Suraj Baadkar

One of the traditional kick start events of Schutz American school's academic year is its welcome back party hosted by the members of staff for the students. This year it was held on the 30th of August. The new staff members were excited to see the happenings of this event and the returning staff members were excited to meet their students after a great summer break.
But year after year the event is losing its importance. Every year the student count for this event is decreasing. This year figures of high school students attending the event were countable on fingers. More than 75% of the students that attended were in grades 5th through 8th though the event was successful and well organized. The pool was open for the whole evening, the table-tennis tables were set up, the volleyball nets were set up and there was also music in the second half of the event. The canteen provided refreshments and snacks. Overall I think the event has achieved its main motto of casual interaction between the staff and the students.
The 83rd staff interviewed some teachers and students who attended the event. The most common answer to the question "What do you think of hosting such an event?" was "The event is very creative as in terms of interaction between students and staff outside the class instruction area, but more students were expected to attend this event. Some of the best quotes of the evening were by by Mr. McCright who stated, "Finally, myself and Mr. Spencer realized today, due to this event, that we are getting old. We have the skills and techniques to play basketball but our body does not co-ordinate. Therefore we are mentally going strong but physically getting older."
Altogether it was a wonderful evening spent on campus amidst laughter, smiles on the faces and a cool breeze. This event has made the bond between students and teachers stronger. With an ending note on the event, the members of staff quoted, "Hope there will be more students next year and in the years to come, we are glad to host such events."

Fresh Meat on the Grill

By Marina Guirguis

Every year, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) hosts the annual new parent BBQ, directed to the new staff, parents and students, as well as PTA members. “I like the school so far!” says Nehal Hussein, a new seventh grader. Schutz has a very positive and welcoming feeling towards those new to the campus and to the lifestyle of Alexandria. Mrs. Huggins, who is the new art teacher on campus, exclaims “I like it!” while Mr. Huggins sitting next to her by the pool nods in agreement. Because of the size of the school, the couple claims they feel a loving “sense of community” upon their presence here.
The BBQ was held in the auditorium, the pool and gym where parents and PTA mingled while the new students engaged in amusement. The children played, the parents and staff chatted, and the meat was being grilled. Soon the food was served, and while standing in line for the food, Azza El Rabbat, a new parent, mother of two children in grades 5 and PK3, said that the festivity was well organized. “There’s a good strong communication system,” she declared. As the food was being served, Mindi, the new Athletic Director, was getting popcorn. She said that she would like to see “more people involved in the school’s athletics”. When asked about the students, she jokingly replied, “so far, they are good kids.”
Standing at the BBQ, all that could be heard was the mumbling of different conversations between different people. Eiman EL Naggar, the Vice-President of the PTA exclaimed that this year had an impressive turnout. She discussed in detail that the PTA was trying to send out flyers to the parents, talking about raising money for the workers here for the month of Ramadan. All the staff that I approached agreed that this year’s PTA BBQ went very well.
The children enjoyed it, thus you could hear their laughter exploding, and they ran though the crowds in excitement. It was a memorable experience for those new at Schutz American School and another great start to a hopefully one more great year.

Fourth Grade Brings Charity to a New Record

By Aly Ragab

Giving during the month of Ramadan is considered to be one of the best things a person can do. Every year the Schutz family holds a Ramadan Food Drive. The Food Drive is made as an effort to help the communities around us that are less fortunate than we are. This year the seniors took charge of this drive, and they did a great job.
Entering the school in the morning, one would see many students carrying bags and bags of non-perishable goods and items into Sadat Hall. Everyday at 8:00 a.m., the number of items brought in were counted by the Senior Class and tallied up. This year, Schutz is proud to announce that it has collected 9,465 food items in the 2007 Ramadan Food Drive. The class with the leading number of products is the Fourth Grade having brought in 3,032 food products. The Fourth Grade will be receiving a pool party provided by this year’s Senior Class.

The World of NEU

By Shereen Hassan

Thinking of going to college but just trying to figure out which one will suit you best? It is a hard choice especially for seniors because time is moving fast, and seniors you want to start writing your applications.
People like Wesley D. Roy, assistant director for undergraduate admissions at Northeastern University (NEU), will help you make the right choice for your college. On the 12th of September, Wesley D. Roy came to visit Schutz and talked to students about NEU.
NEU is located in Boston, the capital of higher education. Northeastern University is ranked among the top 100 national universities. Northeastern’s 67-acre campus is surrounded by many areas for entertainment that are only a ten-minute walk away such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Red Sox baseball games at the Fenway Park, Landsdowne Street, and many more.
Northeastern University‘s academic programs are divided among 6 colleges: College of Arts and Science, Bouve College of Health Sciences, College of Business Administration, College of Computer and Information Science, College of Criminal Justice, and College of Engineering. NEU offers 70 majors in different subject areas. There is also a Gateway Faculty that is specialized for freshmen.
Northeastern University offers a Co-op Program in which you can experience your major by actually working for a company. The Co-op Program help you see if you are satisfied with your majors and like what you are doing or will be doing in the future. For one semester, students have school and then in the second semester they go for the Co-op Program. This program also allows you to work for more than 2000 Co-op locations nationally and internationally. There will also be a Co-op advisor who will work with you throughout your studies and will help find the best experience for you.
NEU has 230 clubs and organizations, which make students not only involved in their studies but also in their social lives. New England sports community is an important part of Northeastern. They field 19 varsity teams in NCAA Division 1 sports for men and women. There are also 27 intramural and club sports that students can participate in such as soccer, basketball, and rugby.
Admission to Northeastern University is very competitive, 3400 apply but only 2800 are accepted. NEU take students with a GPA average from 3.5-4.0. SATs are required from an average of 1160-1320. ACT is not required but should be taken. Applications for NEU look for improvement over years, or if you do well and fail one year students need to explain why these changes occurred, for example tragedy, moved to a new school, etc. If you apply before the Early Action that is from November 15- December 15 you might receive an academic and athletic scholarship ranging from US$5,000 to US$43,000.
The process of selecting a college is very tedious, so students should be very careful in what they choose. There are many colleges out there for different types of people and Northeastern University is definitely one that should be taken into consideration.