Esprit De Corps. From the Editor s Desk... Investiture Ceremony. Storytelling. Competition. History. Exhibition. Graduation 2016

Transcription

1 Esprit De Corps V O L U M E 1 0, I S S U E 1 From the Editor s Desk... N O V E M B E R, Investiture Ceremony Storytelling Competition History Exhibition Graduation 2016 Dear loyal readers of the Esprit de Corps, Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmutullahi Wa Barakatuhu! I welcome you all back from the longest vacation we ve had over the past years, and while I m sure you are eager to know more about what we the students of Al-Waha have done so far, do wait a little longer before you move on and allow me to say a few words. Having gone from being a reporter to sub-editor to now being a chief editor, I must say it is quite nerve-wrecking. Earlier, all I had to do was write an article and send it forward or proofread an article and send it on to the editors, but now that I am in a position where I have to take responsibility and make decisions to ensure everything is in order, it is quite challenging and like nothing I have done before. Regardless, I have wholly embraced this endeavour which I will definitely cherish in the future. With that in mind, let me first begin by telling you of how the term began for us the students. Walking through the familiar blue gates of the school, we had looked around the campus, taking in all the changes made to the school s infrastructure over the extended vacation. In class, we yawned and rubbed our eyes, trying hard to concentrate, but the habits of the long vacation were carved deep into us. It took us a while, but like every year we managed to pick ourselves up with the help of our understanding teachers and shift back into gear for a new challenging year. As everyone entered a new grade, we welcomed a new addition to the senior section; our new batch of 4 th graders. It was adorable to hear their sweet, high pitched voices replying to our morning assembly greeting. As the initial weeks flew by, teachers began teaching according to each subject s study plan, while the students now wide awake listened carefully, made notes, and began to do the list of homework and tests. This year, however, Al-Waha has introduced another aspect of technology into its education program. Instead of homework diaries, we will now be signing in to the school website and accessing our homework assignments online. In fact, parents can easily track their child s progress and be in-the-know about assignments and their due dates Yikes! The beginning of this academic year has certainly seen quite a few new developments: the division of the senior school into two sections: the middle school and high school; the room previously known as the Common Room has now been titled as a Resource Room where we are encouraged to partake in focused study sessions and watch the news to keep updated and aware of world affairs. Within a blink of an eye, it was that time of the term again. The time where all the co-curricular activities begin. The hard-work, preparation and nerves which are invested in the planning and participation of the activities is a once-in-a lifetime experience for us students and the excitement and anticipation fill our hearts as the dates for each event comes closer. What activities, you ask? Well, you ll find out as you move on to the next page and then to the other... From appointing new leaders in every class to the many thrilling events like the E.M Activity, History Exhibition, Digital Creation: Chart & Poster making, and Report writing competitions, to the impressive handwriting competition of all the languages taught in our school, to the one event that provoked fear, joy, shock, and tears in every student: the Art of Storytelling! By now you must be quivering with excitement to click on to the next page, so wait no longer. Go ahead and enjoy, dear readers, the experience and the behind-the-scenes of every exciting event included in this first issue of Esprit de Corps! Happy Reading! -Sana Taha (12G), Chief Editor Page 1

2 A Moment of Pride - The CIE results VISION STATEMENT OF THE SCHOOL The vision of Al Waha International School is to foster a holistic development of its students in a progressive environment so that they desire and enjoy the pursuit of knowledge and a life consistent with Islamic teachings. The stress of the long syllabus. The challenging questions from Cambridge. The late night studying and piles of notebooks filled with notes are all the common side-effects of the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). The long hours of past-paper practice and drops of tears shed in prayer for a good result are things our seniors from Grade 10, 11 and 12, know all too well. After giving their respective exams (IGCSE, AS and A Level) during the May/ June session,our hard-working seniors went on to enjoy their summer vacation, forgetting all about the stress until the destined day arrived on August 11 th, 2016 the day of the results. Tears of happiness and screams of joy escaped every students mouth as they celebrated their results. However, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you their strenuous yet worthwhile experience. The students consistent uphill struggle and the teachers altruistic, incessant effort finally, all paid off! Maintaining the tradition of academic excellence, performance in individual subject streams has been outstanding and an impressive array of A* and A grades have marked student achievements in Languages, Sciences, Mathematics, Humanities and ICT. The entire group of students upheld the school s name and kept the banner flying not high, but higher this year; and the entire school is proud of their achievements. The graphs on the sides represent the outcome of their results -Rania Ahmed, 9G1 Page 2

3 A Day Filled with Twice the Fun The Saudi National Day & Eid Party As the long list of thrilling events began, so did the prepara ons for the two most awaited events: The Saudi Na onal Day and the Eid Party celebra ons. Our awaited day included a two hour special assembly for the Saudi Na onal Day, in which we were provided with comprehensive informa on about The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its eminence, and the Vision The presenta on was followed by a quiz that sent everyone s arms raised high all in an cipa on for earning the chocolate treat! A short skit and a tradi onal dance, with the country s flags flying in the air, took place. Mrs. Eman, our Principal, gave a heart warming speech, highligh ng the efforts of the Kingdom to fight against terrorism. We then recited the Na onal Anthem, concluding the exhilara ng event, and everyone exited the green and white draped auditorium with enthusiasm for the next des na on: the Eid Party. The students were dressed in a fes val of colours; some influenced by the Saudi tradi on, while others in their Eid clothes, all in accordance with the Islamic dress code. We filled our tummies with the great varia on of desserts and other foods, and following our teachers guidance ensured there wasn t any excessive waste of food. It was surely a part of the celebra on to exempt ourselves from the daily rou ne of school and indulge in the series of games and ceaseless fun. A new source of entertainment was also introduced by the seniors of our school: the musical chairs. It was a compe on between the sec ons of each grade that required running at full speed and of course, saving your seat! Not only the students, but the teachers too, took part in this ac vity and had nearly the same amount of adrenaline and compe on pumping in their blood, as they ran around in circles along the chairs; the spectators were none other than their loving students. A er tons of heart warming smiles and gra tude towards the brilliance of the day, our fa gue was nothing compared to our happiness. Not only did we get to celebrate Eid with our friends and teachers, but we were even able to celebrate the Saudi Na onal Day together the day couldn t have been any be er!, exclaimed Shahd Ayman of 8G2. ~Asmaa Mohammed, 8G2 3 Page 3

4 The Pen is Mightier than the Sword- Handwriting Competition English Handwriting competition The morning of 10 th October dawned bright and warm, and a sudden burst of ac vity broke out as sheets of paper were smoothed out, pens were uncapped, and blue lines were has ly scribbled across a mul tude of different hands to check the quality of the ink. Does anyone have a black gel pen? a voice called across the classroom. The students se led into their seats, expressions focused, the air rife with the tension of misspelling a word or messing up a le er. The collec ve atmosphere of determina on was, in fact, for only one reason the annual English Handwri ng compe on was well on its way! Not only does this compe on help us improve our handwri ng, but it also shows us the importance of striving for perfec on and contributes to reading fluency. Furthermore, neat handwri ng is a valuable asset to advance our grades a er all, what would you rather read: an assignment wri en by a student with diminu ve, clu ered font, or one wri en by a student in slanted, fancy cursive? As Mokokama Mokhonoana famously said, A bad handwri ng is as annoying to a reader as an irrita ng voice is to a listener. Although every student s handwri ng, chao c or orderly, has its own peculiar charm, there can only be a few victors at the end of the day. The winners are listed on the next page. Injila Jawaid, 9G2 Second Language handwriting competition "...the beauty and nobility, the august mission and destiny, of human handwriting." George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion Just like how our physical appearance, attire and body language enunciates quite a lot about us, similarly, t s often heard that one s handwriting speaks about his/her personality. So, to have a beautiful handwriting is like to show your inner beauty to a reader whose unaware of your persona. Due to this reason, it is an integral part of an individual s skill. Al Waha gives utmost signi icance to this, which is why the Second Language handwriting competition is held every year for all four second languages offered in our school. The event was held between the 9 th to 13 th October during the students second language classes. Students of the girl s section at each grade level were competing with the boys section of the equivalent grade level and by taking this fact into consideration, the certi icate these victors were awarded holds more weight. Their arduous efforts have de initely given excellent results. -Nourain Inam Khan, 8G-1 Page 4

5 Grade &12 First Place Second Place Aleza, 4G2 Ayesha A ab, 4G3 Aleeza Naeem, 5G2 Hajar Aslam, 5G1 Varsha Raju, 6G1 Sanya Tabasum, 6G1 Results English handwri ng compe on Ashley Nicole, 7G1 Mukarrma Zahid, 7G3 Nourain Inam, 8G1 Asmaa Mohammad,8G2 Injila Jawaid, 9G2 Maha Abdul Rauf, 9G2 Maarab Zaheer, 10G1 Saima Khan, 10G1 Jewariya Rizwan, 12G Leen Al Munla, 11G Third Place Shaima Junaid, 4G1 Mehreen Ali, 5G3 Khadija Rauf, 6G2 Mai ahmed, 7G3 Rayya Zafarullah, 8G2 Leena Rayees Ahmed, 9G2 Amtul Noor, 10G1 Mariam Faizer, 11G Urdu Handwri ng compe on Grade First Place Second Place Sawsan Jeelani, 4G3 Azan Khan, 4B2 Aleeza Naeem, 5G2 Fa ma Asim, 5G2 Muneeba Farhat, 6G3 Mamoon Majeed, 6B2 Manahil Siddiqui, 7G2 Rehmah Irshad, 7G3 Laiba Ijaz, 8G1 Najaf Ahmed, 8B2 Mashael Fa ma, 9G1 Xenel Islam, 9G1 French Handwri ng compe on Grade First Place Second Place Amna Rehan, 6G1 Hindi Handwri ng compe on Grade First Place Hidayat Ali Mir, 4B1 Javeria Mohammad Javed, 5G1 Yusra Raihan, 6G1 Zainab Siddique, 7G2 Sofia Khan, 8G1 Second Place Shaima Junaid, 4G1 Ahil Arif Bijle, 5B1 Hamayel Mashkoor, 7G1 Abdul Rahman Zubair, 7B1 Qaid Noor Malik, 6B1 Alexis Gabriel, 8G2 Zaid Khadri, 7B1 Nourain Inam, 8G1 Raniyah Zaman, 9G1 Jabir Mohammad, 9B1 Arabic Handwri ng compe on (Arab) Grade Danah First Mohammed, Razan al- Tala Salsabeel Ahmed, 7G2 Place Shareef, 4G2 Fathi, 5G3 6G3 Mukarrama Zahid, 7G2 Second Place Janah Mohammed, 8G2 Malak Rani, 9G2 Arabic Handwri ng Compe on (Non Arab) Grade First Second Halah Anwar, 4G3 Amal Aziz, 4G3 Soha Bilal, 5G3 Husna Shoaib, 6G3 Nur Suarafana, 7G2 Zainab Rizwan, 8G2 Leena Rayees Ahmed, 9G2 5 Page 5

6 Al Waha's Investiture Ceremony The meaning of the word "inves ture" is to be presented with a rank of honor, which in the case of Al Waha's Inves ture Ceremony, is when two girls from each class are selected and given the posi ons of Class Monitor and Assistant Monitor. To be thought of as capable enough for leading an en re class in whatever facet required, is a great honor and brings about a sense of achievement. It indicates that the people chosen as monitor or assistant monitor have demonstrated responsibility, sincerity, capability and leadership, which are the a ributes of a successful monitor. These quali es, once present in a person, will help them in numerous ways in their life and their development which is essen al; hence why Al Waha is keen on holding this ceremony annually and puts in notable efforts in selec ng the most worthy of these posi ons. The 18th of October, 2016, marked the Inves ture Ceremony of Al Waha Interna onal School. Every year, Al Waha holds a ceremony in which the class monitors and assistant monitors are badged. The ceremony started off with the president of the Student Council, Hera Abdul Wahid, giving a thought provoking speech revolving around leadership, its power and the responsibili es that come along with it. This was followed by the class teachers of each class badging their monitors and the assistants, a er which they took the Al Waha Pledge of Leadership. By taking the pledge, they vowed to fulfill their du es and responsibili es at all mes, and vowed to be sincere and honest in all their endeavors. The Al Waha Pledge of Leadership: I hereby pledge to make a sincere effort to discharge my du es as a monitor and fulfill responsibili es as a student. I shall try my best to understand and respect the rights of my fellow students and remain disciplined, respec ul and truthful at all mes. Zara Fa mah Ahmed, 8G1 Grade Monitor Assistant Monitor 4G1 Jumana Yousuf Anood Mustafa 4G2 Hania Syed Nawal Jahanzaib 4G3 Sawsan Jeelani Zaina Rayees 5G1 Hajar Aslam Aafia Naushad 5G2 Syeda Amal Fatima Asim 5G3 Shofiyyah Bte Lujaen Mohammed 6G1 Sanya Tabassum Abeer Asif 6G2 Shada Ibrahim Areej Mammdouh 6G3 Rida Shamim Fathima Aushat 7G1 Sefana Abdella Hafsa Talha 7G2 Aiza Asim Roha Asif 7G3 Rehman Irshad Maha Khan 8G1 Wajeeha Farhan Irfana Bilal 8G2 Asmaa Mohammed Rafya Zafarullah 9G1 Nimra Rashid Asma Arshad 9G2 Thameenah Yasmin Leena Rayees 10G1 Sejal Samuel Zuha Mujahid 10G2 Alina Irfan Shavana Yousef 11G Maham Naveed Natalia Islam 12G Almas Rizvi Zoha Mujeeb Page 6

7 Digital Creation Chart Making Competition The IT chart making competition was a co-curricular activity for grades 4 and 5 which was held from 16th October till 20th October during the students ICT period. The students were taken to the ICT lab and were assigned different topics. They were then given an hour to research on their respective topics and design their charts in Microsoft Word. They had to decorate their charts by inserting pictures, borders, changing the font style, adding colors etc. After making the charts, they then printed their work one by one. The best pieces were selected from each section and were judged by the ICT coordinator, Mr. Nizam from the boys section, and a well deserved winner was selected from each grade. Grade 4: FIRST POSITION - Zaina Rayees Ahmed (4G3) SECOND POSITION - Aneeqa Khan (4G1) THIRD POSITION - Anood Mustafa (4G1) Grade 5: FIRST POSITION - Sarah Asad Ali (5G1) SECOND POSITION - Maha Sohail (5G2) THIRD POSITION - Soha Bilal (5G3) Javairiya Nadeem, 7G2 Poster Making Competition The ICT lab in Al-Waha is generally portrayed as being extremely serene and silent. However, from 23 rd October, 2016, the once-peaceful lab had morphed into a raging battlefield of technological wits, as the ICT Poster-Making Competition for grades 6 and 7 was on the go! Students were taken to the I.T Lab and were given topics randomly, some of the topics included computer viruses, modern robots, cyber bullying and computers and our society. For the next hour and a half, the gears of competitive brains whizzed and whirred- brainstorming for several possible ideas to enhance their posters' content and appeal. Among the multitudes of printouts, despite all of them possessing their own unique flairs, a handful satisfied the judges' criteria and emerged as the victorious winners! Grade 6: FIRST POSITION - Aleena Faiz (6G3) SECOND POSITION - Sanya Tabassum (6G1) THIRD POSITION - Zainab Mahmood (6G2) Anusha Rizvi 9G2 Grade 7: FIRST POSITION - Norma Hassan (7G1) SECOND POSITION - Dana Mohammed (7G3) THIRD POSITION - Nur Syarafan (7G2) Report Writing Competition The report writing competition was a new and challenging competition introduced this year for the senior grades, which had been announced on the 30 th October, The ICT teachers, Mrs Jessy Joy and Ms Fatima Maqbool sent some "Important Hints & Tips of Writing Reports" to the participating grades of 8, 9 and 11. During the course of the week, the students prepared rigorously by taking references from their teachers' notes, from the Internet, getting assistance from their families and consulting their elder siblings for advice. During their ICT class, the students were properly instructed on the nature of the competition. After all the groups were assigned, the ICT teacher would come around to each group, holding out a box of chits, and would request them to pick one at random that revealed the topic of the report for each student. The reports had to contain relative information, written by the students themselves and had to be arranged in a manner that was both simple, organized and appealing to the eye. Inserting clip-art, pasting images, setting colorful borders, using attractively-styled fonts, maintaining consistency in data and applying bullet points was highly encouraged by the teachers. After working hard on their reports for two periods, the girls printed their work. Below, we reveal who the winners with the best reports are: Grade 8: FIRST POSITION - Nada Yousef & Khulood Nizam (8G2) SECOND POSITION - Salma Amir, Zainab Rizwan, Zaynab Azeem (8G2) THIRD POSITION - Qanitha Amir & Nourain Khan (8G1) Grade 9: FIRST POSITION - Anusha Rizvi & Asriany Afni (9G2) SECOND POSITION - Sundus Saleem & Salwa Shaukat (9G1) THIRD POSITION - Rania Ahmed & Nisma Khan (9G1) Grade 11: FIRST POSITION - Mubarra Yousuf SECOND POSITION - Raffia Waqas THIRD POSITION - Zernain Ahmed Good Job! -Anusha Rizvi, 9G2 Page 7

8 Graduation Ceremony 2016 Chief Guest & Keynote Speaker: Page 8 8

9 Mrs Seema Anis s welcome address & advice to the graduates Dr Abdullah Abbas Nadwi Scholastic Achievement Award: Yara Ahmed (Gr 10) & Uzma Liyakat Khan (Gr 12) Page 9

10 Graduation 2016 Our Senior Wahaites Championship Moment Life is the most exciting opportunity we have. But we have one shot. You graduate from school once, and that's it. You're going out of that nest. And you have to find that courage that's deep, deep, deep in there. Every step of the way. -Andrew Shue The annual high school graduation ceremony for the senior students of Al Waha, held on Friday 27 th May, 2016, was a day of celebration of the culmination of years of hard work. It was a day to honour and acknowledge the Grade 10 s transition from their IGCSE programme to their A level programme and for the senior graduates of Grade 12, it marked the end of their A level programme. With both the batches opening doors into the future yet unseen, of things yet to come and be accomplished. Soon enough, the hall was then engulfed in rapt silence waiting for the evening s honourees to arrive. Following drum rolls and blowing trumpets, the doors opened and entered the graduating batch of The 10 th and 12 th Graders proudly walked down the red carpet, with lowing gowns, tasselled caps, heads held high and radiant smiles. With greetings by Mrs Ayesha Fabeela, bouquets were presented by the President Hera Abdul Wahid and Vice President Maarab Zaheer of the Students Council to the chief guests, Mrs Ayat Islam and Mrs Muslima Nadwi respectively, as a token of our gratitude for their esteemed presence gracing this grand and memorable evening. The evening commenced with beautiful verses from the Qur an, which were chosen in accordance to the theme for the day. Mrs Seema Anis, our headmistress, then addressed the graduating classes of Grades 10 and 12 with her motivating speech, where she acknowledged the graduates accomplishments and commended them on their relentless hard work. This was followed by a message from our chairman, Mr Zia Abdullah Nadwi, which was read out by Mrs Bushra Nadwi to the graduates and to everyone present in the auditorium This year s speakers included: Valedictorian, Uzma Liyakat Khan (Grade 12) and Valedictorian Natalia Islam (Grade 10). Both their speeches had a story to recount, wherein each captured the years they had spent in their second home s lively atmosphere. Each recapped moments they would always cherish with friends and teachers who were not only by their side in these rigorous training years, but also with whom they had formed unbreakable bonds of trust and friendship. A true walk down memory lane Next, Mrs Ayat Islam, who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker, was just the right person to address the graduates and her passionate dedication to promote education as an important component of empowerment. Next on the programme for the delightful evening was the presentation of awards. Mrs Ayat Islam and Mrs Muslima Nadwi irst proceeded to give out the Graduation Awards to all the graduates. Subsequently, the noble and proud respective subject teachers advanced to hand out the pro iciency awards. Finally, we had reached the part that was awaited by all, the Dr Abdullah Abbas Nadwi Scholastic Achievement Award. Named after the noble founder of the school, the award is presented to one for their exemplary and outstanding performance in academics and extracurricular activities. And the recipients of this majestic award were Uzma Liyakat Khan of 12G and Yara Ahmed of 10G. Following the cake cutting ceremony and a speech honouring teachers, Mrs Oula Fawal lead us all in a well wisher s prayer we thanked the Almighty for this joyous moment and prayed to Him for the future success of the graduates who were set to make their mark on the world. Last but de initely not the least, each graduating student came forward, one by one and expressed gratitude to their mothers for being their constant companions through all of life s storms by crowning her with a delicately made lower crown and then proceeded to take her out to the dining venue. The evening inally came to an end. Though you could see the sorrow of departure in the graduates eyes, it seemed nothing could overshadow the joy and jubilation of the evening. As each of them walked out of the campus, they paused to take one long, last look at the place that was home to all aspiring dreams and memorable moments of their life and for some students returning for the AS and A Level Programmes, it would continue to be home. -Maarab Zaheer and Saima Liyakat Khan (10G1) Page 10 10

11 WILDERNESS BENEATH THE WAVES EM Activity "Fisherman's call: Save marine life, save life on earth!" These words speak for themselves about the type of environment we are living in. The atypical creatures in our oceans are turning into endangered species and this went unno ced un l the E.M students, of grades 9 and 10, were courteous enough to shed light on this unperceived topic. There was a challenging compe on held by the E.M students, which was a fair crack of the whip, for every ar st from grades 4 to 9. Grade 4's had to print their imagina on of oceans on a bookmark. Grade 5's and 6's had to put their crea vity to the test and brainstorm to create posters on ocean pollu on or the causes of ocean pollu on. Grade 7 s had to design a breath taking chart on deep sea diving. The complexity of the challenge increased as the grades went up, and so, the 8 th graders had to skillfully type their knowledge on flyers while the 9 th graders had to collect pictures to paste them on cardboards to form informa ve and intriguing collages. All these alluring tasks were to be done using recycled sources. These unique pieces of arts were judged by Mrs. Seema Anis, our head mistress, who announced the lucky winners. On the a ernoon of the 26th of October, the auditorium was immensely full of an cipa on looking forward to the E.M event Fisherman's call. The wait was over when a presenta on introducing E.M was presented on screen. This was followed by more presenta ons and videos on marine pollu on, solu ons on how we can save it and, most importantly, encouragement for sustainable shopping! A er all, encouragement from any source is like a drop of rain upon a parched desert! Finally, the winners were announced from each grade and were gi ed their respec ve cer ficates. This event not only had spread awareness on marine life, but also helped us rediscover how special our seas and oceans are to us and how we owe our precious lives to them. We are also extremely grateful to our E.M teacher, Mrs. Tabassum, along with the students, without whom, this event would not have been possible! Nimra Rashid 9G1 11 Page 11

12 12 Story-telling competition... Caption describing picture or graphic. Caption describing picture or graphic. Page 12 Page 12 12

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14 The Art of Story-telling Story-telling is an imaginative act of telling a story using verbal versatility, communicative fluidity, allusions, allegories, improvisations, body language and skillful voice-manipulation. Moreover, it s a culture that Al-Waha follows religiously; and this year was no exception! The preparations of this enchanting, stirring event initiated about two weeks ago. In the preliminary round, an audition was conducted in each section through which the respective teachers chose the would-be narrators. Ensuing this, each section was divided into three teams all with their respective stories. This round revealed the final team members and narrators from each grade level, who would eventually contest against each other in the final round! The selected teams were given a week to finalize their stories and prepare for their performances, with the help of their respective teachers. November 1, 2016, was the day of the final showdown. The auspicious event began with recitation of the Holy Quran; and from there the rocket of anticipation was launched. The comperes for the evening did an awe-inspiring job of maneuvering and captivating the crowd throughout the event with their charm and hilarious puns. In addition to that, the elegant and stylish backdrop really brought the whole event together by giving words to the lifeless boards; with each of them narrating their own stories. A new attribute was introduced to this event which was the narration of moral based stories. This assured that the spectators will take a lesson from every tale they heard. Anticipation and enthusiasm ran through the participant s veins as they stood outside the auditorium waiting for their names to be announced. It was mind boggling to witness the stories climb the ladder of maturity as the grades ascended. We began with falling into the pit of the magical, fantasy world, subsequent to which we untied the knots of brilliantly planned murders and went through the rollercoaster of emotions. The stories left the unarmed crowd stabbed with awe and wonderment and left them pondering; and the judges in a thoughtful dilemma. Nevertheless, every good thing comes to an end, but this time the end was not saddening thanks to our teachers, who managed to prepare the results just in time - our superheroes! -Rania Ahmed,9G1 4G3 Sawsan Jeelani (Best Narrator) 5G3 Tala Fathi Mohamed (Best Narrator) Zaina Rayees Ahmed, Mariyah Khan, Sakina Afra Ri ky, Fatima Anwar, Romesa Ahmad Talha, Ayesha Aftab, Sakina Yusuf, Sidra Salman, Lujaen Mohamed, Lamar Hindi, Reem Mohsin, Mahreen Ali, Salma Ansh Arshad Tarek, Sidra Vaid 6G3 Naurah Nazir (Best Narrator) 8G2 Tasnim Sami (Best Narrator) Aaliya Syed, Basma Rafat, Nida Khan Tasneem Sheham, Husna Sohaib Samaa Anwar, Shaima Jawad, Mishal Shahid Amani Azhar, Shahd Ayman, Rayya Zafarullah, Zaynab Faisal Nada Yousef, Jana Mohamed, Asma Mohamad, Rahaf Monawar, Shaza Beshara, Nimra Imtiaz, Zainab Rizwan, 9G1 Nimra Rashid (Best Narrator) 10G1 Maarab Zaheer (Best Narrator) 12G Rania Ahmed, Raniyah Zaman Basra Abdul Rahman, Saba Shahid, Salwa Shaukat, Khadijah Zubair, Asma Arshad, Zahra Ghulam Fatima Zahir Jawed, Saima Haque Sejal Sara Samuel, Zahra Anaz, Zuhaa Mujahid, Mahnoor Faisal, Ashna Shaikh Sana Taha (Best Narrator) Fatima Kamal, Warisha Farhat, Jeweriya Rizwan, Sarah Mahfooz, Hera Abdul Wahid,Jawahir Kamal, Summaiyah Sher Khan, Wejdan Hafeezullah Page 14

15 Life skills In Al Waha, the students are not only trained to advance academically, but also to develop skills which are associated with managing and living a be er quality of life. Ini ated last year, Al Waha con nued the program of providing the students of grade 9 12 with an opportunity to enhance their primary skills. The Life Skills Program does not only help the students to accomplish their ambi ons and live to their full poten al, but also diminishes the pressure of studies on them. It makes the students gain a lot of experience and enlightens them with enjoyable ac vi es such as sewing, cooking, baking and much more. Life Skills was introduced to us last year as ninth graders and we were very excited. It was like a new experience for us, learning new things that did not concern our studies. It is a good way to learn skills that would help us in the future and the best part was that we had our friends with us. Ayesha Baig (10 G1) Life skills ranges from a bunch of ac vi es like cooking, pain ng etc. I am interested in taking it because I would like to improve my life skills and because it is a fun, useful and educa onal subject. Yaara Ahmed (11G) There are three groups in life skills. The first group deals with handcra s like making accessories whereas the second group deals with house hold cleaning. The last group is taught how to cook and bake. Life skills exposes the hidden talent of students and helps them in different aspects of life Mrs. Amal, life skills teacher. ~Hamayel Mashkoor, 7G1 Page 15

16 History Exhibition Page 16

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18 WALKING DOWN THE TIMELINE: A HISTORY EXHIBITION We are not makers of history. We are made by history. Mar n Luther King History has shaped the world to what it is today, and to repay and redeem it the History Department put together an event on the 10 th of November, 2016, full of life and colour. The History Exhibi on: Walking down the Timeline was a major success and a very educa ng event. There were projects presented by each grade level, which were then judged by our respected judges Mrs. Raseena, Mrs. Farhana and Mrs. Ghazala. Each grade was assigned different topics (according to their syllabus) and every student got an equal chance to showcase their talent. The main objec ve of the event was associa ng the past to the present and each grade did this by comple ng their presenta on with a comparison. The ninth grade had shown us videos taking us through me. The audience showed a range of emo ons while watching and as always the mothers remained a major support by a ending the event. The atmosphere remained the same throughout, flourishing with exuberant and enthusias c faces, proud of their outcome. The event also made the audience ruminate over the possibili es of the future and what to expect from the coming years, but alas we re only human and only Allah is All Knowing. An event that makes you ponder and ques on creates a las ng impression on you. The event also brought out the best in the teachers, students and helpers. In conclusion, it was a very awe struck and wonderfully put together event by the History students and teachers and it deserves to be applauded for years to come. At the end the day, we realized that The only thing we ve learnt from history is that, we haven t learnt any of history s lessons. -Leena Rayees Ahmed 9G2 Grade Winners Runner up Second Runner up 4G 4G3 -Rahaf Vaid,Hala Anwar Sidiqui, Amna Waseem,Zaina Mohammed Reyal 4G1-Maham Faisal, Aneeqa Khan, Zarmeen Waqar Khan 4G2 Yusra Inam, Sanaa Shams, Sara Alaa Fawzy, Zoha Siddiqui 5G 5G3 Sidra Vaid, Soha Bilal, Reem Mohsin Irfan, Fatimah Anwar Ahmed 5G2- Eman Tarar, Aleeza Naeem Ali, Huda Kolpekar, Fatimah Asim 5G1 Fatima Sajjad Ali, Hajar Aslam, Haadiya Farhan Dar, Mehwish Jashir Palikunnil 6G 6G3- Fathima Aushat, Syeda Hamna, Smaiyah Salman, Aaiza Farhan, Meshal Shahid 6G2- Areej Mamdouh, Ariza Fatima, Hanim Abdela, Shada Ibrahim, Nouran Hany 6G1-Yusra Raihan, Aaliya Fatima, Safaa Khatri, Manal Hussein, Safaa Mujahid 7G 7G2-Sara Karim Sulaiman, Urwa Chaudhry, AinaYousuf Jaliawala, Aiza Asim, Umamah Yumn Mansoor 7G3-Maria Yousuf Bugti, Maab Abbas, Ahlam Madaniya Azhar, Mai Ahmed Barkat 7G2-Hafsa Aamer, Roha Asif, Fiyaza Rizmy, Nur Syarafana 8G 8G1-Mahrukh Khan, Manal Moten, Warda Mohammad, Qanitha Amir, Sofia Khan 8G1-Areej Tahir, Nourain Khan, Zara Fatimah, Zaynab Hasan, Humaira Rashed 8G1-Wajeeha Farhan, Laiba Ijaz, Fajr Hammeed, Saniya Mehdi, Fatima Umer 9G 9G2-Injila Jawaid 9G2-Ayesha Sohail 9G2-Leena Rayees Ahmed 11G Maham Naveed, Maliha Husain, Mariam Faizer, Maryam Rani Ahmed, Mennatalla Asim, Mondiyal Mohammed, Mubarra Yousuf, Nada Abdelhadi Natalia Islam, RaffayWaqas Khan, Ruqayya Khaleel, Saima Nadwi, Salma Tamer, Saneeya Nazir, Sherouk Ibrahim 12G Almas Rizvi, Aseel Mahmoud, Duaa Afzal, Fatma Kamal, Haneen Mustafa Maha Hassan, Jawahir Kamal, Jewariya Rizwan, Hera Abdul Wahid, Raveeha Irfan Page 18

19 CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS Cleanliness is a word we come across daily. We're always instructed by our parents and teachers to maintain cleanliness everywhere. To some people, this word may carry little significance, but in reality, those people do not realize the great value and meaning behind this word. Islam encourages us to dedicate our time and efforts in maintaining cleanliness. The Messenger of Allah (( الله عليه و سلم wasصلى reported to have said, Cleanliness is half of faith (Muslim). The cleanliness of the body is essential for good health, for it is known that dirt and disease always go together. The methods of keeping ourselves clean include: showering regularly, washing our hands on a daily bases, taking good care of our skin, preventing body odour and brushing your teeth thrice a day. Trimming the fingernails and toenails regularly is another compulsory attempt at maintaining cleanliness, hence why every student in Al Waha is checked after the morning assembly to see whether or not they have trimmed their fingernails and dressed up tidily. However, cleanliness is not limited to only the outer appearance, but it also involves the inner-self. The cleanliness of the heart and the body is an important aspect of Islam, and so is the cleanliness of our surroundings. This is why Al Waha is always keen on having us take care of our class rooms, since our school is our second home. To make sure that students don't leave their classes in an untidy condition at the end of the day, regular checks are carried out; but that's not all! There is a reward for the most well kept class, which is announced in the morning assembly; and the class that has been granted the award of The Cleanest Class from Middle School is 5G3, and 11G from the Senior School. Congratulations! -Maha Khan (7G3) 5G3 11G Page 19

20 A Message From The School President Warm greetings! The school year has just begun and at the moment we might not have a lot of pressure to study, but in a few months, we sure will. I thought about what to write and finally settled on sharing some of my experiences and learned lessons over the past years. Studying can be challenging, and the struggle during examinations is real. Allow me to share what I keep repeating to myself: Start learning from the beginning instead of panicking at the end. Besides that, I think it s best to remind ourselves that this school life we have been blessed with is a-once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we won t be able to go back to it. So let s put in our full effort, make the best of it, grab every opportunity and make memories. This is our prime age you and I are young and still growing, we can mold and polish our brains the way we like by improvising strategies because the more we use it in the right way, the better it gets! Mistakes are a part of life-everybody makes them. When I make a mistake or go wrong, though it doesn t feel very pleasant, I tell myself two things. First- I learnt something new, and what is valuable cannot be gotten easily. Second, never repeat it again and next time try harder. This is my final year in the school; therefore, I am constantly looking around for new opportunities and planning for my future studies, which has led me to another realization - to pursue a path in life that you are passionate about, even if it is not easy - as long as it does not clash with our beliefs. There s beauty in stepping out of the comfort zone and fulfilling your passion head on! I wish the best for each one of you. Feel free to come up to me anytime - I will surely support you to the best of my ability provided school s interest is the objective. Hera Abdul Wahid (12G) Student Council President Editorial Board Proof reader & Resource collector Zainab Hishma (12G) Editor in Chief Sana Taha (12G) Editors Warisha Farhat, Zoha Mujeeb, Sarah Mahfooz, Haneen Mustafa (12G) Sub Editors Saima Taha, Natalia Islam, Yara Ahmed, Ruqayya Khaleel (11G) Design Team Jawaher Kamal & Wejdan Hafeezullah (12G) Reporters Hamayel Mashkoor (7G1), Javairiya Nadeem (7G2), Maha Khan (7G3), Nourain Khan (8G1), Zara Ahmed (8G1), Asmaa Mohammed (8G2), Amani Azhar (8G2), Nimra Rashid (9G1), Rania Ahmed (9G1), Anusha Rizvi (9G2), Injila Jawaid (9G2), Leena Rayees Ahmed (9G2) Page 20