Debakey Yearbook 2015-2016

AP English Author Presentation & LunchKarin Schwier, author of Flourish: People WithDisabilities Living Life With Passion, donated copies ofher book to the school, held a lecture concerning thebook and interacted with our AP English students duringa luncheon at Katara. 96

Environment Club Field Trip Environment Club members attended a presentation and tour at Qatar Cool where they learned additional insight concerning sustainability.97

Bowling Field TripGrade 8 students enjoyed a bowling field tripswith their teachers. Having lunch at Fuddruckerswas also a part of the fun. 98

Paralympics Competition DeBakey sport teams attended the IPC Athletics World Championship to watch and cheer on the Paralympic athletes compete for a spot in the Rio Paralympics.99

Art Field TripDeBakey Art students visited the new exhibition,Whatabout the Art?, at Qatar Museums Al Riwaq Gallerywhere they discovered amazing contemporary Chineseartists. 100

Coding is Cool Workshop DeBakey students attended the Coding is Cool Workshop at Qatar National Convention Center. Students learned how to develop mobile applications and they were introduced to the MIT app inventor tool. Students enjoyed playing with the apps they developed, which speaks when they shake the tablet or mobile device. Students are pictured with their Robotics Club advisors.101

PTA 102

All About Parents The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) had a very successful year. Not only did they have active participation with schoolwide events, they also organized activities to involve parents on an informal basis. Events included the Rise ‘n Coffee and Tea & Talk. The Rise ‘n Coffee event took place monthly and allowed for parents and faculty to enjoy coffee, home- baked pastries and fellowship.The Tea & Talk took place on Tuesdays during Club Days with the same aim in mind.103

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Fun for Students! In addition to parent involvement, the PTA made it known that they want to see students have fun.The PTA organized a welcome back event for students where they decorated homemade cookies and brownies.This was a great lift of spirits as students prepared for Semester 1 exams.Two successful field trips were also organized by the PTA as well: Safari Desert Field Trips and Qatar Animal Shelter Visit.105

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... and Teacher Appreciation The PTA organized a brunch for teachers and all school staff. The brunch included home-cooked dishes and savory foods provided by DeBakey parents.Teachers were also given hand-decorated mugs by students which was also organized by PTA!107

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School Wide Events 110

International Day At the Sixth Annual International Day, DeBakey High School-Qatar celebrated the rich diversity of DeBakey’s school community with the theme: Unity in Diversity. Students and faculty shared the culture and traditions of their native countries through a series of activities including a regional booth display, a fashion show, mini-Olympic games, face painting, photo booths, henna painting, and an internationally-themed lunch. Students and faculty dressed in their native clothing and experienced each other’s culture. The celebration included guest speakers Mr. Khalid Al-Mohannadi and Dr. Jude Shafiq, as well as a performance by Bhavan’s Public School where they performed a Rajasthani folk dance of India. Student reflections included: “I liked the fact that everyone was proud of their nationality. A lot of the teachers who wore their national outfit encouraged me to as well.” “It was fun when the speaker talked about all our hearts beating together and being one.”111

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Qatar National Day DeBakey High School – Qatar celebrated Qatar National Day with several festive activities. The day for celebrating Qatar began with a student- led recital of verses from the Quran, Emiri salute and the sounds of the Qatari National Anthem. Students participated in activities that included the Qatari traditional sword dance, face painting, camel riding, falcon showcase,Qatari traditional food booth, Art & Photography Competition,‘Keram & Jailors’ board games and a traditional feast in a Qatari tent. Guest speaker, Dr. Omar Al-Zaghmout,Associate Director of Medical Education at Hamad Medical Corporation, enlightened students about self-accountability, innovative thinking and encouraged all students to feel included with Qatar’s success. Student reflections included: “We worked really hard to make this day happen and we enjoyed the happy faces and appreciation.” “The students really helped me feel a sense of pride in living here. It was beautiful, interactive and very eye opening. In simple terms: I loved it!”113

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DeBakey Sports Day During DeBakey Sports Day, students and faculty participated in team sports and fun games throughout the day. Although DeBakey offers a challenging curriculum, this was a day of fun competition and team building amongst students and faculty members. Its objective was to develop the sporting spirit and enjoyment. The students were divided in 20 teams with a faculty guide for each team.115

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Principal’s Awards Ceremony The 2016 Principal’s Awards Ceremony recognized students who exceeded beyond the minimum requirements. Awards were granted for academic excellence withAll A’s,subject area outstanding and most improved achievement, perfect attendance, volunteer excellence, and the middle/high school outstanding student of the year.117

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Science & Book Fair The Science Fair displayed students’ projects that were later judged by university professors and school faculty. The Book Fair allowed several vendors for students to purchase books and stationary items. ‘Popcorn Girl’ was also a big hit on both days.119

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March Reading Madness Students participated in reading related competitions during March and April.These efforts were done to make reading more fun with a concentration on informational text and vocabulary.121

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Competitions Quran Competition Students participated in the 2015-16 National Quran Competition and the winners received Awards of Excellence. Qatar Debate Competition Middle and high school students competed in debating competitions between school teams represented  throughout Qatar. Students  reached the Semi Finals and improved speaking and critical thinking skills during the process. Three of our debaters - Murtaza Fatakdawala, Zain Assaf and Basmala Hussein were recognized among the ten best speakers overall. Qatar Open Youth Public Speaking Competition Qatar Toastmasters organized a public speaking event where DeBakey students competed with students throughout Qatar. Students excelled in their speeches and improved their public speaking and writing skills. Four of our Students reached the Semi Finals.123

Sports 124

School Olympic Program DeBakey students have seen major victories, including securing many wins in friendly matches, as well as achieving great success in the Qatar’s School Olympic Program. The High School Basketball Teams (Girls and Boys) reached the final. The Girls’ Team took the Gold medal and the Boys’ Team achieved the 2nd place. Gymnastics team won the 3rd place level 3 (all around routine) and earned the bronze medal. Individual achievements hold as much value and integrity as team sports: Rita Kaldas won the Gold medal in the Tennis tournament in her age category, and Zeyad Qamhiyah received 2nd place in the 60 meter race in the track and field events. The DeBakey High School is very proud of all teams and participants. Led by Coach Faten and Coach Kamal, the students were rigorously trained with discipline and much team work.125

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School Olympic Program127

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Departments 130

Mathematics Department DeBakey High School Math department has provided various opportunities to grow and explore within and beyond the walls of the classroom through interesting lectures, integrating technology, hands- on activities, group projects, field trips, Pi day, and guest speaker discussions. All have been an integral part of DeBakey’s day to day life in Mathematics.131

Science DepartmentThe Science Department of Michael E. DeBakey HighSchool- Qatar works collaboratively to motivate and teachstudents to scientifically approach the world by incorporatingcritical thinking, problem solving, and real-world applicationof science concepts into every classroom. We believe thatstudents learn best when they are engaged in hands-onactivities, so we incorporate laboratory activities in our stateof the art Chemistry, Physics and Biology Labs where studentsperform laboratory practical experiments.The department successfully hosted the school’s Science Fairfor all students. Nominated projects from each class were apart of the final competition. 132

Health Science Technology Department For this academic year, HST students have participated in educational events at all levels inside and outside the school. Grades 7 and 8 students have learned and demonstrated proper hand washing techniques in three stages during a school assembly with a guest speaker to reinforce the importance of hand hygiene and its relationship with spread of disease and infection control. Additionally, middle school students learned the stages of decision making while relating topics to real-life scenarios. HST 1 students and teachers became certified by Hamad training center in CPR and basic life support to adults, children and infants in life threatening emergencies after eight hours of training. HST 2 students took their knowledge one step further with a hands on experience performing different dental procedures at Qatar Prime Dental Center. HST 3 students have attended the Genomic Analysis and Genetic Testing – Ethics, Law and Society workshop organized by Sidra research center in an effort to prepare students for college level research. Seniors have participated and became certified in Hamad rotations program, where they explored the various departments at Hamad hospital in order to make an informed decision about their future medical careers.133

English DepartmentOur English teachers offer a wide range of hands-on learningactivities, from creating posters and sculptures to writingadvertisements and making commercials, all of which focus on thepleasures and challenges of reading, interpretation, and writingacross all grade levels. In addition to integrating technology and printmedia, our English texts include epic poems, film, graphic novels,sound poetry, informational texts, and more.  Our courses expandand deepen our students’ understanding of what constitutes Englishliterature and expands their skills for real world application in collegeand beyond. 134

Social Studies Department Social Studies is the integrated study of the social sciences, humanities and history. The primary purpose of Social Studies is to help students develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. Here at DeBakey High School, the following strategies are used to impact knowledge into our students: Inquiry Skills, Interpret Information from Primary and Secondary Sources, Analyze Data from Written and Visual Sources, Apply and Present Information.135

International Studies DepartmentThe International Studies Department consists of Arabic, French,Spanish, and Islamic Studies. Students taking these classes developproficiency in listening, reading comprehension, and in oral andwritten expression where students gained an awareness andobedient response to the target culture.We aim to prepare our students for academic and professionalsuccess through interactive activities, relevant field trips, groupwork projects, Competitions (ex. Quran Competitions), andextracurricular activities. 136

Electives Department The Electives Department of the Michael E. DeBakey High School in Qatar has had a rewarding 2015-16 academic year. The Department includes Physical Education (PE), Art, Music, Study Skills, Speech & Communication, and Journalism courses. In the PE division, the students improved their skills and health related fitness by participating in a variety of activities. The students improved their motor skills, movement patterns as well as personal and social behavior needed to perform in variety of Team and Individual Sports. The PE division also organized a Sports Day on March 5th. In the Art division, the students experimented on different techniques, materials and art styles to create their artwork. Student work ranged from creating abstract expressionism paintings, still life and portraits to optical illusions and creative recycling.The Art division also managed to raise a considerable amount of money for charity by selling some of the stellar art work produced by the DeBakey students. Thanks to the Music division, DeBakey students can read notes fluently and are now capable of playing any piece of composition. They are also well-versed at playing drums, the guitar, keyboard and xylophone.137

Electives DepartmentThe Speech course not onlyencouraged students to become moreconfident in their speech delivery, butalso helped enhance the public speakingskills of the debate club members, whowere part of the course. The Speechclass also hosted a talk by Toastmastersmember of the Qatar chapter, Mrs.Nevine Kamal.The Study Skills course providedtraining to students on real-life, 21stcentury skills, including preppingthem for college skills and offeringextensive guidance on exercising criticalthinking. The course also coached themintensively on note-taking and readingstrategies that were then applied by thewinning team during the March ReadingMadness Competition.The Journalism course was a newaddition to the Electives Departmentfor this academic year. The studentsreceived intense training on writing,editing, researching, and reporting skillsand techniques in the three branchesof Journalism – Print, Broadcast andOnline. In the first semester, Journalismstudents created DeBakey’s first everstudent newsletter. They have alsoproduced news videos and photo-essayson DeBakey events and student life. 138

Technology Department The Business Information Management (BIM) course applied industry learning techniques in the classroom. Students completed the course using a virtual learning environment as well a mixture of projects, presentations and spreadsheet developments.Topics covered included data communications, networking, business documents and databases. The Introduction to Robotics course introduced stu- dents to the future of technology and Science through Robotics Engineering. Students worked on EV 3 LEGO Mindstorms and robot kits throughout the year. Addi- tionally, students were able to realize real world scenari- os and uses for Mathematics when programming robots to move for a certain distance at a given speed. The Technology department also facilitated the use of tablets to enhance classroom learning environments. There will be even more developments next year!139

Clubs 140

Table Tennis Model United Nations (MUN)141

Knitting & Robotics andEmbroidery Club Lend-A-Hand Club Programming Club 142

Cooking Club Environment Club Chess Club143

Debating & Public School Crafts andSpeaking Club Cricket Club Decorations Club 144

Our Staff Fun Time145