THE CO-CURRICULAR BLOCK

2009-10

The co-curricular block runsday 6 block 5 . It is an important part of the curriculum and gives each student a chance to explore new ideas and to develop new friends. Almost all the activities can allow for a service component, and there are some activities that are primarily service based.  There are also a number of service groups that run after school and on weekends that will give you the chance to participate. Along with an extremely strong athletic program, (junior varsity and varsity), many activities meet after school as well.  There is a full time symphonic band and a fall and spring drama production. 

Read the descriptors carefully . There are several new offerings. You are asked to choose three different choices in order of preference.  If there is space and your group is not a full year commitment, you will be able to change your co-curricular at the end of first semester.

If you have any questions please ask your advisors.

The Co-Curricular Block selections for 2009-10 are: 

1. Aleph Be (School Newspaper): Alef Be is the high school newspaper, which is largely run by volunteers who sometimes meet during co-curricular block and sometimes meet after school or on weekends. Do you want to be part of this group of enthusiasts, developing a variety of journalistic skills? We need people who like to write, to probe and poke about in the world, and who want instruction in interviewing, writing, editing, taking pictures and learning how to use a desktop publisher. Current events discussions are an added attraction. Are you interested? Sign up NOW for Alef Be.

1. Art Workshop : This offering gives students an opportunity to explore their artistic talents.  It is designed as a class in which the individual students explore areas of personal artistic interest. There is the possibility to work with ceramics, painting and drawing as well as other art media. Priority will go to students whose academic load prevents them from taking art classes in their daily schedule; this includes 11/12 Leb. Bacc students, as well as HL IB students who need the extra hours to meet the total amount of IB required studio hours.

2. A Classical MusicRamble: An exploration of the history of Western music, from Gregorian Chant on, with particular emphasis on choral and operatic music. Students will be exposed to evolution of musical genres, the development of music from single musical line to full orchestra, and will listen to a great variety of music in the process.

3. B ackgammon :  Who knows where it started...some say Turkey, some say Greece, some say somewhere in the Middle East. Whether you call it 'backgammon', 'tawla', 'tavli' or something else, it is still a great way to do two really important things: learn how to think quickly, and relax. Depending on numbers we will organise competitions...or simply play for fun and get to know each other just a little bit better in the process.

4. Debate and Forensicsare team taught in the ACS Co-curricular program. Members for the EMAC Forensics/Debate Travel will be chosen from among those who participate in this co-curricular activity.   It's a lot of fun, and it's a great way to hone your speech and drama skills.Performance skills are developed in both of these areas:

Debate: Do you enjoy a good argument?  Scoring points for your opinions?  Exercising your intellect?  You do! Good!  Come check out debate. Here you will learn the skills to stage successful debates pertaining to current issues of interest. Remember that debate is not just a co-curricular activity, but that skills learned there extend to your different classes, especially English and Social Studies, and gives you a taste of prospective careers in law, journalism, international relations, economics, media and more. Be advised, however, that for every debate a serious amount of time is spent researching the topics to present the most crack-proof arguments.

Forensics : In Forensics you will explore different competitive speaking styles and its loads of fun! Participants will explore activities such as - How to mesmerize your audience with a good story (impromptu and extemporaneous speaking). How to develop and present a speech.  How to develop a hilarious skit or How to weave a serious tale that brings your audience to tears (individual or duet oral interpretation).  If you have ever taken drama or wanted to then this is right up your alley.

5. Digital Photography/Adobe Photoshop: This is an introductory course to digital photography and Photoshop. Students will learn to use their own digital cameras more effectively as well as exploring photography with more advanced SLR digital cameras. Basic Photoshop techniques to enhance digital images will also be covered. In order to take this course each student must have their own point and shoot digital camera, minimum 8 mega pixels with a 3x or 5x zoom option. (These cameras are your typical Sony, Nikon, Canon etc.. pocket digital cameras)  Students should be aware that there will be an additional cost of approximately 80,00LB during the year for the printing their images. This option is not open to students taking digital photography next year.

6. Film Club Are you a movie addict? A film afficionado? Or merely someone looking for some down time in a darkened room on Day 6, Block 5? If any of the above apply, the Film Club is for you! We will be screening great movies you probably haven’t seen (for most students anything done before the year 2000 qualifies as a “classic”), but that you will find enjoyable, remarkable, enlightening, and even entertaining. Check it out!

7. Model U.N. Through Model UN, students obtain "hands-on" experience by playing the role of a diplomat representing a nation, negotiating with other countries, and voting for their nation on key issues currently before the United Nations.  In Model United Nations simulations, participating students draft resolutions, debate real issues involving today's problems, defend their country against the actions of foreign nations, and experience the give and take of world politics which is essential to negotiating mutually acceptable agreements. Selected by merit and experience, students MIGHT travel to conferences in Amman and other locations.  Not every student will travel. This is a yearlong commitment.

8. Music Workshop: Open to all high school music students (Choir, Band, IB Music students) to explore Solo and Ensemble music. IB Music students will also meet their group performance requirements. There will also be musical coaching for the AMIS Auditions. Classical to jazz training will be offered within all performance ensembles.
9. SAT Math Activity: Are you thinking about the time when you’ll be going off to college? Most colleges and universities require their applicants to take a standardized test called the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) – a test to assess your readiness for college-level work.

As part of the college admissions process you will take this test as high school juniors and many of you will take it again as seniors if you want to improve your scores.

The ACS Co-Curricular Class ‘SAT Math Activity’ will be open during the first semester for seniors who seriously want to improve their test taking skills and during the second semester for juniors who seriously want to work to earn their best possible score by acquiring better test taking skills.

Students who join this activity will have systematic training on the following:

- Test format familiarity

- Familiarity with the student response sheet

- Familiarity with phrases and questioning 

- Focus topics

- Time management

- Selection of short cuts in solving problems

- Making an educated guess

- Sample test taking

10. “Shabab Sabaya” The Arabic Language Magazine:It will be produced on quarterly basis. The subjects treated will cover the academic and social topics discussed and community events that occur at ACS. The articles will be written and contributed by the students of the middle and high school under the supervision of the Arabic Department. The main objectives of the magazine will be to generally familiarize the students with the Arabic Language. The magazine will encourage the students to practice reading in Arabic language through covering their favorite activities and social events. The articles will tackle the discussed subjects in a simple and reading-friendly language. Finally, both students who write and read the articles will enhance their Arabic language writing and reading skills.

11. Sports Officiating: The students will both play as on court participants and will alternate with those off court to learn the score sheet and score board operation. This class teaches a valued skill that can be attributed to community service hours when students volunteer to score at school games. Space limited.

12. Stage Craft: This course is designed to give an overview of the behind the scenes workings of the stage. Students study various types of technical theatre such as set design and construction, lighting, costuming, and stage management. They will be exposed to design theory, as well as, have opportunities to explore practical experience for which some service hours could be given.

13. Yoga : Come breath, stretch and RELAX.

The following are strictly Community Service projects.

1.      Adopt a Grandparent is offering you the opportunity to earn service hours by spending time with an elderly person at “Oumr Madeed” in Verdun once a cycle.  Each student will be matched with a "teta" or "jidu" to visit during the activity block.  The two of you can choose the way to spend your time together, whether that's discussing the good old days vs. modern living, playing cards or backgammon, or any other interactive activity.   Conversational Arabic is required for participation. 

2.      Cheerios: The Cheerios community service group aims at helping and entertaining children in orphanages. The age group of these children varies from few months to five years. Activities with babies and toddlers emphasize free-play that helps them develop their psychomotor skills. Different activities are planned for the older kids such as reading, drawing and sports. These activities promote in our students the feelings of responsibility and sense of belonging to their community."

3.      Children’s Cancer Club (CCC): This co-curricular aims to provide fund-raising events to support the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon. None of the 500 patients of the CCCL pay for any of the treatments but rather the Center relies on funds and donations to pay for the necessary equipment and medicines. The main topics that will be discussed within the co-curricular include cancer awareness, as well as planning and organizing fund raising events such as a Winter Dance, among other events. All donations and funds raised will go to promote the CCCL. Students who are of ages 18 and above will be able to visit the children within St. Judes, and volunteer with the children. All members of the club shall be directly involved in planning and organizing the events."

4.      Give a Child a Smile aims at interacting and helping underprivileged children from different organizations.  Students organize and plan activities that might include games, fundraising, invitation to lunch and others.  The children are either invited to our school or trips are planned to visit them.  The activities usually take place during the co-curricular block.  It is rewarding to see a smile on the children’s faces.

5.      GLOBE is an international environmental program designed by NASA and the NSF to help us understand our environment.  During the Co-curricular we will be working on ways to make ACS more of a sustainable environment with projects to bring Souk el-Tayeb to the school, student led observations of the water and air quality and how they affect the public health of our communities.  In addition we will be working with other schools and NGO’s in Lebanon on community service projects where you can earn community service hours. If you are interested in either art, making documentaries, science, helping the environment, community service, public outreach, graphic and webpage design and/or discussing global solutions to environmental problems then come join GLOBE

6.      RECYCLING : The Recycling activity is an opportunity to earn on-campus community service hours by supporting ACS's effort to recycle paper and plastic bottles. Students will begin by creating recycling containers and then will collect the contents each week.

7.      Sister School : This co-curricular will be intimately involved in the organization and planning of all Sister School related activities; including but not limited to:

Community Awareness

Fundraising

On-site Project Planning

Sri Lanka Trip Planning

Sheiteie (Southern Lebanon) and INSAN (Sin El Fil)Trip Planning

In addition, the group will investigate the history, geography, and culture of Sri Lanka and will prepare educational events such as lectures, art shows, elementary class visits, musical presentations, cooking classes, etc.

8.      Special Olympics : This activity is created as a community service in support of young people in the Lebanese community. These mildly mentally challenged individuals are highly interested in sports. They have been identified as potential team members in the Lebanese delegation to the "Special Olympics".   ACS wants to create a group of its students who will work with these students on a regular basis and assist them in better learning to play sports in pursuit of this goal.

9.      Teddy Bear: This is a school-based CS group whose members will visit younger children in elementary school to read to them, tutor them, or sometimes simply to play with them.  The students might also be required to assist teachers in various activities inside or outside the classroom such as cutting, pasting, preparing bulletins. The only pre-requisites for this club are commitment and a good sense of responsibility. This is a year long commitment and grades 9 &10 will have priority.

For your information only: running after school.

1.     Animals@Beirut

2.      Human Rights/Amnesty International

3.      Chess: The ACS Chess Club will be a congenial place for you to come and play the Royal Game.  Students that are familiar with advanced strategies such as T Fischer’s Famous Trap or only have a limited knowledge of the game are welcome to join.  You will play each other, study the game, read chess blogs, and possibly play on-line with people from all over the world.  Come and enjoy the timeless game!

4.     NHS

5.     Student Council

Available 2^nd Semester:

May 20, 2009

LFA

THE CO-CURRICULAR BLOCK

HIGH SCHOOL 2009-2010

Student Name : _____________________________

Please Print

Present Grade Level : ______________

Current Co-curricular: _______________________

3 different * choices in order of preference

1.     _____________________________

2.     _____________________________

3.     _____________________________

* Students who write only one choice will NOT get it