Dear ACS Alumni, We want to thank you for the heartwarming responses we received from you following the first issue of our Alumni Bulletin. The interconnection between alumni and their alma mater is vital for the impact of ACS. Your feedback was truly amazing and that is why we love what we do! Life on Campus is picking up a faster pace in April, with the weather in Beirut becoming warmer and our students anticipating all the Spring activities and enjoying the learning taking place. You will read in this issue about the different things that were happening such as the Human Library learning day, the Book Fair, the Fashion (& Trashion) show and our very popular Annual IB Art Exhibition. It is also a time when we start having more campus visits from alumni, those that happen to be in the neighborhood or visiting Lebanon. Many of the visiting alumni ask about campus access during the summer, and whether they can check out books (hard copies or digital) from our Library, or book the sports fields, and so we have put together an alumni campus-access privilege card that you will read about below. Another thing we are happy to feature in this issue is our new Makers Space, a collaborative workspace where students create and learn through hands-on, personalized experiences, using high tech to no tech tools. "A makerspace is not solely a science lab, woodshop, computer lab or art room, but contains elements found in all of these familiar spaces". Thanks to a very generous gift from the Class of 1973, the Maker's Space was able to purchase new and advanced equipment this year, empowering students to bring their ideas to life. We hope you enjoy this issue as much as we did putting it together. Sincerely, The D&A team ✒️ |
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IB Art Exhibition ACS High School seniors in the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, hosted their exhibition throughout April 4th-6th in downtown Beirut! This exhibition showcased the culmination of students'' creative journeys, offering an exploration of diverse mediums, concepts, and perspectives. Check out the highlight video of the exhibition posted on our Instagram page by clicking HERE Trashion Show for Earth Day Hosted by the EcoClub at ACS, upcycled designs made from recyclable materials demonstrate that fashion can be sustainable. The designs were both created by our very own students and faculty. An honorable mention goes to the winner of the 2024 Trashion Show, Yasmina Adada '23, who designed and modeled an evening gown made solely from materials sourced from the nylon bags from the popular delivery company in Lebanon, Toters. More about the show HERE |
Senior Fashion Show 2024 An ACS tradition hosted for over 10 years, our seniors model for a crowd filled with classmates, parents, and their teachers. The Senior Fashion Show is one of those activities that alumni return to campus with fond memories of. As the seniors bid their farewells, we celebrate their enthusiasm for bringing the community together for a wonderful show. To view highlights from the fashion show posted visit the ACS Seniors 2024 Instagram page HERE. |
Human Library Experiential Learning Day As part of the 10th-grade History curriculum, which delves into the Lebanese Civil War, teachers hosted a Human Library Day. They invited individuals who lived through the civil war in Lebanon to share their personal stories with students. Community members, including parents, staff, and faculty, participated in sharing their experiences. Business Fair The Business Fair at the Elementary School was a huge success. It was a division-wide project where our young entrepreneurs were in charge of creating their own products that included recycled or reused elements, as well as putting together presentations that told their audience the history of their "company". Students prepared their ideas, regularly met with their mentors, and provided samples of their products before the big day. Students created their items at home individually or in groups. These creativity sessions were challenging as students had to navigate partnerships and learn about compromise. Students were responsible for creating enough to sell throughout the day. The Business Fair was open to parents, faculty, and staff, to enjoy (and purchase from) the wide selection of hand-made creations. |
Maker's Space Located in the Middle School building, the Makers Space is a place where our students can meet up, share creative interests, tinker with new technologies, and learn as they go. Makerspaces provide hands-on learning opportunities, they teach kids resilience and help kids build communication, creativity, and collaboration skills. Students have interacted with 3D printers, laser cutters, green screens or robotics equipment, and used many hand tools. They designed age-appropriate items such as musical instruments, bookmarks, and name tags. Here are a few images from the Early Childhood's visit to Mr. McMullen's Makerspace classroom. |
International Day In collaboration with the Development & Alumni Relations Office (D&A) and the Middle School Student Council, our students celebrated International Day on the 18th of April on the Green Field. This exciting event brought together the vibrant cultures, traditions, and languages that make our global community so rich and diverse.
The whole community was invited to embrace the spirit of unity and understanding as the students showcased the beauty of diversity and spread cultural awareness. Twenty countries were on display. Children presented on their designated country and shared local food & drinks, costumes, music, and traditional clothing with each person who visited their table. |
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Week Without Walls Between March and April, both our middle school and high school embarked on new adventures learning outside of the classroom. "Week Without Walls" is a full week hosted locally or abroad in locations such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Istanbul, Capetown, and more! The week is focused on service and sharing experiences within the country, greatly supporting the local community. For example, our high school students who traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, worked on a local farm to support fair produce distribution within lower-income communities. |
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Who remembers Mrs. Kays, or better said .. Who doesn't? Wafa Kays, our Middle School Arabic teacher and so much more… An active participant in fostering cultural exchange and creating memorable experiences for students. Wafa's genuine care and respect for the community is reciprocated, as she cherishes the connections she has built with colleagues and locals alike. Read about her journey with ACS HERE |
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Alumni ID, Campus Access The Development and Alumni Relations office is thrilled to extend a warm welcome back to all our alumni returning to Lebanon this summer! In addition to enjoying a campus tour, we're excited to invite you to utilize our campus facilities for work or study. The idea originated from a conversation with an alum who expressed frustration about the instability of electricity and internet connection while visiting Lebanon. We thought, why not open our doors to our community to make use of our resources? With your Alumni Association ID, you'll have exclusive access to work/study in our upper library. If you're interested in booking the gym, Rabbit Field, or accessing our extensive ebook library, please view our fees to take full advantage of this opportunity. Are you interested in obtaining an Alumni Association ID? Click HERE Mentorship has begun An initiative to bridge communication between alumni and current students, the mentorship program is an 8-week program where alumni serve as mentors to our rising graduates. The Spring 2024 Mentorship Program hosted its orientation to welcome our new mentors and students. Are you interested in becoming an alumni mentor? Click HERE to fill out the interest form. SITC official date Save the Date for Our Alumni Reunion: Summer in the City! 🎉🌟 Join us in Beirut for our annual Alumni Reunion: Summer in the City! Mark your calendars for July 10th, from 6:30-9 pm on ACS campus. We're celebrating the Class of 2014's 10-year anniversary by opening their time capsule. All alumni, regardless of graduation year, are warmly invited. See you there! FUNDRAISING GALA We invite alumni to our annual fundraising Gala, to be held on May 15th at Pastel Beirut, featuring a special live performance by Aziza. All proceeds will benefit the ACS Annual Fund, supporting various initiatives for developing ACS facilities, programs, financial aid, and more. Tickets are priced at $180 per person and can be purchased by clicking this link. We look forward to your attendance! American Community School Beirut | ACS Beirut: ACS Beirut Fundraising Dinner (2024) |
From the spring issue one year ago… ACS Couples Cat Essoyan and René Hopen - Class of '73 "We met at ACS. I started in 1966 in 6th grade and René came in 1967 in 7th grade. He was in the BD in the beginning and I was a day student. We both graduated from ACS in the Great Class of 1973. We were not an item at ACS, although we were friends pretty much from the beginning. Years later, when I was pregnant with our second son, I asked him whom he had had crushes on in high school. I told him that he was one of those I had a crush on and he named those he had crushes on, and then said (in case I had missed it!) that I was not one of them! After college, I worked in DC for a couple of years for a Senate committee. While I was there, I heard that his sister had died 6 months earlier, and I remember feeling so upset and that somehow the world should inform you if something terrible happens to someone you care about. I managed to reach René and we talked by phone. In the summer of 1979 we traveled together in Europe visiting friends in France, England and Scotland. After that I started a 2 year MA course at Harvard in Middle East studies. Partway through my degree, René suggested I move to the Netherlands to solve our distance problem. I decided to finish my degree. René was back in Beirut taking courses at AUB when Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, and I went to work on Lebanon relief and reconstruction at the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in Philadelphia."
Continue reading in the POT HERE
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American Community School Beirut
Beirut | 67 Nigeria Street, Jal El-Bahr
+961 (1) 374370
www.acs.edu.lb
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