As one can easily see, King’s Academy is having sev-eral constructions on campus. In total we will have 9 new buildings. These buildings will accommodate Stor-age, Security, Transportation Department, Faculty, a new Dining Hall and Administrative Building. The buildings, fully furnished, will cost 4.5 million Jordanian Dinars in total. The number of workers on each project is decided by the school contractor, whom –unfortunately- was not available for comment. The machines currently occupy-ing the campus will leave shortly after the buildings are completed.

April 3rd was a starting point for three of the build-ings: Storage, Security and Transportation Department. Varying in size from 200-500 square meters, the three buildings are almost ready for use. This will prevent the

over-crowding of space that will occur in the near future, when the school admits a far larger number of faculty and students, amounting to 600.

The most anticipated building by the student body is naturally the Dining Hall, which will be roughly 1100 square meters and will be just behind the current Dining Hall. It will contain a butchery and a bakery, so that Kings Academy can become more self-sufficient. It’s construc-tion has started very recently and finishing it will require about 400 days. The new Dining Hall, once finished, will accommodate the staff, while the students will use the full capacity of our current Dining hall as to make more space for the student body to eat comfortably.

Another building that is currently under construction is the new Administration space. Roughly 1000 square meters on 2 floors, the building will occupy the space be-tween the auditorium and Academic Building. The admin-

istration is still uncertain of what to do with this building, but it will most likely become Office space to cater to our hardworking staff. This building, too, was started on April 3rd and will be ready in August or September.

As for the new teacher houses, they will be 4 different buildings, each containing four 250 square meter apart-ments. These started construction one month ago and will be finished by the end of July. Some teachers cur-rently reside in housing residences in Madaba and this has posed a problem to some students who like to meet with teachers after school hours. It is certainly much more comfortable for the teachers to be staying on campus themselves. These buildings will be behind the Daycare Center.

We have much construction ahead of us and our cam-pus will definitely be more developed and beautiful next year. So just sit back and watch King’s flourish.

By TAMEEM SAMAWI, ’13STAFF WRITER

PHOTO BY ROBERT BAHOU ‘11

Volume III; Issue 1 December 2009 King’s Academy, Manja - Madaba, Jordan

New Campus Buildings Take ShapeNew Dining Hall, Faculty Housing, Administration Space

Mr. Carlos and his family preparing for the “ghostly festivities”

Page 2 -3

OPINION

Page 4

LIFe

DININg HaLL FOOD

graDe INFLatION: PrOs aND CONs

COLLege COrNer

tHe BeNeFIts OF Peer MeDIatOrs

FeatureD teaCHer

eNvIrONMeNtaL CLuB PrOFILe

seParate sCHOLars

KINg’s New suBjeCts

PHOTO BY MR. MICHAEL MCLAUGHLIN

Page 5

FuN Page

Page 6-7

Out taKe

Page 8

sPOrts

HOrOsCOPes

IF tHere was ONe seNIOr yOu wOuLD CHOOse tO save OF a DeserteD IsLaND...

tHe year IN sPOrts

Table of ConTenTs

What was your best experience or event that happened here in King’s Academy that changed your life?

It was during teaching the first course of world religion. And one day we were talking about Judaism and Zionism; how these two were distinct from each other, the motif of the return of Jews that was dominant in Jewish his-tory, and the persecutions that Jews faced. So a Pal-estinian-Jordanian Student came up to me and said “Dr. Meera, I finally understand how badly they wanted a home land, BUT why ours?” It made me so aware of contradictions in life and made me understand and imply a new principle in life.

Describe your experience in one word.Poignant: that which moves you, touches you

hear to the point of tearsWhat is the thing that challenged you the

most about Kings?I never realized how hard it is for me to live

up to an integrated life here. I was stressing all the time, gaining weight and not being active enough.

Does this still challenge you?First, I realized how important of a principal

and how critical it is, and I am working on it a bit every day. I am integrating.

These curious minds are wondering, what was the objective for you visit this time? Was it for a specific heroic task or was it just a visit?

On the surface it is because I have projects I am currently working on, but I am actually pin-ing to be back. I needed to see how the school

was going, and I talked to many students. So it’s a part of selfish pleasure (giggles).

How was your impression of this year different from your first year at King’s?

I was very naïve the first year. I thought we will find and work out the problems and therefore every subset would be easier and easier. In fact the opposite was true; every year is becoming more

complex, challenging and more of a struggle. I think this how it is for every new school for the first 5-10 years.

Did you see that Kings changed drasti-cally? If so, what changed?

Numbers have changed for sure. It has be-come a fuller school from faculty to staff to stu-dents. I think that we are maturing. We are chang-ing mentally and physically in this age. Even though we are a vital community, we are in the midst of growing pains and so is the school.

Do you feel students now have the same voice and affect on the school like the past years?

An Interview With Our Founding “Mother,” Dr. Meera

Farah Hamati intweviews Dr. Meera as she returns for a “check up”

By FARAH HAMATI ’11STAFF WRITER

“Every year is becoming more complex, challenging and more of a struggle. I think this how it is for every new school for the

first 5-10 years.”

see DR. MEERA on page 8

The RexonianPage 2OPINION

exeCutIve eDItOr

MaNagINg eDItOr PrODuCtION eDItOr

News suB- eDItOr

OPINION suB- eDItOr

LIFe suB- eDItOr FuN Page suB- eDItOr

sPOrts suB- eDItOr

COPy suB- eDItOr

PHOtOgraPHy suB-eDItOr

LayOut suB- eDItOr

FaCuLty aDvIsOr

FaCuLty aDvIsOr

swara saLIHLeeN sINOKrOttaLa sHOKeH

ZaID aL-NasserZaHa aBueLsaMeNDaLIa MeHIarjuMaNa sHaHZaDeHIMaN aBu aLIa

LyNN MaNNeH

rOBert BaHOuZeNa KOKasH

Mr. tOM verDeMr. BOwMaN DICKsON

On Monday the 26th of October, King’s Academy viewed a skit of two people, Dana Al-jawamis ‘10 and Hamza Zaidan ‘10, fighting over an announcement. They made up a fight and kept arguing until the resolv-er of the situation (Om el Abed/ Hashem Al Hadid ‘10) came with her amusing char-acter. We all got to laugh about the perfor-mance and begun to understand the idea of trying to solve a conflict. A true point; however, was raised: if something like this actually happens, would we need a peer me-diator? What do they actually do?

Since the school has dedicated a special program for these peer mediators, I wanted to know how our community thinks of it. Opinions have differed around this specific topic. Some say that having peer mediators is actually a good idea since any student can report to a trained, non-judgmental mediator to help him or her find the solu-tion. Other people expressed their comfort about having a good listener and an objec-tive point of view being added to their side of the story.

Peer mediation is a way of solving prob-lems with the help of trained people who do not take sides and do not become at-tached to the situation; rather they help the people disputing to design their own peaceful resolution. Ms. Zeina Othman, the head of the mediation program, added “We believe that conflicts are natural processes

and that finding productive solutions is the goal of the mediation program”. Dana Al-jawamis’10 and Zain Halawani’12 also ap-preciated the existence of such program. Dana commented, “It makes life smoother, so why not?” and Zain added, “it helps us overcome student obstacles.” Also, an anon-ymous student wanted to thank the school for having such a program, having said “I am really thankful for this program since it allowed me to trust some wise, trained stu-dents who helped me through my problems confidentially and without them controlling or bragging as a voice of authority”.

Even though this program seems to have a good impact on people, others ac-tually disapprove of its role and say that it is not active as it should be. Some people criticized it as being disorganized. Leen Si-nokrot’10 commenting on the social con-cept, said, “I don’t think that it actually has any impact on us as a community; no one is able to trust a stranger for their personal problems because they would be afraid of scandals.” She also said, “The concept of peer mediation is clearly not understood in our community and that’s why people with real issues don’t even bother to ask for that program’s help.”

It is very clear that some people do not know what the program does, or that it has been going on for the past three years at King’s Academy. It is very crucial that they know how this program works, as it could benefit the students at King’s greatly.

The Need For Peer MediatorsPeople who can resolve conflicts around campus with ease.

By ZAHA ABUELSAMEN, ’10OPINION SUB-EDITOR

You can start preparing for your career early.As parents we may have the misconception that our

children don’t know what they want to do with their lives. We can help them understand themselves better by provid-ing them with opportunities to develop their talents and skills from an early age.

‘’The biggest challenge parents face is to not get directly involved,” an expert says. “Give children space to make de-cisions. Parents should be facilitators.’’ Fantasy phase – they may want to be a fireman today and a doctor next week. This is normal. Don’t talk down to your child – this may shatter their confidence. Approach the situation by asking them what it is about being a fireman that they like. When children are older, they can sit for psychometric and person-ality tests (most universities have career centers that offer this service). Do remember that these tests are only indica-tors of what path your child could take. You can also attend career exhibition days with your children to expose them to the different options. It has been said that until you know who you are, you will not know what you can become.

Before deciding on a career, it is vital that your children assess themselves if they are to know who they are and what are their strengths and weaknesses. In this way they ensure that they choose a job that suits them. Making the right career choice is one of the most important decisions in your life – and sometimes the most difficult. Here are some useful tips for high-scholars:

Choosing the right subject

It is very important to choose the correct field of study at the end of Grade 9 because your subject choice deter-mines whether you’ll be eligible to pursue your chosen field of study or employment. For example, if you wish to pursue a career in physiotherapy, you have to study mathematics and science at high school. Therefore, if you do have an idea of the career path you want to follow, make sure that you take the appropriate subjects in high school.

What subjects to take if every-thing’s still up in the air?

Select from as wide a variety of sub-jects as you can so that you gain a clear-er idea of what interests you. A career advisor suggests that parents and learn-ers shouldn’t consider formal education as the only option, for there is an over-emphasis today on qualifications. A qualification alone cannot get you a job. Employers look for skills-orientated people. Although mathematics and science are key sub-jects, parents should not force children to study them if they are really weak at them.

But is it the right career?Here are a few tips on how to research the career you

are considering Familiarize yourself with the career by reading up

about it.Try doing voluntary work (if possible) from an early

age.Contact companies you’re interested in. Also, use the

internet to check out company websites.Be a work shadow at a company during quieter times.Informational interviewing is a great way to find out

more about a career. Ask people already in the profession about the pressures of the job and working conditions there to get a realistic impression of the day-to-day work-ings of the job

Networking. Have you ever heard the saying, “it’s not what you know, but who you know?” Make contact with people who are already in the profession. Not only will you make many valuable contacts but it may also open career opportunities you were unaware of before.

Assess your strengths and weaknesses regularly.Before making a final career choice,

make sure that there are opportunities for employment or self-employment. For instance, do not target a “sunset” industry like newspapers because it may not have a long shelf-life.

Getting the right qualificationsSome schools have career exhibitions,

at which you have the opportunity to meet companies that offer training in the fields of study you may wish to enter. Visit universities on career-exhibi-tion days. Find the institution that offers training in your chosen field and inquire about course details, duration and entry requirements. Speak to people already in the profes-sion to get a clearer idea of what the job involves. Speak to companies that employ people in the field you’re con-sidering to find out what qualifications they would look for in a potential employee. Finally, and perhaps most im-portantly, it is in your interests to speak to juniors and seniors taking the courses you might want to take and ask them what they like about the course and what they would have done differently if they could.

“Making the right career choice is one of the most

important decisions in your life – and sometimes the

most difficult.”

How to Choose the Right CareerCareer Advice from Mathematics Department Veteran Mr. Yasser Sakaji

By MR. YASSER SAKAJIFACULTY

Have an OPINION?This is YOUR newspaper too - we want to hear from you!

Write a Letter to the Editor.The Rexonian welcomes any member of our community to submit a

letter to the editor. Please send contributions to Opinion sub-Editor Zaha Abuelsamen at ZahaAbuelsamen10@kingsacademy.edu.jo. Please include your name, and year in school, or position in the community. The Rexo-nian reserves the right to edit any contributions for grammar and length.

Page 3December 2009OPINION

2010 will always be remembered at King’s Academy for its first graduating class, a his-toric event that we are all proud to be a part of. There has definitely been a cyclone of events since school started on August 28th and the University Counseling Office began its work with a session on the very first day back. Since then there has been a whirlwind of activities, mostly for our seniors, and the pressure has been mounting ever since.

The University Counseling Office has hosted almost one hundred admissions offi-cers and deans of admissions since Septem-ber from all over Europe, the Middle East and North America, and in turn, we have received rave reviews about our students. A University representative from a large research institu-tion was extremely impressed by the young man who asked if their engineering programs were accredited by ABET and the Five Sis-ters Colleges were asked what they remarked might possibly be one of the best questions ever by one of our very own young ladies. Keep up the positive effort King’s students; you are all making your mark in admissions offices everywhere and we thank you for that.

In between university fairs and individual presentations, sessions on how to fill out the Common App, UCAS, University of Califor-nia, OUAC applications have been or will be held throughout the term as well as meetings on Naviance and essay writing.

We have also been fortunate to have senior consultant, Mr. Bill Mayher with us since the beginning of October. It’s great that so many seniors took advantage of Mr. Mayher’s ex-pertise. Mr. Mayher will be at King’s until the end of November so, seniors, if you haven’t met with him yet, make sure you do before he leaves at the end of November. Juniors are also welcome to make appointments with Mr. Mayher as well.

With much effort from all sides – teach-ers, students and counselors, we were able to submit our medical applications to UCAS, our Early Decision and Early Action applica-tions to the US and a few special nominations all before November 1st. We should be hear-ing back from many in mid – December, but that doesn’t mean the work stops here.

We are now bracing ourselves for the next round of applications! Seniors – there is still so much to do, so make sure you are work-ing diligently on those applications, finalizing your essays, finishing up your supplements to the Common App, sending off your test scores (officially), preparing bank statements if required and filling out any necessary fi-nancial aid forms. Also make sure to meet regularly with your counselor (prior appoint-ments are advisable) and keep him/her up to speed.

The bulk of the work will be done by the end of December and then it’ll trickle down over January and February. We are anticipat-ing approximately five hundred applications to be submitted by the end of the cycle. By March and April, we should be hearing news, hopefully more good than bad, because inevi-tably there will be disappointments.

All we can do is hope for the best and do our best.

College Corner

The View from College Counseling

By MS. HALA SALAHFACULTY

Which would you prefer: a home cooked meal, or food made to serve five-hundred people? No doubt, most would choose the former. But being in a boarding school, home cooked foods are rarely an option, so good meals are a necessity as we are present on campus at all times. So we must deal with what we are given, or we might as well starve our-selves. There has been much talk about the quality of our Dining Hall food.

As a full boarder, I can tell you that I am not as satisfied as I would have hoped with the meal plan. It is repetitive and not very tasty. I would also question its nutritional value. The students them-selves want to see the school nutrition-ist have more of a say. Last year, a large

amount of students complained that they had gained weight because of the Dining Hall food. Other students had trouble contacting the nutritionist with questions they wanted answered. I myself was one of those students.

This could be a result of the large number of students and faculty the din-ing hall accommodates during the week-day, because the food is much more ac-ceptable on the weekends, when only the full boarders remain on campus. One anonymous student voiced an opinion on this topic, “I understand that the din-ing hall staff has to feed five-hundred people, but that doesn’t mean it has to be bad quality. It is a difficult task, but that’s their job, and they should do it bet-ter. How do restaurants have good food? It’s the same thing. And on Kanet, they glamorize the menu. It isn’t like what

they say it’s going to be.” Another issue students have voiced

their concerns on is the monotony of the food. “They should make more of a variety with the food, and the salad bar should have all the vegetables, not just lettuce,” said Rana Abu Laban ‘11.

Yet there are other perspectives by students. Maria Al-Mamlouk ‘10 com-mented on their “tasty desserts,” and numerous others all agreed that the des-serts were appetizing. Also, the snacks that are prepared for the Kazeyia have received positive feedback. Others, such as Johanna Lee ‘13 praised the dining hall on their BBQ nights as well.

Many of us have heard, time and time again, that “they are working on it.” As much as we appreciate the fact that they are trying to improve the food quality, we would like to actually see some results.

Less than Savory Sustenance Is the food in our dining hall that delicous or nutritious?

By NAYLA AL-MAMLOUK, ’12STAFF WRITER

PHOTO BY ROBERT BAHOU ‘11

PHOTOS BY ROBERT BAHOU ‘11

Moments of Peaceful Protest

Students reacted to news of recent disciplinary ac-tion at King’s Academy in various ways.

Top Left: Students proceed to the Administration Building hoping to express their concerns about the disciplinary action.

Left: Students gather in support of each other in the Administration Building.

Above: The group awaits the faculty outside of their meeting hoping for clarification.

The RexonianPage 4LIFE

Featured Teacher: Ms. Gabriela WintnerNew Psychology Teacher and Girls’ Soccer Coach Hits the Ground Running as she Begins Her Teaching Career

We have all seen this vibrant new teacher walk-ing around campus with her trendy short hair and her books in tote. Ms. Gabriela Wintner is part of the new faculty who arrived this year, and she is teaching AP psychology. Ms. Gabi (as she prefers to be called) went to Union College in Schenectady, NY and played Di-vision 1 hockey there. Throughout her entire life Ms. Gabi knew she wanted to be a teacher and when she got out of college, a mere 5 months ago, was able to pursue her dream and leave behind all she knew to come to Jordan.

“It’s so rewarding working with students and seeing them succeed. They just have this charm and charisma you don’t often find in adults, and it makes each day all the more interesting.” Ms. Gabi tries to motivate her students to always ask “What? Why? And How?” When they leave the classroom she wants them to not only memorize the material but to also question what it is about and how it can be applied to their daily lives. “Skills are important, but without context, motivation, and direction you can only go so far,” states Ms. Gabi.

Iman Abu Alia, a student of Ms. Gabi’s, a player on the soccer team Ms. Gabi coaches, and also her advi-see, says, “The reason everyone really likes Ms. Gabi is because she is so young and can relate to all of us. It’s

obvious she cares about making class more interesting by the different teaching techniques she uses such as movies, demonstrations, power points, and little sur-veys and experiments. She’s also a great coach who re-ally cares about the team.” Unlike other teachers, Ms. Gabi strives to make her classes interactive and not

just boring lectures .When asked to describe Ms. Gabi in one word students replied with “eager” , “enthusi-astic”, “funny”, “light hearted”, and “a breath of fresh air”. Ms. Gabi is certainly a breath of fresh air and we hope she continues her great work in the classroom and out on the soccer field.

Many students find it more efficient and effective to study in the library, as it is a quiet place for concentration and quick access for all kinds of resources. Moreover, it is the ideal place to work on projects if students do not live in the same dorms.

However, a policy has been adopted since last year to schedule cer-tain days for female students to use the library, and other days are for male students, with one co-ed day in between which is Tuesday. Several students have expressed their discontent with the new system, and were especially concerned about projects that involve both male and female students and require them to work together during study hall. Never-theless, this opposition has not found any changes.

Like most students, I wondered why the library staff decided to enforce this new policy, but after asking around, I found out it was an order they have gotten from the Deans of students. I discussed the is-sue with Ms. Reem Abu Rahmeh, Dean of Freshman students, and she explained to me the reasons behind this decision. She said that this new schedule ensured a better quality of studying at the library as the num-ber of students present decreased and became more controllable.

“Many students used to come to the library just to socialize for an extra hour, but now, the students you find there are those who really want to study,” she said. On projects that involve both male and female students, she suggested that they use Tuesday nights, and if that is not enough time to finish the work, she recommended that students use the time before study hall or meet together during the weekends.

One student argued that it is not always easy for students to find a time when they are all free to work on their projects together and finish them before the deadline. “What often happens is that one student gets stuck with all of the work to do on his own, because the others are not free on Tuesday, or will not be able to finish their work using only that day.” Another student suggested that only disruptive students should not be allowed in the library rather that punishing the whole student body.

Maybe if students become more respectful of the rules, and show their willingness to follow them, then the deans would change their opinions and agree to alter the system. Until then, let us use the privi-leges we already have and make the best out of them in hope for a change.

Separate ScholarsWhy the Separate Girls’ Nights and Boys’ Nights?

By LeeNa aBDIN ‘11STAFF WRITER

By DALIA MEHIAR ’10LIFE SUB-EDITOR

Ms. Gabriella Wintner enjoying some down time with the Girls Varsity Soccer team.

King’s New SubjectsWhat King’s Academy is Like for New Students

We as students have a great opportunity to be at Kings and live the ultimate experience of boarding life. We are all sup-posed to be thankful and have a good attitude for this chance of our lives. This opportunity was and continues to be overwhelm-ing for us. Personally I did not expect to be treated as well as I have been at King’s Academy so far, as my experience at my pre-

vious school was different.However, not everyone ap-

preciates the chances that are be-ing offered at King’s. Some new students find the daily routine of getting up each morning to be quite repetitive and tedious.

One of my friends said, “School never stops”, which I really find interesting. I think he was talking about the fact that we wake up at 6 AM, have breakfast, attend the morning meeting and classes , go to our Co-curricular

activities , have study hall , and then repeat the whole process all over again! This is true, but the difference is that it might be ex-hausting for some students but can be also a really fun new ex-perience for others!

After taking the opinions of most of my friends, I can say that all of their lives changed after joining the community of Kings Academy, because they

PHOTO BY ROBERT BAHOU ‘11

see ENVIRONMENT on page 8

see CHANGE on page 8

By saNaD Zu’MOt ‘13STAFF WRITER

As the students of King’s Academy look around campus, they are able to appreciate the stunningly green landscape and the variety of veg-etation, making this one of the greenest areas of the Manja region. Yet, do the students of King’s fully appreciate what is needed to sustain this envi-ronment? Does the community at large fully know the environmental problems that plague the area, and Jordan as a whole?

The Environmental Club is a branch of the school’s Round Square organization, headed by Ms. Tessa Fairbairn, with George Steele ’10 as president. Ana Rose Kelsoe ’10, Faisal Akkawi ’11, and Jooho Michael Shin ’12 serve as the Senior, Junior, and Sophomore class representatives re-spectively. This organization was formed to raise the awareness among the students of their impact

on the environment and to hopefully create a fully “green” community in the school, in terms of en-ergy and water conservation. The club hopes to forge partnerships with environmental groups in Jordan, and create opportunities for the students to assist in making a cleaner, more energy-efficient country.

The club is anticipating a highly significant wa-ter conservation project in the Middle East encom-passing Jordan, Palestine, and Israel. Friends of the Earth: Middle East is an NGO dedicated to tack-ling environmental issues within the region, and is hosting several forums this year for Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli students to come together to discuss the water distribution among the gen-eral populace and to encourage students to make community service partnerships with one another,

King’s Academy Goes GreenEnvironmental Club to Make Large Impressions on Young School

By swara saLIH ‘10EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Page 5December 2009FUN PAGE

HOROSCOPES

Fawaz Hourani ‘10 – Cancer (22 June- 22 July)

School: Take responsibility for your actions, this is not the time for pranks.Private life: One of your friends is in danger, pay attention to the signs of depression; they really need your help.

Farah Hamati ‘11- Aries (21 March- 20 April)

School: It’s time for you to get back on track; you have to get more serious and to finish the work you have been postponing. Good luck Private life: Luck is on your side, get the courage to talk to that special someone and you will surely succeed.

Nairuz Al Ajluni ‘10- Taurus (21 April -21 May)

School: A science teacher is going to invite you for dinner at his house. Be careful, do not accept his/ her invitation, they don’t really like you.Private life: Don’t trust everyone; it’s time to watch your back. And remember number 6 is your lucky number for this month.

Dana Aljawamis ‘10- Gemini (22 May- 21 June)

School: You are very lucky to have your friends supporting you, take advantage of them, specially that smart kid who lives across the hallway!Private life: Remember to balance your time, don’t spend every second with your lover, your friends need you as well.

Farah Matalka ‘11- Virgo (22 August- 23 September)

School: Get more involved in your school activities, and start thinking about college choices. Private life: Call your friend he/she is waiting to hear from you. They have juicy gossip to share!

Tamara Jaber ‘10–Leo (23 July- 21 August)

School: Fight for your survival, competition is on your way, this time it’s not easy to win.Private life: Don’t wear purple, it doesn’t suit you. Remember, blue is your color. Also, there is an upcoming party, make sure to attend it, you will be surprised by who you will find!

Ma’an Ahmed ‘10- Capricorn (23 December -20 January)

School: Be patient, you will reach your goals eventually. If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask your teachers, most of them are friendly!Private life: Open your heart, forgive and forget.

Hayat Abu Samra ‘10 – Libra (23 September – 23 October)

School: Congratulations, you have been doing a great job on your tests. Stop worrying too much; it is not good for your health. Remember to get your

beauty sleep, it’s all what you need right now. Private life: your crush likes you back, so don’t hesitate to take the first step. How about taking

them to the movies? But make sure to wear your lucky shirt to give you the courage you need.

Jaber Al-Sabah ‘11- Scorpio (24 October -22 November)

School: You need to form a closer relationship with your academic adviser, give him/ her a chance, and you will find out how great they really are. Private life: Prioritize your social life at this point, otherwise you will be forgotten. Plan a gathering or a party for your friends to catch up with them, but remember that you are always representing your school!

Jeris Abuhouran ‘10- Sagittarius (23 November - 22 December)

School: It’s time to empty your locker; it’s overflowing with love letters! Put some real books inside. Private life: Forget about the past, you need a fresh start. Don’t forget, number 8 is your lucky number for this month.

Mohammad Qura’an ’10- Pisces (20 February- 20 March)

School: Stop sleeping in your classes, teachers can see! Other than that, keep up the good work. As a personal advice, remember that school is not

everything, so relax and enjoy your time. Private life: Make a change in your life, buy a new

car, join a dance class, or even dye your hair. Just try something new, and you will the feel the magical

difference!

Hashem Attar ‘10- Aquarius (21 January- 19 February)

School: Believe in yourself, and listen to your own voice. After all, you are the one to determine your future. Private life: One of your classmates is secretly crushing on you, open your eyes. Remember to wear yellow more often; it brings out the best in you.

Compiled by Nadine Sousou ‘10, Dalia Mehiar ‘10 and Rinad Salaita ‘10

The RexonianPage 6OUT TAKE

Tamer Attar ’11 (left): “Tarek

Attar because he’s c

ute.”Mr. Arthur Clement (right): “Jana

Amer because breakfast would be dull when she doesn’t threaten me because there’s no nutella.”

Ghaith Odeh ‘11 (left): “Nayef Jaber because I love him.”

Hannah Lee ‘13 (left): “Jeris Abu Houran because he’s right in-front of my face.”

Farah Matalka ‘11 (right): “Kais Yaghnam because he’s my bff.”

Mr. Dwayne Banton (right):

“Hamza Zaidan because he’s

strong.”

Mr. Nart Abdi (right): “Ahmed Tarawneh because he’s one of the smartest kids I know.”

Mrs. Leah Banton (left): “Bashar Jarrar because he helps me with dorm duty.”

Mumen Abdelal ‘12 (right): “Zaid Al-Nasser because he’s my proctor.”

Question: If there was one senior you would choose to save off a deserted island, who would it be? and why?

Page 7December 2009OUT TAKE

Rana Abu Laban ‘11 (right): “Ghassan Gammouh because he’s been a part of my life since I can last remember.”

Yasmin Taylor ‘11 (left): “Tamara Jumean because I like to make fun of her and I can’t exactly do that if she’s on a deserted island.”

Abduallah Khaleyleh ‘11 (left): “Swara Salih because he entertains me.”

Iman Abu Alia ‘11 (left): “Hayat Abu Samra because she’s amazing and she’s my everything buddy.”

Yusra Bitar ‘11 (left): “Anna Rose Kelsoe because I feel like she’s an angel on earth… like a real angel.”

Aakriti Raina ‘13 (right): “Jana

Amer because she’s r

eally nice to

me and she’s one o

f the only two

seniors I know.”

Farah Hamati ‘11 (right): “Yazan Abu Khalaf because he promised me he’d put braces on by the age of 18.”

Robert Bahou ‘11 (right): “Nick Lee because he won’t be able to survive on the island for more than a week.”

Basel Jayousi ‘12 (left), Ramie Al-Tawil ’12 (second from left), Hussein Abdullah ‘12 (right): “Mohammad Qardan because he’s a big brother.”

Complied by Zena Kokash ’10 and Maria Al-Mamlouk ‘10Photos by Robert Bahou ‘11

SPORTS

Muthana Tarawneh ‘10 shooting a layup.

GO LIONS! An Overview of this Year in Sports

As our third year has begun, King’s Academy is already glorifying itself with the triumphs and hard work of the members of its sports teams on cam-pus.

This year’s athletic program is slightly differ-ent than the previous years at Kings. Most teams are only practicing twice a week with some prac-tices later in the evenings, and each team’s season will continue throughout the whole year for more matches and tournaments. The coaches have divided their players into teams of Varsity and Junior Varsity players depending mainly on the player’s grade lev-els and athletic abilities. The Varsity teams are made up of stronger and more advanced players that have greater abilities and experience, yet both the Var-sity and Junior Varsity teams occasionally compete in matches. One finds that students are generally fully committed to their teams. “I think that hav-ing year long seasons will allow us to improve our skills tremendously over the months to come so we can really succeed in winning as many games as we can.” Hayat Abu Samra -10 said that as she walks with pride being a varsity football player coached by Ms.Gabi.

In October there have been a few friendly matches that have already excited our community with victories by the tennis, basketball, swimming, and volleyball teams, with the swimmers having a meet during Parents weekend.

The varsity girls and boys volleyball team led by Mr. Barry Nabholz (girls) and Mr. Mazen Jarrar (boys) played matches against The Orthodox School. The girls led the scores in both sets- 25 to 23 and 25 to14, as did the boys winning 25 to 23 and 28 to 26.

The girls and boys Varsity basketball teams played against The Amman Baptist School led by Mr. Michael McLaughlin (girls) and Mr. David Pow-ers (boys). The girls were losing by a great number of points against the strong players of the Baptist School until they incredibly managed to bring up the score in the last minute of the game, losing by only 3 points with a score of 31 to 28. “Our team is play-ing better this year because we are coming together more as players by supporting each other on the courts.” Said by Layla Al Naif-11 as she is satisfied with the amount of points she made against Am-man Baptist School.

The Varsity boys also played an exciting game by leading the score the whole game and winning the other team by a vast margin of 6 points.

The varsity tennis players are privileged to be coached by Dr. Eric Widmer himself, who is him-self a skilled tennis player. They won most of their matches against The National Orthodox School, with Karim El Zein winning a game 9 to 0 and Farah Kasih 9 to 5.

The swimmers also competed in a non-scoring meet against The National Orthodox School, with Sterling Beecroft winning the difficult fifty meter butterfly.

As our players continue to fill the courts and fields with rough practices, the Varsity Girls and Boys Football teams have their first MET tourna-ment on the weekend of October 29 through Octo-ber 31 competing against three participating schools (ABS, ACS, and ACB). We will be looking forward to

watching their games for more wins!

The players of each time continue to come together by supporting one another to be bet-ter athletes; they are only beginning to lead the way as champions in Jordan.

By LEEN HAJARR ’11STAFF WRITER

Environmentcontinued from Page 4

Faris Batayneh ‘11 spiking the ball.

PHOTOS BY ROBERT BAHOU ‘11sporTs in piCTures

have never had such a unique and fantastic school in Jordan before. Even though some did not quite enjoy the experi-ence yet, I am sure they will adapt later and become more involved in it.

In King’s, for the first time, we understand why we learn things instead of just memorizing them, which makes learning an enjoyable experience. With all the good things the school is offering us, I believe that it is just going to be a matter of time for us to adjust to it. We all have the abil-ity to follow the current of this school and pass the cycle ahead of us.

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The RexonianPage 8

It’s hard for me to judge because I am not here all the time. What I have noticed is, at the beginning, students would not mind anyone to lead them but I have realized now that they have found their voice and they are eager to be heard.

If you were here, would you have dealt with the Fire alarm issue differently?

I don’t know enough about that case; it would a need person who is fully aware of the details.

What do you miss the most here at King’s Academy?

I miss morning meetings, although I hated getting up in the morning, but it was like exercise; you feel good af-ter you exercise and morning meetings were just the same. It gave away that sense of community and belonging.

What are you currently doing in the states?

I am a full time professor at Brown University, teaching, advising students, working with students on Theses and I am also researching.

If you would give one advice to the coming students this year, what would it be?

Be ready to engage fully like you have never engaged before.

What was your Favorite meal at the dining hall?

(Mm...) The sesame crusted CHICKEN!

Dr. Meeracontinued from Page 1

bridging borders in the common goal of improving water efficiency. Several members attended such a forum at the Dead Sea on October 24th. Another forum took place in Eilat, Israel, on December 3rd-5th, attended by George Steele, Ana Rose Kelsoe, Faisal Akkawi,

Raja Bdr-El Din ’11, Reed Ghandour ’11, Hasan Abu Kharma ’11, Aseel Al-soub ’10, Yara Al-Moumani ’11, Suhaib Mohaidat ’11, and others.

The members of the Environmen-tal Club are especially hard-driven, prompting George to say that after only a few months “the club has been more successful than I thought it would be.” Zack Samawi ’11, another

member of the group, says that he was inspired to join by seeing how “the amount of resources is insubstantial to the amount we use at King’s.” As Abdullah Khalayleh ’11, another member, remarks “We hope to make King’s Academy one of the leaders for becoming more sustainable in this country of al-ready limited resources.”