Class of 2020 From Thawra to Covid-19 A year of change, growth and resilience Brummana High School
1 SpecialWelcometoourYear
Although the school closed its life carried on, albeit remotely, thanks to the enthusiasm of students and the versatility and hard work of the teachers. IB and IGCSE examinations were cancelled, and replaced by the assessment of qualifications based on performance demonstrated at school.
If the solidity of the school was ever in doubt owing to a succession of unnerving crises in the country, we were reminded of its longevity and resilience by the tree coring of the Mother Tree which proved to be 240 to 250 years old, already a hun dred before the school was founded. Since then the school has weathered many storms but continued to produce students of merit and quality who have gone on to become leaders of their countries, of their businesses, of their professions and of their families, in Lebanon and around the world, where the entrepreneurial spirit of the 16 million strong Lebanese diaspora has played a disproportionately influential role. In fact sustainability has been a recurring theme at Brummana this year with emphasis on nurturing the world around us through our Gardening Club, Recycling Committee, Eco Global Schools Forum and through the establishment of the school campus as an ancillary Botanical Garden, in conjunction with AUB. The campus has been surveyed, indigenous species have been planted and the process of digital labelling has begun. In time tours will be given to the public of the beauties of Leb anon through the promotion of the natural wonders of Brummana High School.
If the academic programme has been disrupted, there has been plenty of intellectual endeavour which I have observed both through my own teaching and in the wider school. This was most evidently displayed in a very impressive academic fair at which literally hundreds of projects in Science, Computing, Robotics (a new Robotics Lab was opened at the start of the year), Mathematics, Social Studies, English, French and Arabic, were on display. All the work by students from Grades 7 to 12 was of superb quality and had engaged young minds in observation, analysis, deduction and creativity. I was especially impressed by the logical mindsets of the students, their ability to explain their ideas and, crucially, their attention to detail,
2 Letter from the Principal – Mr. David Gray
Dear 2019/2020Readers,has been a strange and an unusual year for Brummana High School, punctuated by many weeks of absence from school, on account of popular protests and the global Corona Virus crisis, and culminating in months of a deserted school operating online through platforms such as TEAMS and Moodle.
On the music front, Instrumental tuition was begun, and 60 boys and girls are re ceiving lessons at school on everything from the flute to piano and drums to guitar. A wind band and permanent choir were formed, and their future performances are eagerly awaited following the successful and ever popular Christmas Shows.
In the winter and spring, school evenings were enlivened by a series of Thursday Talks on solving puzzles and Ophthalmology until they too were curtailed by school closures. However, these will resume in 2020/2021 under the stewardship of Akram Najjar and Kairaz w Laimoon. Similarly, our renowned MUN operation with over 100 members was again busy and successful for as long as it was allowed to be, win ning competitions and individual prizes whenever and wherever the students per formed, and addressed audiences.
The teaching staff were engaged in 17 working parties, the product of five school development plans to raise standards and expectations at the school on subjects as diverse as the programme for teaching ICT and Computing from Grade 3 upwards to the contentious matter of student appearance! Their conclusions and recommen dations, once approved by the Senior Leadership Team, will lead to changes being implemented from September 2020. One of these was the decision to introduce the Cambridge Curriculum from Grade 1 to Grade 8 for both LP and IP Programmes in order to develop a more student centred, analytical approach to teaching and learning. This will be introduced in September; training has already begun of teach ing staff.
On the Arts and Sporting front, much happened in theory but was curtailed in prac tice owing to the year’s disruptions and interruptions. New sports such as Cricket, were introduced, Basketball, Football, Rugby and Volleyball flourished and facilities were opened: a splendid multi gym with a full range of machinery, courtesy of the generosity of the Chairman of the Governing Body, Mr. Hani Aboul Jabine, availa ble to students, staff and parents; an indoor sports hall, fully equipped, especially helpful in the winter months, and a superb, transformed, football field, now a sports arena with artificial surfaces, to serve the needs of Football, Rugby, Cricket, and, through the newly painted track and high jump and long jump pits, Athletics.
3 which makes the difference between good work and exceptional performance. A fresh addition to the fair were the projects of Grade 6 students who had used their youthful freshness of mind and energy to conceive projects to conserve water in the Metn Region as part of a regional sustainability project, sponsored by USJ.
A splendid concert was given by the wind section of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and a Poetry and Art competition was launched by Wissam Boustany, founder of the Pro Youth Philharmonia Orchestra in London, with the title The Phoenix Rises. Winners of the competition will feature on the programmes of the LPO’s concert in May and will be invited to display their art
Two excellent Grade 8 half hour plays did take place, but the major production, Alice in Wonderland, and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, are in the balance at the time of publication of the year book, as is the Annual Art Exhibition. If these do not take place in May and June, they will happen in October instead. Ob jectives will not change but the timeline may be stretched in order to meet them.
Brummana High School is at the heart of the community of Brummana and never has it been more important for us all to work together for the successful education of the students in our midst who are the next generation of leaders and managers of Lebanon and the rest of the world. I am grateful in my work for the support of my colleagues, of the Governing Body and of the trustees of the Quaker International Educational Trust, all of whom make the work of the school sustainable and man ageable for those of us who direct its future.
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and recite their poetry in advance of the concert taking place. A weeklong residen tial stay of the United Strings of Europe is eagerly awaited in October. For those of you graduating and heading off to universities in Lebanon and around the world, especially in these tough times, you should remember the following: you have not reached the end, just the end of the beginning; it is easy to start a great venture, but it takes character and tenacity of purpose to finish; there is no substi tute for sustained, hard work if you are to realise your ambitions and along side the motto, I Serve, you should repeat, Never Give Up. And I hope, in future, as you pro gress, you will come back and visit us as examples of service to the next generation of the school community.
The Financial Aid Committee worked hard on screening, evaluating, selecting and granting Financial Aid to needy eligible BHS students enrolled in the 3rd term of the academic year 2019-2020. We continue to receive applications for the academic year 2020-2021. It should be noted that the students whose parent/s are Old Scholars will receive additional points on their evaluation score.
Presently, we have over 2700 verified members. To better manage the increasing ac tivities, enhance and encourage participation of the younger Old Scholars, we have appointed 3 new Deputy Chapter Heads in Jeddah-Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain. We all miss the 29th International Convention. Looking forward to all of us meeting soon on the BHS grounds when it is safe to do so.
A delegation was formed, and visits were scheduled to the membership of the different Chapters in the Gulf region name ly Bahrain, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, and UAE. All the events were successful with participation per event of 15 - 40 Old Scholars from ’64 – ‘09.
On March 2, 2020 unfortunately, we had to cancel the Gulf Reunion – Dubai 2020, due to the prevailing circumstances then, namely the Corona pandemic and the political unrest in Lebanon.
Letter from the OSA’s President – Mr. Nazih Khattar
As soon as the summer holidays were over, the OSA embarked on a programme to enhance the Gulf network and to pro mote the Gulf Reunion - Dubai 2020. The idea was to have face-to-face interaction and shake hands with as many members as possible.
On June 5, 2020 we conducted our first Administrative Committee virtual Zoom meet ing since Corona pandemic made it challenging to hold meetings physically. During that meeting, we regretfully had to postpone the 29th International Convention for the first time in 29 years. You shall be advised when the new venue and time are set. It was also decided that all future conferences may be conducted and/or accessible virtually via Zoom to better facilitate access to members who cannot attend in Leba non, Gulf, Europe & USA.
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Due to prevailing circumstances of deteriorating economic conditions in the country, there are a lot of families struggling to survive, let alone be able to pay the school fees at BHS. As such, we urge those who want to help by means of donations, to contribute to the OSA Financial Aid Programme in addition to the continuous donations from the OSA Board of Trustees.
I wish you all a safe, healthy, and peaceful post Corona era (to come soon) and urge you to adhere to the Government’s guidelines published from time to time.
Letter from the Parents’ Association – Mrs. Dina Bechara
Despite this unprecedented situation, we will always work together, dream together, accomplish together and never lose hope. THIS IS THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION.
The Parents’ Association’s main goal is to provide support for the school by con tributing in the financial aid program es pecially on BHS Gives Day and support ing the school’s facilities. This year the PA joined efforts with the Student Council to raise funds to help the people affected by the Beirut blast.
Despite the turmoil that Lebanon is going through, our beloved school continues to provide the best online education. Thanks to the administration, teachers, students, and parents who are working hard to maintain the high standards of education that Brummana High School boasts for. BHS will always continue to prepare our youth for a better future. My sincere gratitude goes to the Board of Governors, the Old Scholars Association and the BHS families for their great and continuous support. Lebanon will rise again. DinaRegards,
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Green Lebanon: hope, faith, and joy
تويربل ملاس يبلق نم
The Parents’ Association is the unified voice of the parents which undoubtedly constitutes a great social bond. What can we ask for this year? Exchange love, cooperation, and support.
During my term I promised myself and my extraordinary team despite the cir cumstances to stand by the parents and be their backbone. This close relation between the parents and the PA renders Brum mana High School the number one school. BHS is unique and is treasured in our Thehearts.more I serve BHS, the more I realize the great potentials it possesses. The love to our children and the school is the source that motivates us and gives us the strength and perseverance to succeed no matter what the circumstances are.
First, I would like to thank the students for showing a high degree of maturity in committing to the online courses day af ter day from their home corners without losing focus, without getting frustrated and yet doing an excellent job. As a mat ter of fact, a correlation study done at the VPA office showed that there is a high de gree of correlation with what students did in Term 3 relative to Term 1 and Term 2.
Third, I would like to thank my colleagues in administration for their proactivity in fac ing these challenges. The new created dynamic anticipated difficulties before they happened with excellent planning, showing me clearly that there is no limit where BHS can go from now.
Fourth, I would like to thank the parents for their continuous feedback which helped us improve on a daily basis. So, what happened at BHS this year goes way beyond team work and cooperation, it is about being caring, open minded, principled and reflective.
George Rizkallah VPA
An Amazing Job in an Incredible Year 2019-2020 Just reflecting back on all the unantic ipated emergencies that we had over 2019-2020 and how we emerged from all of them, I think a congratulations is in order to students, teachers, and adminis trators at Brummana High School.
7 Letter from the Vice Principal Academic – Mr. Georges Rizkallah
Second, I would like to thank my fellow teachers who accepted the challenge to quickly move from face-to-face teaching to remote teaching almost overnight and then hybrid. They accepted to be trained quickly to deliver the online teaching, learn ing and assessment in a very efficient manner. Thank you, BHS teachers.
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13 PYJ a M a daY!
14 Then VS. Now
15 Seniors
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32 Seniors Teaching u s To Be h uman A truly remarkable student-led ac tion and experience.With no prom this year the Prom Committee do nated LL1,800,000 of funds raised to NGO FOOD BLESSED providing 29 vulnerable families with essen tial food for a month.Head of Prom Committee Anna D. and sister Clara, along with Marketing Manager Richard Bampfylde, spent Saturday af ternoon volunteering and helping to pack 166 food boxes in total.Bravo to the Prom Committee for a wonderful and inspiring gift to families in Lebanon.Here’s to more schools’ Prom Committees taking similar actions during such challenging times!
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l ast words from the seniors (who wanted a last word!)
Sharbel Yammine:
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Wasn’t all that bad after all. Sleeping beauty’s going to miss Mrs. Nelly.
“Hannah Montana said “nobody’s perfect yet here I am” Rita Neamt Allah: I could write in every page of this yearbook and it would never be enough room for me to tell you how thankful I am to have you all my life. I want to thank all of my teachers for putting all of their effort in teaching us. I wish the best for my friends and wish me a luck at NDU.
Anna Deeba: BHS taught me how to be: Sassy, tenacious, open, neat, eccentric and radiant.
Ayleen Saade:
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For 15 years, (as long as I can remember) I woke up at 7am in the morning (furious) for 9 months of the year and walked the same road to the same exact place where I hung out with the same people . It sucks that I don’t get a proper goodbye but ‘it iz what it iz’. I have some memories in this school that I will never forget. Shoutout to all my boys especially purple emoji and thanks to all the good teachers that I actually learned from. We finally made it, I’ll look back at this when I’m successful. Carelle Abdel Ahad: To the teachers I made laugh you’re welcome, to the ones I made crysorry.I’m
Jason Habib:
Samar Jamal: As I graduate, I would like to thank the best supporter I had. Thank you, dad, for always being my supporter even when your miles away. You are a real one We #2020WEOUT!”out!
Gina Chamaa: I may be a dumb blonde but I still managed to graduate high school. Megan Kazan: A big thank you to all my teachers and friends for making me who I am to day, thanks for all of the memories.
Samih Farhat: Have to say that I’m super glad to be done with high school. Honestly never felt like it would end. In all seriousness though, I spent half my life at this school and they really were some of the best times. I think it’d be fitting to make my final message a thank you to all the people who helped get me through this ordeal. Thank you to every teacher that put up with my obnox iousness and kept pushing me onwards so that I could reach my full poten tial. I wouldn’t have been able to get where I am academically if it weren’t for you all. Thank you to all my friends who made getting up in the morning for school actually worth it. Too many amazing people to list and describe, but you all know who you are. You guys were like a second family to me, all my brothers and sisters, and some even more than that. Thank you to Mom, Dad, and Kareen. You guys may have pushed just a little bit too hard, but I know it’s only because you wanted to see me at my best and you wanted the best for me. And finally, thank you to past me for pushing on through the tough times and trying hard even when you wanted to give up. So uh yea, that’s it. I’m out.
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Rayyan Ramadan:
It has been a difficult 7 years of Brummana High School for trying to fit in with people that were not worth my time. However, I have managed to pull through thanks to the friends I have made throughout the years, without them, I would not have survived alone throughout my toughest times. I thank my teachers for helping me succeed throughout the years with my studies. And I also thank my dearest friends for putting me back on my feet whenever I faced an internal struggle. It will be a very difficult time for saying our final farewells to each other, knowing after all the years of unity within my group, we are to be separated due to us chasing different dreams that can be found beyond the borders of Lebanon. So long dear friends, in case we might never meet again. Thank you to: Zad Serhan, Wadih Badawil, Erica el Hage, Anna Yaghi, Maxine El Aswad, Juan Pablo, Samih Farhat, Joey Bader, Sandy Chehabeddine, Alex Boukheir, Karl Selman Jad el Hajj, Lara Tunsi, Rochelle Chala, and Lara el Helo. Thank you, for being in my life and making it better.
To my S gang: never gonna forget all the depression we’ve been through together, toughest year of my life even if I’d do it all again.
To my SE gang: didn’t imagine it to turn out like this. Many memories I won’t forget, from the times we laughed to Antonio’s jokes to the times we pretended we were all dating each other.
Teachers, you know who you are, thank you. Mr Chadi, thank you for believ ing in me. Miss Rima, need anything before we’re out? Most importantly: Mom, thank you for all the moral support you. Dad, I did it. Kev, you’ll always be the person I go to when I need to be cheered up. Twins, ok I won’t tell mom. There’s a lot to say yet not a lot I can put in words.
I don’t know how to start this. I’m emotionally not ready to leave school yet. I’m not ready to write this either. Well, I wasn’t ready for one test I’ve taken in the past 4 years so it’s not going to change anything. This is the end of my 9th and last year here, wow, I lasted! What a hectic year it was but let’s not talk about that... At least we survived this...
Karen Abi Zeid:
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Rand, do you want to be best friends? You ain’t getting rid of me. Erica, I wanna tell you something but no; Nicola, scars are good, I owe you a lot; Rayan, thank you for the gum and the garbage bins I visited, where is the breakfast at?; and everyone else, you know who you are. I love you all from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you, seniors 2020, and BHS, for the memories. You own my heart. Missed but never forgotten.
38 i n The News Please visit the BHS website news section (https://bhs.edu.lb/news/)to read the full articles.
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40Please visit the BHS website news section (https://bhs.edu.lb/news/)to read the full articles.
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42 Please visit the BHS website news section (https://bhs.edu.lb/news/)to read the full articles.
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44Please visit the BHS website news section (https://bhs.edu.lb/news/)to read the full articles.
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46 Please visit the BHS website news section (https://bhs.edu.lb/news/)to read the full articles.
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48 wrap!athat’snda
Class of 2020 Brummana High School Secondary III GS Nicolas Hasbani Rami AnthonyMezherEdward Salem Secondary III LS Joe RudyAndrewRandBaaklinyHaidarNaderZalzal Secondary III SE Carelle Abdel Ahad Karen Abi Zeid Daou Rodolf Aouad Rayan Azar Anna Larina Diba Lara El Helou Jason AntonioGiovaniMeganHabibKazanRaphaelSaouma BaccalaureateInternational Gina Alexandra Chamaa Rochelle Chlala Maxine Michiko El Aswad Erica El-Hage Samih Farhat Ryan Jahchan Alex CelineKanjGrace Madaghjian Tia AnnaShaficNajjarSayeghYaghi Grade 12 Monia Abdallah Abboud Sulaiman Tareq Mohsen StephanAl-Aini Al Hage Joe Al Msaddi Lara Almahdi Altunsi M.Maher Almalah Zane Alsamman Yasir Al-Shujairi Joey RemyRamiJadWadihAyanaSandyYuliaAlexandreMariaWadihBaderBardawilBasbousBoukheirBoulosChehabeddineElAchkarElAyacheAlHajjFahimElKhouryFares Juan Pablo Ghantous CharbelCelinaHerreraGhawiMark Goodliffe Joy SharbelChristopherZadRajiKarlNadimGabriellaAyleenDimitriYliaRayyanSaidRitaAlainGeorgesAymanTinaCarlKamelSelenaSamarAlfredChristianHaddadIssaJelwanJemalJwaiedKachkoucheKanaanMariaKasparianKhalilKhazzoumAntoineKoussayerNeamtAllahOsmaniRamadanRazzoukRousseNarineSaadeSadekSafwanOmarSalmanSamahaSerhanTabetGabrielYammine
