Issuu

IC Newsletter

FALL/WINTER 2021

INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE Board of Trustees Don J. Selinger, Chairman Imad Taher, Vice Chairman William H. Turner, Treasurer Anthony Jones, Assistant Treasurer Richard S. Ward, Secretary Gerritt Keator, Assistant Secretary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Adelman Anwar Al Mulla ‘63 Mona Bawarshi ‘67 Selim Bassoul Wael O. Bayazid Jonathan (Jon) A. Conner Frederik O. Crawford Walid Daouk ‘76 T.M. (Mac) Deford Bayard Dodge Amal A. Ghandour Yusuf A. Kan’an ‘71 John Khabbaz Marwan A. Marshi ‘79 Dr. Safwan Masri Theodore May John G. McCarthy, Jr. Maher Mikati ‘98 Karim Nouheid ‘98 (Ex Officio) Mirna B. Noujaim Ian Reed Matthew A. Reynolds Mu’taz Sawaf ‘69 Talal K. Shair ‘83 Issam Shammas ‘63 Dr. Rabih Shibli Ahmed Tayeb Maya Tohme (Nassar)

Trustees Emeriti Makram N. Alamuddin ‘61 Raymond W. Audi Said S. Darwazah ‘76 Peter H. Gerard Aida Reed (Luce) Mohammed S. H. Al-Soleiman ‘59 Khalid Al-Turki ‘61

Administration Joel Peinado - President Paula Mufarrij - Vice President for Academic Affairs Moufid Beydoun - Vice President for Major Gifts and Interim Director of Alumni & Advancement Talal Jundi - Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Zeina Abou Khalil - Director, Preschool/ Lower Elementary, Ain Aar Jean Christophe Breillad - Director, Upper Elementary/Middle School, Ain Aar Tania Hayek - Director, Human Resources Wadad Hoss - Director, Middle School Kathy Khayatt - Director, Elementary School Megan Khairallah - Director, Secondary School Ghada Madhoun - Director, Preschool Mahmoud Shihab, Ph.D- Director, Educational Resources Center & IT

EDITORIAL TEAM: Editor/writer: Isabelle Houghton Layout: Tala Tabbara Contributing Photographer: Dory Khayatt

FALL/WINTER 2021

Contents FEATURES Letter from the Vice President ..................................................................................4 Goodbye and Thank You Sana!..................................................................................5 Reflections on Resilience: IC Through the Ages .................................................6 Education is Hope: Q&A with Megan Khairallah............................................... 10 It’s a Chain Effect!: Zeina Hawa’s Campaign for Sustainable Mobility in Beirut......................... 13 Young Alumni Spotlight: Tiffany Saade............................................................... 17 Playing with Sandra Al Rishani .............................................................................19 The Jewel of Jezzine: A Visit to Karam Winery ............................................... 22

CAMPUS NEWS Back to School!.............................................................................................................. 26 STEAM Innovation Center Inauguration ............................................................. 28 The Show Must Go On: Elementary Theater Club Makes it to The Big Screen...................................... 31 Founder’s Day at Ain Aar........................................................................................... 34 ALUMNI NEWS Alumni Updates ...........................................................................................................35 Letters to the Editor ................................................................................................... 36 IN MEMORIAM........................................................................................................38

Get your passport to the

IC Spirit !

Applications are now open for the academic year 2022/2023

FALL/WINTER 2021

Letter from the Vice President Dear parents, alumni, and friends, In these challenging times, IC has become a haven of peace and normalcy. Our classrooms, hallways, and outdoor areas bustle with the sounds of children discussing, asking questions, arguing at times, and laughing. Our students leave all the daily problems of the country and enthusiastically immerse themselves in what seems to be an extravagance today: a normal school life. IC will survive this current crisis. And not only will we survive, but we will thrive. First, our students – those whose families remained in Lebanon – are all in class. Not one left us for financial reasons. All our families who applied for financial assistance received the needed aid. More than 84% of families who applied for tuition assistance have received between 25% and 100% of tuition support.  Second, despite losing some of our teachers, we still managed to hold on to many of our beloved instructors and to hire new, highly qualified ones. We have been actively training and mentoring all our newcomers in teaching the ‘IC way.’ Fortunately, they have integrated beautifully into our pedagogical team. Third and in testimony that we are indeed thriving: Our new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Innovation Center, funded by the United States Agency for International Development American Schools and Hospitals Abroad. The 10 new state-of-the-art labs - inaugurated on November 12 in the presence of US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea - are being used by IC students and students from underprivileged communities. Finally, at the start of the year, IC managed to procure all the necessary logistics needed to operate the school, enabling us to open our doors on schedule. Moreover, to alleviate some of our teachers’ financial burdens and keep them at IC, our trustees approved the allocation of several bonuses in fresh dollars to IC employees in the past year (including a current Christmas one) and apportioned 20 percent of salaries in fresh dollars. Most important, we have been working relentlessly to fundraise to our newly established Solidarity Fund – earmarked for our faculty. I would like to end this letter by stressing the critical role that IC is playing right now: the children are our main hope to save the country. They are the agents of change that we need. At IC, we do not just teach history and math, but we empower our students with an international and critical thinking mind. Many of us have lost our savings, livelihoods, and many luxuries that we enjoyed. But we have not lost our high standard of education. Please help us keep it strong. For Lebanon’s sake. Best regards, Moufid Beydoun ‘64 Vice President for Major Gifts and Interim Director of Alumni & Advancement

FALL/WINTER 2021

The team at the Office of Alumni and Advancement

bids farewell to Sana Yamout

Front (from left to right): Rabih Halabi, Joelle Kahwaji, Moufid Beydoun, Sana Yammout, Reem Haddad Back (from left to right): Hiba Chamout and Sirene Ghayalini

Dearest Sana, We do not want you to retire, but retire you must, as we all will one day. We will miss your smile, your cheery disposition, and most of all, we will miss your friendship. We cannot imagine an Alumni Office without Sana. The Sana who knows who is who and what is what in the IC community. After more than twenty-five years at IC, you have all the answers! We will miss you. Enjoy your retirement! Best wishes forever, The Alumni Team

FALL/WINTER 2021

Reflections on Resilience: IC Through the Ages

IC Busses 1980

Every morning at 7:30, I step onto IC’s campus and am surrounded by familiar sounds. The honking horns from the drop-off line. The “byes” and the “love yous” and the “Mommm stops” as kids hop out of their cars. The grumbling “I was up ‘till 1 am ‘cause of Mr. David’s essay” from an IB History student. The click clack clank as a Grade 1 girl drags a rolling backpack that’s twice her size down the stairs to the Jaroudi Building. The thump thump thump of sneakers on pavement as a gaggle of Grade 6 girls sprint after their friend, demanding: “Omar, do you like like Hana?” If you close your eyes and just listen, you might forget, just for a second, about the world around you. It is simply a typical school day in mid-November. If you open your eyes, however, you see the surgical masks, temperature checkpoints, and tape along the paths directing students where to walk. And just beyond IC’s gates, exists a Beirut that is very different from the one we knew just two years prior. These are all signs of the times, and the times are far from normal. The beginning of a new school year, even in so-called “normal times,” is hectic. All summer long, department heads and teachers design curricula, lesson plans, and decorate classrooms, while administrators coordinate class lists, schedules, forms, and paperwork, to ensure the school year can commence in early September without a glitch. Then, there are the added complexities of reopening amid the pandemic. After a year and a half of largely virtual learning, everyone - teachers, students, and parents alike - is eager to be back in person. However, despite vaccinations and robust safety measures, the virus is persistent, and the threat remains.

FALL/WINTER 2021 And the cherry on top - an economic crisis and subsequent fuel scarcity. Given all of this, there were some questions from families around if IC would be able to re-open this year, and if it would be a stable learning environment for children. These are, perhaps, not the issues that your average school principal has to deal with when preparing for the start of the year. However, it is not unfamiliar territory for IC faculty and staff of years past. If any uncertainty lingered around IC’s reopening this year, all people had to do was take a brief look at the school’s 130-year history. World War I began shortly after IC set down roots in Smyrna, Turkey, under the leadership of founder Alexander MacLachlan. On opening day in 1914, only 42 students of the 410 who had registered the year prior were present. Students from the Greek mainland and Aegean Islands did not arrive, and many of the remaining Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Jewish students from Asia Minor soon left due to a call to duty for students and staff of military age. Alexander desperately wanted to keep the school open, but for that, he needed more pupils. So, in an effort to attract new students, he announced the school would facilitate the payment of fees in any way possible. By mid-year, 180 new students had registered. The next four years were hard. The global dynamics of the war depleted IC’s faculty and staff. Turkish teachers were called to arms, and all citizens of countries at war with Turkey were

forbidden from teaching - a challenge when most of the foreign staff were American and British (The US and UK were not particularly friendly with the German-allied Turks). Furthermore, Typhus and Cholera were an imminent threat, and a looming economic crisis and supply shortages caused MacLachlan to

IC Class 1960

IC Campus 1960

worry about famine. Moreover, MacLachlan, ever the humanitarian, opened IC’s gates to an influx of refugees seeking shelter. At times, he was responsible for feeding 2,000 people a day. Still, the students showed up, and the tiny faculty scraped together to provide a quality education to those boys. Though IC survived the war years, and notably was the only school in the area to remain open during the conflict, a fraction of its

original faculty, staff, and students remained. The school was nearly bankrupt and appealed to a number of organizations and friends before securing the necessary funding to help it stay afloat. After its move to Beirut in 1936, IC faced similar problems during World War II and, even more so, during the Lebanese Civil War. Again, there was an exodus of foreign teachers and enrollment dropped drastically as families sought to leave the wartorn country. Disease was a threat, and the school again struggled financially as the Lebanese pound was devalued and the price of even basic commodities like oil, chicken, and cheese, increased substantially. Faculty, staff, and students risked their lives daily on the commute to school. Some were detained, and even shot. Others uprooted themselves entirely from their homes to live on campus so they could continue to work and teach without facing the dangers of checkpoints and militiamen. Administrators persevered as well - even if that meant setting up a makeshift office in one’s living room - as Elie Kurban, who was in charge of payroll at the time, did. Students at IC during those years can vividly recall the fear and chaos as they ran around campus trying to find shelter when shelling was particularly ferocious. “How could I forget,” Reem Haddad states in I am IC, “those horrific civil war years when I cringed in the hallways of Sage, Thompson, and Rockefeller Halls waiting in fear for the shelling to finish? How could I forget the teachers who risked their lives to

make sure we, the young generation, received an education?” Former President Alton Reynolds wrote in his July 1981 President’s Report: “A student body who wanted to come to school, study and complete their assignments, again under very trying conditions, gave us the courage and enthusiasm to keep going.” I believe that similar sentiments are echoed today. Of course, the current situation is different. IC is not in the midst of war, students are not on the brink of famine, and they do not have to dodge bullets on their daily commute to school. Of course, this is not to say that everyone in the IC community has not suffered greatly at the hands of the current crisis. But concerns over viruses, economic security, exodus of teaching staff and students alike, are tales as old as IC’s foundation- ones which the school has survived and overcome time and time again. It is in times of crisis however, that make the need for quality education

IC Class 1980

all the more important. IC has a responsibility to embed a globally aware, community-minded spirit in the leaders of tomorrow - a mission which faculty and staff are keenly aware of and strive towards every day.

IC families and alumni, the school has been provided with several connections and resources to ensure they have a stable supply of Mazout (fuel) to power the school’s generators.

According to President Joel Peinado, logistics have been the most challenging part of reopening this year. Hybrid learning was not an option due to the unreliability of the internet in Beirut, so it was pertinent to ensure all possible World Health Organization measures were properly enforced in order to go back Face-toFace. These included mask wearing, social distancing, disinfecting, defogging, and temperature taking.

There has also been more turnover of both faculty, staff, and families than in recent years. While IC typically loses around 35-45 teachers, this year that number was around 75. Families, too, were on the fence about returning, leaving enrollment numbers somewhat in flux until the last minute. Despite this, the school has been able to make up for the loss. “We are lucky because IC has a strong reputation for supporting its teachers and staff. Therefore, it’s attractive to really great teachers from other good schools around the country,” Mr. Peinado emphasizes. Enrollment has also balanced and the school still has a sizable waitlist

“In August and at the beginning of the year, we were completely absorbed by logistics,” Mr. Peinado states. “Because, of course, now you also have the issue of gasoline. We have to think about issues such as: How are they going to get to school? Are we going to have electricity? How long can we last until we get more fuel?” Luckily, thanks to the generosity of

IC is one of the few schools in Lebanon who paid salaries in full for the 20202021 school year. The administration and Board of Trustees very much understand the economic hardships

FALL/WINTER 2021

that employees and their families are facing and have provided several resources to support them - including 4 additional US dollar bonuses, equivalent to one month’s base salary each. Furthermore, for the 20212022 academic year, 20% of each faculty member’s base salary will be paid in fresh dollars at the rate of 1,507.5 LBP per dollar. At the beginning of the year when private modes of transport were unreliable, IC arranged a bus transport service for teachers to commute to and from school. In addition, thanks to the generosity of an IC parent, throughout September, time slots at select gas stations were set aside for IC faculty and staff to fill up their tanks without a four-hour wait. Transportation subsidies have also been provided to help mitigate related costs. Furthermore, President Peinado and the Board of Trust ees have fervently supported students and their families during this time. Despite the many other challenges the institution is facing, diversifying the student body is still a priority of theirs. While tuition was raised by 25% this year due to the devaluation of the Lira, they also expanded the school’s tuition assistance program. For those for whom the tuition increase is a problem, the financial aid process has become more flexible and easier to navigate, to ensure IC doesn’t lose students due to monetary concerns. “Of course,” President Peinado states, “This is very important to us. In the past, you could not benefit from tuition assistance in your first year at the school; but now, in order to diversify our student body and offer more opportunities for students to join us, we have changed this. Now,

Preschool Student , Back on Campus, October 2021

you can receive tuition assistance in the first year. Before, the system was a bit forbidding, and we wanted to change that.” This is a hugely impactful policy. With nearly 20% of IC families currently facing financial difficulties, more than 84% of those who applied for assistance received 80-100% of the support they requested. This is perhaps one of IC’s greatest strengths. Reflecting on IC through the ages, the school’s ability to support and provide a sense of stability, safety, normalcy, and opportunity to students and families in extraordinary circumstances, is unprecedented. A sense of normalcy has indeed ensued. Since my conversation with Mr. Peinado, the school year has commenced mostly without a glitch. The cafeteria and school buses are up and running. Sports tryouts have come and gone, and practice (for outdoor sports) is in full swing. Extra-curricular clubs are slowly gearing up as well. Covid scares have been managed and contained (there

haven’t been any outbreaks beyond isolated cases) and the school has only closed unexpectedly once following the Prime Minister’s call for a National Day of Mourning in October. It is widely said that people make a place. But I also think that a place shapes its people. In the case of Lebanon, and IC in particular, the two are invariably intertwined. Perhaps time and circumstance has made the IC community incredibly resilient. However, IC would not be here today without all those that kept it running against all odds. To those who have steadfastly believed in the school and its mission, we have much to thank them for.

FALL/WINTER 2021

Education is Hope: Q&A with Megan Khairallah Megan Khairallah ‘86 returns to IC as the new Director of Secondary School. An alum herself, Megan has 30+ years of experience in secondary and university education - not to mention 2 master degrees and a PhD from Teachers College, Columbia University - under her belt. The new director kindly squeezed us into her busy schedule to speak about her own IC journey, continuity and change in the school, and why education matters now more than ever.

Q: What drew you back to IC? A: My life has always been connected to IC. I loved my time as a student. I was here in the early 80s when the Civil War was at its height, yet nevertheless IC provided this consistency and quality education. There was a spirit of bonding as we were all going through the same thing, and, despite the situation, we still had school and extracurricular activities - like the drama club or social service club which I was a part of. After graduating from IC in ‘86, I went on to study at AUB, and returned to IC as an English teacher. After living and teaching in the US for a number of years, I returned to IC before obtaining my PhD and shifting into higher education. IC is like a magnet that always pulls me back. Like many others, Covid and the current situation lead to a lot of self reflection, and after 11 years at the University of Balamand, I felt it was time for a career change. By coincidence, I was looking at the IC website and saw the position for Secondary School Director was open and I

decided that it would be the right move to return to IC. Returning to IC feels like coming home. Though IC has changed, with its four programs, all our accreditations, and the new buildings and infrastructure, what remains is this continuity of excellent education, an embodiment of community spirit, service, and global citizenship. It’s an honour to be back. Q: What inspired you to go into education? A: It was quite accidental. In my last year at AUB, the IC administration was looking for someone to teach English for the summer school. I was actually studying English Literature with a minor in Archaeology, the latter of which I planned to pursue a masters in. I had never considered being a teacher, but I always liked working and figured it might be a good temporary opportunity, so I said yes. I was 21 at the time, teaching a class of 11th grade boys repeating English. Even though I was only a few years older than they were, they were all so sweet and a genuinely wonderful class. I began to really love teaching then. IC saw I was a

FALL/WINTER 2021

good teacher so they asked if I wanted to stay on for the next year. And that was that. I stayed at IC for two years as a 10th, 11th, and 12th teacher. Though colleagues had recommended that I pursue a teaching diploma, I never seriously considered it until I moved to the US to be closer to my ill father. My father had received his PhD from Columbia University, and I was visiting a friend in New York when I happened to be walking and noticed this huge building that spanned Amsterdam and Broadway Avenues. I turned to my friend and asked “What’s that!?”and she said, ‘That’s Teachers College, Columbia University.’” I turned and told her, “I’m going to apply there.” Luckily, it worked out! I received both my Masters in English Teaching and PhD from there. I also received my NY teaching certification, but decided to return to IC to teach.

and really haven’t been in school for two years. As an alumni, I’m really passionate about creating that 12th grade experience so that when they graduate they feel like they have had a fulfilling experience and connection to IC. Right now, my main priority is the safety and wellbeing of students because learning only occurs after these are in order. The support system we provide to students is really one of a kind. We have highly qualified student counselors and learning support staff, and we are seeing that more and more students are taking advantage of these resources.

“I think working

in education is so unique beacuse it’s the one field where you always see hope. ”

Though secondary school and university are different, my experience in both has always been very interconnected as, fundamentally, it all comes back to connecting current education theory to best practices.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as Secondary Director thus far? A: It’s been busy more than anything else. I wouldn’t say overwhelming, but there’s definitely been a learning curve. I think the post-Covid transition has been more challenging than we all assumed. Students are not used to sitting at their desks for so long, following rules and regulations, not being on their devices. They have to relearn basic rules and social skills - how to greet someone, listen to others, concentration and patience. At the moment there is a lot of impatience, frustration and extra energy. But students are so happy to be back at school. This is why we have been so focused on re-launching sports and other extracurricular activities, because these outlets are crucial to physical and mental wellbeing. They are also really important in re-establishing a sense of belonging. One of my main concerns since the beginning has been making the 12th graders in particular feel that they belong to IC. They left at the beginning of 10th grade

The wellbeing of faculty and staff is, of course, another main concern. Teachers are so committed to the profession and it’s so important, now more than ever, to keep their health and wellbeing in mind. Q: What, for you, makes IC stand out from schools of a similar caliber in Lebanon?

A: Continuity is what comes to mind. IC is truly an internationally-minded, Lebanese school and, because of its history, its location in Ras Beirut, its connection with AUB, and intergenerational ties, IC is deeply intertwined with this Lebanese culture of pride in continuity and excellence despite adversity. And, alongside continuity, there is change as we grow, as individuals and as an institution. As parents, when we send our children to IC, we are looking for both this continuity and progress. We want our children to break through and redefine what IC has given us. Our students are the future leaders of the country. IC students are given such an opportunity in terms of their education, the skills they gain, and our reputation which opens so many doors. They have been given so much and we hope they give back, whether internationally or locally. None of this would be possible without the teachers who believe so strongly in instilling critical thinking skills, creativity, and promoting autonomy, agency and community-mindedness. These are the distinct characteristics that shape the global leaders and innovators whom IC graduates.

FALL/WINTER 2021

Q: Do you have a favorite memory from your time as an IC student? A: I have so many fond memories. One that stands out is when the social service club I was a part of organized and performed a play to a local orphanage. We performed our show, gave the children presents and we ate lunch with them - it was really the best experience. That was the most touching moment - being able to conceive of something on campus that had an impact beyond our bubble. IC has always had this sense of community spirit and service and it’s amazing to see how far this has expanded to the robust curriculum we have today. Q: How does your experience as both an IC student and teacher influence your work as director? A: My experience as an IC student really positions me as a student-centric director. It also positions me well to deal with different generations - there are parents who were with me at IC, but also parents who had been a student when I taught here. I love all these generational links. When I meet with these parents, they often reminisce about the times they were at IC. Because I know what it was like to be a student and teacher, I understand all perspectives. I am also an IC parent, my son is in 5th grade. I think that IC’s symbol - the Torch - is an excellent one. As IC graduates, we carry the torch with us and pass it to the next generation. We work hard to ensure that the IC Spirit of critical thinking, questioning, creativity and innovation are key markers of the IC graduate. As director, the responsibility of nurturing the flame of the IC Torch in order for it to burn brightly for this generation motives me daily. Q: What does education mean to you? A: Education is who I am. My whole life has been about learning and teaching. It’s one of the few careers where you are given the opportunity to shape the next generation into hopeful, intelligent, and thoughtful global citizens.

So, what does education mean to me? The word is hope. The field of education always gives one a sense of being, that you are actually doing something worthwhile. It’s a profession where you actually see the benefit of what you do, daily. Even issues that may seem menial can really mean a lot to an individual student, and you are tasked with addressing these issues and working with them. Even if you don’t see immediate results, you always know you are working towards the wellbeing and future of the child. To quote Maxine Greene, my professor at Teachers College, “Part of teaching is helping people create themselves.” For Lebanon in particular, this hope in education is critical. Education is synonymous with Lebanon - we have the oldest and best schools and universities in the Middle East, we are very educated and we have been given so many chances and opportunities. Despite this, there are so many challenges facing the education sector at the moment and the need for quality schooling is all the more important. Many teachers are leaving the country, but if all educators leave, we will have nothing left. Education matters now more than ever; it’s the final frontier. As educators, we have to find hope and have to keep going. We don’t have a choice. In the private sector we have more resources available for us to do so, but we have to think about the public sector as well. I very much believe that, following thinkers like John Dewey and Paolo Freire, education is the key component of a democracy. If only some of us are educated, this benefits a few, whereas if all of us are educated, a whole society can survive and grow. I think that it is this sense of hope, as well as the imminence of what we do, that motivates all of us teachers and administrators to keep showing up every day. According to Dewey, “the self is not something readymade, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.”

FALL/WINTER 2021

It’s a Chain Effect!: Zeina Hawa’s Campaign for

Sustainable Mobility in Beirut

ATTENTION DRIVERS OF LEBANON! Do you feel like your life is controlled by your car? Are you tired of waking up at the break of dawn for an hour-long drive to work that should only take you 20 minutes? Are you at your wits end with the 4-hour-long wait at the petrol station? Do you wonder what it would be like not to fear for your life when crossing the street? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions – we may just have the solution for you! Just dial 1-800 to learn more and get your free sample today!

In all seriousness, Zeina Hawa ‘10 and her friends at The Chain Effect, the organization she co-founded in 2014, present a very convincing solution to all of your, and of Lebanon’s, car-related woes. Commuting in Beirut is a notoriously unpleasant experience. Lebanon has one of the highest rates of registered vehicles in the world relative to population, which, coupled with poor infrastructure, renders traffic congestion a core aspect of Lebanese daily life. The average Lebanese spends an estimated 720 hours a year on the road, more than 16% of an individual’s supposed “productive time.”

Traffic is just one of the many issues related to the excess of private transport and chaos of commuting in Beirut. Road rules and regulations are rarely enforced, leading to dangerous driving conditions and a high number of car-related accidents. Furthermore, the high volume of vehicles on the road is one of the main contributors to the country’s carbon emissions and air pollution. Car dependence and traffic have a significant impact on Lebanon’s economy. In 2017, traffic-related costs were estimated at $2 billion/year – nearly 4% of the country’s GDP. This number will likely increase in the future, due to costs related to population growth, car accidents and other related health issues, vehicle operation, and the longterm effects of carbon emissions and climate change.

FALL/WINTER 2021 cyclists, or other forms of ‘soft mobility.’ It really wasn’t designed to be - post-civil war development initiatives were very much focused on car-centric infrastructure. However, despite appearances, the city’s compact size, narrow street structure, and interconnectivity of neighborhoods, make it quite conducive to cycling.

“You can reach most places from where you are within half an hour…” Standstill traffic means that, while there are a lot of them, cars typically aren’t going that fast (speed is the most dangerous thing for cycling) - making Beirut a lot safer to cycle in than bigger, more sprawling cities with fast-moving vehicles, like London or New York. There are so many benefits to biking. Countless studies have proven that it can facilitate better physical and mental health, as well as economic and social cohesion. It helps combat sedentary lifestyles and obesity, increases endorphins (happiness!), and has the potential to significantly reduce air pollution from motor vehicles. In Beirut, cars and buses contribute to 93% of it. Cycling and walking have significant economic benefits as well - offsetting costs related to congestion, accidents, health, and pollution, as well as personal expenses. Fewer cars on the road means less traffic. Biking and walking also have the potential to increase equity and social cohesion. Not only do poorer households suffer disproportionately from Lebanon’s car-dependent culture, but the country’s car-oriented infrastructure has split entire neighborhoods apart and has made it challenging to travel to, and therefore engage with, different communities across the city.

Hawa (2nd from right) and other Chain Effect team members outside another mural

Pre-existing issues are, of course, compounded by the current economic crisis and subsequent fuel shortages that has rendered gas scarce and expensive. All roads lead to increased congestion, stress around fuel, time wasted, and restrictions on movement for those for whom private transport is not readily available. So why, if car-dependent culture is such a huge issue in this country, do alternatives seem few and far between? Zeina Hawa is working to change this. After graduating from IC, Hawa went on to study Environmental Engineering at University College London (UCL) where she became interested in city-related mobility issues. She was exposed to biking as a mode of urban transport while living in Denmark and began to think more critically about cycling and its benefits in terms of urban mobility in a city like Beirut. “Mobility is linked to everything we do - our economic and social opportunities, our wellbeing…” She explained. Returning to Lebanon upon graduation, Hawa brought her knowledge, and knack for biking to work with her, and began to share her expertise with friends, colleagues, and ultimately the wider Beirut community. As Hawa says of Beirut, “It doesn’t strike you as a city where cycling should be the number one way of getting around. It’s a bit chaotic, people don’t respect driving rules, cars are really king.” She’s correct. At first glance the city does not seem like a particularly welcoming environment to pedestrians,

There’s a good chance you’ve seen some of The Chain Effect’s work across the city. The organization got its start promoting bicycle usage via street art, and their bright, colorful murals can be found all over Beirut. Hawa and The Chain Effect co-founder Elena Haddad were already involved in street art, and their mutual passion for cycling and their knowledge of the benefits of soft mobility in a city like Beirut merged with their artistic hobby. The first mural was put up at a busy intersection along the Beirut Marathon Route in 2014 which read: “If you were biking, you’d be there by now.” The mural got a lot of attention. So they made more. That’s where it all began. In the 7 years since it’s foundation, The Chain Effect has accomplished a great deal. It’s mission is to promote the bicycle as a sustainable and convenient form of urban

FALL/WINTER 2021 mobility and facilitate its use in Beirut through street art, public interventions, and holistic city planning. Aside from their eye-catching murals, one of their main initiatives is educational workshops and programming with different schools, organizations, and camps. They have also compiled tons of resources, mapping shops to buy or rent bikes and routes for cycling around the city. They advocate for bike-friendly infrastructure projects, like bike lanes, in the city. Most recently, in response to Covid-19 measures which halted public transport, they’ve implemented an affordable bikes campaign and have provided subsidized bikes to 22 people who need affordable, alternative modes of transport. One of their largest and most impactful projects is their annual Bike-to-Work event. For this day-long production, The Chain Effect works with the city municipality and bike shops to set up park and ride stations and to implement temporary bike lanes all over the city. They also partner with a number of cafes and restaurants who provide discounts to those biking on that day in an effort to incentivize people to join in. The hope is that once people try biking, they will realize it is a much more feasible and convenient option than they previously assumed. If it is such an amazing alternative and solution to many of daily life’s frustrations, why has cycling struggled to take off in Beirut? There is a certain culture around car ownership and a stigma around cycling as a form of mobility. People tend

to think of biking as a leisurely activity or sport, not a mode of transport. Classist misconceptions mean many worry that biking could be perceived as “poor” (obviously, it shouldn’t matter either way). Because driving is facilitated and subsidized by the government, alternative modes of transport often just don’t cross people’s minds. And then there is the safety issue. This is the biggest concern, according to a 2019 Chain Effect Survey. People just don’t think cycling and walking are safe options in a city where car-related accidents are so prevalent. Hawa understands this hesitation. However, she says “It looks a lot scarier and more difficult to navigate if you are outside of it.” For Hawa, it’s really about getting people to just try. “For people who are a bit hesitant and afraid, it’s really about doing it in a step-by-step way. There are a lot of barriers and obstacles and it’s not easy to start cycling - no one is denying that. But there are smaller steps, like starting with exploring a neighborhood with a more experienced cyclist.” It’s not all or nothing. Maybe start by biking to work, or the supermarket, a few times a month. Despite these challenges, Hawa does feel there has been a positive shift in the culture around cycling. “Even if it’s just at the level of conversations and people talking about this more - it’s already a good step in a city where this isn’t really a mode of transportation.” Especially in light of Covid and the current fuel crisis, there has been an increased demand for bicycles. In addition, there are a lot more initiatives related to cycling popping up all over the country. However, Hawa is cautious of being overly

FALL/WINTER 2021

optimistic. “Right now there’s a crisis of mobility so there’s a lot of focus on that, but I don’t know how long that will last… It’s hard to build momentum on that basis.” Are you ready to jump on a bike but not sure where to begin? The Chain Effect’s website has a ton of resources about where to buy bikes and biking routes around the city. If you are not quite ready to take on cycling just yet, but want to get involved in the soft mobility movement, there are lots of other ways to help out. Funding is #1 at the moment - the organization has a lot of larger projects they would like to pursue but struggle with time and financing as it’s currently an entirely volunteer-lead organization. Volunteers are also always welcome - whether helping to paint murals or assisting with the less glamorous side of non-profit work. Overall, there are many ways to get involved and hopping on a bike is just one of them.

There is a lot of potential for the IC community as well to lead the push towards more sustainable transportation practices. Schools are one of the main generators of “useless car trips” which could be offset by promoting walking or cycling in the classroom, discussing it as a default mode of transport, facilitating a mapping program to help students who live within walking or biking distance map a safe route home, or implementing a buddy system and safe bike storage. “It’s crazy that kids need to individually travel to school. I’m not even talking about walking or biking, even just going back one step to carpooling. If you still come by car,

sure, but at least think about coming with maybe 2 or 3 kids in your class,” Hawa states. “I speak with nothing but love for my old school… but IC, as a private institution and a leader of education in this country, should definitely be taking the lead on this.” What is Hawa’s main selling point for biking in Beirut? For her, the most rewarding aspect of switching to cycling has been the freedom it has given her to explore different parts of the city and connect with a diversity of people. “Cycling was a way for me to really get to know all of the neighborhoods and just connect with people in a way you never really would by car… It’s endless and I don’t think anything can replace that [experience].” Places and people can surprise you, and in such tense times, this is particularly important. “Lots of areas that are ‘dangerous’ aren’t really dangerous. They are just areas where

someone who is not from your background lives… But being on a bike has allowed me to cross all of those social boundaries and class boundaries. People are suddenly a lot less aggressive and you see a lot more similarities rather than differences. It becomes a much less angry city when you are cycling.”

FALL/WINTER 2021

Young Alumni Spotlight: Tiffany Saade is going places - and is taking Lebanon with her. On September 15th 2021, a young woman with the Lebanese flag tied around her shoulders stepped out onto the stage at Stanford’s famous Frost Amphitheatre. She reached the podium and smiled and waved to the sea of students, faculty, and staff below. For the next 15 minutes, the crowd listened, raptured, as she spoke candidly and passionately about the Beirut Blast, the current humanitarian crisis, and why it is important to keep talking about, and fighting for, Lebanon and its people. It was not, as one might assume, an audience of 4,000 that made the Stanford University sophomore Tiffany Saade ‘20 nervous that day. “It was very stressful,” she stated. “Not because I had to speak in front of 4,000 people, I mean of course that was a factor, but because I am the only Lebanese in my class.” Saade (who some may remember as the young author who published a poetry collection in her junior year at IC) is one of three Lebanese undergraduates at the university. “It was a pressure for me to uphold the name of Lebanon… Lebanese people rely on the diaspora to speak about the struggles that are happening back home. And with the media here in the US being very westernized and politically biased, it’s very important to have someone from the people speak for everything back home.” At the end of her speech, the crowd erupted into applause. It was hugely successful - and the message clearly resonated with the Stanford community. “I would be just casually walking around campus and a lot of people stopped me to tell me that they loved the speech, but also that they want to know more. This is why we speak in public about these issues. People care, but people don’t know enough because the media makes it a trend. Talking about Lebanon is not a trend.” A recent ‘frosh’ (freshman) herself, 18-year-old Tiffany was the youngest speaker of six selected by Stanford’s Faces program to address the incoming freshman class of 2025. The program seeks students with inspirational and impactful stories to share their experiences and to share what Stanford has meant to them. Needless to say, Tiffany fit the bill. In August 2020, Tiffany’s life was uprooted not once, but twice. In the immediate wake of the Beirut blast, Tiffany travelled 11,718 km to begin a new chapter of her life in sunny California. She left behind her beloved family, friends, and city during a time of great turmoil to, as she states, “start writing the first paragraphs” of her chapter on her own.

FALL/WINTER 2021 However, at Stanford, Tiffany found a second home. “Stanford was a rejuvenation for me because I learned to be whole while missing a piece of myself.” The campus welcomed her with open arms and catalyzed her passions for international law, policymaking, and human rights, and sparked a desire to immerse herself as deeply as possible in all the university has to offer: “Even if we are not in Lebanon, it doesn’t mean that we are abandoning the country, it just means that we are moving forward in order to step back [to Lebanon] ... I’m trying to shape my education around this one question: ‘How can we give back to our country by piercing it all together again?’” This is a heavy responsibility for an 18-year-old to bear; but if anyone is well equipped to tackle the question, it’s Tiffany. She has declared a major in Political Science with the primary track in political economy and development and a secondary track in justice and law, and a double-minor in International Relations and Human Rights, with a focus on comparative international governance and international security. Last year, she was one of ten freshmen elected to the Frosh council as a student representative, and she also wrote her own column for the school’s newspaper, the Stanford Daily. This past summer, she juggled three internships (don’t try this at home kids!): one as a research assistant at Stanford’s Immigration Policy Lab, another as a Reception and Placement Intern for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in New York, and she began her own research on the political puzzle of Lebanon. This year, Tiffany was appointed to Stanford’s Board of Judicial Affairs, a 15-person standing committee of faculty, staff, and students (both undergraduate and graduate) charged with overseeing judicial processes related to the university’s internal affairs. It’s a big deal. Unsurprisingly, Tiffany is their youngest member. Oh, yeah, she’s also a research assistant for a guy named Francis Fukuyama - you may have heard of him. He’s a big deal. So it’s quite impressive that Tiffany is working with this internationally renowned political scientist and economist. Despite her notable achievements at school, Lebanon remains her focus and driving force. During our 30-minute zoom call she continuously emphasized her love for her country and the importance of talking about, and fighting, for Lebanon. Where does this drive, and hope, come from? She cites her experience in the Beirut blast and its aftermath, seeing the people put their country before themselves, “rebuilding Lebanon because they knew if they didn’t do it, nobody would. They sacrificed everything they had, even their moments to grieve and process their trauma, to rebuild their home. And that says a lot about the Lebanese people, but that doesn’t mean that we have to stay engulfed in this misery and all this trauma.” Despite everything, she proudly states that Lebanon has given her “a home, a language, heritage, family, memories,” which are all very much worth fighting for. Her parting words: “I want to encourage everyone to keep talking about Lebanon. We shouldn’t use our privilege to run away from the situation, rather we should extend it to invest in and think about the question: how, in the position that I’m in, can I help Lebanon?” And it doesn’t mean you have to give a speech to 4,000 people. “It’s just by spreading the word.” she says.

FALL/WINTER 2021

Playing with Sandra Al Rishani In the wake of the port explosion, thoughts of play were far from most people’s minds. In times of turmoil, play perhaps seems superfluous, a luxury. So why were Sandra Al Rishani ‘99 and fellow architects, Nada Borgi and Etienne Bastormaji, inspired to focus on children’s play space in their post-blast reconstruction initiative Let’s Play? Like so many others, on August 4th, Rishani’s life flipped upsidedown. As an architect and expert in urban development, her skills were in high demand from a number of organizations. She wanted to participate; however, grieving her own losses, she struggled to throw herself into these immediate relief efforts. “You had two groups of people.” She explains. “There were people that were just not ready to deal with what had happened directly and others that just went straight to work. It was beautiful. But honestly, we [Sandra, Nada, and Etienne] were the opposite. We were super depressed and wanted to hide. We would go to meetings with all of these amazing initiatives, but we’d only help very superficially because we weren’t ready to join in so fast.”

Sandra Al Rishani enjoying her new playspace at École Secondaire des Filles de la Charité

rather than using the opportunity as a catalyst for positive change. “Suddenly, because of the explosion, people wanted things to go back to exactly the way they were, but

“Children need

the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury, it is a necessity. ”

So, she and her Let’s Play colleagues took some time to process and reflect on ways they could help that would have a meaningful and lasting impact on the community. As Rishani moved around the city, she was particularly struck by the extent of the damage to the 150 schools impacted. Furthermore, she was frustrated with the emphasis on rebuilding the city exactly as it was,

- Kay Redfield Jamison

they weren’t that great before. The explosion was devastating, but it’s not like we had been living in heaven,” she asserts. For Rishani, one of the city’s mainissues pre-blast was its lack of public space. With a Master in Urban Development and Urban Planning from University College London, as well as a Master in Architecture from Princeton University, Rishani has long been an advocate for reimagining city landscapes and

structures as more inclusive and community-oriented spaces. Her successful Beirut-based architecture and design studio, [hatch], which she founded with Nada Borgi in 2013, focuses on context-based, environmentally-aware projects which emphasize narratives, engagement and connection to local and global communities. Because of the breadth and severity of the damage, no one appeared to be talking about public space in the context of post-blast reconstruction. Understandably, it didn’t really seem like a priority. “It’s so secondary if people are homeless.” Rishani admits. However, Beirut’s lack of public spaces has long been an imminent issue. Many feel that they don’t have the right to public space, or the appropriate public spaces available to them in the city. Perhaps, Rishani posits, this is due to the fact that growing up in Lebanon, public space wasn’t ‘practiced.’ Many grow up playing in their apartments, or private gardens, rather than community parks, which are few and far between.

FALL/WINTER 2021

One of the few spaces where children actually engage in collective play is schools. While most may not have been thinking about public space or playgrounds at the time, kids, however, were still playing. Rishani and her colleagues noticed. Kids were playing all over the city, amidst the chaos and destruction, making use of anything they could find. The power of play, which educators are beginning to recognize more and more, is in the creativity it inspires. It is a primary foundation for learning, exploration, problem-solving, and communication. It helps children process emotions - the good and the bad (like trauma). It also, the Let’s Play team believes, can be a form of resistance - a way to reclaim public space and inspire collectivism, teamwork, and growth across communities.

The initiative began on a very small scale. “We’d take one playground per school, create a design for it, render the design to look real, and show school principles and potential funders the work,” Rishani describes. Designing the play spaces was the

They were also concerned about the reaction of school principals. “Schools in Lebanon are very far from this idea of play as learning. In the beginning, we were like, ok, we can get the funds… but, are we going to convince the principals?” Again, play is not really seen as a priority. However, all worries subsided once the principals saw the potential designs. “They were amazed and super excited!”

Playground at the American Evangelical Central High School before and after Let’s Play intervention

As they moved from school to school in Achrafieh, Gemmayze, and Mar Mikhael, Rishani, Borgi, and Bastormaji noticed that, beyond the impact of the explosion, school playgrounds were quite uninspiring and lacking. “Most schools’ playgrounds are just leftover spaces. At most, they have a canopy, and it’s usually so dull and depressing,” Rishani says. Thus Let’s Play was born. “We decided ok. If, as a community, we want to start with public space, we also need kids to understand that playgrounds are a public space, and they can be creative ,” Rishani explained. Kids are playing anyways, so why not give them tools and elements that will help facilitate processes in a fun and engaging way?

easy part - however convincing school administrators and funders presented more of a challenge. “Generally, the attitude was that this is not a priority,” Rishani affirms. Most funding was directed towards immediate relief efforts at the time. However, with hard work and much convincing, Let’s Play finally partnered with four NGOs: Beb w Shebbek, Beit el Baraka, March, and Nussand, in addition to various private funders, who agreed to help fund and facilitate the projects.

Rather than present an added challenge, Covid helped move the project higher on schools’ agendas. Schools need appropriate outdoor spaces now more than ever. In addition, after two years of online classes, having a new play space to return to might help kids get a bit more excited about the return to in-person learning.

Given the current climate, logistics have been challenging, to say the least. Because of this, the playgrounds are just now being realized in their totality. Seven playgrounds are currently in the works - with three complete and four more under construction. Beb w Shebbek and Beit el Baraka are responsible for the funding and implementation of three playgrounds each. Once these are complete, the hope is that the model can be copied and reproduced at other schools in blast-affected areas and ultimately, the whole city. The funky, abstract, and colorful nature of the playground is intentional, and a hugely important aspect of Let’s Play’s mission. The unique typologies and bold graphics (pictured below) are not the typical swings, slides,

FALL/WINTER 2021 and seesaws that one would expect to see on a playground. Rather, their abstract yet inviting nature is meant to promote experimentation and create opportunities for interaction, teamwork, and negotiation. It was a collaborative process. Rishani, Borgi, and Bastormagi worked with a number of volunteers who helped survey sights, design the structures, and spur the team into action. “Our volunteers were really amazing,” Rishani states. “They pushed us because they were so excited. We would mention in a meeting ‘Oh, we saw this school which might have potential,’ and our volunteers would go survey it and come with sketches, and and we were like, ‘Ok, let’s do it!’” They also worked with kids in the community, who provided valuable input.“We would design things and render them, then show them to kids to get their response. That was so fun because generally the reaction was, ‘this is so cool but what do I do with it? We were like, ‘yeah this is exactly the point!’” The structures are undoubtedly fun and engaging and brighten up the previously uninspiring play spaces. However, the ultimate goal is that, through engaging with these abstract play structures, children

Another render currently under construction

might realize that you don’t need a designated space or certain toys in order to play and have fun. “Our hypothesis is that this will actually create an attitude towards play that you can play anywhere. We want to empower kids to find these voids in the city, to see that you can build a mound anywhere and you can dig a hole in an empty plot. You don’t need permission to do that. You don’t need to have a swing to call it a playground. It doesn’t have to be an exclusive space.”

Let’s Play has also partnered with architect and urban reforestation expert and advocate, Adib Dada to plant a small green space in each playground. At the École Secondaire des Filles de la Charité, for example, Dada, with the help of some students, planted small saplings in a four meter circular patch inside the play area. Hopefully in five years time, these will grow into much larger trees and will provide shade and greenery for the playground - a process from which the students can observe and learn. Let’s Play’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. They have gained global recognition for their work and notably were featured in the New York Times

Students help plant trees

piece, ‘16 Global Design Concepts for an Unpredictable Future,’ last March. While their main focus at the moment is schools directly impacted by the explosion, Rishani says they are ultimately hoping to intervene in public schools all around the city. “In the private schools we are working in, even if they are low income schools, there is usually some intention of garden space for the kids or something. The public schools we visited were really inadequate in terms of playgrounds. You might have a basketball court and that’s it. In theory, we would love to work with public schools all over the country.” So are the playgrounds as fun as they look? “Oh yeah,” Sandra says, grinning. “I’ve played a lot… they are a blast!” Most importantly, kids think so too.

FALL/WINTER 2021

The Jewel of Jezzine: A Visit to Karam Wines

One night before bed, many moons ago, Captain Habib Karam’s wife turned to him and asked, “What do you know about wine?” The Captain replied, “Nothing!” “Well,” she said. “You are either crazy, or a genius.” Thouraya Karam ‘11, Captain Habib’s daughter, recalls this story with a grin on her face. She stands proudly outside the red production warehouse, part of the family’s picturequese winery, nestled above the Jezzine districts’ lush pinecovered forests, valleys and rolling hills. The perfect weather and stunning scenery alone make the hour-and-a-half long commute from Beirut worth it. Though the thought of wine to follow doesn’t hurt, either. We have just arrived at Karam Wines, the family owned and operated vineyard in Southern Lebanon. Thouraya heads the winery’s operations, a huge undertaking, and has kindly invited us for a tour and tasting experience (which the winery offers year-round upon booking). “We were founded in 2002,” she begins. “The story goes that my father as a young boy would help his grandmother harvest grapes to make Arak. His grandmother was from Roum (a village in the Jezzine Caza). While he worked in the fields, he would watch airplanes pass by and he dreamed of becoming a pilot. He wanted to see the world; the farm life was not his.” Against all odds, he did just that. He flew all over the world as a Captain with Middle East Airlines. Yet one constant in his jet-setting lifestyle was a passion for alcohol. “He was very interested in liquor, spirits, wine, and all types of alcohol. Throughout his travels, he would taste a lot of things and he felt like he wanted to merge this passion with his roots and invest in his hometown, Jezzine. That’s how Karam Wines started.” Still a full-time pilot, (he pursued flying and winemaking simultaneously for 15 years), the Captain started to make wine in their Jezzine home, right under Thouraya’s bedroom. “I sleep above a distillery actually, so I’m drunk normally,” She exclaims, laughing, “Not from drinking, but just all the fumes!” It was a very small operation in the beginning, and the few batches made were solely shared with friends and family. Thouraya recounts: “His friends would taste the wine and say, ‘Oh Habib you make such great wine,’ and my mom would say, ‘they are not going to say that once they have to pay for it!’”

FALL/WINTER 2021

Captain Habib Karam

Thouraya Karam

Captain Karam knew very little about wine to begin with and is a largely selftaught connoisseur. He took a few courses in Bordeaux and read books about the process; but moreover, he is simply a “very ambitious and persevering person.” It was a family operation from the beginning, and all the kids used to help out, spending their summers in the vineyards, harvesting grapes and making wine. Clearly, hard work paid off. What began as a home-run operation slowly grew to a 2,000 bottle per year production and has continued to expand. Today, they now make around 125,000 bottles depending on the harvest, with the production capacity to reach ½ million. The production facilities and technology have advanced, as well. The tour instills a deep appreciation for the laborious craft that is wine making. Thouraya explains every step in great detail - from harvesting the grapes, to the fouloir, the pressoir, the fermenting tanks and barrels, the formula and blending lab, and finally to the bottling process. She has played all the roles herself, at one point or another, and though she claims to be no expert, her intimate knowledge shows.

Red Grapes Harvest

She explains, for example, how to know if a grape is at the right maturity level for harvest: “I’ve done it a few times and it is very tiring. You head to the vineyard and from each row in the vineyard, every one meter you stop and pick one small grape and place it in a bag. It goes on and on and on. Then you bring the grapes here [the lab], crush them manually and test the various parameters needed to make the final decision to start harvesting. Sometimes it’s a matter of one day.” It is undoubtedly a labor of love, and everyone in the family-run business is very much involved in every step of the process. As our tour winds down, a car pulls up to the winery. A young couple is in Jezzine for the weekend and saw a review of the experience online. Though people are supposed to book in advance, ever the gracious hostess, Thouraya welcomes the unannounced guests to join in the tasting festivities.

FALL/WINTER 2021 Intimate, perhaps, is the word that comes to mind when reflecting on what makes a trip to Karam Wines so special. A visit to the Jezzine winery is like being welcomed into a friend’s living room. Sitting around cushioned crates on the shaded stone veranda, overlooking the lush timbered-valley below, conversation with strangers flows easily. We begin with their white wines before moving onto the reds; all of which are aromatic and varied. Thouraya thoughtfully talks us through each wine, highlighting how it came to be, the grapes used, the flavors and aroma to note, and what foods complement it. The Albarino pairs nicely with cooked fish, a white sauce pasta, or sushi. Try the Maison Red with a pizza, best enjoyed on the couch, in front of the TV, of course. “Our aim is to not just tell you about the wines but also highlight what to pair the wine with. It’s part of our mission for people to know what to pair Lebanese wines with beyond Lebanese food. Our wine can be paired with any type of cuisine. At the end of the day, our wine is most enjoyed amongst friends and around the dinner table,” Thouraya asserts. Another key component that makes Karam Wines unique? It is the only commercial vineyard in Southern Lebanon. The country’s first wineries were in the northern Bekaa Valley so others naturally gravitated towards that area. The Karam family wanted to differentiate themselves and return to their roots. Their gamble paid off. Jezzine’s high altitude, valleys, lakes, rivers, and geology, create a rich terroir that makes their wine distinct from its Northern counterparts in its rounded acidity, freshness, minerality, and moderate alcohol levels. Furthermore, the diversity of terrain means the global grape varietals that the family introduces can each be planted, and thrive, in its ideal environment. “Les Raretés” range is the perfect example of their global repertoire. It’s a collection of mono varietals - the Albarino from Spain, Touriga Nacional from Portugal, Saperavi from Georgia, and perhaps the most unique, the Meksassi, a Lebanese wild grape native to the Jezzine area, traditionally used for Arak. This range does particularly well in the international market. “Exporters are typically looking for something different,” Thouraya explains. “They are very much interested in uniquely ‘Lebanese Wines.’ Sure, we have Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot… but the French already do that. What about Lebanese grapes?” The Karam Family was ahead of the trend - they began their production of Les Raretés around six years ago and have sold out every year since. While “Les Raretés” might grab the attention of the global market, many of their other wines have gained worldwide recognition. “We have won several awards, over the years, us and other Lebanese wineries who are doing well in their fields. We, however, have won distinctive awards some of which only Karam Wines has won in Lebanese history.” Thouraya remarks.

John Karam

Cloud Nine, a bright and fruity blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Semillon, is by far, their most popular and acclaimed wine. It has won a number of awards. Most notably, at the 2015 Citadelles du Vin competition in Bordeaux, the 2013 Cloud Nine Vintage with connotation of the Best White Wine in the Mediterranean Basin - a category which includes wine heavyhitters like France, Italy, Spain, and Cyprus.

FALL/WINTER 2021 The Saint John is another fan favorite. This wellrounded oak-aged blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc, offers a velvety palate with varied aromas. In 2018, the wine won a special prize for Lebanon at the Citadelles du Vin and has won two other Gold Medals in Brussels and Canada. It should be noted that the aforementioned Saint John is named after Thouraya’s youngest brother, John ‘13 who is currently working at the esteemed Château Latour. He studied agricultural The Captain and Thouraya Receiving the Award engineering at the American University of Beirut and enology at Université de Bordeaux, and, though in France for the time being, he returns home frequently to lend his expertise to Karam’s winemaking and blending process. All the siblings, in fact, have a wine in their name. The Thouraya is a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. Her oldest brother, Nick ‘10, is currently in the United States, however is still represented in spirit through the fruity and light Syrah de Nicolas. “The cool thing about this range is that the wine kind of mimics our personalities, but that just happened naturally. The Syrah is smooth, like my brother Nick, and the Thouraya is a little more out there.” Thouraya notes, laughing. Thouraya is the only Karam child in Lebanon at the moment and has borne the brunt of the operational challenges the family business faces. She herself started out at an international auditing firm before coming to the conclusion that accounting would be much more enjoyable with a glass of wine in hand. She manages a team of five in their Beirut office. They deal with all issues relating to finances, supply chain, and export - it’s no easy feat to market and sell wine in the post-Covid economy. Despite this, over the past two years, things have actually gone well for the young winery. Since Thawra, people have become much more conscious of buying and selling Lebanese products. During the lockdown months, sales actually increased. What about that award no one else in Lebanese history has won? This past summer, Karam Wines was named The Best Vineyard in Asia (and Number 14 in the world) by ‘The World’s Best Vineyards’ committee. The family is very proud of this and rightly so. Though, the voter-based competition is “not about the wine, necessarily.” Thouraya clarifies. “It’s about the hospitality, the story, and your overall experience at the winery.” One can see why the Karam family has been lauded in this respect. Far from the stiffness and snobbery that a wine novice might expect from a high-end vineyard, the Karam Winery is a relaxed and easy-going environment to embark on one’s wine journey. There are no frills or judgement. It’s a vineyard for the people. As Thouraya emphasizes, wine is a personal matter - everyone is unique and can appreciate a range of flavors and aromas. On the other hand, experts will appreciate the high quality of the wine and passion put into its production. It seems like Captain Karam may just be a genius after all!

FALL/WINTER 2021

Back to School!

FALL/WINTER 2021

A “Wealth of Technology and Tools of Learning:” A tour of the STEAM Innovation Center with US Ambassador Dorothy Shea On the morning of November 12th, 2021, IC welcomed US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, to IC’s campus to inaugurate the impressive new Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Innovation Center. It was the perfect setting for a celebration – a bright and temperate fall day with a mild breeze ruffling through the canopy of trees outside of Sage Hall where the Ambassador arrived. The STEAM Center, a project in the works since 2019, was funded by USAID’s (United States Agency for International Development) American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) initiative. Due to the events of October 2019, the pandemic, and the August 4th explosion (which caused considerable damage to the labs), this school year marks the first time the labs are being used - making the Ambassador’s visit a particularly momentous occasion. Housed in Sage Hall, the labs will be used for Middle and Secondary School science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics courses and extracurriculars. Furthermore, these state-of-the-art facilities are to be shared with less privileged schools in the greater Beirut area so that all learners of Lebanon are given an equal opportunity to benefit from the cutting edge technology, resources, and learning opportunities. Dr. Mahmoud Shihab, Director of IC’s Educational Resources Center and IT, guided the Ambassador through the sparkling new, Coding, Electronics and Design Lab, 3D Design and Printing Lab, Makerspace, Laser Cutting room, Drone Lab, LEGO Robotics Lab, Vex Robotics Lab, Audio Studio, and Film Studio. These centers are equipped with the latest, high-tech equipment, including 3D printers, laser cutters, woodworking and metalworking tools, robots, drones, audio and visual engineering facilities, and the professional design software. They are very impressive spaces, designed to promote innovative, learner-driven, and interdisciplinary engagement with the sciences, maths, and arts. The Ambassador frequently emphasized her reverence for the new facilities along the tour.

FALL/WINTER 2021

think critically, visualize, discuss, and debate to develop sustainable solutions to imminent global challenges. She concluded by recognizing IC’s accomplishments in spite of adversity and emphasized her gratitude for the school’s commitment to service in education beyond its gates. “I want to congratulate International College for continuing to educate students in these challenging times.”

The Ambassador Joins a Middle School Robotics Class

A robust STEAM curriculum is a hugely important aspect of any educational institution today. Not only are STEAM careers poised to grow quickly in coming years, but the interdisciplinary nature of the framework promotes important skills like critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, teamwork, social responsibility, and creativity. IC’s new STEAM labs encourage students to become active learners and engage in the world around them, and enables them to realize their ideas and vision in actuality. A physics problem in class can become a functioning robot, a graphic design made on the computer a 3D model, or a tune in one’s head a professionally produced and engineering song. At the tour’s conclusion, short speeches commenced. President Peinado welcomed the Ambassador and thanked USAID/ASHA for their generosity - reemphasizing why this STEAM Innovation Center is a key resource in shaping the leaders of tomorrow. “Indeed, what skills, what qualities, what knowledge, should we endeavour to educate our students with?” He questioned. “Students need to be flexible and adaptable, they need to have empathy so that they may understand issues and understand other people’s perspectives. They need to be creative, enquirers, team workers, critical thinkers, and problem solvers. Finally they need to have highly developed emotional intelligence, and these are exactly the skills that IC will nurture in this new STEAM Innovation Center for IC students, and students from the schools with which IC will partner.” Ambassador Shea echoed similar sentiments of appreciation for this partnership and her admiration for the new facilities: “ I had no idea how impressive this was going to be.” She stated, further highlighting the imminence of a robust STEAM program in this day and age, particularly amidst Lebanon’s, and the world’s current challenges as a tool to help

The speeches ended with Secondary French Baccalaureate student, Christian Tawil, who eloquently expressed his gratitude for the new facilities on behalf of the IC student body. “We are lucky to be learners at IC” he declared. “Those labs will allow us to gain skills and personal experiences to become leaders of tomorrow.” Christian, an Ali Ghandour Center for Leadership, Diversity, and Civic Engagement (AGC) Scholar who was recruited from a traditional Lebanese school in Jezzine, also highlighted how these labs will help close the education gap in the country. “Throughout my journey, I couldn’t help but notice the gap between public and private schools and the missing opportunities for public school students. For example, prior to coming to IC, I never would even dream of taking a film class, let alone using state-of -the-art material… I am certain and truly glad that thanks to your donation we will be able to engage students from public schools and provide them with opportunities to develop our skills together through long term sustainable projects.” The goal is to implement STEAM components into all programs, at all levels, at Ras Beirut and Ain Aar to empower all students with the technical and socio-emotional skills necessary to succeed and thrive in today’s world.

The Ambassador and Student Speaker Christian Tawil

FALL/WINTER 2021

Audio Recording Studio

3D Printing and Design Lab

Vex Robotics Lab

Ambassador Shea and Mahmud Shihab in the Drone Lab

Makerspace

Laser Cutter

FALL/WINTER 2021

The Show Must Go On!

Lights, Camera, Action! IC’s Elementary Theater Club is back and better than ever. Despite a slight detour (thank you Coronavirus) that prolonged the production of Aladdin a year longer than expected, the 103 thespians of Grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 persevered and staged not only a fabulous show at Mir Amin Palace this past July, but also a full-blown movie. Bravo is in order, I believe!

None of this would have been possible without the leadership, organization, and guidance of IC’s own Tony Asfour ‘16. What began back in 2017 as a creative outlet for Tony, an actor in his own right, to make up for the lack of a drama program at AUB, the Elementary Theater Club has become a key feature of the Elementary school’s extra curricular programming and a beloved pastime of the students. Tony was already familiar to many in the Elementary school thanks to frequent appearances in his mom’s, Carla Asfour, Grade 2 classroom, and he knew that drama was something the elementary program was missing. Furthermore, Tony understood theater as such a positive space for kids to be themselves, to come out of their shells,

and to find their voices without fear of judgement. Thus, the drama club was born. The first year, 11 4th and 5th grade students participated in the production of the fan-favorite The Sound of Music. “Students were maybe more reluctant to join at first,” Tony says. Despite the small cast, everyone involved threw themselves into all aspects of the production and the show was a huge success. The next year, as word of just how fun and cool the drama club was spread around the school, the cast of Beauty and the Beast grew to 43. In 2018, 73 students auditioned for The Lion King (everyone got a part - it’s a very talented bunch!). That year, however, a problem presented itself. The demands of running the drama club were a little easier

FALL/WINTER 2021 parts were assigned - rehearsals commenced. When the pandemic hit, it didn’t change much at first. Rehearsals were largely online already! When lockdown was still in effect in June 2020 however, they realized it wouldn’t be possible to perform. So they pushed it to December 2020. But when December rolled around, restrictions were still in place. The kids were starting to get tired - they had been rehearsing since last fall and were so ready to perform when would they be able to show all their hard work?

Tony Asfour at the Mir Amin Performance

to meet when he was just a five-minute walk from IC’s Ras Beirut campus, but it was a bit more challenging to navigate from 9,505 km across the world. Transferring to the University of Virginia, Tony thought he might have to leave the drama club behind. However, doing so wasn’t as easy as he thought. “I wasn’t ready to let it go,” he asserts. So, he proposed a hybrid model - during the semester when Tony was in the US, rehearsals would be online. When he returned for Christmas break and after the summer holidays, they could practice and prepare for the performance in person. The model was surprisingly successful, and per usual, the students wowed their audience in a spirited and moving performance. The deceptively shy Mia Talih, brought her parents to tears when they saw her burst out of her shell as the main character, Nala. At the end of The Lion King, when Tony announced the next year’s production of Aladdin at the annual cast party, no one foresaw the tumultuous two years that lay ahead. The year began as normal as any. 103 kids auditioned -

The pandemic was not the only challenge the young troop and their director faced over these two years. Many families were starting to think about moving from Lebanon, and around 12-15 kids unfortunately had to leave in the midst of the production. In addition, it was hard to keep kids motivated and excited with the bleak reality just beyond IC’s gates. Tony made a huge effort to ensure theater remained a positive and uplifting environment. He made time for dance parties before practice and rewarded them for their hard work by letting them out early. Even in May 2021, with Covid restrictions still in place as well as the worsening economic conditions, it seemed that the musical might never happen. That’s when Tony, determined that the show must go on, decided that they would make a movie. If an audience couldn’t gather in person, what better way to showcase the kid’s hard work and talent to friends and family than a Hamilton-style professional production? It was hard work, but a huge success. Tony obtained special permission from the school to gather the cast together in the Irani Auditorium. Over the course of three days, with the help of IC’s film crew, they gathered over 100 cuts of footage of the performance. To maintain the authenticity of an on-stage production, they used original sets, costumes and staging. However, the use of a camera also enabled more flexibility in terms of mistakes with lines, staging, and spur of the moment experimentation. “I saw

FALL/WINTER 2021

the young performers’ hard work. The evening concluded with a small cast party, where Tony presented his usual end-of-year awards to each member of the troop. The talent, passion, and commitment of the young actors is unprecedented, Tony notes. “I show clips of the kids at IC to my actors at UVA, and they can’t believe that [the kids] aren’t in professional drama school.” Students are genuinely devoted to the club. According to some parents’ reports, their 10- year-old children are much more excited about musical theater with Tony than soccer tryouts. Some students even delayed travel plans in order to see the movie through.

the kids contribute a lot more [of their own personalities] to what the show became.” Who knew Tareq (who played Aladdin) was also a gymnastics champion? Why not, then, add a few flips and tricks into the scenes?! With an excess of footage and his own theatrical and academic commitments (Tony just wrapped up production of his own original musical at UVA and is completing EMT training), the movie is still in production. However, the kids did get a chance to display their efforts this past July when, thanks to the organization and coordination of parents, they showcased an abridged version of the performance at Mir Amin Palace. While they couldn’t perform the whole show due to time, transport and electricity constraints, it was nevertheless an incredibly special evening - and not to mention, the perfect setting to view Aladdin. The Elementary Theater Club is a tight-knit community and everyone was thankful for the opportunity to finally gather together and celebrate

What is particularly remarkable to Tony, however, is that this club has really bonded students of all ages. “I couldn’t imagine hanging out with fifth graders when I was in third grade, and now I see sixth graders hanging out outside of school with fourth graders from drama club. It’s really cool.” When asked how,and why he puts so much time and energy into the club when he is busy with academic and extracurricular pursuits of his own, Tony states “It’s a lot but it makes them happy, and it makes me happy. I’m very much someone who believes in being a positive force in people’s lives… This is something that I can do to contribute.” To any member of the Drama family reading this article, please know how incredibly proud and grateful Tony is of all your hard work and your beautiful talent! Onwards to our next show!

FALL/WINTER 2021

Founder’s Day - Ain Aar 2021

Updates

FALL/WINTER 2021

‘60

Nicholas Khairallah shared the following photos:

IC Excursion à Zahlé Avec Prof Robert Courson, 1956

IC Group Honouring Professeur Gibran el Khoury Massoud

‘81 Ousama Fansa shared the following news: Despite COVID restrictions, on December 21st 2020 at 6pm, the Class of 1981 (English section) held a gathering at Salon, in Beirut’s Hamra District. 28 IC alumni attended, as well as their teachers, Mr. Hamdi Hawala and Mr Chukri Husni. It was good to see some of our teachers again , as well as our old fellows growing nicely. The Class of ‘81 (English) has a Whatsapp group with 71 participants, who chat regularly and share news.

Attendees pictured in the top right: Walid Alami, Rania Barraj, Walid Boury, Mohamad Chahine, Mohamad Chehab, Ramzi Demiani, Ousama Fansa,Maha Farhat Radwan Hableh, Bisher Kabbani, Mona Khaldi, Imad Khalil, Malda Kokash, Yasmin Mahdi, Yasmin Mehdi, Samer Mimari, Mona Salameh, Sarmad Saliba, Issam Yashruti

Hani Riman is working with his son in his new company, The Green Ranches, a family business interested in landscaping and selling agricultural goods in Ain Zhalta. His wife and daughter are wedding planners who also work for the company.

‘01 Loubna El Amine welcomed twin girls, Salma and Nadia Amine-Mazur, on May 27, 2021.

‘05 Claudia (Matta) Ramly recently completed her second Masters in Educational Psychology and welcomed her firstborn son in the same month. She currently resides in Wisconsin, where she enjoys the cold winters throughout a pandemic with her husband, Edmond Ramly. She would love to keep in touch at claudiaramly@gmail.com

FALL/WINTER 2021

Letters to the Editor Our Very Own Hockey Team Yes, IC had its very own Hockey Team! You better believe it. It was not an Ice Hockey team, obviously, but a roller hockey team. As you may know, many Lebanese grew up abroad and so a lot of the kids of Lebanese immigrants grew up in places like Dubai, France, Australia, Canada and the US. The ones who grow up in the colder climates learned how to skate and play ice hockey and they brought the sport back home with them. We still played with hockey sticks, but instead of ice skates we moved around on rollerblades. We could field a full team with six players and tons of substitutes. We had practice once a week, every Friday afternoon, which included drills and face-offs for games. Sure, our games were followed by some greasy food on Bliss Street, after all the team was run and managed by a bunch of 12 year olds. The team started off with just a few of us bringing our rollerblades and skating Friday afternoons. One of the guys (Rami Rasamni, I think) brought some hockey sticks and a puck one day and we started to pass it around. More and more students learned of this after school skating session and wanted to join. Eventually, this became a weekly event. We would all meet up after school was over and head down to the kindergarten building (which had a big paved area in front of it) to practice and play games. The team included Rami Rasamni, Ahmad Jamaleddine Samer Bakhazi, Fuad Bohsali, Peter El Dahdah, Paul El Dahdah, Maher Watfa, Milia Ayache, Ryan Khatib, Mayssa Kadoura, Rola Khoury, Aida Awar, and Mohamad Ramadan, as well as a few others. As we played more consistently, we all decided to buy the proper gear. One of our friends managed to get a discount at a sports store in Concorde and we all secretly used the same discount code to buy our Bauer Skates, Sticks, Gloves and Helmets. Yours truly was the team keeper, though I could not find goalie gear in Lebanon… surprising, I know! Lucky for us, Rami had a goalie stick, pads, gloves, and a helmet. We even painted the helmet with the IC athletic colors of green and white. The school noticed we were meeting up regularly and were concerned with us being on campus late, and that the campus security didn’t know about it. So they had some IDs made for us, and then it was official. We played every Friday on the pavement in front of the kindergarten building. It wasn’t the best area because it was sloped and, being a kids playground, there was sand sprinkled all over the surface. If you’ve ever roller bladed, you know you don’t want to skate on sand. Nevertheless,

we loved it. We learned about slap shots and face offs, we learned to skate quick and efficiently, backwards and forwards, on either foot and how to start and stop quickly. There were no teams to play against - though there was a rumor once of some school in the mountains that had a team that wanted to play against us, it never materialized. Some students would come by and watch us play some days. It didn’t matter whether or not we had a proper field, spectators, or anyone to play against. We loved it. Like any sports team, we had our fair share of injuries and locker room drama - we were kids! We were lucky though, because our bunch had spent all of middle school and high school in the same class, so we grew close. One year we participated as a team in the Beirut Terry Fox Run. We put our roller blades on and skated all along the Corniche and Downtown. I don’t remember why we stopped meeting up and playing, maybe we started having more school work, maybe we got busy with life, but those hockey years were fun times, and will go down in history that IC had its own Hockey team! -Mohammad Tassabehji ‘04

Back: Mayssa Kadoura, Rami Rasamni, Milia Ayache, Mohamed Tassabehji, Peter El Dahdah Front: Paul El Dahdah

In response to President Peinado’s announcement of a more flexible and comprehensive tuition assistance program to ensure that all family’s needs are met and that students, families, faculty and staff are supported during these challenging times, Soumaya Atallah ‘67 wrote: “Our IC is exactly what is written in the email. I’ve never envisioned it except as a tower of knowledge & help, since I was there in 1967 & thereafter when my sons were there in the 90s. In good times & hard times it has always stood as a lighthouse to enlighten generations. I’m proud it’s my alma mater.

FALL/WINTER 2021

Alumni Association Updates

From left to right: Saad Jamaleddine ‘78, Walid Uthman ’90, Karim Noueihed ‘98, Bassem El-Bawab ‘93, Wael Sanyoura, Moufid Beydoun ‘64, Ziad Dakroub ‘89, Zeina Annan’87, Rina Kurdahi ‘04, Lina Itani ‘91, Kim Issa ‘85

On July 11th 2021, in the midst of the summer vacation, 160 members of the IC Alumni Association gathered at the IC Elementary school to elect a new council for the term 2021 – 2024. The election was planned and managed by a group of former ICAA presidents and was monitored by “LADE”, Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections. After a long election day the new ICAA council was formed. The new members met later that week to elect the executive committee. The committee is as follows:

Karim Noueihed ‘98 - President Zeina Annan ‘87 - Vice president Walid Uthman ‘90 - Treasurer Saad Jamaleddine ‘78 - General Secretary Lana Bahri ‘11 Bassem El-Bawab ‘93 Moufid Beydoun ‘64 (nominated by IC President as per ICAA bylaws) Ziad Dakroub ‘89 Samer Doughan ‘83 Ramez Haddad ‘70 Ahmad Ismail ‘92 Kim Issa ‘85 Lina Itani ‘91 Rina Kurdahi ‘04

Not Pictured Above:

Lana Bahri ‘11

Samer Doughan ‘83

Ramez Haddad ‘70

Ahmad Ismail ‘92

FALL/WINTER 2021

In Memoriam

In Loving Memory: Nadi Nader We regret to inform you that Nadi Nader, a long-time, much beloved math teacher passed away in October 2021. Nader taught math at IC from 1958-1987 and served as the Head of the Math Department until his retirement. He is survived by his three children, IC graduates Sonia ‘75, Wisam ‘78, and Marwan ‘82. IC staff and faculty send their deepest condolences to the Nader family. Jeanette Frangieh, colleague and dear friend, fondly remembers Mr. Nader in the following obituary: The reason I came to IC was Nadi Nader. He was a math guru. A heroic figure to me. His reputation in the math world was well known. He was not just ‘Nadi Nader, math teacher at IC’ but Nadi Nader, THE TEACHER. I was so nervous about meeting him. I expected this heroic figure to have some condescending attitude reserved for young new math teachers. But nothing could have been further from the truth. Nadi was the most down-to-earth and humble person I had ever met. As a rule, math teachers do not like to ask questions, afraid of getting scoffed at, I guess. I was especially wary of getting scorned for being the only female math teacher in the secondary school. But Nadi put me at ease and took every question seriously. He explained everything a new math teacher should know. He never judged me or anyone else. Most of all, Nadi Nader taught me to always believe in my students. He thought that everyone had it in them to learn and pass math. It was never the student who failed math; the teacher has failed to teach well, he always said. “Everyone can learn math, everyone,” he kept repeating. “It is just a matter of showing them how.” In fact, many of those so-called math failures ended up becoming engineers and doctors – a fact that he loved to point out. At the beginning of every school year, he would quietly mark the weak maths students in class. These became his protégés and his ultimate challenge. His home would frequently be filled with students. He always insisted on bringing them to his house for further lessons and math drills. He would measure his success by the success of these very students. And they all succeeded. Failure was not an option. Not in Mr. Nader’s math class. Oh, how I longed to become like Nadi Nader. In 1987, Nadi retired from IC. He asked me to succeed him as the Head of the Math Department. I was so scared. Me taking over after the great Nadi Nader? There were still very few female math teachers at the secondary level. I can’t do it, I said. Yes, you can, said Nadi, I know you can. He was right. I can and did take over. I still remember one incident where I was seeking his advice about a teacher’s mediocre performance. “Listen, Jeanette,” he said, “teachers are born, not made. If she does not have it in her, then she does not have it. That’s it.” The last time I saw him, well in his retirement, he approached me and said: “Jeanette, I still teach math in my dreams. When I wake up, I feel good.” Until this day, his words throughout his IC years, continue to ring in my ears: never give up on your students. Everyone can pass math. There is no such thing as a failing student. A good teacher will see to that. I will miss you Nadi. Thank you for the best lesson of all: being a model teacher. Jeannette Frangieh, Math Subject Expert and Coordinator, K-12

FALL/WINTER 2021

A strong and multifaceted student, Khuri graduated IC in 1973 with a 2nd in Math and went on to receive his M.S in Civil Engineering, before obtaining his PhD in Philosophy from University of California, Berkeley in 1986. During his tenure at LAU from 2003-2013, he greatly enriched the School of Arts and Sciences with his larger-than-life presence and spirited personality. Colleague and dear friend Dr. Kamal Badr asserts he left a keenly felt vacuum when he was forced to resign due to his failing health. He is remembered by those who had the privilege of knowing him as loyal, intelligent, witty, and inquisitive. Dr. Khuri is survived by his mother, Mrs. Huda Asfour Khuri, his sister Doris, and his brother Raymond. The IC community extends its most sincere condolences to the family.

We regret to inform you that Rabih Dabbous ‘72 passed away in September 2021. IC staff and faculty send their deepest condolences to the Dabbous family.

In Memoriam

It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the passing of Dr. Richard Khuri ‘73, a beloved member of the IC community and associate professor of Philosophy at LAU who contributed greatly to the world of philosophical and intellectual debate. Dr. Khuri passed away this November after a long struggle against terminal illness.

“I AM IC” is a touching story of a school looking for a place it could finally call home.

Sold at Antoine Bookstores, IC Advancement Office and online at: www.antoineonline.com All proceeds go towards the IC Scholarship Fund International College P.O. Box 113-5373, Beirut, Lebanon. Tel. 961 1 367420/33, Email: alumni@ic.edu.lb 305 East 47th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10017 Tel. : 212 529 3005, Fax: 212 529 8525. Email: icny@intlcollegeny.com www.ic.edu.lb

@IC_Lebanon

@InternationalCollegeLB

@internationalcollegelb

@international-college