IC Newsletter Winter 2020

IC Newsletter

WINTER 2020

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WINTER 2020 INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE Board of Trustees Donald J. Selinger, Chairman Imad Taher, Vice Chairman William H. Turner, Treasurer Anthony Jones, Assistant Treasurer Richard S. Ward, Secretary Gerrit Keator, Assistant Secretary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Adelman Mona Bawarshi ‘67 Karim Baalbaki ‘94 - Ex Officio Selim Bassoul Wael O. Bayazid ‘70 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 Theodore May Marwan A. Marshi ‘79 Safwan Masri John G. Mccarthy, Jr. Maher Mikati ‘98 Anwar Al Mulla ‘63 Mirna B. Noujaim Ian Reed Matthew A. Reynolds Mu’taz Sawaf ‘69 Talal K. Shair ‘83 Issam Shammas ‘63 Rabih Shibli Ahmed Tayeb Maya Tohme (Nassar)

Trustees Emeriti

On August 4, 2020, a blast ripped a part of the city when a large amount of ammonium nitrates stored at the port of Beirut exploded. Over 200 people perished, thousands wounded, and an estimated 300,000 people became homeless. Considered one of the most powerful nonnuclear explosions in history, the blast was felt in Turkey, Syria, and Cyprus - more than 250km away.

This newsletter is dedicated to two precious IC alumni who lost their lives in the blast: Dima Abdel Samad Kaiss ’85 and Cyril Canaan ‘07 May their souls rest in peace.

You will forever be in our thoughts.

It is with great sadness that IC mourns its alumna

Dima Abdel Samad Kaiss, Class of 1985.

May her soul rest in peace

Makram N. Alamuddin ‘61 Raymond W. Audi Said S. Darwazah ‘76 Peter H. Gerard Fouad Malouf ‘56 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 Alumni & Major Gifts Talal Jundi - Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Zeina Abou Khalil – Director, Preschool 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 Bruce Knox – Director, Secondary School Lina Mouchantaf – Director, Preschool/Lower Elementary, Ain-Aar Mahmoud Shihab, Ph.D – Director, Educational Resources Center

It is with great regret and sorrow that IC mourns its alumnus Cyril Canaan, Class of 2007.

May his soul rest in peace

EDITORIAL TEAM: Editor/Writer: Reem Haddad Layout: Nazha Merabi Production coordinator: Sana Yamout Contributing photographer: Dory Khayatt

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Contents FEATURES IC Always Moves On: Tales of Survival......................................................................................... 4 The agonies of an IB2 Theater during COVID.......................................................................................... 8 Adapting to VUCA: volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity Our new normal........................................................................................14 Saving the Sursock Palace..........................................................................18 IRADA, the will to rise again.....................................................................22 JobsForLebanon.com: let them earn fresh dollars..........................................................................24 The Guru of Hospitality: Nouhad Dammous....................................................................................26 CAMPUS NEWS Life at IC during COVID.........................................................................30 ALUMNI NEWS Letters to the editor...................................................................................36 Alumni Updates........................................................................................38 IN MEMORIAM A Giant Steps Down: IC mourns the loss of Ali Ghandour..........................................................40 Goodbye Mrs. Beidas................................................................................41 In loving memory: Dima Abdel Samad Kaiss..........................................................................42 In memoriam.............................................................................................43

Annual Giving Report 2019-2020 and Inside IC are available on the IC website.

For co sugg mments o esti r us at ons, emai rhadd l ic.edu ad@ .lb

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IC Always Moves On: Tales of Survival* Tale #1: World War I, 1914-1918 As WWI raged on, Rev. Alexander MacLachlan realized that he couldn’t possibly keep his staff and boarding students fed. Foreseeing an inevitable famine, he ordered a large supply of greatly overpriced food staples – creating a huge deficit in the school’s meager budget, so much so that IC was on the brink of shutting down.

Then a miracle. A telegram came from long-time donor, Emma Kennedy, and a wealthy Protestant philanthropist Cleveland Dodge, announcing a gift of $13,000 for the current expenses of the College. It was enough to keep the school going for another year.

But then came another blow: Turkish authorities forbade all staff who were citizens of countries at war with Turkey to teach and called on all Turkish male

citizens of the Ottoman Empire – regardless of age – to arms. Only three faculty members now remained. If IC were to shut down, the Turkish authorities would immediately requisition the campus.

And so despite epidemics of typhus and Asiatic cholera (IC’s own physician died of typhus) and an unrelenting threat of famine, MacLachlan continued conducting the semblance of a school to the accompaniment of artillery and hum of aircraft overhead.

In November 1918, WWI ended.

Foreign faculty began returning, and MacLachlan welcomed back the rest of the student body.

Tale #2 September 1922 With the Turkish army now 25 miles east of Smyrna and getting ready to fight the Greek troops that had occupied

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the city, Rev. Alexander MacLachlan was informed that a special train would evacuate foreign nationals working at IC. When the train arrived, all but MacLachlan and his son-in-law, Cass Arthur Reed (IC’s vice president), boarded the train. They refused to leave IC. As the train was about to leave, several people stepped off.

If you stay, we stay, they said. They, too, will not leave IC. Shortly after, MacLachlan was severely attacked by a group of Turkish Chettes.

As he lay convalescing on his bed, he saw spiraling smoke from the city. Smyrna was on fire!

Again, foreigners were given orders to evacuate. Finally, after much cajoling, the bed-bound Maclachlan agreed to leave the campus but on the condition that American guards remain behind at IC. When he finally returned to IC at the start of what should have been a school year, MacLachlan found IC’s beautiful campus completely overrun with cats and dogs and plagued with flies. Not only had the school lost the entire Greek and Armenian student body, but IC had lost its curriculum. A new Turkish curriculum was

in place. It would have been easier just to shut down the school. But that was out of the question. Instead, IC faculty and staff set to work rewriting the curriculum, and a few months later, IC reopened its doors to the now mostly Turkish students.

But the school practically had no money.

And so Maclachlan set off on a fundraising drive to the US. By the end of the year, and except for a $5,000 gift via the American Board, practically all donations were ones solicited by MacLachlan himself. It was just enough to keep the school ticking along.

Tale #3 Smyrna, 1929 In 1929, the US stock market crashed, and the Great Depression spread across the nations. Millions of people lost their jobs. Enrollment at IC dropped drastically as many parents could no longer pay the tuition. Foreign teachers left the College.

By all accounts, IC should have shut its doors. But against all odds, it remained open. Its saving grace was a $1 million endowment fund – established a few years back when IC joined the Near East College Association. Little did it know

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back then the role that the Fund would play in the coming few years.

Tale #4 Smyrna – Beirut, 1936 The board had decided to close down the College in the face of Turkish nationalism that gripped the new nation. IC needed a new home. AUB President, Bayard Dodge, invited IC to merge with AUB’s faltering preparatory school. The merge would benefit both. Not only would IC bring its rather large library book collection, but most importantly, it would bring its $1m Endowment Fund. While AUB had its own Endowment Fund, its prep school had none. If the university were to shut down the Prep, AUB would lose its main feeder.

If the Prep keeps going, AUB’s funds would be severely affected. When Dodge heard about IC’s problems in Smyrna, he quickly invited the school to merge with the university. IC’s $1m endowment fund was more than enough to save the Prep School. And there was a bonus: IC’s good reputation would greatly expedite AUB’s reaccreditation by the New York State – a necessary step in keeping it alive. The school could even keep the name “IC” for sentimental reasons.

And so in 1936, IC moved to Beirut, bringing with it the very much prized and needed $1m endowment fund.

IC not only survived but had found a permanent home.

Tale #5 Meshref, 1976

The Meshref campus

IC president, Thomas Schuller, knew he had found the perfect location for IC’s new campus in the picturesque hills of Meshref, in the Chouf district about 25 kilometers to the south of Beirut,

overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. A famous American architect, Edward Durell Stone, was hired. Stone was making waves in the architectural world using the “International Style” in his designs.

In 1971, IC Meshref was ready to open its doors. The campus was breathtaking: a $6 million complex of arched and arcaded buildings covering an area of almost 700,000 square meters, hailed as the largest and most modern high school in the region. The new campus boasted six classroom buildings, a student center building and one dormitory building for both boys and girls. In addition, there were three green football fields, three asphalted volleyball courts, three basketball courts, and three tennis courts. And this was only phase I of the construction plan. By 1980, the campus would be ready to welcome IC’s entire student body, and the Ras Beirut campus would be returned to AUB as the university requested. The eruption of the civil war in 1975 still had not deterred IC from its plans to move to Meshref.

But in 1976 and with a heavy heart, IC administration shut down the Meshref campus and brought the students back to Ras Beirut and rented a few classrooms from ACS. Moreover, there was a sudden drop in student enrollment as many families fled the country, putting the school under immense financial strain.

The loss of the Meshref campus and the extra expense of renting facilities in ACS drove IC to the brink of financial disaster.

While not yet in the red, it was teetering on edge. To survive the year and indeed the next few years, IC needed the tuition fees of at least 1,600 students – it had nowhere near that number at present.

Amid this grim situation, a small miracle occurred. Sultan Qaboos of Oman contacted IC. The Sultan would like to establish a coeducational boarding school of the highest quality in Oman. One very similar to IC. Was IC willing to help? The Sultan was willing to pay dearly for this service.

It was an answer to a prayer. It so happened that IC President Tom Schuller earlier had the brainwave to establish a department at the school to teach the latest methodologies to teachers inside and outside IC – to generate extra income for IC. And thus was born the Educational Resources Center or ERC. The department personnel were already trained and rearing to go and, in fact, had had their first experience in opening a school in Nigeria in the 60s. ERC was quick to send off a team. The Sultan sent in the payment. IC continued.

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Tale #6 Bshamoun, 1982 The golden dome covering IC’s pool in the hills of Bshamoun was one of Israel’s first targets. It was supposed to be inaugurated that very day. Many families had returned to the country, thinking the war over, and enrollment at IC increased once again. But enrollment at ACS had equally increased, and the American school would naturally like its classrooms back.

And so IC president Alton Reynolds set his eyes on another campus: the British Community School in the hills of Bshamoun between 400 and 580 meters above sea level and only eight kilometers from the city center.

The campus was duly purchased, and elementary school students were bussed to Bshamoun. If all goes as planned, the Ras Beirut campus will be vacated, and as requested, returned to AUB. But Bshamoun received a direct hit during the Israeli invasion, and once again, students were brought back to the Ras Beirut campus. Somehow, the campus, which usually takes 1,200 students, had to accommodate 2,600 students – requiring still more rental space from ACS. It wasn’t ideal, and they were undoubtedly cramped, but IC kept going.

Tale #7 Beirut, 1986 -1988 Once again, IC found itself in trouble.

This time, it didn’t have the ERC to turn to. Ever since the ERC stepped in with the Oman project in 1975 and provided IC with a considerable income, the Center had been working on similar projects all over the Arab world and even beyond.

But by January 1986, the projects had dwindled significantly. Many ERC consultants, desperate to flee the war, had resigned from IC and taken on new posts in affiliated schools. Moreover, economic recessions hitting Gulf countries had ended any new projects. The ERC was increasingly turning its attention to local projects that, while worthwhile, were not lucrative.

It was a big blow to the school’s finances.

Again, there was a continuous exodus of families from west Beirut. The loss of tuition was seriously jeopardizing the school’s future. Also, the sudden collapse of the Lebanese pound – a 480 percent drop – was catastrophic for all. Tuition fees had effectively become unaffordable for many parents. Another downfall for the school was its inability to find qualified teachers. A brain drain and decreasing salaries – thanks to

the continued depreciation of the Lebanese pound – had practically emptied the market of qualified teachers. In addition, AUB was not graduating teachers, and, of course, it was impossible to bring in foreign hires.

It was then that IC president, Alton Reynolds, came out with an idea: What if the west Beirut campus doesn’t survive?

Should IC not have an alternative campus – on the east side? The board approved, and after an exhaustive search, the perfect spot was found in the picturesque hills of Ain Aar. Construction began, and in 1988, IC Ain Aar welcomed its first students.

Tale #8 1988, New York Once again, IC was on the brink of financial disaster. Inflation and dwindling student enrolment had put an enormous strain on the school.

“We will launch a fundraising campaign,” announced Chairman of the Board, Bill Turner, at a New York board meeting. “We are going to raise almost $6 million.”

Three million dollars would replenish the IC Endowment Fund, and $2.6 million would be used to execute various projects identified by the administration as essential for the improvement of both the Beirut and Ain Aar campuses.

The Trustees stared at him. The war is ongoing. Bullets and shells were flying all over the city. People were being kidnapped.

Who will give us money at a time like this?

Nevertheless, said Turner decisively, the board is launching a fundraising campaign.

True to his word, Turner and the Board raised over $6m and replenished the endowment funds.

IC stayed open.

MORALE: IC ALWAYS moves on. * Tales adapted from I am IC: A School’s Journey from Symrna to Beirut by Reem Haddad

The Bshamoun campus

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The agonies of an IB2 Theater during COVID IB2 Theatre Class, course description “IB Theatre Arts focuses upon building skills to allow students to critique, create, and analyze theater. Students are required to keep a journal and then demonstrate learning by doing four projects: Collaborative project (with 15 pages portfolio), 20 pages Director’s Notebook, 15-minute recorded presentation of a researched world theatre tradition, and a solo theatre piece with a 3000 words research paper based on a theatre theorist.”

IC’s IB 2 theatre class had just finished writing up three original plays as part of the required IB collaborative project.

Despite the school closure during the October Revolution, the class had managed to complete the scripts. Rehearsals were scheduled to begin in March.

On February 28, Lebanon’s Education Ministry announced the closure of all schools as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. The closure was thought to be only for a few days.

Classes would surely continue normally.

It wasn’t to be.

Instead, as COVID-19 spread, IC went online.

On March 24, IB issued a statement canceling the May exam session – except for group 6 subjects: Theatre, Film, and Arts. They were the only group required to submit all their components. The deadline was set towards the end of May. On March 27, IB suddenly brought forward the submission deadline to April 30 for group 6 subjects only. Teachers and students scrambled through the relatively new world of social platforms to get their projects completed. The university careers of the students depended heavily on passing their group 6 subject.

The following is a heartwarming story of a theatre teacher and three of his eleven students and the trust developed between them.

Back row: (right to left) Sarah Tinawi, Farah Zarwi, Leila Al Zein, Salma Saadeddine, Sam Daou, Aidan Kremer. Front row: Abdul Rahman Alayli, Yasmine Idriss, Marya Hamoui, Thalia Bou Malhab, Youssef Diab.

March 25, 2020 Riad Chirazi, IB Theatre Teacher Trust me. Just trust me. You can do this.

I will be there with you every step of the way. He turned his attention to several sobbing students, clearly audible through the Google Meet connection. He sighed.

First, the revolution. Now COVID. His IB2 theater students have already missed so many lessons.

This latest news was devastating. He had suddenly found out that the submission date was brought forward to April 30, giving them just a month to submit three components required from IB theatre.

Thankfully, the fourth one was already completed in January. If they don’t submit, they don’t pass IB. No IB, no university.

But this was impossible. How can we finish rehearsing and filming the collaborative project if we are under lockdown? Moreover, some students are

outside the country. And how can we finish rehearsing and filming the solo theatre piece at home if the theorists chosen (Lepage, Wilson, Kantor, Grotowski, Artaud, etc.) and the aspects of their theories require technical elements and appropriate physical space?

The students continued sobbing. For the first time in his long teaching career, the drama teacher felt helpless. Please, I beg you, don’t panic, he kept repeating. We can do this. You can do this. I will help you.

It had rapidly dawned on Chirazi that not only did he have to provide the necessary academic teaching but also the more challenging, emotional support.

You can call me anytime. I mean it.

Anytime. OK? But even to his own ears, he didn’t sound too reassuring.

He ended the session and cried. His wife and children stared at him in shock.

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CAST OF CHARACTERS: Riad Chirazi: IB

Theatre teacher. Much loved by students – many of whom know him since kindergarten when he went around to their classes dressed as a very convincing Santa Claus.

Rasha Daouk: IB

coordinator since 2001. Calm and collected. Used to dealing with many crises – both school and student – that often come her way.

Leila Zein:

17-year-old graduating student who prides herself on being organized in her work. She was bitten by the theatre bug at age five and has since performed with Caracalla Dance Theater on many occasions, including performances in Abu Dhabi and Byblos. She was the youngest to be on stage with the professional team. She also performed in ‘The Rite of Spring,’ a ballet and orchestral concert work by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, held at LAU. Organized and conducted by professor of music Dr. Seba Ali, the concert was held twice at LAU – bowing to the demands of an enthusiastic audience.

Abdul Rahman Aylali: 17-year-old

graduating student who somehow manages to juggle the demanding IB coursework and a heavy athletic schedule. He had won many athletic awards at IC. He enjoys learning new subjects and is adamant about delivering the highest quality of work but is very much a face-to-face person.

Farah Zarwi:

17-year-old graduating student who always ends up submitting excellent work but tends to be a procrastinator, which naturally causes her much undue stress. Farah is a singer and dancer and has performed on stage at Cambridge University (summer program) and in other events in Lebanon such as with Tania Kassis Academy and in the IC Mayfairs. She was chosen for the lead role ‘Sandy’ in IC’s English Drama production of ‘Grease’ that reached the stage of rehearsals and daily practice sessions mid-March 2019. Unfortunately, the performance was cancelled due to COVID-19 and the restrictions imposed.

Rest of the IB2 Theater students: Fantastic in every way.

(Thalia Bou Malhab, Sarah Tinawi, Marya Hamoui, Yousef Diab, Yasmine Idriss, Salma Saadeddine, Sam Daou, and Aidan Kremer – all accepted in top universities).

Rasha Daouk, IB Coordinator Despite her calm demeanor, Rasha Daouk couldn’t help but panic herself at the latest news. In her 19 years as IB Coordinator, her IC wards had never missed a deadline. Not even in 2008, when she found herself huddled with her students as militiamen fought their battles in the streets outside – on the very day that IB exams were to take place. IB had then immediately postponed the exams for a few days. But students did sit for the tests within the same week. The problem was only in Lebanon. But this. This was global.

Judging by the messages on the Facebook page of IB Coordinators, there was much panic about the group 6 subjects in all IB schools. Not much IC can do but go along.

Daouk shook her head in dismay. It was ultimately her responsibility to make sure that all IB work was uploaded. April 20 for internal assessments, April 30, for group 6 assessments. Can they possibly make it?

She looked worriedly at the calendar. It promised to be a bumpy two months.

Leila Zein A frightening feeling of pure panic engulfed her; Leila took a deep breath. This is unfair, she thought. Completely unfair.

She texted her classmates. They were all in a panic and agreed that, indeed, this was unfair.

Theatre is supposed to be face-to-face. What kind of decision was this? She eventually worked herself into an indignant state.

Abdul Rahman Alayli From his abode in Saudi Arabia, Abdul Rahman stared dumbfounded at his screen. Did he understand correctly? His father had whisked the family off to Saudi Arabia just before the airports closed. At the time, Abdul Rahman was reassured that the theatre submission deadline was at the end of May. No reason to panic.

But now, yes, panic has hit. I don’t have everything I need here to study for this, he lamented. It won’t be good enough. It will be of bad quality. I know it will. One thing for sure: this is going to be a living hell.

Farah Zarwi I can’t do this, Farah thought. No way. No way. I’m not ready. I didn’t do anything yet.

Oh, why am I a last-minute person? I can’t do this now. I’m scared. It is impossible.

Why, oh, why didn’t I start working before?

March 26, 2020 Chirazi OK, so here’s the plan. First, you all

calm down.

Second, we will use Zoom, Google Meet, and WhatsApp – whatever it takes to continue rehearsals. You will rehearse together and will find ways to synchronize your movements. Record your sessions and send them to me. I will view them, give my comments, and send them back to you.

Moreover, each of you will rehearse your monologues with me every day. We will also go over your written work every day.

We will also have our director’s meetings every few days. Chirazi drew up a tight schedule for himself and the students. He still had other classes to give, and they had other classes to attend. Every day started at 8 am sharp and many times ended well into the early morning hours.

We will walk this road down together.

Trust me, he repeated.

Chirazi breathed deeply. Eleven students. Twelve hours per day - 90 minutes for each student. Are there enough hours per day? He wondered.

Ahead lay many sleepless nights. I promised I would guide them. I asked them to trust me.

And they did.

Leila Mr. Chirazi knows his stuff. OK. So let’s do this. It’s a matter of being super organized, that’s all. Mr. Chirazi is at the other end. I’ve never filmed myself acting before. I have to find the right lighting at home. Then do several takes to find my position exactly. If I can just set my phone on this pile of books at this angle.

It may work. Maybe we can do this, after all. She had to admit that this new challenge, despite the unfairness of it all, was beginning to intrigue her. Drama had always been her life. She loved anything to do with the stage. But the IB theatre class had taken her to a thrilling new level. Acting took on a new meaning for her. There couldn’t be anything more captivating in this world.

Abdul Rahman The Wi-Fi is a nightmare, he thought.

It was, unfortunately, taking forever for the Wi-Fi to be installed in his house.

Thinking he was staying solo this year, his father didn’t bother installing the needed connections in his Saudi Arabia home.

Abdul Rahman was getting increasingly

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impatient. He already missed a few lessons.

He needed to rehearse. Plus, I need instant feedback. That is the whole point of theatre, isn’t it? This face-to-face interaction. What if it is not good enough? The quality of my work will not be good online. Someone has to hold up the phone for filming. I wonder what my mother is doing now.

Farah Mr. Chirazi can’t seem to understand that I can’t do this. There is so much coordination to do. Every step has to be coordinated with the actors in the group.

It is impossible. On the other hand, there is this rather exciting Zoom feature. We can use it. Oh, and I have an idea. It could work. Yes, why not.

March 27 – April 7, 2020 Chirazi I know you are tired. I know you have had enough. But you have to keep going. You are talented, and you are leaders. Keep going.

Keep sending me your stuff. Keep meeting with me. I will not let you down. I promise.

Leila This is the wrong angle. Let’s try again.

Maybe if I move to the right. Or perhaps to the left. . Following her self-imposed schedule, Leila diverted her attention to filming her performance. She was very aware of the encroaching IB deadline.

She had never missed a deadline in her life and was not about to do so now. It is just a matter of being super organized about it, she consoled herself. More Zoom meetings. More visualizations. More online sessions with Mr. Chirazi.

Abdul Rahman I can’t sleep anymore. It’s all too much.

As an avid athlete, he used to take out his stress on IC’s rugby, track and field, volleyball, and badminton fields. He always wins an athletic award for his sports every year. But since COVID hit, no more sports. The stress had become too much.

He can’t sleep. But still, he continued doggedly with rehearsals, meetings, and portfolio work. He will meet the deadline, but it just won’t be as good as it could have been. Another reason not to sleep.

Farah This background scene is a nightmare.

There is supposed to be a screen with a desert shot if they were still on stage.

Where are we to find a desert in Lebanon?

Mr. Chirazi said to improvise. And so they did. Each member of her group went up to their rooftops. Not exactly the same scenery but close. IB will understand, said Mr. Chirazi. How do we put our work together? How do I time it correctly? How do we edit the film?

Farah looked at her Zoom group in frustration. She had always loved dancing and singing on the stage. But nothing could be further from what an IB theatre class was. At first daunted, she soon became intrigued. She found herself exploring and discovering her potential. She developed leadership and communication skills. She was enjoying this new world of body language and different tonalities. Truthfully, it was more than she bargained for as a class, but she truly loved it. Until now.

April 8 – April 29 Chirazi It was the ultimate nightmare of directing online.

We are supposed to sit together and react to one another. That’s how it is supposed to be. But it can’t be, and so the continuous Zoom sessions continued.

Many all-nighters have so far been spent directing, reviewing, and meeting.

We can do it, he kept repeating.

I am sorry, but no Easter break. Not for you and not for me. We have to keep going. We have to follow the same strict schedule. Work on your portfolios. Work on your rehearsals. Work on your solos.

Meet with me. Every component has to be submitted. There is no leeway.

Ignoring a growing pain in his side, Chirazi continued unabated.

Leila Perhaps another take. And another.

Just to make it perfect. I wish my parents would go to bed already instead of checking up on me all the time. I know it’s late. But just one more take. Everything is going as scheduled. Portfolio written and

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ready to be submitted. Solo performance recorded, and ready to be submitted. And finally, the collaborative project – the most difficult of all. The one that took the most visualizations and synchronizations.

But we will do it. And that, she sighed happily, is what happens when one is super organized. We aren’t going to let IB get the best of us. This is for university. We have to do well. I know we can do it.

Abdul Rahman His parents and siblings are decidedly getting tired of filming him repeatedly.

But they simply have no choice. His performance has to be perfect. It must be of high quality. Another take, he told his weary family. And another. And another.

Abdul Rahman sighed. He missed the pre-COVID days of theatre. The morning theatrical exercises had helped him a great deal in focusing. He missed the class conversations. He missed the hands-on learning. He wasn’t particularly a drama oriented person really, but he was attracted to the class syllabus. It was harder than he had thought initially, but he was rather enjoying being an actor on stage as himself or portraying another character. Not anymore, he thought sadly. Now it is more about meeting deadlines than learning.

Farah The deadline is too close. I will never make it. I still have to write thousands of words. How am I going to do this before the deadline hits? Why didn’t I start earlier? Why am I such a last-minute person? Why do I always postpone things?

I am not putting double or even triple the effort but ten times the effort. I just know I will not make it.

Yes, you can, had said Mr. Chirazi repeatedly. I believe in you. Believe in yourself, Farah, he had said. You have 48 hours left. You will not sleep, and I will not sleep. I will be with you every step.

Farah took a deep breath. OK. I will keep at it. I will not let this situation control me. I will take control. I must take control. Of course, I can do this.

April 30, 2020 Chirazi Some students were sobbing. Chirazi laughed. They did it. Everything was submitted on time. You made it. The sobs,

this time, were tears of relief.

You did a great job. You all rose above the challenges and did the impossible. I am so very proud of you.

The crying intensified. Chirazi himself was tearful.

I will miss you all.

Daouk The sense of relief was overwhelming.

All IB teachers came through. They had gone well above the call of duty and made the April 20 deadline. Only group 6 remained. According to posts on the IB coordinator Facebook page, many international schools were admitting defeat.

Will Group 6 make it? As the April 30 deadline approached, Daouk found herself fretting. Fortunately, she had mastered the art of calming herself down after years of weathering many student crises. She could do nothing at this point (other than filling out the seemingly endless forms related to IB assessments and relentless student follow-ups) but wait. And pray.

April 30. Group 6 teachers uploaded the material.

It was finally time to celebrate.

Epilogue

Shortly after submitting the IB theatre requirements, Chirazi was rushed to the hospital for gallbladder surgery. Today, he continues to be IC’s beloved IB theatre teacher. “I have learned so much the past year,” he said. “I have grown as a teacher.”

Leila was accepted at LAU as a theatre major. She wouldn’t change last year for the world. “I appreciate theater so much better now.”

Abdul Rahman was accepted at Boston University as a business major. He has come to terms with online learning. “I can teach myself almost anything now,” he said.

Farah was accepted at New York University as Liberal Arts Studies major. The experience has changed her. She has never postponed an assignment since. “I now do everything immediately,” she said. “The stress of being a last-minute person just isn’t worth it.”

In July, IB results came in. All IB2 students passed, and all were accepted to their universities of choice.

For the year 2020-2021, IB has decided to relieve Group 6 from the IB 2 exam’s collaborative component.

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Courtesy of Adrienne Hedger, www.HedgerHumor.com

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On March 2, 2020, all schools in Lebanon were ordered to close. It was a government decision bowing to the legitimate fears of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 1.2 million children2 were suddenly homebound.

They were supposed to go back to school in a week.

They didn’t.

The same scenario was repeated around the world. It was the largest disruption of education in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries across the continents. Effectively, 94 percent of the world’s student population had become schoolless3.

In the international school arena, and amid a pandemic terrorizing all nations, the challenge thrust upon them was massive: how to keep education going?

The pressure on international schools

was tremendous. They are the leaders.

The innovators. The ones that rose above the global divide and the ones who are paid the ‘big bucks’ to produce the finest, well rounded, highly educated future leaders.

The network of international schools went into full action. Webinars – dozens of them - were held, attended by heads of schools, and other administrators. How to maintain the high standards? What works and what doesn’t? What did you do, and what did the others do?

“Everybody was sharing their experiences, sharing what their government guidelines were, and we all held comparisons,” said IC president Joel Peinado. “We at IC participated in all webinars to see what were the international standards, what and how they were doing so that we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

1- Term adopted by Paula Mufarrij to describe the current situation. In other words, “crazy days” 2- “Lebanon - Education Sector Short-Term Response to COVID-19, Guiding Framework - Lebanon.” OCHA, reliefweb, 2020 3- Policy Brief: Education during COVID-19 and beyond, United Nations, AUGUST 2020.

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A HYBRID EDUCATION: WHAT’S THAT? The story goes that about ten years ago, administrators at a liberal art university in Utah were trying to come with a way of starting a new online master’s degree. The program had to be malleable enough to allow full-time working professionals to study autonomously while having frequent interaction with their instructors. Thus the birth of the hybrid system. Little did these administrators know that their little idea would end up playing a crucial role in keeping education going a few years later.

So what exactly is hybrid?

Basically, the hybrid model is a meticulously planned blend of both traditional classroom instruction and online learning activities. The model requires that students attend class inperson, while others join classes virtually from home. Teachers could be remote or in class. Hybrid classes include asynchronous learning elements, for example, online exercises and pre-recorded video instruction, to support face-to-face classroom sessions. Of course, the latest technological tools and software are essential for this model to work.

Hybrid is more work on both sides.

Teachers have to tailor their class contents to assign active-learning assignments such

as self-tests, tutorials, and online group projects, while students have to actively master the subject by participating in group discussions and collaborating online with other students.

IC GOES HYBRID It dawned very quickly on IC’s administration that investment into hybrid learning is essential - despite the ongoing economic crisis.

“When we realized that we would be in the same situation if not worse for the coming year,” said Peinado, “we appealed to the board.”

Would they support the rather sizable investment?

The board quickly approved the budget allocated, and the necessary devices were procured. Operation ‘Hybrid IC’ was ready to be launched.

PROS AND CONS OF ONLINE EDUCATION As they say, nothing is perfect.

Among the pros are collaborative learning experiences, better communication, self-reliant students, flexibility, and a time-saver. An exciting pro is the opportunity to do online projects with students from other schools in other countries, “an open group work,” said Peinado, adding that another significant plus is the apparent calm in nursery students who arrived at IC tear-

Courtesy of Adrienne Hedger, www.HedgerHumor.com

At first, the aim was straightforward.

We all have – or can purchase - top technological devices and software. Put them to work. Let’s finish off the year.

IC, like the rest of its sister schools, did just that. The school was well prepared for the unforeseen thanks to the October revolution that forced many schools to shut down early last year. IC quickly implemented a Virtual Learning Environment, which involved intensively training teachers to use the latest web tools and stay up to par with their digital native students. And so it was that teachers and students automatically took their places behind their screens, and learning continued.

As COVID-19 showed no signs of vanishing, reopening of schools seemed highly improbable. As early as May, educators began toying with the concept of a hybrid education.

“International schools started creating teams. Each school was coming out with its own policies and procedures,” said Peinado. “We shared the measures and standards. There was really a lot of information going back and forth. We agreed that the only way forward was to go hybrid.”

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free. They had already met their teachers online and were very excited to see them in person finally.

The cons are: over-dependence on technology, instability of the electricity and wifi in Lebanon, the lack of teacher control over students (the reality is that students could easily snooze, play online games, or watch Netflix during the sessions), the ease of cheating during tests, and mainly “the fact that kids are missing the social aspect,” said Peinado.

“The social-emotional development of the student is an important aspect of schooling.”

AN ARCHAIC EDUCATION? Many in the world of education have long called for a change in the schooling system. In his 2001 essay, Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Marc Prensky – a writer and speaker who first coined the term ‘digital natives’ – argued that “students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.”

It was a call that got much attention, and indeed many schools, including IC, took many small steps towards the needed change.

“But in only a few months, we (global educators) were able to do what would have taken years to accomplish under normal circumstances,” said Peinado.

LEBANON, OH LEBANON Students could understandably be rattled between a revolution, an economic crisis, a pandemic, and an explosion.

“Yes, it’s bad, but it’s also our chance as IC to get creative and evolve,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Paula Mufarrij. “The question is: how can we go beyond?”

The answer came quite directly from the Danielson Framework for Teaching model that IC adopted last year.

“Many of our recommendations to

prioritize family engagement and student wellbeing are applicable in all contexts during this time,” stated the 2020 Danielson Group Framework for remote teaching.

Let’s do just that, thought Mufarrij and called on counselors and administrators to map the locations of students’ homes – especially those living in the vicinity of the August 4 blast, which killed almost 200 people, injured hundreds, and left thousands homeless.

Over the next few days, Mufarrij and the counselors called hundreds of families to check on the students and their families’ wellbeing. (Sadly, a few children were found in hospitals – all have now recuperated. Tragically, some lost parents or close family members).

“If we didn’t reach out and tell our families that we care, then we could not possibly have started this new adventure together operating under so much stress and pressure,” she said. “So the way we evolved was by creating this very strong sense of community.”

As the country’s problems increased, Mufarrij asked the Human Resources Department to map teachers’ homes. Just in case.

“We need to know where everyone lives,” she said, “so we know where to reach out as quickly as possible and provide the necessary support.”

THE BRAINWAVE Call it what you want, but it seemed like a premonition. During the October revolution, IC administrators had an epiphany of sorts. A brainwave.

“We realized that we couldn’t cover the curriculum in its minute details anymore,” said Mufarrij. “This crisis had become our new normal. We may not be able to continue with our curriculum. So we made a decision: we go back to basics. Let’s map the curriculum.”

This meant going through every subject and extracting the major ideas and concepts. From there, teachers deduced the needed skills that students needed to acquire to grasp those main ideas. In other words, rote memory is out. Research skills, tutorials, YouTube videos, webinars are in – otherwise known as flipped learning.

Only a few days into the revolution, IC launched its Virtual Learning. 4 Environment (VLE). Its efforts in training the teachers in technology tools paid off: lessons continued as usual. The brainwave was IC’s saving grace when

4- A part of active engagement schooling, flipped learning centers on the idea that students learn more effectively using class time for small group activities after listening to recorded lectures or whatnot at home.

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only five months later, COVID-19 hit and mayhem prevailed in many schools, IC simply slipped into familiar territory.

On Friday, schools were suspended. On Tuesday, IC was fully operational - online.

Teachers and students automatically took their places across their computers. It was school as usual.

TEACHERS: THE COURAGEOUS SOULS ON THE FRONT LINE At the end of the day, the brunt of the work falls on the shoulders of teachers who are acutely aware that these new systems’ success relies on them. The pressure is understandably on. There is no place for camera-shy teachers.

“It’s not easy for teachers to face the camera and find a way to express their ideas,” said Mufarrij, “and on top of it, parents are more than ever witnesses.”

For example, online teaching did not come naturally to Ain Aar elementary school instructor, Rosemary Assemaani. Timid at first, it took her time to warm up to the camera. “But day after day, I got used to it and felt more comfortable, especially because I was becoming more of an expert in the field of technology.

And of course, knowing that parents were watching me was unnerving, especially at the beginning of the year, because they didn’t know me yet, and I felt like I was being judged.”

Ras Beirut middle school teacher Hania Abu Rihan, actually enjoys having parents join in the lessons. “They can witness their children’s behavior first hand,” she said. “Some are not the angels they seem to be!”

Both teachers report a challenge in keeping their students’ attention. While Abu Rihan relies on “breakout rooms and popcorn questions” to keep them focused, Assemaani is continuously thinking of activities where her young students have to think, research, listen, ask questions, and give opinions.

In secondary school, Marina Baltikian reported that although she has now adjusted to online teaching, it definitely requires more up-front work. Furthermore, getting students to engage in online learning is proving to be a challenge.

“Virtual environments have the potential to be cold and mechanical,” she explained.

“I try to incorporate humor to make the e-learning experience more fun. I try to incorporate direct interaction as often as possible. Moreover, students must be constantly encouraged to actively

participate, since they are at home, in their comfort zones.”

While appreciative of the technology, all three teachers are longing for the return of face-to-face classes.

Technically speaking, teachers’ training in technology began ten years ago when IC integrated IT into its classrooms. Then hundreds of ‘old’ teachers in Ras Beirut and Ain Aar (“old” defined as anyone born in the pre-internet era or in other words, over the age of 20) went through a series of intensive workshops to learn to deal with the latest web tools. As those tools evolved, so did the training. In fact, the last workshop was held just before the October revolution broke out last year. With the spread of COVID, the workshops continue through webinars and Zoom sessions.

“It’s not just about technology,” said Mufarrij, “teachers learn the right way to address the camera, how to get the attention of the kids through visuals, how to speak, how to pronounce things, how to smile. It’s a whole series of training.”

As a result, Mufarrij reported that most teachers had shifted easily into the online and hybrid system.

FUTURE OF EDUCATION AT IC: CAN WE EVER GO BACK TO TRADITIONAL? “We are IC, we have to go beyond,” said Mufarrij. “That is what excellence means.

So the question is: what are we going to do to keep on the path of excellence?”

One thing is for sure: going back to traditional teaching is unfathomable.

“Our students have become free learners,” said Mufarijj. “Technology has become deeply ingrained in the lessons.

Our kids now expect feedback, not lectures. Our curriculum has changed. It could never go back.”

In short, COVID has inadvertently produced students who progressively became owners of their learning. A teacher’s role has shifted from imparting knowledge to their students to facilitating their learning through research, discussions, and collaborative work.

“These are skills that we want students to acquire,” said Peinado. “Kids are becoming active agents of their own learning and have more power.

We will capitalize on that.”

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SAVING THE SURSOCK PALACE

In a split second, it all went wrong.

Still, the dark wrought iron gates on the tree-lined Sursock street open wide. For those who want to comprehend. For those who wish to mourn. It was the ultimate blow. The destruction of the Sursock Palace.

The stately palace stood no chance.

Its majestic open perch on an Ashrafieh hilltop gave the blast wave full permission to wreak havoc. Ironically, it was its verdant location that pushed Moussa Dimitri Sursock, a wealthy bourgeoisie merchant, to build his home among the fruit groves of Ashrafieh in the middle of the 19th century. Like many other wealthy Greek Orthodox families, he wanted to abandon Beirut’s city life and settle in the ‘countryside.’ It took seventeen years, but by 1870, Sursock Palace, with its spacious

Photos courtesy of Roderick Cochrane

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lush green garden, was finally completed.

Moussa moved in with his wife, three sons, and five daughters.

Since then, the palace walls quietly witnessed an avalanche of events. It saw the rise and establishment of the Sursock family among the highest circles of both the Ottoman and European political elites, and in fact, several Sursock family members held high positions in the Ottoman government. In time, the Sursock family adopted the style and manners of the French bourgeoisie. Many Sursock offspring ended up marrying into the aristocratic circles of Europe.

By the end of the 19th century, the family had reached the peak of their influence and were recognized as great merchants. Many business deals were most likely conducted in the palace, followed by lavish dinners. Despite the rapid decline

of the Sursock dynasty during the French mandate, the house continued to witness Lebanese and European social elites frequenting its doors.

In 1946, Yvonne Sursock, the only child of Alfred Sursock and his Italian wife, Donna Maria Teresa Serra di Cassano, married Sir Desmond Cochrane, 3rd Baronet, an army officer in the British army and the Honorary Consul-General of Ireland for Syria and Lebanon, earning her the title of ‘Lady.’ Lady Cochrane would eventually inherit the Sursock Palace and bring up her four children on its grounds. It was a glamorous lifestyle.

The family entertained lavishly. In his book, writer Philippe Jullian, published a book called The Snob Spotter’s Guide in 1958, saying that “if you want to be a really glamorous jet-setter, you had to have breakfast with the Maharaja of Jaipur, lunch with Desmond and Lady Cochrane in Beirut, and dinner with the Duchess of Alba in Seville.”

Recognizing the need to preserve the quickly disappearing historical homes of Lebanon, she founded the Association pour la Protection des Sites et Anciennes Demeures (APSAD), gathering famous Lebanese architects in her home and leading many campaigns and protests against the widespread demolition of old buildings. Her work came to an abrupt stop as the civil war erupted and claimed the palace itself as one of its victims. The Cochrane children dispersed, but Lady Cochrane stayed behind to defend the palace. (Sir Desmond passed away in 1979).

The palace survived. In 1997, Roderick Cochrane, one of Yvonne Sursock’s four children, returned to his childhood home with his American bride, Mary. The couple took up residence on the upper floor of the Sursock palace, still in shambles from the civil war days.

As luck would have it, Mary is an interior designer, and together, they threw themselves into restoring the palace. It looked hopeless at first. Unfazed, the couple began working. Many surprises awaited them. As they stripped away the paint, mesmerizing original colors appeared. An even bigger surprise was in store: attics that stored dozens of artifacts covered with layer upon layer of dust. Among them was a pair of 2.8m by 2.6m Gilbert paintings dating from 1891, wrapped in newspapers from 1903, and buried under rubble from wartime shelling. The paintings were thought to have been obtained by Roderick’s great grandfather Moussa Sursock himself. But

Roderick and Mary Sursock Cochrane would like to thank all IC students who showed up to their home after the blast with brooms, gloves, shovels, and especially their smiles. “They lifted our spirits and were very helpful,” said Mary.

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there was more: chandeliers, shattered into hundreds of pieces, were painstakingly reassembled, and lamps, tiles, photographs, brassware, and mirrors. Also uncovered were dozens of old photos and painted portraits of people dressed in turn of the century clothing posing in the various parts of the palace. The portraits were carefully hung all over the palace walls. In a crate, sealed for 90 years, lay 15 panes of turn-of-the-century stained windows from Belgium – soon installed in the reception room. Several 19th-century trunks revealed all sorts of fabric, neatly folded with mothballs – aptly turned into curtains for the palace’s windows.

Finally, the palace was officially returned to its former glory – all of it refurbished in 19th-century furnishings. It was as if time had stood still. Only the gentle hissing sounds of the air conditioners and the warm lighting throughout the palace gave away the 21st century.

In 2002, the palace saw the birth of Ariana Sursock Cochrane ’20.

The vast garden was turned into an events venue. The income was used to support the upkeep of the mansion.

In July, a celebration was held in the garden. Ariana had turned 18.

August 4th .

There was nothing ominous that day.

Roderick had left the palace. He had an appointment outside. Mary went to the

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balcony facing the harbor, intrigued by the first blast. Ariana was in her bedroom.

Lady Cochrane was downstairs in her home. At 98, she was remarkably nimble on her feet.

6:07 pm.

Only Ariana escaped uninjured. Both Lady Cochrane and Mary spent time in hospital.

Sursock Palace, the country’s 19thcentury landmark, was destroyed. The level of destruction was ten times worse than the destruction of the civil war. A hundred and fifty years’ worth of history was obliviated. It was a shocking blow to the entire Lebanese nation.

On August 31, Lady Cochrane passed away. She never knew the extent of damage to her beloved palace.

In a split second, it all went wrong.

Post the blast a decision was taken to open the palace as a private museum. It is estimated that its restoration will cost several million dollars. To raise the necessary funds, Roderick and Mary Cochrane have launched a fundraising campaign. If interested in helping to restore the landmark palace, please contribute to: Bank Audi SAL Tabaris Account : 00088405-0004 Currency : LBP IBAN LB50 0056 0000 0000 0008 8405 0004

Account :00088405-0010 Currency : USD IBAN LB82 0056 0000 0000 0008 8405 0010 BIC: AUDBLBBX

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IRADA Economic Dinner in 2018. IRADA Board Members: Abussamii Al Sharif, Abdallah Shahine, Jamil Mekawi, Malek Chaar ‘95, Reem Beydoun ‘01, Assem Nawam, Muhieddine Doughan, Omar Debs ‘85, Mazen Shbaro, Bassem Bawab ‘93, Amir Kataranji, Hassan Attar

IRADA, the will to rise again

The name fits too well. Irada, the will.

The will to survive. The will to rise again. It seemed only natural for IRADA to assist in the fundraising efforts to rebuild the broken city.

When Assem Nawam ’87, managing director at Powertech, cofounded the NGO seven years ago, the ‘will’ to rise again did not even cross his mind. Why would it? It was well before an economic crisis gripped the country, a pandemic engulfed the world, and a catastrophic Beirut blast destroyed a large part of the city, killing almost 200 people, injuring thousands, and displacing hundreds.

Back then, the idea was to get a group of experienced business people together, form an NGO, and allow them to benefit from each other’s experiences while simultaneously supporting society.

They called it IRADA. In English, it translates to the Federation of Businessmen for Support and Development. But it sounds much better in Arabic: the will. This will was first tested earlier this year with the onset of the economic crisis. As the Lebanese pound tumbled and prices and inflation soared, many businesses across the country began shutting down. IRADA rallied. Its members – all 239 of them were determined to face the economic challenge. They got together. Some capitals merged. IRADA businesses continued.

At this point, the choice was clear: turn

a blind eye, leave, or help the country survive.

Option number one would go against every grain of IRADA’s motto: Happiness comes from giving and not taking.

Option number two was unfathomable: Quitting. “I am not leaving this country even if I am the last man in Lebanon,” said Nawam.

Ricardo Hosri, Assem Nawam ’87,

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That left option number 3: help the country survive.

If there’s a will, there is a way. And there was a will.

IRADA turned to its self-funded reserves. So far, their ‘coffer’ has been able to launch and fund many programs since its inception. Fortunately, since the epidemic hit last March, members increased their donations allowing IRADA to boost its social programs.

The first was ‘Khoubourat,’ a human resource program aimed at matching job seekers with employers and assisting candidates in their curriculum vitae writing, career guidance, and skills enhancement – all free of charge. An agreement with Bayt.com (a leading job site in the Middle East and North Africa) gives candidates the needed exposure.

The idea was to match the right person with the right job, but “if we find that the candidates miss a specific skill which would prevent them from landing the job, we train them in that specific skill,” said Nawam.

In one month alone, the Khoubourat program made 22 placements within the IRADA and non-IRADA network – despite the economic crises.

Shortly after, IRADA launched another program: Tafawak. This was explicitly aimed towards granting students’ interestfree university loans starting in the second year. “These students are the country’s future,” said Nawam. “No one should leave university because of the inability to pay

Hady Nahas, Fouad Rahme

fees. That’s when we interfere.”

Perhaps the most crucial of all at present is the ITHRAA program, where small to medium businesses are granted interest-free loans to assist them in starting-up or expanding their businesses. With the dire economic crises only worsening, IRADA sees an avalanche of applications from firms about to shut down. Since it is impossible to finance every venture, IRADA often turns to non-financial ways, such as mergers, strategic planning, financial advice, or providing the right networking connections. “We help them find a way to keep going,” said Nawam.

As long as there’s a will.

But IRADA can’t stop there.

The need is just too great.

When Corona first reared its ugly head in March, members donated around 300m LL towards hospitals to help them battle the disease – and provided its own IRADA physician members to assist in consultations.

Then, in April, Dar El Fatwa and IRADA, with 17 other NGOs, launched a telethon, the Ramadan Unified Donation Campaign, to collect Zakat (obligatory tax required of Muslims) and other donations for underprivileged families. In eight hours, they managed to collect 8 billion LL. But their biggest test of a ‘will’ came on August 22, when IRADA, along with RDCL (Rassemblement de Dirigeants et Chefs d’entreprise Libanais), launched “Kulluna LiBeirut” – a televised fundraising campaign to help rebuild schools and homes in the blast area. By the end of the day, they had raised 8.5 billion LL – distributed to various NGOs. “It’s what we stand for,” explained Nawam, “A will to help and be there for our communities. It’s our duty.”

But IRADA’s duties are far from over.

Members are now debating a new project: a self-sustainable agricultural initiative to keep farmers on their land proudly plowing their ancestral soils.

“When successful business people collaborate, they can have a strong impact on their societies and be of great service to their communities,” said Nawam. “This is what IRADA is all about.”

For more info about IRADA and its programs, go to http://irada.org.lb/

Assem Nawam

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JobsForLebanon.com: let them earn fresh dollars The idea was quite simple: let them earn fresh dollars. Thus, the birth of JobsForLebanon.com, an employment platform that allows the Lebanese diaspora to post jobs, primarily freelanced or outsourced, destined for job seekers in Lebanon.

“We ex-pats were feeling helpless,” said Roy Baladi ‘01, the founder of JobsForLebanon.com, who lives in San Francisco “at first, we were filled with hope with the Lebanese revolution, then the banks go bankrupt and everyone’s money was trapped.”

Lebanon is in the midst of unprecedented economic crises, a currency that has lost almost 80% of its value, and hyperinflation prices for necessities. The pandemic ignited the further collapse of the Lebanese economy. Compounded to that is the Port blast, which killed almost 200, injured thousands, and displaced hundreds.

Shortly after the Lebanese pound collapsed, Baladi received a call from a friend who worked as a venture capitalist.

Her LinkedIn account and email were inundated with messages from Lebanese asking for jobs. The messages were all from highly educated people. “If these people are in so much despair, then what about the rest of the country?” she told Baladi.

“There should be a global campaign for the diaspora to hire Lebanese.”

Of course! He thought that is precisely what we need. It so happened Baladi was working for SmartRecruiters – a recruiting software company that helps managers and recruiters optimize and digitize the hiring process, including recruiting candidates, screening CVs, and sending out offer letters. Since COVID-19 had hit the globe, many employers depended on remote work. The timing was perfect.

Together with a few friends, Baladi created a small team – 10 altogether. But the question was, could they possibly reach and rally the global diaspora to hire the Lebanese back home? Could they put together a product where potential employers and employees can connect?

There was one way to find out, and so he put out a call to all Lebanese diaspora – about 16 million worldwide: Help Lebanon by giving Lebanese remote jobs back in the homeland. Let them earn fresh dollars.

Seeing an overwhelming interest in the project, Baladi and his team got to work.

Powered by SmartRecruiters, the website went under construction as a complete recruiting product to create jobs, receive applications, send offers, and hire people.

“With this job portal, we began creating links with all existing initiatives, and scaling from there,” explained Baladi.

For advertising, the team created a video clip. But somehow, the video leaked, went viral, accidentally marking the launch date as March 10, six days ahead of schedule “Forget the communication plan that we had prepared!” laughed Baladi. “Now, we had to see what happens.”

What happened was overwhelming. In one month alone, 30,000 people from 131 countries visited the website. One hundred fifty jobs were posted, and 1323 candidates applied. Eight got hired: Three Arabic teachers, a writer, a salesperson, a listings manager, an environmental scientist, and a product manager. Social media hits went from 0 to 3500 followers on the Instagram page and from 0 to 1400 fans on Facebook.

“We had somehow created a movement,” said Baladi. “And more and more people were joining this movement.”

Seeing the instant success, the team built a social calendar, content strategy, visuals,

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and posting approach. Potential partners began to emerge, including the Beirut Digital District, AUB, UNICEF, LIFE, Lebnet, Shaker, Linkedin, and Alfanar.

Eight months later, JobsForLebanon. com registered 105,000 hits from 176 countries, 1075 jobs from around the globe, more than 8134 candidate applications, and hundreds hired or in active hiring processes. Jobs for Lebanon launched an ambassador program, and the team of 10 volunteers swelled to 80 from various parts of the globe. Among the members are IC graduates, Lea Hakim ‘99, Edwin Baladi ‘04, and Gloria Tahhan ‘05.

JobsForLebanon.com was officially registered as a US nonprofit NGO. “A lawyer contacted us and told us we should register as a nonprofit NGO,” said Baladi amused. “So we said sure, go ahead.”

Not even a year later, JobsForLebanon. com boasts a board of directors, marketing growth and product, human resources, and legal departments.

“It’s just amazing to sit on a call and see all these Lebanese professionals from Argentina to Australia to the Ivory Coast to the US, Canada, Europe, all speaking in Arabic, English, and French,” said Baladi. “It’s a bit of a nightmare finding the right time to call, but effectively

JobsForLebanon.com never sleeps.”

Today, almost 1000 jobs have been posted.

“Jobs for Lebanon is a gift to anyone in Lebanon looking for work,” added Baladi.

“It’s scalable to the point of creating an alternate economy. It puts our skills to work and brings in fresh money. But it’s also a group effort: it needs everyone to join as a candidate or an employer to meet its promise.”

When the explosion hit on August 4, JobsForLebanon.com, in partnership with the Lebanon Relief Working Group, organized a relief effort that secured $12.7 million. Baladi was in Beirut at the time and found himself at the scene transporting the injured to hospitals. The horrific experience only intensified his determination to keep JobsForLebanon.com going.

“My heart aches so much for Lebanon,” said Baladi, “even with Jobs for Lebanon in place.

But Jobs for Lebanon gives me genuine hope that we can have better days. I feel good, and we’re just getting started.”

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Zeina Dammous Nahas, Joumana Dammous Salamé, Nouhad Dammous, Randa Dammous Pharaon

The Guru of Hospitality: Nouhad Dammous

If his father had his way, Nouhad Dammous ‘51 would be a physician right now. But fortunately, Providence interfered, and Dammous’s name became synonymous with hospitality. He is no other than the country’s first hotel school founder – a pioneer in the Arab region.

Today, at 87, his ideas continue to flow enthusiastically, perhaps in a slightly different direction, but still in the realm of the hospitality world he had created in his youth.

It was his eldest daughter, Joumana, who had opened the door to the exciting domain of event management. The father-daughter duo made waves when they launched HORECA in 1993. It became the largest annual meeting place for the hospitality and food services industries – heralding in an era of highly successful events, including the Garden Show, Beirut Cooking Festival, Wine Lab, Hospitality Salon Culinaire, and Salon Du Chocolat. Over 18,000 trade visitors attended every year. So successful was HORECA that the brand name was franchised-out to KSA, Kuwait, and Jordan and more in the pipeline and three online - magazine platforms serving the industry: Hospitality News ME, Taste & Flavors, and Lebanon Traveler His wife, Claude (who passed away three years ago), and two other daughters joined

in. And so it was that the Dammous clan continued to preside over the kingdom of hospitality – slowly building up a highly competent team who would serve them for the next 20 years (and ongoing).

As he sat in his Dekwane office, once a humble paternal home quickly expanded into three floors back in the 1990s, Dammous proudly gestured towards his daughter.

Ironically, it was she who hounded him into allowing her to enter the hospitality sector.

“It’s not for you,” replied her father. “It’s a day and night job.”

But she was relentless. Finally, the LAU business graduate was sent off to the US to train in management in the Hyatt Regency hotel. She returned with enthusiastic ideas on event management. And not on a small scale either.

She had long put together two plus two: a guru of hospitality with a wide range of contacts and a young graduate with novel ideas can only lead to triumph. She was right.

“Hospitality always gets back up on its feet,” said Joumana. “The best way was to have a series of conferences. Let’s get the heads of institutions together, network, and discuss their products.”

Dammous looked warmly at his

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daughter.

Perhaps Dammous had recognized his own zeal for the hospitality world in her. For didn’t he, too, at a young age, get captivated with a world that he would eventually revolutionize?

He can still vividly remember his first employer telling him to “think of a job in which you will invest 18 hours a day but which will make you happy.” He was then in Saudi Arabia working for the Trans Arabian Pipeline Company and thinking of continuing his studies in finance. “Are you happy working in the business world then?” had asked his boss.

The young Dammous was quick to shrug his shoulders. “No,” he replied. He reflected. His current job at the company was to organize housing and meals for hundreds of Tapline employees. No, it wasn’t the finance world that he liked. He suddenly knew what he wanted.

His boss’s advice would be a turning point in his life. He wanted to become a hotelier.

He searched for a top hotel school and found one in the US. The Lewis Hotel Training School in Washington, DC. It was a prestigious, highly popular school, the only one of its kind boasting a Hotel Training Course, a Hotel Accountancy course, and a Cookery course. Most important, it offered a correspondence program. For the next three years, he studied by correspondence. Today, the Lewis training books (considered historically rare) are proudly displayed in his office. To improve his English skills, he also took English lessons by correspondence with a school in London.

When Saudi officials got wind of it, they immediately recruited him to teach the Company’s Saudi employees English. It was then that Dammous discovered his second passion: teaching.

After graduating from the Lewis Hotel Training School in 1954, Dammous was offered a scholarship to study hospitality in Germany. It was the chance he had been waiting for. Bidding his Saudi friends goodbye, he settled in Heidelberg.

But in 1955, the most devastating news reached him: his beloved father suddenly died from a stroke. Dammous rushed back to Beirut. At the age of 22, he was now responsible for his mother and sister. He ached for his father, terribly. Did he do wrong by not following his father’s heed and studying medicine? But a medical degree would have taken years to complete, and Dammous had not the patience.

He wanted to earn a living as soon as possible and help his father with their living expenses. A lawyer at the Lebanese

Customs, his father was barely making ends meet – especially after he insisted that his only son study at IC. At the memory of his alma mater, Dammous smiled fondly.

“Ah, IC,” he recalled. “The best days of my life. I would catch the tramway every day from Ashrafieh to the Bourj (Martyr’s Square). Then catch another tramway to the school. IC gave me my character.”

But now, what was he to do? His father’s voice resonated in his head. “Succeed, everything you do, do it with success.

Never accept anything less.”

Determined to continue what he started, Dammous spent the next two years interning at various top hotels in Switzerland, France, and Istanbul. He simultaneously completed his Diploma in Hospitality Management from Heilderberg – effectively making him the first Lebanese to graduate from an international hotel management institute. His thoughts, however, remained in Lebanon so much so that one sunny day while in Switzerland, he and a fellow Lebanese friend went around sticking small stickers on unsuspecting parked cars stating “Lebanon: Land of Sunshine and Beauty.”

In 1957, he returned to Lebanon, where upon arrival, the Ministry of National Education contacted him. It seems the Swiss national who ran the governmentowned hotel school – established only a

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few years earlier in 1951 - had left. Would Dammous take over as director?

Excited, the 24-year old Dammous rushed to inform his grandfather of the offer. “That’s it?” said his grandfather angrily. “This is what you want to become?

A ‘ashi’ (cook)?”

But Dammous saw a great future ahead and accepted the ministry’s offer. On the first day of work, he quickly grasped the less-than-desirable situation: 40 students and almost all had chosen to study the hotel business simply because it offered room and board.

That’s it. No passion. There were no programs either. The building itself was square and austere.

Still, Dammous was raptured.

With a magnanimous vision that only the very young can muster, he set to work. First on his list was a new building. And so he marched into the government’s Construction Department and stood squarely in front of its manager, Mohamad Raad. “What is this hospitality school that you want me to run?” he said. “It is merely a room, a kitchen, and not more. It doesn’t have any of the requirements needed for students even to gain the very basic knowledge of the industry.”

Raad must have been impressed with this outspoken young man, for he promptly sent him to inspect a building site in Dekwaneh.

“The government is erecting a building there,” he said. “Go see if it is suitable for a hotel school.”

Dammous immediately went over and saw the beginnings of a square unimaginative cement

building. He promptly returned to Raad.

“This will not do,” he said. “What we need is a building purposely built as a hotel, with various departments with classes to learn the theory and labs to apply them.”

Raad sent after the well-known architect Assem Salam. “This is Mr. Dammous,” said Raad. “Kindly work with him to change the blueprint of the building. It is now to be a hotel school.”

A year later, the École Hôtelière in Dekwaneh was completed – except for electricity and water networks. Those came six months later – after the students moved to their new school. Many of those first students Dammous had recruited personally as he went from school to school in various villages meeting students. Still, the campus looked barren to Dammous. And then it came to him: what he loved most about arriving at IC during his boyhood was the greenery that welcomed him to the campus. The next day, Dammous showed up with dozens of tree shoots and planted them together with students and faculty.

Meanwhile, Dammous had immersed himself into creating a new curriculum - widely based on his education and experiences abroad. Foremost on his list was the establishment of a student-run restaurant. His idea was straightforward and, in those days, considered Avantguard: allowing students to apply their newly acquired theories on real customers.

He went on to establish the Lebanese Brevet Hotelier, Lebanese Baccalaureate Hotelier, Technician Superior Hotelier, and the Hotel training modules. The Ministry of Education frowned. “You want to give ‘ashes’ (cooks) baccalaureate degrees?”

He explained in vain that the business of hospitality was not about ‘ashes.’ The ministry finally acquiesced.

The École Hôtelière made waves in the Arab world. It was the first school of its kind. Hospitality managers worldwide arrived to convene and exchange ideas in the school’s huge conference room. The school’s students served all. In a few short years, 800 students – all handpicked by Dammous – entered the school’s doors.

The hotel and restaurant’s reputation was so successful that the Ministry of Tourism asked him to organize, furnish and manage the resthouses of Saida, Tyre, Jeita with the students and prepare the opening of the resthouse of Tripoli and Arida.

At the request of the Ministry of Education, he also assisted in opening hotel schools in Jordan, Cyprus, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia

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By now, the golden days of Lebanon had begun.

Dubbed as “The Paris of the Middle East,” Beirut became known as a glamourous and cosmopolitan city.

The city flourished as an intellectual and financial hub and a favorite tourist destination. Luxury five-star hotels dotted the beaches. A variety of nightclubs and fancy restaurants catered to the wealthy and were often frequented by foreign celebrities. Local cafes became hubs of debates and good-natured arguments. The St. George Hotel opened in 1934, hosted many celebrities, including Brigitte Bardot, Omar Sheriff, Peter O’Toole, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton. British double agent Kim Philby often drank at its bar.

The best international and local stars performed at the Casino du Liban, a short drive up the coast. By the mid-1960s, Beirut had become known as a glamourous playground for the rich and famous. It was the pinnacle of hospitality.

The École Hôtelière could barely keep up with the local demand, and moreover, Arab countries were sending their youngsters to the school. The École even attracted a visit from Cornell University officials, a US institution renowned for its hospitality program.

In 1972, to guarantee the Hotel School’s continued success, Dammous convinced the Minister of Education to grant a scholarship to two graduating students to replace him at his eventual retirement. (The students went off to study at Cornell University and came back to Lebanon, but unfortunately, because of the civil war, they were not hired by the ministry. After a year, they went back to the US and became well known in the hotel industry).

In 1975, the country’s golden years ended abruptly. The École Hôtelière was attacked and raided. Dammous, now married with three daughters, moved to France.

A year later, he returned. His zeal for hospitality in Lebanon rejuvenated. In 1980, he established the Hospitality Institute to consult and assist hotels and restaurants in Lebanon and Arab Countries. In 1982, he was appointed as advisor of the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism. Meanwhile, he continued running a semblance of the École Hôtelière under the dire circumstances and the few salvaged equipment.

At the end of the war, the YMCA donated enough money to rehabilitate the École, and Dammous added a higher degree.

Soon after, however, Dammous retired but continued to climb and indeed reign over the hospitality world, earning him a series of prestigious awards, most notably the National Order of the Cedar and the Doctorat Honoris Cosa.

Until this day, Dammous often thinks back to the words of his first boss. The one who inadvertently started him on this exciting journey. “Think of a job in which you will invest 18 hours a day, but which will make you happy,” he had said.

Yes, thought Dammous smiling. It’s been a great job. And the best part is that the job is ongoing. He believes the future can only get better, despite an economic crisis, a pandemic, and a destructive blast that killed almost 200 and injured thousands.

“Hospitality is everywhere now,” he said.

“This difficult period will pass. We have to be patient. There are many good changes ahead.”

Nouhad Dammous with faculty and teachers, 1960

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Life at IC

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during COVID

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Letters to the editor

When I attended IC from 1956-1961, 2nd Secondary students were required to take a woodworking class. We met in a workshop located in the sports building, across from the soccer field. My initial reaction to having to take such a class was one of surprise and amusement; after all, we were all IC students destined to become professionals, so why bother with learning how to cut wood, polish it, stain it, and build elegant looking periscopes with it. I did not appreciate how important that woodworking class was until years later.

After graduating from AUB with a degree in Physics in 1964, I came to the US for graduate study. I completed a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, with emphasis on experimental techniques for designing and building microwave communication systems. As I worked in a lab with complex instruments, I quickly noticed how much faster and easier it was for American students to learn how to operate sophisticated equipment—and to repair them when necessary—than for the foreign students, myself included. The reason was immediately obvious: American kids of that generation grew up fixing cars, building things, and repairing just about anything they could lay their hands on. They learned the skills at the hands of their parents. Working with their hands and operating electrical and mechanical tools was a source of pride, and often paved the way for successful careers. Apple’s creator Steve Jobs is one of many successful American entrepreneurs who started their companies, literally, in their garages.

This was in stark contrast with how “getting your hands dirty” was viewed by most of the rest of the world. I, and many others like me, grew up in an environment where menial work belonged strictly to the lower classes. IC’s attempt at teaching its students that it was OK to get your hands dirty was right on!!

When my wife and I visited the IC campus a few years ago, I looked for that woodworking workshop, but that entire part of the campus looked so different.

Buildings can come and go, but I hope IC’s curriculum continues to think of the whole student, not just purely academic topics.

Fawwaz Ulaby ’61 Leith Distinguished University Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science University of Michigan Pic: IC students group 1961 (I am one of the eight boys in the picture, sitting on the ground in the white shirt)

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In December, the IC alumni office received a letter from an alumnus looking for his teacher. This teacher had taught him English in 1965. After 55 years, the alumnus had something important to tell his former teacher. Did we know how we could contact him?

IC provided the necessary contact. The following is a touching correspondence between a former student, Zakir Siddik ‘72 and teacher, Derick Betts…

Dear Mr. Betts: I have obtained your email address through the IC Alumni Office recently, and wanted to reach out and touch base with you after several decades...

You might remember me from your tenure at IC in 1965/66, as you were my English language teacher in 6A; I had just arrived from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, facing a lot of difficulties in adjusting to my new environment, and of course, being quite ignorant in English language did not make it any easier.

Thanks to your great efforts, together with Mr. Hill, and Mr. Snyder, I was able to score an excellent grade in English at the end of that school year. It saved me from failing and/or leaving IC and changed my life forever! I will never forget how proud you looked on that day in June 1966 !

THANK YOU !!!!

Meanwhile, I pursued my professional and private lives guided by the principles instilled in me during my years at IC, and the spirit that you and your colleagues were kind enough to enlighten my path with.

I got married 37 years ago and I am a proud father of 2 kids (a boy, Sami, who obtained his MSc in Risk Management and Financial Engineering from Imperial College with distinction, and is now heading the Treasury / Balance Sheet Management Unit of HSBC in Bermuda after a tenure of 7 years in Dubai, and a daughter, Samia, who is a Down Syndrome child and won Gold Medal last year during the Special Olympics basketball tournaments, as part of the first Saudi Female Team that participated in such games) and a stepson, Mazen, who is a world-famous Mastering Engineer working presently in Qatar after Australia, Germany, and UK !

Recently, I got the opportunity of placing my thoughts in a book, “Infinite Reflections”, motivated by unprecedented social and personal experiences, coupled with reflecting intensely on many subjects, and formulating some ideas. It is my first attempt at writing a book, and I wanted to share it with a selection of family and friends, but above all, with some persons that I will never forget, and who influenced my life in a major way; you, being one of them, I am being bold to ask you to allow me some time to read my book, share with me your ideas and thoughts, and provide me, if you will, your valuable feedback, that I will be ever so thankful for.

I very much look forward to hearing from you, With best personal warmest regards,

Your Student, Zakir

Dear Zakir, So wonderful to hear from you after all these years - it is so funny that we were both so young back in 1965-66 - me 22 years old and you 11 - and now look at us - I am 77 - a father of 3 girls and a recent grandfather of 3- and you are 66!

Of course I remember you and all the others in English 6A - my favorite students at IC - your email of such kind words about my (and others’) positive impact/influence on you at IC is what every teacher dreams his/her efforts will accomplish after all these years my memory all gets a bit fuzzy on details but what I distinctly remember is what fun we had as a class - everyone was engaged and interested and we had lots of fun and laughs which is what teaching should be all about.

It is touching that you are such a proud father of your children - who all sound exceptional - but would love to hear a bit about your career and your accomplishments. And of course I would love to read your 1st book- impressive accomplishment- congratulations - is the book on Amazon?

The IC Teaching Fellows have had two “reunions” in NYC - one in 2004 and one just this past January - because our IC teaching experience profoundly impacted all our lives we decided in 2004 - led by 3 TF IC Trustees (Messrs Jones, Crawford and DeFord) to establish an IC Teaching Fellows Scholarship Fund with the goal of being able to fund a deserving student’s tuition K-12 - and the purpose of our most recent reunion in January was to raise additional funds to reach our $250,000 target which IC said would be the minimum needed to support tuition for one student K-12 - we fell a bit short of that goal but we will get there one way or another!

But since January, Beirut has had that tragic explosion at the Port and the Lebanese pound has suffered such a horrendous devaluation - I just hope and pray that IC will be able to pull through okay.

At our January reunion, we had 5 TF from 65-66 return: John Jones, Peter Tague, Jay Lavely, Eric Hayden and myself - Tino O’Brien could not make it - do you remember any of these TFs - likewise Larry Snyder was unable to make it either. I am sad to say that we have lost complete track of Kim Hill - none of us have seen or spoken to him since we all left IC. But after our January reunion, we 65 TFs above decided, because of our impactful shared IC experience, to make an effort to stay in touch and we have been having Zoom calls ever since and in the most recent one two weeks ago we pulled in Larry Snyder - and we have another Zoom call scheduled for Thursday! Do you have access to Zoom or WhatsApp in Jeddah?

Thanks so much for reaching out - let’s not lose touch!

All the best Rick

PS at our respective ages, no more Mr Betts!

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Updates

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‘58

‘64

Samir I. Toubassy published his memoir “My Odyssey of Love and Hope” and co-authored with Prof Byron D. Cannon “Symbolism And Folk Imagery” in 2019.

Born in Jaffa, he grew up in Beirut where he studied at the International College and completed his BS at the American University of Beirut 1962. He then received his MBA from the Golden Gate University. In 2009 and 2010, he occupied the Senior Fellow title at Harvard University.

He has previously worked at: The Ford Foundation, AUB as the director of planning and budgeting, UC system, Berkeley, and The Olayan Group (over 35 years as senior executive). Retired, he currently lives in the US.

Raid Ziadeh, the chairman of Areendesign, sent the following message: “To all graduates of 1964, In these turbulent times I hope that my fellow graduates (Class 1964) are all well and coping with the pandemic environment sweeping the world especially in the most affected countries where many of my colleagues live. My best wishes also extend to all the IC family on campus, in Lebanon and worldwide”.

‘60 Nicholas Khairallah sent in the following pic:

‘65 Henry Nasrallah, MD was recently elected as President of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists (AACP).

He is also Editor of 3 journals (Schizophrenia Research, Current Psychiatry and Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatry) and the founder of the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS). He has published 580 scientific articles and 13 books. He has been annually included in the list of Best Doctors in America for 25 consecutive years.

Henry in 1964

Henry in 2020

‘74

Nabil Abboud ‘61, Joe Afeiche ‘62 , Souheil Metni ‘62, Sami Nasr ‘61, Nicolas Khairallah ‘60, Riad Mansour ‘60, Claude Jabr ‘62

Nicholas asks IC students of class 4ème A, 1956 french section, to send the class photos, if available, to nicolaskhairallah@gmail.com or whatsup@ 9613668690.

Bassam Tabshouri has written a rich and inspiring ebook “A Path Called Serenity” that approaches the above questions based on Dostoevsky’s enigmatic statement : “Beauty will save the world”.

“With the current set of rapids which most of us are experiencing globally; the coronavirus lockdown, natural disasters, various turbulent and bloody events, and the uncertainty and fear about the future, how can one find serenity? How can one find joy? How can one keep a positive attitude for this hard life?”, he writes.

The book is packed with wisdom and insights from cultures around the world. It is a multidimensional journey along art, music, and dance via 200 paintings and over 230 links to music and videos.

Updates From reviewers: “This is a beautifully written and very uplifting book on how to cope in difficult times of economic crises, Corona, and other stressful situations we face daily.His offered solutions and wisdom encompass several spiritualities and wisdoms, thus benefiting anyone regardless of faith. Definitely worthwhile to read.” Nadine Bitar, Psychotherapist, Lebanon “His timing is ideal because as a result of Covid-19, therapists are swamped with clients who are having a difficult time coping and finding their sense of direction.”

Comment from USA For more info check www.solemndolphin.com

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‘83 Naaman Atallah has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Nakheel property developer. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the real estate sector in the Middle East and India, through key leadership positions at Dubai Properties, Emaar, Qatari Diar, and Piramal Realty in India.

‘85 Faysal Badran, partner of CdR Capital, lives in Dubai with his wife and son.

‘07 Rana Ockaili is currently a Software Engineer at Facebook, Ireland.

“Going to IC was a blessing, and it prepared me for the rest of my life and led me to where I am today. I have been so blessed to have been brought up by the IC family. IC was part of the journey that landed me my dream job. I want to thank everyone who was part of that journey and tell future generations to be proud of being an IC student and to enjoy every second of it because it will be over in a blink of an eye. All my love to my fellow alumni and future alumni.”

‘17

‘80 Rana Zeine ‘80 currently teaches cancer biology, microbiology, and immunology courses by remote at KEAN University in New Jersey. She was interviewed about my recently published article on a study that she conducted with her medical students while at Saint James School of Medicine: “Akinyemi E., Randhawa, G., Longoria, V. and ZEINE, R. Medical Marijuana Effects in Movement Disorders, Focus on Huntington Disease; A Literature Review. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2020, Oct, 23: 389-395. “ https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/jpps/index.php/JPPS/ article/view/30967 https://www.neurologylearningnetwork.com/qas/ huntington-disease-could-medical-marijuana-providesymptomatic-relief

Maher Abdel Samad sent in this photo.

Photo at IC including myself and Andrew Bismar, ‘17 on Feb 20 2017 “Jour de l’independance de la TSM”

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In Memoriam

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A Giant Steps Down: IC mourns the loss of Ali Ghandour It is with great sadness that we announce the passing away of Ali Ghandour ‘50 on August 29, a longtime friend and generous supporter of IC. Only last November, he proudly watched as IC inaugurated the Ali Ghandour Center for Leadership, Diversity and Civic Engagement - a pioneering initiative that offers full scholarships to selected secondary students from marginalized communities and trains them in civic engagement while simultaneously engaging nonscholarship students in community-based learning.

Funded by the Ghandour family, the Center - a first for schools in the Middle East region - would mark Ghandour’s last philanthropic endeavor before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the country entered a state of economic and political turbulence. IC is very proud that his very last act was to pave the way to creating much-needed agents of change in the country.

But then Ghandour was always an agent of change himself. He was an activist who believed that he could change the world. The son of a humble tramway conductor and cobbler, Ghandour was born and raised in Beirut. His father, Ismail, would drive the tramway past the IC gate every day.

He had one dream: for his son, Ali, to attend the school. And so Ismail worked double shifts, and Ali attended IC. A brilliant student, Ali went on to earn an Aeronautical engineering degree from New York University (NYU). In 1954, he joined the Lebanese Civil Aviation Authority as Head of Aviation Safety. Two years later, he joined forces with Carlos Arida to establish LIA, Lebanese International Airways, one of the first private airlines in the Arab World. In 1962, politics compelled him to relocate to Jordan, where King Hussein asked the young entrepreneur to establish a new national airline for the kingdom: ALIA, the Royal Jordanian Airlines.

In addition to his philanthropic work, Ghandour was a champion of education in the Arab world. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of AUB since 1979 and chaired the Advisory Board of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University from 1979 to 1990. He was chairman of the board of the AUB University for Seniors from 2011 to 2016.

During the Lebanese civil war, Ghandour forged an arrangement with leading Jordanian universities to offer seats to 220 outstanding Lebanese students under his sponsorship.

Ghandour received many awards including the Grand Cordons of the Order of Al Nahda of Jordan; Grand Decoration of Honor in Silver with Sash for service to the Republic of Austria; Tanda Kehormatan, Indonesia; Commandeur de l’Ordre National du Merite de la Legion d’Honneur, France; Commendatore dell-Ordine Al Merito della Republica Italiana, Italy; the National Order of the Cedars, Lebanon; the 2014 WAAAUB Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award; and the shield of the International College. He was a board member of the Queen Noor Al-Hussein Foundation, the Royal Endowment for Culture and Education, and the Royal Society of Fine Arts.

Ghandour always credited IC with shaping his character and was eager to give back to his alma mater.

His daughter, Amal, is a longtime member of the school’s Board of Trustees and Chairwoman of the Educational Policy Committee.

Ghandour is also survived by his wife Iltaf, and children Asma, Fadi, Raghida, and Iman.

Ghandour’s strong and lasting legacy will forever be carried by the generations of the Ali Ghandour Center’s graduates as they return to their communities empowered to make impactful changes.

The IC Board of Trustees, administrators, faculty, and staff send their deepest condolences to the Ghandour family.

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We regret to inform you that Mamduha Sbaiti Beidas, the former Director of the Elementary School and recipient of the Medal of Merit from the Ministry of Education, passed away on November 11, 2020 in the United States. Mrs. Beidas is survived by her husband of 59 years, Salah Beidas, her son Samer Beidas ‘80, her daughter Suha Beidas Zehl ‘82, and her 5.

Her family would like to share the following tribute by her daughter Suha.

As Robert Browning said “Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.”

I have so many loving memories of my Mom; if I were to write them all down, it would fill several volumes. I remember her tenderness and her tenacity. I remember her strength and her drive. I remember her patience and her kindness.

But most of all, I remember her unconditional love and her compassion.

My earliest memories of my Mom are her laughter and her beaming smile. Oh, and her singing. She loved Fairuz and she would turn the radio on as soon as she woke up, much to our dismay back then.

One of my most treasured memories is our family trip to Italy in 2013. It was the first time our entire family took a trip together. We rented a villa in the Tuscany hills and had an amazing week. Watching my parents interact and get to know their grandchildren is a memory I will always cherish.

And then there was the professional side of my Mom - Mrs. Beidas as she was known to many.

After graduating from AUB in 1959, She started her career as a teacher at Beit Al Atfal before joining the IC family in October 1969. Her professional career took an unprecedented trajectory for the time. She became the Director of the Elementary School at the Mushref campus for several years before becoming one of the founding members of the Educational Resource Center (ERC), traveling all around the world to deliver teacher training programs, until 1985.

After several years in Abu Dhabi, my parents returned to Beirut in September 1993, where she took over the helm at the Elementary School, becoming its Director until her retirement in September 2004. She truly cared about her students and their well-being. She knew every student by name and loved them like her own children.

Mom’s impact on her family, friends, colleagues, teachers, and generations of IC students is evident in the outpouring of condolences and support our family has received since she passed away. Thank you!

Rest in peace, Mom. You will always, always be in our hearts.

With all our love, Salah, Samer, and Suha

In Memoriam

Goodbye Mrs. Beidas

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In Memoriam

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In loving memory: Dima Abdel Samad Kaiss Dima has always been distinguished and gifted with exceptional moral values, kindness, generosity, wisdom and fairness.

A loving Daughter, Wife, Sister, Friend and most importantly, Mother. She left tragically and too soon, but marked whoever knew her in a special and magical way. She touched so many lives with kindness and compassion.

Dima was elegant, refined, giving, sensitive, soft, yet proud with her head held high, strong and confident.

She graduated from IC and AUB, had great professional opportunities, aspired to be a Mom and was the best mother a child could ever ask for.

On behalf of my mother and our family, we would like to thank each and every one of you who kept us in their prayers and shared our unbearable pain and overwhelming sorrow. We were touched by the immense outpouring of love from so many people across the country and the globe who knew my mother. She truly was larger than life. Many thanks to our IC family and Class of ‘85 for their heartwarming and admirable initiative to honor Mom. Dima has always been and forever will be a proud IC graduate.

We look forward to continuing Dima’s journey, and working with the IC family, Dima’s beloved alma mater, to cherish her eternal memory, instill her values and aspirations for generations to come.

God bless you and your families.

Yasmina Kaiss ‘11 Dima fought for 83 days and held onto life courageously despite her traumatic injuries caused by the Beirut port explosion on August 4 2020. Lebanon does not deserve her, she was larger than life and forever will be.

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We regret to inform you that Imad Bikhazi ‘96, passed away in August 2020. IC staff and faculty send their deepest condolences to the Bikhazi family.

We regret to inform you that Farid Mattar’64 passed away in September 2020. IC staff and faculty send their deepest condolences to the Mattar family.

In Memoriam

We regret to inform you that Teaching Fellow (1966-1967) Edward W. Blatchford, 76, passed away in April 2020 from late stage Parkinson’s Disease and the COVID-19 virus.

In addition to his beloved wife of fifty-two years, Claire (Howell) Blatchford, Ed leaves two daughters. He attended the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, and then entered Yale University as an undergraduate in 1962. He graduated in 1966 with a bachelor’s degree in American Literature.

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! s g n i t e e r G s Season’

“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, Fax: 961 1 367433. Email: alumni@ic.edu.lb 215 Park Avenue South, Suite 1710, New York, NY 10003, U.S.A. Tel. : 212 529 3005, Fax: 212 529 8525. Email: icny@intlcollegeny.com www.ic.edu.lb

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