The Rexonian (October 2012)

Volume VI; Issue 1 October 2012

One Star to Rule Them All

King’s Academy, Manja - Madaba, Jordan

The houses come together for a second year to compete for the Madaba Cup.

By XU ZHAOYING ‘15 Contributing Writer

The King’s Academy Madaba Games are gatherings where both students and faculty members join forces and participate in numerous group activities. These activities are chosen according to individual talent and interest. As a tradition, Madaba games are usually held on the third day of school, and this year is not an exception. Since there are a lot more new Arabic Year students at King’s this year, the Madaba Games was more exciting than ever. The games provided a chance for students to talk to each other and find common interests among themselves. Through these games, students also prepared themselves for the challenges that lay ahead of them this year.

The activities in Madaba Games are roughly separated into three main groups – sports, arts and science. Among them, sport has the greatest variety of activities available of all three. Such sports activities include house games, individual races such as track, and group competitions of soccer, basketball, and volleyball. The house games are another part of the athletic Nihal camels: The most talented and artistic Courtesy of the Communications Department division of Madaba Games, and arguably some of the most fun activities. of them all!

One of the games required team members to carry teammates sitting on a The second part of Madaba Games, which consisted of the arts, was bench across the field. Another one consisted of a team walking through held in the auditorium in front of the entire school community. The various the field while carrying dripping sponges. These games were not only enjoyevents, including skits, musical performances, a baking competition, and a able, but also promoted cooperation in the process. In fact, not only the house games but all of the events of Madaba Games, whether it was sports funny hair competition, filled the agenda. The baking competition consisted of talented student chefs, who baked delicious cupcakes with unique recior arts, encouraged teamwork. pes, and spokespersons, who passionately advertised their team’s concoctions. The funny hair competition comprised of representatives from each house expressing the theme of world peace through their creative and hilarious hair styles. After these two competitions followed the performing arts events, which consisted of the house musical performances and skits. Nihal, whose skit contrasted the Nihal lifestyle with other dorms’, won first place in unanimous consent of the judges.

After the final round, Nihal won this year’s Madaba Games with a landslide of 70 points. Regardless of the winner, The Madaba Games successfully ignited the new busy school year, and together with the atmosphere of Arabic Year, it was definitely a wonderful start of the year.

Boys Will Be Boys Michael Thompson visits King’s Academy, causes mixed feelings.

Courtesy of the Communications Department

By Talal Toukan ‘13 News sub-editop

Table of Contents Pages 10-11 Page 2

Aviselle Diaz’s story

SPORTS

NEWS

Pages 3-4 OPINION

Page 5 WORLD

Page 6-7 ARABIC

Contemporary Arabic Music The Dining Hall’s New Staff Arabic Year students The Syrian Revolts iPhone 5 US Presedential Elections

!‫فلتنظر أمامك ؟‬ ‫اللغة العربية في مدرستنا‬ ‫ في الذاكرة‬... ‫املرحوم أحمد الطراونة‬

Pages 12-13 LIFE

Pages 14-15 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Pages 16 FUN

Mr. Tommy at the Olympics Coach of the Issue: Mr. Matt Jordan vs. Australia Invisible Boundaries King’s at Oxford The King’s Academy Prom A Personal Experience with General Tommy Franks Facebook Etiquette Recommended Songs & Books Mashrou’ Leila Dating Advice from Teachers The Zodiac The Scandal

On Thursday October the 4th, the school had the pleasure of taking some time out of the day to hear about how women were outperforming men in high schools all around the world.

Even worse for the boys in the audience, the man to break it the news was a world-class psychologist, making it that much more devastating.

On a serious note, though, Michael Thompson was incredibly successful in engaging the school as was demonstrated by the frequent applause and laughter. One can even argue that he was among the best speakers King’s has ever hosted, right beside Daniel Dennett who stirred up quite a fuss two years ago. Yet what made him able to turn the typically dull school meeting scene into such a passionate and argumentative one? Well, to begin with, not only is he a psychologist but also a school consultant and author of eight different books. Some of his books include the New York Times bestseller Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys and Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children. Furthermore, he also frequently travels around the world and speaks to audiences just like ours, having consulted more than 500 schools see BOYS on page 2

NEWS

Page 2

BoyS continued from Page 1 so far. If that isn’t enough, he has appeared on a variety of different TV shows ranging from the Today Show to the Oprah Winfrey Show to 60 Minutes.

As for what he discussed, for those of you who weren’t present, Mr. Thompson first offered us a number of diverse statistics pointing towards the fact that girls were achieving higher results in high schools than boys. An example of such a statistic was how the majority of, if not all, the high schools Mr. Thompson had visited had the top tiers of each class (with regards to GPA) consisting of mostly girls. Conversely, the bottom tier consisted of mainly boys. After stating such statistics Michael then referred to ten possible reasons behind this. This statistics that he had encountered in the past were distributed on individual papers throughout the audience. Finally, for the largest part of his “performance” he turned to the audience to offer what they thought were the true explanations.

While I could not catch any of the students’ comments then, due to my own desire to partake in the discussion, I did compile a few afterwards. The first person I went to was Ja’afar Al Tal, future distinguished psychologist, who stated that “Men are so used to being the leaders and always being in front of the woman that they now are laying back and sitting down and ignoring the fact that women are catching up with us.”

On the other hand, Tammara Nassar said, interestingly enough, that “The statistics he said are wrong because they took high school students from all over the world.” The reasoning she offered behind that was that these statistics were ”not valid because it is scientifically proven that females mature earlier than males, so they cannot take a sample of high school students and expect that there won’t be compounding variables involved.” Finally, Aziz Bawab gave a somewhat similar explanation to the ones that were offered when he said “Women have been encouraged more by their parents and have received higher expectations which led to a boost up of academic success.”

Election Results Disciplinary Committee

Honor Committee

AlNilam

Randa Hashim

Nihal

Husam Al Khreisat

A t a i r

Sabal Almadi

Meissa

Khaled Jarwan

Murzim

Aseel Saadeh

Tamara Nassar

Sulafat

Qais Masri

Rakan Sawalha

Nora Nesheiwat Talal Sisalem

Marah Al Ju’beh

The Rexonian

Aspiring Diplomat Finds Herself at King’s

Aviselle Diaz, a sophomore, joins us at King’s all the way from Miami to fulfill her dream of becoming a diplomat.

By Omar Megahed ‘13 CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When asked, if she found it dangerous to move to a place considered by many Americans to be unstable, this particular student answered “I am not afraid… diplomacy is not avoiding our conflicts.”

Aviselle Diaz, a sophomore from Miami, Florida is dreaming of being a U.S. diplomat and is fighting to get there. From the age of eight this ambitious scholar set her sights on a dream and would strive to achieve it. She carried out extensive research until she discovered our very own King’s Academy. Seeing it as a way to achieve her dream, she seized the opportunity to travel to Jordan, to explore the Arabic language and culture, and to become a global citizen.

Her story starts when she sought out funding to attend King’s Academy. She so passionately desired to do so that she collected glass bottles, designed them beautifully and wrote a message inside stating: “I write to you dear reader as my last resort and pray that you who have found this plea riding on the ocean waves will find it in your heart to help me in any way possible.”

So who is this determined academic? Originally Cuban she speaks both English and Spanish, loves reading fiction stories and biographies, boards in al-Nilam, and participates in Round Square and Toastmasters.

When asked about her role models, she answered “my parents, grand-

parents, His Majesty King Abdullah, and Her Majesty Queen Rania. But mostly my parents because of their complete support; they were saying don’t stop trying. Because of them, I was here today and because of all I was taught, I had the determination to keep going.”

When asked about her favourite things about Jordan and King’s Academy, she answered “What I love most about Jordan is the Jordanian people, I find them very welcoming, caring and I would love to have some real Bedouin Mansaf....

Now what I love about King’s Academy are two things: Firstly, the community we share with its many different people from different parts of the world, the ease of finding something in common and getting along.

Secondly, the library; the way it’s just full of all the books you can think of. I mean, you can just focus in its atmosphere and get this mental connection when you’re inside around its wooden ancient beauty.”

A quote Aviselle loves is “we have nothing to fear, but fear itself ”.

Aviselle’s goal is to stay in King’s Academy for three more years. She is a wonderful person; she loves the experience, and is enjoying the diversity. On behalf of the King’s Academy we welcome you Aviselle!

We’ll keep an eye out for that Mansaf for you!

Faris Naffa

Online sub-Editor

Who said that All Arabic songs are boring?!

By AMOUNEH LARISA ABUGANAM’14 lay-out editor

I think it’s safe to say that when asked about Arabic music, most of the time the artists that pop up in our minds are Nancy Ajram, Haifa Wahbi, Tamer Hosni, Fairuz (if you’re classy). No offence to anyone who listens to them regularly, but what most Arabic singers sing about is “She loves him, he loves another” or “He loves her, she leaves him”. I’m not saying anything is wrong with singing about love, oh God no. I’m a Beatles fan therefore I believe from the core of my soul that really “All you need is love”. Let’s be serious though now. That story that mainstream Arabic music is all about is sort of lame. This summer, I was lucky enough to find a lot of Arabic singers that, not only have a better sound, rhythm and beat, but also talk about every day issues that our region and generation faces. I will be guiding you to the amazing Arabic music that, unfortunately, isn’t as widespread as it should be.

1-El-Murabba3 This rock band’s songs touch upon so many Arab issues from political to social. Any rock fan will love to hear their music. It is

very unique in terms of sound, but also, Tarik Abu Qwiak and Muhammad Abdullah’s voices are just mind-blowing.

2- Autostrad An indie/pop band, their rhythm is really joyful and fun to listen to. Some of their songs have quite funny lyrics.

3- Mashrou3 Leila It’s just a must to listen to at least one ML song during your lifetime. They have such a unique sound, and their lyrics are so pleasant to hear mixed with the sound the band makes. When listening to them, you will be absorbed by their greatness.

4- Zade Dirani If you’re into classical music, this is the guy for you. He is an internationally known pianist and composer. The beauty of his music is the oriental touch he puts in his pieces, making them sound Arab, but classical at the same time.

5- Arab Rap If you’re into rap, there are artist like El-Fer3i, Torabeye, Khotta Ba that rap about our society’s problems, Palestine, our generation, their opinions, and anger.

El-Murabba3 perfoming at Al-Balad Theater

much they strive to speak about what matters to them, rather than what pleases the majority. It gives me great pride in what the future of Arabic music looks like. For more Arabic music (of quality), please go to www.radioarddi.com and check out other artist. Enjoy!

Amouneh Larisa Abu Ganam‘14

New chef, new staff, new food!

It is probably safe to say that the most anticipated time during a school day is lunchtime, whether it is in an elementary school or high school, African school or European school. The same applies to King’s Academy. Similar exclamations can be heard all around the campus after 5th period, “Do we have school meeting before lunch today?”, “What’s for lunch?”, “Yay! It’s chicken tenders!” It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the primary reason why King’s students visit KANet is to check the menu. In that sense, the most epic change King’s Academy has gone through this summer is the change in dining. This year, King’s Academy has a team of new chefs and new dining systems. This change has brought the much awaited improved “cuisine”. However, after just two weeks of school, that anticipation has become extinct, and the whole school body appears to have already set their opinions on the new food. While there were some positive responses such as “The hummus is much better than last year,” or “the

dessert tastes better”, “The recipes seem to be the same, and it tastes the same as well,” has been the most popular response. Then again, there doesn’t seem to be any outbursts of joy at the improvement of the food.

Nevertheless, Ms. Amira Amr, King’s Academy’s nutritionist and Dining Hall Coordinator, has been most willing to explain the new changes of the year. “First of all, we now have our own pastry chef whereas last year, we only had a semipastry chef that wasn’t specialized in desserts.

We are not changing the whole menu, but we are planning to modify our old dishes and introduce some new ones.” Then she added, “More and more people at King’s are going for healthy options these days. So we are trying to include more diverse healthy options, such as new rotation for the salad bars. But at the same time, we are trying to introduce better

Yay! It’s chicken tenders!

Courtesy of The Miami Herald Newspaper

They really touch whoever is listening, even if he is not into rap per se.

My point is, PLEASE DO NOT GENERALIZE ARABIC MUSIC. Give these artists a try, I guarantee you’ll like at least one song from one of them. What I was really fascinated about when finding out about these artists, is how

The Hungry Lions LION CUB

BARAKAT ELSAQA ’ 13 LEILA SHABAN ’13 TALAL TOUKAN ’13 Lion Cubs AMINA AWAD ‘14 Sun WooKim ‘15 SAIF ABU HASHISH ’13 SeounjHung Sohn ‘15 MOHAMMED ABU DALHOUM Seo Young Park ‘15 ’13 Eun sol Jun ‘15 FARAH KILANI ’13 Xu Zhaoying ‘15 OMAYMAH ALHARAHSHEH ’14 LAYTH ISMAIL ’13 Faculty Advisor SANAD ZUMOT ’13 MR. BOWMAN DICKSON SeungJong Park ‘14 TAMARA NASSAR ’13 SALINDI HERATH ’13 AMOUNEH LARISA ABU GANAM ’14

Page 3

The Hidden Arabic Music of Today

By Seo Young Park ‘15

2012-2013 Executive Editor Managing Editor News sub- Editor Opinion sub- Editor World sub- Editor Arabic sub-Editor Life sub- Editor Arts & Entertainment sub- Editor Sports sub- Editor Ads Manager Fun Page sub- Editor Photography Editor Copy Editors Layout Editors

OPINION

October 2012

tasting dishes that may not be the healthiest, but are much cleaner and better than ordered food from outside. We want to encourage the students to eat and enjoy our cleanly prepared food from our kitchen.”

However, the most important message that Ms. Amira wanted conveyed to the students was that feedback is needed. “There is no interaction between the dining staff and the students. How are we to improve the food if we don’t know what the students like or do not like? I am always available in the dining hall during lunch and in my office. We are always ready to take feedback into consideration.”

Ms. Amira’s request is perfectly valid. The quality of Kings’ Academy’s food is not only the dining hall staffs’ responsibility, but also the students’ responsibility. Before we set our opinions about the new chefs and complain about ‘no difference’, we should first appreciate the dining staffs’ effort to make healthy AND delicious food for a thousand people three times a day for almost the whole year.

Help them by voicing our ideas of improvement. Perhaps the most epic change to King’s Academy’s food can be brought not by chefs of five-star hotels, but by the students.

Page 4

OPINION

The Rexonian

Miss Lina’s new family

Syria... The Revolution

Bloodshed on the Syrian lands, and the effect of the revolution on Jordan

Miss Lina’s new family 16 new students join Kings Academy Arabic Year Exchange Program!

By Seo Young Park ‘13

By Omar Megahed ‘13

LION CUB

This year, Miss Lina Samawi brought a new family to King’s Academy: the Arabic Year students. A total of sixteen students applied and came to King’s to be a part of the Arabic year program from all over the world. I personally went and asked Miss Lina to explain what the Arabic Year program is, and she answered, “The Arabic year program is a program where students can come from abroad. They can come for a year to King’s to study intensive Arabic. They stay here for a year and if they wish, they can continue. They take two classes of Arabic every day.

They are basically immersed within our culture: they go on trips, they go to cultural places, and there’s even a co-curricular called ‘Out and About in Madaba’ where they meet locals. They become culturally immersed in an Arab society.”

When I first heard about the Arabic Year program, I was more confused than interested.

However, when I finally met the AY students, I felt that this was my chance to experience new culture with new people and I loved it. I realized how lucky and special this chance was to me. In a place which is located in the Middle East, it’s not easy to find an international community like we have in King’s. When I heard from Dr. John Austin that our school had students from over 30 different nationalities, I felt very privileged, and I also felt the same towards the AY students. It is certainly not an easy thing to gather people from this many countries in a small country like Jordan.

I met a lot of new AY students at many different places on campus starting with the common rooms where we have dorm meetings every Tuesday, the dining hall where everyone becomes one when saying the grace, the gym, co-curriculars, the classrooms, and more. They are getting adjusted very fast to their new environment day-by-

WORLD

October 2012

Contributing Writer

day. Most of them even know all the locations on campus now!

To be honest, being one of the international students at King’s, I personally had difficulties, considering the fact that I was a full boarder and I was at a place which was a fairly long distance from home. For me, homesickness was the biggest problem, and I bet this applies to all the full boarders and some of the weekday boarders as well. For many people, this blocks them from studying, socializing, and other important things for quite a long time. However, the AY students have only been here for about 2 weeks and I don’t see anyone who is still suffering from homesickness. I think the members of AY program have the ability to bond quickly with others. This makes it possible for these students to get over the difficulties of living far away from home and fit into our society as fast as possible.

Syria is in chaos. Rebels have been trying to destroy the government while the government is trying to destroy the rebels. But strangely enough, there are some news agencies overlooking the issue with underestimation. Why would this be the case? Simply, it works as a disadvantage to the news agencies’ governments. The best country doing this would be Iran; flipping the topic a complete 180 degrees as though it were the rebels who are the bad guys and the government the good guys. Just a few days ago, Al-Jazeera news caught the Iranian national television agency changing the words of president Morsi during his speech in the Non-aligned Movement summit. The word “Syria” was changed to “Bahrain” and the word “Arab Spring” changed to “Rise of Islam”, expressing the opposite of the intended to the Iranian people.

No matter what speeches, urges or protests accompanied the civil war, one thing is for sure, neighboring countries are being affected, especially our very own Jordan. The

number of Syrians crossing the border will increase from 180,000 to 240,000 in the next few weeks, pushing the country’s energy resources to the limit. This, of course, is affecting the economy. As investors continue seeing the situation intensify, they are all pulling back.

Whether from the Gulf, Africa or the West, investors have stopped spending their money in the real estate sector of the economy, dropping the real estate trade volume by 25%. With the already fallen economy, lack of investors and poverty of Jordanians, the purchasing power of the Jordanian community has slumped to the ground.

With all the casualties and mishaps occurring, it does not stop the Jordanians from hosting the refugees of Syria. Recently American actress Angelina Jolie visited the refugee camps and commented on them saying: “The first thing the soldiers are ordered to do once they meet a refugee family is to ask ‘Are you all right?’ and welcoming them saying ‘You are safe here.’”

Iphone 5

Ever since the launch of iPhone 4S, Apple fans have been on the edge of their seats and highly anticipating the new iPhone 5.

By Eun Sol Jun ‘15 LION CUB

The Arabic Year students: From top left : Brandon Navon ‘14, Alejandro Rojas ‘14, Andrea Toomey ‘13, Samuel Cummings ‘14, Bashaar Nemri ‘13, Jack Olson ‘14, Elisabeth Carr ‘15, Jacqueline Al Nimri ‘13, Rene’e Underhill ‘13, Perry Tolley ‘15 From bottom left : Marshall Yaklin ‘13, Lana Feteiha ‘15, Muheb Esmat ‘13, Kristen Stark ‘15, Anand Sunder ‘14

Tamara Nassar ‘13

The iPhone 5 that has been a source of anticipation since October 4th. However, it isn’t too much different from the previous 4S. The new iPhone 5 is a bit taller, thinner and with a 4” screen and a higher resolution. After it was highly anticipated, the minor things that have been changed could make people less innovated. It is 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S. But, it definitely has more advanced functions from the inside and outside. From the headphone port being at the top in the previous iPhones, the new style is having the port on the bottom of the iPhone. It has the world’s most advanced display and the newest wireless technology in the universe. The A6 chip enables us to change between apps in a quicker, smoother way. It has 8MP camera making many people fall in love with the extraordinary pictures. It has an outstanding battery life and faster graphics allowing the access to intensive apps and games. Moreover, the phonewas supplied with

“Just ask Siri” which is completely different from the other iPhones, since you can get things done by just saying your thoughts aloud!

Having said that it seems that the iPhone 5 was a joy for some but disappointments for others especially that it hasn’t show any crucial difference from the previous generations…

Page 5

President Of The World?

The United States presidential saga is under the light with only weeks left for the elections

By Sun Woo Kim ‘15 LION CUB

The US Presidential Elections are less than a month away, and the tension between the Republicans and the Democrats are intensifying as the elections come down to two candidates. President Obama of the Democratic Party, and Mitt Romney, the presidential candidate for the Republican Party, are seen to be the two major competing candidates.

President Obama plans to continue on with his current economic policies if re-elected. Having been elected during a global recession, Obama presented the Stimulus package, an economic stimulusspending package to stimulate the economy to create more jobs. Although praised by democrats to have effectively ended the global recession and improved the unemployment rate, republicans and Mitt Romney maintain the stance that the effect of the package was only temporary, and was ineffective in stabilizing the economy in the long term. Obamacare, the healthcare reform promoted by President Obama, albeit criticized for its costs, is to continue if he is to be re-elected to expand the range of healthcare coverage and decreasing the number of uninsured individuals. Obama is proposing to continue to maintain stimulus spending to create jobs and remove tax cuts in place for the wealthy.

Mitt Romney, the co-founder of Bain Capital and the Governor of Massachussetts, is presenting policies to counter government expansion and reverse President Obama’s economic policies. He is

staunch in his stand that the private sector has the potential to create sufficient jobs. He proposes cuts in corporate tax to encourage them to create job opportunities. Furthermore, cuts in capital gains taxes are supported in his policies. He plans to end Obamacare plan, which increased taxes hindered business development, and encourage states to devise their own healthcare plans. To balance out revenue loss from tax cuts, Romney suggests reducing government spending in areas other than defense.

The current economic situation of the US and the world are certainly major concerns that people hope to see fixed by the new President. Both candidates are looked up to to reduce the unemployment rate, boost the economy, and increase growth in the US. Right now, the polls are somewhat more tilted towards the favor of Obama. Recently, Mitt Romney’s tax payments were brought into spotlight, when people accused him for paying lower tax rates than the rest of the citizens. Although Romney declared that the lower tax rates he paid were legal as his gains were majorly from investments (tax rates are lower for gains from investments), analysts say that this incident affected the popularity poll to tilt towards Obama. Still, it must be understood that there are still over 6 weeks with 3 formal debates left until the final election, and the polls may lean towards any of the two candidates before the election.

Courtesy of BarackObama.com

Courtesy of Apple.com

Courtesy of MittRomney.com

‫‪Page 7‬‬

‫العربية‬

‫‪October 2012‬‬

‫‪The Rexonian‬‬

‫الغائب احلا�ضر‬

‫العربية‬

‫فلتنظر �أمامك ؟!‬ ‫يقود بتهور‪ ..‬ال ينظر البتة‪ ..‬سادي‪ ..‬ال يكترث بتاتا‪ ..‬بحياة اآلخرين‬

‫املرحوم أحمد الطراونة ‪ ...‬في الذاكرة‬ ‫قسم العربيية‬

‫‪Page 6‬‬

‫محمد أبو دلهوم‬

‫محرر قسم العربيية‬

‫يسير مسرعا ً ‪ ،‬بال اهتمام ‪ ،‬بال تركيز ‪ ،‬بال‬ ‫حتى تفكير ‪ ،‬ال ينظر إلى ميينه أو شماله أو‬ ‫حتى أمامه ‪ ،‬وكأنه يسوق بجسم بال عقل بل‬ ‫حتى ال تهمه حياته ‪ ..‬نعم انه شخص يقود‬ ‫سيارتـه مسرعا ‪ ،‬ينتقم من الطريق الذي ال‬ ‫ينتهي ‪ ،‬ال ينتقم بال يقاتله بالسرعة ‪ ،‬ولكنه‬ ‫يتجاهل وجود أشخاص على الطرقات سواء‬ ‫مشاة أو سائقني ‪..‬‬ ‫ذاك شخص مستهتر متهور ومتسرع ‪،‬‬ ‫ال يتعب نفسه بالتفكير ‪ ،‬ولكن أال يهني هو‬ ‫نفسه بتصرفاته اخلالية متاما من اإلنسانية ؟‬ ‫‪ ،‬فبسببه وبسبب أمثاله يتزايد حاليا أعداد‬ ‫الوفيات على الطرقات يوم إثر يوم وبشكل‬ ‫مرتفع جدا ‪ ،‬فما السبب ؟‪..‬‬ ‫يخرج طفل صغير مع عائلته من متجر‬ ‫لبيع املالبس ‪ ،‬فرحا ً مسرورا ً مبا ابتاعه من حلة‬ ‫جديدة ليستقبل بها العيد حيث الفرحة‬ ‫والسرور ‪ ،‬وبينما هو يسير بسالم وأمان في‬ ‫كنف عائلته يأتي شخص من أول الطريق ‪،‬‬ ‫يسوق بسرعة جنونية حد الصوت والضوء ‪،‬‬ ‫يسير بسرعة ولكن الطفل يتخيل ذلك املنظر‬ ‫بثوان معدودة لكن لألسف ‪ ،‬جميعنا نعلم ما‬ ‫حدث وما يحدث وما سيحدث ‪..‬‬ ‫حلظات من الفرحة والسرور ‪ ،‬حتولت إلى‬ ‫احلزن واأللم ‪ ،‬مرورا ً باخلوف والهلع ‪ ،‬يا لألسف‬ ‫لقد حتولت ابتسامة الصغير إلى دماء تغطي‬ ‫وجهه الصغير ‪ ،‬فقفزت تلك اإلبتسامة إلى‬ ‫وجه ذلك السائق املتعجرف ‪ ،‬إنه ال يضحك‬ ‫طبعا ً ‪ ،‬لكنه بفعلته تلك فإنه يقهقه بوجه‬ ‫تلكم العائلة املسكينة مبا فقدت ‪..‬‬ ‫حلسن احلظ ما زال في ذلك اإلنسان بعض‬ ‫اإلنسانية مع أنه ليست باملستوى املطلوب‬ ‫لكنها تفي بالغرض ‪ ،‬ينظر إلى وجه الطفل‬

‫فيرى الكثير الكثير من البراءة التي لم يراها فذلك الشخص إن لم تكن تهمه حياته‬ ‫في أثناء قيادته ‪ ،‬وكأن لسان حال الطفل يقول أو ماله ‪ ،‬أفال تهمه حياة اآلخرين وأرواحهم ؟!‬ ‫نعم تهمه ‪ .‬ونعم نستطيع ‪ ،‬إنه أمر سهل‬ ‫‪ :‬ملاذا فعلت ذلك ؟ ‪..‬‬ ‫فإن اهلل يحب إذا عمل أحدكم عمال أن يتقنه‬ ‫أوليس لك عقل ؟ بلى‬ ‫‪ ،‬نعم نستطيع ‪ ،‬يدا ً بيد وخطوة بخطوة ‪،‬‬ ‫فلما ال تستعمله ؟! ‪ ،‬وأليس لك أطفال ؟‬ ‫وفكرة بفكرة ومساهمة بأخرى ‪ ،‬لننشأ جيال‬ ‫يجيب السائق ببعض اخلجل ‪ :‬بلى‬ ‫يحد من حوادث السير والوفيات على الطرقات‬ ‫أال تخاف عليهم ؟ بدمائي أفديهم‬ ‫فلما ال تخاف على‬ ‫أطفال اآلخرين ‪ ..‬فإن‬ ‫كانت كل األسباب العادية‬ ‫ال تنطبق عليك ‪ ..‬فما‬ ‫السبب إذن ؟!! أريد جوابا ‪..‬‬ ‫لقد حصل ما حصل‬ ‫‪ ،‬والذي حصل ال ميكن‬ ‫إعادته ! ‪ :‬يقاطع السائق‬ ‫عائدا ً إلى رعونته ‪.‬‬ ‫فعالً لقد حصل ما‬ ‫حصل ‪ ،‬هذا في املاضي‬ ‫لكن أال ميكنك االستيقاظ‬ ‫‪ ،‬إلى حاضرك ومستقبلك‬ ‫‪ ،‬أال تستطيع ؟‪ ،‬أال‬ ‫يستطيع كل شخص منا‬ ‫أن يستفيق إلى حاضره‬ ‫ومستقبله ؟ ‪..‬‬ ‫في بعض احلاالت يجب‬ ‫على االنسان أن يتوقف‬ ‫عن وضع يده على خده‬ ‫والتحسر فقط ‪ ،‬في‬ ‫بعض األحيان يتوجب على‬ ‫اإلنسان أن يستفيق ويبدأ‬ ‫من الصفر ‪ ،‬أال نستطيع ؟‬ ‫أال يستطيع كل واحد منا‬ ‫االهتمام مبا يفعله ؟‬

‫‪ ،‬نعم ملا ال ؟ أجل ‪ ..‬هناك صعب ولكن ليس‬ ‫هناك مستحيل ‪..‬‬ ‫لكن السبب ال ميكن تناسيه ‪ ..‬وال جتاهله‬ ‫‪ ..‬وال القفز عنه ‪ ،‬فبنسيانه فنحن نتناسى‬ ‫أرواح األخرين ‪ ،‬فإن كان ذلك اإلنسان يفكر‬ ‫ويختار الصحيح من اخلاطئ ‪ ..‬فما السبب‬ ‫إذن ؟؟!‬

‫اللغة العربية يف مدر�ستنا‬ ‫هل ذلك صحيحا أننا ال منلك لغة عربية قوية؟‬ ‫عمران للو‬

‫كاتب مساهم‬

‫‪MARCH 23, 1992- APRIL 5, 2010‬‬

‫�أحمد الطراونة‬

‫�أمامك ‪ ،‬ومعك ‪ ،‬وبجانبك ‪ ،‬حتت �سقف واحد ‪� ،‬أقرب �إليك مما تتخيل ‪ ..‬الغائب احلا�ضر ‪ .‬لله درك يا َم َث َل ال�شباب‬ ‫الأعلى وهدفهم الأ�سمى ‪ ،‬ومبتغاهم الأنقى ‪ .‬تركتنا يف غمر ٍة حزين ٍة ‪ ،‬وح�سرة مرير ٍة ‪� ..‬أحمد �أحمد ‪� ..‬أيها االن�سان‬ ‫الراقي ‪ ،‬العظيم ‪ ..‬الراحل املقيم ‪ .‬رحماك يا الله ‪ ،‬رمبا ن�سيان الأحزان نعمة ‪ ..‬لكن يف هذا املوقف اجللل ‪ ..‬ذكراك‬ ‫�أف�ضل نعمة ‪ ،‬لأنها تبقينا على خطاك ونهجك وقائمني على �إحياء مبادىء ع�صرك الذهبي ‪� ..‬ستبقى نورا ي�ضيء‬ ‫مدر�ستنا ‪ ..‬ف�إن العني لتدمع و�إن القلب ليخ�شع و�إن النف�س لتخ�ضع و�إ ّنا على فراقك �أحمدَ ملحزونون‪.‬‬

‫في ظل تعدد اللغات املستخدمة في ظالل مدرستنا‪ ،‬احتار فينا خصومنا فقالوا‪“ :‬اتقنوا‬ ‫لغات الغرب و نسوا لغتهم”‪ .‬و لكن سخرية القدر أنهم هم اللذين نسوا أن للعربية املكانة‬ ‫عدة مسابقات و مناظرات تعنى‬ ‫األولى بني اللغات في مدرستنا‪ .‬فباإلضافة الى استضافة ّ‬ ‫باللغة العربية‪ ،‬كانت مدرستنا احلصان األسود في الكثير من تلك املسابقات و املناظرات‪.‬‬ ‫انتصارات راقية على جهابذة املدارس املتخصصة باللغة‬ ‫فقد شهد صرحنا العلمي هذا‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫اضطرابات في سطور اللغة العربية في نطاق املدارس املشاركة خالل‬ ‫العربية مما سبب‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫السنتني املاضيتني‪.‬‬ ‫يأت إال عن مثابر ٍة و متابع ٍة من قسم اللغة‬ ‫و هذا‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫التقدم امللحوظ في لغتنا العربية لم ِ‬ ‫العربية‪ .‬باإلضافة المتالك مدرستنا جملموعة من الطلبة املم ّيزين ضمن دائرة اللغة العربية‪،‬‬ ‫فإن الطاقم التدريسي ّفي املدرسة له دورٌ عظيم في ترسيخ حب اللغة في قلوب الطالب‬ ‫وذلك عن طريق تعزيز حصص اللغة العربية بنشاطات متعددة مثل املسرحيات والقراءات‬ ‫الصيفية واليوم الثقافي والناظرات األدبية‪ .‬و األهم من هذا ك ّله هي مسابقة اخلطابة التي‬ ‫ابداعات طالب ّية ٌفي مجال الكتابة و اإللقاء فما أبهاها من ط ّلة يوم يصعد فيها‬ ‫تبرز فيها‬ ‫ٌ‬ ‫بكلمات عربي ٍة فصيحة‪.‬‬ ‫املكان‬ ‫فيعطرون‬ ‫اإللقاء‬ ‫خشبة‬ ‫على‬ ‫الطالب‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫و تشهد مدرستنا في هذا العام برنامج “سنة اللغة العربية” و هو برنامج ٌفري ٌد من‬ ‫نوعه يهدف الى تعليم طلاّ ٍب أجانب اللغة العربية األصيلة‪ .‬فهو برنامج ٌ يرقى باللغة‬ ‫العربية لتصبح لغة ً عاملية ً انشاء اهلل‪.‬‬

‫َ‬ ‫ال الـ َغرْ ِب ِعـزَّا ً وَ ِمـ ْن َع ًة‬ ‫أرَى لــرِجــَ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ـــــــــــات‬ ‫ــم َعــزَّ أ ْقــ َوا ٌم بـ ِعزِّ لُـ َغ‬ ‫وَكــَ ْ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ات ت َـف ُّننَا‬ ‫أَت َـــــوا أ ْهـل ُه ْم بـامل ْعجزَ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ــــــــــــات‬ ‫بـالكلِ َم‬ ‫َفـ َيـا لَـ ْيـت َُك ْم ت َـأْتُو َن‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫أَيُ ْ‬ ‫ـطرِبُ ُك ْم ِمـ ْن َجـان ِ ِب ال َغرْ ِب‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ـه ُج ُرني َقـ ْومي َعـ َفا اهلل َعـن ُْه ُم‬ ‫أَي َ ْ‬ ‫َّص ْل بـــــــــــــ ُروَا ِة‬ ‫إِلَــى لُـ َغـ ٍة لـم ت َـت ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫سرَى‬ ‫سـرَ ْت لُوث َ ُة اإل ْفرَ جْنِ ِف َ‬ ‫يها ك َما َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫‪.‬لُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ات‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ــــــ‬ ‫ف‬ ‫يل‬ ‫ـس‬ ‫م‬ ‫فـي‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ـا‬ ‫ف‬ ‫األ‬ ‫اب‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ني رُ ْق َع ًة‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ب‬ ‫س‬ ‫ـم‬ ‫ض‬ ‫ب‬ ‫و‬ ‫ث‬ ‫ـ‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ء‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ـج‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َّ َ ْ ِ َ‬ ‫َف َ َ‬ ‫ٍَْ‬ ‫ُم َ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ــــــــــــات‬ ‫ان ُمـخْ ـ َتلِف‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ـشـكـلة األلــ َو ِ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ّاب وَاجلَ ْم ُع َحا ِفلٌ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫إِلَـى َمـ ْعشرِ الـكت ِ‬ ‫ط َ‬ ‫بـس ْ‬ ‫ش َكاتي‬ ‫ط ُت ر َ َجـائي بَـ ْع َد ب َ ْ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫س ِ‬ ‫فـإ َّما َحـ َيا ٌة ت َـ ْب َعثُ امل َ ْي َت في البلَى‬ ‫وس رُ َفاتي‬ ‫وَتُـن ُ‬ ‫ْبت فـي تِـلْ َك الـ ُّر ُم ِ‬ ‫ات‬ ‫ـات ال ِقـ َيا َم َة بَـ ْع َد ُه َمـ َم ٌ‬ ‫وَإ ِ َّمــا َمـ َم ٌ‬ ‫ــــــــــــات‬ ‫س مب َ َم‬ ‫ـم يُـ َق ْ‬ ‫لَـ َع ْمرِي لَ ْ‬ ‫ِ‬

‫ض‬

Page 8

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The Rexonian

October 2012

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Page 9

SPORTS

Page 10

The Rexonian

SPORTS

October 2012

Page 11

Coach of the Issue: Mr. Matt

Interview with Mr.Tommy

Why Mr. Matt has earned his title

Personal experiance in the Olympics

By Aya abuosbeh Contributing Writer

By layth Sports Editor

After hearing some rumors that Mr. TomRexonian: How much time did you spend my was working in the Olympics this summer in England? in London, the Rexonian rushed to him with Mr. Tommy: One month in total: a week questions that needed to be answered. And, of training before hand, then 16 days of the here is how it went: Olympics and a couple of days afterwards.

him in the US open. But, it was different seeing him in Wimbledon. Also, I went to swimming about 5 times, and I got to see Michael Phelps.

Rexonian: What was your role in the Olympics?

Mr. Tommy: I was working in hospitality for NBC (American TV Company that sponsors the Olympics). Hospitality brings in around 400 clients every 4 and half days (600 total guests). We guide them and pick them at airports, offer them transportation, hotels, tours, food, and clothes. They don’t lift a finger, and we do everything for them. I was one of the senior guides: along with 4 other people, and we were in charge of 45 college kids.We worked like 18 hours a day, so it was tiring and we did not get a day off.

Rexonian: Is there anything else you want us to know?

Mr. Tommy: It was tiring; however, it was lots of fun. I advise you if you get a chance to go to the Olympics anytime, you should. It is a great EXPERIENCE.

Rexonian: Do you have any regrets?

Mr. Tommy: I did not see any cycling, I am a big cyclist. And, I did not meet an Olympian to marry!

Rexonian: How was it, being part of the Olympics?

Mr. Tommy: It is an amazing experience and Rexonian: Did you enjoy your time, and was a huge party for a month. I got to see people it a once in a lifetime experience? from all over the world, and I spoke Arabic a Mr. Tommy: I have been for 6 Olympics, 4 lot. It is a cultural event, where you get to learn of which I worked in. Every time I am in the many interesting things about other people.

Olympics, it feels like a once in a lifetime experience. It was amazing. I ate a lot, we stayed Rexonian: How was the traffic in London? in a five star hotel, and the food was amazing.

Mr. Tommy: The NBC is a marketing partner, so we had special driving lanes. We had a Rexonian: Can you tell us any special fleet of 52 personal coaches, drivers and every- moment(s) you had there? thing. We were not stuck in any traffic.

Mr. Tommy: I love tennis, so one was seeing Roger Federer at Wimbledon. I have seen

Mr. Matt Westman, King’s Academy’s French teacher, has earned the title “Coach of the Issue” because of the great effort he has put into coaching the boys’ volleyball and basketball teams and the great achievements the teams have made so far. Hazem Hashem ‘12, a player on the varsity boys’ basketball team, said that Mr. Matt always told them to give 100% and show energy during practice. He also said that he was a coach loved by everyone (so was Mr. Darian), and they really enjoyed their times with him. Just a little background information on Mr. Matt; He graduated from Middlebury College in 2009 and was player number 5 on his basketball team. Mr. Matt was captain of his high school’s basketball team, and the team won the Division 1 state championship in Massachusetts.

The Rexonian sat down with Mr. Matt to ask about several aspects of his coaching career as well as inquiring about his personal views and thoughts on this matter. Here’s how it went:

Rexonian: What made you inter- balancing your personal life and ested in coaching both the volleyball coaching? and basketball teams?

Mr. Matt: Playing sports is acMr. Matt: Ever since I was a little tually part of my personal life. I child, my family cared a lot about had full afternoons last year, and I sports. My mum was a tennis and would go to the gym until 8 pm to softball player and coach, and my practice and coach. When I was in dad played and coached basketball 6th grade, I would do sports during and volleyball as well. I’ve been the afternoon so I’m really used to playing since I was really young and it. I was also very good friends with I just love them. my coaches and my teammates.

Rexonian: How long have you been coaching for? Did you participate in these sports during college?

Mr. Matt: I can certainly relate that to what I took away from my high school and college athletic experience. I want them to enjoy what they do and work as hard as they can although it’s a bit tough at first, because it eventually becomes fun.

Mr. Matt: This is my 4th year coaching, and I participated in both volleyball and basketball during my college career.

Jordan vs. Australia Soccer Match

Rexonian: What did you think of last year’s teams and seasons?

Mr. Matt: Awesome. The teams were awesome. The boys on the teams were excited, worked hard, and learned a lot throughout the year.

Rexonian: How do you feel about the fact that the basketball team lost most of its players from last year, and you have a new team to work with?

Mr. Matt: The team lost 7 players who were seniors and they were really good, but I’m expecting this year to be a lot of fun; a lot of the boys know what they’re doing, they’re hard workers and smart. Last year’s players were mostly professionals, but I am expecting a lot from this year’s team.

Rexonian: How do you manage

ball and basketball more as a player or a coach? Why?

Mr. Matt: A player, definitely.

Coaching is great, but I like being out there, so when I’m watching a game, I just wish I’m playing with the players. Coaches are very important, but players affect the game in a different way. I play during practice with Mr. Darian, who is extremely competitive by the way, unbelievable. But he’s a very good player and Rexonian: What’s your favorite coach. memory related to your coaching career at King’s?

Rexonian: is there anything you would like to add?

Mr. Matt: I have a lot of good memories! But I would say last year’s Mr. Matt: I just want to say Beirut tournament. The boys were something for all student athletes, very respectful, conducting them- working hard creates a bond with selves and showing superior power your coach and your team which of will all throughout the tourna- ultimately makes you more successment, that to me is as important as ful. Even though teachers have the winning - if not more important. biggest impact on you during your high school and college career, don’t Rexonian: What do you want forget that your coaches have an imyour players to take away from their pact on you as well. Just enjoy what high school athletic experience? you do and work hard at it!

And so, as this year progresses, we would like to wish the teams the best of luck in their upcoming tournaments and seasons, and we can’t wait to see what this year has to bring. Would the teams and season’s be as good as Mr. Matt’s last year’s teams? We’re going to have to wait Rexonian: Do you enjoy volley- and see!

Ghazi Al-Zyoud reports on the Jordan vs. Austalia soccer By ghazi alzyoud’13

On September 11th, many people around Jordan were waiting for the clock to tick the 7pm and mark the start of the long anticipated Jordan vs. Australia soccer match in the second Asian group in the World Cup qualifiers.

The Jordanian football national team defied all the expectations and managed to mark an extraordinary and legendary win against the “Socceroos” (2-1).

The Jordanian team’s achievement was due to their sheer determination and will. Despite the humiliating defeat to Japan back in June with a score of (6-0), Jordanians did not give up on their national team and had faith as always in the “Nashama”. Australia’s star Tim Cahill tweeted two hours before the game saying: “the stadium is packed full, the atmosphere is amazing.” Only 25000 fans managed to get inside the stadium due to its limited capacity leaving

almost the same number of supporters behind the doors.

The game’s atmosphere filled the campus of King’s Academy with excitement among Jordanian students and all other soccer fans; many students went to classes carrying flags, wearing kits and the red “shmagh” around their necks.

Nothing felt better than emerging victorious against the ranked 25th team around the world which shows the intelligence of Coach Adnan Hamad who could get his team out of the emotional state that accompanied their massive defeat to the “Samurais”. The funny part is a quote from the goalkeeper of Australia who said: “Jordan will be nothing but a picnic”. Jordan, which has never reached a World Cup and is ranked 87th in the world, opened the scoring courtesy of a 50th-minute penalty from Hassan Abdul Fattah. Jordan doubled its

lead in the 72nd-minute when Amer Deeb found his way past the defense and scored the winner.

He could have even scored the killing goal 5 minutes later from a quick counter attack but his loop came only few centimeters above the cross bar.

With this tremendous victory, Jordan moves into second in Group B with four points from 3 games behind Japan that is leading the group with 10 points from 4 games. This win will definitely booze Jordan’s chances of qualifying to the world cup in Brazil in summer of 2014.

Jordan will be playing two home games and 3 other away games. They will be traveling to the southern neighbor Oman in October 16th. Let’s hope the best for the “Nashama”!

Enjoying a nice fall day outside of the dining hall.

BY TAMMARA NASSAR

Page 12

LIFE

The Rexonian

Invisible Boundaries

By Khaled Amin

Contributing Writer

It was a calm and uneventful summer day at the first camp I had ever attended outside of Jordan. But as I got out of the cab and headed towards the main building, a plethora of unfamiliar feelings pounded my heart like a hammer. The beautiful green trees and violet flowers around the building meant nothing to me. I did not know whether to be nervous or excited; I was in an emotional state of confusion. As soon as I entered the building I was met by the calming cool breeze of the air conditioner that perfectly suited this hot summer day in Spain. I was the first camper to arrive. Right in front of me stood a bulky tall man with a wide welcoming smile that never seemed to leave his face. It was obvious that he was the man I was looking for: the camp organizer. As I approached him there was only one question that stood out on the top of my head: “What is my roommate’s nationality?” I was never a fan of stereotypes or labeling people based on their nationality but the fact that I am going to share a room with a complete stranger made me curious to know everything about him.

I knew I could not ask him that question directly in order not to give out the wrong impression of me being a racist. I introduced myself then preceded the ultimate question with a series of insignificant ones. He looked at his list to find my room number and the boy I have been paired up with. Finally, after what seemed like an hour to me he answered. “Room 717, your roommate is Jeremi Cohen, from Israel.” The last word hit me like a bullet in my chest. I responded with the most courteous smile I could fake, took my keys, and headed towards the elevator. It was the longest elevator ride in my life; I forgot to press the button for a couple of minutes because of the deep intense thoughts I was experiencing. All different kinds of questions roamed inside my head: How the hell could I share a room with an adversary? What is my family going to think about this? How should I greet him? How are we going to tolerate each other for three weeks straight? Yes, I am a Palestinian. Our beautiful land has been taken away from us by the Israelis. I could not accept the fact that I was going to be sharing a room with one of them. The elevator door opened, I forced myself to calm down, and entered my room. I was exhausted after going through the most intense 15 minutes a man can imagine. The room was tidy and fairly spacious.

The bed looked so comfortable surrounded by the peaceful blue walls of the room. I could not think of doing anything other than taking a nap until the other campers arrived. So I did.

adjusted his face expressions immediately and gave me that fake smile that I read so well. I smiled back and went to get ready for orientation.

A week passed. Every night seemed to be stressful than the previous one. It was as if there were boundaries in the room that separated us. The interaction between us was limited. We could not be ourselves around each other. I was not enjoying the camp for that simple reason. I was a bit envious of the other campers who formed a brotherly relationship with their roommates constantly boasting about how much fun they had in between camp activities while Jeremi and I sat down quietly. The situation had to be resolved somehow. My inner soul started speaking out to me: “Why can’t we prove everyone wrong?

Not all Israelis are bad; people should not be judged based on the opinion of the majority of their nation. Sometimes people form their own opinions.”

I know that the difference in our cultures predispose us to hate and stay away from each other, but I am not that type of person.

The next day there was a camp activity that forced each camper to choose one other camper to pair up with for the day. I chose Jeremi. His face was full of shock and confusion when he found out, but I knew it was time to break the ice between us. The activities included all different kinds of sports from table tennis to horseback riding. Before our first competition I went to him and spilled out everything that was in my head: “Look Jeremi, I know that the difference in our cultures predispose us to hate and stay away from each other, but I am not that type of person. Regardless of where you are from, if you are a nice guy, there is no reason for us not to be friends. All the awkwardness from the past week has to end here. Agreed?” “Agreed”, he said astonished by what he had just heard.

“What you said actually makes complete sense bro” he followed. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment, “From Enemies to bros in one minute” I thought to myself with a smile. We then went on to win the sports activities competition and actually made a pretty good team. It also made our friendship even stronger.

After a tiring but productive day, we went back in our room to get some rest. The invisible boundaries were not there anymore. We actually shared a room rather than splitting it into halves. My image of Jeremi had changed already. His views about the current situation were similar to mine. Every night we shared stories about our different experiences, played cards, watched movies. We also used to stay up late at night discussing politics. Even though we often disagreed we learned to accept each other’s opinions and take the positives from all aspects of the arguI woke up. I had that weird disoriented feeling that usually strikes me ments. after daytime naps. I looked out the window, the sun light had disappeared. I knew I had overslept. I could hear the calming sound of water There we were, laying down on each of our separate beds. Three darting into the tiles of the bathroom floor. I knew that it was my room- weeks had passed so quickly. It was the last night, the night before every mate taking a shower. I started thinking about how I should greet him as person in this camp went back his own life, his unique path. I was proud, the steam sneaked gradually through the slim openings of the bathroom and so was Jeremi. I could now speak for him since I knew him so well. It door. I knew what I had to do: just treat him as I would treat any other was as if we had mutual feelings and thoughts. If only our countries had person. The soothing sound of water suddenly stopped. A well-built pale them too, or even had the courage to share them with each other. This white boy with smooth brown hair that almost covered his fierce green experience changed my perspective on life and the way I look at people. eyes came out of the bathroom. I extended my right arm out and shook If all the people in this world really want to put all conflicts, they can. his hand, “Name is Khaled, Nice to meet you”. His response was what Its simple, just have the motive and will to accept all opinions and have I predicted it to be, it shaped the most awkward of moments, “Name the courage to make a change. But I know that this is impossible. I will is Jeremi! Where are you from?” With no hesitation I answered, “Pales- personally do my best to inspire others and encourage them to have an tine”. His eyes widened. His face was now filled with expressions that open mind, just like I did with Jeremi. signified nothing but fear and hatred. That was what I had expected. He

LIFE

October 2012

King’s at Oxford By aziz bawab ‘14

Contributing Writer

We arrived at Heathrow airport at the end of June this past summer and we headed out to Oxford. The first thing that surprised me was that the university was actually scattered throughout the whole town.

It didn’t really have a campus; it was more or less the whole town. The dorms were fifteen minutes away from the dining hall, and the dining hall was a thirty minute walk from the medicine department. Our classes, though, were only ten minutes away from the dorm which was convenient. We were thirteen students and we were split into two courses: Engineering and Biomedical science (such a stereotype of us Arabs).

Speaking of the courses, do you think APs are hard? Try an undergraduate course at Oxford University. One of the professors stated, “We believe that by pushing students to their maximum capacity, into doing very rigorous work, and into doing things they thought they could never do they would find out that they are actually capable of much more than they think.”

We sat there in the classroom so confused it was actually funny.

He was right, though, we even-

tually understood all the material.

We had an hour long course each day and a one-hour tutorial session afterwards. Most of us would dedicate an average of one hour daily for the homework. Other than that, we would have the rest of the day free. We had a wonderful time. It didn’t even feel like a summer program; it felt like a trip to England with friends except with a curfew at 9:30 (cough, Ms. Emily, cough). The curfew didn’t really matter because most of the places actually closed at 8, and we had tons of fun after 9:30 in the dorms. We went to London about four times, saw everything a tourist should see, and attended Swedish House Mafia’s concert in Milton Keynes.

We spent three weeks living the life of an undergraduate in Oxford and now we have a general idea of what to expect when in college. There are really no words to describe the experience. There was a lot of socializing (there were students from UAE and Hong Kong on the same campus), a lot of fun (I was with my best friends for three continuous weeks), and a lot of studying and learning.

Page 13

King’s Academy Prom A prom fit for King’s

By Sanad Zumot‘12 Ads Manager

“A prom fit for kings.”

From a senior’s point of view, prom is an event I truly look forward to. Just like all the schools in Amman, King’s Academy celebrates every graduating class with an unforgettable event.

Here’s a description of what it’s like.

You enter the gates of campus.

You hear the music so loud that you feel an adrenaline rush surge through your veins and you simply can’t wait until you get to the dance floor. I recall walking out of the limousine, blinded by the flash of the cameras, surrounded by photographers. As you take every step down the red carpet, the music gets louder.

You feel the heat and energy of the party and amazed by the flames on the side, lighting your way to the dance floor.

If you are an ultimate “par-

ty animal”, then you would immediately attack the colorful dance floor. However, if you want to act classy and sit on the lavish tables for a bit, you could enjoy some cooling ice-cream, various juice cocktails, as well as lots of snacks and sandwiches.

This is just one of the plenty reasons why you should consider yourself lucky to be a King’s Academy student. I don’t mean to boil the greatness of this school down to its prom, but this is the only school I know of that celebrates this event on its own campus. We all know what they say outside these walls, “It’s the event of the year,” and people would die to show up. To me it’s just an astonishing experience and to the rising upperclassmen, it will be an unforgettable night. Truly a prom fit for kings.

A Personal Experience with Tommy Franks

By Faris naffa’13 Contributing Writer

“I pinned the Jordanian flag on an American General’s suit…”

On Tuesday, February 14th, I was selected to attend a leadership camp in Oklahoma, established by the renowned General Tommy Franks. He shares a good friendship with his Majesty King Abdullah II which enabled the trip to happen for two Jordanian students.

To me, one of the most interesting speeches he gave was about the situation of 9/11 because of how he handled the tragedy and his methods of control. Moreover, he went on by saying that he was able to take control of what was happening in the States from where he was in Greece. The General had duties and obligations to fulfill and he did them. When it was time to ask questions, he looked at me and said,

“Jordan, go ahead leader”. I asked him, “If your duties contradict with your conscience, what would you do?” He paused for a while and said, “This is a question I would gladly

that truly struck hard, “One day, you will become a leader and you will have to do this for your country.”

It was an eye opening experience that really created a shift in my thinking. Before I met General Franks, I had a completely different notion of what leadership is. He taught me, though, that leadership is a way of life where one can lead without a title by simply bringing out the best in people and meeting one’s duties with sincere integrity. You don’t necessarily have to be a General to be able to apply this in your daily life.

Quite frankly, the highlight of the trip was when I pinned the Jordanian flag on his suit. I was terrified by how many people were eyeing me answer. I believe that a leader’s con- and I dropped the pin several times science should drive his duties in before really being able to secure it. order to flourish the needs of both Nonetheless, I left a tangible mark. the country and the people.” He concluded his remarks with a phrase

ARTS

& ENTERTAINMENT

Page 14

Etiquette

The Rexonian

Dating Advice from Teachers

ARTS

& ENTERTAINMENT

October 2012

Page 15

Raksit Leila Mashrou’ Leila in Amman

By Amouneh Larisa Abuganam’14

aWhat should we and shouldn’t we do on Facebook?

By Ehab Awwad ‘14

By Diala Al Rabadi

Contributing ‘14 writer

Contributing Writer

Facebook is becoming one of the largest social networks in this world, it is said that more than 400 million accounts were created since Facebook started getting famous. The question to ask has even become: “Who doesn’t have a Facebook account?” Most of us use Facebook in order to get in touch with our friends, to know what’s happening in our friends’ lives, and even to play some entertaining Facebook games.

That’s why people spend so much time on Facebook, especially teenagers, without getting bored which even led parents to start questioning what it is that gives this social network the enormous ability to grab their sons’ and daughters’ attention for a long periods of time.

Although Facebook has become a major aspect in most people’s lives, some people still believe that what they write and do on Facebook is not actually revealing the type of

people they are and that manners and morals are only necessary in their real lives. It’s time to tell those people to stop and think for a moment about the importance of manners and etiquette on Facebook which will satisfy all Facebook users. As these following points show that people, especially students our age, should AVOID certain acts when using Facebook in order to make it a beneficial positive network.

1- Adding people you don’t know.

Everyone has his/her own private life. If a person starts sending random friendship requests to strangers, that person is basically merging into others’ lives with no permission.

2Posting insolent random comments about people.

Respect is one of the most valuable traits in building strong relationships between people.

If respect does not exist,

Recommended Books

By Amina Awad’14 Opinion Subeditor

-The Book Thief by Mark Zusak -The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown -The Curious Incident of the -Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon -House Rules by Jodi Picoult -My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult -The Lost Symbol by Dan brown -Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder -The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder -Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin -1984 by George Orwell

How can teachers help you with your date?

good relationships don’t either.

3- Uploading inappropriate videos or photos.

Why would people be all right with having inappropriate or filthy videos and/or photos on their home page or timeline?

4- Vent personal information about you or others.

Despite the fact that you have your own Facebook account and you don’t add strangers, your Facebook account is still at risk for getting hacked by someone. By keeping your personal information unpublished, you can prevent yourself from getting in larger problems.

5- Sending an excessive number of messages to people.

We all know that messages on Facebook are easy to send in masses because they can be created easily and are free of charge, but sending too many pointless messages to people is annoying.

♫ Recommended Songs ♫

By Amouneh Larissa Abu Ganam’14 Zein Sa’dedin’14 Layout Editor, Contributing writer

-Akherto Lahen Hazeen by -Akher Zapheer -Uncertainty by The Fray -Angels by The xx -Milk & Sticks by Boy & Bear -Asheek by El Morabba3 -Going To California by Led Zeppelin -Ana Haweit by Massar Egbari -Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by The Smiths -Fitna by El Far3i -Miami by Foals

Ms. Sarah Bozzi: “If teenagers are going to date, I would advise them to keep their relationship in perspective.

Meaning, they shouldn’t allow it to impact other things, like academics and family relationships. I have witnessed many relationships where dating came in the way of friendship and many friendships were destroyed. So my advice is to keep it all in consideration and to be able to balance between the two.”

Ms. Lina Samawi: “I am not with teenagers dating, especially pre-teens.

In teenage years, girls and boys are exploring their own personal identity, so how would they date when they are not completely sure who they really are? My piece of advice for teenagers is that they should enlarge their social, academic and lifestyle circles by making friendships, touching the lives of others, studying, practicing their hobbies, etc. These are all factors that affect their Mr. Lyman Castle: “Show journey of self-making/ each other respect and kind- molding.” ness. I don’t want to know anything about it.”

Ms. Lara Al Masri: “Be respectful to each other. Even if we try to prevent it, it is going to happen anyway because at this age, teenagers feel the urge to need to express their feelings. So we shouldn’t prevent it. As teenagers are pressured to be forbidden from doing something, then when they come to the outer world, they don’t know how to handle these sorts of issues, so I think it is better to help them through this, but know your limits and know what can lead to problems and what won’t.”

Ms. Jen Roman: In terms of teenage dating, I would say that it’s difficult as a teenager to establish a relationship of trust and acceptance with another person when most teenagers are still very insecure about who they are.

My advice would be to abstain (vocab word!) from pretending to be what others may want you to be and instead stay true to yourself.

If someone doesn’t like you for who you are, then he/ she isn’t the right person for you to start a relationship with.

Mr. Tommy Mulvoy: “Take it slow to getting to know someone… you are young and don’t rush… being in a relationship doesn’t mean you are going to get married, so take it slowly. I think that dating helps you in your life experience. You get to know how to deal with people with different personalities. Don’t worry about being heartbroken; you will grow out of it”

Mr. John Wolff: It’s hard to talk about dating without mentioning respect as the foundation of a healthy relationship. I don’t have anything against teenagers dating. Advice: you should probably ask someone who’s married what their secret to success is!

Layout Editor

Friday, September 14th 2012, the Roman Amphitheater in Amman had over 2000 viewers to watch yet another astonishing performance, Mashrou’ Leila.

Masrou’ Leila is a Lebanese alternative rock band that formed in the American University of Beirut in 2008. They have 2 albums released, with the 3rd on its way. They are known for being controversial in their lyrics, singing about society, relationships, and politics. This year was the 2nd time Mashrou’ Leila had come to Jordan to dazzle fans their charisma.

To Hamed Sinno’s voice, and to the violin that was almost speaking to the crowd, everyone sang, danced, and at one point, everyone was synchronically clapping their hands to the rhythm of the music. It felt like

such unity to see people around you sing and dance at the same time. The crowd was so energetic and loud! You should’ve heard the girls screaming “I LOVE YOU HAMED” throughout the

concert. Oh, fangirls… Speaking of fans, King’s had its fair share of fans that were there to watch the marvel of Mashrou’ Leila, ranging from the student body to the faculty members!

Scenes from Orientation PHOTOS BY TAMMARA NASSAR

At the end, no one wanted to leave the Amphitheater, the lights, the people that were all smiling at each other because they all knew that for almost 3 hours.

We were all like a family, united by the music that Mashrou’ Leila performed. Some were devastated (including myself) when we realized that they weren’t going to perform Inni Mnih, despite the fact that the crowd screamed the name of the song countless times for Hamed to sing.

For those of you who were there know that I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was one of THE best performances Jordan has witnessed. For those of you who weren’t there, next time they pass by again, GET A TICKET. I guarantee you’ll love it.

FUN

Page 16

The Rexonian

Twelve Zodiacs

By SeungJung SOHN & Seo young Lion Cubs

Mouse (1972, 1984, 1996) Characteristics: perfectionist, creative, patient, mature, gullible Advice: You may frequently find yourself in a position to make important decisions. Always remain clear and confident about what you plan to change, keep, or create. Listen to others’ opinions, but trust your own intuition.

Ox (1973, 1985, 1997) Characteristics: warm-hearted, strict, sincere, responsible, authoritative (bossy) Advice: It’s time to get out of your comfort zone! Someone might be out there trying to reach you, but can’t because you’re too busy with school. Go up to people and make more friends! Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Tiger (1974, 1986, 1998) Characteristics: active, brave, consistent, loyal, hot-tempered Advice: Getting adapted to new environments or a new school year, you might be experiencing an emotional rollercoaster. Look around to see whom you might have hurt in one of your emotional outbursts.

Try to keep your emotions stable, for yourself and others around you.

Rabbit (1975, 1987, 1999) Characteristics: sweet, amiable, good manner, refined, unpredictable/capricious Advice: You are an early-adapter.

You are already feeling comfortable and settled down. Plus, you always put all your effort into your tasks and tend to get good results easily.

However, beware of being too com-

fortable. Try to push yourself.

Dragon (1976, 1988, 2000) Characteristics: independent, extroverted, confident, passionate, could be arrogant Advice: Good luck is coming your way! But beware, if you are too dependent on your luck, you might be disappointed and become discouraged. Always put in your best, and you will discover that luck has already come to you!

Snake (1977, 1989, 2001) Characteristics: clever/shrewd, cheery, determined, diligent, jealous Advice: Be economic in your spending. Shopping sprees are not a good idea. Moreover, you will benefit greatly from collaborating with friends. Identify your friends, trust them, and work with them diligently. Cooperation will greatly im-

prove your and your friends’ performance.

Horse (1978, 1990, 2002) Characteristics: Cheerful, realistic, social, independent, wants attention Advice: Try not to be so self-centered. You are not the best at everything. Do not be afraid of failure.

Failure is another name for success.

If you promise to obtain the skills needed for your tasks, you will become a great leader.

Sheep (1979, 1991, 2003) Characteristics: Patient, peaceful, lucky, romantic, not punctual Advice: Try to be more active.

Try to be more positive about things you are facing. In addition, manage your money wisely. By doing these simple tasks, your life will greatly improve from this point onwards.

Monkey (1980, 1992, 2004) Characteristics: social, optimistic, confidential, funny, critical Advice: Nourish patience. The thing you will need the most in living your life is patience and loyalty.

These two things will definitely help with your social life. Stop criticizing people because you will find that you are not the best at everything.

Chicken (1981, 1993, 2005) Characteristics: loyal, honest, imaginative, sincere, likes to boast Advice: Try not to waste things like money, paper, and other small things. That will definitely change the view of others towards you. Do not give up even if you think it is the end. There will be many points like that in your life where you would want to let go, but hold on. It will get better.

Dog (1982, 1994, 2006) Characteristics: devoted, has perseverance, high responsibility, helpful, stubborn Advice: Stop fighting with others. You are a very hard working person, but try not to get in a fight.

Patience will help you form deeper and further friendship between your friends.

Pig (1983, 1995, 2007) Characteristics: Polite, fair, honest, brave, gullible Advice: Know how to refuse. You have tendency to accept everything that is proposed. Try to predict the future and the consequences that you might have to face. It will be hard, but it’ll be worth it.

The Scandal By khaled jarwan’13 Contributing Writer

Kings Academy hits its sixth year and is flourishing and improving year by year with the collective work of the students and staff. This year, though, something is different. There is a group of people that are trying to take over the entire school. They are equipped with money, oil, and Louis Vuitton bags. They are outnumbering any other group in the school and they travel in packs.

Their leader’s name, oh their almighty leader who shines in the sky of the school, is Saria Al-Khatib which means “the flag”. He represents no democratic views and he is a dictator when it comes to his country. The last guy who fell into his hands is nowhere to be found to this very moment. He tries to earn everyone’s respect by force. His big evil

eyes are like laser guns that shoot everyone His brilliance and cunning and swift talk can in the area. The other members are not to deceive any political party. be underestimated either. They seek out the This is a letter of warning to all my brothweak ones and they finish them off softly. ers out there, beware the oil boys.

They are everywhere and can take anyone at any time. They are called The Saudis and their ultimate goal is to take down this school and put it under their authority. They got the most important ingredient of power in their pockets: oil. They use it wisely to take down other nations.

During an interview with Saria, the great leader, he said, “Our policies are clear and vibrant. We have the oil and therefore, we can do everything.” Even though Saria is a great leader, he is accompanied by an intelligent prime minister named Hesham Attar.