AISJ celebrates 60th anniversary

The American International School Jeddah (AISJ) celebrated their 60 years of excellence as an International school in Saudi Arabia with zeal at the school premises on Monday.
American Consul General Anne Casper honored the AISJ with her presence as a guest of honor at the 60th anniversary program with Mark English, superintendent of AISJ; Mark Sullivan, middle school/high school assistant principal; Nathan Swenson, middle school principal, and his wife Amy Swenson; Mohannad Mohanna, president of the board of advisers and chairman of the leadership committee; Rawan Al-Jabai, director of admission at AISJ; and other dignitaries, staff, parents and students.
The American International School of Jeddah is a pre-kindergarten through grade 12 coeducational school founded in 1952 and has since then facilitated a number of students from different cultural backgrounds at its campus.
Big Hass and Rawan Al-Jabai welcomed the guests, and said the AISJ is set to reach greater goals of education and excellence, as they believe that every child deserves the best education.
“We truly believe AISJ is a special place for children, which gives the children abilities to achieve opportunities and change their lives forever in the most sounding and wonderful way. We must absolutely acknowledge we would not be here in this beautiful celebrating event tonight without the support of the teachers, parents, board members, and leadership committee,” said Al-Jabai.
Mark English talked about the AISJ and its current status, and thanked all those who organized the evening.
“Most of us were not even born when this school first opened. There must be many stories and memories to treasure. On this very important occasion, I am reminded how fortunate we are as a school not only to have certain talented students, but also to have such a committed group of faculties, staff members, parents, and other members of out of our community.”
He admired the hard work of the staff, teachers, students and parents to make AISJ distinguished from other schools. AISJ is fully accredited, and 99 percent of students have college acceptance with a high school average rate of 3.57.
The school has a rigorous academic program that shows significant growth in reading, math and language proficiency in all grade levels. It has qualified and experienced local and overseas staff dedicated to maintaining the high school’s curriculum.
“We are going to introduce iPads in our middle school next year. Beyond the facts and figures, the school has a robust academic program, where students are challenged to internalize and master the skills to drive through the 21st century and to realize that integrity, dignity and trust are not just words, but values to live by. Parents should be sure that the AISJ students are prepared for the global and complex society around them,” English said.
Gagan Suri, member of the leadership committee of AISJ, gave the news of an upcoming new campus in the near future in Obhur, northern Jeddah, with topnotch facilities, and a school that will be integrated into a campus, with staff and communities housing, and with all the upgraded facilities to accommodate the American school.
Mohannad Mohanna said there is no compromise when it comes to the level of education and the quality the school should provide, nor is there a compromise for the facilities and resources provided to staff, teachers and students.
“We have a great responsibility to take the school to its next level. Our focus is the improvement of education through our faculties and quality teachers, so we can provide the right facility and environment to our children and make sure we challenge ourselves with actual numbers and percentages. We want to build a community and school that will be an example for other international schools to follow. Today we are celebrating our 60 years’ anniversary, and it is our common goal to celebrate another 60 years, which is possible with mutual hard work,” said Mohanna.
Ibrahim Jabban, member of the leadership committee and alumni of the year 1997, introduced a website and the Alumni Association founded by him for AISJ alumni from around the world to share their views and the future of the AISJ.