International Day Italy - Rab'aa Al-Adawiya

Today, November 25, Rab’aa Al-Adawiya Independent Secondary School for Girls sent 23 students and two teachers to participate in International Day Italy, a Planet Georgetown event hosted by Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar.

From trivia games to creative writing exercises, the day’s event was jam packed with hands-on learning activities focusing on the history, culture, and geography of Italy. A full buffet of pastas, pizzas, and other Italian fare followed up with a short lesson and drawing exercise examining the work of Renaissance Man Leonardo Da Vinci allowed the girls to further explore the culinary and artistic traditions of Italy.

SFS-Qatar Department of Admissions would like to thank all of the students and teachers of Rab’aa Al-Adawiya for participating in today’s event. We look forward to welcoming you back at Georgetown soon!

International Day Nepal - October 22 & 29, 2009

Georgetown University SFS-Qatar sends a special thanks to all of the students and teachers from Sakena Independent Preparatory School for Girls and Doha Independent Preparatory School for Boys for their participation in October's International Day Nepal events! We hope to have you back at Georgetown soon!

International Day Nepal - Doha Independent Preparatory School for Boys

Twenty-two students from Doha Independent Preparatory School for Boys turned out for take two of International Day Nepal on Thursday, October 29.

The boys participated in a jam-packed day of internationally-themed activities, hosted by the SFS-Qatar Department of Admissions, from a geography lesson on Nepal, to a scavenger hunt around the LAS building, to constructing their own sand mandalas. Students also had the opportunity to feast on a buffet of popular Nepali foods, including tandoori chicken and biriyani.

Georgetown Pre-College Series

The Georgetown Pre-College Series offers students currently enrolled in the Academic Bridge Program a chance to sample the programs Georgetown has to offer, while honing their research and presentation skills. All ABP students interested in applying to SFS-Qatar in 2010 are strongly encouraged to participate.

GPS will take place over the course of six afternoon workshops. Below is a schedule of the workshops along with an application form. Sign up now to reserve your spot! The deadline to register is this Thursday, October 29th.

For further information, contact Melissa Meyers at 457-8356 or sfsqenrichment@georgetown.edu.

GPS Application
GPS Schedule

International Day Nepal - Sakena Prep

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar) launched its fall season of educational enrichment events this Thursday, October 22, with International Day Nepal. Twenty-seven students from grades seven through nine and three teachers from Sakena Preparatory Independent School for Girls attended the Nepali-themed event hosted at SFS-Qatar’s Education City campus.

“It’s such a pleasure to have independent school students here at Georgetown. They bring great energy into this place and some perspective as to why we’re here – they are Doha’s future leaders. It’s fundamental to SFS-Qatar’s outreach efforts to creatively engage preparatory and secondary school-aged students in international studies,” said SFS-Qatar Program Assistant, Melissa Meyers.

Throughout day, the students from Sakena were encouraged to explore the country of Nepal through a variety of interactive activities from simulations to games to creative writing. In the classroom, students participated in geography exercises and practiced common Nepalese phrases.

Colorful prayer flags, as are often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas to bless the surrounding countryside, were brought in for students to examine. Students used white scraps of fabric and magic markers to create their own prayer flags – containing wishes like “travel the world” and “peace in Iran.”

A Nepali feast welcomed the students back from a short scavenger hunt across Georgetown’s campus. Tandoori chicken dumplings and samosas topped off with the national sweet treat, Wo or sugar-coated lentil doughnuts, were among the array of finger foods prepared for the event by local caterer Gill Johnsen.

The girls went through bottle after bottle of glitter in the concluding lesson, in which they explored the ancient Tibetan tradition of sand mandalas while creating their own.

“The students really had a great time. I think it was good for them to explore a new country, and the exercises were very motivating and interesting for them. We look forward to getting involved in future Georgetown events!” said Sakena Preparatory School for Girls English Coordinator, Ingy Saleh.

International Day Nepal was one in a series of year-round outreach events held at SFS-Qatar. Each month, SFS-Qatar holds a different International Day event, focusing on a specific country. The day-long events, under the Planet Georgetown program, seek to instill a sense of excitement and interest in geography, writing, and international relations.

"I Love My Planet" Camp - July 19 - 30, 2009

"I Love My Planet" Camp Ends

Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar) ended its second Planet Georgetown camp this summer on Thursday, July 30. As part of the school’s ongoing outreach efforts through the Office of Educational Enrichment, 30 sixth and seventh grade students from 16 local schools participated in the internationally-themed summer camp.

The two-week academic enrichment program, titled “I Love My Planet,” aimed at engaging independent school students with lessons about the world around them. “Through a series of interactive classes, recreational events, art projects, and many other hands-on learning opportunities, each student was challenged while having fun,” says Program Coordinator Emily Wilson.

Throughout the first week, students took a virtual trek around the globe, exploring countries like Italy and Nepal, through games, geography lessons, art projects and recreation time. Campers made African masks, composed Australian aboriginal peace songs, made Nepali prayer flags, traced the borders of Italy and learned about its renaissance culture, and played with Mexican piñatas.

“I learned a lot about countries I never knew anything about before,” said seventh-grade student, Ilham Tag, “I can’t wait to impress my new teachers when I tell them about the places I learned about in camp!”

During the second half of the program, students worked in teams to create their own countries – complete with currencies, languages, maps, national dances and songs. Eight pretend nations were formed in this process, with creative titles ranging from Cocoloo to Jazi Land.

A “world market” held on the last day of camp, gave students the opportunity to showcase their unique handicrafts from each of the newly-created countries. There, parents, teachers, and SFS-Qatar staff and faculty were able to visit with the students as they purchased the craft items using pretend money.

“This was my first experience with Planet Georgetown,” said camp counselor and SFS-Qatar sophomore, Jibin Koshy. “I got to learn a lot from the kids, and I really look forward to the next camp.”

“I Love My Planet” closes out the Office of Educational Enrichment’s 2008-2009 academic year programming, as the department prepares for its fall academic enrichment events. Throughout the coming school year, SFS-Qatar plans to continue partnering with local schools through International Days, day-long events for preparatory and secondary students to sample SFS-Qatar’s tradition of international relations education and campus life, as well as its Resources for Teachers program. For more information on these programs, contact Program Coordinator Emily Wilson at erw27@georgetown.edu.