News: The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa

Swahili Day at The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa (AKAM) is an annual event held in the school, aimed at promoting awareness of both the Swahili culture and language.

This appreciation of culture is synonymous with the pluralistic ideals of the school, in an effort to create a multi-cultural atmosphere that is conducive for diversity and the appreciation.

The third annual event was held this year on June 6, 2008 and it was characterized by a number of events including the recitation of poems in Swahili, singing of songs and dramatizations.

Among the groups that were invited to perform during the event included: The Aga Khan High School Mombasa, Loreto Convent and WEMA Centre boys.

Indeed so significant is the event that the entire school including the student body, teaching faculty and support staff were expected to shed off their usual attire and dress up in traditional Swahili wear.

The event was clearly marked with a lot of pomp and color in the school's Multi-purpose hall:
• a comedy session by the known Abdalla Moi,
• a rap session in Swahili,
• a fashion show by student and teachers of AKAM.

Of course the day could not be complete without a myriad of Swahili dishes which included: starter salads of 'kachumbari', 'pilipili', the main dish of 'biryani', the dessert included 'mathobosha', 'makupa ya Lamu', 'kaimati' and 'podini' while the beverages included Coastal drinks such as 'maji ya ukwaju', 'maji ya sherbati', 'madafu' and 'kahawa thungu/ thamu'.

During a speech by the guest speaker, Hassan Makombo, the auditorium was reminded of the importance of Swahili as a national language and its potential critical role of fostering national cohesion if it is given its rightful prominence. Although Kiswahili is recognized as a national language in Kenya, English remains the official language. Sheikh Ahmed Nabhani from the Swahili Cultural Centre, who was also among the invited guests, left the crowd speechless when he translated the word 'video-camera' into Swahili 'nyakaso pataninga'. The Member of Parliament of Malindi, Hon. Gideon Mung'aro, attended the Swahili Day in his capacity as a parent and also as an enthusiast of the language and culture.

The Year 6 Exhibition is a culmination of the Primary Years Programme. The IBO emphasizes and encourages students in Year 6 of the Program to undertake an in-depth collaborative inquiry to synthesize the primary years learning and to share their learning with the community in the form of an Exhibition.

The first Year 6 PYP Exhibition at AKA/M was held May 5th – 9th 2008. Students chose a central idea from the Organizing theme, “Sharing the Planet” to express their ideas for a safer, friendlier and diverse planet that we share and care for. Students presented their research and findings to fellow students, parents and the AKA/M community. Students grouped themselves into areas of personal interest, choosing to focus on issues of land abuse, lamenting for endangered species, pleading with humanity to save our planet and think about our actions to protect our lands and seas. Groups shared how they had taken action to protect the environment, and encouraged visitors to do likewise.

The Year 6 Exhibition is a culmination of the Primary Years Programme. It is a requirement in PYP schools that Year 6 students undertake an in-depth collaborative inquiry to synthesize the primary years learning and to share the learning with the community in the form of an Exhibition.

Written by.Sheliza Jamal
After slightly more than three weeks of rehearsal, the Senior School students at The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa produced their 2nd, soon to be annual, MAD Night titled Welcome To My Life. This evening of Music, Art and Drama was run by student musicians, artists, dramatists and dancers who told the story of their lives. Year 8 student, Alim Alarakhia says, “It was MAD in a good way!”

The performance was referred to by Les Wilkins, Head of Junior School as “top class entertainment from a group of happy and talented adolescents.”

Aimed at presenting the social issues and events that our youth encounter, the performance featured various forms of theatre, musical interludes, vibrant dancers and a colourfully animated backdrop. Welcome to My Life takes you on a journey through a student’s life with every day twists and turns. The theatrical elements carried the show through the use of short yet powerful vignettes. Based on actual events, they were written and performed with the intention of allowing the audience to see things from various perspectives, question decisions and invent their own conclusions.

The cast braved showcasing pertinent social issues such as bullying, blackmail and discrimination while continuing to highlight the positive moments in a student’s life.

Entertaining and enlightening, the performers captured your attention with their insight and humour. Complaining about “Teachers and Homework, Parents and Chores,” providing “Tools to Deal” and creating a positive and lasting impression; the actors, dancers and singers have covered all bases.

Karin Clough, Dean of Students was dazzled by the stunning performance by students from Year 7 to DP. Following the production, she commented on some of the issues that were raised, “I am still thinking about it and feeling duly impressed by the talent and the self awareness of our students. The message of the show was fantastic, and I kept thinking, “Wow! They do get it!” It was lovely to see them thinking deeply about how to do your best and be a good person, even when there are real pressures on you to do things differently. I also just loved the pace of the show; the mixture of drama, music, art, all flowed together so nicely and reinforced the message perfectly.”

This year we were lucky to have the Salsa Club and Break Dance Club integrated into MAD Night. Their hot and steamy moves kept the crowd on their toes.

Susanne Mungaro, the school Librarian and a parent at The Academy said, “I was thrilled and deeply touched by the creativity, talent, dedication and love the Senior School show, Welcome to My Life had presented to the audience. Not only did the show leave a big impression in the audience’s hearts, it equally moved actors, singers and dancers who breathed life into this show.” Susanne is already looking forward to next year’s MAD night! Equally moved by the performance, Dean of Studies, Jennifer Fenton praised the performance. “I have been teaching for over 20 years and have seen a lot of Senior School productions Welcome to My Life is by far the best show I have ever seen performed by students. I am amazed by their talent and was moved by the message”.

The students, parents and community members echoed the mass praise of the performance. The hard work of the students paid off as many continue to plea for an Encore!

The positive messages and insight delivered in MAD educated youth and adults alike and will not be forgotten. The creativity, talent and drive of the Senior School students has led to yet another successful MAD Night at The Aga Khan Academy and has you asking yourself the question, “What would you do?”

The Aga Khan Academy was delighted to learn recently that Anoushka Rejan, one of the graduates of the first Diploma class, June 2007, has been awarded the International Leadership of Tomorrow scholarship to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Canada.

Anoushka, who has spent this year working at the Academy on a voluntary basis to “Give back to the Academy that [gave her] so much” explained that the scholarship amounts to approximately CAN$100,000 over the course of the four-year degree. Without this support, she would not be able to attend this outstanding university.

Anoushka’s happy news reaffirms the value of the Academy experience, and reflects in particular the value universities place on the service aspect of the IB Diploma Programme.

Peter J Mc Murray, Head of Academy commented, "It is Anoushka's attitude of giving and of service, as much as her impressive academic achievements, which mark her out as wholly deserving of this award. She is an example not only to the many students who will follow her, but also to all those working to build an Academy befitting of His Highness’ bold vision. That the award recognises leadership for tomorrow is a wonderful testament to the potential the Academy in Mombasa, and the many future Academies, have to positively impact countries in need."

On Thursday 3 April 2008, The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa's Senior School assembly was dedicated to the fast approaching building work which will signal the transition from the Academy being a wholly day school to that of it being able to accept boarding students from around Kenya and the neighboring countries.

Head of Academy, Peter J McMurray made clear that this was an important development in the life of the school and explained that being able to identify and attract young talent from all over the country was a critical part of His Highnesses vision for the network of the Academies. He then introduced the Dean of Students, Karin Clough, to the assembly making clear that planning work for this change in the life of the school had been aggressively happening "behind the scenes" for well over three years.

Karin then spoke of the life of the residences and introduced those teachers who have been identified as future dormitory parents, who shared stories with the students about their decision to join the dorm parent team. Many spoke of their own personal experiences at boarding schools as the best years of the life. They recalled the close relationships between teachers and students, and the joy of learning and living together with their peers. The team includes Lucy Mandawiro, Pam Mokua, Sabine Chegge, Nancy Oruko, Judith Misigo, Benard Dudi, Jacob Okelo, Naheed Bardai, Aziz Batada, Kipkemoi Serem, Joel Godiah, Jane Kinyoda, Bulemi Mulama, Benson Wafula and Francis Kariuki.

Truly experiencing the real life of top boarding schools in the world has been one of the ways teachers are being trained for their dorm parent role. In May 2007, four teachers visited Schule Schloss Salem in Germany for a week of intensive training in dorm parenting. On Friday, April 4, 2008 five Academy teachers leave for a visit to Lawrenceville School in Princeton, New Jersey, USA during the April break. Look for a full report of their trip here in the coming weeks.

As this photo testifies, there is now a serious building project in progress at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa. The construction of the residential facilities along with the supporting infrastructure is well underway and the school community is excited at the coming additions. It is already clear that, upon completion, the work happening on campus will transform it into one of most exceptional quailty on the continent of Africa.

Alongside the physical preparations, there is also much planning at the human level. Dormitory parents have been identified and have been trained, (see the article on the visit to Lawrenceville), and this week a "mock up" of a student dormitory is being laid out with a plan to have teachers, students and parents visit to provide feedback and suggestions before the final buliding and furniture work is undertaken.

A Dean of Admissions has been appointed as of June 2008 and his mandate is to formalise the admissions policy and to help in the identification of the young talent around Kenya and surrounding areas who will soon be the first residences of this exciting project.

Please visit this site regularly to monitor the progress of this important work.

The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa had another very successful annual sports day on Friday, 15th of February 2008. It was a usual steamy Mombasa day, with the exception of a most welcomed cloud cover for most of the morning. The four "house teams" enthusiastically cheered on their athletes. Red house were tight and organized and thanks to the effort of their committed house captains, were judged as the "most disciplined team".

Abdulrahman and Lesley in grade 6 enjoyed the competitiveness and described the day as "wonderful" as they were able to "show off" their athletic prowess. Dev Hirani in grade 3 enjoyed the sack race most: "I knew I had tried my best and I came second". Darshil, in grade 5, said that the cross country event was his favorite, as it was the most challenging.

There was a noticeably large turn out of parents this year, who subsequently gave the poor Academy teachers a show down in the teacher versus parents tug-of-war event. Congratulations to yellow house who won the event overall. It was a fun-filled day and enjoyed by everyone present. Thank you to Mr Anthony Ndungu for all the incredible hard work in the organization and coaching of some 270 students for this memorable day!

On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa hosted its 1st Annual Aga Khan Academy Mombasa Model United Nations Conference. Students, ranging from Year 7 to DP2, engaged in a series of captivating debates on topics including: Child Soldiers, Unilateral Economic Sanctions, Climate, Stem Cell Research, Nuclear Energy, Generic Drugs in China, Security Council Expansion and Debt-Relief for Developing Countries.

Charged with representing the interests of various countries, and to take their particular perspectives into account in debates, these teams of students engaged in and learned about the United Nations system, practiced parliamentary debating procedures, and built their leadership, public speaking and writing skills.

All students came well prepared, spoke eloquently and demonstrated great enthusiasm for and knowledge of these difficult topics. Sanna Malik and Shiv Morjaria won the awards for Best Speakers. Imran Khalfan and Zilna Shavdia won the awards for Best Country Representatives. Congratulations to everyone who took part!

The second Middle Years Programme (MYP) Parents’ information evening was held at the Academy’s Lecture Theatre on the 6th of March 2008. The meeting convened by Mrs. Esther Nondi, the MYP Coordinator, and attended by Year 7 parents, discussed Learning Objectives and Assessment Criteria.

It was a follow-up to an introductory meeting held in November 2007 to introduce Year 7 parents to the MYP. The 2007/2008 Year 7 students will be the first graduates of the MYP at the Academy.

The aim of the second meeting was to explain to parents how learning objectives are linked to assessment criteria. Every subject has a number of learning objectives to be achieved at the end of a unit. A unit may be work covered over one term or half a term. By the end of a unit, the achievement of a student is measured against the assessment criteria.

As a point in case, Science has 6 learning objectives; A-F, where learning objective A is ‘Our World’. This objective enables students to understand the interdependence between science and society. The assessment criterion A therefore requires students to show the interdependence between science and the world.

Mrs. Rebecca Crossley, a Science teacher at the Academy, was at hand to demonstrate how assessment tasks she had given her Year 7 Class were marked and graded using Assessment criteria D and E, which are linked to Learning objectives D and E.

Mrs. Nondi gave parents assessment and reporting booklets that explain how assessment is going to be carried out for the MYP students in Year 7 to 10.

Also present were MYP Steering Committee members, Mr. Peter J. McMurray (Head of Academy), Mr. Simon Otieno (Principal, Senior School), Mrs. Jennifer Fenton (Dean of Studies), and other members of faculty.

The next meeting will be held on 20th of March 2008 and every Thursday evening for the next three Thursdays. Meetings start at 4:00 pm.

The topics are:
20th March 2008: Assessment and Reporting.
27th March 2008: Areas of Interaction.
3rd April 2008: Vertical content Plans in the Subjects.

During his speech made at the Inauguration Ceremony of this school, His Highness the Aga Khan underscored the important contribution the citizens of Africa can make to address what he called the somber global circumstance in which we live. He stated that “their writings and research must contribute to the edifice of knowledge; their publications, inventions, and artistic and architectural creations must be of a quality to enrich the human experience”.

This quotation was part of the opening remarks made by Zubair Kassam, Head of the AKAM English Department, as he introduced the second cohort of IB Diploma candidates before each of them presented their internal assessments to the public. “The IB Extroverts”, as they call themselves, made a remarkable presentation across the various disciplines they have studied during the last eighteen months of their course.

The richness of what the IB Diploma course has to offer was superbly demonstrated by each of the speakers. Kennedy Mbuvi boasted the first IB Diploma Mathematics Extended Essay in Africa, under the topic: “Superannuation”, answering in length a research question of only 40 words; Kirsty Bird delved into the topic, “From Artifact to Curio – the Journey of the African Mask”, under the discipline of Visual Arts.

Why would a student be taking samples of saliva from Arcea nut chewers somewhere in Old Town Mombasa? One wonders! Yet, Irfan Samji did it to establish the saliva’s Ph measure, generating scientific evidence that the habit indeed predisposed chewers to oral cancer.

Seeking another first at the Academy was Dure-Nayab Khatry: this time, with a presentation in Swahili. The ease with which she delivered her Kiswahili Extended Essay presentation underscored the IBO’s belief that, in one’s mother tongue, complicated ideas can be expressed with supreme and admirable clarity.

The ambition of the IB curriculum is to create compassionate citizens. Sheliza Ramji brought this phenomenon to fore with the depiction of what her ITGS project endeavoured to achieve; a worldwide reach for the Mwokoeni Children’s Centre through the creating and hosting of a website for the institution. The centre, one of the school’s CAS focus centres, is in a disadvantaged part of Mombasa, and offers dismally impoverished children a free education.

Good, practical advice for the aspiring IB students and next year’s candidates was not in short supply. “Make sure you complete your first World Literature assignment in the first year because you will need the whole of the second year for the second assignment…” Salsabiha Sheikh’s asserted.

Each member of the class had the opportunity to present his or her particular topics of interest, and, at the end, all received a thunderous standing ovation from the crowd. The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, is very proud of this year’s cohort of IB graduates, and their talents and wide spectrum of interests shone through in an impressive display of intellectual curiosity and depth of knowledge.

Five teachers from the Academy spent their April holiday at Lawrenceville School in Princeton, NJ, USA. Aziz Batada, Jacob Okelo, Judith Misigo, Pamela Mokua, and Benard Dudi were hosted by Lawrenceville teachers for a week of real life experience in one of America’s most prestigious boarding schools. The teachers visited classes, ate meals with students, watched sporting events, attended extra-curricular events and lived in the Housemaster’s residence in order to experience life at a busy and well run boarding school. Teachers were also able to meet with faculty in their own disciplines to discuss the Lawrenceville curriculum and gain insight into their own teaching. The Academy teachers were impressed and inspired by their American counterparts and commented on the full engagement of the faculty and the students in the school community at Lawrenceville.

The five teachers have been selected as Dorm Parents for the upcoming residential program. The trip to Lawrenceville was part of the on-going training process of The Aga Khan Academy’s faculty in preparation for the boarding component of the school. The first dormitories are under construction in Mombasa and the Head of the Academy, Peter J McMurray, has stated that , upon completion, this will be "the finest boarding facility in Africa." Visiting a school like Lawrenceville allows our teachers to experience a boarding school that has been running well for over two hundred years.

In an interview for the student newspaper, The Lawrence, Mr. Dudi said, "We are here to learn about how the boarding school system works, how teachers relate to their students, to see what kids do after classes, and how they spend their free time. We are eager to learn all about Lawrenceville’s best features and incorporate them into a Kenyan context."

On Thursday 7th February the Senior School Academy held a special "peace assembly" to remember the victims of the recent unrest in Kenya and to plan to support the displaced and homeless.

Mr Peter Mc Murray, Head of the Academy, began the assembly with one minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of the recent violence, and reminded the students that the Academy was a community, and that this was a time of "strain and strife". It was at such times that the merit of a community was tested and communities that failed this test were ones that allowed division, intolerance and anger to infest its ranks. But a community that succeeded in such times came together in harmony, forgiveness, tolerance and patience and channeled its energies to helping those who are suffering from that strife.

Two representatives of the Red Cross, Kenya, then presented the current status to the assembly. Nationally, almost 1200 have died, and there are approximately 400,000 displaced, staying in camps. Major challenges are the lack of basic supplies and poor sanitation, with the accompanying risk of outbreak of diseases.

The Student Council announced a two-week drive for food and clothing, commencing on Monday, February 11th.

The assembly ended with the reading of a poem written by the higher level IB English students and using some of the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

They wrote:
“Hidden passions, triggered by senseless motions
Boiling, toiling and coiling are the emotions
Peace, overwhelmed by destruction That has led to the nation’s disintegration.

Refugees in our own home
We fear being victim of one of our own
Sparkling like lightning
The news spreads with the singeing effect
In the ears of the bearers, leaving
A bewildered cover on our faces and
A bid blow to our conscience and sense Of judgment.

But it is in our hearts as one to find
A chord to strum to give us back our melody
A beautiful symphony of brotherhood,
The words of Martin Luther King, As a people who once spoke of freedom
We must say, let the song of unity play
Peace, Love, Nationalism, all fruits of the same tree For the pillar of strength of peace is truly solidarity.

Let’s sing the song of unity from the highest mountain
And the darkest corner
Let solidarity spring like a bounteous fountain
Amend the anthem! May we dwell in unity and peace
Within our borders, shall we find liberty and equity."

And with the powerful delivery of this poem, the Academy confirmed it’s ethos of community, united in a sadder Kenya than before, but hopeful for and dedicated to a brighter future.

A group of Senior School students dazzled the crowd on Friday December 7th in a stunning performance of "Esu and the Vagabond Minstrels." Following a rain-out on opening night December 6th, the cast of students performed to a near full house of parents, AKAM staff and students. Led by volunteer drama teacher, Sheliza Jamal, and six weeks of extremely hard work, the cast of students, ranging from Year 7 to IB 2, worked extremely hard for six weeks and created a brilliant performance of the play, which was written by Nigerian playwright Femi Osofisan. The student actors captured the essence and nuances of their characters and portrayed the play’s very important message about helping fellow man and showing selfless compassion.

The central characters of the play are five musicians who are out of work following political upheavals, and in dire need of food and money. They go out on a mission to become rich, but do so by deceiving others. In their travels they meet Esu, the God of Trickery, disguised as an old man. He grants them each one chance to become a millionaire. All they have to do is find a suffering man and use compassion to cure him. In the end, only one character shows true compassion and selflessness and becomes rich - his wealth is measured in self worth and accomplishment rather than material gain.

The performance, filled with song, dance, and wonderful performing talent, was a fitting end to the Academy’s first term, as it echoed the values and ethos of compassion and service at the heart of the Aga Khan Academy. Congratulations to all the cast members and crew and to Sheliza Jamal for all their hard work!

Faculty and staff dazzled students, parents, and friends of the Academy Friday November 30th and again Saturday, December 1st in two outstanding performances of "Scrooged!" Michael Paller’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol". After just over a month’s preparation, and with a few modifications to the script and on-stage ad-libs, the team performed to a total of nearly 600 people over the course of the two nights, generating laughter and good fun as faculty and staff put aside their serious, professional sides and revealed their true talents as entertainers. Singing, dancing, and theatrical genius abounded under the Baobab tree and the amphitheatre resounded throughout campus with cheers and laughter. Organized by the Academy’s staff social committee, the show brought together the Academy’s community and helped to support some of its members in time of need. The two performances generated funds which will be used to help families of staff members with exceptional and unforeseen expenses.

Mr. Peter J. McMurray, Head of Academy, addressed the Academy’s Senior School students and faculty with a very important message in an assembly on the 22nd of November. As the first term nears its end, the Head took this opportunity to emphasize the scope and vision of the Aga Khan Academies project and to reiterate the enormous responsibility they bear as students and staff of this, the very first Academy. The Academies project, set to span three continents, is unique and truly special, and has a vision and purpose that is powerful and life-changing for generations to come. The Head of Academy thus challenged students and faculty to seize this tremendous opportunity to promote positive change in the world and to rise above the level of common expectations- to feel and act with a strong sense of purpose as part of an ethical mission, a mission too important to be allowed to fail. “If you fail, we fail. If you fail, the Academies will fail, and this very important vision will not be realized.” Entrusted with this crucial mission, the students and staff of the Academy displayed a true sense of pride of belonging to such an incredible endeavour, and expressed their desire to succeed through cheers and energetic applause. Indeed, these students and staff understand their role is an important one, and are ready to tackle the obstacles ahead with passion and dedication, as this mission to improve the lives of generations of people in the developing world could not have had a better birthplace than the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa.

The AKAM swim team has made the Academy very proud with their outstanding accomplishments in two important swimming championships, finishing first overall in Kenya in each competition. The Academy clinched a total of 56 medals, of which 37 were gold, at the National Age Group Swimming Championships held in Mombasa on October 27th and 28th. Just over two weeks later, the team collected 41 medals, of which 23 were gold, to take first place overall in the Safaricom Age-Group Swimming Championships in Kasarani on November 17th and 18th.

Rachita Shah, year 11, has begun a record setting spree, breaking several national records in the National Age Group Swimming Championship and then again at the Safaricom Age Group Swimming Championships where she set a new national swimming record in the 100 metre butterfly, beating a record set during the All Africa Games of 1978 ! Rachita is on the national team that will represent Kenya in the Africa Junior Championships in Egypt in December.

Congratulations, Coach Fauz and to the entire AKAM swim team!

World Food Day was marked at the Academy with a full-fledged inter-house food drive. Over 100kg of food was raised by mainly students and staff and distributed at four institutions that cater to the needy. Kenowa Children’s home was amongst the beneficiaries of this year’s food drive. Seven DP 1 students led by Ms. Mary Nyandieka and Mr. Joel Godiah delivered over 250kg of food like rice, maize flour, wheat flour, cooking fat, sugar and Ksh 1200 in cash to the home. The Technology Department hosted an assembly at which they drew the audience’s attention to scarcity of food in the world. The students were led to reflect on their position of privilege and encouraged not to bin food when many starve and even die for want of it in many parts of the world. A simple cross-word puzzle revealed that not so many of us are aware of the state of world food reserves. There was notably a challenging BBC-World Quiz and Year 9 pupils put up a skit entitled “Suit-Bones”. The skit showed how corruption may contribute to food insecurity in the community. All activities were geared towards raising awareness about food scarcity in the world.

The Africa senior swimming championships held in Dakar, Senegal was a big success to Kenya as well as our Academy. It was a very good exposure for our young 15 year old Rachita Shah who is in grade 9 at the Academy and was part of the 13 swimmers who represented Kenya during the championships. Rachita is glad to be part of the team which made history in Kenyan Swimming.

The Kenyan team who’s head coach was our own academy coach Fauz Ahmed. The Kenyan team won a total of 9 medals, 4 Gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze, this was history made as Kenya has never won a medal in the Africa championships.

One of the oldest record broken by our swimmer Rachita Shah is the record which was set by Kate Cruishank in the 100m backstroke set in 1976.

“I enjoy swimming Butterfly and Backstroke although I do participate in all events during provincial and at the national level, I hardly miss a training session and I always give my best during training sessions” said Rachita.

“We are now trying to expose our swimmers in international events as much as possible, last year the academy sent 11 swimmers to Zambia invitational gala and early this year 6 swimmers represented the province at the South Africa level two championships” commented coach Fauz.

Rachita Shah is a swimmer who started the swim program from our junior school some years back and now she has started to yield her fruits.

The Year Seven students at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, received a warm welcome into the Senior School during the Annual Year Seven Camp Out, held on the school premises. This year’s event, which took place from Friday, September 15 to Saturday, September 16, was organized by the year 7 Pastoral Coordinator, Mr. N. Olwande, with the help of Ms. S. Chege, Mr. Z. Kassam, Mr. A. Batada, Mrs. K. Clough and Mr. O. Were.

The camp out’s main objective is to help the students bond with their Pastoral Coordinator, Class Tutors and subject teachers. It was a great success as the students not only had fun, but also learnt a lot about team work, tolerance, pluralism and what is expected of them in the Senior School. Learning took place through games and activities that were facilitated by teachers Mr. Batada and Mrs. Clough.

"The highlight of the grade 7 Camp Out for me was when we went for the morning jog after sleeping in the tents. It helped me learn about myself and others as it enabled us to interact outside the classroom setting," said Pralin Mehta, one of the campers.

Entertainment came in the form of movies and skits by students. Some of the games were: blindfolded football, the hunter the rabbit and the wall and pass on the cloth.

"I would definitely recommend the Camp Out to next year’s Grade Sevens. There is a lot to be learnt from this rare experience," said another participant.

The Junior School was at it again. Over the half term break all the teachers were involved in an intensive three day whole school workshop. This was organized by the PYP Co-Ordinator, in collaboration with the IBO head office in Geneva, Switzerland. It must be noted that such workshops are planned for well in advance, in this case June last year and take into consideration the needs of the school.

The two trainers who facilitated the 19 hour workshop are both experienced PYP trainers. Tricia Herbert joined us from Ghana, where she is Head of Junior School and Christine De Luca from the icy Swiss Alps, where she teaches and coordinates the PYP at the International School of Lausanne.

The Junior School was at it again. Over the half term break all the teachers were involved in an intensive three day whole school workshop. This was organized by the PYP Co-Ordinator, in collaboration with the IBO head office in Geneva, Switzerland. It must be noted that such workshops are planned for well in advance, in this case June last year and take into consideration the needs of the school. The three days workshop focused on inquiry and enabled us to reflect and develop strategies that we can improve on, utilize and adopt in our own teaching and learning. In addition it was extremely encouraging to hear the trainers’ positive feedback, praise, commendations and recommendations regarding our implementation process. They were impressed by the high standards of our displays, both in and outside the classrooms, active participation and the collaborative team work and enthusiasm that exists amongst our staff. As a team we feel proud of our accomplishments and realize that there will always be more to do and more to learn After all learning never stops.
Way to go team !

World Animal Week is an international, annual, animal awareness campaign sponsored by the World Society for the Protection of Animals. All over the globe children joined together to raise public awareness and funds for animals who suffer due to man's negligence or cruelty. At the Junior School this was an excellent opportunity to incite the students to stand up and take action in their community. Animal week organization started thanks to the Junior School's "Student Council": These children started promoting Animal Week by issuing flyers and raising awareness during class "circle times" and whole school assemblies. The Student Council then met to discuss ideas of how to take action. The students themselves telephoned the WSPA African Headquarters to enquire about how they could best help with the project. It was decided a toy sale would be a good way to raise money for a local charity "Colobus Trust" which, for example, builds tree bridges for the colubus monkeys to cross the busy beach road safely.

The students of AKAM brought in bags full of toys which were put up for sale on the final day of Animal Week. Meanwhile action was also taking place in other areas of the school. Grade 1K decided to help the school cat "Kitty" by bringing in food and keeping her sleeping area clean. Grade 6K organized assembly which taught the children how to best care for their pets. Clinton and Aashni even took along their pets for the occasion: a white dog and a hedgehog! The school has raised over 14,000 /= which they will donate to Colubus Trust and Kitty’s vet bills.

A huge, French ship called ‘La Marne’ - which was docked in Mombasa harbour - provided Grade Six with the opportunity to search and explore a real military vessel while practicing their French. It was an opportunity not to be missed!

Haute Sécurité
The visit started with the port security. Several police road blocks and teams of askaris reminded the children that this was no ordinary school trip. The tension mounted as the students waited for the previous visitors – The Aga Khan Nursery School - to clamber off the boat. The disembarking infants wore large grins and wide eyes reflecting the adventure that awaited Grade Six inside.

On parle français
The children – carrying clip boards and worksheets – set off to gather information and to fuel their own inquiries. Of course - as this was a foreign language trip - all conversations, questions and recordings were undertaken in French. This process started by greeting the entrance guard “Bonjour, comment ça va?” and counting as the students walked up the gangway “Un, deux, trois…”

Hélicoptère
The students were split into groups and each group was assigned a friendly, French naval guide to tour the ship. The exploration started with the helicopter at the stern of the boat. As many gazed in awe at the aircraft, others took this opportunity to gather information for their worksheets: setting up French conversations with pilots, engineers, chefs and officers. “Où habitez-vous en France?”

Exercices
As they peered over the edge of the boat the students could view military exercises taking place: a small rubber dingy full of sailors patrolling the waters and a group of engineers were adjusting a large gun. As the excited visitors squeezed through their first door into the interior of the vessel, they discovered a gym full of sailors working out, an array of lifejackets, buoyancy aids and a life sized, orange man (made out of plastic).

Escalade
Next was the ascent to the admiral’s and captain’s control room. Stairwell after stairwell of steep, metal stairs led the way. The students had to be very careful working their way up the steps. They thought about the fun and challenge the nursery children must have faced – no wonder they were grinning!! Signs written in French lined the doors and walls probing the children to ask their English meanings. One door even had a”Entrée strictement interdite” sign with a special combination lock. “Only the admiral is able to enter this room” explained the guide.

La Passerelle
By the time the children had reached the main control room they had scaled four flights of stairs. The French sailors were extremely helpful and kind: assisting the children on their way and allowing them free access to a range of objects and areas. Some of the visitors had the opportunity to sit on the admiral’s special chair, others got to peer through the telescope and to look at the flags in the identification book.

Over forty students and faculty were involved in a whole day workshop held at AKAM on April, 04, 2006. Mr. Karumba, co-faculty advisor with Mr. Bardai, stated that the conference was organized to "sensitize youth to issues that affect society." An innovated exercise commenced the workshop by placing some students in a position of having to feel what it is like being categorized and excluded. "It was totally unfair," stated Samantha, one of the students who was victimized. The debriefing illustrated that those that have the comfort were less likely to accept responsibility and speak out against the injustice. This reflection paved the way for an interesting, widely recognised discussion on racism. During the period, the students watched a clip from a movie "Crash", which accentuated racist behaviour. The students were then given a chance to consider upon these disgraceful acts and enlighten the impact of these behaviours. As the discussion progressed, Mrs. Khan, Mr. Dudi, Mr. Karumba and Mr. Serem introduced the topic tribalism and gender discrimination. They emphasised the problem facing Kenya, allowing the student to truly understand the vastly degrading effects of discrimination. Their Enlightenment Period continued with an intense movie "Hotel Rwanda" – a story based on the gruesome war between two tribes. "Oh my God!" was the only expression the participants let out after watching parts of the movie. They, for the first time, were introduced to the barbaric, criminal acts of tribalism and hatred. The shock instilled further developed their understanding of the worldwide threat of segregation. The next activity allowed students to express themselves in a creative manner through reflective writing or artistic drama. All work conveyed a depth of understanding relating to the concepts of discrimination. One participant stated that the creative aspect of the day allowed her to "reflect all that I learnt through out the day." The final aspect of the day consisted of the participants developing a plan of action. Creating awareness, educating students and faculty about the types and effects of discrimination, and the importance of focusing were manifested concepts from the discussion. Mr. McLean stated that, "individually, each one of us is a change agent."

Mt. Kilimanjaro is a vision that has fed the human imagination for years. Much more than the highest mountain in Africa, it is innately and inexhaustibly symbolic. Writers render it, climbers conquer it, Africans worship it, and at the end of the day its magnetic singularity remains undiminished. Though speechless wonder reigns in its presence, the traveller who witnesses Kilimanjaro Mountain will speak of it for years.

The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa gave its students the wonderful opportunity and experience by taking them on an adventurous and challenging outbound excursion of Mt.Kilimanjaro.

Blue, sunny skies and the towering backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro made Kenya’s only official Outward Bound centre a very promising location for the students’ activity holiday. The combination of friendly, highly qualified instructors, nutritious wholesome food and a superb safe centre setting made the experience even more enjoyable.

The Outward Bound team had interesting and stimulating activities planned from dawn until well after the sun had disappeared, which left very little time for the children to loose their grins or to fumble into their bags for their electronic toys. Each day started just as the sun was rising, rather bleary-eyed, with exercises such as running and the dreaded circuit course. By breakfast at 7am everyone was showered, dressed and ravenous, ready for the hot breakfast that awaited them. The group took this opportunity to discuss the day’s agenda and activities.

Team building games and problem solving activities were designed to make the students work together cooperatively to make them think and communicate ideas effectively in order to help the team succeed. The team building exercises were always entertaining and after each activity, time was allocated for reflection.

One afternoon was spent at the local primary school, a 30 minute walk from the centre. The students were given the opportunity to interact on a relaxed, informal level with the local children and were also shown the school. They had very limited resources unlike the fortunate students of The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa where the school provides resources such as computers, air conditioned squash courts and swimming pools. The students felt very fortunate to be students at The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa. Students showed their benevolent side and kindly contributed books and stationary to the school. The whole experience made them realize just how fortunate they were and to think of ways how they may be able to take action to help others in the wider community in the future.

Probably the best part of the trip for almost everyone was the overnight camp at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Everyone had to learn to put up their own tents and to endure a night in the middle of nowhere. There were no toilets (except for a pit the instructors dug out) and not a light for miles around apart from the moon and stars which lit up the dark night.

The night went well and everyone slept soundly and awoke fresh and prepared for the morning fitness training and rock climbing. Everyone was a risk taker and overcame their fears to climb the cliff face.

All in all it was a brilliant experience and we are looking forward to returning to the centre with more children in the near future.

On Friday, 14th January 2005, between 7.30p.m. and 8.30p.m.the Year Sixes were treated to a clear sky that enabled them to observe various constellations visible during this time of the year. Orion was most prominent and its stars Betelgeuse and Rigel were easily identifiable from their red and blue colors respectively. Sirius-the brightest star in the night sky - shone in all its glory!

The students were fascinated that they could identify their zodiac signs. Cancer, Pisces, Taurus, Leo and Gemini were among the ones they spotted. The school “baraza “was the venue which lent naturally to an uninterrupted skyline. We were truly star struck and look forward to spending another night beholding the stars - this time to view Saturn and her rings along with Jupiter and its moons through a more powerful telescope from Dr. Notiar’s terrace. (Mrs. Brenda Menezes, Year 6 M Teacher)

“I am so glad to have gone to the night sky viewing. I never believed that Orion is always up in the sky until that night. Using the binoculars, I saw four stars in the sky that looked like a sword, six stars that looked like a shield and the rest of the stars were shaped like a person. I then knew that it must be Orion looking like a knight – ready for war! I did not only see Orion but also saw a cross, which was upside down. It was made up of five stars. Secondly, I viewed through the binoculars, a constellation-shaped like a lion. I came to know that it was Leo. I also saw the moon which was a waxing crescent moon. I was lucky enough to see the planets Mercury and Venus both shining. I enjoyed the night sky viewing and I will always look at the sky from now on.” (Jonathan Chebukati Year 6M)

“I THOUGHT THIS TRIP WAS WORTH IT! We learnt that constellations do not stay in one place-they move! We also got to see the craters on the moon. People came up with nice ideas for food. There were Saturn pastries, rocket hot dogs and pizzas that looked like the craters of the moon.” (Imran Khalfan Year 6M)

The National Museum of Mali is a well established museum directed by Samuel Sidibe. I was taken aback with their facilities and their professionalism. All four winners attended the opening of the exhibition.

1st prize - Achilleka KOMGUEM KAMSU (Cameroon). His work is projected as a poetic prayer against violence, abuse and hatred.

2nd prize - Miriam SYOWIA KYAMBI (Kenya). Her works have a tremendous plastic quality that reflects her sensitive awareness of genocide down through human history.

3rd Prize - B. Didier Donatien ALIHONOU (Benin). His work benefits from lively design and colour in harmony with his environment.

4th Prize - Momar SECK (Senegal) lives in Switzerland. His works express the need for unity and solidarity without which disparate elements fail to blossom.

The title of the exhibition was “Contemporary Visions” and established artists from West Africa exhibited their works within this exhibit as well. The museum is looking to collect the prize winner’s work in order to have the works as part of their private collection. I was the only East African representative and the youngest and the only female artist exhibiting work for this particular exhibition. I felt very honored as well as overwhelmed.

Thank you for all your support and well wishes before my departure as well as the warm welcomes I have received upon my return. I look forward to working with the National Museum in Mali and the artists I had met in the near future. I will be sharing my experiences in Mali and newly acquired knowledge with my students. I believe they will benefit from this first hand information and gain an understanding that a career as an artist is a viable dream.

The National Museum of Mali received funding two years ago from the European Union. They have as a result restored a fantastic space which fits into traditional Malian architecture in a modern sense and houses contemporary art. The National Museum of Kenya based in Nairobi is supposed to receive similar funding for its “face lift.” I truly hope we receive these funds and use them as well as the Malians have used their funds to run a successful internationally recognized and professional museum.
Miriam Syowia Kyambi

20th-21st November 2004, Nairobi. The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, participated in the Nasa swimming gala held at Aquatic Complex, Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi and sent 12 swimmers, three from junior school and nine from senior school. The prominent teams were from Nairobi which came under the category of provinces. Each province, school, club or country entered two best swimmers for each event.

The team won its first gold medal when Rachita Shah swam 100m backstroke in a time of 1:25:13, beating two Zambian girls and the rest of the swimmers of her age group. The second gold medal was won by Ushir Patel in a time of 1:21:85 after defeating Nasa and Zambian swimmers.

Meet Records
The team had its best moment when Ushir Patel broke the meet record of Nicholas Zanette which was set in year 2000, the old time was 31:98 and the new time now stands at 31:17. He went on to beat another Nicholas Zanette record of 50m backstroke in a time of 36:41 while the old time was 38:83. Our 12/13 age group Freestyle Relay boys set a new meet record of 2:17:45 after beating the old time of 2:49:67 set in the year 2000 by Oshwal High School. The team won 34 medals in total, 11 Gold, 16 Silver and 7 Bronze.

The participants were: Vishula Patel, Hinna Vayani, Jason Rose, Suhani Dhanani, Neeraj Chandi, Anwar Gullied, Siham Yusuf, Ushir Patel, Taariq Bawazir, Emmanuel Chebukati, Jason Musau and Rachita Shah.

Names	Gold	Silver	Bronze	N° of medals

Ushir Patel	5	2	1	8

Jason Rose	2	2	2	6

Rachita Shah	1	4	1	6

Vishula Patel	1	*	3	4

Anwar Gullied	1	1	*	2

Neeraj Chandi	1	1	*	2

Hinna Vayani	*	2	*	2

Siham Yusuf	*	2	*	2

Suhani Dhanani	*	2	*	2