An article that was sent to the teacher of AISJ

Tue, 4 Sep 2007 23:39:31 -0700 (PDT)

Subject:
AISJ - Arab News Article

After Rough Patch, Future Looks Bright for AISJ
Siraj Wahab, Arab News

Dr. Mark A. English, superintendent, American International School of Jeddah, center, says he is excited about leading what he describes as a very talented group of educators who have the interests of the community at heart. (AN photo)

JEDDAH, 5 September 2007 — The American International School of Jeddah is a local institution that throughout the decades has fostered the education of thousands of students from dozens of nationalities going all the way back to its inception in 1952. Graduates of this school have moved on to occupy top jobs the world over.
That is not to say it hasn’t been a bumpy ride for the institution founded 55 years ago as the PCS, the Parents Cooperative School , by a group of American companies operating in Saudi Arabia . In the 1980s, the school changed its name to the SAIS , the Saudi-American International School , and was underwritten by Saudi Arabian Airlines. But in June 2004 the country’s national carrier gave up its sponsorship, threatening the future of one of Jeddah’s top-rated private schools.
Under threat of dissolution, a group of individuals led by Dr. Khaldoun Mhaimeed, got together and figured out a way to give the school a new lease on life. The American community in Jeddah pulled through, and the SAIS became the American International School of Jeddah (AISJ).
“It was a tremendous effort by the community members to save their school,” says Dr. Mhaimeed, the president of the school’s board of trustees. “They are emotionally attached to the school. The school has been a part and parcel of their lives. Their kids graduated from the school and they wanted it to regain premier position. The revival would not have been possible without the stellar support from the US Embassy in Riyadh and the US Consulate in Jeddah.”
Its strong results have gotten the school accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, USA . It is licensed by the Saudi Ministry of Education to operate as a school for expatriate children.
Dr. Mhaimeed said the appointment of Dr. Mark A. English as the school’s new superintendent in May this year led to the turnaround. Dr. English has a background befitting someone in charge of maintaining the institution as a premier center of learning.
“I have a few ideas,” Dr. English told Arab News recently. “My goal really is to make the AISJ the premier international school, not just in the Kingdom but the entire Middle East . And I think it is very possible to do that.”
How does one go about doing that?
“The first thing is you want to have good people,” he said. “And so for some months I have been hiring people to put in certain positions because you have to have the quality factor in order to deliver the quality in education. So the first step is the process of hiring. I have hired some excellent people.”
Some of the people that Dr. English hired have Harvard MBAs, for example. He has hired some people with PhDs because he wants to make sure that the community knows that their children are going to get quality education.
Dr. English is an experienced educator and linguist with extensive knowledge of academic issues related to the development and matriculation of students through various curricula and education programs. He emphasizes the need to keep in communication with parents and to foster positive relations with the community.
“It is very important that courses are taught and the parents understand what is being taught,” he said. “For example, we had something called Industrial Technology as a field or as a course in the school. It is truly an outmoded term now. I want to create something called Information Technology. I talked to the kids and they are interested in something called Robotics. It is a very interesting field that children at a younger age can get used to developing programs; that can be something very relevant for the school.”
Dr. English previously served as president of Ross Global Academy Charter School in New York City and dean of the US Military Academy Preparatory School. This is his first assignment in the Middle East, but he has lived in Muscat and Amman .
“I am aware of the region,” said Dr. English. “But I can tell you Saudi Arabia is very different. This is a lot different in a lot of respects. But I am very comfortable in this environment. I know the culture. I know the language; I speak Arabic — not as good as I would like to — and that helps when I am communicating with parents.”
Dr. English is a 1978 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York . As a Middle East Foreign Area Officer fluent in Arabic, he has also served as an assistant professor of Arabic in the Department of Foreign Languages at West Point . In 2002, Dr. English was selected as a United States Fulbright Scholar to Jordan where he conducted research on the education of young women in Arab societies and served as a visiting professor of English and linguistics at the University of Jordan .
For his part, Dr. Mhaimeed is very happy with the positive buzz that Dr. English’s arrival has created. “The past three years have been very challenging,” he said. “The school was in the survival mode. However, now we have turned a corner. We have a professional group of teachers. We have all the ingredients in place now in addition to a leadership with a vision. I am not shy to admit that the school has been stagnant for a long time. However, now we are all set to take the school to the new level.”
The school’s alumni expressed happiness at the turnaround of the institution’s fortune. “I studied there till ninth grade and I have some excellent memories of the school,” said Faiza Ambah, a well-known Jeddah-based Saudi journalist who writes for mainstream publications in the United States . “It is because of this attachment that I have put in my two children there,” she said. “I want the school to prosper. It is a great institution and I wish them all the best.”

Thanks to Janet Raychouni for sending this to us!
-JAW

J. Andrew Westerman
Secondary Principal
American Int'l School of Jeddah
Tel: +966 2 662 0051 ext 271
Mobile: +966 569095937
Fax: +966 2 691 2402