Saman Ali Abbasi Saudi Gazette The mission statement of DAS is twofold — First: To empower each student to be a compassionate, thinking, bilingual learner who makes a positive difference locally and globally. Second: To participate in the development of education in the Arab world. Dhahran Ahliyya School is one of the oldest schools in Dhahran, Eastern Province. It was established in 1977 by Sally Al-Turki and Khalid Al-Turki. It began with a small number of 56 students and now after 36 years, it has 1,848 students. We had a personal mission to serve our community and this is how it all began. There are two major characteristics that make DAS different from others: “Everyone is responsible for learning and helping others. Share with others what you have learned,” and “Continue your professional development by learning something new every day.” Learning means changing and evolving to become better. Every year, all DAS staff members gather for four weeks to prepare for the next academic year. There are committees and groups and each staff member takes part in courses and activities to enhance their teaching skills and personal development. At Dhahran Ahliyya, the main focus is not only on imparting book-based knowledge but also on character building, personal discipline, learning and sharing what they have learned. “We want our students to serve their community locally and internationally. From grade 4 onwards our students are involved in numerous community projects,” said an school official. They are also involved in extracurricular activities like MUN, Model Arab League, Robotics, Science Fairs, and speech and debates contests. DAS is also an active member of Dammam Private Schools League. They have designed their own curriculum. DAS emphasizes improving reading in both languages. One of many activities for this purpose takes place in the evening at kindergarten; it is called “Bed Time Stories.” Mothers and children gather, brush teeth and read a story together. This encourages children and mothers to spend some quality time at home and develop the habit of reading together. “In order to be effective, we want our students and parents to be involved in the improvement process,” Sally said. Regarding school's discipline policy, she said, “We believe in self discipline not only external discipline. It should not reduce dignity and confidence. To follow rules wisely is part of everyone's life.” One of the public service projects that Dhahran Ahliyya is proud of is translating world-class books on education in Arabic. “These books are used in top Arab universities to train teachers. We sell them at a very nominal price. Anybody who is interested can go to our website for further information,” Sally added. Dhahran Ahliyya's vision is “We strive to be a learning community that fosters collaboration, persists in continuous inquiry and development, and utilizes current research and technology.” Sally Al-Turki firmly believes in a very famous quotation by Horace Mann: “Be afraid to die until you have served humanity.”
