Students of Michael E. DeBakey Learn About New Country Traditions
A whirlwind week of learning, creativity and fun. Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions – Qatar celebrated their annual International Education Day on 7th November 2019. Students from each of the 23 homerooms of the school chose at random a country of the world to represent.
Upon taking their pick, the students with their homeroom teachers came up with a list of materials to use/reuse to decorate their classrooms. Here are the countries that were represented in this year’s International Education Day:
Lower School:
| Grade 5-1 Mexico |
Grade 5-2 Sudan |
|
| Grade 6-1 Jordan |
Grade 6-2 Iran |
Grade 6-3 Samoa |
| Grade 7-1 Ireland |
Grade 7-2 Madagascar |
Grade 7-3 Spain |
| Grade 8-1 Qatar |
Grade 8-2 United Kingdom |
Grade 8-3 |
Upper School:
| Grade 9-1 Panama |
Grade 9-2 Estonia |
Grade 9-2 Yemen |
| Grade 10-1 Germany |
Grade 10-2 Egypt |
Grade 10-3 Korea |
| Grade 11-1 China |
Grade 11-2 Palestine |
Grade 11-3 Morocco |
| Grade 12-1 Australia |
Grade 12-2 Turkey |
Grade 12-3 Haiti |
As the students spent hours perfecting their “experience” of a country, the staff were hard at work creating the schedule for the day and it really was something else. The students were notified of “changes in flights” with airport style intercom communication, and they followed a map to locate the different countries they needed to visit and get their official DeBakey Passport stamped.
On this day, we were all equal, all represented, and all having fun! We got to see different acts in various countries and dipped into delicious foreign cuisine. After visiting the countries, the students took to the stage for traditional dances and everyone’s favorite portion, the Talent Show.
We kicked off the talent show with Amr Abbas (12) and his beautiful and deep musical talent, and then we were mesmerized by Kadia Al Ramadi (5) who performed a wonderful gymnastics routine. Andre Bargo (9) was next, and he inspired us with his passion for the piano. Ahmad Hamad and Ahmed Al Sada (5) thrilled us with a close up magic show that was too good to pass up on. Then came the grade 8 boys who made us laugh with their impressions of Kermit the frog! Amna Al Jaily (10) brought the house down with her take on the greatest song, then Nour (12) graced us with an oldie while Andreas Abasaid (9) prepared to close the show with two songs, one with Ms. Mandy Nehme.
It truly was a magnificent day filled with fun, laughter, and even tears. The hall was decorated with the world’s flags and the food was plentiful for everyone to feast on!
The winners of the different categories were announced the following week:
| Award | Award Eligibility | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| Best Costume | Costumes must be representing that specific country OR its flag | Mrs. Abimbola and Ms. Noha |
| Best Room Design | Must have ALL the required material listed above | Lower School=Ireland Upper School=Egypt |
| Most Accurate Representation of Country | Must have ALL the required material listed above | Lower School=Madagascar Upper School=Palestine |
| Best Food | Must be tasty and represents the country in some way | Lower School=Italy Upper School=China |
| Best Performance | Must represent the country | Lower School=Ahmed Al Sada and Ahmad Hamad Upper School=Andreas Abasaid |
| Best Talent | Must be in the talent show | Lower School=Kadia El Ramadi Upper School=Amna Al Jailey |