MES prodigy enters
International Book of Records
Kesia Susan John, a class-IV
student of MES Indian School,
has become the fastest student
to recite the names of all 195
countries and their capitals in a
record time of two minutes and
52 seconds.
With this exceptional feat
and ability, Kesia entered the
International Book of Records
as the record holder for
the fastest time to recite all
countries’ names, the school
said in a statement.
Kesia successfully attempted
the world record on November
15, 2020.
The India Book of Records
and the International Book of
Records have accepted her attempt and have declared her the
record holder. She hails from Mavelikara, Allapuzha in Kerala.
Her father John Alexander Manappallil, employee in Qatargas,
and her mother Linju John Manappallil, physiotherapist,
identified the extraordinary talent and memory of the girl. They
guided her in the right direction and this has paid off with a huge
recognition as a child prodigy.
Among her other talents, Kesia can recite names of all Indian
states and their capitals, names of all chief ministers and Indian
prime ministers ever since she was five.
During the Covid-19 lockdown period she started to practice
reciting countries and their capitals for the world record. She has
participated in quiz segments representing MES in various inter-
school competitions.
The school management and principal congratulated her for the
phenomenal accomplishment and bringing laurels to the school
and herself.ACS Doha ‘preparing youth
for success in today’s world’
By Dr Robert Harrison
T
oday, we are all caught
up in a technological
revolution that is unlike
anything experienced before.
From machine learning, AI and
self-driving cars, to 3D printing,
augmented reality and robotics,
complex technology is trickling
down into our day to day lives,
not only aff ecting the way in
which we work and communicate
but also in shifting the way we
run our businesses. As we watch
this Fourth Industrial Revolution
unfold, we cannot predict how it
will end, but we can prepare for
the changes ahead.
As leaders in education, it
is our responsibility to adapt
our educational models so that
they refl ect our world today and
provide an academic founda-
tion that off ers the knowledge,
tools, and skills needed to suc-
ceed – alongside the fl exibility to
choose one’s own pathway for a
lifetime of learning.
At the core of students’ suc-
cess should be a curriculum which
not only caters to a well-rounded
education but also recognises that
every student is unique, fuelled by
their own passions and motivated
by their own dreams. This means
that empowering schools to off er
advanced study which spans core
subjects like statistics, calculus,
biology, computer science and
comparative government.
At ACS International School
Doha, for example, we off er
four-school-leaving qualifi ca-
tions that students can choose
from as they plan their next steps
in life: Advanced Placement (AP)
courses, the International Bac-
calaureate (IB) Diploma and Ca-
reer-related Programmes, and
the US High School Diploma.
The Advanced Placement Pro-
gram (AP) is the latest extension of
ACS Doha’s curriculum, off ering
more fl exibility to students who
want to explore subjects in-depth
through a one-year externally-
examined courses. AP courses are
highly-valued, particularly by US
and Canadian universities. As a
parallel learning pathway, the AP
programme enables students to
experience college-level studies
while they are still in high school.
These rigorous courses off er chal-
lenging work where students learn
essential time management and
study skills that are crucial for col-
lege and career success. What is
more, students can focus on their
preferred subjects of interest, tap-
ping into their individual creativ-
ity and problem-solving skills,
possibly earning an AP interna-
tional diploma upon graduation
and often earning college credit.
Nourishing a student’s uniquetalents means adopting a per-
sonalised approach to teaching
that pays close attention to their
interests, strengths, and aspira-
tions, and remains consistent
throughout the duration of their
school life. An enhanced ap-
proach such as this, adopted by
ACS Doha, adds the kind of fl ex-
ibility that is essential in today’s
education systems. Focused dis-
cussions, progress evaluations,
engaging students’ families, and
identifying best-fi t courses are
all part of a larger philosophy for
fostering growth through guid-
ance that is tailored for each
student’s individual success.
Personal and academic chal-
lenges and learning beyond the
classroom are important quali-
ties in a contemporary education
that aims to prepare students for
their chosen futures.
While both AP and IB Diploma
courses present a route that is at-
tractive for students who wish to
immediately pursue a traditional
pathway toward higher educa-
tion, ACS Doha off ers an excitingalternative that focuses on more
hands-on, career-oriented trajec-
tories. The dynamic International
Baccalaureate Career-related Pro-
gramme (IBCP) develops personal
and professional skills, a career-
related qualifi cation, and focused
academic study that puts students
on what can be a more direct path
toward the workplace.
Enhancing this experience,
ACS partners with the Network
for Teaching Entrepreneurship
(NFTE) to off er a high-quality
curriculum in entrepreneur-
ship, as well as externship op-
portunities with Paragon One,
through which students work
online with some of the most re-
spected companies in the world.
Students benefi t from work ex-
perience, internships, mentoring
and service learning from expe-
rienced industry professionals
that are part of a large network of
global companies.
Understanding that not one
size fi ts all, the IB Career-related
Programme allows students to
channel their strengths in a skills-based, work-related credential
that lets them choose for them-
selves between higher education,
apprenticeship, or even start-
ing a business of their own. It’s a
highly-fl exible framework for a
rich, relevant, and personalised
education. Students learn lifelong
skills in applied knowledge, criti-
cal thinking, communication and
cross-cultural engagement.
University admission offi c-
ers are not only looking for good
grades and evidence of char-
acter, but also for some idea of
students’ interests, passion,
and personal accomplishments.
Career-related learning helps fi ll
that gap. The IBCP focuses on
practical, real-world experience
that’s highly motivating for to-
day’s students who understand
community challenges and are
anxious to make their mark in a
rapidly-changing world.
What the world needs now is a
new generation of global think-
ers and doers. We need a range
of rigorous, relevant educational
programmes that can help every
young person rise to the chal-
lenge, and become the best pos-
sible version of themselves. The
future depends on their success.(Dr Robert Harrison joined
ACS International Schools as the
Education Strategy Director in- Prior to that he served as
the IB’s fi rst manager for global
education and in 2013 was ap-
pointed Head of Middle Years
Programme (MYP) Development
in The Hague, Netherlands. As an
expert in international and mid-
dle level education he was also the
co-editor-in-chief of the IB Jour-
nal of Teaching Research).
ICBF to fete
35 awardees
tomorrow
T
he Indian Community
Benevolent Forum (ICBF)
will celebrate ICBF Day
tomorrow and present various
awards to those who support its
activities, president P N Babura-
jan said.
ICBF is an apex body under
the patronage of Indian embassy
in Qatar and undertakes the task
of providing succour and sup-
port to needy Indian expatriates.
To support the task involved in
assisting the needy, lots of com-
munity members help the ICBF
managing committee through
fi nancial aid and volunteering.
These community leaders are rec-
ognised and honoured for their
great help and support to the fo-
rum every year and the occasion is
celebrated as the ICBF Day.
The famous Kanjani Award is
dedicated to the late Mulchand
Assandas Kanjani. The other
awards include; the late K P Ab-
dul Hameed Award, the late C K
Menon Business Person of the
Year Award and other humani-
tarian and appreciation awards.
There are 35 awardees who
are being honoured. The Kan-
jani Award will go to Dr Nizar
Kochery of M/s. Kochery and
Partners. The K P Abdul Hameed
award is being given to Govindan
Kutty Menon and the C K Menon
Award to Nishad Azeem, MD of
Coastal Group. Indian ambassa-
dor Dr Deepak Mittal is the chief
guest and the event will also be
attended by embassy offi cials.
Due to Covid-19 protocols, only
the awardees are invited to the
function which will be relayed live
on the ICBF Facebook page.6
Friday, November 27, 2020COMMUNITY
ACS International School classroom Dr Nizar KocheryNishad AzeemGovindan Kutty MenonDr Robert HarrisonIIS celebrates Fit India School Week
I
deal Indian School (IIS)
recently observed the ‘Fit
India School Week’ to sup-
port the ‘Fit India Movement,’
launched by the Indian premier
last year. The ‘Fit India Move-
ment’ aims to encourage people
to inculcate physical activities
and sports in their everyday
lives and routine.
This year’s activities mainly
focussed on altering students’
behaviour from passive screen
time to active fi eld time and to
develop sports quotient among
all the students to achieve a
healthy lifestyle. Various ac-
tivities were carried out at the
school premises during the week
which included aerobics, free
hand exercises, yoga, poster
making etc. The events saw wide
participation of students of Jun-
ior, Boys and Girls sections along
with the staff members of the
school.Kesia Susan JohnMES pupils shine at
Virtual Vista 2020
BPS holds Song and Rhythm
Competition for KG students
The Song and Rhythm
Competition was recently held
at Birla Public School (BPS) for
kindergarten students. Parents
were welcomed to witness the
competition virtually. PrincipalA P Sharma gave an inspiring
message to all attendees before
the competition rocked the floor.
The competition showcased
the group singing talent of
the kindergartners whilekeeping specific criteria like
rhythm and pitch, harmony,
and presentation. The event
highlighted the voice talent and
efforts put in by the parents and
the music teacher.A
s a part of the com-
munity reach-out pro-
gramme, Virtual Vista
2020 – an inter-school com-
petition – was recently organ-
ised on virtual platform by Birla
Public School (BPS). Various
competitions were conducted
in four diff erent categories.
A host of events such as quiz,
speech, show and tell, music
and poster making were con-
ducted. Students from various
Indian schools in Qatar took
part in the competition.
MES students Sohan Su-
deep and Danish Reji Bhazeer of
class-I secured fi rst position in
quiz competition in category 1.Aambal Synesh of class-II won
the fi rst place in poster making
in the same category. In category
3 quiz competition, Saurav Sand-
eep of class-VI and Analin Jacob
of class-VII secured third prize.
John Paul Lorance of class-X
bagged the second prize in speech
competition in category 4. Aae-
sha Fathima Basheer of class-IV
won the third position in the
speech competition in category 2.
In music, Jaseem Ahamed of
class-XI secured third prize in
category 4.
MES principal Hameeda Ka-
dar congratulated the winners
for their signifi cant achieve-
ments.