International Day - India!

Students from six local schools were invited to attend a one-day exploration of Indian culture, sports, and cuisine. The students learned about the many types of backgrounds amongst the Indian population, and how they are diverse but united.

Students visited an Indian bazaar and were asked to taste, smell, and feel several different spices and then guess what they were.

The day was concluded with an art project of making intricate mandalas - a Hindu representation of the cosmos.

Planet Georgetown 2008

Planet Georgetown 2008 was a two-week academic enrichment program for students from Independent Schools. An equal number of girls and boys from 10 independent schools were selected to participate in the summer camp from June 29^th to July 10^th, 2008. The program focused on four main themes – geography, writing, culture, and recreation.

In the first week, students learned about various countries around the world. After their week-long expedition around the globe, students spent the second week creating their own countries. Each group was responsible for developing their country's language, culture, trade, map, flag, and currency.

Schools

Ten schools, primarily from the Rayyan and Duhail regions of Doha, participated in Planet Georgetown. These schools were:

Independent Girls’ Schools:

Al Israa Independent Primary

Al Rafaa Independent Primary

Moza bint Mohammed Elementary

Shaqb Primary School

Khalifa Primary School

Independent Boys’ Schools:

Jawaan bin Jassim Elementary

Al Razi Independent Secondary

Omar bin Khatib Primary Two

Muraikh Boys Primary

Al Duhail Model Primary

Week One

During the first five days of Planet Georgetown, campers were taken on a journey around the world, each day focusing on a new country or region. The days’ activities would revolve around that region – classes, decorations, recreation, food, and art were all focused on the countries studied.

This week campers ‘traveled’ with their counselors to China, Japan, India, Russia, Tanzania, South Africa, Colombia, and Brazil. As part of the first day orientation, campers were given a Planet Georgetown back-pack with a travel journal and a passport. To enter each country’s classroom, the students had to pass through passport control and get a stamp. As part of each educational session, students would be introduced to aspects of culture, language, political systems, and geography through games, multimedia presentations, writing activities, and art projects.

Each country was highlighted in a unique way. On the very first day, campers visited China and Japan, and these sessions set the overall energetic mood for the camp. The campers were being taken on a trip across the silk route and tasked with bartering for silk worms from China. In Japan, they were given the chance to write their names in Japanese, taught simple origami, and taken on a multimedia tour of a traditional Japanese home. During the recreation time, campers were taught Shaolin Kung Fu in the Qatar Foundation gym, and returned to the LAS building to find that their art project was gyotaku – a traditional Japanese art form that was originally used by fisherman to record their catch.

Activities varied day to day, but each session included time for campers to write in their journals – to invent folk tales, write their families a postcard from Russia, or jot down notes from the day.

South Africa was highlighted as a country that struggled with the prejudiced system of apartheid but eventually overcame it. The campers learned about the charismatic leadership of Nelson Mandela, as well as the importance of freedom songs as a means of social protest. On the India day, the campers where taken to an in-house bazaar, where they could ‘buy’ brass camels and bangles, try on saris and salwar kamises, have henna painted on them, or dance to Bhangra music.

In South America, campers sailed down the Amazon River – exploring the wonders of the rainforest, and were especially delighted by the anaconda snake.

Week One was successful in encouraging the campers to learn about the world, breaking down some stereotypes of other nationalities and countries, and preparing the campers for the challenges of Week Two.

Week Two

The second week of Planet Georgetown tested the imagination of the campers, as they were put into small groups and directed to create a new country. Campers were given the climate, population, and natural resources of their country and were responsible for developing its map, flag, language, currency, culture, and trade.

Eight new countries emerged: Ghost-is-tan, Georgetown, Hunkey Punkey, Lord's Island, Mirz, Penguin Land, Pride Land and Sand a la Camel.

After creating their own countries, campers participated in a board game that introduced them to the United Nations’ role in the world. The campers’ countries were faced with crisis scenarios such as floods, sandstorms, unemployment, and soaring gas prices, which required them to use their problem-solving skills to find a solution.

During art classes, campers created handmade items native to their countries. These crafts were ‘sold’ on the final day in a World Market. Parents, school administrators, Qatar Foundation administration, and SFS-Qatar faculty and staff were invited to attend the World Market and purchase the crafts with currency created by the campers. Among the many popular items sold at the World Market, Ghost-is-tan’s skull necklaces made quite a splash, and many Penguin Land postcards were purchased.

Immediately following the World Market, guests toured the Planet Georgetown classrooms and attended a lunch where Dean James Reardon-Anderson thanked them for their participation. The guests then attended the Closing Ceremony in which campers were presented with Planet Georgetown diplomas.