Page 11 - ISC Dubai Yearbook 2019 - 2020

SLC: Halim Oukrid

ACTIVITY COORDINATOR: Fatima Yehia

SLO
R

Team’s Message

I remember the first day of school; I remember the faces, the smiles, the joy and excitement
we undoubtedly feel at the start of a new academic year.
R
We had it all figured out. The new SLO team, the plans, the competitions, the new clubs.
We had a range of new projects that would make 2019-2020 a year to remember. Personally,
I couldn’t wait. But on March 8, 2020, school life as we knew it came to a halt. An email was
sent out by the local authorities and KHDA, stating that all schools were to close due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The whole country had to go on lockdown. And so, schools closed their
doors, work was to be done from home, and most public places became ghost towns. None
of us were ready, or better yet, none of us knew what to get ready for.
Just like every other human being on our planet, we watched this virus close down our schools,
beaches, restaurants, malls, and gyms. We learned of a new practice: social distancing...and
this practice became the new norm...a new part of our vocabulary. No gatherings, no visitors,
no seeing your friends...keep your mask on, don’t touch your face, wash your hands. The only
way to keep in touch with our loved ones was over the phone. Zoom became a thing. We felt
lost, dubious, and uncertain.
In hindsight, we managed to weather the storm. It wasn’t easy, but we made it. And most
importantly, we made it through together.

R
SABIS, and ISC-Dubai in particular, did a marvelous job in shifting all your classes to online
learning in less than a week. From the security personnel, janitors, and supervisors, to the
teachers and our admin staff lead by our school director, Mr. Hisham Hassan, everyone worked
relentlessly and put in a tremendous amount of effort so that the transition to e-learning
would be as smooth as possible.
R
We, as the SLO, had our fair share; we had to cancel prom and postpone our annual trip
(it was meant to be South Korea this year). We also had to choose between postponing the
graduation ceremony and holding it online. Our 222 graduates were an exemplary class
who truly deserved to be celebrated and sent on their way with proper goodbyes and lasting
memories from their senior year. As such, I could understand their frustration when everything
they had been waiting for got cancelled.
So we had to think of new ways to connect, to be there for each other, to help each other.
We needed to strengthen our outstanding team because there was no way we could do it
alone. As basic as it sounds, teamwork really does make the dream work.
And just like the UAE, our slogan and hashtag became #AllinThisTogether.
R
With no surprise, our SLO Departments geared up. We worked from home, held our meetings
online, reconnected with one another, and thought of new ways to make this year as special
as could be. I am very proud of all of you for your determined, fighting spirits.
If I can leave you with one thing, it’s this: at the end of all of this, your happy faces, your
resilience and adaptability, and your ability to motivate and show up for each other (albeit
virtually) will stay with you long after the memory of this pandemic is gone. So keep that in
mind, every single day.