King's Academy

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King's Academy
Location
Madaba, Jordan
Information
Religion None
Headmaster Eric Widmer
Type Private, boarding
Established 2007
Homepage www.kingsacademy.edu.jo
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King’s Academy (Arabic transliteration: كينغز أكاديمي) is a co-educational private boarding school that opened in August 2007 in Madaba-Manja, Jordan. The school is a creation of His Majesty King Abdullah II, who seeks to replicate the educational approach of Deerfield Academy, his alma mater. Although King's seeks to imitate the style and structure of New England boarding schools, the Academy also embraces its Jordanian heritage. Within a liberal arts and sciences framework―based on the American Advanced Placement (AP) program―the curriculum includes the mandatory study of Arabic and a selection of courses that focus on the economic, political and religious considerations of the region. The school sits 35 kilometers southwest of Amman on a 144-acre (575-dunum) site and is comprised of 23 buildings. King's recently became a member of the G20 Schools group, a league of prestigious independent secondary schools.

Contents

[edit] History

The inspiration for King’s comes from the experience of His Majesty, who attended Deerfield from 1977 to 1980. Although King's and Deerfield are not officially connected, the symbolic and informal ties between the two schools extend through the administrative structure at King's. Dr. Eric Widmer, who served as headmaster of Deerfield Academy for 12 years, was formally named the founding headmaster of King’s in the summer of 2006 and continues to serve in that position. His Majesty, a trustee and the school’s honorary chairman, attended the convocation ceremony in August 2007 and has visited the campus several times since.

[edit] Board Membership

International Advisory Board members:

-His Majesty King Abdullah II -His Highness Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa -Her Royal Highness Princess Areej Ghazi

Board of Trustees members

-Mr. George Faux

-Dr. Safwan Masri, Chairman [1]

-Mr. David Pond

-His Excellency Mr. Samir Rifai

-His Excellency Mr. Bassem Salem

-Mr. Peter Weinberg

-Dr. Eric Widmer, ex officio


[edit] Student Body

King’s Academy will ultimately hold 600 male and female students, grades 9 through 12, drawn from across the region as well as internationally. Students will have the option of attending either as full-time or weekday boarders, and day students will be admitted in limited numbers. The teacher to student ratio at King’s Academy will be 1:10. The school has no official religious affiliation, and intends to draw students from all ethnic, geographic, religious and economic backgrounds. Between 15 and 30 percent of King’s Academy’s tuition revenue has been set aside for scholarships, with an endowment fund for additional scholarships, full and partial.

[edit] Academics

The school’s curriculum will be based on the American Advanced Placement (AP) program—AP coursework will be incorporated into a curriculum that is informed by the demands and context of the Jordanian education system. The primary language of instruction at King's Academy will be English. The necessary regional certifications for equivalency will also be obtaining marks. The school has already had many inspirational visiters, including His Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan.

[edit] Athletics

King's Academy's athletics are divided onto two semesters. In the academic year of 2007-2008, first semester sports were: Soccer, Volleyball, Girl Swimming, and Cross Country. Second semester sports were: Basketball, Track and Field, Recreational, Boy's swimming and Tennis. In the that academic year, the volleyball team traveled to Syria to take part in the school's first participation in any competition. Although the team did not return to Madaba with any silverware, but the team put in an outstanding performance. In the next season, the basketball team competed in a tournament at the home land of King's rivals, ABS. The team did not manage to win the tournament but did manage to collect the Sportsmanship Award for the marvelous behavior on the court. Finally, the Track team was able to return home to King's with an outstanding 12 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze) that they won in ABS. These medals were collected by all the six that have competed in the tournament.

[edit] External links

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