We are very pleased to introduce a Week Without Walls (WWW) program to the American International School-Riyadh. It promises to provide educational experiences that will create memories to last a lifetime. Each grade level will have a unique experience designed to support AIS-R's mission and increase each individual's understanding of how he or she can make a difference.

This year's inaugural Week Without Walls (WWW) will be held February 24 to March 3, 2011. Seniors will prepare for and take IB Mock Exams. Juniors will have the opportunity to arrange an internship for themselves and learn about careers of their choice. Sophomores will choose from among five community service projects, four of them outside Saudi Arabia and one of them local. Freshmen will participate in a variety of trust, bridge, and team building activities on campus (with the possibility of a desert adventure and overnight camping component). All the activities will be chaperoned and lead by high school teachers, counselors, and administrators. Student safety is a top priority.

Week Without Walls involves every student, teacher, counselor, and administrator in the high school. The organization and implementation of the program is a significant undertaking involving many hours of planning and meeting. We ask that parents and students do their part by meeting all the requirements by the published deadlines.

All grade 9 students will participate in adventure-based teambuilding activities as part of their Week Without Walls experience.  Such activities have been proven to help teenagers develop positive self-concept, a better focus of control, as well as strong leadership skills (J.Cain). As a school dedicated to educating the whole child, we feel that our WWW program for 9^th graders will allow us to help our students develop some the essential skills needed to be successful leaders who believe in themselves, and have the tools to make the right decisions.

For 10^th and 11^th graders, the Week Without Wall program will consist of a trip abroad.  Students will be exposed to a different culture and will participate in transformative experiences.  They will have the opportunity to become informed about contemporary issues facing the communities they visit, to meet and talk to key players who will expose them to varying perspectives, and as a result challenge them to think critically before forming opinions.  Finally, they will partner with local community members on service projects that will help them develop deeper personal connections and hopefully inspire them to make the world a better place, to Make a Difference!

http://www.teamworkandteamplay.com/index.html

The IB program at AIS-R is a two year program that requires our students are prepared academically as well as socially, emotionally, and physically for the future. Within the IB Learner Profile it states that by the end of the program, students will become risk takers, caring, open-minded, and balanced individuals. The Week Without Walls activity will help our students meet these critical components of their education, and AIS-R fully supports the social, physical, and emotional growth that the students will receive by participating in this program. Through the community service portion of the trip, students will be engaged in working towards creating a better world and having a greater understanding of different cultures around the globe.

The grade 12 students will also be involved, however on a much different level. Considering when the Week Without Walls is occurring within the calendar, this is an ideal time for our 12^th graders to experience IB Mock Exams. This will create an atmosphere of a testing scenario that our students have never before encountered. These exams will be treated as if they are being conducted in May, and will help expose our students to the stresses that are associated with exams before they actually take place. This means that our students will be prepared for the mental and physical commitments that accompany three weeks of exams, and will be able to focus more on the IB content of their courses which will help them be more successful this May.

The Week Without Walls program is an invaluable experience that our students will remember for the rest of their lives. The learning that these students will experience over the course of this week will shape the way in which they become life-long learners. It is with great enthusiasm that AIS-R is introducing the first annual Week Without Walls.

Danny Gordon, HS Principal

Ben Keeley, HS Assistant Principal/IB Coordinator

Tony Anderson, Athletic Director