King's Academy

Infobox Private School
name = King's Academy


motto =
established = 2007
type = Private, boarding
religion = None
head_name = Headmaster
head = Dr. Eric Widmer
city = Madaba
state =
country = Jordan
campus =
enrollment =
faculty =
class =
ratio =
year =
SAT =
athletics =
color =
mascot =
homepage = [http://www.kingsacademy.edu.jo www.kingsacademy.edu.jo]

King’s Academy (Arabic transliteration: كينغز أكاديمي) is a co-educational private boarding school that opened in August 2007 in Madaba-Manja, Jordan. King's Academy recently became a member of the G20 Schools group, a league of top independent secondary schools, situated around the world.

Philosophy

King's Academy is modeled off the educational experience of His Majesty King Abdullah II at Deerfield Academy in the United States. The Academy also embraces its Jordanian and Middle Eastern heritage by incorporating subjects such as Middle Eastern History into the curriculum.

The five 'guiding principles' of the school are:
# Respect
# Love of Learning
# Responsibility
# An Integrated Life
# Global Citizenship

History

The building of the school began in July 22, 2004 His Majesty King Abdullah II lay the cornerstone of the campus at a ceremony attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania, the Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez and Dr. Safwan Masri, Columbia University professor and chairman of King's Academy Board of Trustees. Dr. Eric Widmer, former headmaster of Deerfield Academy, took on the role as the founding headmaster of King's Academy in summer 2006, one year before the school began to accept students. King's Academy admitted its first students in the 2007-2008 academic year.

Location and Campus

The school is situated 35 kilometers southwest of Amman on a 144-acre (575-dunum) site. The campus is comprised of 23 buildings, including 10 dormitories (housing up to 450 students), an Academy Building, an Administration Building, a 700 seat auditorium and the Dining Hall, where sit down meals are held regularly.

Athletic Facilities

The athletic facilities include a semi-Olympic swimming pool, squash, handball and basketball courts, and exercise facilities. There is also an outdoor sports stadium, including a full-size football field, two additional football fields as well as tennis, volleyball and basketball courts.

King Abdullah II Spiritual Center

The King Abdullah II Spiritual Center is a non-denominational spiritual center that is available for use to all members of the school community, regardless of their religious preference.

The Abdul Majeed Shoman Auditorium

The Abdul Majeed Shoman Auditorium holds 700 people and is the location of both school and community events including concerts, student recitals, and dance performances. The auditorium serves as the place for daily morning meetings between the headmaster and the school community.

The HRH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library

The HRH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library currently houses over 25,000 volumes and is designed to hold around 50,000 volumes. The two floors hold books, videos, periodicals, CDs and DVDs in 5 languages.

Student Body

The King’s Academy campus was built to accommodate 600 students, of which about 75% are boarding students. Boarding students can choose to be either week-day boarders (returning home for the weekend) or fulltime boarders.

For the 2008-2009 Academic year the student body has more than doubled in size from the previous year to accommodate 266 students, representing 24 countries in the Middle East and around the world. Of these 266 students, 39% are female students and 61% are males.

The school draws students from diverse ethnic, geographic, religious and economic backgrounds and between 15 and 30 percent of King’s Academy’s tuition revenue has been set aside for financial aid, with an endowment fund for scholarships.

Academics

The school’s curriculum is based on the American Advanced Placement (AP) program with significant changes to accommodate for the different needs of the students. Students are able to receive 'equivalency' to other programs in the region, such as the Jordanian 'tawjihi' examinations. The primary language of instruction at King's Academy is English. The teacher to student ratio is 1:10.

The academic departments at King's Academy are:

* Communication, Rhetoric and the Literary Arts (Incorporating both English and Arabic)
* World Languages
* Physical and Life Sciences
* Mathematics and Computer Science
* History and Social Studies
* Ethics, Philosophy and Religion
* Fine and Performing Arts.

Co-Curricular Activities

All King's Academy students must participate in at least three afternoons a week of co-curricular activities. These activities include Community Service, Yearbook, Performing and Visual Arts, Athletics and the School Newspaper (called 'The Rexonian').

Community Service

Community Service is strongly encouraged. Students volunteer to help teach English to children, work with refugees, assist in clean-up projects and working with non-profit social service organizations on environmental, educational and social welfare issues. Each year a community service fair is held to encourage students to participate in community service programs during the summer months

Athletics

King's Academy has a strong focus on athletics as part of its co-curricular program. The school competes in both local and international leagues, traveling to places such as Damascus and Istanbul to compete with other schools. Competitive sports on offer during 2008-2009 include:
* Soccer (Varsity and Junior Varsity)
* Volleyball (Varsity and Junior Varsity)
* Swimming
* Cross Country
* Athletics

The school also offers a number of recreational programs, where students work to develop skills rather than compete against other schools. These include:
* Fencing
* Horseback riding
* Recreational fitness
* Recreational ball sports (tennis, basketball and handball)

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

* Dr. Safwan Masri, "Chairman" [http://www.accessmba.com/mba-info/mba-in-america/interview-with-safwan-masri/]
* Mr. George Faux
* Mr. David Pond
* His Excellency Mr. Samir Rifai
* His Excellency Mr. Bassem Salem
* Mr. Peter Weinberg
* Dr. Eric Widmer, "ex officio"

External links

* [http://www.kingsacademy.edu.jo King's Academy Website]
* [http://www.jordanembassyus.org/07232004002.htm Monarch lays cornerstone for King's Academy boarding school] Jordan Times, July 23, 2004