with the new transformations.

4. What were the obstacles you faced during

the implementation of the new changes?

We faced many challenges because the changes

took place during Ramadan. Due to Ramadan

schedule, the constructors had to work from 9

pm to 5 am, which was very hard and stressful.

(continued on page 3)

school’s managing director, wanted to change

it since we bought the school building.

3. How long did it take to make all these

modifications? Did they reach your

expectations?

It took us all summer, from June 26 to August

29. The changes reached our expectations

and more. Everyone was happy and satisfied

Dear Students, I am delighted to welcome you to the 2013-2014 school year. To our returning students, I ask that you take the time to help those who are new to acclimate to AAG. To those of you who are entering freshmen or new to our community, Welcome! Please take a few minutes to review the information in the Student Handbook. You will find critical information about the high school’s academic requirements, activities, and behavioral expectations, as well as your rights and responsibilities as a student. We are excited to be here at AAG and we look forward to a successful and productive school Year. Message to seniors Welcome Back Class of 2014! This is going to be a busy, fantastic year as you attend classes, pursue your activities and plan for the future. Your Guidance

Counselor will be looking forward to meeting with you as soon as possible to help plan and organize. Make sure you come on in and make an appointment as soon as possible and start planning your future. Fall is approaching and what a great time to get out there and see some college campuses! For students who know they would like to go to college after graduating from AAG but have no idea as to which colleges they plan to apply, the best way to do some research is to take some college tours. Spending 2-3 hours on a college campus can give you a feel for that particular campus and help you to decide what factors are important about the campuses to which you choose to apply. Even if you do not like the overall feel of the campus, you might be intrigued by a particular program or major. Seeing many campuses will allow you to compare your likes and dislikes and allow you to make an educated decision about where to apply. Remember, it is never too early to start planning for the future! Good Luck and be sure to check in with your guidance counselor before and after your visits! Message to juniors Members of the junior class are often warned that the junior year is the most important year of high school. Why is this year such a big deal? It is because the junior year offers the most recent data that admission counselors will have in order to determine how successful a student may be on their college campus. A junior year of mediocre grades and unchallenging courses tells admissions counselors that you may not be ready for the academic demands of college. Even if you had a lackluster freshman and sophomore year, a standout junior year can open doors if you truly want to pursue higher education. Therefore it is important that you not only begin your junior year on the right foot, but you must also continue putting forth your best effort academically throughout the course of the year. Keep on top of your studies and seek out extra help as soon as you need it! Additionally, if you have yet to become involved in extra-curricular activities (such as sports, MUN, Academic Games, INJAS, student Council, and clubs) now is the time to pound the pavement and look for quality involvement in the AAG community. Involvement in the high school community shows admission counselors that a student will then become involved in her college community. Colleges are not looking for couch potatoes that spend all of their free time playing video games or shopping! It behooves all uninvolved juniors at this point to seek out one or two quality activities within the high school community or in the greater Kuwait community. (continued on page 2)

Interview with Mrs. Al Bader

Renovation Process Continues at AAG

Warriors O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E I I , I S S U E 1

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

P A G E 2

Editorial

AAG Back to KSAA

Test, Quiz Percentages Stress

Students

Mrs. Al Anjari Message

P A G E 3

Spotlight: Interview with the

School Nurse

Senior Lounge.. It’s Time For

Makeover

Interview with Mrs. Al Bader

P A G E 4

Comics

Riddle

Sport Zone: Karate

Welcome to AAG Family

Did You Know?

The American Academy for Girls

Welcome to the 2013-2014

academic year at AAG Kuwait. The

journalism class would like to express

a warm welcome to students, staff

and administration. This year,

additional noticeable changes have

been made to school building. An

interview was made with Ms. Hanan

Al Bader, the school executive

director assisstant, to inform us about

the latest modifications.

1. What are the new changes made

for the building this year?

As you see, we changed a lot of things

this year. We changed the

administ rat ion o ff ices, ECE

department, and the whole thing from

the roofs to the floors and walls. We

also renovated the reception and

added a new waiting room for the

parents.

2. For what reasons did the school

decide to make these changes?

We wanted to improve the school

conditions. Ms khalida Al Mudhaf, the

Mrs. Al Anjari... Letter to High School Students

P A G E 2 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3

EDITORIAL By Wadha Al Dabbous

My name is Wadha al Dabbous, the editor of the Warriors newspaper. I would like to welcome you to the r evo l ut io na ry jou rn ey Warriors is about to embark on behalf of the journalism team at AAG.

“Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.”

Everyone on this earth is

entitled to the right to stand for what they believe in; the

right to speak their minds, and the right to the freedom of

expression. When some people try to censor the truth

and manipulate reality, this only spreads ignorance and

oppression among the public. They can punish us for our

beliefs, they can break the pencils we write the truth with,

and they can try to make us submit to conformity. But

hey, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

To some, freedom of speech is a luxury they’re not

permitted to have. Thus it is our responsibility to use our

voices to speak up for those who can’t. Our voices, our

words, our thoughts, our actions, as well as the freedom

to do what we want with them, is a responsibility because

whether we use our freedom for good or evil affects

everyone around us.

After millennia of protesting and sacrificing, our

ancestors have granted us our rights: to be able to use our

will, logic, and - most importantly – our hearts to decide

what’s worth speaking up and fighting for or what’s not.

Be thankful for the freedoms you have no matter how big

or small and don’t take them for granted. We don’t know

what we have until it’s gone.

I want to leave you with this to think about: Our world

is forever changing; it’s our choice if it’s going to be for

the worse or for the better. So, what’s it going to be?

Mrs. Al Anjari’s Message (continued from page 1) Finally, you should keep in mind that you will need to request one or two letters of recommendation from your teachers if you plan to apply to colleges and uni-versities. If you have yet to make a quality connection with any teachers up to this point, it is something to keep in mind as you go about your junior year. Show-ing great work ethic and responsibility throughout the junior year will ensure winning letters of recommendation for prospective colleges. Dropping a Science or Math? During the first month of school, guidance counselors receive many requests from juniors to drop a science or a foreign language course. This idea is not recom-mended if you plan to pursue postsecondary education at a 4-year college or university. Most colleges require students to go above and beyond the graduation requirements. For many colleges, applicants are expected to take 3 years of math (up through Algebra 2), 3 years of science, and 2 years of the same foreign lan-guage. Just because you are struggling in a class does not mean you should drop it or go to a lower level. If you find yourself in this situation, you should talk to your teacher about getting extra help after school. Your teacher has great insight into your capabilities and should be the first point of contact when discussing strategies for improvement. High school (especially that all-important junior year) is supposed to be a challenge. When students challenge themselves with a tough curriculum of study, they make themselves more attractive to potential colleges and open more doors for themselves PSAT/NMSQT – Test The PSAT will be administered at AAG High School on Wednesday, October 20th between 9:00 and 12:00 am. For further information, please see Ms Michelle Dias and Ms. Iman Hanmdi in the Guidance Office. Why Take the PSAT? The most common reasons for and benefits of taking the PSAT/NMSQT are: . To receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus Your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice. . To see how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college. . To enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. . To help prepare for the SAT. . To become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT. . To receive information from colleges when you check "yes" to Student Search Service. Sophomores and Freshmen Make appointment with your guidance counselor Ms Iman Hanmadi and start on your 4 year study plan. Guidance counselors Guidance counselors are accessible to all students who wish to meet to discuss future planning. Students can sign up for an appointment by coming into one of our guidance office (email for appointments) and speaking with a guidance counselor. Final words On behalf of the whole Staff, we would like to thank our parents of all of their support during start-up. We know that it is only with your support that we can have a great year!

AAG Back to KSAA 1st Soccer Game on October 7th

By Reem Al Khaled

Sports! The best part of the year! Finally, this

year we are back with KSAA (Kuwait Schools

American Association) in all sports unlike last

year where we only had Basketball.

Nevertheless, we are back on track and

hopefully this year will be spent with many

wins! The beginning of our new school year will

start with Volleyball season, Soccer, and then Basketball.

On September the 14th, the AAG Volleyball team had a friendly tournament between all KSAA

schools in which they did spectacularly in! Never had they done so well with only a couple of

practices and a team with less than half experienced players. They ended the day with only one win

and many close wins.

The Soccer tryouts were on September 15th and there were many girls who came to try out for the

team. By the next day the team was chosen and we would like to congratulate the girls who made

it on to the team and we wish you good luck! First Soccer game will be on October 7th

Test, Quiz Percentages Stress students By Zain Zamani

Every year AAG improves the school in some way, renovating it, making the school look better and brighter. When student come back from their summer break they don’t only find new improve-ments but also changes to some rules.

AAG has added a few interesting rules this year, but there is one rule that students are worried about it may affect their GPA. The percentage of tests and quizzes has changed by going up. The tests are now 50% and quizzes are 30%.

Some students believe that the implementation of this new rule will make them struggle, have stress and make their GPA goes down. “I feel that it caused us a lot of stress this year and we are becoming overwhelmed, tired and we’re pressuring ourselves too much.” One student said. She added “they should change that rule. It’s only the second week of school and look at us.”

Another student said “we don’t have time to relax at home and the next day we’re coming so tired and exhausted at school so we can’t focus”. In addition “many students won’t even bother themselves to do their homework or keep their binders organized because it doesn’t really matter now.” She mentioned that “The students are working really hard to get a high GPA so they can get into good universities and have a good career, but now it is much difficult to get higher grades un-der all this stress.”

At the end, a student suggested that “It would be a good idea if the tests and quizzes’ percent-age went back to the way it used to be. Then, everyone will feel more relaxed and will better per-form.

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3 P A G E 3

Interview with School Nurse

Serving People is My Passion

Interviewed by Hanaa Adass

There is no school without her. Our nurse Grandeza or

“Granny” is one of the bases at AAG. She is always

there when any student is injured or feeling sick.

Granny simply is like our second mother; she takes

good care of us and always gives us advices. Although

she seems so strict, we all know that she has a heart

filled with love and kindness.

An interview was conducted with “Granny” to know

more about her personal and professional life.

1. Please can you introduce yourself?

My name is Grandeza and they call me “Granny”; I

come from the Philippines. My nickname was given by

my sister. I am married and blessed with four children.

I’ve been in Kuwait for about 33 years. I will be 60 years

old next month! I’m a nurse of course and I finished my

master in counseling and now working on my doctorate.

2. What led you to be a nurse?

I wanted to be an artist but then my sister wanted me

to become a nurse so I can go abroad. I found that

being a nurse is about loving people and that why I

continue in nursing. I also found out that nursing is an

art so I can still be an artist.

3. Did you have any other experience besides being a

nurse?

yes. I opened a tailor shop here in Kuwait just after the

Iraqi invasion. Later, I started nursing.

4. How many years have you been working at AAG?

And what made you stay for that long?

This is my 13th year at AAG. I love children and I love

serving them. I came here as a pediatric nurse. I like

taking care not only of their physical needs but also of

5. Are there any changes that are going to be

made for the middle and high school department?

If yes, what changes and When?

Yes we are in process, next year we will start

working on the Middle school building and the

year after it we will begin working on the High

school building.

6. What happened regarding the school uniform?

We were really planning on changing the school

uniform. Ms. Khalida was in the process of finding

a new uniform design. We wanted a good quality

Of fabric and a good choice of color but we didn’t

have time.

7. Why are there new students in grade 9, 10 & 11

but none in grade 12?

Because of the ministry regulations, we can’t enroll

12 graders. We should stick to a certain number of

students specified by the ministry.

8. What are some of the privileges that the school

will provide the seniors with this year?

It depends on the senior’s behavior. If they’ll behave

well and follow instructions, we will give them more

than they’ll ask for. If their behavior is bad, we will

not give them any privileges.

9. Are the grade 12 students having a senior trip this

year? What are the countries that they are allowed

to choose from?

Yes of course but if they behave. Seniors are not

allowed to go to Thailand because of the ministry of

higher education’s orders. Malaysia and Spain won’t

be a problem.

10. What are your expectations for the school

year 2013-2014?

My expectation for this school year is that the

seniors, as well as the other grades, will be well

behaved and respectful.

11. What message would you like to send to the

High school students?

The message that I would like to send to this

year’s high school students is: You students are

good and well raised girls. If you maintain good

behavior, follow the rules and not cause any

problems, the school will provide you with all your

needs. Do your best and you will get what you

want.

their emotional and intellectual needs. I love helping par-

ents to mold their children into a better future. The world

is changing and there are a lot of factors that are changing

the lives of children and growth. I saw many children being

not taken care of and how some parents treat their chil-

dren. I wanted to surround them with the care and love

that they need. Simply, serving people is my passion.

5. What are your duties as a school nurse?

Basically, offering first aid and Evaluating complains. Here,

giving intentions or carrying out primary health care.

Whatever the ministry of health orders us to do, I try my

best to accomplish it or apply it in my job. Communicating

with the parents is one of the important duties because

that how I can succeed as a nurse.

6. Students at AAG are plenty, so how do you handle

stress?

I smile and drink a lot of water! I joke around too. I cannot

change anything I can only change my behavior towards

my work. I have to adjust myself to the situation that I am

in.

7. What are some of the difficulties you faced during your

career?

The Major difficulties are giving instructions and not being

followed. This is so sad! Our health is important and we

should take care for it. We have objectives and plans so if

it doesn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, then that’s

really sad.

8. What do you find most rewarding about being a nurse?

When someone says thank you. That’s all.

9. What do you do in your free time?

I sue and also have a hobby of using all recycled things and

make a handcraft out of it.

10. Describe yourself in five words?

Happy, humorous, charming, prayerful and creative. 11. Where do you see yourself after 5 years? Honestly, I would like to stay but because

of my age I’m not sure if the school and

ministry will allow me. If not, then I will

move out.

12. Would like to add anything else? Always try your best. I think that is the

best thing we can do. One more thing I

would like to add is that if you fall down,

you definitely get up again. I wish you

the best always and thank you.

The school nurse “Granny”

Interview with Mrs. Al Bader (continued from page 1)

Senior Lounge..

It’s time for Makeover

By Fajer Jeragh

After twelve years of studies and hard work, it is finally the time for the class of 2014 to shine and make some memories on its last year of school, senior year. Just a few more months and it will be time to say goodbye to everything and everyone. Thus it is necessary to use the privileges of being a senior, especially for the Senior Lounge.

The Senior Lounge will soon be upgraded; a change is a must in this area. Hopefully, the school will succeed with the modifications’ plans. A few ideas have been suggested by the senior students, chairs or bean-sacks are a priority. Also a big amount of students seek a source of entertainment, “a section with board games to stimulate our minds and enjoy our time” they said. The Senior Lounge should contain another small cafeteria that is isolated from the rest of high school. The special time spent there should also be extended for at least another 10 minutes, because it is the only time where all of the seniors are able to hangout with each other.

Money won’t be an issue since all of the class of 2014 is more than glad to start bake sales and also pay a small share individually, to make that 15-20min of lunch time worth a while. Seniors have been waiting for this year and are willing to cooperate in that matter. This is how dedicated they are, the school will eventually know the importance of these changes and how it would affect the seniors and lighten things up a bit.

P A G E 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3

Comics

We are about 1 cm taller in the

morning than in the evening.

The human body burns about 60

calories an hour while asleep, 85

while eating and 130 sitting

working at a computer

The most common name in the

world is Mohammed

The average person spends about 2

years on the phone in a lifetime.

Babies are born with 300 bones,

but by adulthood the number is

reduced to 206.

Watermelon is actually a vegetable,

not a fruit!

The only continent with no active

volcanoes is Australia .

Welcome to AAG Family

We would like to express a warm welcome to our new teachers at High School and hope you’ll have an

enjoyable and interesting experience in our school community. Who are our new teachers?

Riddle

“What can you catch but not throw?”

Answers should be submitted to the journalism teacher in room 319. The first three students with the right answer will be given the permission to order food to

school.

Karate

Ms. Weiland a Grade 9 English and Geography teacher lived in San Francisco, California, and Austin, Texas. She has a degree in English and Secondary Education from the University of Texas.

She has been teaching in Kuwait for two years, and would like to help the students at AAG to find at least one story, novel, or author that they would absolutely adore.

The interesting things about Ms. Weiland are that she used to be a Varsity rower for the University of Texas, and had an athletic scholarship to pay for college.

Ms. Elizabeth M. Gerard is the Business Math, English Grammar and Composition teacher. She’s from Massachusetts, USA. She has an MIBA, Celta Certified.

She has taught students for 4 years in her life, but it’s her first time to teach students in Kuwait. She would like to pass on to all of her students the desire to learn and to excite them with the subjects that she is teaching.

The interesting things about Ms. Gerard is that she returned teaching after spending many of her years in the international business realm, and lived in the Middle East before. She is Bi-lingual, English-Spanish, and enjoys many hobbies and sports such as flamenco dancing and softball.

Ms. Garima Gaur a Physical Science and AP Biology teacher is from India and came to

Kuwait with a degree of B.Sc. B-Ed, M.Sc., M.Phil., M.Sc.(Multidisciplinary studies).

She has been teaching in Kuwait for 20 years, and would like to achieve professional

growth in AAG.

Upcoming Events Oct 2nd — Parent/Teacher Conference

6:00 pm—7:30 pm

Oct 3rd — Parent/teacher Conference (no Students)

9:00 am—2:00 p.m

Oct 10th —Student Council Elections (not confirmed)

Oct 20th—PSAT Testing (Grade 10 &11 only)

Oct 23rd—Picture Day /to be confirmed Oct 24th— .Celebrity Look A-Like Day

.Make up Picture Day/ to be confirmed

By Al Zain Al Sabej

Karate comes from the Japanese words "kara" and "te" meaning "open hand."It is a form of martial arts that uses punches, kicks and deflection techniques. Karate started thousand years ago in Okinawa Japan. Weapons were banned in Okinawa so they developed strong hand-fighting techniques

as a way to defend themselves without using traditional weapons. People who practice karate were called "Karetkas". In karate they wear a white pair of loose-fitting pants and a jacket tied with a belt. The color of a kareteka's belt indicates their skill level, white is for beginners, black belt is for those with very high karate skills and lastly red belt is awarded to karetekas of the highest "Dan". it is also very rare to find someone with a red belt. Karate is about more than just breaking boards or being able to defend yourself.

It's a martial art that can help you strengthen yourself physically, mentally and spiritually. Karate is also a great way to reduce stress and build self confidence. Karate became a global phe-nomenon. When Hollywood stu-dios followed Hong Kong and be-gan adding their dramatic and action-filled entries to this new film genre, Karate became even more popular. Many of today’s students learn Karate because of an interest they have in self-perfection. Knowledge of Karate provides the self-confidence they require to live their lives fear-lessly.