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I
t’s hard not to be envious. And Riad Chirazi admits it. As the
Head of Activities and Community Service at IC, his main
task is to create, run and supervise dozens of extracurricular
activities in the middle and upper schools.
And as he put it, “I’m envious of what is offered to students
today. If I had all these opportunities when I was growing up, I
would have discovered my love for the theater much earlier in
life.”
Over 35 activities are offered to students in the elementary,
middle and secondary schools including ballroom dancing,
gymnastics, choir (junior, senior, boys), drama (French, Arabic,
English), basketball, football, knitting, arts and crafts, volleyball,
piano, archery, chess, folk dance, modern dance, music arrange-
ment, art, guitar, fundamental of design, photography, band,
Torch, the Makhloutah (IC newspaper), Cine Club, MUN, etc.
Some of the clubs were suggested by the students themselves.
“Extracurricular activities enrich your perspective in a way
that you’ll be able to choose your major,” he said. “This is where
you keep testing yourself until you find a talent somewhere.”
No one was more taken aback then Jana Ballout when she
discovered her talent for acting. The Lebanese Baccalaureate stu-
dent never even thought about theatre before her friends signed
her up for the Arabic drama club two
years ago.
Before long, her friends decided that
acting was not their thing and switched
to another club. But Jana was hooked.
Usually quiet and timid, Jana found her-
self coming alive on stage.
“I can be whoever I want to be,” she
said. “Acting is about focusing. I soon
learned how to work well under pressure.”
But a demanding academic schedule
meant that somehow she had to juggle
both worlds. “I learned to start homework immediately as soon
as it was assigned,” she said. “That way I would free myself up for
rehearsals.”
IC is not new to extra curricular activities. In fact, the school
– while still in Smyrna - is credited with establishing the first
Boy Scout troop in the then Ottoman Empire. IC also held an
interscholastic field day (the first in the Empire) in 1893 which
attracted over 3000 spectators. Its success let to the formation
of the Smyrna Schools Athletic Association and the Pan Ionian
League in 1894. Historians refer to these events as the “prelude”
to the first modern Olympic Games at Athens in 1896.
The tradition of activities continued when the school moved to
Beirut in 1936. The first yearbook “Prep Year Book” in 1951 list-
ed an Arabic, English, International, Orchestra, Spanish, Stamp,
Ushers and Workshop Clubs.
Universities also look for extra curricular activities on applica-
tions – a point which Chirazi always repeats to students. Involve-
ment in activities shows that applicants are making use of their
spare time and are able to manage their time efficiently.
“If two people apply with the same grades, universities always
choose the student who was involved in extracurricular activi-
ties,” said Chirazi. “In fact, universities are now asking recom-
mendations from us saying that students were
involved in school activities.”
Indeed, research has shown that students
who take part in extracurricular activities are
more likely to become leaders and have suc-
cessful careers.
This may not be news in many countries,
but for Lebanon – where few schools offer an
array of activities – such research may be an
eye opener.
“We are in a society where we want to pro-
duce only doctors, engineers or lawyers,” said
Chirazi. “So many parents tend to stress aca-
demics only and see everything else as a waste
of time.”
But according to Chirazi, enrollment in IC’s
extracurricular program has steadily increased
over the years. Eighty percent of students signed
up for the optional extracurricular program this
year. The rest chose not to be involved.
“Years down the road, students may not
remember their academic lessons,” said Chirazi. “Their memo-
ries will be ones of singing in the choir, acting in a play, traveling
with MUN, or competing in a chess tournament. This is what
shaped their personalities and this is what they will remember.”
Enrich Yourself: go extracurricular
IC Features