Qatar Academy Senior School celebrated the success of the 2013 Week Without Walls (WWW) programme with an all-school assembly recently. This year students took part in programmes around Qatar or travelled overseas to Turkey, South Africa, Thailand, Switzerland, England, France and Italy.
The trips were based on the Middle Years Programme (MYP) Units of Inquiry, which encompass the topics of environment, health and social education, human ingenuity and community and service, and were undertaken by students in grades six through 10.
The purpose of this year’s celebration was to give students an opportunity to share what they had learned during the programme with their peers and to bring some closure to the adventures.
“This was the first year that we had a celebration for the students on their return to a regular school schedule,” said Experiential Learning Coordinator Craig Paterson.
“We felt like so many students were away on these meaningful adventures but didn’t have a chance to see what their friends on other excursions in Qatar or overseas were doing during the week. Communication was very important for us this year, not just before and during the trips, but afterwards as well.”
Qatar Academy’s official Facebook page was used to share travel updates, photos, and itineraries with parents and students throughout the week-long programme. When students returned to school, some groups put together videos and blogs about their adventures while other students were asked to give oral presentations about their trips.
During the days leading up to the celebration, students worked with trip leaders and their peers to create bulletin boards with photos and trip descriptions, which were shared over cupcakes following the school assembly.
“Overall, I feel that the students appreciated the big picture a little more this year,” said Paterson.
“They felt like they were part of a community of travellers, risk takers and communicators.”
The Peninsula
