Seafaring eighth-graders complete voyage Friday, 03 February 2012 04:48

Students of ACS Doha International School after returning from their voyage at the Four Seasons Marina, yesterday.

By Azmat Haroon

Doha: It was a moment of great pride for parents and teachers when eight young sailors returned from a voyage from Doha to Al Khor recently. Georgia, Zainab, Yara, Vinay, Jacob, Sakina, Danny and Khalid became the first Grade 8 students of ACS Doha International School to complete the inaugural Leadership Training Programme of the school.

The students sailed on the ‘Waveplane’ and ‘The office’- two yachts of the Regatta Sailing Academy - accompanied by Captain Mike Lawton and his assistant Christine Lawton of the Academy, along with two schoolteachers.

The four boys and girls had to go through weeks of training and practice before they actually sailed. “They had a training period, and I was happy to see that they put the training into operation. These students covered the same distance as going to France and back from England,” said Christine Lawton.

Asked if she felt that the students were too young to embark on a trip of this sort, Dale Taylor, ACS Doha Middle High School Principal said that she never had any doubts. “The Regatta Sailing Academy is very reputable and I trust my teachers Lee Perri and Deanna Milne,” she said.

Taylor said that she felt that the students coming in the school had a lot to share but they were generally shy and they weren’t bonding as much the school wanted them to.

In order for them to feel like they had a voice, the school wanted to develop their leadership skills and make them feel like they could speak out. A leadership programme such as this in regards to sailing, allowed them to work together and trust each another.

This was the most reasonable way of allowing shy students to step out of their shells. “1 knew if given the opportunities; these students would be able to step up and meet the challenge. This also gives younger students something to look forward to when they reach Grade 8.”

Initially, the Grade 8 Humanities teacher proposed a trip to Dubai for some ropes course but the school wanted to see what Qatar had to offer. “There are a lot of things the students could have done here. Sailing trip seemed most appealing and practical,” said Taylor.

The parents had their doubts at first, but they had to give in due to the enthusiasm of their children. “Sakina was quite confident; she made me sign the parental consent papers. Because she was so excited to go on the trip, I gave her permission,” said Sakina’s mother.

Although the children were exhausted as they touched the shores of Doha at the Four Season’s Marina after hours of sailing, they were keen on sharing their stories.

They were not at all afraid to be out in the sea and enjoyed the sense of independence they got from sailing. “1 can now operate a yacht independently, given I have three other people with me. You need four people to run a yacht like this,” said Khalid as he explained how sailing works.

Asked if he felt he was better acquainted with his class fellows after the trip, Danny laughed and said: “Yes, sure.”

Everyone else was happy to see the children speak out for themselves.

The School Principal noted that sometimes students feel that they don’t have a voice, a place to speak. “They may have ideas but unless they’re given a forum for that, it doesn’t happen. I think especially being young; students may not have developed the strategies to put themselves out there, to know how to develop proposals and such. As educators it’s our job to facilitate that, we’re not just about academic skills, we’re about the whole programme, to help foster the skills of our students; give them strong voices and a strong self of themselves.”

The Peninsula

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