On April 20 and 21, 2018, SABIS® International School – Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., hosted the highly-anticipated 2018 edition of SABIS® SLO® Talent & Academic RegionalS, or SABIS® STARS. The event welcomed students from 28 SABIS® schools located in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Germany, Jordan, Kurdistan-Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, and the U.A.E. for a two-day event that showcased their knowledge, talent, and critical thinking skills.
SABIS® STARS is a biennial, regional contest in which students from SABIS® schools meet and compete in events that are designed to challenge them beyond academics and showcase their talent and creativity. This year, over 500 students competed in 11 different categories including debate, photography, live art performances, singing, public speaking, creative writing, spelling, science projects, world issues, and advertising. The competition was fierce and the judges, prominent individuals from the local communities, were impressed by the standards of participants’ work, high spirits, and camaraderie.
The event culminated in a closing ceremony that announced the winners in the presence of SABIS® Board members, partners, directors, diplomats, media representatives, and VIPs. In his closing ceremony speech, SABIS® Vice President Victor Saad said, “SABIS® STARS is carefully designed to maximize potential and secure the most meaningful engagement with the world and its concerns. The carefully-selected topics are both varied and stimulating, enabling our students to practice and display the widest range of skills.” He added: “In this melting pot of diversity, students can also exchange cultural viewpoints, learn new ideas, and, of course, make new friends.”
Dr. Ahmed Al Shoiabi, ISC-Abu Dhabi alumnus and Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Services at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, also spoke at the event and commented, “We all know that the school experience is a culmination of educational and social interaction. Employers are looking for skills such as public speaking, team building, creativity, and art inclination, which are qualities that SABIS® STARS celebrate […]. Each of the competitions focused on a specific professional skill, which, let’s face it, cannot always be taught inside a classroom.”
Participating schools enjoyed their fair share of trophies, and students returned home with perhaps the best trophy of all: great memories of a fantastic event! And with the next SABIS® STARS set to take place in the spring of 2020, they will have enough time to prepare!
For a glimpse of some of the best moments from SABIS® STARS 2018, check out this video:
For more information about SABIS® STARS 2018 visit their official Facebook page at facebook.com/SABISSTARS. For more information about schools in the SABIS® Network, visit sabis.net.