Dhahran School

The Dhahran School is an international school owned and operated by the Saudi Aramco Schools district. Dhahran School is privately used by children of Saudi Aramco employees and serves children from kindergarten through grade nine. Dhahran School is located on the compound of Dhahran, operated by Saudi Aramco, within the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The school is divided into the Dhahran Hills School and the Dhahran Middle School, where the Dhahran Hills School serves children from kindergarten through grade four and the Dhahran Middle School teaches students between the grades five and nine. The mascot of the Dhahran Hills School is the Arabian Horse, while the mascot of the Dhahran Middle School is the Wildcat.

History

The school was first opened in 1940^[1] to cater the education needs of children whose parents were working for ARAMCO (Arabian American Oil Company).

Campus

The school has four main buildings. One building houses the 7th and 8th grade classes, located almost on 3rd Street. Another building houses the 3rd Street Gym, the Library Media Center, the 9th grade classes, Drama department, and the Foreign Language department. There is one building that is divided into two sections: the 6th grade classes, and the Central Office. The Ibis Gym is next to the Central Office. The latest addition to the campus is the productive Learning Lab Center adjacent to the Ibis Gym. This is now the rock band room. Coming fall 2014, a new 5th grade building shall be erected, and the large building adjacent to the school shall be renovated and reintroduced to the school's campus.

Curriculum

The school follows an American education curriculum,^[2] but also works to meet the needs of non-American students. As of the 2010-2011 school year, the school has started a house program like that of a Greek college. The program divides the school into four sections, each including at least two homeroom classes from each grade. All faculty members are assigned to a specific house as well. Each house has a different mascot, where the name of each is the Latin name for a type of wildcat. The names are: Indomitus, Torva, Agrestis, and Ferox. Since the program began, the houses have been competing against each other for the Cammal Cup. The competitions to gain points for their houses range from playing volleyball (homeroom against homeroom) to bringing in food to support food drives. There is also a field day, usually in March, in which the students and teachers are put into teams with their houses.

Technology

The school has over 6 different computer labs, with every computer from Lenovo with Windows 7. Every classroom is equipped with a Promethean Ltd Activboard, which is an interactive touch whiteboard.

Culture

The school's Student Council and Helping Hands club regularly hosts culture programs, which lets different students show some of their culture. More than 35 countries are represented by the Dhahran School. The Dhahran School operates under the PRIDE motto, fostering a community that promotes Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Diversity and Excellence.

References