Hear from Robert Cody, Head of School about his time in Doha and the year so far.
This year, I have stressed the importance of certainty and how it can help bring some calmness to a challenging 2020. Now it is 2021, and we continue to see that certainty remains important. In a life with many uncertainties, school life can be a very important pillar of permanence. It provides routine and familiarity and a support system for students and parents alike.
We are halfway through our first year on the brand new campus. Even with social distancing, we are beginning to see how students will use the new campus to leap forward in their education. The spaces at the new school are spectacular, and students filling the school with energy is terrific. Teachers have also seen the advantages of the learning zones and, more importantly, the outdoor learning spaces. The new campus was designed to allow for learning to take place on all 66,000 square meters.
My family has been able to call ACS Doha home for the past seven years. Our extended stay here has taught my family much about ourselves and the fantastic community in Doha. We still have so much to learn, and we look forward to learning more from our interactions with our own ACS community and the wonders that Qatar has to offer. Both of my children have grown at ACS Doha, leaving to join the university of their choice, my son in Texas, majoring in Kinesiology, and my daughter in Georgia, majoring in Illustration. Two different paths that ACS was able to make possible for them. It’s so exciting to now see the new externships programme and the IB Careers programme taking shape for our students.
This year marks the end of the first ten years for ACS in Doha. We opened in August 2011 with just a small number of students, some of whom are still with us today. This is a significant accomplishment, and one of which we are very proud. ACS Doha follows in a long tradition of schools and I’m delighted that our three schools in the UK are recognised in our new campus with three meeting rooms in the main entrance. It’s always good to remember we have schools back in the UK that we continue to work with closely and with whom we share learning, achievements and ideas. This also provides the school and its leadership with welcome constancy in our uncertain world.
The return to open travel in the region, the rollout of the COVID 19 vaccine, and the coming of the World Cup and the Asian Games are fast approaching. Qatar is situated to be a focus of the world and ACS Doha at the centre of it all.
Founded in 1967 to serve the needs of global and local families, ACS International Schools educate over 3,700 students aged 2 - 18 representing over 100 nationalities.
ACS Doha opened in Qatar in August 2011 and now has student capacity for 2,470 students in its new state-of-the-art campus. This is ACS Doha's tenth year in Doha.