Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH – In her book ‘Rise Up and Salute the Sun’ Suzy Kassem described the journey of awakening in the following beautiful lines... “We awaken by asking the right questions. We awaken when we see knowledge being spread that goes against our own personal experiences. We awaken when we see popular opinion being wrong but accepted as being right, and what is right being pushed as being wrong. We awaken by seeking answers in corners that are not popular. And we awaken by turning on the light inside when everything outside feels dark.”

Students of Dar Al Fikr Primary Girls section went on the journey of awakening to seek truth with thorough research and study. The annual seminar themed ‘In search of truth’ astonished the attendees with the ocean of knowledge and oratory skills of the students. Students of grade 5-6 were divided into 18 teams along with a teacher to assist and supervise them.

“The seminar is for the personal and professional development of our students whilst covering various skills,” Reem bin Selim, an Administrative Supervisor of Upper Elementary School, said, adding, “The seminar targets the research skills, critical thinking, time management and oratory skills of our students.”

‘In search of Truth’ was the product of 12 phases of in depth thinking, deep analysis and research, which were completed in 2 months. It started with the filtration and selection of the topic, polishing it, researching, rehearsals and finally the presentation.

The school’s auditorium was beautifully embellished with lights and each team was given a booth to decorate and present their topic. Mothers, fathers and teachers walked to different booths, and asked various questions regarding the research topic. Students presented their ideas, facts and evidences with voice, poise and confidence.

Every team had made a website containing all the facts and reasoning regarding the research topic. Rawiya Hafiz, Math teacher, supervised her team whose research topic was ‘Mobile waves are cancerous’.

She said, “Students learned new things in the process and improved not just their research skills, but gained self-confidence and the art of public speaking.” She added, “As a mother I feel like there is an improvement in my daughter as she was busy at home doing something productive that will benefit her not just now but in the future as well.”

Students of 6A: Salma Bakhshb, Maria Kurdi, Leena Shehata, and Talia Abdu worked to find the reality of human cloning. After comprehensive study the topic, they were able to call it the truth. Nancy Abu Shaban with her group of students worked on the ‘Paradox of Time Travel’ and with facts declared it impossible. “We might travel faster because of certain matter in space,” said Abu Shaban, “ However going back or forth in time is not possible.”

Dar Al Fikr’s seminar taught students how to find authentic news. “As fake news and myths spread like wildfire in the social media; it is important that the new generation can locate and recognize the truth behind such rumors,” remarked Reem bin Selim.

Remas Al Harithy, Hala Kashkary and Leah Ballas from 5A under Mai Mitari worked on Cats and Allergies and reached a conclusion that cats don’t cause any sickness. Under the guidance of Reem Al Abdulatif, Mariam Bin Mahfouz, Rasha and Joori from 6B worked on finding the truth behind Bermuda Triangle. “The students amazed me with their independent work. They were able to research and identify the sources as fake or real with facts,” said Abdulatif.

Ala-Al-Adwani and Afnan-Al-Ahmadi supervised the team of 3 students: Jomana Nefayi, Sara and Jana Zahid from Grade 6. They worked on the popular subject concerning the existence of dinosaurs. “There are several views regarding the existence of dinosaurs as no human being ever witnessed a living dinosaur.” Students told SG, “We only have evidence from fossils, so it is hard to state for sure if the dinosaurs really looked like how we know them today.

Success in public speaking indicates creativity, critical thinking skills, leadership abilities, poise, and professionalism — qualities that are very valuable for the job market. DAF’s Seminar 2018 gave students the opportunity to discover and polish these skills and abilities which will in turn help them to prepare for the future and be an important part in country’s development.