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Friends United
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Ramallah Friends School Celebrates the Inauguration of the New Classrooms Building & the New Turf-Covered Sports Field
RAMALLAH—The Ramallah Friends School celebrated the inauguration of their new classrooms building, other new facilities and the renovated sports field at the Friends School campus in El-Bireh yesterday, Tuesday, 2 February 2010. These projects were completed in September 2009 and April 2009, respectively. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through their Washington, D.C. based office of the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) solely funded the construction of the new classrooms building, commodities and landscaping works through support granted to the school proprietor, Friends United Meeting in Richmond Indiana. The sports field renovation was supported by a number of donors, including USAID West Bank and Gaza Mission office.
The building and associated projects were designed to incorporate the latest innovations in design and classroom technology, while preserving the school's historical landscape. Three levels were constructed, consisting of a student lounge, ten classrooms, and two art workshops, each one equipped with updated classroom technology, including LCD projectors and computers. The grant also allowed for the purchase of lockers, desks and chairs for the entire building. A 1000 square meter well was constructed under the building's foundation to provide sanitation and irrigation water for the school, alleviating the school's reliance on municipal water and upholding the school's policy of environmental sustainability. A major rehabilitation of the campus pathways, construction of a parking lot, and electrical upgrades were included in this grant. All of these aspects were designed in keeping with the school's long-range plan to maintain the historical nature of the campus and providing Palestinian students with the highest educational standards and resources. The building was designed by Architect Amer Saffarini and the landscaping and sports field master plan was designed by the Architect Hani Hasan.
The renovation of the school's historic sports field is a part of the school's plan to improve local youth athletic programs and extracurricular activities. This latest renovation includes construction of new boundary walls, resurfacing of the field, construction of a water cistern, and installation of artificial turf. USAID provided funding for the artificial turf through their ARD program while Cordaid-Netherlands, the American Consulate General-Jerusalem, and Al-Quds bank provided funding for the other elements. The field will serve the local community, including youth from area schools.
The inauguration celebration began with a presentation in the school's Khalil Totah Auditorium, followed by a tour of the school, watching a football match between the Friends School and Al-Ahliya school on the new sports field, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception. Attendees included Governor Laila Ghanam, Mayors of both Ramallah and El-Bireh, representatives of the Ministry of Education, Principals of local schools, and delegates from local and international NGOs having a relationship with the school.
Samer Shehadeh, clerk of the school's Board of Trustees, welcomed the audience and spoke about the importance of Ramallah Friends School as a model school for Palestine where students can receive a top-notch education with dignity; he also noted that USAID-funded projects help the school and students to achieve this goal. Joyce Ajlouny, director of the school, outlined the detailed accomplishments of the school, including USAID projects and their impact on education. Special guest Dr. Howard Sumka, Missions Director of USAID, spoke about USAID support for Palestinian education.
USAID has funded projects at the Ramallah Friends School since 1992, mostly through USAID's American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) program. In total, $4.5 million has been granted to the school.