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Modern World Debates

The annual ‘Modern World Debates’ tournament was held over 2 days on 15th and 16th January 2022, comprising of over 50 international teams and 150+ debaters. Dubai College sent 1 official team comprising of Aryaman, Parth and Viha, as well as 2 independent teams (Angelique, Vansh, Abhir & Emaan, Philip, Aditya). Both teams were excited to participate in the competition as it was one of the largest online debating competitions in the region. The first 4 preliminary rounds included topics ranging from democratic governance to privatization, safe to say it challenged all debaters on a wide variety of topics. 

After an immensely successful first 4 rounds, both the DC team and Team APA broke to the Quarter Finals as one of the top 8 teams, and ended up being paired to debate against each other on the motion: This house believes that the feminist movement should support female vigilante groups in areas with high crime rates against women. The DC team ended up winning, progressing from the semi-finals to the grand finals where they debated: This house prefers Asian values over Western individualism. The other team ended up winning on a split decision 2-1 from the judge panel; a very close debate indeed.

In the awards ceremony, Team Dubai College were awarded runners up of the competition. Individually, Abhir, Aryaman, Vansh and Viha bagged best speaker awards being part of the top 10, with Angelique being commended as the best speaker of the entire competition! Overall, this was a very successful and intellectually stimulating competition for all DC debaters and we would like to especially thank Ms. Hodge for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

Viha Y12

Overall Best Speaker

Best Speaker Award

Runners up

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Gulf Debates Senior Competition 2021

On 11th of December, two teams from Dubai College (DC team A - Himakshi, Viha, Aryaman and DC team B - Vansh, Kiumars, Hyder) took part in the annual Gulf Debates Competition, where they debated against students from across the country.

Throughout the competition, both teams took part in four preliminary debate rounds, with thought-provoking motions covering hot global contentions such as free immigration and national pride.

Overall, everyone debated triumphantly with DC team A winning second place in the Plate category, and DC team B winning second place in the Bowl category. All speakers from DC team A clinched the ‘Outstanding Speaker Award’, with Aryaman being voted the best speaker of the tournament, Viha coming second and Himakshi coming fifth. All in all, another excellent day of debating for Dubai College.

Aryaman, Y11

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Gulf Debates Junior Competition 2021

Right at the end of last term right after the last day of term, 11 of DC’s finest junior debaters made their way to Cambridge International School for the 2021 Annual Gulf Debates Competition, and what a day it was! 

We started off with speeches from CIS’s Debate Head and Vice-Principal and the announcement of the first impromptu motion: This House would Ban Child Beauty Pageants

All Teams set off to work and soon enough, the first debate commenced and concluded with astounding results!

All three DC teams completed their first 3 debates one by one and then headed for a quick lunch where we were able to blow off some steam and meet debaters from all the other schools participating in the competition.

Now came the power-round, the dreaded, disqualification round. Having already semi-prepared the motion, all teams huddled in anticipation, hoping to be assigned to the side that they had prepared best, and as the designated sides were released, the room erupted with passionate - although muted - cries of joy or despair which were almost immediately replaced with hushed conversation and teams rushing to their designated preparation rooms.

Teams were paired with teams of similar skill - if you won the first 3 debates, you would be paired with another team that won the first 3 debates - and all 3 DC teams emerged victorious, having survived the power-round and we all gathered at the Auditorium to celebrate some wonderful singing and dancing on stage while the semi-final draws were being decided.

Although there were a few hiccups along the way, DC A, B, and C all qualified for the semis, compromising an astounding 1/5th of the entirety of the semi-finals draw, debating the motion:  This House Believes that Government Funding of the Arts Should be Banned

A surprising Impromptu motion that truly pushed all teams to their best as they analysed the Government’s role in supporting the arts with the surprising twist of being unable to use the internet.

Soon after the debates, all the debaters gathered for the penultimate time in the auditorium to hear the fixtures for the finals, and it was to our delight that DC Teams A and C made it through!

I would like to seize this opportunity to extend heartfelt thanks from all 3 teams to Ms Hodge for her tireless work and support as well as to Shrish, Aman, and Vedant for consistently helping us become better debaters.

The 6th and the last debate commenced soon after and Teams A and C headed off to their designated rooms to prepare with team A set to debate in front of a live audience (which - although nerve-racking - was an amazing experience). 

To end the long day of debate; to recognise the achievements of the many talented debate teams participating in Gulf Debates, the prize ceremony began!

The room erupted in cheer as winners were announced and DC Won:

·         Team C ranked 2nd in the Plate Division

·         Team B ranked 3rd in the Cup Division

·         Team A ranked 2nd in the Cup Division

·         Parth and Emaan won Outstanding Speaker Awards

Overall, an outstanding result, and one that could not have been possible without the tireless work put in by the Dubai College Debate Teams and of course, the guidance we received from Ms Hodge and the Debate Club Heads.

Parth Y10

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International Maths Olympiad Champion

Congratulations to Vansh in Year 11 who was awarded the title of International Maths Olympiad Champion in December after scoring 96.29%ile in the concluding round.  The competition was intense with thousands of students participating globally, so this is a really impressive achievement.  Well done Vansh.

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Ayla has her first children’s book publishes

Congratulations to Ayla in Year 13 who has published her first children's book 'Waleed's Jar' to support We Love Reading.  We Love Reading is a programme focused on fostering the love of reading among children in Jordan and the rest of the world.

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Ali Abu Khalil Chess Tournament

Congratulations to Abhir on winning the prestigious Ali Abu Khalil Memorial Chess Tournament in December in the open category. The tournament is organised in the name of the founding father of chess in the UAE.  There were 106 international players participating from 10 different nations.  Abhir secured 7th place and was ranked 1st in the U16 category.  Well done Abhir.

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Ken Ken Championships 2021

Congratulations to Aadiv in Year 7 who secured UAE National Rank 1 in his age category and represented the UAE at the international round in December securing international rank 3 in his category.  A great achievement.

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Oracy Month - Let’s Talk about Talk

November saw Dubai College become a hub of dialogue, debate and discussion as departments and students celebrated talk around the school. Lessons were abuzz and voices were heard across activities, lessons and assemblies, providing platforms for our students to listen and to be heard. Oracy is one of our two learning and teaching foci at Dubai College (with the Science of Learning being the other) and the Oracy Month championed and shared the fantastic work occurring across the school.

Students in Years 7-9 were set the difficult challenge of completing an Oracy Odyssey throughout the month which required them to use twelve different types of talk in lessons, ECAs, rehearsals, assemblies or tutor time. Entries were collated at the end of the month and three prize winners were drawn from a hat: congratulations to Shaivi (Year 7), Mustafa (Year 9) and Kashish (Year 9) and to everyone who successfully navigated the odyssey and demonstrated an impressive array of oracy skills – House Points were awarded to those who entered.

The highlight of the month-long celebration of talk was No Pens Day Wednesday on 24th November. An initiative of the UK charity I CAN, we were delighted to participate with a day that promoted oracy as the primary mode of learning and teaching. Pens were put down, devices were closed and our campus echoed with voices across year groups and subjects.

At break time, 16 speakers took to the DC Soap Box at Speakers’ Corner to share their thoughts, concerns and humour with captive audiences in The Quad; it proved so popular that the soap boxes returned the following week and may become a more regular feature around the site!

Lunchtime saw the Junior Debating Teams battle it out by the outdoor chessboard, debating the motion ‘This House believes that teenage criminals should be tried by a teenage jury’ – after such passionate speeches by our Year 10 debaters, the motion was defeated.

As talk-driven lessons resumed across classrooms for the afternoon, Mrs Sarah Lambert shared the oracy work here at Dubai College with a large global audience, presenting at the Global Schools Festival with Professor Neil Mercer on ‘Embedding oracy in a school curriculum and practice’.

When the school day drew to a close, 10 inspiring speakers geared up for an evening of ‘DC Talks: What’s Next?’. Ranging from Years 7-12, it was an impressive tour de force as our young speakers were empowered by their chance to use their voices to enlighten, entertain and inform the Auditorium audience with their ten minute, no-notes speeches. Organised by Inaya in Year 13, with a supporting team of peers, it was a fantastic student-led climax to a wonderful day of talk.

Oracy Month wrapped up with the third Dubai Oracy Hub evening webinar at which UK speakers Mr Jasen Booten and Dr Laura Kerslake shared ideas and tips regarding using coaching conversations to improve literacy and the Cambridge University Inquiring Science Project.

Please do follow our oracy work on Twitter (@DCol_OracyHub, #DCoracy) as we continue to develop our students’ voices, equipping them with the essential skills of communication, confidence and respect for others’ views.

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COBIS x Debate Mate International Competition

From the 3rd to 5th December, a team from Dubai College (Himakshi, Viha, Aryaman, Maria, Parth) took part in the COBIS x Debate Mate International Competition, where they debated with students from across the world. 

Throughout the competition, the team took part in 4 debates. Two debates consisted of impromptu motions centred around the themes of leadership roles and whether protesting is the most effective way to make change. The other two motions were prepared, with topics relating to the Olympics and whether technology has done more to disconnect than connect us.

Overall, the team were able to perform phenomenally, winning all four of their debates and placing 5th overall in a competition consisting of more than 200 students. In addition, Himakshi, received an award as ‘1st Star Speaker’ in the whole competition. All in all, a very successful and engaging few days of debate for Dubai College.

- Written by Himakshi Y11

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DC Parliament

The Student Leadership Team has worked incredibly hard this term to establish the inaugural Dubai College Student Parliament; each tutor group has elected a representative that feeds into a Year group council, chaired by two senior prefects. The year group councils will meet regularly and once every half term, Mr Lambert will also participate in each year group's meeting. There will also be opportunities for the entire school parliament to convene to discuss school matters. Student voice is integral to the ongoing development and discussion of school matters, both big and small, and we very much look forward to hearing student views through the parliament.

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Journey of a young alum entrepreneur

On 7th November it was fascinating to hear the exciting journey of alum Kaivalya Vohra.

Kaivalya left Dubai College in June 2020 with an offer to attend Stanford University to study Computer Science.  However realising that the lectures where all going to be online due to the Covid pandemic, he decided to take a gap year and head to Mumbai instead to be an entrepreneur.

Together with his childhood friend Palicha, they decided to set up an online grocery delivery platform and named it Zepto.

Within months of launching, their startup is now worth between $200 million and $300 million after receiving $60 million in an initial funding round.  Backers include Y Combinator, Glade Brook Capital, as well as angel investors Lachy Groom and Neeraj Arora, according to the firm.

Read the full story here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-31/teenage-stanford-dropouts-grocery-startup-gets-60-million

(Kaivalya on right)

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Careers update

Careers education is a fundamental part of preparing students for their future. As a school we have always offered opportunities for our students to gain information on careers, university applications and their future beyond Dubai College, however, this year we have started to raise the profile of our Careers education provision.

This term our Rolling Positive Education programme has incorporated lessons on Unifrog for KS4 and relating character strengths to the future and careers for KS3. We have also hosted a number of STEM talks and Journey speakers who have discussed their career journeys and how they got to where they are today. The Sixth Form has had delegates from universities visiting our campus to tell them about the variety of courses and futures they have to offer, as well as trips to Mediclinic Parkview hospital for our medics, visits to the AAPL Collection for our computer scientists and Goldman Sachs representatives have come, in person, to discuss careers in finance.

Alongside this, we have had our weekly careers bulletin, Higher Education evening, A-level options evening, universities admissions tests and practice interviews going on behind the scene.

Next term will see the start of our mentoring programme for Year 8 – Girls Out Loud. Please get in touch if you can commit to one hour per month as a Big Sister volunteer to help a student blossom. We aim to empower our teenage girls to find their confidence and ambition through a series of workshops and one-to-one mentoring sessions.

Follow @Dubaicollege_careers on Instagram or @DCol_careers on Twitter to keep up to date with everything careers related and another busy and successful term ahead at Dubai College.

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Keynes Society update

The first term of the academic year of 2021-2022 has been a rather successful one for the Keynes Society. We have had the pleasure of welcoming many different speakers this term, both internal as well as external, presenting on a vast range of apt concepts. We were able to incorporate the teachings of many different aspects of economics, including finance, geography, and history, as opposed to merely looking at standard economics offered by the GCSE and A level course. 

So far, we have had three external speakers, the most recent one being Timothy Power. Mr. Power graduated from DC in 2002 and went on to work at Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, Citibank, and other such organisations before starting his own venture capital fund, called Elektron Ventures. We had the privilege of welcoming him to discuss his career trajectory and impart the learnings of his experiences onto many of the budding economists in DC. We have also welcomed students across different year groups to present on topics of most interest to them. We had Mayer (Y9) discuss the impacts of migration on the economy which coupled with her passion for economics as well as geography into an extremely informative talk. We also had Jasim (Y11), two-time winner of the DC stock market challenge with over a 1000% returns each time. He gave some insight into the world of stocks and trading as well a live demonstration of buying and selling stocks on market watch. Likewise, Aryaansh (Y11) has also displayed his inclination towards finance through his internship at JP Morgan. He is now a fund manager at Blueridge Capital and the co-founder of CareerBird as well as Soar Education Ventures. He discussed his professional experiences and the tools of getting started with finance. Most recently, we had Aishwarya and Vidhi (Y12) talk about the history of economic inequality, looking at economics in a more historic perspective.

Representatives from 'Crimson Education' will also be coming in as our last speakers of the term to guide students through the process of admission into the top business and economics programs at universities worldwide. Not only is this a great opportunity for Sixth Form students applying to university soon but also some of the younger students looking for general advice to prepare themselves.

As well as hosting speakers, we have had group discussion sessions on topics ranging from 'women in economics' to 'COP 26' and more. This allows students and teachers alike to share their knowledge and interests of prevalent discussion points within the field.  Furthermore, our first newsletter of the year includes several articles that present the passion that students have of the subject, book reviews, as well as notable entries for top essay competitions. 

Arjun, Sehaj, and Viha

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A learning experience for our aspiring medics

Recently, the aspiring Medics at DC, were given the opportunity to visit Mediclinic Parkview Hospital in Dubai. The bus ride there had the buzz of anticipation, as this was quite a trip. On arrival, we were taken to the Conference Room by the HR Director and provided some appetizers to keep us filled. The first speaker was the CSO (Chief Strategy Officer) of Mediclinic Middle East, a smartly dressed South African man by the name of Hein Van Eck. He told us about emerging ideas in Global Health, emphasizing the boom of technology, and the steep incline of online consultations.

After the CSO had given his enlightening talk, we were told that the physicians and nurses would now hold their talks in the same conference room. The first physician was an Anesthesiologist, a passionate woman who told us everything about what she did with vigour. Initially, I had thought that her field was a narrow one, but she convinced me otherwise. Next, the Head of Neurology did her talk. She was another empowered Emirati woman who had gradually become quite fond of her specialty. Her story was a very interesting one, as she had gone from the UAE to Canada to the USA and back to the UAE for practice.

Now, Dr Kalpana, the Head of ICU, was supposed to arrive. Unfortunately, as an ICU doctor, she was perpetually on call, with cases taking precedence over all else and so she didn’t appear for her talk. However, the NICU (Neonatal ICU) Physician and Nurse were present to tell us more about their fields. The NICU Physician, Dr Roopali, was a very relatable and light-hearted woman. She had learnt, over the course of her studies, that medicine was a very demanding career, but that the purpose and gratification that came with it was unmatched. The NICU Nurse was especially pleased at the turnout from DC. She pointed out that nursing took much shorter time to complete than medicine, but that it had the same sense of purpose and the same beautiful patient relations.

Then, two Emergency Medicine physicians came in, including the Head of EM. They were both hilarious personalities and personally, they made EM seem like a very attractive route to pursue. They also mentioned a bit of a drawback of medicine; that it was repetitive, but really, what isn’t? After them, a Consultant General Surgeon held a talk. It was quite a surprise because he was the father of one of our very own year 12 students. He emphasized that you didn’t choose medicine and that it chose you. What he meant was that you had to be a specific type of person to follow through with your medical career. Mainly, he spoke about empathy, communication and attention to detail.

Leaving the conference room after a good 3 hours, we went for a free lunch at the hospital canteen. Unexpectedly, the food was delicious and there were even chocolates on offer. At last, we went for the long-awaited tour, guided along by the Head of Engineering and Design. It was pretty cool as we got to see the NICU, the Emergency Department and even the Rehabilitation Centre, which was essentially a massive, high-tech gym. In addition, we were allowed into ICU and labour rooms and got to learn about equipment like ventilators, “artificial kidneys” and vital signs machines.

All in all, the experience was quite amazing and revelatory. I learned more about medicine firsthand than I ever had before and many of my assumptions about the medical field turned out not be true. What I picked up on most though, was that all the physicians that spoke to us were passionate, hard-working, and kindhearted people who did medicine, not for the paychecks or the reputation, but for the idea of helping someone out and making someone smile.

Written by Muhammad 12 BCH

On Thursday, 18th November, an eager group of Year 12 students were presented with the enriching opportunity of a guided tour of Mediclinic Parkview Hospital to develop their understanding of the cross-functioning of different professional roles and departments from the perspective of consultants with years of experience. Personally, I was thrilled to see and learn ‘behind the scenes’ information of my local hospital.

From the moment of our arrival, we were treated with the utmost kindness and respect whilst all staff diligently answered our questions with interest and detail. Mediclinic Parkview’s hospitality extended to offering Dubai College access to the staff restaurant for a scrumptious lunch.  

Our tour kicked off with an introduction speech from Mr Hein Ven Eck (Chief Strategy Officer) which wet our appetite for the day’s agenda which included meeting hospital administrators and consultants who showed us their departments and explained the intricacies of their relevant disciplines and the unique paths taken to reach them.

The speeches were initiated by a consultant anaesthesiologist who opened our eyes to this understated field, outlining its’ essential nature and enticing complexity within theatre. This was followed by the Head of Neurology, Dr Fatima El Zahmi who focused her presentation on the journey leading to medicine, allowing us to appreciate and understand the hardships and sacrifices required to thrive in such a demanding and competitive field.  

After a short refreshing break of beverages and pastries, we were met by the Head of NICU, Dr Mudit Kumar, who gave an outstanding presentation about her role as Head and explained the associated challenges and the rewarding nature of nurturing new-borns to full health, monitoring their development through childhood and forming unique bonds with patients.

After this, the Head of Emergency, Dr Jeffery Keep and Head of Paediatrics, Dr Zeyad explained in a discussion based forum that the role of surgeons extends beyond theatre operations and procedures; building rapport and relationships with clients and patients is essential.  As a stark contrast, emergency medicine was described as thrilling and unpredictable, with no day being the same due to the ever changing nature of emergency arrivals. The informative lectures were closed with a discussion by the NICU manager about interface with nursing and technical assistants; we were enlightened as to the nurse’s crucial role in the functioning of a hospital and assisting in all operations no matter the importance. 

Following a short lunch break, Mediclinic Parkview’s in house engineer, Mahmoud Abdel Ghani presented on the hospital layout, biomedical engineering and facility management. Not only was he informative and detail orientated, but he bridged the gap between medical needs and the associated engineering requirements, providing a broader view on the synergy that exists in the hospital between all the roles available within the medical field.

Our enjoyable visit was concluded with a full hospital tour highlighting the facilities relevant to each of the guest speakers; all of the departments were showcased expertly and their equipment explained in a concise manner.

One of the most interesting parts of the tour for our group were the emergency and surgical rooms, which were jam packed with a vast array of medical supplies, sophisticated machines, all ready to be used at a moment’s notice displaying the staff’s  professionalism and dedication to saving the lives of those in need. The ICU rooms were adorned with complex state of the art life support systems; consisting of heart, lung and kidney dialysis machines which are crucial for maintaining and resuscitating life in emergency scenarios such as accidents and terminal illness.

Many thanks to Mr Trivic for arranging such a meaningful experience for Year 12 and to Mediclinic Parkview for hosting this informative tour for Dubai College students and their hospitality which was much appreciated.

Written by James 12LHO

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Maths update Term 1

We are already in full swing with Mathematics competitions this academic year. Throughout this winter term, our students have competed in the UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge, the UKMT British Mathematical Olympiad, the Mathalon 2021, the KenKen International Championship and various qualifiers for the International Olympiad Foundation. A special well done and congratulations to the following students for excelling in each respective event:

To attain a Gold Certificate, the above students had to achieve a score in the top 11% of all entrants worldwide. With so many schools across the globe entering this prestigious competition, this is an amazing achievement, especially for the younger students who would have competed against those two to three years older than them.

The five students who qualified for the British Mathematical Olympiad 1 took time out of their National Day holiday to sit a 3.5-hour exam, of which we await the results for. Best of luck to them, and once again huge congratulations to everybody mentioned!

Mathalon 2021

Three students from Year 12 were selected to represent Dubai College at the Mathalon 2021, hosted online by the University of Wollongong in Dubai. After a Saturday morning of talks, quizzes and an hour-long exam against students from 17 other schools in Dubai, their excellent results merited an invitation to the final round, to be held on the university campus in January. Congratulations to Pranav, Raghav and Viha for their efforts on the day!

KenKen International Championship

22 students took part in the Emirate Level of the KIC 2021 this year with 17 of them progressing to the National Level. Of these, four students achieved a result in the Top 20 of their respective categories, each earning a Gold medal and Championship mementos. A big well done to the following students:

In addition, Aritro and Aadiv achieved the best score in the whole of the UAE in their respective year groups, an incredible achievement. Due to Covid-19, the international round will unfortunately not be held in New York as in previous years. Nevertheless, we wish Aritro and Aadiv the best of luck as they compete with other National Champions in the online International Level later in December!

International Olympiad Foundation

Some of our students have independently entered the Mathematics Olympiad Qualifier, a UAE level competition conducted by the International Olympiad Foundation and one of several qualifiers which feed into the International Mathematics Olympiad. The National Mathematics Qualifier was held earlier in the term, and we wish to congratulate Shizhen (Y7) and Kashish (Y9) for both attaining the UAE National Rank 5 in their respective age groups. Well done!

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Expo 2020 UAE Pavilion interview

Fatima 9KWI and Vansh 11LRU were recently given the opportunity to interview Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi who is the Minister of Youth and Culture of the UAE and the Commissioner-General of the UAE Pavilion at EXPO 2020. 

Watch the interview here: https://youtu.be/_hM0zL6Pewc

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KenKen Certificate of Excellence

Congratulations to Aritro who has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence for securing a national rank of number 1 in the UAE Edition of the KenKen International Championship 2021.