Jubilee School
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| The Jubilee School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Information | |
| Type | Mixed-sex independent day school |
| Motto | "Towards Excellence in Education" |
| Established | 1993 |
| Principal | Suha Jouaneh Shahin |
| Enrollment | 9th grade |
| Student to teacher ratio | 1:6 |
| Color(s) | Blue and Gold |
| Website | http://www.jubilee.edu.jo |
The Jubilee School, also known as The Jubilee Institute is a non-profit, independent, residential, co-educational secondary school dedicated for Jordanian gifted students located in Amman, Jordan.
History
The project to establish the school was announced in 1977, during Jordan's Silver Jubilee celebrations of King Hussein's accession to the throne, as a tribute to His Majesty's development efforts, especially in the field of education. In 1984, Queen Noor accepted responsibility for the as yet unrealized project, and a year later it became one of the major undertakings of the newly established Noor Al Hussein Foundation.[1]
After being temporarily housed in a Ministry of Education building, the school opened its doors in 1993 to eighty-nine ninth graders admitted for their academic achievement.[2] In 1997 the school celebrated its first graduating class. In 1995, H. M. King Hussein laid the cornerstone for the first phase of the construction of the school's permanent home in Yajouz outside Amman, and in early 1998 the school moved from its temporary site to its permanent place.
In 2000, the ownership of the Jubilee School for Gifted and Talented Students was transferred from the Noor Al Hussein Foundation to the newly established King Hussein Foundation as its first project in the area of education and leadership.[2]
Campus
The campus area is 124,000 square meters while the building area is approximately 13,000 square meters which hosts the following:
- 20 classrooms
- 1 Chemistry lab
- 1 Electronics lab
- 1 Biology lab
- 3 Computer labs
- 1 Ecology lab
- 2 Robotics labs
- A dedicated Deutsche classroom
- A dedicated French classroom
- A sports complex (including a Squash field, 2 halls for music and art education, tennis field, table tennis area, 400m running track, 1 indoor and 2 outdoor playing fields, and an indoor Olympic swimming pool)
- An Information Resource Center
- 2 multipurpose halls
- Common dining area
- Male and female dormitories.
- A library
- A clinic
- A dedicated Tawjihi program building
- A school theater
School life
The school seeks to provide equitable educational opportunities for students, with a special emphasis on those from the less developed areas of the country with the aim of developing future leaders committed to serving their country and capable of addressing the constantly shifting challenges of the world.
School uniform
The school requires school uniform for all students. The uniform in summer is consisted of a dark navy trousers, and a white shirt. In winter students wear a uniform hoodie or sweaters above shirts. Students are allowed to wear whatever they want on top of that if they still feel cold. Colored t-shirts under the uniform shirt are usually unaccepted, and students who violate uniform regulations are directed to the students' issues office where they are ordered to change and pay a fee of JD1. Casual clothing is allowed on each last Thursday of every month where students are free to wear whatever they want.
Curriculum
Newly admitted students attend an orientation program during the summer prior to enrollment. This 5-6 week program aims at acquainting the new students with the School system and environment. The academic program that is adopted by the School consists of the following two main programs:
- Enriched Ministry of Education Curriculum (Mandatory for all grades 9-12).
- Special Jubilee Program (Mandatory for grades 9 -11 only). It consists of:
Compulsory Courses:
- Leadership Education (3 courses)
- Communication Skills (3 courses)
- Counseling (5 courses)
- Community Service (120 hours)
Elective Courses: At least 2 courses per semester are being chosen by students from more than 60 subjects in the various fields of study in light of students' interests and preferences.
Admission to the school
Students who wish to be part of the Jubilee school program must apply for an exam that determines the mental capability of each student. The test consists of 3 parts: Maths, Logic and Verbal. Students who pass the test qualify to an interview. Students who pass the interview are called back and told that they are accepted in the Jubilee school. New students are asked to participate in a 2-week summer program that develops their scientific, and characteristic skills before joining the school. During the summer program students are required to finish a number of tests that calculate their IQ and mental capabilities.
Extracurricular activities
The School is distinguished by its co-curricular activities. All students are exposed to a variety of experiences on both national and international levels. They are encouraged to design and implement research studies, projects and surveys. Student-exchange programs, competitions, workshops and seminars, computer networking, camping and voluntary work are examples of students activities inside of The Jubilee School. The following are some of the extracurricular activities - Community service program (implemented at homes and institutions that work in the fields of child care, special needs, senior citizens and environment preservation), Student exchange programs (offering exchange with schools from both Arab and non-Arab area), JubiTech (annual technology exhibition about computer programming, design and other IT applications), Career week (students get known with variety of jobs), website design competition and lots of other academic competitions. Also notable is teacher and student exchange, whichin students and teachers change their role in order for students to experience the teachers' and staff problems and vice versa.
Graduation
There are 4 mandatory requirements in which students have to accomplish successfully in 3 years as follows:
- Successful completion of the Ministry of Education curriculum.
- Successful completion of the Jubilee School curriculum (mandatory and elective courses).
- Fulfilling 120 hours of community service.
- Completion and submission of a graduation project.
Financial status
Because it's a non-profit organization and runs over a huge campus, the Jubilee School faces some financial issues. The school depends on charity and governmental support to run, and depends on donations in form of computers and lab and other equipment. Nevertheless, Jubilee school doesn't reject new applicants who can't afford the total fee which is about 2500 Jordanian Dinars (about 3500$ or 2900€). Instead, it estimates fees for each students based on their parents' financial status.