JEDDAH, 15 December 2006 — American International School, Jeddah (AISJ) observed its third annual sports day yesterday, with Ittihad players taking part in a friendly match against All-Stars team.
Ittihad had all under-19 players and dominated the match with excellent skills, ball control and team work. The All-Stars team had players from AISJ, Jeddah Preparatory and Grammar School, and British International School (Continental) and could hardly match the skills of their opponents. Ittihad netted four goals within the first 30 minutes of the game, but it was a tie in which the score did not matter. Ittihad’s goalkeeper Mustafa Malaika, who sat in the VIP enclosure, was the star attraction as children sought his autograph and posed for photographs with him.
The students were also enthusiastic about receiving Ittihad’s star striker Muhammad Noor who reportedly made a brief appearance at the school. “I was looking forward to meet Muhammad Noor, seek his autograph and take a picture with him,” said Saleh Manjal, a student of the school’s 5th grade. “Ittihad is my favorite,” screamed Muhammad Al-Shehri, also of the 5th grade as the team arrived on the ground. “They have the best players,” said Louay Al-Shehri of the 6th grade. “I want to play for Ittihad when I grow up,” said another student Wael Al Sheri.
Children, who posed with the two teams, carried banners that said “No to drugs,” “No to smoking,” “No to discrimination,” “Yes to a non-smoking campus.”
Earlier, there was a friendly tie between the teachers and parents of the school, with the former having an upper hand in the brief encounter. Yasser Almaeena, the school’s physical education teacher, effectively performed at the nets for the teachers to see that the brief game ended 2-0 in their favor.
Football, volleyball and basketball events marked the sports festival, which was essentially a fund-raising day. It was an event in which the parents, teachers and students worked closely in cooperation with the school administration. Students carried banners against drugs, smoking and discrimination.
“There is tremendous enthusiasm among the students to play games, especially football, volleyball and basketball,” said the school’s football coach Brian Bohne. He also teaches political science and American history at the school, which has Danny Gordon as the high school principal.
Marcy Fettyani, vice president, the school’s Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA), was busy organizing the various events. “This fund raising is for the students,” she said. “The fund collected is spent on things that the students need or ask for,” she said, adding that it is also spent on upgrading various equipment at the school, notably at the listening center for learning English as a second language, library, etc.
Children were all enthusiastic watching or playing the various games. They were thrilled to see their parents and teachers function as volunteers.
The school has 655 students on its rolls, 10 percent of them Saudi. It has 85 teachers, some of them from the US, Canada and Europe.
Last year, the sports festival featured Harvey Davidson bikes, small remote control operated planes and karaoke music, which netted a tidy sum. This time the festival is expected to realize up to SR50,000, said Dr. Osama A.H. Zahran, vice president of the board of trustees of the school. The board was elected three years ago when the school was established, said Zahran who is also consultant rheumatology and rehabilitation of Saudi Arabian Airlines and an FAA medical examiner.
