International College inaugurated today its STEAM
Innovation Center funded by the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID)/ American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA), in the presence of US
Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea, Former Deputy Prime Minister, Zeina Akar
Adra, Vice Chairman of IC’s Board of Trustees, Imad Taher, Chair of IC’s
Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees, Mutaz Sawaf, IC President, Joel
Peinado and Director of the Jaber El Sabbah public school, Ghada Azar.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Shea noted: “Thank you IC for your partnership in
the endeavor to advance science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics
education in Lebanon. It is impressive to see that you are sharing this wealth of
technology and tools with the less fortunate.
I am so proud how powerfully and strongly you have come back here at IC from the
economic collapse, global pandemic and the Beirut port blast. The United States
Government through USAID has been proud to invest in this prestigious institution
and we want this investment to help students think critically, to visualize, to discuss
and to debate so that they develop solutions to the most intractable problems we face
not just here in Lebanon but globally.”
IC’s STEAM center encompasses ten state-of-the-art labs in the Secondary School,
equipped with the latest digital tools, including computers, robots, electronic devices,
digital design and 3D printing tools, woodworking, and metalworking equipment, in
addition to creative and professional software curriculum resources. Each activity has
an allocated collaborative workspace with seating, tables, and presentation
equipment.
President Peinado stated: “The IC community is extremely grateful to USAID/ ASHA
for the confidence in and support of our institution which, amidst so much turmoil in
Lebanon, continues to carry out proudly the educational mission of the school
originally founded by Alexander Machlachlan in 1891 in Smyrna, Turkey, as The
American Boys’ School.”
The work that students - with comparable numbers of male and female students -
undertake at the labs, develops their ‘soft skills’ by encouraging them to ask
questions, interview experts, collaborate in teams and present their work to an
audience. It allows them to explore their creativity by giving them the opportunity to
find solutions to problems that they may encounter in the real world. Students are
empowered to become active learners. They try to design and implement their visions
and ideas, identify the problems, and confidently find ways to approach and solve
them.
In turn, Christian Tawil, French Bac student and scholar at the IC Ali Ghandour
Center for Leadership, Diversity and Civic Engagement thanked USAID/ASHA:
“Thank you for providing us with this unique learning opportunity. I think we are lucky
to be learners at IC. Those labs will allow us to gain the skills and hands-on
experience needed for the learners of today’s fast-developing world.”
Thanks to the support of the American people and USAID/ASHA, IC is able to
enhance the outstanding learning experience of its students and bring STEAM lab
learning to students of underprivileged schools in the area.
