This year, SABIS® is celebrating its 130th anniversary. To mark this special milestone, the SABIS® Board hosted a gala dinner at the Phoenicia Hotel in Lebanon on July 8, 2016, in the presence of SABIS directors, honored guests, and VIPs. Under the theme of "130 Years of Empowering Future Generations," the event was a tribute to SABIS®'s legacy of empowering generations of students with a solid education that prepares them for the challenges that lie ahead.
Around 700 guests were warmly welcomed by SABIS® Co-founders Leila Saad and Ralph Bistany as well as SABIS® Board members. The evening opened with the Lebanese National Anthem, followed by speeches from SABIS® Co-founder Ms. Leila Saad, the Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education H.E. Mr. Elias Bou Saab, and SABIS® President Mr. Carl Bistany. Guests then enjoyed a short video compilation of testimonials from alumni around the world and were captivated by a live performance of the popular song "We are the World," sung by 24 students from SABIS® Network schools in Lebanon. As the evening progressed, guests enjoyed an enchanting night full of live music and entertainment.
A significant center-point of the occasion was the conveying by company 3rd generation founder, Mr. Ralph Bistany, of the SABIS® board's decision to formally rename the SABIS® School El-Metn as the Laila Saad SABIS® School El-Metn.The moving announcement was made to honor Ms.Saad's lifelong dedication to providing education to all, and to her highly personal, life and soul commitment to making her dream of a fully funded, tuition free school for the severely financially disadvantaged a reality. The Laila Saad SABIS® school El Metn now stands as a striking embodiment of her timeless legacy.
The evening was stylishly rounded off with a cake cutting ceremony that marked the 130th anniversary,but that also suggested that many, many more chapters of the SABIS® story remain to be written.
For more information about SABIS®, visit sabis.net.
