Our first cohort of secondary students held their first ever assembly in our outdoor auditorium in the newly opened music, drama and science block on Wednesday.
Mr. Laidlaw recounted to the enthusiastic secondary students about a sound bite from John F Kennedy's inaugural speech, that said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” He relayed this to the students with regard to our new school and how Qatar Airways and Orbital Education have provided the 5-star educational experience, facilities and staff expertise to the students. He encouraged them not to ask ‘What can the school do for me?” but rather to ask “What can I do for my school?” He emphasised that only by working together can we all benefit from the environment we attend five days a week.
One recent example he gave was our Under 16 football team who gave up their time to represent the school in their first match against GEMS Wellington School last Sunday. The team, who had only met for one trial session together, won 4-1. Not only was this a fantastic result, but the commitment from students and staff to do ‘what they can for the school’, made him equally proud.
He also recounted the story of John F Kennedy’s visit to the Space Centre at Houston where he encountered a janitor mopping the corridor. He asked the janitor what he did there. The reply was: ‘I help to put men on the moon.’ This is a wonderful lesson on how every person who works at our school is important in helping our students achieve their best. Without the wonderful work and support from our admin and facilities staff, cleaners, security guards, maintenance staff and technicians, bus monitors and drivers, our teachers would not be able to do their jobs to the best of their abilities and ultimately to provide our students with the best learning experiences and opportunities.
We are all one team at OIS, working for the benefit of our students. We should respect that each of us plays our part to support each other regardless of our job title.
Good luck to all our secondary students and we do hope you enjoy and learn from all your future assemblies in the outdoor auditorium.
