On May 20, King’s Academy hosted the penultimate event of the graduation celebration for the Class of 2024. A rising moon in a clear sky, a torch-lit walkway and glowing footlights guiding the guests to Refectory Square set the scene for a memorable evening for the 118 seniors, their parents, and members of the faculty.

A highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the senior class gift, a large-scale replica of a sixth century A.D. mosaic discovered at the Chapel of Al Sweifieh, which was laid on Commencement Walk, the pathway where faculty and students start the graduation procession. Chosen by the seniors, the mosaic, depicting a hare which is a symbol of rebirth and resurrection, represents the graduates “moving on to our next chapter in life, a chapter of newness and rebirth.”

Head of School Penny Townsend began the festivities by welcoming the graduates-to-be and their guests. She then set the tone for the evening by reading the school’s mission statement: “King’s Academy develops and empowers young leaders from diverse backgrounds who will cherish one another and drive change towards a shared future of peace and opportunity.”

She brought special emphasis to one word, “I hope that tonight and tomorrow, Class of 2024, you can feel just how much we, the faculty, cherish you.” She congratulated the seniors and their families and offered deep gratitude for the parents’ generous support of the school.

Next, five graduating seniors – Yinzhe Liu, Faris Lahham, Mariam Hadi, Jwana Tabbara and Nai Schulz – offered welcomes in Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish and German. Their words were a testament to the pride King’s Academy takes in being a unified multicultural and international community.

Before an elegant dinner prepared by King’s chefs and served by an army of student waiters from the Classes of 2025 and 2026, the guests were treated to a musical recital. Leah Halabi ’24 performed Chopin’s Nocturne Opus no, 2 with grace and finesse. Jason Lee ’24 on piano and Minseo Kim ’24 on violin then delighted the guests with Graceful Ghost Rag.

Following dinner, faculty member and King’s alumnus Mohammad Al Quraan ’10 delivered a stirring and highly original valedictory address. Chosen for this honor by a vote of the senior class, Al Quraan began by pointing to his background as the first King’s Scholar at the school and then offering a talk that offered both humor and pointed advice. He concluded: “Let me quickly summarize my biggest three takes – embrace the struggle and being a life-long learner… Do not shy away from asking each other for advice and support through the next phases in your life… And last but not least, embrace the grey and don’t fall into the fallacy of thinking everything is black and white.”

Always a highlight of this event, the presentation of Commencement Awards* followed the valediction. These awards for excellence in academics and all areas of student life recognize extraordinary achievements.

To conclude the celebration, Mrs. Townsend, speaking on behalf of the King’s Academy Alumni Association (KAAA) offered her gratitude for the support of the alumni, whom she called “the keepers of the flame who steward the hearts and minds of the members of the institution: the flame burns brightly within them.”

She then thanked the Class of 2024 for its generous gift to the Alumni Endowment Fund. With 91% class participation this year, seniors contributed a total of US$ 2,690 to the fund as part of their senior class gift.

*Commencement Awards:

The Arabic Award: Jwana Tabbara
The Arabic as a Foreign Language Award: Yinzhe Liu
The Capstone Award: Jude Nofal and Katrina Issa
The Chinese Award: Ghiath Sukhtian
The Computer Science Award: Faris Doughan
The Creative Writing in English Award: Yasmine Najjar
The Dance Award: Rama Twal and Roaa AlHasanat
The French Award: Celine AlArifi
The History and Social Studies Social Scientist Award: Mariam Hadi
The Mathematics Award: Seunghyeok Lee
The Music Award: Mireille Aldabain and Minseo Kim
The Peter Greer English Award: Sanad Alkhatib and Saja Aggad
The Physical and Life Sciences Award: Jwana Tabbara and Jessica Fakes
The Purchase Prize in the Fine Arts Award: Celine Abu Saadeh and Mariam Hadi
The Spanish Award: Faris Doughan
The Theater Award: Saja Aggad and Rand Tadros
The Visual Arts Award: Dana AbdelLatif
The Asad Al-Malek Award: Dalia Fakhouri and Salam Daoud
His Majesty King Constantine Award: Kenzy Dweik
The Middle School Leadership Award: Tala Aldaher
The Perseverance Award: Katrina Issa
The Samar Khader Award: Tala Aldaher
The King’s Academy Award for Respect: Ahmad Aliahmad and Jude Nofal
The King’s Academy Award for Responsibility: Abdulrahman Abu Saleh, Kinda Samhan and Saja Aggad
The Eric Widmer Award for an Integrated Life: Caleb Jackman and Kenzy Dweik
The King’s Academy Award for Global Citizenship: Dana AbdelLatif and Minseo Kim
The Viswanathan Award for Love of Learning: Bana Haloush and Faris Lahham
Head of School Award — Proudly Jordanian: Roaa AlHasanat
Head of School Award — International Students: Yinzhe Liu
Head of School Award — Dedication to Residential Life: Homam AlQatawneh and Jessica Fakes
Head of School Award — Outstanding Scholarship and Intellectual Engagement: Jwana Tabbara and Seungkyeok Lee
Head of School Award — Model United Nations: Tala Aldaher
Head of School Award — Jordan Model Parliament: Kinda Samhan
Head of School Award — Outstanding Dedication to the Mission of the School: Jude Nofal