#Young Editors: A year of celebration

1.2221122-2737274333 — Image Credit: WAM

The dawn of a pivotal era began with the birth of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan on May 6, 1918. In 1966, he was crowned Ruler of Abu Dhabi which gave him the opportunity to work towards uniting the seven emirates and consequently, the title of President was bestowed upon him on December 2, 1971. His admirable work ethic and passion for building a nation with the strong foundations of tolerance, gender equality, progression and peace has earned him the title of a Visionary Leader.

To commemorate the momentous occasion of a century since his birth, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE has declared 2018 to be the Year of Zayed. This year aims to convey Shaikh Zayed’s legacy, wisdom and values to the people of the nation through innovation, creativity and individuality.

A Green Revolution? Dubai Gem Joins Forces with Eco Baku

“Shaikh Zayed’s real wealth was not in materialism, but in investment in the men and women who build the future of the nation. Therefore, we are a nation determined to follow his footsteps, empowering Emirati people in all fields to contribute to their country’s comprehensive and sustainable development.”

– His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

The main objectives of the Year of Zayed are:

● Emphasise Shaikh Zayed’s role in establishing the UAE

● Share details about Shaikh Zayed’s vision, ethics, wisdom and inspirational leadership

● Strengthen Shaikh Zayed’s stature as a symbol of patriotism and love for the UAE

● Depict the legacy of Shaikh Zayed in new projects and initiatives.

Many innovative ideas are being implemented to honour his memory such as the launch of a hot air balloon in Jordan for a world-wide tour. This balloon will pass over famous historic landmarks like the Karak Castle and the village of Dias in Wadi Rum. The purpose of this initiative is to amplify Shaikh Zayed’s core moral values of peace, acceptance and co-existence globally.

The Zayed National museum in Abu Dhabi was recently inaugurated to highlight Shaikh Zayed’s lifetime of achievements. On exhibit are some of his most prized possessions and life-size paintings and portraits of the late Founding Father. Furthermore, the first flag of the emirates is on show and is widely known to be his personal flag.

Learning through innovation

Dubai Gem Private School’s many initiatives promote the spirit of innovation

What is innovation?

A central idea promoted by Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s work, and an important aspect of humanity’s progress. This is why innovation is one of the many aspects that we integrate into our work ethic here at Dubai Gem Private School. We work collaboratively, bearing the motto, “strive for excellence” in mind, while coming up with creative solutions for every challenge we encounter.

The real asset of any advanced nation is its people, especially educated ones, and their prosperity and success are measured by the standard of their education.”

- Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan

A Green Revolution? Dubai Gem Joins Forces with Eco Baku

“As an educator, I believe, it is my duty to leave behind a legacy of sustainability for posterity. The DGPS Bag project in collaboration with Eco Baku is a tiny step in that direction.”

— Mahua Paul, Environmental Coordinator at Dubai Gem

In an effort to make our community a more environmentally friendly place, DGPS has collaborated with Azerbaijani environmental group Eco Baku, to produce and sell bags made of recycled cloth.

This collaboration was initiated when the school community noticed the alarming plastic consumption and waste within the school. Profits made from the sale of the DGPS-Eco Baku bags will go towards funding green initiatives for the school such as solar panels, as well as organic waste to compost conversion machines; all of which will lead to a greener Dubai Gem.

Eco Baku, a non-profit organisation, was founded by an ex-teacher, Sarita Vaid, who is also the creator of Recycled Creations which financially supports Afghani Refugees families in Baku since 2006. I

DGPS is very proud to be working with Eco Baku and hopes for the DGPS-Eco Baku Bag Initiative to be a resounding success.

A dazzling night: Dubai Gem celebrates its 45th anniversary with films

As UAE celebrated its 46th Anniversary, the creative talents of Dubai Gem prepared for the school’s 45th anniversary through a unique medium. Over the course of the summer vacation, students produced films for the school’s first ‘StarNite Film Festival’ on January 26, 2018.

A dedicated team of 12th graders handled a majority of the event including creative design, marketing, stage performances and décor; they were much appreciated by the DGPS community as well the audience.

Our budding directors, along with their teams, created thought-provoking short films on a spectrum of themes such as depression, love, social media and fate amongst others. The entry entitled, ‘Entangled’ on the theme of teen love was adjudged the Best Film.

DGPS hosts its 7th annual science exhibition

Youth can produce amazing results, as students prepared to live on Mars showed at the Dubai Gem Science Exhibition.

This annual event provided an outlet for the ingenious minds of Dubai Gem to pit their ideas in a competitive scenario . This year, the winners were chosen on the basis of their innovative ideas under ‘Energy Conservation and Sustainability’, ‘Innovative and Inexpensive designs or techniques’ and ‘Science and Technology in the changing world’.

Some of the winning projects were: an Emirates Mars Mission inspired Mars Colony, which incorporated designs from across the world into a theoretically perfect self-sustainable model using only recycled materials; a driverless taxi which utilized ultrasonic sensors and sound sensors for object detection and halting.

Entrepreneurs in the making... are you the next success story?

Hosted on October 17-18, 2017, the Young Vision Business Talent Hunt was an inter-school competition targeted primarily at young entrepreneurs. It gave students the opportunity to put forward proposals which would benefit businesses, with over 300 teams from around the UAE participating in the Talent Hunt including 30 teams from Dubai Gem itself.

Students competed within the categories of ‘Advertisement design’, ‘Proposal for a new business’ and ‘Proposal for a new mobile application’ to challenge their entrepreneurialism.

The Talent Hunt was a great learning experience with one of our teams advancing to the finals to bag the third position in the category of Advertisement Design by demonstrating originality, exclusivity and prompt thinking.