The American School of Dubai (ASD) has a rich history as one of the oldest international schools in the region, having been established in 1966. Since then the school has grown from merely a handful of students learning together in a small apartment in Deira, to over 2,000 students learning together at the vibrant and world-class Al Barsha campus, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
ASD now has more than 10,000 alumni living, working, and making a difference in their communities across the globe.
Nicky Daryani graduated from ASD in 1996, and today manages his own single-family investment office. He was recently appointed Vice Chair of the ASD Board of Trustees.
Daryani has fond memories of his time as a student in Jumeirah, the school’s previous location, and is a great ambassador for fellow alumni. “During the ASD 50th year anniversary celebration, I had the incredible opportunity to open up the time capsule — the same time capsule that I had buried with my 8th-grade classmates 25 years earlier on the old campus.”
In 2010, ASD relocated from Jumeirah to the current 23-acre campus with over 100 classrooms, two libraries, a 630 seat performing arts theatre, STEAM labs, maker spaces, and a sustainable garden. Athletics facilities include indoor and outdoor running tracks, regulation soccer fields, two 25-metre swimming pools, six tennis courts, and a climbing wall. In 2020, the campus further expanded with the opening of the PreK programme and Early Learning Centre.
After 55 years, the community remains as strong and diverse as ever. Of the 2,000 PreK-12 students on campus today, 80 different passports or nationalities are represented, and many past graduates return as parents or as faculty and staff to give back.
ASD’s on-site school physician is parent and alumna Dr Omaima Ataya from the 1994 batch.
After university in New York, medical school in Virginia, and a residency in Boston, she now feels right at home as the head of ASD’s Health Office, where she has been instrumental in keeping the community safe, healthy, and well-informed during the pandemic.
While times have changed, the school has grown, and learning has evolved, ASD has continuously provided a balance of rigorous academic and extracurricular opportunities to reflect what is best about American education, and the spirit of community remains a driving force behind the success of the school and its students.
Applications for the 2022-2023 academic year open on October 1. Visit Asdubai.org/admissions for more information.
