- The Mikati, Sawwaf and Ziadeh families pave the way to education at IC
- Middle School and Pre School are opened in the presence of officials
June 2019 – International College (IC), one of the leading international schools in Lebanon and the region, is proud to announce the inauguration of its newest buildings under its expansion plan. In the presence of IC Chairman Don Selinger, Vice-Chairman Imad Taher, Najib, Taha and the Mikati family, Mu’taz Sawaf, Basim Ziadeh and other key Lebanese figures, the new Middle School Building “The Mikati Building” and the new Preschool Building “Ziadeh Sawwaf Building” were launched at a ceremony which took place at IC’s Ras Beirut Campus on June 11, 2019.
During the ceremony, speeches were made by Mr Selinger, Mr Taher and the donor families who supported IC in achieving this next milestone in their 20-year masterplan launched in 2008. The program then pertained to a tour of the new buildings where the IC flags were unveiled.
“We’ve made tremendous progress and none of this could have been possible without the support of our friends, alumni and major donors,” said Don Selinger. “We have made major improvements but not only from the physical perspective but also the educational perspective which is the most important,” he added.
IC, being the first school in the Middle East to achieve the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold standard, continues to commit to its expansion plan and to providing the best for its community members. This latest phase with the new Pre- and Middle School buildings has been made possible through the generosity of our donors.
“It is our duty to show gratitude and give back to the institution that shaped our future hoping that this building will help IC carry on with its noble cause,” said Taha Mikati. “For our family, education is the cornerstone for the development of a tolerant society, because we need to develop citizens who will know how to defend themselves with a pen and not with a gun,” he stated.
“It gives me immense pride to be back here on these premises, not to walk into the classroom like I did in 1962 but to actually inaugurate classrooms for generations to come,” mentioned Mu’taz Sawwaf. “The IC Spirit had already been instilled in us and our paths only led us back here giving back to our family our country and of course to our community,” he commented.
The impact for students from these new facilities will see them benefit from more classroom space for activities and learning, as well as benefitting from studying in a pioneering, state-of-the-art, sustainable building. IC’s offering of four academic programs is unique and the curriculum and instruction will benefit from what these new buildings offer, such as for example the inclusion of new science labs in the Middle School.
“While trying to compare the past and present, one thing that has not changed and in fact developed magnificently is the campus of the school and I must say that I am very proud to have been able to contribute to this”, said Basim Ziadeh. “We will establish a 2 million dollar endowment fund for the maintenance of the buildings, to assist needy students, and to make sure the students with special needs have a place here too,” he added.
New doors are now open at IC, as the school embarks into a new phase of its exciting journey for a better future for its students and for Lebanon as a whole.