The story of the International School of Choueifat is a story of dedication, vision, and ambition. It is the story of a succession of individuals and their devotion to an institutions.
Only a century ago most girls, in what is now modern Lebanon, were not able to read and write and educating them was frowned upon by society in general. In the early 1880s, Tanios Saad, a dynamic teacher, met Louisa Procter, an outspoken Irish lady. When they met, she was working with the village women in the Choueifat area teaching them how to look after their children. Tanios persuaded Ms. Procter that what women really needed was a basic education.
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The First 100 Years:
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1886:
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Tanios Saad and Louisa Procter founded a school for girls in the village of Choueifat, Lebanon.
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1895:
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Tanios Saad traveled to England to visit schools and take a closer look at developments in the educational world.
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1907:
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Louisa Procter passed away, leaving Tanios Saad to continue their work.
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1914:
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World War I started. It was the first major obstacle to the development of the school.
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1918:
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There was an influx of students of all ages from all over the Middle East.
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1939:
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World War II started.
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1943:
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Tanios Saad stepped down. Charles Saad became principal of the school.
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1953:
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Tanios Saad passed away, leaving the institution that he had loved and served so passionately in the competent hands of Charles Saad.
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Late 1950's:
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Charles Saad recruited the nucleus of a new team for the institution.
The school develops, blossoms, and achieves standards of excellence.
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1960-1972:
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An extensive program of building and refurbishing to increase and modernize the school facilities goes on.
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1960-1974:
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A continuous influx of students from both Lebanon and the Middle East
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1975:
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The expansion outside Lebanon started.
The school in Sharjah, UAE opened its doors.
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1981:
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Charles Saad passed away, leaving the school in the hands of the team he had formed, headed by Leila Saad and Ralph Bistany.
Overseas development continued.
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1983:
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The school had to relocate due to the Lebanese Civil War.
The first school in Europe - ISC Bath, England - opened its doors.
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1985:
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The first school in USA - ISM Minneapolis, Minnesota - was started.
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1986:
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The Centenary was celebrated with six schools and 5000 students of 58 nationalities.
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With the advent of the second century...
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1991:
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The school returned to its original campus in Choueifat.
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1993:
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Extensive refurbishment continued.
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1995:
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The first charter school (a privately run public school) - The SABIS® International Charter School - opened in Springfield, Massachusetts.
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2000:
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Work on Alumni Clubhouse completed.
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2001:
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Alumni Association revived to maintain a strong link among generations.
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Today:
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The SABIS® Network includes schools on five continents that educate over 70,000 students
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Today, ISC-Choueifat has an enrollment of more than 1600 students in KG1 to Grade 12.
ISC-Choueifat is a member of the global SABIS® Network. For over 130 years, schools in the SABIS® Network have been preparing students with the knowledge and skills required to help them achieve success in a changing world.
