Two Compass International School Doha students, Jay Toet and Mattie Peschel of Year 12 have excelled by winning a scholarship to study and live in Spain in July 2019. As well as winning the competition, three other students from Compass: Owen Cardiff, Noureldin Hassabou and Loujain Al Badi of Years 12 and 13, were selected as finalists, winning accommodation and board during the two-week intensive summer programme.
All students are studying the International Baccalaureate Ab-Initio Spanish programme which teaches the language from scratch. Their teacher, Higgins said,
The requirements for the competition were to make a video of why they liked Spain, which I thought would be a good way to practice their speaking and listening skills. Their creativity shone through and they produced some excellent work that impressed the judges. This is a wonderful achievement for the students, and it will have a huge impact on their language learning.’
True Spanish Experience (TSE), who launched the competition, started in 2002 and receives over 600 students annually from all over the world. Students come to study at their two bases in A Coruña and Cuenca. The competition included 100 international schools from around the world. TSE’s emphasis is on offering students a global immersion experience in Spain. This complete immersion is accomplished by living in host families. The programme also includes leisure, cultural and sports activities. The students learn through experiences such as language, gastronomy, art or Spanish history.
Loujain Al Badi, one of the finalists, said,
I’m really happy to go on the trip. It will be a wonderful experience.’
HH Sheikha Moza, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocate and Chairperson of Education Above All, is behind Qatar’s initiative to tackle education barriers. Goal 4 of the SDG is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The experience that these students will gain from taking part in this programme is a life-long learning opportunity that they will be able to promote as residents of Qatar.
For more information, visit the COMPASS website, the Nord Anglia website or the TSE website. Or email [email protected]