Formula 1

One of the challenges of being a parent of two active teens is that they want to do it all! There are many extra-curricular activities at Qatar Academy and this year Max decided to try something new. He joined the school's first-ever Formula One Club. His team is called Trofeo Qatar.

This team of Grade 10 and 11 boys met weekly to design their car, create a business plan, and seek sponsorship. This club is the updated version of Kub Kar rallies introduced by Scouts Canada. Two of the team members are design engineers who work to create an image of the finished car. Then a program called Auto Desk writes commands to the 3D printer, which produces the car from balsam wood. Max helped with the sanding and painting of the finished car -- some things still need to be done by hand! Max was also responsible for drilling the holes for the wheel axle. He has more comfort with the drill press than the others -- thanks to Grandad!

This week eight teams from different high schools in Doha raced their F1 cars in a "friendly tournament". Each race lasts less than two seconds on the 45 metre track. Max's team won this tournament and beat this year's national champions. With some modifications to the car, the team plans to compete in next year's National competition.

There was a great article in the Qatar Tribune newspaper today. You can see the article here on page 3 bottom of the page, zoom in to read.  Trofeo article in Qatar Tribune

Rubber Bands

Along with basketball practices and games, the Qatar Foundation basketball team does two sessions of rubber bands each week. This time is devoted to strengthening muscles and creating muscles that are ready to "explode" on the court (that is, the muscles respond faster when needed). The players are also improving their vertical jump (which, of course, leads to dunking).

This is hard work! And a bit scary to watch.

Here is a video of Max and Simon completing a drill together. They are not required to do it synchronized, but their rhythm and muscle condition is so similar that it appears that way -- even to the coach. Watch them here -- and remember that they are tethered to the wall during this activity.

video

Max's Vietnam

Max spent his Week Without Walls in the hot and humid country of Vietnam. The focus of his educational adventure was community service. Along with 20 classmates and teachers, Max traveled to rural Vietnam to build a house for a family living in poverty. This experience also taught Max about the culture and history of Vietnam.

The group spent their first day in Hanoi city, the capital of Vietnam. Max enjoyed the culinary experience of eating lots of Vietnamese food -- rice, chicken, stir fried vegetables, sweet and sour pork, fresh pineapple and mango, fish cooked in bamboo leaves. They visited the Museum of Ethnology to view exhibits of religious ceremonies, traditional costumes, and tools for domestic life.

Max and friends working on the roof

Then the team moved out of the city to spend 4 days in rural Vietnam among one of the ethnic minorities: the White Thai people. These are a group of farmers that live in abject poverty. Max's team of students worked alongside men from the community to build a family a stilt house! Part of the cost of Max's trip was to contribute money for the supplies. This house was built on 10 foot stilts and it is one room used for sleeping and living. The ground under this living area is usually for the kitchen and a small garden. 

The finished house. Max is not in the picture because he was still working!

Max's team stayed in a large hut camp and walked 5 km each day to the work site. The students were given tasks such as lifting support beams, cutting bamboo open and flattening it to make the floor, and attaching the palm leaves to the roof beams for the thatched roof. It was hot and exhausting work.

But the reward was an emotional ceremony to hand over the keys of this new home to a family with two children who desperately needed shelter. The students also contributed extra money to purchase household items for the family: mosquito nets, a rice-cooker, backpacks for the kids, pillows, fans.

The trip ended with a relaxing "cruise" of Ha Long Bay. The students spent 24 hours on a sleeper boat that toured the 3000 limestone peaks rising as islands in the secluded bay. Max learned about karst topography: the limestone has been dissolved and now has caves and underground drainage systems on each island. The students had earned this rest, complete with fresh seafood buffet cooked and served on-board.

Simon's Switzerland

 

This past week was the annual Week Without Walls trips for Qatar Academy. 188 students and 30 teachers traveled to 9 countries around the world for unique educational opportunities.  Simon spent a week in the fresh outdoors of the Swiss Alps. He flew with 30 classmates to Geneva and then took a bus to the town of Leysin, Switzerland.

Yes Simon at the top

Simon was at an adventure camp that included lots of outdoor activities. The focus of the trip was to learn how to protect the environment and to enjoy the beauty of nature. Rock climbing, Zip-lining, hiking, and negotiating a Ropes Course were the more physical activities.

They also spent time walking paths in the forest, building a shelter, and starting a fire. They practiced using a compass and reading maps.

Evian Natural Spring water flows from the Swiss Alps and Simon said it felt like the shower water was also Evian. There are lots of decorative drinking fountains in the towns they visited.

The students learned how mountains were formed and were within view of the spectacular Matterhorn Mountain. At 4476 metres (about 14,000 feet) the Matterhorn is one of Switzerland's biggest icons! The mountain is shaped like a pyramid with four facets and sits on the border between Italy and Switzerland. You may recognize it from the Toblerone bar!

Simon's group traveled to the town of Zermatt and then took cable cars part-way up the mountain. The snow was a big hit among those students who had never seen it before. They had opportunity to walk in it, to play in it, and to throw snowballs.


Simon explained how the town of Zermatt allows no petrol cars -- only electric so the air is even cleaner there.

The final day of the camp included a day trip to the Chillon Castle on Lake Geneva.

Mom's Day

Lisa's heart is full today! What a happy reunion to have Tim, Max, and Simon home again. We have been sharing stories and thoroughly enjoying being together. A very Happy Mother's Day!

May the Fourth be with you!

Today is Lisa's birthday and it was a unique one. No cake, no restaurant, no movie, no one to spoil her! Tim, Max, and Simon sent their birthday wishes from afar. This is Qatar Academy's Week Without Walls. The students and teachers travel to different countries to learn about culture and human ingenuity and the environment and service. Tim is in northern Thailand and today he was busy taking a Thai cooking class and then exploring a market. Simon is in Switzerland. Today he was on a Summit hike on a snowcapped mountain. Max is in Vietnam and he started the day in Hanoi (the country capital) and then traveled to a rural community to get ready for building project which begins tomorrow.

And Lisa went to work! She participated in a curriculum workshop at the University of Calgary in Qatar. The surprise was that three other nursing faculty are also celebrating birthdays yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Behi on the 3rd, Lisa and Debbie on the 4th, and Christine on the 5th.