Lebanese schools often place a strong emphasis on traditional academic subjects such as mathematics, science, and language, while American schools focus on critical thinking, creativity, and practical skills. By blending the two, students can develop a well-rounded skill set that includes both theoretical knowledge and practical application.
The Lebanese American School (LAS) provides this innovative blend to its students. The school was founded in 1992 and offers both Lebanese and American curricula from Nursery to Grade 12. English and Arabic are the primary languages taught, with French and German offered as electives. Arabic is also available for foreigners or expatriates in the American Curriculum.
The school has spent recent years designing and planning improvements to serve better its students’ academic, social, cultural, and technological needs. The school aims to provide a well-rounded education that prepares its students for both university and career success. The curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
LAS offers a range of extracurricular activities, including sports, music, and drama. The school’s mission is to provide an inclusive, supportive, and challenging learning environment that fosters the development of lifelong learners who are prepared to succeed in a global society.
Invoking Responsible Thinking
The vision of LAS is to invoke responsible thinking in the students of the present so they would become influencers of the future.
The Lebanese American School provides a quality learning environment that challenges all students to achieve their personal best and develop a futuristic vision. LAS is committed to excellence. It provides a quality educational system with transformational interactive technology integration.
Its mission is to improve student learning through the delivery of a rigorous, appropriate, and relevant course of study that will benefit the entire school community. The school mission captures the spirit of the school and community.
Positive and Productive Learning Environment
The success of the LAS can be attributed to the collective efforts of everyone involved. The staff, employees, parents, and students have all played a crucial role in creating a positive and productive learning environment.
The staff has worked tirelessly to implement innovative teaching methods and develop engaging lesson plans that inspire students to learn. The employees have helped maintain a clean and safe school environment, ensuring that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
Parents have been supportive and involved in their children’s education, attending conferences and volunteering at school events. And the students themselves have been motivated and driven, eager to learn and achieve their goals. Together, this collective effort has created a strong school community that values education and supports each other’s growth and development. It is this spirit of collaboration and dedication that has made the LAS School such a successful and thriving institution.
The Lebanese American School offers both Lebanese and American curricula to prepare students for Lebanese official exams as well as college-level entrance exams like SAT and TOEFL. The school aims to equip students with 21st century skills to prepare them for a complex, competitive, knowledge-based, information-age, technology-driven economy and society. These skills include critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and communication and collaboration.
The school also has a special education department that provides modified and special programs to serve students with unique combinations of needs and abilities. Modified programs include private pull-out sessions for students from kindergarten to grade 12, while special programs provide individualized educational programs, occupational therapy, and psychological counselling sessions for primary, middle, and high school students with learning difficulties like dyslexia, ADHD, and autism. All classes are given by qualified and experienced special education teachers.
Thriving Against Challenges
The LAS School faced not only the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic but also the economic crisis in Lebanon. However, the school was able to adapt and thrive despite these difficulties. To maintain high academic results while facing economic constraints, the school integrated online teaching using Microsoft Teams as a platform for distance learning.
This allowed the school to reduce costs while still providing quality education to its students. The school’s fast internet connectivity and organized delivery ensured uninterrupted learning, despite the economic challenges faced by the country.
Furthermore, to maintain the credibility of its examination process, the school implemented a strict surveillance system during exams, ensuring that student efforts and teacher efforts were not lost. The sessions were recorded for students to watch again, ensuring that students had access to all the resources they needed to succeed.
The LAS’s ability to adapt to economic and global challenges is a testament to its dedication to providing quality education to its students, no matter the circumstances.
Valuing Integration
The LAS values the integration of community services, theatre, career advice, and events into its extracurricular activities. The school encourages students to participate in community service projects to develop a sense of responsibility and help others.
The dedicated theatre sessions provide opportunities for students to learn acting skills and teamwork through acting projects. Through weekly dedicated sessions, career advisors are available to guide students in exploring different career paths and developing their skills. Various events, such as cultural festivals, bake sales, and sports competitions, give students opportunities to showcase their talents and socialize with others. By offering a well-rounded education, the LAS aims to prepare students for success in all areas of their lives.
The Lebanese American School has been able to provide quality teaching through its early integration of smartboards, tablets, and online learning, despite not initially using a STEM-based learning approach. By utilizing smartboards and tablets, teachers are able to engage students in interactive and multimedia learning experiences, making lessons more dynamic and engaging.
Additionally, the integration of online learning has allowed for the provision of high-quality education to students, even during times when in-person learning is not possible. Through these technological innovations, the Lebanese American School has been able to provide a modern and effective approach to education, which prepares students for success in the digital age.
Meeting Global Demands
The Lebanese American School (LAS) is a renowned educational institution in Lebanon that offers unique programs for its students to gain global exposure. It was granted the ‘Advanced Educational Institution’ award by the ‘Beirut International Awards Festival’ (BIAF) in 2017.
The school has established partnerships with top universities in some of its advanced courses, such as Arizona University, allowing its students to benefit from advanced educational resources and courses.
LAS also has a history of producing successful alumni who have gone on to attend Ivy League institutions all over the world, such as Harvard and Yale. These programs and partnerships provide LAS students with exceptional learning opportunities that prepare them for future success both domestically and internationally.
Embracing Creativity
The LAS School gives a piece of valuable advice to school students in Lebanon to embrace creativity and think outside the box. In today’s rapidly changing world, the ability to adapt to new challenges is essential. Nurturing creativity and encouraging students to explore new ideas can help them develop the skills they need to approach problems from a fresh perspective and find innovative solutions.
The school believes that it is crucial for students to be adaptable and able to adjust to new challenges as they arise. This means being open to new ideas, remaining curious, and being willing to learn from others. LAS strives to cultivate these important skills in its students so that they can navigate the challenges of the future with confidence and resilience.
LAS is committed to upholding its core values and ensuring that they are reflected in everything a school does. By emphasizing honesty, adaptability, and innovation, the school is confident that it can shape a bright and promising future for the school and its students.
