Sept 1997 Forging a Partnership

by Sohail Khan, chairman, Sunrise Academy School Board

Founding an institution is exciting and challenging.  It is a responsibility given to few, as generally people inherit the institutions that were formed before them and are asked to assume them, and, with whatever modifications they may be able to make, pass them down to those who came after.  For those of us in our community who came from abroad, Islamic institutions, mosques and schools, were there before our birth, and because of our diverse backgrounds, each of us has a little different idea of what they should be and how they should function.  For those of us from this country, there have never been Islamic institutions, and many don’t really comprehend what they look like or how they should function.  So when we all come to the table to create our own community institutions, our first task is to create a common vision of our mission, not to recreate something someone has known somewhere else.  We need to create a structure that satisfies the needs of all of us, the Muslim community, which lives here under these conditions now, and needs to practice our faith and educate our children now.

The school, Sunrise Academy, is such a new institution.  As the people of our community struggled to raise their children in their faith, and realized the very difficult struggle, it became a common consensus that our community needed a full time Islamic school to set the standard for the education of our children.  The very nature of the school creates a partnership between the school and the community.  The school strives to guide our young in the moral atmosphere of our faith, to seek knowledge and understanding of the world with the constant remembrance that it was created by Allah (SWT) and is a trusteeship for us in our life of service to Allah (SWT).  The community supports the school, to fulfill its obligation to pass down this understanding of life to our children, both by sending the children and by their financial support.  On a larger scale this partnership is between us and Allah (SWT).  We would have no need for the school were it not for the need to please Allah (SWT) to submit to His Will and live our lives as He has guided us.  We could continue to send our children to the public and private schools already available that teach the secular world view, and which are presently causing about 85 % of Muslim youth to become non-Muslim adults.

Sunrise Academy started with a formal commitment by the Islamic Society of Greater Columbus, in October 1995, to open a full time school by September 1996.  This commitment was fulfilled, in spite of all obstacles.  The building was not ready until December 1996 and temporary quarters were used across the street.  Only 2 teachers were on staff and only 7 families committed a total of 9 students opening day September 3, 1996.  In the excitement generated by the ISNA convention, many people didn’t realize that the school even opened.  Look how much it has grown since then.

The first stage of our building program was completed, and since December ’96, the school has been in its newly renovated modern building, fully owned by the community, and equipped with the computer technology for children of the 21^st century. Our library, which now has over 1000 books, and computer program were a priority over the needs for a gym and cafeteria, as we sought to provide a solid academic opportunity for the children above and beyond all else.  The teaching staff has expanded, and their dedication to the special needs of our children lead to their devoting many afterschool hours to workshops and study of the most advanced methods of bilingual and English-as-a-second language education in addition to the extra load of meetings and work to set up all of the programs of a normal elementary school.

In addition to providing a full time program, with Arabic and Islamic Studies and all of the usual elementary classes for children, Sunrise also opened a preschool program in January, fully licensed for early childhood education while offering Arabic and Islamic moral environment to children as young as three years old.  Two buses started operating for the school in February, providing transportation aid to parents, and improving the school’s ability to provide educational field trips.  Two soccer teams now wear school colors and have been practicing from about the same time.  Another development, in the effort to utilize the facilities to the fullest and serve community needs, was the creation of a pilot Quranic program in January ’97, a full Saturday of classes in Islamic Studies and Arabic that was full to capacity from its start for students unable to participate in the full time program.  A pilot program was implemented to provide for the summer needs of children whose parents work, as well as other children, to provide a wholesome and fun educational environment.

Now the new school year is starting and the past months have been full of hard work and planning.  Search for the principal continues.  With the dedication of our staff and our strong parent and community support, we will, inshallah, get the right candidate for our community.  Another 2 or 3 months may be necessary before filling this post.  The principal is the leader and momentum for the standards, both moral and academic, at the school and requires a strong knowledge of American educational procedures and standards along with a strong grounding in Islamic principles of education and the ability to communicate and cooperate well with our diverse community.  In the interim, Dr. Souzan El Kest, the Arabic and Islamic Studies teacher of last year who is fully acquainted with all of the school, will be Lead Teacher, handling curriculum and instruction administration with the assistance from Dr. Kevin Freer, our education consultant. More fully qualified teachers are being added to the staff so that Dr. Souzan has strong support from all sides.

We have many plans for this academic year.  We will continue to strengthen our academic program and add to our bilingual teaching expertise.  We need to fence in our property so we can install a playground, instead of continually using the municipal park next door.  We need to plan for the gym/cafeteria and more classrooms.  We need to improve our financial situation through endowment programs. 

We have a bright future ahead of us through there is still a lot of work.  Dreams move institutions to the highest level of performance and we need to share in this common dream and work together as partners.  All of us have a responsibility to the school regardless of whether we have school-age children or not.  No matter where we are from or what we have seen elsewhere, we are here now and have needs here now and have this institution now that we are building.  We need to advocate the values of Sunrise Academy, support the Academy, and make it stronger.

People come and go; institutions stay.  Sunrise is ours.  Get involved and you will understand the importance.  Let us align ourselves through shared vision and purpose.