Ramallah Friends Schools
Encyclopedia
The Ramallah Friends Schools are two elite Private Schools founded by Quakers in the city of Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...

, in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...

. The Friends Girls' School was inaugurated in 1869; the construction of the Friends Boy's School began in 1901 and opened in 1918. The Schools were run by American Quakers. The schools are now co-educational and divided into Senior and Junior sections; a Meeting House was built in 1910. The Swift Building, located in the upper School and named after Sara Swift of New England, was made the home of the Friends International Center in Ramallah after restoration work was completed. During the first world war the Boy's School was commandeered by Turkish troops for use as a hospital during Allenby's assault on Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....

.

Background

The Friends Girls School was originally opened as “The Girls Training Home of Ramallah” and was renamed "Friends Girls School" in 1919. Elihu Grant
Elihu Grant
Elihu Grant was an American scholar and writer on Palestine.Grant was ordained Methodist minister in 1900, and between 1901 and 1904 he was superintendent of the American Friends Schools in Ramallah and Jerusalem...

 was the Principal between 1901 and 1903.

Curriculum

The Friends Schools offer, in both Arabic and English, various educational curricula. These include local governmental examinations: ‘Tawjihi’, American SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...

 examinations, and the IB curriculum. The school was certified to provide the IB curriculum in 2001 by the International Baccalaureate Organization
International Baccalaureate Organization
The International Baccalaureate , formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization , is an international educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and founded in 1968. IB offers three educational programmes for children ages 3–19.The organization's name and logo were changed...

 (IBO).

During the first Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....

 the Friends School was closed, as was the case with all schools in Ramallah, during the years of 1988 and 1989 by the Israeli authorities.

Alumni

  • Hanan Ashrawi
    Hanan Ashrawi
    Hanan Daoud Khalil Ashrawi is a Palestinian legislator, activist, and scholar. She was a protégé and later colleague and close friend of Edward Said. Ashrawi was an important leader during the First Intifada, served as the official spokesperson for the Palestinian Delegation to the Middle East...

    , politician and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
    Palestinian Legislative Council
    The Palestinian Legislative Council, the legislature of the Palestinian Authority, is a unicameral body with 132 members, elected from 16 electoral districts in the West Bank and Gaza...

  • Rami Kashou, fashion designer and first runner-up on Season 4 of Project Runway
    Project Runway (season 4)
    Project Runway Season 4 was the fourth season of Project Runway, Bravo's reality competition for fashion designers. The season premiered November 14, 2007. Returning as judges were supermodel Heidi Klum; fashion designer Michael Kors; and Nina Garcia, Elle magazine fashion director...

  • Serene Husseini Shahid
    Serene Husseini Shahid
    Serene Husseini Shahid was born in Jerusalem as a member of the influential Husayni family. Her father was Jamal al-Husayni, her maternal grandfather was Mayor of Jerusalem Faidi al-Alami, and her maternal uncle was Musa al-Alami....

    , writer and historian of Palestinian arts and culture
  • Farouk Shami
    Farouk Shami
    Farouk Shami is a Palestinian-American businessman from Ramallah, West Bank, who now lives in Houston, Texas, where he runs the hair-care and spa products company, Farouk Systems....

    , CEO of Farouk Systems, Inc., an American hair care products company; 2010 Democratic
    Democratic Party (United States)
    The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

     candidate for Governor of
    Governor of Texas
    The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

     Texas
    Texas
    Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

     in the United States
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

  • Raja Shehadeh
    Raja Shehadeh
    Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian lawyer and writer who lives in Ramallah, West Bank.-Biography:Raja Shehadeh studied law in London. His grandfather, Saleem, was a judge in the courts of the British Mandate of Palestine...

    , attorney, author, and activist; founder of the human rights group Al-Haq

Location

The Lower School and kindergarten (Friends Girls School) is located near the centre of the Old City of Ramallah.The girls school is located at 31°54′13.28"N 35°11′57.54"E The upper School campus (Friends Boy's School) is located along al Nahdha Street, al-Bireh
Al-Bireh
al-Bireh or el-Bira is a Palestinian city adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem. It is situated on the central ridge running through the West Bank and is above sea level, covering an area of...

 The boys school is located at 31.9054°N 35.2081°W

Swift House

The Friends International Center regularly host meeting with other NGOs such as the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions is an Israeli peace and human rights organization dedicated to ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories and achieving a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians...

 and the Christian Peacemaker Team.

External links

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