Academics

King Abdullah Academy's curriculum engages our K-12 students in the learning process by providing multiple pathways for students to learn, inquire deeply, take actions, and reflect. Character building grounded in an atmosphere of responsibility, respect, and readiness serve as the foundation for our classrooms and school-wide expectations. Our students gain educational, spiritual, and social skills for the 21st century which will enable them to thrive academically, remain life-long learners, and be of service in our global interconnected world.

Admissions

King Abdullah Academy is an International Baccalaureate World school that accommodates a diverse community of various nationalities, with the support of an experienced faculty and staff members. We accept over 100 students every year from Kindergarten through 12th grade. We encourage you to explore our website or register for an open house to tour the facilities and learn more about our programs.

Athletics

KAA promotes health and well-being of students through offering multiple opportunities to participate in a variety of athletic sports. Students compete at middle school, junior varsity, and varsity level in volleyball, soccer, and basketball in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA).

Community

King Abdullah Academy is an outstanding community of internationally minded students, faculty and staff, parents and alumni. Our community is linked together by Islamic values, beliefs, and cultures. We are committed to student excellence, through Arabic and English language development, college and career readiness, and by nurturing the IB Learner Profile traits.

Student Life

Student life promotes physical, mental, academic, and emotional well-being as well as provides a variety of clubs and activities which focus on service, leadership, and creativity. We foster an environment of dialogue and participation through advisory and counseling programs. Our KAA family empowers students to become well-rounded, global contributors.

KAA Won a Gavel!

1/5/2024

We won our first gavel (1st Place) in three years – thanks to Tim Hakim!

On December 8th and 9th, 19 high school students and 18 middle school students competed against students from 31 schools all over Northern Virginia at the Thomas Alva Edison High School Model United Nations (TAEMUN) Conference.

In all, we won one best commendation, two outstanding commendations, two honorable commendations, and two verbal commendations.

Best Delegate in the Greek National Schism, 1917 Crisis Committee. This award went to Tim Hakim (11th Grade), who was representing Ionnis Metaxis. It came with a gavel and a certificate. This was the first gavel won by KAA in three years! Tim offered the following advice: “TAEMUN was an amazing experience, and I would definitely recommend it. I made new friends, learned new things, and won an award!”

Outstanding Delegate in the United Nations Security Council. This went to Zaina Naffa (10th Grade) who was representing Russia. Zaina offered the following thoughtful comments:

Our previous conference, TAEMUN, was an extremely stressful yet rewarding experience. After getting mediocre feedback from my chair, I went home on Friday feeling worn out and uninspired. I even thought about skipping the next day, convinced I had no shot at winning anything. On day two, I decided to switch things up, started having fun, and let my personality show. At the end of the committee, the chair said I stood out and my personality heavily influenced the committee. It hit me: enjoying the process matters just as much as aiming for the win.

Outstanding Delegate in Avatar: the Last Airbender Crisis Committee went to Ryan Musmar (10th Grade). Ryan, who was representing the Mechanist, had this to say: “This conference was probably the most competitive and fun conference I’ve ever participated in, I really enjoyed the challenge, the friends I made and how I was forced to step up and be a leader of my committee and eventually win Outstanding.”

Honorable Delegate in the Football Façade: Soccer Finances Specialized Agency was awarded to Sarah Selim (10th Grade). Representing Tom Werner, Sarah spoke about how it felt to win: “It feels good to be recognized in MUN, especially if you don’t win the first time, which you probably won’t.”

Honorable Delegation in the UN Human Rights Council was awarded to Mohammad Moustafa and Hamza Hegazy (both 7th Grade). The two of them were a team, representing Vietnam.

Verbal Commendation in the International Labor Organization went to Hirah Contractor (10th Grade), who was representing United States Workers. Hirah thought long and hard before giving the following comment:

I felt that this conference was the most impactful on me. In the past experiences of participating in MUN, I didn't have the confidence to be a single delegate due to the negativity that occupied my mind. At this conference I was in the ILO committee and I not only realized my full potential but realized that it's okay to take risks in life. I had prepared a week in advance planning the days out in which my papers should be done and when my speeches should be rehearsed. Instead of simply adding a check mark towards those tasks, I had taken the time to understand the topics. I had thought of personal stories to tell during unmods and acronyms for resolution papers that would allow me to be ahead of the game. Nevertheless, the effort that was put towards this conference, I had never expected to be awarded on my first time as a single delegate. This conference taught me to take risks because in the end you never know what the outcome will be. Hard work will pay off so be patient.

Verbal Commendation in the UN Human Rights Council went to Musaa Sheikh and Zaid Shehata (both 8th Grade), who were both representing Poland. Musaa offered the following comments and advice: “Very fun experience: one key factor in preparing for MUN is learning about your country overall and creating speeches on different topics so you are prepared for numerous occasions.”

Mr. Sarver (MUN Sponsor) had this to say about KAA’s success: “I attribute this unusual success to the outstanding training program designed and delivered by Zaina Naffa and Jood Boker (both in 10th Grade). Their keen focus on teaching members to succeed in both general assemblies and crisis committees paid off!”

KAA students are looking forward to the next MUN conference at Langley High School, scheduled for March 1st and 2nd.

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