Congratulations to Lindblom Math and Science Academy for their students' participation in international Arabic language debates!
This past March their Arabic program had the opportunity to send a debate team consisting of four students who are Arabic language learners to Qatar, where they debated fellow Arabic-speaking students from Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Singapore, and other nations. Lindbolm’s debate team was the only group with participants that spoke English as a first language and the only group representing the United States. Students diligently prepared for the debate by learning new terminology in the areas of government, national security, and education.
In April, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel congratulated Lindblom's Arabic students on their world debate performance during a visit to the school. Mayor Emanuel said, "The Center for Arabic Language and Culture at Lindblom is an excellent example of the innovative educational opportunities provided to Chicago’s students, efforts that are preparing students to extend their education beyond the classroom and across the world to build global connections and skill sets."
Lindblom Math and Science Academy was the first high school in the city to offer a for-credit Arabic program and has grown to be the largest non-heritage for-credit program in the U.S. Drawing students from all areas of Chicago, with a student body that is approximately 97% minority and approximately 80% low income, Lindblom offers a demanding college preparatory curriculum where all core courses are honors and Advanced Placement. The Lindblom Math and Science Academy hosted two TCLP Arabic exchange teachers from Egypt, Rawan Ibrahim and Manal Kotb, in the 2007 and 2008 school years, respectively.
The TCLP staff is proud of Lindblom Academy for continuing to give their students opportunities to excel in Arabic language leaning.
Photo Credit: Patrick Pyszka, City of Chicago