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Charity
Visit 57357

NIS students Visit the 57357 Hospital

There are two fields of work that cannot be compromised or endure a
lack of moral integrity: Education and Medicine. You see, both affect
people’s future; one shapes it, and the other protects and heals it.
Students at NIS are no strangers to the concept of community. Each
NISian lives with the understanding of what it means to “give back”.
Yesterday, our students proudly participated in a school gathering
hosted by the doctors and managers of Hospital 57357.
In the midst of donations and networking, an array of spokespeople
from the hospital and various schools offered speeches as part of the
day’s agenda. In the NIS tradition, it was our students, Farid Omar
and Shaden Mohamed Fathy, who orated a soul-touching message to

the tone of Hope, Responsibility, and Unity.
Junior, Youssef Fayed, was the recipient of a
lauded certificate of appreciation on behalf of
the hospital to NIS.

NIS Magazine 51

Giving A Hand To The Elderly

Some of our Grade 9 students had the pleasure of getting to know a few of New Cairo’s oldest residents
when they visited Dar al A’ila Retirement Home last month. The home’s residents were thrilled to meet
our students and have a chance to share stories and jokes with a new audience. Our students also really
enjoyed the visit and are already planning to visit again. A big thank you goes out to Mr. Amer Ibrahim
.for organizing this extra special extracurricular activity

52 NIS Magazine

Arts

Ballet
The Annual Exhibition of East Nasr
City Educational Administration
Drama

NIS Magazine 53

NIS competes at The
Annual Exhibition
of East Nasr City
Educational

Administration with a
sample of work inspired

by Picasso’s famous
artwork.

Artwork By Amal El-Naggar

54 NIS Magazine

What You Need To Know About Our
New Ballet Teacher

By Ahmed Laban

Here are the 4 things you need to know about our Ms. Victor visited Egypt as a tourist in 2000, when
new ballet teacher: she met her husband. She decided to move to
1.  Her name is Ms. Oksana Victor. Egypt in the same year and has been here ever
Did you know that Oksana actually means “praise since.
be to God” in Russian? 4. Ms. Oksana tutors at 3 different institutes.
2. Ms. Oksana was born in Lipetsk, Russia. On top of teaching ballet at NIS, Ms. Victor is a
She was born in Russia and decided to move to fitness instructor at Heliopolis Sporting Club and a
Egypt when she completed college. ballet tutor in Shirley Shalaby’s institute of ballet.4.
Mrs. Oksana tutors at 3 different institutes!

3. Ms. Oksana has been living in Egypt for the last On top of tutoring ballet in NIS, Mrs. Victor is a
18 years! fitness instructor at Heliopolis Sporting Club and a
ballet tutor in Shirley Shalaby’s institute of ballet.

NIS Magazine 55

Is Fame Really Worth All The Hype?

By Nadeen Abdel-Kader

All celebrities embark on a journey to stardom, but recently opened up to us about her experience
do they really enjoy the ride? with life in the spotlight. From child actress to
“When you become famous, being famous teacher, Ms. Ibrahim endured many challenges
becomes your profession.”-James Carville throughout her life due to her fame at such an
early age.

Has it ever occurred to you that this popular “There’s a funny thing about fame; the truth
phrase, “lights, camera, action” could have more is you run as fast as you can towards it because
than one meaning?  For instance, when most it’s everything you want. And then you get
people hear these words being uttered an image there and it’s shocking how immediately you
of a stage or the silver screen may come to mind. become enveloped in this world that is incredibly
Celebrities, however, view these words differently; restricting.” – George Clooney
most believe the words carry a pessimistic The idea of having no privacy, always being
meaning. Don’t get it? Think of it this way. monitored, and having to appear as though
Lights stand for the flashes of the cameras the everything in your life is going perfectly well is
paparazzi bombards them with. something that can terrify any human being.
Cameras represent personal moments of their lives Celebrities continue to live their lives with the
being photographed and broadcasted, negative aspects of fame. It’s a challenge to keep
and the word action refers to the predestined up a spotless image in order not to receive any
image they try to constantly uphold. negative backlash that could possibly harm or
“I don’t like fame, it turns into something else. destroy their careers.
Some people like the idea of fame but I don’t,” - So, it’s important to ask one’s self, is fame really
Vanessa Hudgens. worth living in a constant state of stress or distress?
One of NIS’ very own educators struggled with Well, Ms. Ibrahim does not think so.
her time in the spotlight. Ms. Nourhan Ibrahim, “I’ve not been human for the past 20 years because
who joined NIS this year as the drama teacher has of my acting career,” said Ibrahim.
Sure, celebrities get some reimbursements for all

56 NIS Magazine

their hard work, but they most certainly do not live have thought?]. But more than anything, this was a
an easy life. Ms. Ibrahim enlightened us with a tale woman... who is a mother. And as such, she didn’t
about her son; her own flesh and blood. A while want her son to adopt the ideology that it was
back, when she would take her son out, they would alright to slack off and be rewarded with privilege.
both be offered free gifts because of the value her It’s not the life she lived, nor is it the practice she
name held. Her son enjoyed these privileges, and advocates for.
she slowly discovered how fame can corrupt her Had she been able to put a wig on and act like
family by teaching her son wrong values like being Hannah Montana, she would have. But life is no
spoiled. She mentioned a story she’ll never forget, movie after all, and we cannot always get the best
about the first time she feared the loss of his morals of both worlds. You can however find yourself
due to fame. This was when they’d gone out for ice having one really good world, by discovering new
cream... passions and talents every day.
“Mom I want to be famous like you, why do you Ms. Nourhan believes she’s at, exactly, the right
get to have free ice cream, and why do you get cool place at NIS, and strives to teach students all about
gifts every time you enter a shop?” her son had good acting so they can grow to make their own
asked. decisions about the realities of her career field.
In response to his words, the statement “everything “It’s strange, you don’t have a normal life anymore.
comes at a price” echoed in her mind. This was a You spend much time trying to fight it, but in
woman who worked strenuously hard to achieve the end you find another way to live.” – Robert
what she has, today, with her acting career. She’s Pattinson
a woman who has lived with absolutely no social
life throughout most of her years [would you ever

NIS Magazine 57

Athletics

Crossfit
Eagles: Meet our Varsity team

58 NIS Magazine

Let’s play a little game.....

NIS Magazine 59

Crossfit:
How Passion Leads to Purpose

By Youssef Ayman

What would your parents say if you tell them you’re going to quit being an English
professor because you’ve “found your calling”... and it’s not English? Will they call
you crazy? Irrational? Probably. No, definitely. Or at least that’s how Nevine el-Baz’s
parents reacted when she let the proverbial cat out of the bag.
El-Baz taught English at MIU for a very long time. Though she graduated with an
English degree, nothing ever made her feel more alive than engaging in CrossFit. It’s
the wrenching of your gut and the tugging at your heart. Such is the undeniable call of
passion when your time has come. Passion is a summoner that will not be denied.
CrossFit tests a person’s durability and determination. It’s a sport created for “the
devoted” and “the dedicated”. Those are her words, not mine. Those are the words
of passion. El-Baz is a renowned Cross fitter, triathlete, and certified trainer with the
International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), who has earned 1st place in Egypt
60 NIS Magazine

for two successive years as of 2015, and 2016, and has earned 22nd in Africa in 2015, and 23rd the year
after.
Before she considered transferring to CrossFit, she played tennis. And while she found a great joy in the
grilling stamina demanded by tennis, fate would turn it’s hand and along the way, el-Baz suffered a back
injury. This led to a long road of walking and swimming as her prescribed physical therapy.
Crossfit has helped me conquer many things in life, it taught me what it is like to be determined and
to achieve one’s goals. Feeling the way that have felt due to Crossfit and all that I have accomplished
because of it, I wanted to help others feel the same way, make a change in someone else’s life, and teach
someone how determination can transform them into anything they want,” said el-Baz.
As the years passed, El Baz continued her journey to prove to the world what it means to be a cross fitter.
However, it was only after her friend’s passing that she came to discover her inspiration to what would
later become one of her biggest accomplishments: The “Gladiators” Club.
He called me a Gladiator, as a nickname, for my consistency and deep interest into fitness,” said el-Baz.
Gladiators won many championships over the years, however the longer el-Baz coached, the more she
discovered her endless passion for bringing strength to those who were in her previous fragile position.
It’s been a long road for el-Baz, and I’ll be the first to invite anyone to try and walk a mile in her shoes.
From suffering injury to being accused of insanity for choosing to walk away from a lauded career, this
woman has held tight to courage and conviction and shown the world that it is indeed.... her prerogative.
El-Baz has coached at NIS-American for approximately 2 years, and has both instructed and trained
alongside her students and colleagues [even the staff couldn’t stay away from all the excitement].  At first,
the Crossfit craze took over the high school, then it spread to the Middle and Elementary school. For
real! Crossfit has taken over the school!
For the majority of the time, el-Baz would give out workout plans, starting off with warm-ups, and then
moving to exercises of choice, training all sections of the body, including the chest, back, shoulders,
arms, and legs. The school leaders were elated at the interest shown by students [who usually cringed at
the idea of P.E. class and hid in the cafeteria]. They were fully vested in financing the sport by providing
the required weights, weightlifting bars, plates, kettlebells, TRX, and a whole lot of other equipment
necessary for training the young Cross fitters [it worked; they got us out of the cafeteria and onto the
training field.... willingly.... happily!]
For a lot of students, the introduction of CrossFit into our school was considered a major improvisation;
one that really paid off. It’s a great addition to the existing activities being held on campus, and has [and
still is] building, and shaping the participants physical litheness to the better, and stronger. CrossFit to
the moon!

NIS Magazine 61

NIS Eagles: Soaring to Victory

Hey NISians, hope you all had a nice, quite break Tournament in Gouna to win, and when they
because we’re back, and we’ve got insider news finally triumphed, it was well worth the hard work.
about everything! Because everyone knows the greatest gifts are
Word is that our Eagles won, once again. Could feelings of accomplishments (though if you ask me,
‘luck’ be the reason why? Definitely not. How do we that trophy was pretty shiny).
know? well, we were there, that’s how. “We’re more determined this time around to win
“Never give up on something that you can’t go a day and there is not an ounce of fear in our bones,” -
without thinking about.” - Winston Churchill. NIS Eagles.
You win some you lose some, right? Not always. NIS With a fixed mind-set on winning, the eagles
Eagles continue to prove to us that dedication and conquered all. They soared towards the end of the
determination pave the road to endless victories. tournament with a consecutive winning streak with
Nothing good comes easy. The Eagles did not motivation from not only their coaches, but also
just stumble upon their victory, it took a couple from their numerous fans. The Eagles certainly
of failed attempts on the road to The States Aimz outdid themselves at this tournament as they came
out victorious in each of the six matches they
played. 

62 NIS Magazine

However, like any interesting tournament there were a few altercations that took place. You would assume
these issues would hinder the Eagles’ true potential [nope, you’re wrong] the Eagles are far too committed
to let anything stand in their way.
They’re not just athletes, they’re sportsman and gentlemen. While other teams behaved violently during
some of the games, the Eagles remained focused and made certain to avoid any and all conflict and kept
their eyes on the prize. These guys don’t joke around when the championship title is on the line.
“Some teams played in an impudent manner which inevitably caused some harm to our players who only
showed good sportsmanship,” - Yousry Mohamed, Team Captain.
We love you, Yousry! This is a captain that knows all too well that injuries can be quite the norm in the
world of sports, especially soccer. But, while some players may give up after obtaining major injuries, our
Eagles Captain, Yousry Mohamed is always there with a pep talk and a shared vision. Even when hurt, our
Eagles refuse to stand down. They have all the support from their coaches and team to quickly help them
get their mojo back and play the game they love so much.
“Hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard.” – Tim Notke
The Eagles had a long journey that led them to a beautiful destination. Going through countless hours of
training proved to be the key factor for the Eagles’ glory. The next time you want to ace something, just
listen to your coaches, put in the extra effort, and sit back and watch the good results follow naturally.

NIS Magazine 63

Outstanding
Students

Aly Labib

64 NIS Magazine

That Guy’s a Genius!
By Ziad Alwareh

Graduating Senior, Ali Labeeb, has been a student Growing up, Labeeb spent his free time reading,
at NIS-American since his preschool days. Born and saturating his brain with knowledge. Little did
to an American mother and an Egyptian father, he know, this knowledge would later serve him
Labeeb’s diverse upbringing inspired within him when he signed up for the Geniuses program.
a love for history, geography and cultural diversity. On this television program, Labeeb competed
He knows all the famous landmarks in the world, as part of an NIS team, in front of a live studio
and excels at all sorts of geography-related trivia. audience, with other schools and, has since, gained
He can even draw each continent, down to the recognition from viewers all over Egypt for his
countries and their borders. As for the History undeniable intellect.
part, according to Labeeb, he became entirely To date, Labeeb is the youngest contestant to
enamored with it starting the sixth grade. ever participate in the Geniuses show. The NIS
“I started reading a lot of History books, and community was overwhelmed with joy when he
eventually I became good at it,” said Labeeb. was selected to compete for the Geniuses Super
On the course of his academic journey, Labeeb Bowl Cup, in which he did very well, but lost due
was awarded the 1st Place prize in two science to a faulty buzzer, allowing others to answer before
fairs [G7 and G9]. Today, Labeeb attends in class him.
12A and sits on a solid 4.0 GPA (Mashaallah!). He As Thomas Edison once said, “There is no
earned an outstanding SAT score of 1200 on his substitute for hard work,” and Labeeb is no stranger
first attempt, without the use of private tutoring or to that. From all of us here in the news room: Well
center-classes. He aspires to a degree in Political done, Sir, well done!
Science with a focus on international relations. But
wait! There’s more...

NIS Magazine 65

After NIS

Rana Afifi

66 NIS Magazine

The Bagel Brothers

There’s nothing like love your food]
the smell of fresh
baked pastries in Happily, for the
the morning. Oh, students and staff,
the bread, toasts, they debuted their
cookies, rolls, and business by partnering
muffins - their with the NIS school
succulent scents waft administration, who
to your nose and say agreed to host their
it’s time for breakfast. culinary genius on
campus.
For the masses of desires, and took off to Aviation
people who adore Sciences in New York to become a Amazingly, it took
the delicacies of commercial pilot, and came back only two weeks to
the “patisserie to Egypt to be an airline pilot. set up, and open
universe”,  you have to indulge in a Sherif, however, reveres to business, the place in NIS’s American New
bite of bagels. Our bet is that you’ll and decides to take on a similar Cairo branch. The brothers have
find yourself chomping through path with his brother to make this already made plans to expand to the
everything the menu has to offer.  company happen. And thank God Sherouk campus.
they did, because otherwise, we’d be
Meet Shady and Sherif Abaza, two dreaming of their bagels instead of What’s amazing about the Bagel
brothers returning from the United eating them from breakfast, lunch, Brothers is that they use the freshest
States, with bagel recipes to die for. and everything in between. ingredients and still keep their
product affordable. Most of their
So, why call their delicious company VCU’s Monroe Park campus foodstuff is purchased at EgySwiss
Bagel Brothers? Well, it turns out Having lived abroad, these guys ate [tah ya Misr!], and ensures the best
that Shady and Sherif share more bagels for breakfast for years! One quality for bagels in the country.
than just a last name. The DNA day, after returning to Egypt, they
test results are in, and yes... they are were in the Zamalek area and were With their overwhelming success
indeed brothers. excited to find a bagel joint. That on campus, of course they’re
excitement waned, however, after considering to open outside the
But that’s not all, you’ll be excited to their first bite. That is not what a walls of NIS. They’ve been to
learn that the gentlemen are actually bagel should taste like! Shady and several places including Waterway,
NIS alumni! That’s right, Shady and Sherif were not going to be quiet el-Gouna, el-Sahel, and Diplo, but
Sherif belong to the Class of ‘09 and about this. No, they took matters have yet to decide where to open
the Class of ‘11, respectively. into their own hand. They took their first establishment.
out cookbooks, spell books, and
After graduating, the brothers everything they could find in efforts Here is the menu in case any of you
left to the US for their studies, of conjuring the perfect bagel; and, are considering to try a bite of what
where Shady attended Virginia indeed they did. [Thanks, guys, we might possibly become your favorite
Commonwealth University in snack.
Richmond, USA, then to Mount
Saint Vincent University (MSV) NIS Magazine 67
in Canada. Sherif had different

Rana Afifi

68 NIS Magazine

The Unexpected Journey of Life
By Lily Tarek

Sometimes even though where you end up is not When asked a couple of questions about how she
where you plan to be, you end up finding out it’s thinks the education at NIS has changed since she
where you wanted to be. - Rana Afifi we was a student, she talked about how much the
One of NIS’ notable Alumna is Elementary School education system has improved over the years and
Principal, Ms. Rana Afifi. In an interview with this how it is on “a whole new level now”.
reporter, Afifi was asked a series of questions that “NIS strives towards the evolution of education,”
shed light on exactly how she ended up back at NIS said Afifi.
after she graduated from the school. Afifi explained She believes that her daughter, who is currently
that after NIS she attended at the ‘American a third grader at NIS [following in our alumna’s
University in Cairo’ and graduated with a Master’s footprints], is getting an even better education than
degree in Education. Before that, she had gone she received when she was her age.
to stay with her parents in New York. Afifi talked Though Afifi’s passion for her work at NIS was not
about how she dreamed of working on Wall Street the least bit odd, we were interested to find out how
when she was in New York, she told us that this was someone with such big goals can abandon the Big
her dream job... at the time. Apple, and be so elated somewhere they had never
Education is the most powerful weapon which you thought they’d end up at.
can use to change the world. – Nelson Mandela 

She went on and explained that the opportunity to “the journey of life can truly be one’s destination.”
work at NIS presented itself when Dr. Nermein, We wondered if working on Wall street was still her
whom she had known for a long time, approached dream job, and if she would pursue it if she had the
her with a job offer to work as a teacher. Afifi chance. Afifi said that it is not what she wants to do
gladly took the job, and pursued it for many years. anymore, not even close to it.
Throughout those years, Afifi taught grades one, “My dream is to help underprivileged students in
three, and four. She taught almost everything: remote areas receive the proper education they
English, Math, Social studies, and Science. Afifi deserve,” said Afifi.
talked about how she loved teaching Elementary This final sentence by Rana Afifi highlighted the
school students. When asked why she explained vivid change that transformed Afifi from the eager
that she loved making a difference in their lives young adult, ripe out of college, who wanted to
[and, of course, they’re cute]. work on Wall Street to the strong, independent
“Teaching is the only rewarding job. You enter class woman who has become one of NIS’ most
in the morning and feed them information, you feel remarkable administrators.
the passion, support, and love from the students, “Sometimes even though where you end up is not
and when you walk out you can see how much they where you plan to be, you end up finding out it’s
absorb this information. You know that you have where you wanted to be.” -Rana Afifi
truly made a difference in their lives,” said Afifi.
Education is the key to success in life, and teachers
make a lasting impact in the lives of their students.
– Solomon Ortiz

NIS Magazine 69

New Infants Swimming Pool
By Maya Mazhar

Learning How To Swim: Throwing Kids Headfirst Into A New Lesson

NIS aims to educate students to become the best that they can be by providing the most
advanced, progressive facilities for a higher knowledge and education in almost all aspects of life.
Not long ago, we’ve had a pool at each NIS campus available for middle school and high school
students only. We’ve never had an infants pool; one that is designed specifically to teach little
ones how to swim. However this era has come to an end, after what seems like the longest time,
NIS is opening a pool specifically for infants at the 1st settlement campus (located right next to
the Kindergarten playground, with its own locker rooms and everything)
Kindergarten kids are so excited and can’t wait to jump right into learning how to swim! So keep
an eye out for the new Micheal Phelps because our little NISers are diving in.
“It’s nice! I don’t know how to swim so I’m really looking forward to learn how!” - Kindergarten
student Agani Afifi.

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NIS Magazine 71

A Message from the
Editor-In-Chief

Dear readers,
I am honored to have been chosen as the
first editor-in-chief of NIS Today and am
thrilled to share my vision for the future of
our distinguished magazine.
They say that the journey of a thousand
miles starts with one step. For over 20
years, NIS Schools has been a beacon
of educational advancement. It has long
been one of the most influential schools
in the field and remains by far the most
lauded. In addition, NIS Schools maintains the highest level of ethical integrity, ensuring
consistency and academic rigor in each of its school branches. My desire is for NIS
Today to act as the medium by which we can celebrate our academic community with the
world outside our campus walls.
As writers, we are the authors of our social landscape, and the world is ever changing.
Across divisions, new demands and expectations from both authors and readers have
encouraged the formulation of new creative outlets. My primary goal as editor-in-chief
is to ensure that NIS Today remains lithe in attending to the rapidly shifting community
setting, while also maintaining and intensifying the high standards of academic excellence
for which our school is known.
As always, my highest priority, and that of our distinguished editorial board, is ensuring
that NIS Today continues to publish the voice of a generation. I am dedicated to leading
the board’s mission in providing authors with a productive review experience.
I genuinely hope that all our students will eagerly access NIS Today, as both submitters
and readers, for the discerning and stimulating voices that will shape our future with
extraordinary literary excellence.

By Amira Awaad

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