School celebrates milestone

The Riffa Views International School (RVIS), a college preparatory institute which opened its doors in 2008 with a mere 80 students and now stands at 400-plus strong, marked a special milestone as its 12 senior students will now be heading off to universities in the US, Canada, the UK and across Asia.

Dr Joseph Rosevear, RVIS secondary principal, who has watched the graduates flourish over the past three years since joining the institution, said: “It was an amazing day for the school and the children. “It has been such a joyous journey of collaboration and partnership with the students. Getting to this point which we have all been striving for, for so long, well, it feels great! “The students have had a great record throughout the year and I think when the IB results come out we are going to be even happier. All our students have been accepted to various universities which is wonderful.

“RVIS is one of those schools moving from good to great. The seeds and aspiration of greatness are absolutely there. We are on the right path and I think we will continue to add to it. ‘Mabrook’ to all the graduates and I wish them the very best in their future.”

Dressed in silky black robes and green sashes with gold ribbons, the RVIS Class of 2016 was commemorated in style before the school’s founding members, board of trustees, parents and friends. It was a proud occasion for Jacob Dancer who received the school’s first valedictorian award for achieving a near perfect academic and behavioural record. 

A valedictorian is the student with the highest cumulative grade point average in a graduating class and he was the first to speak at the ceremony. Jacob was recognised as a commended scholar by the College Board for his outstanding performance on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude test. The 18-year-old American who lives with his family in Zallaq, will be attending the renowned West Point Academy in the US to study engineering, with hopes to follow in his father Tracy’s footsteps, who works as a system and network engineer at the Naval Support Activity Bahrain base in Juffair.

Jacob, 18, said: “It’s so exciting to be the valedictorian of the first graduating class. It’s overwhelming and I’m proud of the entire class. I’m definitely going to do my best to keep in touch with everyone. “I have known these students for five years now and they are essentially my family. We represent so many different worlds colliding and somehow still resulting in something as tight-knit and exemplary as we are. “Our closeness is incredibly distinctive and unique to us and that it goes beyond just the students. The relationships we have with each other, whether classmate or teacher, is just so much more than at other schools in my opinion.

“We are truly walking the same path; it was a journey that we were to take, and make, together. If I had to give one single piece of advice it would be to continue trail-blazing. Do new things and don’t take the beaten path. “We did set the pace and it is going to be very interesting to see how the next classes will follow in our footsteps. Our class was the first to participate in the original Model United Nations Group along with some of the juniors and they are going to be the ones taking up the mantle next year with hosting the conferences and attending events. It’s their turn to lead now and I wish them all the luck.”

Ali Shaat, 17, from Hamala, was also bestowed with the Dolphin Award, an honour given to the senior most closely embodying the school’s mission statement for having an exemplary academic record, demonstrating excellent character and consistently modelling a mature approach to learning. 

The teenager is planning to pursue a career in medicine at either Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) or at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada. Ali said: “I have been with the school since Grade 10 and it feels great to be graduating. When I accepted the Dolphin Award it was electrifying. It was great to have my family here with me. My sister Maram, who goes to Dalhousie, also watched me accept the award live on an online streaming channel as well. “I have always wanted to be a doctor and I’m looking into something hands-on, like surgery. I grew up with many doctors from my mother’s side of the family.”

During the ceremony, RVIS founding member and first school director Bruce McWilliams and founding member Roger Hove addressed the seniors along with Atif A. Abdulmalik, CEO of Arcapita and chairman of RVIS Board of Trustees and father to graduate, Ahmed Atif Abdulmalik.

After the graduation, Alanood Al Khalifa, 17, from Riffa, celebrated with family and friends. She will be studying law at the University of Sussex in the UK. Alanood, who was the Secretary General of the MUN, said: “I have been with RVIS since 2008 which is why it’s more like home to me. “As the first graduates, we wanted to set a good standard for students to come. It’s a great school.”

Since its inception, RVIS has achieved a variety of international accreditations from the Council of International Schools (CIS), Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA), International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and in 2014 received an ‘outstanding’ rating in all areas assessed from Bahrain’s National Authority for Qualifications and Quality Assurance of Education and Training (NAQQAET).