High School Athletics
Participation in High School (HS) sports is offered at the Varsity and Junior Varsity levels for both boys and girls. Our teams practice four days a week with games usually being played during the week, but there are occasions when there will be weekend commitments.
At the end of each season, our Varsity and Junior Varsity teams will compete in a Middle East South Asia Conference (MESAC) tournament that is hosted by one of the MESAC schools.
The American School of Doha has had considerable success over the years in MESAC competition and look forward to another exciting year. Student athletes are chosen to represent ASD based on ability and academic eligibility.
MESAC
Season 1
September to October
Academic Games
Dance
Golf
Swimming
Volleyball
Season 2
November to early February
Basketball
Cross Country
Dance
Senior Fine Arts
Soccer
Tennis
Wrestling
Season 3
Mid February to April
Badminton
Baseball
Dance
Junior Fine Arts
Speech & Debate
Softball
Track and Field
Fine Arts and Activities
Drama
In High School (HS) several productions take place throughout the year, which includes student directed One Acts, Improv Night and Advanced Drama productions. Students participate in Theater Technology courses as well as being involved behind the scenes on the productions through lighting, costume, and scenic design. Theater students also have opportunities to travel on International Baccalaureate (IB) Theater Arts Programme Symposium (TaPS) and International Schools Theater Association (ISTA) trips that allow students to take workshop classes and interact with other students from different schools.
Every Fall, HS presents a main stage musical production. Past performances have included Sweeney Todd, Seussical and Yoor’in Toun. Many students are involved in the drama events with upwards of 80 students participating in the main stage play and 50 or more in the One Act plays.
Other High School Performances
- West Side Story
- Pippin
- Once Upon a Mattress
- Suessical
- Yoor in Toun
Band
The ASD Concert Band is a successful, high profile public performance instrumental music ensemble.
The concert band is comprised of students enrolled in either of 2 classes: 1.) High School Wind Ensemble (HSWE); or, 2.) Advanced Percussion Studies (APS). HSWE and APS are performance-based music electives. Students in HSWE play either a woodwind or a brass instrument. Students in APS play the entire range of orchestral percussion instruments; i.e., snare drum, xylophone/marimba, timpani and a wide range of auxiliary percussion instruments. NOTE: Orchestral strings, guitar, and piano are not provided for in HSWE and APS or the ASD Concert Band.
Students in HSWE or APS must have a predetermined, basic standard of performance proficiency on their chosen instrument. Students in HSWE or APS will be challenged through rigorous assessment and expected to practice to build upon their developing set of performance skills.
NOTE: In order to maintain and advance their skills, many students in HSWE or APS choose to engage in a variety of additional music performance enrichment opportunities; i.e., private lessons with a professional instructor/musician; further study at Qatar Music Academy; or, participation in the Doha Community Music Ensemble (Wind Symphony or Orchestra).
NOTE: Students with little or no developed performance skill on a brass, woodwind or percussion instrument can participate in another instrumental music elective, High School (HSIM) Instrumental Music. Students in HSIM, during the course of a school year, learn the necessary performance skills on the instrument of their choice. In most instances, participation in HSIM is with the expectation that the student will continue playing his/her chosen instrument in HSWE or APS the following year.
Throughout the year, the ASD Concert Band presents a series of engaging and highly entertaining concerts for the ASD community. The ASD Concert Band also performs off campus annually for the Opening Ceremony of the Qatar Model United Nations Conference (QMUN). The QMUN Opening Ceremony is a highly prestigious event held in the state-of-the-art theater at the Qatar National Convention Center.
Additionally, students in HSWE and APS can audition for select, highly advanced performance groups sponsored by the Association for Music in International Schools and/or the Honors Performance Series. Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS)events are hosted by international schools throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. HPS events take place either at Carnegie Hall in New York City or the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia.
Visual Arts
The Visual Arts are an integral part of life at the American School of Doha (ASD). Whether it is a passion and hopeful career path or simply a desire to achieve a more holistic education, the Visual Arts enrich the lives of all who participate and help develop skills that last a lifetime. Visual Arts courses focus on creative problem-solving, the attainment of visual literacy, and the role of the Visual Arts in communication of all types. ASD offers courses in General Art, Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Digital Photography, Graphic Design, Film Production, IB Visual Art, and IB Film.
Choir
The American School of Doha (ASD) offers a wide range of musical experiences for students of all levels. Curricular classes include Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Treble Choir, Mixed Choir, Beginning Guitar, Music Production 1, and Music Production 2. All of ASD’s performance ensembles have won prizes in the Qatar National Music Competition. In addition to music classes, ASD has an active chapter of Tri-M, the National Honor Society for Music. Tri-M’s mission is to serve the local and global community through music. Student-led and extra-curricular ensembles are encouraged and supported. Past and current ensembles include the jazz band, a cappella groups, musical theater revues, the dance team, and ASDJs, ASD’s digital music club.
All music students are encouraged to participate in the fall musical, whether on stage singing or playing in the orchestra.
Student Leadership
The High School (HS) student body elects the HS Student Council. The election campaign is witnessed all over the school premises, and is a means that allows students to express their own feelings creatively. The HS Student Council consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Public Relations persons as well as grade level representatives.
Functions of the HS Student Council
- The Student Council shall make recommendations pertaining to the general welfare and activities of the school.
- The Student Council shall make recommendations regarding regulations necessary for the improvement of the school, as it is the voice of the student body.
- The Student Council may investigate and report on questions posed by the principal.
- Any recommendations on a proposed action applicable to the student body shall be submitted in writing to the Council.
- The HS Student Council shall assist, when necessary and possible, the other ASD Student Councils.
- The HS Student Council shall conduct activities and events intended to boost school spirit and enrich school life.
- Any member of the student body may attend an HS Student Council meeting and offer his/her suggestions and comments, but may not participate in voting.
LEARNING SERVICE
Embodied by the American School of Doha’s (ASD) core values is the practice of service which students and faculty at ASD hold at the forefront of their daily activities. In particular, exposing students to the required experience and knowledge they will need to initiate their own projects in the future is one of the driving factors behind ASD’s Learning Service Program.
Often at times, students feel that a single service trip might be enough to solve a major problem, but the service clubs at this school advocate for these issues and do small scale projects that encourage the students to keep service in the back of their minds as they move across the world. Trips nonetheless afford students an opportunity to see service organizations in action and may be an ASD service group’s outlet to work and learn about critical issues in the field. Each group is headed and backed by dedicated students to spread the cause that matters most to them while examining ways in which these concerns can be addressed.
High School (HS) students have many different opportunities to participate in cultural and service trips. These trips are organized during scheduled school breaks so students do not miss class time. These provide unique learning experiences that enhance what is taught in the classroom.
In the past, trips have been organized into destinations such as Nepal, the Maldives, Ghana, China, Kenya, Zanzibar, Macedonia, Thailand, France, Spain, Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique and more. Trips blend service with opportunities to learn about the culture at a more personal level. ASD teachers, funded by ASD’s Parent Teacher Association, have also traveled to ASD’s adopted schools in Africa to deliver teacher training and in-servicing, further modeling positive, active, global citizenship.
Girl Up Qatar celebrates two years and six months of continued fundraising for females in developing countries across the globe. Girl Up is a service organization hosted by the United Nations and has made its way to the American School of Doha after a student, Sarah Hesterman initiated the club in 2014.
Esther W. (pictured right) is a 16-year old girl who has benefited from the club’s sponsorship and has put her through two years of schooling and will be projected to support her for another two in order to graduate High School (HS). Esther was brought to Girl Up’s attention by one of our own former security guards, Robert Wambua, three years ago. Esther is from Kenya and dreams of becoming a designer when she finished grade school.
Girl Up has run clothing sales, made thanksgiving grams, organized school sleepovers for the Elementary School (ES), and created music inspired by poetry from Maya Angelou in order to raise money and advocate for their cause. Girl Up will continue small scale projects like creating photo descriptions of what it means to be a feminist to students at ASD, hosting a table at the PTA Friendship Festival, and even working towards the sponsorship of another college student named Adela this upcoming year.
Amnesty Qatar is not only a relatively new club at the American School of Doha, but also the first branch of the international NGO Amnesty International in the Middle East. The objective of the club is to create an atmosphere within the school that celebrates and spreads awareness about our human rights everywhere– whether within our school community or around the globe. The most important step towards this goal was finding a way to put it into an action that we could share with the entire school.
Public Relations Officer Kiana Aghasoleimani suggested a way to make this happen: by creating what we call the Amnesty Wall. She designed an incredible mural and was instrumental in the planning, funding, and painting. Amnesty now has a huge mural that spans almost a quarter of the wall space in our History wing. She was inspired, as we hope the whole school will be, by the official quote of Amnesty International, which reads “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” And we couldn’t agree more. Members of the club will update the wall weekly with new information on current events, links to our social media, and excerpts from the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We cannot wait to see where this project will lead us and what else Amnesty has in store.
Recently, the Environmental Club donated over 50 items of e-waste (old computers, printers, phones, etc.) to a local electronics recycling company, Al Haya Waste Management and Recycling. The e-waste drive lasted for more than one month and was open to all American School of Doha parents, teachers, and students.
Throughout the electronics collection process, Environmental Club members used weekly meeting times to discuss the negative impact of e-waste on our planet. Many were shocked to learn that when old phones and laptops break down in landfills, they leach dangerous, even toxic, chemicals into the surrounding soil and water.
The project was initiated by Environmental Club Vice President, Natasha Das. Natasha, the Environmental Club Leadership Team, and members were all pleasantly surprised at the number of devices that were donated in both the Middle School/High School (MS/HS)and Elementary School (ES) buildings during the e-waste drive. Hopefully, this project will help people in the ASD community understand the impact of their own consumption and waste- even from seemingly harmless items such as cell phones.
CLUBS
Varsity Club
The High School (HS) Varsity Club Counsel (VCC) is a service-oriented group, open to all Varsity athletes, Senior Arts students, and Forensic students. All varsity sports should have representation, as well as at least one representative from Leadership, Forensics, Senior Arts, and Student Council. One student may represent more than one activity. Being a part of the club, you will provide a strong and helpful service to the school (service hours can be awarded), and your membership will be a positive contribution to the American School of Doha (ASD).
The purpose of the VCC is to:
- Serve as an advisory group to the Athletic and Activities Director, a voice for student concerns relating to sports and arts, as well as being a brainstorming group generating new ideas and solutions for various sports or arts related issues.
- To work in conjunction with the Athletic and Activities Director for game and event promotions, advertising of events, poster making, tournament help, announcements, and photography.
- To help in game staging with scorekeeping, timing, line calling, results, etc.
- To work with the HS Student Council in organizing and running “Pep-assemblies” and/or other recognition events.
Model United Nations
Students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of Model United Nations (MUN) conferences both here in Qatar and abroad. Our MUN club is one of the most popular extracurricular activities in High School (HS), with well over 80 students participating in workshops, mock debates, delegate trainings, and conferences throughout the year.
The club is student led, with a President and an eight member Executive Committee, who take the lead in planning the events that take place throughout the year. In the past, students have traveled to Beijing-China to participate in the Beijing International MUN Conference.
In addition, ASD plays a key role as a member of The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) Qatar Advisory Board in planning the THIMUN Qatar Conference, held at the Qatar National Convention Center every January. Over 80 students take part in the four-day conference as delegates debating issues of political, environmental, and human rights importance, along with over 1,000 other students from all over the world.
Other High School Clubs
Amnesty International
Badminton Club
Compassionate Companions
Dance Club
Environmental Club
ESL Club
Footy 4 Freedom
Garage Band
Girl Up Qatar
Global Issues
Habitat for Humanity
HS Student Ambassadors
International Thespian Society Chapter 7024
It’s Well Worth It
Little Dragons
MUN Club
National Honor Society
Philosophy Club
Pre Med
Robotics Club
Rock Climbing
SIDRA Mini Med School
Student Tutoring Organization
Tech Club
Television Production Club
Tri-M Music Club
World Language Wednesdays
High School Athletics
Participation in High School (HS) sports is offered at the Varsity and Junior Varsity levels for both boys and girls. Our teams practice four days a week with games usually being played during the week, but there are occasions when there will be weekend commitments.
At the end of each season, our Varsity and Junior Varsity teams will compete in a Middle East South Asia Conference (MESAC) tournament that is hosted by one of the MESAC schools.
The American School of Doha has had considerable success over the years in MESAC competition and look forward to another exciting year. Student athletes are chosen to represent ASD based on ability and academic eligibility.
MESAC
Season 1
September to October
Academic Games
Golf
Dance
Swimming
Volleyball
Season 2
November to early February
Basketball
Cross Country
Dance
Senior Fine Arts
Soccer
Tennis
Wrestling
Season 3
Mid February to April
Badminton
Baseball
Dance
Junior Fine Arts
Speech & Debate
Softball
Track and Field
Fine Arts and Activities
Drama
In High School (HS) several productions take place throughout the year, which includes student directed One Acts, Improv Night and Advanced Drama productions. Students participate in Theater Technology courses as well as being involved behind the scenes on the productions through lighting, costume, and scenic design. Theater students also have opportunities to travel on International Baccalaureate (IB) Theater Arts Programme Symposium (TaPS) and International Schools Theater Association (ISTA) trips that allow students to take workshop classes and interact with other students from different schools.
Every Fall, HS presents a main stage musical production. Past performances have included Sweeney Todd, Seussical and Yoor’in Toun. Many students are involved in the drama events with upwards of 80 students participating in the main stage play and 50 or more in the One Act plays.
Other High School Performances
- West Side Story
- Pippin
- Once Upon a Mattress
- Suessical
- Urinetown
Visual Arts
The Visual Arts are an integral part of life at the American School of Doha (ASD). Whether it is a passion and hopeful career path or simply a desire to achieve a more holistic education, the Visual Arts enrich the lives of all who participate and help develop skills that last a lifetime. Visual Arts courses focus on creative problem-solving, the attainment of visual literacy, and the role of the Visual Arts in communication of all types. ASD offers courses in General Art, Ceramics, Drawing, Painting, Digital Photography, Graphic Design, Film Production, IB Visual Art, and IB Film.
Choir
The American School of Doha (ASD) offers a wide range of musical experiences for students of all levels. Curricular classes include Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Treble Choir, Mixed Choir, Beginning Guitar, Music Production 1, and Music Production 2. All of ASD’s performance ensembles have won prizes in the Qatar National Music Competition. In addition to music classes, ASD has an active chapter of Tri-M, the National Honor Society for Music. Tri-M’s mission is to serve the local and global community through music. Student-led and extra-curricular ensembles are encouraged and supported. Past and current ensembles include the jazz band, a cappella groups, musical theater revues, the dance team, and ASDJs, ASD’s digital music club.
All music students are encouraged to participate in the fall musical, whether on stage singing or playing in the orchestra.
Student Leadership
The High School (HS) student body elects the HS Student Council. The election campaign is witnessed all over the school premises, and is a means that allows students to express their own feelings creatively. The HS Student Council consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Public Relations persons as well as grade level representatives.
Functions of the HS Student Council
- The Student Council shall make recommendations pertaining to the general welfare and activities of the school.
- The Student Council shall make recommendations regarding regulations necessary for the improvement of the school, as it is the voice of the student body.
- The Student Council may investigate and report on questions posed by the principal.
- Any recommendations on a proposed action applicable to the student body shall be submitted in writing to the Council.
- The HS Student Council shall assist, when necessary and possible, the other ASD Student Councils.
- The HS Student Council shall conduct activities and events intended to boost school spirit and enrich school life.
- Any member of the student body may attend an HS Student Council meeting and offer his/her suggestions and comments, but may not participate in voting.
LEARNING SERVICE
Embodied by the American School of Doha’s (ASD) core values is the practice of service which students and faculty at ASD hold at the forefront of their daily activities. In particular, exposing students to the required experience and knowledge they will need to initiate their own projects in the future is one of the driving factors behind ASD’s Learning Service Program.
Often at times, students feel that a single service trip might be enough to solve a major problem, but the service clubs at this school advocate for these issues and do small scale projects that encourage the students to keep service in the back of their minds as they move across the world. Trips nonetheless afford students an opportunity to see service organizations in action and may be an ASD service group’s outlet to work and learn about critical issues in the field. Each group is headed and backed by dedicated students to spread the cause that matters most to them while examining ways in which these concerns can be addressed.
High School (HS) students have many different opportunities to participate in cultural and service trips. These trips are organized during scheduled school breaks so students do not miss class time. These provide unique learning experiences that enhance what is taught in the classroom.
In the past, trips have been organized into destinations such as Nepal, the Maldives, Ghana, China, Kenya, Zanzibar, Macedonia, Thailand, France, Spain, Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique and more. Trips blend service with opportunities to learn about the culture at a more personal level. ASD teachers, funded by ASD’s Parent Teacher Association, have also traveled to ASD’s adopted schools in Africa to deliver teacher training and in-servicing, further modeling positive, active, global citizenship.
Girl Up Qatar celebrates two years and six months of continued fundraising for females in developing countries across the globe. Girl Up is a service organization hosted by the United Nations and has made its way to the American School of Doha after a student, Sarah Hesterman initiated the club in 2014.
Esther W. (pictured right) is a 16-year old girl who has benefited from the club’s sponsorship and has put her through two years of schooling and will be projected to support her for another two in order to graduate High School (HS). Esther was brought to Girl Up’s attention by one of our own former security guards, Robert Wambua, three years ago. Esther is from Kenya and dreams of becoming a designer when she finished grade school.
Girl Up has run clothing sales, made thanksgiving grams, organized school sleepovers for the Elementary School (ES), and created music inspired by poetry from Maya Angelou in order to raise money and advocate for their cause. Girl Up will continue small scale projects like creating photo descriptions of what it means to be a feminist to students at ASD, hosting a table at the PTA Friendship Festival, and even working towards the sponsorship of another college student named Adela this upcoming year.
Amnesty Qatar is not only a relatively new club at the American School of Doha, but also the first branch of the international NGO Amnesty International in the Middle East. The objective of the club is to create an atmosphere within the school that celebrates and spreads awareness about our human rights everywhere– whether within our school community or around the globe. The most important step towards this goal was finding a way to put it into an action that we could share with the entire school.
Public Relations Officer Kiana Aghasoleimani suggested a way to make this happen: by creating what we call the Amnesty Wall. She designed an incredible mural and was instrumental in the planning, funding, and painting. Amnesty now has a huge mural that spans almost a quarter of the wall space in our History wing. She was inspired, as we hope the whole school will be, by the official quote of Amnesty International, which reads “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” And we couldn’t agree more. Members of the club will update the wall weekly with new information on current events, links to our social media, and excerpts from the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We cannot wait to see where this project will lead us and what else Amnesty has in store.
Recently, the Environmental Club donated over 50 items of e-waste (old computers, printers, phones, etc.) to a local electronics recycling company, Al Haya Waste Management and Recycling. The e-waste drive lasted for more than one month and was open to all American School of Doha parents, teachers, and students.
Throughout the electronics collection process, Environmental Club members used weekly meeting times to discuss the negative impact of e-waste on our planet. Many were shocked to learn that when old phones and laptops break down in landfills, they leach dangerous, even toxic, chemicals into the surrounding soil and water.
The project was initiated by Environmental Club Vice President, Natasha Das. Natasha, the Environmental Club Leadership Team, and members were all pleasantly surprised at the number of devices that were donated in both the Middle School/High School (MS/HS)and Elementary School (ES) buildings during the e-waste drive. Hopefully, this project will help people in the ASD community understand the impact of their own consumption and waste- even from seemingly harmless items such as cell phones.
CLUBS
Varsity Club
The High School (HS) Varsity Club Counsel (VCC) is a service-oriented group, open to all Varsity athletes, Senior Arts students, and Forensic students. All varsity sports should have representation, as well as at least one representative from Leadership, Forensics, Senior Arts, and Student Council. One student may represent more than one activity. Being a part of the club, you will provide a strong and helpful service to the school (service hours can be awarded), and your membership will be a positive contribution to the American School of Doha (ASD).
The purpose of the VCC is to:
- Serve as an advisory group to the Athletic and Activities Director, a voice for student concerns relating to sports and arts, as well as being a brainstorming group generating new ideas and solutions for various sports or arts related issues.
- To work in conjunction with the Athletic and Activities Director for game and event promotions, advertising of events, poster making, tournament help, announcements, and photography.
- To help in game staging with scorekeeping, timing, line calling, results, etc.
- To work with the HS Student Council in organizing and running “Pep-assemblies” and/or other recognition events.
Model United Nations (MUN)
Students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of Model United Nations (MUN) conferences both here in Qatar and abroad. Our MUN club is one of the most popular extracurricular activities in High School (HS), with well over 80 students participating in workshops, mock debates, delegate trainings, and conferences throughout the year.
The club is student led, with a President and an eight member Executive Committee, who take the lead in planning the events that take place throughout the year. In the past, students have traveled to Beijing-China to participate in the Beijing International MUN Conference.
In addition, ASD plays a key role as a member of The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) Qatar Advisory Board in planning the THIMUN Qatar Conference, held at the Qatar National Convention Center every January. Over 80 students take part in the four-day conference as delegates debating issues of political, environmental, and human rights importance, along with over 1,000 other students from all over the world.
Other High School Clubs
Amnesty International
Badminton Club
Compassionate Companions
Dance Club
Environmental Club
ESL Club
Footy 4 Freedom
Garage Band
Girl Up Qatar
Global Issues
Habitat for Humanity
High School Student Ambassadors
International Thespian Society Chapter 7024
It’s Well Worth It
Little Dragons
MUN Club
National Honor Society
Philosophy Club
Pre Med
Robotics Club
Rock Climbing
SIDRA Mini Med School
Student Tutoring Organization
Tech Club
Television Production Club
Tri-M Music Club
World Language Wednesdays