DIA is indeed an exceptional and unique school: one where the positive energy and enthusiasm from the children infects the entire school community with a love for learning; one where their needs are at the centre of every decision taken; and one where their personal development extends far beyond the classroom, equipping them to become highly successful global citizens who aspire to achieve beyond their potential.

As an International Baccalaureate world school, we follow the IB Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) in Years 7-11, the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) in Years 12 & 13 and the IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) in Years 12 & 13. We are rightfully proud of the outstanding outcomes that our students achieve at the end of their IB studies in both of these phases, as well as their success in progressing on to prestigious Higher Education destinations, including many Ivy League and Russell Group Universities. This securely places us amongst the highest achieving schools in the region.

DIA is always ready for a challenge, especially when it contributes for a happier and healthier community. We are delighted to announce that we are actively taking part at Dubai Fitness Challenge, taking place from 30 October till 28 November 2020. It is the initiative of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, aimed at making Dubai the most active city in the world.

The goal of the challenge is: “30 minutes of exercise every day, for 30 days” – for all the people of Dubai, irrespective of age and fitness level. We are all responsible for creating a happier Dubai and one component is healthier citizens and residents.

DIA is thrilled to support the 30 Days Challenge initiative the entire community to partake in this event.

More about the Dubai Fitness Challenge.

Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills offers Secondary School students a range of Co-Curricular Activities.

DIA #Dubai30x30

DIA is always ready for a challenge, especially when it contributes for a happier and healthier community. We are delighted to announce that we are actively taking part at Dubai Fitness Challenge, the initiative of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, aimed at making Dubai the most active city in the world, taking place from 30 October till 28 November 2020.

The goal of the challenge: “30 minutes of exercise every day, for 30 days” – for all the people of Dubai, irrespective of age and fitness level. We are all responsible for creating a happier Dubai and one component is healthier citizens and residents.

DIA is thrilled to support the 30 Days Challenge initiative the entire community to partake in this event.

More about the Dubai Fitness Challenge.

Secondary School Sports

The Sports Department strives to have its athletes reach their full potential in all areas of the sports experience academically, socially, and thorough the competitions. Athletes are held to the sports code of conduct and also to academic requirements.

As your child becomes involved in the sports program at DIA, they will experience some of the most rewarding moments in their life.

Student athletes are striving to succeed in two demanding areas simultaneously- academics and sports. Student athletes have the responsibility of developing and working toward an educational goal as well as training in their sport. The Sports Department encourages and assists student athletes in maintaining academic eligibility so they can continue to participate in sports.

Sports Activities, Teams and Fixtures
 
 

Message from The Director of Sports

Dear Parents and Students,

I would like to welcome all of you at the start of the 2018-2019 Academic Year!

Last season we celebrated many outstanding national and international sporting achievements in football, basketball, swimming, cricket, volleyball and track and field.

The milestone achievement of being the 3rd Best Sports School in UAE by UAE Teen Sports & Fitness Awards still resonates. This outstanding accomplishment certainly puts DIA on the map as one of the best sports schools in the country which everyone should be proud of.

While we have had many successes in the past, I am confident we will achieve even better results in all of our programs this academic year.

As your child becomes involved in the sports program at DIA, they will experience some of the most rewarding moments in their life. We always strive to have our athletes reach their full potential in all areas of the sports experience academically, socially, and through the competitions.

Student-athletes are striving to succeed in two demanding areas simultaneously- academics and sports. They have the responsibility of developing and working toward an educational goal as well as training in their favourite sports. We encourage and assist student-athletes in maintaining academic eligibility so they can continue to participate in sports.

Success does not occur overnight; it is an ongoing process. Commitment is a very important part of the student’s development in sports. They must understand that coming on the day of the event or game is not sufficient. Athletes need to understand that practice along with all the other obligations is necessary in order to achieve success.

Parent involvement, whether it be as a supportive fun, housing visiting athletes, or volunteering at concessions, all are welcome to help in creating the community you wish to be a part of. At DIA volunteering is essential to the success of the programme and development of school spirit. We welcome all students and families to participate in sports at DIA. Involvement in sports will help strengthen relationships across the many families and cultural groups which exist in our school.

Please take some time to thoughtfully consider your participation in sports for the 2017-2018 year. Detailed lists of the secondary try out, school events and fixtures will be displayed on our school webpage. 

At Dubai International Academy we have talented young athletes who participate in a wide array of sports teams and events. 

Our goal is to help develop student talent and give every individual the opportunity for success.

Also, I would like to invite everyone to support our athletes throughout the seasons of sports. We will be delighted to see you out there cheering on our teams.

I am looking forward to another successful sporting year ahead.

GO WOLVES!

Sincerely

Mihail G. Kouzev
Director of Sport & Activities

Email: [email protected]

Follow DIA Sports 


Secondary School Sports Leagues

DIA Competitive Sport Philosophy

  • To provide all our students with the opportunity to participate in as many sports as possible
  • To learn and develop advanced skills in sports
  • To promote team spirit, sportsmanship, stability, and meaningful social development through diverse programs
  • To field teams that are skilled, disciplined, dedicated, and motivated to achieve the best possible
  • To promote the values of sports which will remain with our students for a lifetime
  • To provide adequate coaching equipment and facilities

Dubai International Academy is a part of the DASSA League and participates in the following sports:

Basketball Cross Country
Netball Tennis
Table Tennis Cricket
Football Swimming
Track & Field Volleyball
Softball Badminton
Golf

Cricket

Dubai International Academy is one of the finest cricketing schools in Dubai, known not only for our exceptional achievements but also for our ability to cater for students of all abilities. There are different age group teams that are in active competition against schools across the region. The teams’ fixture lists are largely made up of fixtures against Dubai schools, academies and visiting teams.

Cricketers at the school compete in a number of tournaments for different age groups, including the NSL league, DASSA league, ARCH tournament, Shreyas Memorial Cup and other outdoor tournaments.

Dubai International Academy has performed consistently well over the years. There have been individual achievements of our players getting selected in the UAE U-19 national team.

We embark on a major overseas tour every year. Our most recent tour to India was very successful where the team faced challenging playing conditions. The tours are being running for last 7 years allowing the players to bond and perform in a different setting.

We have a highly dedicated coaching team that runs afternoon and weekend sessions for the various teams. The players are challenged and have set goals for improvement. Dubai International Academy students enjoy top class cricket facilities; net areas and a combination of outdoor grass and turf wickets. The thriving cricket programme allows students to play regularly and be an active team through the year. 

Swimming

The Dubai International Academy competitive swimming programme is designed for girls and boys from every year level. It is also offered as a part of the PHE curriculum programmes at every year level. Competitive swimming training sessions are available for swimmers from school, club to international standard, with dedicated developmental programmes.

Dubai International Academy is recognised as one of the top Division 1 schools in swimming in UAE. We have four coaches, supported by Speedo swimming club Dubai. DIA is equipped with impressive training facilities, with a 25m pool built to schools’ and clubs’ competition standards.

Students of DIA participate in a host of local, regional and national swimming competitions.  We continually produce strong swimmers on school, club, national and international levels. Along the way, swimmers learn lifelong skills such as effective time management, dedication and goal setting – all of which transfer to successful adult life.

In its short history, the school has produced 4 international swimmers and one of them qualified for the European Youth Olympics in Baku 2019. The others have represented their countries and participated in their home country National Championships winning many medals.

The swimming squads usually operate in small groups. By maintaining groups of this size the squad is able to facilitate an atmosphere of enjoyment and challenge offered through peer interaction. This, coupled with the highly individual attention offered by the coaches to each swimmer, creates a positive and productive training environment. Training sessions are offered from 3 to 4 days per week, with individual training programmes tailored to the swimmer’s stage of development.

Athletics

With over 90 athletes, DIA’s competitive Athletics programme is one of the most popular sports. It is available to all students, girls and boys and is a major part of the PHE programme. In addition the competitive coaching programme allows students to experience the sport and try all of the event areas in the programme. Even without a designated track, students that are competing at a more advanced level, can use our sister school track during the season.

We have the UAE interschool record holder in high jump for U12 and U14 girls.

Basketball

The Basketball programme at Dubai International Academy is available to all girls and boys. It is one of the most successful sports that is also offered as a unit of sport in the PHE programmes. All the year groups compete in national and international schools competitions.

Basketball players have access to the normal training programme (two to three sessions a week) during the season plus additional coaching sessions when necessary. Players also have access to additional Strength and Conditioning sessions in our excellent Fitness Centre facility. Nutrition support and Sports Psychology are also available to players on a one to one basis.

Model United Nations Club/DIAMUN

MUN is a fundamental aspect of Dubai International Academy’s ethos. Founded in 2008, the programme is an entirely student-led initiative with some teacher oversight in administrative areas. There are two central components to the MUN Programme at DIA:

  1. Dubai International Academy MUN (DIAMUN): This is an 800 participants large annual MUN conference involving participants from local and international schools. DIAMUN is completely organized by DIA and its students, hosts 8 committees (simulations of different bodies: Security Council, WEF, etc…), spans 3 days of debate and resolution production. DIAMUN is one of the largest THIMUN affiliated conferences in the Middle East.
  2.  MUN Club in School: 150 member after-school activity where students learn essential skills like debate, legal writing, and policy research.

Cultural context

Located in Dubai, and surrounded by a politically tumultuous region, DIA through MUN promotes broader understanding of political complexity by exposing students to democratic deliberation, differing viewpoints in debate and negotiation skills. The topics of discussion at DIAMUN often involve issues specific to the Arab World, giving students greater exposure and frameworks to approach local problems.

The MUN club, through an annual UN Day Celebration and the weekly afterschool club, aims to promote the principles of the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By learning about the involvement of the UN in solving world issues, delegates at DIAMUN develop an appreciation of the diplomatic processes and collective security on which the UN is based.

DIAMUN, through its various committees (such as Security Council, General Assemblies, Human Rights Committee, African Union, etc…) provides student participants from different countries opportunities to develop alternative viewpoints – a core skill needed for effective global citizenry. Through role-play, students take on the diplomatic positions of different countries and become accustomed to finding solutions to challenging problems.

Inquiry/Challenge

Practices relating to MUN in DIA: -

  • After-school activity sessions begin with student discussion on a particular recent global problem. Varying perspectives are taken into account to produce extended understanding of the various ‘strains’ to international issues.
  • Students are assigned a country, and given a brief about its position. They then follow PSO model in producing a resolution that is then debated.
  • There are 6-7 monthly held weekend simulations where club participants have 3-4 hour mini-MUN conference (70-80 students). This helps develop confidence before annual DIAMUN.
  • DIA supports involvement in foreign MUN conferences and trains students for effective participation. Thus DIA students’ use MUN as a medium for global exchange of ideas.
  • Student organisation and oversight of conference in planning and execution
  • Press and Administration are also aspects of DIAMUN where school students gain additional skills in writing and organisation. Younger students also formulate understanding of MUN.
Community Work

Working together, children learn to solve problems and make decisions thereby successfully contributing to their community. They connect local concerns with global issues and gain an awareness of others. All this will serve them now and years later as they transition out of school and into the adult world.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” 

Mahatma Gandhi


What is Service as Action?

Service as Action is an integral part of the IB for all MYP students worldwide. The aim of the program is to get students involved in activities in their school, community and their city where they can contribute to make a difference to the lives of others and themselves. Students volunteer to help out at either their school or events around the city organized by government approved organizations.

At DIA – Emirates Hills it is expected from all MYP students to complete at least 2 activities per academic year. Students can pick their own actions and they must ensure their actions meet all the outcomes set by the IB for the Service as Action per academic year:

  • Awareness
  • Global value
  • Perseverance
  • Collaboration
  • Ethics
  • Initiative
  • Challenge and new skills.

Service as Action at DIA-Emirates Hills:

DIA – Emirates Hills encourages all students to take part in as many activities as possible. Not only is this beneficial to the community, but it also helps students become aware of their surroundings and the need within their community.

Some examples of Service as Action at DIA – Emirates Hills:

  • DIA Winter souq
  • Ramadan fridges
  • Colour run
  • Pink Walk-a-thon
  • DIA family sports day
  • Volunteering at national and international sporting events
  • DIA Eco-club
  • Water of life.

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS)

CAS is one of the three core courses of the IB diploma programme. A successful completion of CAS is one of the requirements for obtaining the IB diploma.

Creativity

This can cover a wide range of arts and other activities outside the normal curriculum. Examples of such activities can be doing dance, theatre, music and art. It may also include creative thinking in the design and carrying out of projects.

Action

For CAS, action refers to physical action. It can include participation in individual and team sports, and physical activities outside of the normal curriculum. It may also include physical activity involved in carrying out creative and service projects.

Service

Service involves interaction, such as the building of links with individuals or groups in the community. The community can be the school, the local district, or it may be at the national or international level.

Service activities do not only involve doing things for others, but also doing things with others and developing a real commitment with them. The relationship should show respect for the dignity and self-respect of others. There should be prior communication and full consultation with the community or individual concerned. The service provided should be appropriate and you should be able to understand the consequences of what you are doing.

A service activity must provide you with the opportunity to learn. It must be voluntary and unpaid.

Every CAS activity should represent a personal challenge. There should be a definite goal and outcome to the activity. Activities should be planned and evaluated.

CAS involves:

  • Real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes
  • Personal challenges – the tasks must extend you and be achievable in scope
  • Thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing your progress and reporting
  • Reflection on outcomes and personal learning

An activity must meet all four of these criteria to be considered to be a CAS activity. Examples that combine CAS elements:

  • Teach something (swimming or the guitar) to young children (action, service)
  • Coach or manage a sports team (action, service)
  • Create a bulletin board for students with messages encouraging reflection about important subjects (i.e., wars, poverty) (creativity, service)
  • Write for a school newspaper (creativity, service)
  • Work with underprivileged children to paint a mural in their school or community (creativity, service)
  • Teach English to recently arrived immigrant children (creativity, service)
  • Organize a “Walkathon” to raise money for a worthy cause. (creativity, action, service)
  • Organize student participation and raise funds for the Model United Nations (creativity, service)
  • Raise funds for Greenpeace, World Food Organization, Dollars for Darfur or other international organization. (creativity, service)
  • Create and manage a CAS web site (creativity, service)
  • Assist victims of natural disasters (creativity, action, service)

Time required for CAS

In the course of your CAS work, you should develop a number of personal skills in order to fulfil a range of personal outcomes. In order to have sufficient time in which to do this, you should aim to spend about 150 hours on CAS, spread out over eighteen months of the diploma programme.

Time should be evenly spent on Creativity, Action and Service. Please remember that CAS activities should be meaningful and lead to reflection and self-development.

The aims of CAS

The CAS programme aims to develop students who are:

Reflective thinkers. You should gain a better understanding of your strengths and limitations, identify goals and devise strategies for personal growth
Willing to accept new challenges and roles
Aware of themselves as members of communities with responsibilities towards each other and the environment
Active participants in sustained, collaborative projects
Balanced. You should enjoy and find significance in a range of activities involving intellectual, physical, creative and emotional experiences.

Learning outcomes

As a result of your CAS experience as a whole, including your reflections, you should be able to demonstrate that you have met each of the following learning outcomes:

Increased your awareness of your own strengths and areas for growth.

  • Undertaken new challenges.
  • Planned and initiated activities.
  • Worked collaboratively with others.
  • Shown perseverance and commitment in your activities.
  • Engaged with issues of global importance.
  • Considered the ethical implications of your actions.
  • Developed new skills.

In order to meet the CAS requirement, you will be expected to have provided evidence of having fulfilled each of these by the completion of the diploma programme. In addition, at least one of your projects involving collaboration must integrate at least two of creativity, action and service.

Example combinations:

Aspects of CAS that are integrated in the project Learning outcome demonstrated
Creativity and Service Collaboration
Creativity and Action Collaboration
Service and Action Collaboration

Some important concepts

Some of the concepts that you will encounter in your CAS experience are:

  • Experiential learning
  • Reflecting

These are discussed in more detail below.

Experiential learning

This is at the core of CAS.
It involves more than just the activity itself. It also involves:

Planning

Identify your goals Decide how you will reach these

Acting

Carry out real tasks Gain concrete experience

Observing

Think about your feelings and your interactions with others Analyse you perceptions

Reflecting

Identify your achievement, any outstanding issues, your personal strengths and your challenges Evaluate your actions Synthesize new understandings

Applying

Apply what you have learned to new situations

Reflecting

Reflection is a skill. Like any other skill, it is developed by practice.

The fundamental questions for any activity are:

  • What did I plan to do?
  • What did I do?
  • What were the outcomes, for me, for the team I was working with, and for others?

The answers to these questions can be complex.

Your reflection can be:

  • Public or private
  • Individual or shared
  • Objective or subjective

Most activities will involve a combination of these.

Reflection can be expressed in many forms. In the course of your CAS experience, you may find yourself reflecting:

  • In private thoughts that you keep for yourself
  • In writing, such as in your diary or journal, in the planning and evaluation forms, etc.
  • In oral presentations to other students and to parents, such as in the CAS fair.
  • In photo essays, DVDs, weblogs, or some other ICT medium.
Water for Life Club

The Water for Life Club is a student-run charitable organization that was founded in 2008 by DIA Alumni, Edward Pollock and Aman Ghose! It’s parent organization, the Aqua Initiative, is a recognized official charity. This academic year of 2017-2018 the club marks its milestone 10th team! Sign up as a member/ volunteer here.

Previous Years have all seen great successes! We believe every action towards the cause, irrespective of size, goes a long way in achieving our vision to tackle the Global Water Crisis.  Last year, the Water for Life club managed to generate a revenue of approximately 17,000Dhs!

The Annual World Water Day (22nd March) Assembly & Carnival are major events run by the club. Every year, Water for Life hosts an assembly to educate students about the Global Water Crisis, as well as the annual carnival (est. 2011) which is also hosted around this time! A traditional fundraising mufti-day allows students to dress in blue to show their support too. The carnival is a day packed with fun rides, delicious food and music, with all profits going towards a good cause! Students can unwind after a school day as they enjoy with their friends until sunset, and parents, family & friends are of course invited too!

The Club is completing 10 years, marking a very important milestone. We’d like to reflect on our club’s impact, as well as extend a sincere thank you to each and every student, ex-member, teacher, volunteer, supporter, & sponsor that has supported us in the past! From providing life straws & funding wells in mobile areas (through donations to the Aqua Initiative), to donating 7,000Dhs to the GIVE Foundation (2017), and empowering our students by educating them at assemblies; what’s in plan for this year? Get ready for an active year; we’ve got new events planned, ideas for awareness, we’re also looking at merged projects with other school clubs, and also expanding our team to the primary school too! Stay updated by following our facebook page!

Overview of the Water for Life Club (2017-2018)

Vision Statement: Water for Life strives to provide access to clean drinking water and facilities for sanitation to every individual on earth.

Mission Statement: To educate and empower students in Dubai, enabling them to work towards combating the Global Water Crisis by raising funds and performing service work through community events, lessons & activities.

We’re excited to bring back Water for Life (2017-18) with an enthusiastic core committee along with a team of committed members & volunteers! For any further inquiries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!

Supervisors Ms. Reena Tikku
Mr Jeffery Luce 
Chairperson Ananya Mirchandani
Vice Chairperson Dhiren Kewalramani
Head of Media & Communications Amira Khoda
Deputy Head of Media & Communications Sarah Khattab
Head of Finances & Treasury Carl Vinter
Deputy Head of Finances & Treasury Rohan Awtani
Head of Public Relations Yash Bulani
Deputy Head of Public Relations Denislav Tonev
Events & Research Team Allana Bennison, Neel Joshi, Paavnee Misra, Arnav Bulani

 

Eco Club

Secondary DIA has two dedicated environmental teams - The ECO committee and Eco Club CCA team that works tirelessly throughout the year in promoting and implementing conservation and sustainable measures at the school. Along with the student body, there is a wider involvement of the staff and parent community that actively contributes to our sustainable efforts.

Dubai International Academy's Eco Club is a student-led initiative that focuses on environmental education, energy conservation, raising awareness, recycling and sustainability. Students regularly participate in diverse projects aligned with our objectives by using meaningful, hands-on activities.

Mr. Pranjal Rai from secondary school and Ms. Natika Lewis from primary school work together to facilitate the Eco Club participants and engage students by offering a wide array of opportunities and projects geared towards individuals of all levels, such as Paper, Plastic and Can recycling drives, Food waste recycling and organic farming, clean up field trips, refurbishing school areas for environmental upgradation, student-led assemblies, sports events, bake sales, take away gifts from recycled materials, energy and water conservation measures and several other events and competitions with a focus on conservation and sustainability.

We welcome you to join us being a student, teacher, or a parent and hope that you enjoy participating in the many ongoing actions taken by Dubai International Academy's Eco Club!

Some of our significant achievement this year are:

  • Paper recycling drive led to the recycling of 1,200 KGS of paper in the past 12 months.
  • DIA has embarked in a full retrofit of its HVAC system (Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning) to improve its energy efficiency by 18-20%.
  • Food waste is converted into manure using the Bokashi bins. By-products were used in the organic garden to harvest our self-grown fresh produce.
  • Upcycling Competition, where DIA won the 3rd place in PS and 1st place in SS and overall winner in IVEI competition.
  • Unused corridor converted into Eco corridor inviting the community to enjoy the natural environment.
  • Cultivation and harvesting of organic vegetables from our own garden.
  • On Earth day, Eco club sold more than 100 plants that have been adopted in the homerooms. Meatless day, Bake sale and Mufti raised 5,600 dirhams for GIVE foundation as charity.
  • DIA won the DEWA conservation award in project category 2018. Our students proposed a smart system to conserve water in the sports field irrigation system.
  • DIA has been awarded the Green Flag by Eco-Schools for its sustainable and conservation initiatives.

Eco Committee at Senior School 2018-19

Club Supervisor Mr. Pranjal Rai
President Sophie Rosenthal
Vice President Aditi Jayachandran
Head of Finance Mehul Advani
Head of Communication Nour Abdallah
Head of Events 1  Aryan Langeh
Head of Events 2 Vidhi Sajnani
Head of Media 1 Hind Younus
Head of Media 2 Mehreen Masroor
Head of Recycling Jessica Hughes
Head of Energy Aryan Gulati
Head of Healthy Living Mantika Harish
Head of Biodiversity Sarah Omari
Head of Water Iza Florjanic
Interact Club

The Interact Club is a student led service, volunteer and charity student group that aims towards improving the community via small and large projects. It was initiated in 2013 with the sponsorship of the Jumeirah Rotary Club. 50+ members are working to "Spread the Smile" in our school.

For now, we are working within the school environment and in the immediate community. Building on successful initial activities, such as the awareness walks and events out of school such as Care Package from Adopt a Camp, The Sameness Project, etc.

Interact@DIA has also become heavily involved with SENSES Residential and Day Care for Special Needs in Umm Sequim. Interested parents and adults are welcome to help supervise and participate in activities.

Please contact Miss Marie Louise Vanesse 

Students may sign up as an Interact Member here

Interact 2016-2017 Board Members

 

President: Ananya Mirchandani
Secretary: Arnav Bulani Treasurer: Rohan Awtani
Head of Service: Srishti Duragkar Deputies: Sanjita Guha, Nour Abdallah
Head of Events: Adarsh Govindan Deputies: Aditi Jayachandran, Ananya Gupta
Head of Media: Maya John Deputies: Marshal Iqbal, Mihir Vittalam
Ambassador of the Outreach Program: Ananya Kumar Deputy: Joshua D'Souza

 

Duke of Edinburgh International Award

DIA secondary students have the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award (IA). 

This is an exciting self-development programme available to all young people aged 14-25, equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and the world. The Award concept is one of individual challenge designed to encourage young people to develop into responsible, active citizens who will positively contribute towards society. 

It presents a balanced, non-competitive and enjoyable programme of voluntary activities which encourage personal discovery and growth, self-reliance, perseverance, responsibility and service to the community. 

The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award is split into three levels. 

Bronze: for those over 14 (For students in year 10). The minimum period of participation to gain this award is 6 months.
Silver: for those over 15. (For students in year 11)The minimum period of participation to gain this award is 12 months.
Gold: for those over 16. (For students in year 12) The minimum period of participation to gain this award is 18 months.


The four sections that need to be completed in order to gain the award at each level are: 

  • Service
  • Adventurous Journey/Expedition
  • Skill
  • Physical Recreation     

In addition there is an additional requirement for a Residential Project at Gold Level.

Business Minds Club

Business Minds, a school-based student-led club was started by two Year 12 students from Dubai International Academy who were passionate about the world of Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship. Hence, to further pursue their interests they took the initiative to create a club where they could motivate other students to apply their significant subject knowledge into the real world.

Through this club we aim to expose students to real business world scenarios through a fun, interesting and challenging way. We aim to do this by helping dedicated students prepare and excel at various business competitions around the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, motivated from the interest shown by students, we successfully launched our own competition where high school students from Years 10-13 could participate amongst other students around the UAE.

In the academic year of 2016 - 2017 we held our inaugural Business event which consisted of 4 different events aimed to target the best in every student. By having a range of competitions, students were given the ability to specialise in one aspect of the business world that they excel at. This could be through the marketing of a product, the creation of a business plan or even through the designing of a prospective mobile application. Our event last year was extremely successful with 150+ participants from over 7 international schools based in the UAE as well as a sponsorship of AED 18,000 by the Apparel Group. The theme of the event was “Innovation”; therefore, participation in the event was a great opportunity for students to enhance their creativity, negotiation, leadership, marketing and public speaking skills by interacting with many new colleagues within an international environment.

We hope to keep on providing a platform for young students to express their talents in the Business field and hope to take the annual Business Minds competition to the next level in the coming years.

Ayush Walia & Carl Vinter (Co-Presidents, Business Minds 2017-2018)

TedED Club

The TedED Club is a student led club, initiated in DIA in 2017, which is directly affiliated with the official TedED International organization. TED is a media organization which posts talks online for free distribution, under the slogan "ideas worth spreading".

The TED-Ed Clubs program supports students in discovering, nurturing, exploring and presenting their big ideas in the form of short, TED-style talks. Our educators interact with 50+ students every Thursday for 50 minutes discussing the various explorations, and indulging in debate.

Over the year, we aim to develop our presentation literacy and oratory skills as a community, culminating in our annual event at the of June 2018 - where you have the chance to present your ideas in front of the whole school. This gets recorded, and is then uploaded on the official TED-Ed YouTube page. Hope to see you there!

Please contact Miss Rina Mehta  for any questions

Students may sign up by sending an email to [email protected]

TedED 2017-2018 Core Committee

  • President: Aditya Rathi
  • Vice President: Braeden Bihag
  • Liaison: Gautam Raj
  • Educators: Avaani Singh, Klara Sananikone, Neel Joshi 
  • Head of Admin & Media: Ishika Manglik, Natalia Parab 
DIA Cares

A student led philanthropic club in Dubai International Academy on a mission to create an equal world with focus towards education. In collaboration with the Give Foundation our club is devoted to raising funds for people in need.

The team has worked diligently throughout the academic year of 2017-2018 to organise numerous bake sales, food festivals as well as mufti for the world humanitarian day, all in order to raise funds and support the Give Foundation initiatives. In our first year as DIA Cares, the team has raised a total of approximately AED 12,000. The purpose of hosting culture specific sales was to unite the entire DIA body to make each and every student and faculty member feel part of the global community and be part of our mission.

Student Leadership

Students in the Secondary School have several opportunities to develop leadership skills. The Student Council and the House System offer multi-faceted roles and events for students to inculcate not just leadership qualities but also team work skills.


Student Council

The finest example of a “government by the students, and for the students”, Dubai International Academy’s Student Council is comprised of active leaders within the school’s community. We stand as a voice for the students, and seek to enhance and promote a vibrant student life in school. The Student Council meets at lunch every Wednesday to discuss and promote various social, extracurricular, and academic activities for DIA’s students.

In addition to organising events, the council is an active forum for debating new ideas and bringing suggestions from the student body to the school’s administration. In the recent past the Student Council has organised Friendship Day, Battle of the Houses, and many more events. We welcome input from all of our fellow students, and look forward to painting yet another annual picture of DIA’s ‘colourful student life’.

The Secondary School Student Council is run by the students- for the students.

Week Without Walls

DIA believes that Week Without Walls (WWW) should serve the purpose of making the student body more international minded and better global citizens. A global citizen is someone who is aware of the wider world, cares about people and the environment, and takes action to make the world a better place. The DIA Week Without Walls is designed to give students the experiences that will inspire them to become caring global citizens.

Students will engage in sustainable service and/or gain awareness of issues that transcend national borders.

Students will develop an understanding of issues of less developed economies, indigenous peoples, and environmental degradation and preservation while simultaneously helping people or building up cultural awareness and sensitivity.

Students will plan and work as teams, strengthening their teamwork for a common goal of greater good. The trips/activities will be linked to one or multiple strands of Creativity, Activity, Service and Application.

Student and parent information session on 27 Sep, 2018 at 5pm in the Exam Hall at DIA, Emirates Hills.

The WWW will be divided into 2 categories –

  • Local WWW (4 – 6 Dec, 2018): Open to all students of Year 7 to 10/ Grade 6 to 9
  • International WWW (8 – 12 Feb, 2019): Open to all students of Year 7 to 11/ Grade 6 to 9

The participation in the Local WWW is mandatory for all students of Year 7 - 10/ Grade 6 to 9.

The participation in the International WWW is not mandatory. The students that are not participating in the International WWW would have to stay home as it is the mid-term break.

The goals of the Trips week program include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Enrich and expand the cognitive and effective aspects of the IB curriculum by providing the students with diverse educational experiences.
  • Allow students the opportunity to forge stronger links between the classroom and the wider world.
  • Foster academic and personal growth through writing, research, and exploration.
  • Reinforce self-esteem and provide a sense of achievement.
  • Create positive interactions/relationships among students in groups, faculty, and other tour leaders in unique settings.
  • Provide opportunities for service learning, adventure, curricular and cultural experiences, learning of lifelong skills, or for interdisciplinary learning.

For any enquiries regarding Week Without Walls, please drop and email on [email protected]