King Abdullah Academy

Last weekend, our High School Science Fair winners competed at the Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair, earning incredible achievements! Sidra Younis, Jude Hijazi, Zaina Naffa, Deem Alfadhel, and Zeinab Khan were recognized by Virginia Tech DC Metro Region STEM Labs for notable projects, receiving a publication opportunity and an internship.

Our juniors also excelled in their categories—Saad and Faisal Alangari placed 3rd in Biomedical Engineering, while Zeinab Khan, Deem Alfadhel, and Zaina Naffa secured 2nd in Environmental Engineering.

We are so proud of their hard work and can't wait to see what they accomplish next!

KAA students attended the “Color of Justice” program on Saturday, March 22nd at the Fairfax County Courthouse. During this four-hour session, students had the opportunity to watch a mock criminal trial and then were divided up into juries to discuss the guilt or innocence of a criminal defendant, while being advised by actual judges and lawyers!

We had 13 students participated in the program (6 from high school and 7 from middle school).

KAA students had an exciting, successful time at the Model UN Conference in New York City.

The conference lasted three whole days and was extremely large. One of the committees had over 300 students in it. There were participants from all over the world, especially Italy.

In the end, all of our students were recognized with a certificate for being Honorable Delegates, which was the highest designation presented in this conference.

KAA also won a certificate for the “Best Small Delegation.” Not only that, but during the closing ceremony in front of about 1,000 people, three of our students were asked to speak in front of the crowd: Jood Boker, Ryan Musmar, and Hirah Contractor.

Great Job Falcons!

We are thrilled to announce that Lilia Aboukoura was recruited by Mary Baldwin University (MBU) head volleyball coach to play for their team! MBU is a NCAA division II private university located in Staunton, Virginia. MBU’s athletic program plays in the same conference as Virginia Tech and UVA. Lilia has been given an offer to play as a setter for their volleyball team for 4 years and she will be joining their physical therapy program in the fall of 2025.

Congratulations to Lilia and all the KAA family and community!

Senior Essam Jazzar was selected by King Abdullah Academy to receive a 2025 Student Peace Award of Fairfax County. He was one of 28 recipients honored at a reception on March 2. Rep. Gerry Connolly praised the work of the awardees and introduced a Resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives listing all of them and recognizing their work as “the building blocks of a more peaceful and tolerant world.”

After almost a decade of serving our community, it is with profound sadness that we announce the Academy will close at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.

We are proud of the incredible legacy we leave behind and grateful for the students, families, faculty, and staff who made this institution so meaningful. KAA has been a body of academic excellence and Islamic values for nearly a decade, and we cherish our community for honoring these values.

Transition support will be our top priority in the coming months as we work together to navigate this change. Comprehensive plans are being implemented to assist students in transferring to other institutions, ensure faculty and staff receive the resources they need, and maintain connections within our vibrant alumni network.

To our entire community: Thank you for being part of this story.

Zaina Naffa, 11th grader came in the 1st Place in the competition at the American Legion 17th District! defeating two other contestants who had won at their American Legion posts. Zaina was presented a signed certificate and a check for $300.

Zaina will now represent the 17th District at the Northern Regional Oratory Contest on Saturday, February 1st. The Regional and Department Oratory Chairman was very impressed with Zaina’s speech and all three of the judges were lawyers, and they were also impressed by Zaina’s grasp of the U.S. Constitution.

Last Saturday, January 18th, Middle Years Programme students in Grades 6-10 at King Abdullah Academy, along with their parents, participated in a meaningful MLK Day of Service event. In partnership with Brigade of Mercy, a local non-profit that provides charitable humanitarian relief to the destitute, homeless, orphans, refugees, and victims of war and other calamities, we packed a staggering 10,000 non-perishable food packages for those affected by the wildfires in California.

Service as Action is a core component of the MYP, empowering students to be active participants in their community. This weekend of service, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., reinforced the idea that this is "a day on, not a day off" by encouraging students to engage in service.

The Fairfax Bar Association Young Lawyers Section (FBA – YLS) is hosting the Color of Justice program from 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 22nd, 2025. This FREE program is open to ALL high school and middle school students

During this four-hour session on Saturday, March 22nd, students will have the opportunity to watch a mock criminal trial and then be divided up into juries to discuss the guilt or innocence of a criminal defendant, while being advised by actual judges and lawyers!

During last year’s participation by KAA students, every student participant said that it was a great program with some of the students reporting that this event convinced them to go into the field of law.

Here are a few pictures of last year’s Color of Justice program.

I hope to see you there!

Last week we had the Ceremonies for the Annual American Legion Oratory Contest in McLean.

Zaina Naffa (11th Grade) came in 1st Place, Zaina’s speech, titled “Our National Anthem,” linked the Constitution to the Alien and Sedition Acts, a couple of influential court cases, the War of 1812, and Francis Scott Key’s writing of the Star-Spangled Banner. Zaina obviously conducted a great deal of research in preparation for this contest. Her performance looked like a courtroom drama: lively, informative, and interesting.

A junior from Langley High School came in 2nd Place.

Jenna Said (11th Grade) came in 3rd Place, Jenna’s speech, “A Father, a Dream, a Promise,” focused on the lessons Jenna learned from her father’s experiences in Kuwait and Philadelphia. She spoke about how her father came to this country with only $5 dollars in his pocket and later kept his money under his pillow, because the crime rate in Philadelphia was so high. She explained how the Constitution’s guarantee of individual rights inspired and provided the framework for her father to become a successful doctor.

Sarah Salim (former KAA student) and Sami Alzahrani (9th Grade) also competed.

All of the students spoke for 8-10 minutes on the U.S. Constitution, and then for just over 3 minutes on the 7th Amendment to the Constitution (Right to trial by jury).

The 40+ member audience consisted of Legionnaires from McLean and Maryland, as well as several KAA students who came to support their classmates.