School News

Just recently, the 6th graders had their annual science fair, where they presented their finished projects to students, teachers, and parents. The projects included a range of different “inventions” and experiments, including a gravity defying maglev train and solar powered toy car.

Each science fair group, which consisted of about 3 to 4 students, presented to teachers who then judged their presentation style as well as the veracity and applicability of their project idea. The students started off by presenting their poster which included the materials needed for the project, the procedure, as well as the data for the experiment. They then showed the group of judges a video of the project. The teachers then asked them questions testing their background knowledge of the subject matter and why they approached the project in the way they did.

I personally found the projects to be fascinating and I wished I could stay longer to view the other experiments in action. Unfortunately, my time had come to leave, but I knew the projects that I wasn’t able to see were just as good as the ones I saw.

On Wednesday May 1st, 2019, Noor-Ul-Iman’s seventh grade class hosted their annual science fair.

The students presented science projects that they had been working hard on since the beginning of March. There were 11 group projects, a majority of which were experiments testing small-scale buildings and constructions. Most of the experimentation process was done independently, excluding the finishing touches completed at school on the days leading up to the science fair.

At the science fair, each group presented their project to a panel of judges and the visiting sixth grade classes. One such project was testing a ski lift, in which the students built a small-scale ski lift and tested its speed as it lifted different masses. The group concluded that the higher the mass that needed to be lifted, the slower the ski lift moved.

All the groups were competing against one another for the top three places in the eyes of the judges, and the winners will be announced at the Middle School Recognition ceremony at the end of the year.

This year, the kindergarten science fair revolved around the life cycle of a butterfly. The program began with a short presentation by the students on what they had learned. Then, students ecstatically took their parents to see their very own project, an adaptation of the life cycle of the butterfly and a concise report along with it.

I had the fortune of interviewing a student who told me the extent of what they had learned and said that he was most intrigued by the butterfly’s method of feeding. Although the projects were really nice and creative, I didn’t fully appreciate it until Mrs. Linda, one of the kindergarten teachers, told me the lengths to which the students went to achieve the final end product. She told me that the students observed first-hand the butterfly life cycle by actually seeing the butterflies’ metamorphosis over the period of a month. Every day for that month, the students observed the butterflies, and noted down their observations. This really displayed to me how much effort the students put in, and how reliable the information we learned truly was.

All in all, attending the kindergarten science fair was truly an experience for me, as I saw the astounding results of months of hard work.

It was Thursday, April 18th, and after months of preparation and practice, the Noor-Ul- Iman 3rd Graders were prepared to present their finished plays to an audience of parents and 2nd graders.

The students were to present two plays, one being a reenactment of Finding Nemo, while the other based on The Lion King. After dressing in costumes displaying their respective character roles, the 3rd graders got right into action. A student started off by reciting the following ayah in the Qur’an:

ای_ِر^َط اًمْح^َل َنو^ُل^ُك^ْأَت ^ٍّل^ُك نِمَو ۖ ٌجاَج^ُأ ٌح^ْلِم ا^َذٰـَهَو ُهُباَرَش ٌغِئاَس ٌتاَرُف ٌب^ْذَع ا^َذٰـَه _ِناَرْحَب^ْلا ي_ِوَتْسَی اَمَو َنوُر^ُك^ْشَت ْم^ُك ^َّلَع^َلَو ِهِل ْضَف نِم اوُغَتْبَتِل َرِخاَوَم ِهیِف ^َك^ْلُف^ْلا ىَرَتَوۖ اَهَنوُسَب^ْلَت ^ًةَی^ْلِح َنوُج_ِرْخَتْسَتَو which means: “And not alike are the two bodies of water. One is fresh and sweet, palatable for drinking, and one is salty and bitter. And from each you eat tender meat and extract ornaments which you wear, and you see the ships plowing through [them] that you might seek of His bounty; and perhaps you will be grateful.”

After the short Qur’anic recitation, the play officially commenced as the two main characters, playing the roles of Marlin and Nemo, are introduced. As the play goes on, the audience watches in apprehension as Nemo gets taken away, and Marlin along with Dory embark on an adventure to save Nemo. The students vividly portray the adventure full of perils and display a delightful reunion of Marlin and Nemo. The audience applauded as the first play came to an end, and the students left the stage.

I really enjoyed watching the 3rd grade play, and would have liked to stay for their performance of the movie, The Lion King, although time would not permit that.

On April 17th, 2019, Noor-Ul-Iman students and staff from 3rd through 12th grade attended That Physics Show, presented by Dave Maiullo and his students from Rutgers University. Students and teachers watched in excitement as Dave presented various experiments all of which he connected to and explained through the laws of physics.

Dave presented the properties of different gases, and then demonstrated what would happen to a balloon filled with hydrogen versus one filled with helium, when set on fire. He continued his explanation of gases by bringing up the densities of the two gases. He then proceeded to breathe in both of the gases, to show students how the densities of the gases could either lead to his voice becoming high-pitched from helium, or very deep from hydrogen.

Dave continued with many more experiments, such as what would happen to a rose after being dipped into liquid nitrogen. Students also learned the reason as to why a person lying down on a bed of nails would not get hurt. Dave taught students how they could see sound waves, and let students look for themselves.

Students and staff both enjoyed That Physics Show tremendously, and look forward to future visits from the team.

The morning of April 16, 2019 1A and 1B classes readied themselves for the performance of a lifetime. It was the day of their annual science fair and they dressed up as all of the planets and some of their moons with astronaut hosts.

They put on a play and stated a few facts about the planets and moons they represented. Afterwards they sang a song about the solar system.

It was an extremely entertaining event with a great parent turnout. All of the students showed off their acting and researching prowess. Great job to first grade for the amazing performance!

Noor-Ul-Iman hosted its fifth Model United Nations on April 13, 2019. The all day event served as tryouts for students who wanted to be part of the team for 2019-2020 school year. Many students came as representatives of countries from around the world and debated the solutions to the problems of children in war-conflicted areas and non-communicable diseases in 3rd world countries.

The two chairs for World Health Organization committee were Yousef Amer and Nora Asker. Reem Esseghir and Shuayb Basha moderated the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural committee. Representatives took on the policies of their respective countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, France and more.

On top of the Model United Nations' simulation of either passing or voting against the resolutions to the problems there were also awards. These awards included Best Delegate, Best Position Paper, Most Distinguished and Most Outstanding. Former Model United Nations' participants encourage more students to try out for the experience as well as fun.

On Friday, April 12th, NUI’s eleventh grade class joined hundreds of other students on a trip to Six Flags for its annual Physics Day celebration. Equipped with stopwatches and accelerometers, students had a chance to see Physics in motion by observing the different speeds, accelerations, and periods of a variety of roller coasters. Students were asked to record the timing and acceleration associated with a certain coaster. They were also asked to note any feelings of weightlessness, or free fall, while riding the coaster. Juniors rode a majority of rollercoasters across the park, including Kingda Ka, the world’s tallest and second-fastest roller coaster.

Though not at school, the students still held Jummah prayer together, and had the chance to listen to a khutbah given by one of their peers. They then prayed together at the park, demonstrating the importance of making time for the remembrance of Allah (swt) during a day of fun. Overall, this trip was an exciting and fun experience that the juniors partook in, a way to observe what they’ve learned in physics all year, firsthand.

On Thursday, April 11, 2019 Barnes and Noble hosted a book fair for Noor-Ul-Iman School and Ibra Magazine at Princeton Marketfair .

Ibra means "a bridge" and the magazine acts as a way to bridge Muslim students with their society while showcasing their creative skill. This is especially important in today's society when Muslims need an outlet to express themselves.

Ibra debuted their fourth volume of the magazine and hosted readings of the students' work. Among those who presented were Hana Patel, Anum Ahmed, Ambereen Fatima and Rayan Essafi. It was a great experience for the students to share their art with the community at large.

The book fair at Barnes and Noble is an annual occurrence where families can purchase summer reading books as well as gifts for Ramadan and Eid. This year shoppers even received free gifts if they purchased something. A portion of all purchases directly benefits Noor-Ul-Iman school.

If you couldn't make it to this year's book fair you can still support Ibra with submissions of student artwork, photography, poems or short fiction for volume 5. Donations are always appreciated.

InshaAllah this magazine will grow into a widely read Islamic phenomenon to achieve its goal of bridging the gap.