School News

Noor-Ul-Iman Mock Trial 2020

In the 2019-2020 Noor-Ul-Iman school year, many clubs have been given the chance to shine, both recent and time-honored, and this year’s Mock Trial team was no exception. In a simulation of the tense environment of an American court of law, they were tasked with taking up the jobs of attorneys and witnesses to protect their clients. This year’s team took on the case of the police K-9 officer, MacGregor, who was murdered during a party by teenager Charlie Quinn. The defense’s side of the case, featuring Hiba Jamil and Haroon Usmani from 11th grade, took the side of Charlie Quinn, bringing in witnesses such as Kal Simpson, the defendant’s best friend, played by Hafsa Rahman in 11th grade, Dr. Mel Allen, who was played by Yahya Khan In 12th grade, and Charlie herself, played by Yasmeen Sakr.

In the first competition of the season, this team competed against the plaintiff team of JP Stevens High School in January, returning with a victory. Noor Ul Iman’s plaintiff team, who were on the side of the K-9, MacGregor, consisted of Ashhad Siddiqui in 12th grade, and also the captain of the team, and Rehan Baig in 11th grade as the attorneys, and the three witnesses: Rayaan Essafi in 12th grade as Officer Steph Murray, caretaker of MacGregor, Talha Odeh in 11th grade as Lew Olden, owner of the property where the crime scene took place, and Sophia Khan in 12th grade as Dr. Carlin George. In NUI’s second competition, they faced the defense team of South Brunswick High School, just narrowly missing the victory by a few points. Both teams had awe-inspiring performances in the stressful environment of the courtroom, portraying profound skill in analysis, management, and public speaking.

In the words of the captain of the team, Ashhad Siddiqui in 12th grade, “The Mock Trial team this year was probably one of our best. Every single attorney, witness, and backup really committed themselves and absolutely demolished in both of our cases. Our attorney coaches, Mrs. Dalya and Br. Ahmad, were the real heroes here, taking time out of their busy schedules to guide us along the way— we couldn't have done it without them. And while we met over three times a week, including early Saturday mornings, the skills we developed in the courtroom and the memories we shared made it all worth it. Walking up on Saturday just doesn't feel the same anymore. I love them all like family and will miss them as I graduate this year-- and am sure that with their extraordinary skills they’ll secure a championship win sometime soon. Shout-out to our mascot, Ali Mansour.”

We applaud the Noor-Ul-Iman Mock Trial team this year, and may Allah bless them in future endeavors.

Student Council Elections

Student Council is a form of student government at Noor ul Iman where students advocate for desires to improve their school. It is a great way to get involved in the inner system of the school as middle and high school students. By having a student council, students can express their concerns to their representatives and take them to the school administration. Student Council members are responsible for many things like spirit week (a week long event in which everyday there’s a new theme for students to dress in), sales, and propositions from other students.

The process of getting involved in the Student Council begins in sixth grade when students can be elected as class representatives. Students nominate their fellow peers to be potential class representatives. The nominated students’ campaign, and their peers vote for the person they deem the best fit. There are usually two representatives per grade, one from each section. If a student wasn’t elected, they can always try again the following year. Once students reach high school, they have the opportunity to run for officer positions. To qualify for an officer position, students must have been class representative at least once. If they meet this criterion, they give a speech to the high school student body regarding what they plan to do if elected.

In this year’s elections for officer positions, many students were nominated. Elections took place at the beginning of the school year. The candidates for this year were Nora Asker, Mustafa Wasti, Yaseen B’hat, Rehan Baig, Ali Yousry, and Saad Farooqui. All of these candidates gave amazing speeches and brought up some great points to appeal to their audiences. For example, one significant point brought up in Nora Asker’s speech was about how “there’s always room for improvement.” By mentioning this, she guaranteed that she would do everything in her power to make the student body’s concerns heard and work hard for them. Being vice president for the past two years, she also listed all the improvements the club has made and how they continue to grow. She mentioned all the new sales they added, like Chinese food, funnel cake, and hot chocolate sales. Another candidate whose speech stood out was Yaseen B’hat, who has also been an officer previously, mentioned focusing more around the school’s new theme of brotherhood and sisterhood. This showed his audience that he would use his power as an officer to give back and help people. Already students are doing great things, but pushing them to strive to do better would only bring more success to our school. He also spoke about bringing new events to the school like a color run. All the candidates had terrific ideas and additions to our school and did an astounding job expressing themselves to their audiences. In the end Yaseen B’hat was voted president, Rehan Baig as vice president, Nora Asker as secretary, Saad Farooqui as treasurer, Ali Yousry as marketing director, and Mustafa

Wasti as administration liaison. With so much talent, the school’s student council is going in a great direction, Insha Allah!