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As one of the newest international schools on the island starts planning a memorable celebration for its first-ever batch of graduates, a series of workshops are being staged to help them plan their continuing educational journey.
The Riffa Views International School (RVIS), a college preparatory instuitute which opened its doors to a mere 80 students in 2008, is crossing a milestone this year as its Grade 12 students head off to universities in the US, Canada, the UK and across Asia.
Dr Joseph Rosevear, RVIS secondary principal, said: “The entire RVIS community is excited as it represents a huge step in the progress of our school.
“We have seen many major milestones since we first opened back in 2008, such as the many international accreditations it has received from the Council of International Schools (CIS), Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA), International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and, more recently, in 2014, RVIS received an ‘outstanding’ rating in all areas assessed from Bahrain’s National Authority for Qualifications and Quality Assurance of Education and Training (NAQQAET).
“We now stand at 400-plus students and look forward to many more accomplishments and RVIS graduates in the coming years.
“The first graduation for RVIS will be a memorable one for sure! A graduation committee has already been formed and planning is underway to ensure a successful event.
“We are so proud that all of our graduates will be attending university and our secondary school counsellor, Mary Ann Thompson, is currently assisting them with their further education applications.” RVIS offers an American curriculum and students have the option to graduate with a High School Diploma or take the leading internationally-recognised pre-university IB Diploma Programme. Approximately 90 per cent of the Grade 12 students are participating in the IB Diploma Programme.
To help guide them along, the school regularly hosts a number of presentations throughout their high school life, briefing them on university offerings, admissions criteria and the application process. In addition to these presentations and meetings with individual admissions officers, RVIS hosts university fairs.
In recent days the school hosted two workshops featuring experts flown in from the UK and the US to help familiarise students with the various most up-to-date application processes.
The first workshop, held on school grounds, was conducted by Global Study UK led by Wioleta Londono, the director of student recruitment. It recommends that students start looking at universities from Grade 11 to be aware of the courses, requirements, university preferences and locations.
During the workshop, she walked the students through the UCAS application process required for most UK universities. The UK admissions allow students to apply for five university options via a system called UCAS.
She said: “Their university choice could determine the difference they make as an individual on society, culture and their own achievements. My message is ‘think outside the box, make a difference and change your life and those around you’.
“This is an excellent opportunity to allow students to be exposed to different choices for their further education and create the right path to a successful and fulfilling future.”
The second workshop, led by a representative from New York University Abu Dhabi, talked about the Common Application that is geared towards US universities which allow unlimited bids for a place.
One pupil, who has studied at RVIS since it opened, said: “It has been a remarkable experience and diversity is very evident in the school – our students come from all over the world and the world is your oyster when it comes to the future!”
