Spiritual LIFE

Islamic Studies in grade 9 and 10 build the foundation for students in building their beliefs, understand their Islamic identity, learn various Islamic principles, understand the rules and discover the beauty of prayer, fasting, and other ways of worshipping Allah. Islam is taught with love, reason, compassion, and as a means to mental and spiritual well-being for each student. Our curriculum also focusses on students being able to present Islam to the wider community and defend it against any misconceptions or false narratives. In grade 11, students study the history of Islamic civilization from the rightly guided Khulafa’ all the way to the fall of the Uthmani Khilafah. They get to critique and analyze the success of the various dynasties as well as reasons for their downfall, and learn lessons from each. All the above mentioned courses are accredited with the ministry of education and students receive a credit towards completion of their OSSD requirements.

L.I.F.E. (Learning Islam For Excellence) Program

Fostering opportunities to integrate Islam into daily student learning is a key objective of the school. The LIFE program is a 30 minute per day session that is conducted by one of the Imams of the Masjid, school staff, or a guest speaker from the community. Students cover various topics that are relevant to them or reflect on current affairs pertaining to the community locally or globally. This is a school wide program that is conducted usually between first and second periods.

Daily Prayers

Prayer is part of the daily school schedule, including Jum’a on Fridays. Between third and fourth periods, students go for Dhur salah in the masjid with the rest of the community. There is a short reminder after salah, where a student typically shares a story, a hadith, or something else inspiring. During winter months, students also pray Asr immediately after fourth period with the community. Fridays are celebratory days for Muslims and at ISNA High School we make it extra special. Students are encouraged to wear traditional clothing from any Muslim culture. Classes are shortened to sixty minutes to give students an opportunity to pray the first prayer with the community. After the Jum’a prayer, students have a wide choice of lunch items to purchase and enjoy to mark the occasion.

Islamic Environment

Students feel a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood at ISNA High School. The comradery is built by fostering an Islamic environment where respect, tolerance, upright character, and loving for others what you love for yourself is instilled throughout our teachings and dealings with students. Boys and girls have separate gymnasiums, locker areas, and cafeterias in order to feel more comfortable and relaxed around their friends. Grade 9 and 10 students have separate sections according to gender, while grade 11 and 12 are separated within the co-educational classrooms. We have established a Safe School Committee comprising of students from different grades and a few staff representatives to ensure the school environment is safe and free from any discrimination, harassment, and/or bullying.