St. Mary's Group of Schools held a ground breaking ceremony on Thursday, May 10, 2018 to mark the beginning of the construction of St. Mary's High School in Ras Al Khaimah, its sixth school within the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Located in the Khalifa Bin Zayed City area of Ras Al Khaimah, the new school will offer a British curriculum from the Foundation Stage (FS) to A-level, with a capacity of nearly 1,800 students.

The ceremony took place in the presence of Joseph Flynn, Managing Director of St. Mary's Group of Schools; Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi, former UAE Minister and Ambassador; Fr. Thomas Ampattukuzhy, Parish Priest of St. Anthony of Padua Church; Fr. Thomas Sebastian from St. Joseph's

Cathedral; and Sr. Terisita Capurihan from St. Mary's Catholic High School Muhaisnah. It was also attended by Ramy Jallad, Group CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ); Taner Topcu, Director of the RAKEZ Academic Zone; Aswan Zubaidi, CEO of Urbanism Planning Architecture (UPA); Paolo Lettieri , Partner of UPA; and Fadi Elayache, General Manager of Al Hikma Building Contracting (HBC ).

"We are pleased to be able to extend our school system into the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. We believe that an education in any of our Catholic schools, which welcomes students of all religions, nationalities and cultures, will provide them with an excellent academic formation and integral human development. Particular emphasis is laid on imbibing the values of tolerance, respect and justice, which resonate strongly within the society of the United Arab Emirates, "said Bishop Paul

Hinder, the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia.

Set to open in September 2019 at RAKEZ Academic Zone, the school will be managed by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, which also oversees St. Mary's Catholic High School Muhaisnah. It will have large modern classrooms equipped with a wide range of technology to enhance teaching and learning with Wifi throughout the campus. This is in addition to the plan of developing a large multi- purpose hall for sports, assemblies and programs, and an outdoor soccer pitch and basketball courts. A wide range of after school activities and sports will also be available to expand learning and growth opportunities for the students. The school's design was developed by Urbanism Planning Architecture (UPA) Consultancy while the contract was awarded to Al Hikma Building Contracting (HBC).

"I am delighted to welcome St. Mary's High School to Ras Al Khaimah and RAKEZ Academic Zone which is another milestone in bringing premium education to our community. The institution has long been recognised throughout the UAE for its high-quality, value-basededucation," said Ramy Jallad, Group CEO of RAKEZ. "St. Mary's High School is another great addition to the family of qualified education providers we have at the Academic Zone and Ras Al Khaimah but of course, we're not stopping here as we will continue attracting first-rateinstitutions which can provide the best learning experience to students of all ages."

Currently, St. Mary's Group of Schools has five schools located in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah. All of the schools provide for the holistic development of each child, with a mission of high quality education, affordability, positive discipline and values. They also offer opportunities for the students to participate in projects related to social and environmental issues.

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