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Fatima Bagha, an Al-Amal Alum, is the principal of ICM Weekend School
Al-Amal School and Islamic Center of Minnesota (ICM) enjoys a unique collaborative relationship. While both organizations are independent, their futures are tied to one another's success. One such area of cooperation is the weekend school.
Fatima Bagha, an Al-Amal graduate from the class of 2010, is the principal of the Sunday school and in charge of a staff of 45 people that includes 11 Al-Amal graduates or current students. They are: Sidhra Musani, Suheila Musani, Aminah Ahmed, Aisha Ahmed, Mohammed Hanif, Suboohi Khan, Lina Houri, Nesrin Balioglu, Samara Balioglu, Loubna Houri, and Semal Musleh.
Al-Amal Students Teaching at ICM Weekend School
As the ICM Sunday school principal, Fatima oversees the functions that support and assist the school in meeting the overall objectives of the ICM weekend school vision and the needs of the individual students. Her role is to provide leadership, direction, and coordination within the school, and to work in coordination with weekend school director.
Her duties as the principal encompass all aspects of the school operations, which include overseeing a staff of about 45 people, managing a student body of more than 200 students, taking responsibility for the detailed organization of the school, the development of the instruction program, the assignment of duties to and the supervision of members of the staff.
Fatima ascribes her growth as a leader to the training she received at Al-Amal School. According to her, "Being a part of the Al-Amal National Honors Society (NHS) was a key player in my leadership growth and served as my inspiration to give back to my community. To be a part of the NHS, you need to demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, and offer service. Being a part of the NHS made me realize that leadership is about much more than just volunteering a couple of times throughout the year. It's about becoming a better person, and having the dedication and passion to work hard to help others. It's about setting your differences aside to come together with those who serve for the same purpose to help or serve a greater common cause while at the same time taking into consideration what is in everyone's best interest and not expecting any type of reward or compensation in return. It's about building character, being active both inside and outside school, following school rules, promoting leadership, and becoming a role model. Being a part of the NHS also gave me a chance to promote my leadership skills, as the vice president of the organization. When I got the position, I knew the position held many responsibilities and that I would have to really stay on top of things all the time, be organized, communicate with others, and be patient. The experience of being the NHS vice president has gone a long way, and was one of my first stepping stones to becoming the ICM Sunday school principal. I will forever be grateful for the innumerable opportunities and invaluable experiences Al-Amal School gave me that have prepared me for leadership positions I am at today."
Mahtab Khan, former education director at ICM, praised the volunteer efforts of Al-Amal alumni and current students. He said, "When new student enrollment for the weekend school at the Islamic Center of Minnesota was starting to grow rapidly, as the education director, one of my biggest challenges was to find qualified, dedicated volunteers who were ready to spare time to educate the budding little Muslims. We turned for help from the students and alumni of Al-Amal school. It was heartening to see that the community's investment in that school is reaping fruits many folds, and its off-shoots are now a dependable source that can step in and provide much needed high quality volunteer services. Despite their busy academic schedules, a group of Al-Amal students and alumni volunteers are finding time to help the Islamic Center as teaching assistants, office workers and some are even taking on leadership roles. Al-Amal student volunteers are stellar, and the time and effort they devote here are making a real difference in the quality of education we provide here at the Islamic Center of Minnesota."
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