It all started with a story. In 2012 Fatima Martin, now Principal of New Millennium School (NMS), was listening to Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Director General of the KHDA, telling an audience of UAE educators a story about sunflowers.
“Dr Abdullah was pointing to the phenomenon of heliotrophy, whereby the head of a sunflower follows the direction of the sun.”
“He urged schools to be like the sunflower; to keep turning towards the stimulus for energy, which in our case would be our students.”
“And then we need a greater catalyst. He said we should do what some sunflowers do, which is to look at each other on a cloudy day in order to share the cosmic energy.”
“When I was assigned the headship of NMS, I did not forget that.”
Fatima Martin, Principal of GEMS New Millennium School, related a story about sunflowers, which inspired the theme for the day’s celebration
This seed of inspiration planted by Dr Al Karam led to a philosophy that has taken root across the whole of NMS over the past decade, blossoming into a school culture in which teachers and students share ideas and take strength from each other as they reach ‘Semper Sursum’ (‘Forever Higher’, the school’s motto) towards the sun.
“We wanted to ensure that every student was discovering their potential, challenging themselves, problem solving, creating lifetime friendships, and engaged in pursuit of their passions.”
Ten years later, and NMS has marked its first decade with a sunflower-spangled showcase of student talent, leading a group of VIPs – including Dr Abdullah himself, as well as GEMS CEO Dino Varkey and Nargish Khambatta Principal, Vice President of Education at GEMS Modern Academy – on a red-carpeted journey through the school, dappled with interactive displays, performances, and challenges by students of every age.
The theatrical promenade led from the school exterior, through the courtyard, inside the school and up in the elevator, culminating in a spectacular series of poetry, speeches and music in the school’s impressive auditorium. Every step of the way was – of course – festooned with sunflowers at every turn. 
The power of perspective
Reaching a decade is an apt milestone for reflection, and part of the NMS 10-year celebrations included the publishing of a special yearbook, lovingly compiled by a team of students and teachers.
The Yearbook outlines the growth and impressive achievements NMS has won over the years, in areas diverse as robotics, programming and innovation, art, performing arts, model United Nations and exam results.
The ceremony in the auditorium was led by a talented student MC, who opened the occasion with a poem that was not written by himself, but by AI:
“In Dubai there is a school so fine,
“GEMS Millennium is divine,
“A decade old, it’s stood the test of time,
“Its success, truly quite sublime.
“In a world driven by technology, in a city like Dubai with innovation at its very peak, what better way to celebrate the 10 glorious years of GEMS New Millennium than through a poetic verse, written by Chat GPT?”
A video montage showcasing the school’s progression followed, set to the sound of an amazingly slick live performance of ‘High Hopes’ by Panic at the Disco sung by the Year 12s.
Principal Fatima Martin introduced Dr Abdullah to launch the 10-year commemorative Yearbook, who took to the stage to tell yet another story; this time not about sunflowers, but about three stone masons:
“I am reminded of a story about a visitor of a small village, who came upon three men who were cutting stones.
“The visitor asked the men what they were doing.
“The first man replied ‘I am cutting this stone,’. This was of course a correct answer, because that is what he was doing.
“The second man replied, ‘I am providing for my family, giving them food, a house and a good living.’ And that was also technically the right answer.
“And then the third man replied, ‘I am helping to build the village.’ And that is also a correct answer.
“All of these answers are right; it just depends on your perspective.
“As we sit here in the auditorium, we have students, young and old. We have parents, young and old. And we have to think about our perspective. Are we like the first man, sending our children simply to get an education?
“While that is correct, we can also look at the second man and the third man, and see what they are trying to do.
“And I think looking at the NMS journey of 10 years, I think it is fair to say that you are not only helping to build the village; you are also helping to build the future of this city we call Dubai.
“In another 10 years, some of the students here at the back will be up at the front as parents with their own children attending this school.
“It’s important for us to remember that we are not just running a school. We are bringing up a new generation and preparing them for the life they have ahead of them.
“So as we celebrate this 10 years, it is good to remind ourselves of the job we have at hand, and to really take that on because, really, there’s no other job in the world that you can be doing that’s better than the one you are doing right now.
“I congratulate you and thank you for all the hard work of the past 10 years, and for the next 10 years in the future.”
After a round of applause, GEMS CEO Dino Varkey then took to the stage to thank Dr Abdullah, Principal Fatima Martin, the school staff and parents. He concluded by saying:
“Finally, to our students:
“You’ve been on an incredible journey. It’s important never to forget just how much we all rely on you. We know that our future and the future of the world rests squarely on your shoulders.
“That’s an incredible responsibility. But I know that the values and skills and experiences you’ve had at NMS will ensure your shoulders are broad enough not only to take the weight of that responsibility, but also to exceed all of our expectations in terms of what you will achieve.”
The celebrations were rounded off with both Dr Abdullah and Mr Dino Varkey planting an orange tree in the grounds of the school; a fitting tribute for a school whose ethos budded from a seed of inspiration planted through a story told by Dr Abdullah back in 2012.
Left to right: Fatima Martin, Principal of GEMS New Millennium School, Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of the KHDA, Dino Varkey, CEO of GEMS Education, and Nargish Khambatta, Principal and CEO of GEMS Modern Academy and Vice President – Education
The ceremony guests left with homemade bookmarks, with the words of a Walt Whitman verse:
“Keep your face towards the sun,
“And the shadows will fall behind you.”
Congratulations to NMS on its first decade from all of us at SchoolsCompared.com.
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