Sunshine

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

Do you all remember the post on gorgeously cool and cloudy days at ACA? Scroll down the homepage if you didn’t see it. Anyway, I promised to do a lovely sunshiney post after the cloudy one, and so here it is! Sunlight, bright strong and beautiful in Arizona!

The masjid on a particularly bright, blinding day!

There are so many bright colors when you walk down the stairs at the back of the school..

Do you see the tiny little white trail of.. of.. airplane steam? (or whatever it’s called) up there? Whatever it’s actually called, in my head it’s the modern shooting star. Yes folks.

Sunlight=green plants. Oh how the tree glows and grows.

I can’t help posting this photo over and over again. I just like it too much. Bear with me.

I love this photo. :) The shadows are just too delicious.

The clouds look like chalk pastel!

I think we’re ridiculously lucky to have a view of Phoenix like this from up here on the mountain. I love that we’re elevated, the air is just so edible. Oh, speaking of edible, I heard the CEO of Edible Arrangements is Muslim. Anyone know about this? So cool!

I can’t get over my cheesy corridor shots, either. Hope you liked our sunny school :)

Please contact me if you’d like to post anything from video to articles to photos, and comment, comment and comment again! Share this with friends and family!

Everyday Beauty

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

Look at everything beautiful we see everyday!

Here are a few fresh elementary students giggling in the morning a few days ago. I love smiley people!

This tree is like a wise, kind old parent. It waves us in to school in the morning, greets us on the way out, and shades us when we’re tired.

A busy locker room :) why is this beautiful? Look at all the blessings we have!

My camera was overwhelmed last second by the sun :/
A warm delicious afternoon..

So many lines!

On a fine, cloudy morning, the guys behave in nice brotherly manners.

I have to devote an entire section to these gorgeous, ripe date trees :) what fruit for the eyes!

Look at the heavy date palm!

What colors! The bright yellow dates, muted green, soft gray and sharp blue..

See its shadow, reflected as if on water in the brilliant green grass?

I wanted to end with something to make you smile! :) Here are some of the senior girls being silly and having fun <3

I hope you think “SubhanAllah!” I hope you say “Alhamdulillah!” …for everything beautiful you see and have!

If you’re interested in contributing in any way shape or form, let me know!

Junior and Senior Qur’aan Class

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

Observe a few photos of the junior and seniors shot during our Qur’aan class. Fyi, I didn’t take them while we were reciting. D: Alhamdulillah. :P

We’re concentrating on memorizing Suratul Kahf, along with studying its translation, some tajweed and its benefits.

Two senior girls spend their five minute break between periods reviewing together.. I crept up behind them :)

There are some concentrating guys in the class..

Shaykh Omar receives us back after the break between double periods..

A senior girl focuses on her recitation..

I don’t have many pictures during class since I didn’t take them during recitation :/ break!

There’s our Qur’aan class! Umm, since we take Qur’aan in the same classroom as arabic, I decided to take photograph of the basic arabic grammar explanation I found on the board.

Yeah, that arabic grammar is unrelated but I love grammar. Sooo there.

Stay tuned for more photos insha’Allah :) I hope to introduce a wonderful new photographer soon! If you’re interested in contributing in any way shape or form, let me know!

Ice Cream Fundraising Photos!

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

This event really made the kids Jumu’ah (Friday). Masha’Allah!

The line that wound up all the way under the shade of the tree!
Excited faces surrounded the truck!

Ice cream afterschool is a joy.

I began to get the feeling that the kids were enjoying not just the ice cream but also the fun of handling money lol :)

There was quite a crowd halfway through!

I think it was really good service considering the staggering number of people at the window!

All in all, the event was pretty sweet. JazakAllahukhairan for the organizers, the ice cream truck, and participants! :)

Ice Cream Fundraiser!

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

How many icecream “novelties” can you really just ignore as “fattening”? Join us and indulge in cool, creamy and sweet ice cream tomorrow at ACA! It’s for a good cause, anyways, if you need another reason! It’s still swimming season in our lovely steamy Arizonan desert, and my personal opinion is that you should enjoy (halal) life as much as possible. :P

All ice cream novelties, as was advertised, will be $3 each :) I’m already excited!

Stormy School Days

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

In the light of the September storms that tentatively sprinkle us, I thought I’d do a post of photos of the thunder, lightening and even hail our sturdy, stalwart teenage campus has survived.

On a dark, stormy {afternoon at ACA}…

Splashing through the school corridors.. I mean, we absolutely have to make it to the cafeteria.

Really, Coach? I didn’t know anyone owned an umbrella in Phoenix AZ!! :P

Clouds are just so majestic subhanAllah :)

Wheet! Scary stuff!

Now THIS, is a photo of the hailstorm that occurred after school at around 4 PM last September. I didn’t even know it was possible for it to hail in Phoenix.

Naturally, being Arizonans, we were wild with delight and thoroughly enjoyed the rain. I mean, like, thoroughly. The kids were out there sopping wet from head to toe. The hail actually hurt, too.

Our poetically deserted corridor on a cloudy, windy day!

The closest we get to a flood on the mountainous area we reside in in Phoenix!

Look at the gorgeously green soccer field! Masha’Allah :)

A glistening basketball court.

I love the circles on the rectangles..

That’s one dangerously slippery staircase!

Well, that was rather magnificent, don’t you think? Maybe my next post will be a sunny post.

Active ACA Students

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

SubhanAllah! Allah bestowed on us adrenaline, a beating heart, cool drinks, exercise and energy, fresh mornings and fruit, glowing skin, hula hoops, I-can’t-think-of-a-word-starting-with-an-i-that-has-to-do-with-exercise or activity. If you could enlighten me, that would be appreciated.

While you’re thinking, maybe you’d like to get some ideas from seeing us students (and some teachers!) running, kicking, alive and breathing!

Hula hooping current 2nd grader!

During a soccer game.. btw that little black dot isn’t an ant on your screen. That’s the ball.

Playing pool under the PE coach’s eye!

Elementary guys busy shoveling away!

Table tennis with the math teacher!

A current senior catching the ball during a volleyball game in the gym!

Where did the ball go?! A soccer game out on the field..

A current sophomore holding down a basketball!

 

Do you have any photos you would like to submit?? Let me know if so!

Memories of Last Year

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

Insha’Allah all of you enjoyed Eid Break! I figured I’d get a post up before I drown in the avalanche of homework we’ll probably get after our return…

:/ lol well at least we have nice moments like these below to make up for that! See what we got up to last year…

Some adorable elementary students in the masjid last Ramadan!

A 2011 NHS Meeting’s vote…

Writing an ayaah for encouragement in the English classroom last year…

We’re always attempting to get the flowers to grow again outside the ACA Masjid; last year’s attempt involved a rather magnificent wheelbarrow..

A Big Picture club meeting lunch…

Two girls working during Big Picture club meeting.

Do you have any photos you would like to submit?? Let me know if so!

Students for Somalian Aid

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

On the 26th of August, Ramadan night the 27th, several Arizonan Muslim students got together and did a bake sale and a change drive for Somalia at ICC Tempe Masjid. In the end they raised…

$2,538.01!

Yummy cupcakes and other goodies spread out on three tables!

The pretty, purple, donation box!
Some of our girls working on the table! Looks like she can’t find change :P

Masha’Allah, alhamdulillah! Although it wasn’t a school-based event, lots of our 7-12th grade students were involved in this effort ;) may Allah continue to let us serve Him through serving His people.

Also, we’d like to give a shoutout to Islamic Relief for having such professional programs, services, and responses for aid and support locally too! We, the youth, are pleased to know such an organization exists :) may Allah put barakah in your efforts!

Eid-ul-Fitr 2011!

!اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَا تُهُ

Don’t you just LOVE having E’id break?? It’s so much fun to be off when no one else is. And it’s so much easier to stay up at night when you don’t have to get up early! We’ve got this whole week PLUS Labor Day off alhamdulillah! Make dua’a for Islamic schools.. they give Eid breaks :)

How many ways do we say Eid Mubarak? Take a look at all the festive Eid preparations at school!

Ms. Jane’s elegant masterpiece! Oil pastel on black construction paper :)

A senior’s creative cutout Eid poster! Ms. Jane had them (us? me?) make Eid posters.. it was FUN.

There we are..

Our senior artwork is beauuuuutiful masha’Allah.

The arabic on the sides is a nice detail :)

Spongebob drops by to wish us Eid Mubarak as well! A creative 9th grader’s work on the bulletin board!

Those creative freshmen…

I don’t know what these things are called.. ?

..but they look quite nice :)

A shiny, shiny, shiny metallic Eid poster!

Look what I found in the 6th grade classroom! And tinsel, too!

~

On Friday, the 26th day of Ramadan and the last day of school before E’id break, the PTA also handed out goody bags! Yum! But I didn’t get a photo, unfortunately.

TaqabbalAllahu minna wa minkum! May Allah accept your fasting and good deeds this month!