News >A Field Day To Remember!

With the unswerving support of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, and that of the U.S. Regional English Language Office (RELO),  TFL’s Access team held a Field Day for its 480 students who converged from all parts of Lebanon to the venue at El Rancho resort in Ghedrass on Thursday, July 7, 2022.

Under the theme of “Diversity,” the main objective of the Field Day was to encourage interaction and foster diversity among students coming from different regions, some of whom have not even known their countrymen outside their locality or district.

Lending their extra pairs of hands to the team were numerous TFL staff and Access alumni who joined as volunteers bent on contributing to making the event a success.

Her Excellency Dorothy Shea, the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, graced the Access Field Day with her presence, along with Melissa O’Shaughnessy, the new Public Affairs Officer at the Embassy, and Edith Bitar, the U.S. Embassy's Cultural Affairs Coordinator, who also gave time from their busy schedules in order to attend.  

A remarkable gesture that the Embassy made was in getting five U.S. marines, themselves from diverse ethnic backgrounds, to spend hours during the day mingling with the students and participating in group activities, thus enabling the students to practice their English along the way. 

Following warm greetings to the students and a hearty breakfast upon their arrival in 25 different buses, the Field Day began with standing up to the Lebanese and USA anthems, followed by a Welcome Statement by Salyne El Samarani, TFL CEO, and an Opening Note by the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon. 

Next, students and alumni from the different Access centers and regions in Lebanon were asked to join their pre-assigned mixing groups in order to participate in the activities. Each team consisted of 30 students, one Access teacher, one teacher assistant, one Access alumnus, and one to two TFL staff who further assisted the teachers and chaperoned the students. No doubt, wherever the U.S. Marines went, the students in the group were excited to perform the activities jointly with them.  

The activities included arts, crafts, team building, nutrition, emergency tips, yoga, and self-defense tactics. At mid-day, a copious lunch was served to all the participants, where students seized the opportunity to connect and get to know their national Access mates further.

Another round of the activities was conducted in the afternoon, leading to the conclusion of the Field Day.

But before the event ended, the students gathered in El Rancho's outdoor “main square” and joyfully danced, cheered, and chanted with their teammates to lively music; they even put on a talent show! Then the day’s sign-off was made by a Thank you note from George El Assad, Access Program Director, and Manar Hammoud, Program Coordinator, following which the students orderly departed back home by the same buses on the pleasant thought that they’ve made new friends and acquaintances and gotten to know about other parts of their country, all capped by such memorable fun!

We would like to thank the U.S. Embassy and the Access team for such a successful event and an unforgettable day for the students and alumni, and for all the other stakeholders involved as well.