Historical Background

A School with a Tradition

Brummana High School was founded in the Nineteenth Century, in 1875, by Theophilus Waldmeier, a Swiss missionary, who joined the Society of Friends and became a Quaker. Waldmeier first came to Lebanon in 1867 and was engaged as Inspector of Branch Schools in Beirut, the Mountains and Damascus. He moved to Brummana and in 1874, took over the Girl’s School, and in 1875 he bought Birket el Ghanem (20000 square yards of propery), changed its name to Ayn es Salaam, and was authorised by the owners, the Friends’ Syrian Mission, to build the Training Home for boys which now is Brummana High School.

The Society of Friends

The Society of Friends, a non-conformist Christian sect, arose in the mid-17th century in England from a religious experience of George Fox.

Across its long history, the School was owned by the Friends Service Council in London and operated through its local Management Committee. It had always had a principal and many staff members of British nationality and belonging to the society of Friends.

Accordingly, the School constitution dictated that the education provided by the School be based on religious principles as understood by the Society of Friends, which stress lack of involvement in political activity, lack of discrimination, no acknowledgement of national or racial divisions and promotion of the spirit of service.

They imposed no restrictions on the pursuit of higher standards through enlightened methods. Furthermore, the fundamental Quaker belief that there is something of God in every man, made it mandatory for the School to prepare its students intellectually and technically while imparting to them the spirit of service, so that upon graduation they become well equipped to be good servants of their communities.

The School did not indulge in mission activity and the students’ beliefs in their own religions were never challenged or depreciated. Teachers from outside the Society of Friends were expected to be in sympathy with Friends’ principles and to teach in accordance with them, particularly emphasising moral and intellectual self-reliance and respect of the individual and to help the students to develop in strength and independence, treating them with gentleness but with firmness and without fear, partiality, favour or indulgence.

In 1985, the Society of Friends totally withdrew from the School operation and handed the responsibilities to the Brummana High School Cultural Society, composed of old B.H.S. scholars. Since this date, the B.H.S.-C.S. has been totally and independently in control of the School*.

The Brummana High School Cultural Society

*The following represented is historical. Please view Disclaimer at bottom of the page.

The BHS Cultural Society is responsible for the total educational and administrative operations of B.H.S. In this capacity, it executes its role through the processes of planning for current and future programs, monitoring of and guiding the activities in progress, recruiting personnel and exercising quality control over all the operations.

In turn and when deemed necessary, it seeks guidance from the experience and expertise of teachers and administrative personnel, from the educational achievement of students as reflected by internal and external assessment, from the Parents Association, from the Old Scholars Association and from the School constituency.

Accordingly, there are no restrictions on its contacts whether with individuals or groups within or outside the School. It reserves the right to contact any individual within the School at any level of the hierarchy, but with the knowledge of the immediate superior, for better co-ordination and to avoid confusion.

The Committee attends to its responsibilities in session with full membership or through its sub-committees for educational and administrative affairs.

Vision

As custodian of Brummana High School, the B.H.S. Cultural Society shall create optimal conditions for its students for moral,educational and cultural growth and achievement, in line with the century old B.H.S. traditions as well as the high expectations of the School constituency.

Mission

In the realm of moral growth and development, the B.H.S. Cultural Society strives to maintain the basic traditions and spirit, which characterised the operation of the School for over a century and which appear in summary in the historical account. Therefore, it calls on the student body, teachers and constituency of BHS to abide by these traditions which emphasise honesty, kindness, truth and service, while at the same time assuring Old Scholars and friends of the School that the B.H.S.traditions, which they hold dear to their hearts, are upheld and will be maintained as long as the School remains in operation.

At the educational and cultural levels, the School strives to offer a comprehensive preparation for the adult world beyond school days. There is no good activity in that adult world for which the School should not feel it its duty to prepare students.

In the first place, the School promotes acquisition of information and knowledge, while at the same time it trains students at their early stages of wisdom, thinking, reason, understanding and intellectual curiosity, more important personal qualities than knowledge alone. The School also strives to let its students achieve the physical, cultural and artistic fulfilment of which they are capable.

Finally, the School promotes self-reliance and independence and builds in its students the ideals of service and self-government.

The motto of the School is “I serve”, and it is service to the world outside for which the School tries to train its students.

BHS Cultural Society

* DISCLAIMER: The Brummana High School Cultural Society was the License holder and custodian of Brummana High School from June 1985 until June 1998. Since July 1998 Brummana High School has reverted to QuIET, The Quaker International Educational Trust, which now owns and operates the School.

The Cultural Society has no authority over Brummana High School, and any reference in the documents on this web site stating otherwise is no more valid. These documents are included for historical and research purposes and only reflect facts related to the time (1985-1998) when BHSCS had custody of Brummana High School. For current up-to-date information on Brummana High School, please visit www.BHS.edu.lb the official school website.