The National Evangelical School in Nabatieh
Nabatieh Evangelical School is a Protestant American missionary school in the south of Lebanon, which was founded in 1925. It is one of the oldest high schools in the country and one of the first pre-higher education institutions in the Middle East. It is part of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon. It is located in Nabatieh. Tripoli Evangelical School has been able to stand still throughout the wars and attacks that hit Lebanon School Principal of the Nabatieh Evangelical School is Mr. Shadi Hajar. The school has four departments: Preschool, Elementary, Intermediate, and Secondary. Nabatieh Evangelical School is a part of Evangelical schools in Lebanon, such as Sidon Evangelical School, Zahlé Evangelical School, and The Lebanese Evangelical School in Ain Zhalta and others.
| National Evangelical School in Nabatieh Injilieh Nabatieh | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
Mayddan Street , Nabatie | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private school |
| Established | 1925 |
| Principal | Mr. Shadi El Hajjar |
| Grades | 1 - 15 |
| Yearbook | "Almesbahh" |
| Languages | English, French, Arabic |
| Website | http://www.nesn.edu.lb |
Early years
The National Evangelical School in Nabatieh started its academic mission in 1925 under the supervision of the American Commissionary by the name of "American School for Girls in Nabatieh."It was composed of one rented room that included a few numbers of students who were learning the principles of reading, writing, calculating, in addition to English language and arts. The school's supervisor, Lewis Loe, had stayed till 1935, when the school moved to a new rented building.
American commission
Miss Lolo Ghatass took over the management, and later, Leuis Wilson, the establisher Of the American Girls' School in Ein Alhelwi replaced her. At that period, the school was progressed to become an Intermediate School . On the other hand, the present building was established and was composed of 2 floors for the teaching classes and a house for the principal and teachers living in the school dormitory.
Miss Wilson stayed in managing the school for a whole of 15 years until she reached the retirement age. Then, Miss Helen Caselle took over her for three years; but for an unexpected situation, the intermediate classes were canceled in school.
After that, Reverend James Welbi managed the school for one year. And when the American commission found that the school was passing in a very difficult financial situation because of the reduction in the number of students, it was decided to handle the school and all its responsibilities to the National Evangelical Synod in Syria & Lebanon.
National Evangelical Synod in Syria & Lebanon
And in summer 1963,the National Evangelical Synod decided to authorize the school's management to Mr. Bolous Botrus for one year. But with God's help and Mr. Boutrus enthusiasm and wise management, he was able to reorganize the school. As a result, the number of students increased in all sections of school, and the success percentage increased in Elementary Official Exams which encouraged him to reopen the Intermediate classes and add the Secondary level that excelled the other levels.
This progress led to the increase in school's buildings. So the principal built the third floor in the teaching department and also the third floor in the dorm, in addition to enlarging the dining room. Then, he built a three floor building; the first one was for children, and the other was for the boys in the boarding department. He also expanded the playgrounds and bought new land that fit with the continuous prosperity of the school. And he put in charge specialized teachers for teaching in all levels. Since 1975, N.E.S.N. is a mixed school in all its stages, and it prepares its students for acquiring the Elementary Certificate and Secondary Certificate (first section) in both scientific & literary branches, in addition to "High School" Certificate that is granted to who successfully continues the second secondary class. Mr. Boutrus was transferred to Saida in 1975 for managing the Evangelical School of art, and Mr. Munther Antoun was assigned as a principal in the school in Nabatieh. In this period the security circumstances became worse in Nabatieh. The school had its share, and many people were injured and a number of its neighbors who had sheltered in the school basement, were injured too. Some of them were: Kamel Bidear Naser & Amer Issa and Safi Yassin. As a result, the school couldn't continue teaching. So the school's administration decided to wait for the end of the academic year. And the buildings of the Art's school in Saida were used in summer 1977 to complete the year, and the lessons of year 1978-1979 were hung up. Meanwhile, Mr. Antoun was assigned as a principal of Zahle Evangelical School, but the son of the South refused to move to Zahle; he decided to stay in Saida to manage Nabatieh school and take care of its students until they could return to Nabatieh. During the first invasion of South Lebanon in 1978 the school was bombarded again, and most of the people in the city emigrated. The close continued until 1982 when NESN reopened the elementary part. And it began to add one class each year till it reached the second secondary class. But it couldn't open the third secondary class because of the absence of the qualified teachers and the difficulty of bringing them to Nabatieh for the lack of security. Later, in 1999-2000, the school opened its third secondary class - Life Science - and saved its students transformation to other schools. NESN has proved a great success so far.
Currently, Shadi El Hajjar is the principal of the school, and plans on multiple re-innovation plans.