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Dr. Bayan Chaker is a dedicated endocrinologist serving patients with diabetes in the greater Detroit area. In addition to her medical practice, Dr. Chaker serves as the board president of the International Islamic Academy (IIA).
Mizzou Academy counselor Alicia Bixby fondly recalls Dr. Chaker’s eagerness for knowledge as a young student. “She would frequently call our office with great questions,” Bixby shares. “When the call came to me, she would say, ‘This is Bayan with you.’” Dr. Chaker earned her University of Missouri high school diploma in 2005. Bixby adds, “She was also a role model to her younger brother Mamoud, who graduated with us three years later.”
In spring 2024, IIA principal Dr. Khalid Almasnaah sought Dr. Chaker’s guidance as the school considered expanding from K-8 to include a high school program. Chaker said she knew just the partner to help IIA with this, and reached out once again to Mizzou Academy with a great question.
In August 2024, the first class of ninth-graders began their studies through the new IIA-Mizzou Academy partnership.
Values-Based Schooling
Last month, Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver (Executive Director), Amelia Howser (Lead School Counselor), and Barbie Banks (Support Services Manager) visited IIA to connect with their new partners better, tour the school, visit with teachers and leaders, and guest teach in Grades 8 and 9.
Reflecting on the visit, Banks, who has worked closely with school coordinator Aishah Muhammad over the past year, shared, “Walking into IIA for the first time is a memory I’ll cherish. I was immediately struck by the colorful, vibrant school building before me—a physical manifestation of the students I had known only as names and voices until that day. What unfolded was more than just an academic school visit; it was a celebration of shared purpose.”
Dr. Fishman-Weaver noted that it was clear how closely aligned the two schools are. “Very early in the trip, it was evident that our schools are partners who see education as a pathway for service and access.” IIA primarily serves refugee and newcomer families from the Middle East who have resettled in the United States. IIA is the only Islamic high school in the Dearborn area.
As a global school, Mizzou Academy is proud to serve students from over 60 countries of origin. 90% of our student population speaks a home language other than English. Dr. Fishman-Weaver says that the visit to IIA “reminded me that you don’t have to travel very far to see that all education is global education.” IIA runs a bilingual Arabic-English program beginning in the primary years. The students in the Grade 9 class are all multilingual, speaking Arabic at home, and studying in English at IIA and Mizzou Academy. Our team values the unique strengths that multilingual learners bring to our school community.
Future Planning
During the visit, Amelia Howser called Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver over to a large piece of chart paper where students had added sticky notes about their dreams for the future—part of an extended Grade 9 workshop on post-secondary planning. Howser noted that while the students at IIA come from different cultural, religious, and geographic backgrounds than she or many of the students she has worked with in public schools in the Midwest, they “had all the same questions, hopes, and fears about their post-secondary plans.”
IIA’s high school students are enrolled in an accelerated three-year program, doubling up on requirements and studying long hours. Assistant Professor Greg Soden, who teaches their online World History course, has been impressed by their work ethic and their strong progress from the first semester to the second. “I’m noticing stronger assessments from this class. I know test-taking is a challenge, but they are showing a lot of progress in that area this semester!”
Given the accelerated program, this group will soon be preparing their post-secondary applications. Naturally, Howser’s workshop turned to topics like high school graduation and college visits, including a potential visit to Mizzou.
Student Voice and Leadership
One of Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver’s favorite teaching moments of the trip was during a guest lesson she led in Grade 8. In the lesson, Dr. Fishman-Weaver encouraged students to use their voices to make a positive difference in the world and practice persistence even in the face of challenge. She used two children’s read-alouds to bookend her lesson.
The lesson closed with Peter Reynolds’ bestseller, Say Something. She asked for student volunteers to perform the book as a readers’ theatre for the class. Six students eagerly volunteered and performed the book with enthusiasm and passion. “The power of student voice is a narrative thread that runs across our courses,” says Dr. Fishman-Weaver.
In ninth grade, she shared feedback from Assistant Professors at Mizzou Academy who have been working closely with IIA students. Assistant Professor Jeff Healy sent along some specific shout-outs for his students’ engaging work in several courses. He pointed out Mohamed’s outstanding work to develop strong speeches, Suleiman’s sensory descriptions of Middle Eastern food, and Ebraheem’s hot cocoa recipe with a secret ingredient. Healy shared, “We love to see students connect personal interests, desires, and culture in their work, and this class did a great job of that.”
School coordinator Aishah Muhammad shared that the three students Healy named use their speech skills to lead the khutbah at school-wide services on Fridays. During their visit, we saw Ebraheem leading his classmates in afternoon prayer.
Partnership and Connection
Reflecting on the visit, Amelia Howser shares how much she “loves that Mizzou Academy gave me this experience that affirms, despite our differences, we are all connected.” She continues, “Education is the vehicle through which this connection can happen. I can’t wait to follow these students through their educational journeys, and I feel honored to be one small part of their story.”
Two students, Arwa and Noran, spoke with Dr. Fishman-Weaver for a long time before the group finally departed. “This conversation,” says Fishman-Weaver, “was one of so many meaningful moments during our visit.” The young women shared that they looked forward to their courses next year and hoped for future visits to and from Mizzou.
Barbie Banks also remembers, “As I spoke with students, their eyes lit up with determination. In their stories, their questions, and even their laughter, I witnessed not just individual aspirations but a community bound together by a collective dedication to learning. These young people aren’t just pursuing education; they’re weaving it into the very structure of their identities and communities, creating something far greater than the sum of its parts.”
When it was time to say goodbye, several students said that they would miss the Mizzou guests. Banks, Howser, and Dr. Fishman-Weaver agreed that they, too, would miss the energy and warmth of the school. The two schools are already making plans for the 2025-26 school year and look forward to continued partnership and growth in the new high school program.