Superintendent of MCC Academy in Skokie, Morton Grove honored by international group

When Habeeb Quadri, superintendent at Skokie’s MCC Academy, recently visited schools in Pakistan, he was surprised to find classes crammed with as many as 100 students, as well as schools that didn’t have bathrooms.Nevertheless, he was impressed at the commitment to education.“It was a great experience to see what educators are doing throughout the world and how they value education and how they look to become better educators,” he said.Quadri was selected as a finalist for the Global Education Supplies and Solutions (GESS) Dubai 2021 Education Awards, in the category of “Outstanding Contribution in Education.” He traveled to Dubai in late November for the awards ceremony, and also visited other countries. He didn’t win the award, but he said it was an experience he will never forget.“It was a humbling experience and I’m very grateful because there were educators from 59 different countries,” said Quadri. “To make it to the final 10 was very honoring.”He was nominated for the award for his outstanding accomplishments, leadership, mentorship and youth development in the field of education in the United States and worldwide, said a release from GESS. It said that an MCC Academy parent nominated Quadri for the award. GESS puts on educational conferences and trade shows.While overseas, Quadri visited schools in Turkey, met with the minister of education in Saudi Arabia and observed schools in Pakistan.“We’ve had people from various countries come and visit us and they said if you’re ever in the area please come by,” he said.MCC Academy’s website says that when MCCA first opened its doors in Morton Grove in 1990, it had a total enrollment of 25 students and only offered kindergarten, first and second grades.MCC Academy subsequently opened a school in Skokie, in addition to Morton Grove. It educates 750 students, according to the website, and the schools offer preschool through 10th grade.“Having a wide range of kids from all over, it’s a blessing and to see kids with good hearts and clear minds,” said Quadri. “It keeps me excited to come every day, and to see teachers working and doing some amazing things with the resources they have.”While the schools have enjoyed success, there are still challenges, he said.“It’s great that people are showing how we can work together, especially after [the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001] there’s been some tough times,” he said.He discussed the schools’ commitment to pursuing academic work.“At the same time, we want to make sure the kids understand their identity and have a sense of pride in who they are, so we also teach religious studies.”“We teach the holy book, which is the Quran, and Arabic as a language because a lot of our religious text is in Arabic,” he added. “We want our kids to be productive American Muslims.”Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter.

Superintendent of MCC Academy in Skokie, Morton Grove honored by international group

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