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ellacasblog-blog · 11 years ago

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Mega CAS Reflection

I started my CAS journey long before the start of Year 12 and I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the activities I have taken part in. I have successfully managed to complete all of the CAS learning outcomes, as well as having taken part in service projects, participated in sport events and I have also expressed my self creatively.

Service Projects:

My first CAS activity was in July 2013; where I travelled to China to take part in the Giant Panda Conservation Project at the Wolong National Nature Reserve. It was a 1 week programme that focused around caring for the captive Giant Panda population and learning about the sustainable conservation of endangered species. This was not the first service project that I was part of but I felt a greater sense of fulfilment knowing that I was not only aiding the captive panda population but the entire species by contributing toward the organisation.

After working at the National Reserve, I travelled to Chiang Mai in Thailand, to take part in the Thai Elephant Conservation Project. This was very similar to the Giant Panda Conservation Project as it focused on many of the same principles. It was however different in the fact that it was more hands on as I was able to ride the elephants down to the reservoir morning and afternoon to be bathed before they were fed or released into the jungle during the night. This project was just was not only so much fun but incredibly rewarding, seeing my efforts be appreciated not only by the elephants but by their Mahouts and the staff at the facility.

Other service projects that I have been part of are closer to home. Every Tuesday afternoon I help out in Mrs. Shippey’s 8th grade geography class. This project allows me to take on the role similar to that of a teaching assistant as I get to help all of the students in the class. I give them advice and help them work their way through the work set by their teacher. I enjoy this project for many reasons; I get to immediately see the affect my role has on the students by their academic success and general attitude towards me. The fact that it is a weekly project means that I do many different things and get to see the class regularly, I now look forward to going to the class to see all of the students as it is a really enjoyable experience.

As a peer counsellor I decided to take the initiative and organise AIDS day with the help of other peer-counsellors. I coordinated most of the activities that took place and made sure everyone knew what they were in charge of. We sold over 150 Croque Monsieur’s, this combined with the photo booth station we raised over 800 CHF to be donated to a home in Lausanne for those affected by the disease. This role that I decided to take up was incredibly stressful and at times I even doubted my capability of successfully coordinating the event but I managed to pull through, with the help of others to make it one of the most successful AIDS day’s yet.

As one of the three heads of the Food Committee I have so far organised two bake sales, both in aid of Save the Children. The first bake sale was for the Philippines, following the disaster caused by Typhoon Haiyan a Philippines fundraising committee was temporarily formed and the food committee decided to organise a bake sale so that all the proceeds would go towards Save the Children. The entire committee managed to fundraise close to 1000 CHF with close to a quarter of the proceeds having come from the bake sale.

The second bake sale was in fact the annual Valentine’s Day Chocolate Heart Sale. We sold them for 3 CHF, students attached a message for their special someone and we delivered the hearts to their registration classes just before Valentine’s Day. We managed to raise 639.20 CHF in profits and we decided to donate the money to Save the Children, considering the fact that they were still supporting those in need in the Philippines.

I have also taken part in other minor service projects such as Front of House work for the 13th grade Theatre ‘Standing Alone’ monologue performances. I also helped bake for and sell at one of the three Movember bake sales organised by Violet Page in 13th grade. Even though these projects were not as major as the many others I have been part of there is still a sense of fulfilment to be gained from any humanitarian effort, no matter how small. Through all of these service projects I have met all of the learning outcomes: 1. Increased their awareness of their own strengths, 2. Undertaken new challenges, 3. Planned and Initiated Activities, 4. Worked collaboratively with others, 5. Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities, 6. Engaged with issues of global importance, 7. Considered the ethical implications of their actions & 8. Developed new skills.

Another smaller activity has been tutoring a boy in Chemistry. I felt like I not only helped him but it helped me build up my confidence and recap on past learning. I feel like my efforts were well appreciated and I was incredibly pleased to hear that I had helped raise his Chemistry grade by 0.5. We met every Wednesday for 45 mins of tutoring for roughly 2 months.

In the summer of 2014 I travelled to Fiji to take part in the Rustic Pathways program: ‘Sun, Sand and International Service. This was an incredible experience and no amount of words can sum up how I feel about this experience. Not only did I get to embrace the breathtaking country itself but I was able to take part in numerous service projects.

Creative Projects:

I took part in a major creative project: The Resistible Rise of Arturo. This, however, was a long project that spanned over 4 weeks, and I loved every moment of it. When it came to making subject choices for my IB diploma I knew that if I wanted to take Chemistry it would mean that I would not be able to take Theatre anymore. I have always loved Theatre class as I enjoy acting and this project meant that I essentially got to join the IB theatre class for a short while.

In October I was asked by Mr. Lehmann to be in the latest IB Theatre production: The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui. He had struggled to make it possible for a student in his class to fill a role and decided to ask me to help him out. The play is a parallel to the rise of Hitler written by Bertold Brecht. It is the story of a gangster Arturo Ui and his rise to power, Ui being the character portraying Hitler. Most characters in the play have a real life parallel in the actual rise of Hitler. The story involves the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930s Chicago mobster, and his attempts to control the Cauliflower Trust by ruthlessly disposing of the opposition.

I played the role of Dockdaisy one of the only characters who was not portraying a figure of Hitler’s rise to power. Dockdaisy is essentially used as a pawn in Arturo’s game. She is the girlfriend of Givola (Goebbels) and is forced to pretend to be Mrs. Bowl in order for Ui to gain trust and control of the Trust. It is only a small role and I had very few lines but my portrayal of her character had to be very persuading; she is the gangster’s moll and hardly has time to think for herself.

I learned my lines fairly quickly but that was easy compared to everything else I had to do. It was very stressful taking part in this project given that I had to do it outside of class time due to the fact that I am not in the IB theatre class (although I wish I was). I had to sort out my entire costume on my own and I also was needed at many after-school and weekend rehearsals. Luckily it was all worth it in the end.

In total I went to two Sunday rehearsals (5 hours each), went to four after-school rehearsals (2 hours each) and then a total of 5 hours for the tech rehearsal and the dress rehearsal and then 3 hours for both performances. On top of that there was a lot of personal time spent researching my role and costume ideas. In total I gained about 26 hours of Creativity over the course of 2 months.

I loved the experience so much and was faltered that Mr. Lehmann even wanted me to be in his play. He put so much of his own time and dedication into the production and was visibly moved by our commitment to the project. Not only did I have so much fun but everyone else did to and to see Mr. Lehmann so thrilled with all of our efforts made it all the more worthwhile. I was also able to meet these learning outcomes: 1. Increased their awareness of their own strengths, 2. Undertaken new challenges, 4.Worked collaboratively with others.

The highlight of my creative projects was being asked to present the Sports Awards Evening.

It was in front of hundreds of students and parents and proved to be a very enjoyable experience. I was so incredibly nervous that it took me a while to find my footing but once I gained my ‘mojo’ I relaxed and started to enjoy the evening. We prepared for two days before the event and had several run-throughs. At the end of the evening I felt that I had a greater level of confidence and feel more prepared for future presenting opportunities. I was honoured to have been asked to be a host and i hope that similar opportunities will find my way in the future.

Something else I did was organise the Kermesse Baking Competition . It was a very long and stressful experience and I am glad that I wont have to do it again. I felt like I had to do most of it myself and felt like my efforts were under appreciated. However, I will now be able to give helpful advice to next years food committee.

Active Projects:

The majority of my action projects revolve around volleyball. I am incredibly passionate about this sport and even though I may not be the best player on the team and often struggle with the pressure I will never give up on this sport that has become such a huge part of my life.

I train twice a week from 5 to 6:30 pm on Wednesdays and from 3:15 to 5 pm on Fridays. We previously were only able to train once a week, due to school extracurricular rules, which was extremely limiting. Now that the team trains twice a week, not only am I more physically fit, but there has been a noticeable change in ability for all members of the Junior Varsity and Varsity team. I play for both the Varsity and Junior Varsity team but if there is a Junior Varsity tournament I travel with that team, instead of the Varsity, as I am their Captain. As Captain, I have the responsibility of keeping team morale high and making sure that everyone is at their best. This role is often challenging but I feel like this is my chance to prove myself.

Other than the weekly practice sessions I have participated in 3 tournaments, one in Basel, the second at Aiglon College and the third at ISL. We have yet to win a tournament but we have never lost a tournament as of yet. The La Chat teams have also competed in around 10 other volleyball matches. We had never won one of these friendly matches until last month where we travelled to LGB and won that match against them. This was a great accomplishment for us as a team, not only did we beat a rival campus but we had our first complete win of the season.

There was a Via Ferrata course that I took part in with the rest of the 12th grade. It was an extremely challenging climbing course that pushed me to the limit but I still had a lot of fun with my friends.

Following on from this I went to Milan to play volleyball which was very enjoyable as I love visiting new places and its great that I get to combine this with CAS. It is unlikely that we will be returning to Milan in 2015 which is a shame but we will be travelling to more international tournaments in places such as Vienna and Warsaw. This type of tournament was a great experience for this team and we have improved so much that it really is incredible and we were constantly complimented by other coaches who have seen us progress as a team.

Through all of my action projects I have completed the following learning outcomes: 1. Increased their awareness of their own strengths, 2. Undertaken new challenges &5. Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities.

I have never been a particularly active person but I feel like CAS has given me to opportunity to become more active. CAS, on the whole, has opened me up to so many new opportunities and I have especially become more involved in humanitarian projects and hope to continue these kind of activities in not only my CAS future but later on in life.

*I have completed all of the CAS learning outcomes but I will NOT stop doing my CAS activites. The activities I take part in may count for CAS but the act of taking part in them is rewarding. It would be foolish of me to stop if this is something that I enjoy. I have plans for the future and I plane to act on them.*

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ellacasblog-blog · 11 years ago

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Photos from the MIST tournament in Milan.

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ellacasblog-blog · 11 years ago

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'Sun, Sand & International Service' - Service in Fiji (Service) Thoughts before travel...

For a Christmas/ Birthday present I am going to travel to Fiji this summer to take part in the Rustic Pathways program: 'Sun, Sand and International Service.RP offers some of the best travel based summer programs I have ever seen and I already took part in two last summer when I travelled to China & Thailand to take part in the Giant Panda and Thai Elephant Conservation projects. I had so much fun last year and I am certain that I will enjoy this new program just as much as the others.

On June 28th I am flying to London to stay with family for just over 3 days before I travel to LA on July 1st. I will meet with my group at the LAX airport and then we will al board a flight to Fiji. We will officially arrive on July 3rd (Local time, a whole day is lost in transit!)

From then on we dive straight into community service projects; teaching English in primary schools, teaching computer skills, construction projects, helping in clinics and playing with primary school children. The types of projects depend on what needs to be done and this changes each year.

We will be staying at the Fijian Service Base, which looks pretty amazing from the picture. I am travelling alone and wont know anyone until I get there. Making new friends is always fun and I look forward to meeting new people while experiencing a new culture. In terms of culture, on the first evening we will have a ceremony on the first night where we will watch a traditional performance, drink kava and receive our sulus. It is important to respect the local customs so all skirts must be below the knee in villages and shoulders must be covered at all times.

Fortunately I will be able to experience the sparkling sands and take part in lots of fun activities including scuba diving and sky diving (not sure about that).

I literally cannot express my excitement. I have always wanted to go to Fiji and I am finally going and amazingly I can get some CAS out of it!

Find out more: http://rusticpathways.com/fiji/sun-sand-international-service

#sun #sand #international #service #rusticpathways #fiji #2014

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ellacasblog-blog · 11 years ago

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Sports Awards Evening (Creativity)

In May, I presented the Sports Awards Evening with George Hartley. It was in front of hundreds of students and parents and proved to be a very enjoyable experience. I was so incredibly nervous that it took me a while to find my footing but once I gained my 'mojo' I relaxed and started to enjoy the evening.

We prepared for two days before the event and had several run-throughs. At the end of the evening I felt that I had a greater level of confidence and feel more prepared for future presenting opportunities. I was honoured to have been asked to be a host and i hope that similar opportunities will find my way in the future.

Learning Outcomes met: 1,2 ,4 & 8

#sports #awards #evening #creativity #presenting #2014

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ellacasblog-blog · 11 years ago

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Kermesse Baking Competition (Creativity & Service)

As part of the food committee it was required for me to organise the Kermesse Baking Competition with Poppy Powell and Oliver Bugeja. It was a very long and stressful experience and I am glad that I wont have to do it again. I felt like I had to do most of it myself and felt like my efforts were under appreciated. However, I will now be able to give helpful advice to next years food committee.

Learning Outcomes Met: 1, 2, 3 & 4

#creativity #service #kermesse #baking #competition #food #committee

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ellacasblog-blog · 11 years ago

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Chemistry Tutoring (Service)

I was recently emailed by a parent of a student to see if I would be willing to tutor them in Chemistry. I of course said because this is one of the CAS opportunists that I wanted to take part in most. I helped him through his most challenging unit: Acids and Bases.

I felt like I not only helped him but it helped me build up my confidence and recap on past learning. I feel like my efforts were well appreciated and I was incredibly pleased to hear that I had helped raise his Chemistry grade by 0.5. We met every Wednesday for 45 mins of tutoring for roughly 2 months.

Learning Outcomes Met: 1 & 2

#chemistry #tutoring #service

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ellacasblog-blog · 11 years ago

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MIST Volleyball Tournament (Action)

On March 21st I travelled with the volleyball team to Milan to take part in the MIST competition at the International School of Milan. This was our first international volleyball tournament and I was selected to be one of the three substitute captains because out actual captain, Heather, was unable to come.

We took a train from Nyon to Lausanne and then on to Milan which took about 5 hours. We then checked into a hotel and went out to dinner; we made sure not to stay out too late because the tournament started at 9 AM the next morning. We played teams from Turkey, Italy, Holland and even our rival Swiss team, ISL. On the first day of the tournament we played extremely well although we did not win any of our three matches. We did however manage to achieve a new record number of points scored against ISL. We found it difficult to not be distracted by the poor decisions made by the referee during out game against the host school, ISM. She was making incredibly obvious mistakes and was being far too lenient towards the other team. However, we did our best not to get too distracted and won a set against them.

At the end of the first day we went out into the city centre of Milan and went shopping and looked at the local attractions such as the Duomo. This is a great way for us to bond as a team and get to know our newest member Christina. Even though she didn’t play that much she was incredibly positive and simply enjoyed being part of the team and for a first time player she played incredibly well.

On the second day of the tournament we were the only team to score above 16 points against St Stephens, a school from Istanbul, which raised our hopes for the competition. It started to become more apparent as we played more games that this was a tournament designed for some of the best teams in Europe which did worry us somewhat. It then helped us realise that placing 7th might have been last but we did so well considering the level of skill that was on display. One factor that contributed to us placing 7th was the fact that our coach made us forfeit our last game to make the earlier train to go home. I personally think that this was not only his decision to make. He didn’t even tell us this personally which definitely angered me. This most annoying thing about that decision was that we had already played that team before and we had beaten them and we would have most likely beaten them again.

On a slightly more positive note we bonded with the team from St Stephens and they even cheered for us when we were playing against ASM and they joined in on our team cheer to show their support. I think that we should invite them to La Chat so that we can play them in our tournament later this school year. We also cheered for the ISL team when they played ISM. Even though they are our rival team we were both representing Switzerland and we could see that they needed the moral support given that they also had the same unfair referee that we did. The referee made so many bad calls and it was honestly just ridiculous. ISL lost against ISM and it was obvious that it was mostly down to the bad calls made by the referee.

It is unlikely that we will be returning to Milan next year which is a shame but we will be travelling to more international tournaments in places such as Vienna and Warsaw. This type of tournament was a great experience for this team and we have improved so much that it really is incredible and we were constantly complimented by other coaches who have seen us progress as a team.

Learning outcomes met: 1. Increased their awareness of their own strengths, 2. Undertaken new challenges, 4. Worked collaboratively with others, 5. Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities.

#action #volleyball #mist #milan #tournament

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ellacasblog-blog · 11 years ago

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Valentine's Day Chocolate Heart Sale (Service)

#valentintes day #chocolate #heart #sale #CAS #cas #service #savethechildren #food #committee

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ellacasblog-blog · 12 years ago

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Fundraising for the Philippines (Service)

#philippines #fundraising #cas #service

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ellacasblog-blog · 12 years ago

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The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Creativity)

I have recently completed a project that I have spent the past two months working on. I decided to complete the project and then reflect upon it at the end rather than talk about it before I had begun. This was because certain aspects of the project were often changing and a collected reflection is much better than a few scattered ones.

I played the role of Dockdaisy one of the only characters who was not portraying a figure of Hitler's rise to power. Dockdaisy is essentially used as a pawn in Arturo's game. She is the girlfriend of Givola (Goebbels) and is forced to pretend to be Mrs. Bowl in order for Ui to gain trust and control of the Trust. It is only a small role and I had very few lines but my portrayal of her character had to be very persuading; she is the gangster's moll and hardly has time to think for herself.

Learning Outcomes Met:

1. Increased their awareness of their own strengths.2. Undertaken new challenges.4.Worked collaboratively with others.

#learningoutcome4 #learningoutcome1 #learningoutcome2 #play #resistable #rise #of #arturo #ui

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