Final CAS refection! A complete journey

Final CAS reflection

As my two years of IB begins to end my CAS program begins to end as well. Before writing my final CAS refection I sat down and thought back to how I have improved, grown and become a better person. Through the three branches of CAS being creativity, action and service I am first to comprehend how I as a student have become more well rounded and gained a holistic education.

I am glad to say that I have achieved all the goals I set for my self as a student and person at the start of my CAS life.

 

 Creativity-

 

For 11^th grade the goal for myself was to “be persistent” and still keep in touch with my drama. As I have engaged in drama for over 8 years it was truly enjoyable to pursue this further by taking part in the senior school production. The “challenge that I overcame “ was changing my acting and skills from examination, confined stage acting to a larger scale production. However as I worked “collaboratively” with my cast mates I was able to pick up on the nuances, and tactics that would help me transition better and overcome this challenge. I “developed a new skill” during the 5 months of rehearsals I learnt how to embody the personality of a harlot as well as learn how to feed off the energy of others and improvise; skills one can only pick up from being part of a larger production. The end of 11^th grade creativity was a successful and rather informative experience.

 

For my 12^th grade CAS I decided to “engage in something new and step out of my comfort” and thus I decided to sign up for MUN and Student Government (SGA). SGA was a great experience as I got to hone my skills and “ demonstrate skills as a leader”. I was elected as the finance officer and to be honest I didn’t realize how challenging it would be. I “developed new skills” such as learning to plan ahead, organizing and budgeting. Coming to think of it I would definitely be using these newfound skills my whole life. As a SGA we were pretty successful and I was able to earn great amounts of profit because the whole student council was able to work “ collaboratively”. As I have a few more weeks to go I will continue the goal I set for myself as a finance leader.

I also set a goal for myself to “challenge myself and try to new things” and taking part in MUN was one of that. I have to say that being part of MUN “exposed me to Global and ethical issues world wide”. It was a “challenge” getting use to the different speech/ lingo manner of perspectives however the “persistence” shown” by me during practice helped me overcome this challenge. “Working with kids from other schools collaboratively” truly made this MUN experience one to cherish forever. The 4am set-ups were experiences that showed me a “new skill” I did not know I had and that is extreme dedication and passion. At the end of the MUN conference and after 6 months of work I can say that I have truly developed into a more all round person.

I have achieved the goals of challenging myself, engaging in new things, becoming more aware though the above creativities during the past 2 years.

 

 

MY COM for MUN 2014

ACTION

 

The main goal I kept for myself throughout the action part of CAS was to still keep playing competitive tennis. As much as that was a challenging to keep the competitive and extensive tennis hours up along with my studies it’s a tough goal I’m glad I stuck with. The “new skill” I’m glad I developed was my serve and precision, I changed my backswing for more pace and spin and at first it was hard I wasn’t as precise as I wanted to be however with persistent practice I mastered it! The goal I’m glad I achieved with my tennis was “donating the winning money to the disabled soldiers, it was a moment where I was able to tie my tennis (action) with issues of global importance and evaluate the ethical impacts of my decisions”

 

I was volleyball captain of my senior year a feat I am extremely proud of. It was a great moment where I could showcase my leadership skills. We came fourth in the whole tournament a feat not achieved unless we all worked “collaboratively”. There were so many close matches and we were named the most mentally string team and it felt really nice for people to see this competitive side of us. We got 2 overall team SAISA awards for our sportsmanship, which truly reflected on “how we saw the ethical impact of our decisions”. We were a strong team that kept calm, cool and collected and chose to play fair at all times and these awards reflected our ethics and morals during such a competitive atmosphere.

 

SAISA volleyball team 2013-2014

 

Its funny thinking back how I got into volleyball. I wanted to challenge myself and try something new, which is how I ended up trying put for the volleyball team; it was a welcomes surprise when I turned to be very good at it. All the skills I learnt in volleyball were new but they really helped me become a better sportsman overall. The challenge was to compress a lifetimes worth of volleyball knowledge into 3 months. I could only have done this because I was open to criticism, help from the coaches and my teammates. In reality thinking back CAS really helped me explore myself. I was engaged in things I didn’t ever think I would see or develop new skills that I didn’t think was possible.

 

 

 Service-

 

I was part of the “ Hope for kids” children’s cancer hospital for my two years of service and it is without a doubt the most rewarding and enriching experience I have had so far. In 11^th grade it was like treading the waters, I was unsure how to act, what to say with the children. The moment I realized they just wanted people to be themselves and have fun with them I was able to truly form bonds and attachments with these kids, true fighters. As a group we worked “Collaboratively in order to truly fulfill the needs and desires of the children” and their family living at the cancer hospital. It went from donating clothes to dry rations, to painting the cancer hospital what ever we could do to improve their lives, we did! The cancer hospital gave me a strong look into the issues of “global importance” as well as helping me understand the “ ethical implications of my decisions” Cancer is the largest medical epidemic and it’s growing fast in the kids community. It’s not an isolated statistic but one that can apply to the whole world. Working at the cancer hospital helped me realize to what extent we as individuals can help ease/reduce these problems. I feel more conscious (ethical implications) and less selfish after my work at the hospital. In 12^th grade I was given the privilege of becoming a service leader, which was a great opportunity to “demonstrate my skills as a leader” as I’d have more of an input into the work of the service group. Our main goal for this year was to spread the core message of the service group outside and I am extremely glad that we as a service group “collaboratively” were able to achieve this goal for the year 2013-2014. We sold t shirts to gyms, schools, companies and really spread the word of our hospital and gained donations. These donations were used to buy the family’s food and transport back home. One main factor we notice was that the families didn’t have money to being children, aunts, and spouses from the village’s to visit the kids. By giving them money for this we were help realizing their dreams and desires, a decision (ethical) that I am very proud of. “The hope for kids really helped me explore the 8 learning outcomes”

 

 

I didn’t realize that I was “developing new skills, overcoming obstacles, working collaboratively, working on issues of global importance, evaluating the ethical importance of my decisions” they all happened naturally through my CAS journey. I can say with certainty that I am a better, happier and better-rounded person due to my CAS journey. I’ve realized new things about myself; I have realized how important community is due to this great experience.

 

As I say goodbye to CAS I know that the lessons I learnt will carry me in good stead throughout my life, and college is another opportunity for me to engage in the experiential learning that is CAS.

SAISA Football 2014

For the second semester of 12^th grade the action I partook in were SAISA Football practices. I knew I lacked the skills to play any of the positions on the field, skills I was eager to improve on and attain new skills therefore I decided to try out for the position of Goalie. I understood my strength as a goalie due to my tennis background and even the coach realized my strength would be for this position. As a newbie the only way I knew I could improve and make the team was by working with the others on the team collaboratively and improve on my skills. The biggest obstacle of the training was trying to gain the skills necessary in a short period of time, where as the others had played this sport for a long time and these practices were almost a touch up on their skills. I tried my best and worked hard during the practices diligently and constantly.

One skill I am proud I developed during my practices was my ability to dive and defend, it’s a small skill but I really liked being able to anticipate and react to the kicks of the players. Unfortunately I had to quit the SAISA football as SAISA and most of my college interviews were during the same week and I had to make a decision based on this. I am glad however glad I engaged in a new activity and moved out of my comfort zone, it truly was a rewarding experience.

Tennis! :)

Wrapping up the first quarter of tennis was pretty nice. My goal for this term was more mocks so I couldn’t play any of the tournaments but I worked hard on my training! The challenge for me this season was my serve.  Had to change it cause my second serve was not spinning as much as was necessary and my coach thought a change in the movement would be better. I had to switch to a more abbreviated back swing for the serve. it was a challenge at a first cause with this change I lost a lot of power and I was more inconsistent which was pretty annoying at first. I was getting annoyed and angry cause I couldn’t manipulate my serve at the start due to this change, but 5 hours of serving and 1000 serves later i finally mastered the serve and it was way better than before! It was working consistently and diligently at this change that allowed me to improve and i’m looking forward to testing it for tournaments next season!

Volleyball Diary

This is my journey for Volleyball. Senior year!

Ill keep it updated with all the results, improvements of very game 🙂

GO GECKOS!!

Reflect :D

Growing up. That’s what I’ve done throughout this year, I’ve become someone who thinks more globally and has a wider, broader perspective on life. OSC introduced me to new things. There are two main things I have improved, they are working collaboratively with others and developing skills. Whether it is service, creativity or action these are the main aspects of my character that I developed beyond what I though I was capable of, furthermore they are the skills I look forward to developing further.

 

Action.

 

This year I undertook a new challenge. The determination to take part in SAISA event was great within me; I played volleyball for the first time this year and I made the team although at the start there were many who were better than me. I thought me a valuable lesson, which is if you apply your self enough and have enough want and passion to achieve something; nothing truly is out of reach, Such a cliché, however it was this year that I learnt what it truly meant. Cliché really care true. J I showed perseverance and passion and I achieved something which I though impossible.

At the end of the year I not only learnt something new about my self but I took the initiative to develop a new skill. 

Tennis is an important aspect to who I am, although due to the abundance of schoolwork I was not able to travel for tournaments I still stayed committed to the sport and practiced often.  I was able to use the money won in club tournaments to help the poorer people working at the Tennis association. Although it is not something of global importance, I still managed to make a difference in the lives of few, giving them money thus giving them options.

The ethical implications of my actions were good, something I am proud of.

I was the team leader of the club division 2 and the leadership position made me work collaboratively with others. Pairing everyone with a partner who would suit them, understanding people and their strengths and weaknesses. We won the tournament and I realized I had a skill I didn’t realize before I was a good leader. I feel like I really grew up this year and started being more independent.

 

Creativity.

 

Dramatic. One word people may use to describe me. I intended to put my “talent” to the best use this year. I take chemistry as a subject and therefore I was not able to take drama. Yet I did not let that deter me from going after theatre with passion. (Showing perseverance and commitment) this year I finished the final grade of drama, exams I have been taking since I was ten. I am in the process of getting an acting diploma, thus showing commitment to whatever I undertake. Throughout this year I developed new skills, I developed my acting skills when it comes to being more vulnerable. Although transitioning from a strong female character to someone who was vulnerable in a short time was not easy at first through constant practice I was able to master the skill, and get honors for the examinations.

In order to improve my skills I had to work collaboratively with others.  Others who had done similar plays or styles were willing to help so that I could do my best. At first I was quiet and reserved but later I was able to interact more and better and communicate ideas better.

Letting go :D

 

On our return, we decided to explore the war-torn areas’ of Jaffna. This was an experience that was close to my heart. I grew up when the war was at its peak and it was an eye-opening experience to learn how the other people, the other side lived during the conflict.  As we were going into the different bunkers of terrorist leaders I no longer felt the deep sense of anger I felt before.  It was a testament to the face that our trip to Jaffna had changed my perspective. I was more open to different trends of thought. If the people of Jaffna could forgive and move on, so could I.  The challenge I set myself before embarking on the trip was to be more open-minded and to work with others towards a common goal and I had undertaken the challenge.  I was successful in collaborating with others in order to be more open-minded and establish better connections with the people of Jaffna.

Pool used by the LTTE

 

 

 

When visiting the hide away of LTTE leader, we all had to hold each other and guide each other through the dark and confined under ground space. We may have lost our way if we didn’t have each other for help. This made us all realise that we needed one another as strength. We worked collaboratively to ensure our safety. In the end the Jaffna trip thought us to be more open-minded and in the process we all got hell of a lot closer.

pool used for deep sea diving practice by the LTTE

 

 

Advocate for Nutrition :)

As a tennis player the importance of good nutrition and fitness was drilled into me at a very young age. I have always being a healthy eater and this year i was given the opportunity to spread the message of being fit to a wider audience. This is my blog of an issue of Global importance. I am taking on a challenge to change the way we view health and fitness. I was in a magazine article that showed different ways of getting healthy and eating the proper food. I showed the point of View of an athlete and a teenager.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=541974432486113&set=pb.402182963131928.-2207520000.1349888490&type=1&theater

In order to make this a success I had to work collaboratively with the editors, photographers and the other interviewees. After the magazine was published a lot of people came up to me and said it was good to see ways of getting fit for all kinds of people. whether it be older people or young athlete.  It was a moment where I realised I could Impact a lot of people, and that I could  make a change globally.

Week Without Walls, learning goals :D

since the trip o Jaffna is a way of experiential learning as well as understanding the culture of our country, the goals set must reflect on those learning aspects. these are the goals i set for the trip in January.i shall make it a main priority to achieve these goals 🙂

• work collaboratively with my peers when visiting different cultural sites. work with one another to better understand the culture and traditions of Jaffna.
• work collaboratively with the Jaffna journalist students when doing projects. as it is a new experience for me it would be nice to have he locals teach and guide me around jaffna.
• my challenge of the trip is to brush up on my Tamil speaking skills. although i know how to speak Tamil, i feel i am out of practice. this is a good challenge for me as i feel i would feel more in tune with the Jaffna culture as well.
• the global issue faced here is the aftermath of war. Jaffan was a greatly affected by the war in sri lanka and its still recovering and developing. my main goal is to first understand the mindset of the people in Jaffna and their living conditions. i will later try to make a change in the living conditions by money donations.
• Jaffna is a very traditional and conservative area. therefore we need to be very careful about how we talk and act or wear. therefore i want to know WHY its important to follow the these traditions. why should we consider the ethical implications of our actions.

SAISA KATHMANDU :D

The SAISA volleyball tournament took place in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was a great trip where I learnt a lot of new things. not only about my self but also about the others around me. The trip made me expand my horizons and engage in things i normally never would have 🙂

The tournament itself was hard and gruelling. The entire team gave more effort than asked for. I learnt to work collaboratively with my team mates in order to win. volleyball is not an individual sport it’s a team sport. therefore in order to succeed you have to work together with others and be one united team. It taught me that even in my IB journey you have to enlist in the help of others and also have to be willing to help others in order to succeed. The GECKOS were one of the best gelled teams and this was the core ingredient to our success. we won 3rd place 🙂 and I have to add that we were one of the well love teams at the event.

There were uncountable moments when we were losing, down but never out. we managed to pick our selves up and encourage each other towards a win. There was never a moment where we gave up and threw in the towel. Every win was hard-fought. This showed passion and dedication but most of all it showed perseverance.

Personally I learnt to be more open to new challenges and not to doubt my self. During one crucial match where the team was down by six, the coaches took out one main player and put me in. I was shocked. I knew that setter was not my strongest position and i grew very scared thinking i would mess up. Call it newbies luck, I astounded myself and my team mates (who were equally shocked at the change) when I served and set the balls, winning us 6 straight points and putting us back int he game 😀 we won the game and it thought me a valuable lesson. To undertake new challenges no matter how daunting, for you will never know what you can achieve until you try 🙂

An important issue that I learnt about didn’t happen during the SAISA tournament, but when we were walking around the city of Thamel. Nepal is a poor country and hunger is a occurring problem there. I didn’t realize the magnitude of this problem until I saw a girl, my age almost passing out with hunger. I gave her money to buy herself some food. YET, her problem and the problem of many others would not be solved by just handing them  money every once in a while. I have an aunt living there and the next time I visit Nepal,I want to make more of a concrete dent in this problem. that is one of my major and most passionate goals.

all in all the SAISA volleyball trip was an eye-opening experience. An experience where I can confidently say made a deep and lasting effect on me.

CAS GOALS!

• CREATIVITY.

for creativity i am planning to audition for the school play. Along side of that i will be doing a diploma in acting.(this will be done privately) I believe that acting is one of my strong pursuits therefore i plan on exploring that aspect this year. my goals for creativity will be to,

• work collaboratively with my peers for the school production.
• take a risk and go for the characters i think could be challenging.
• for my diploma aim for honours.
• try to gain knowledge into characters by discussion with peers.

My main goal for this semester is to relearn how to play the organ. i am not the most skilled person when it comes to music so my goal for this semester is to improve on my musical skills. To me music is a way of connecting with people without the use of language. therefore i feel that with learning to play an instrument i would be able to connect with so many other people and have an impact on the emotions of people through it. I have two main objectives to derive from my goal. they are,

• to expand my comfort zones.(to engage in an activity that i’m not comfortable in)
• feel confident enough to play in front of others and engage with other people when it comes to music.

by taking on this project i feel that i would expand my range of talents, expand my skill level. furthermore by doing something i’m not comfortable will require a lot of effort. i plan on not giving up:D therefore i will have to constantly work hard and persever in order to attain my goals.

ACTION.

I have chosen to play volleyball as my action for semester 1. never having played volleyball i plan on improving my skills. with SAISA around the corner it is important that I improve fast, this could only happen if i work persistently  and collaborate with my team mates.  I will continue playing tennis throughout as it is the sport i favor most:) Having been appointed as the division 2 captain of my club my goals are to make sure that we

• become division champions.
• work together as a team.(collaboratively)
• are persistent and consistent in our performance through the year.

I would like to donate our division winnings to charity this year as it is important that the team learns to give back to the community:) i would like to donate our winnings to the ‘ALZEIHMERS” foundation in sri lanka as i feel that its an issue that is prevalent in our country, and they do not have enough funding.

SERVICE.

The service i have chosen for the year 2012-2013 is “hope for kids”. its a community service for the national children cancer hospital. my goals for his year are,

• To suggest a long term method for donation of money.(to ensure that the kids will have the resources for their recovery)
• To increase the amount of outside involvement in the cancer hospital. make this an issue that the whole country knows about.
• explore the idea of interning at the cancer hospital during break.(as they need more help to take care of the children)
• Make the Hope for kids CAS a community service that kids from other schols take as an example and increase the awareness of cancer in Sr lanka.