Final evaluation for Creativity, Service and Action

During the last two years of my IB diploma I have been involved in various different activities. Here is a list of all of them and what I have accomplished:

Community and Service: 

Bethlehem Crèche: This has been the main service which I have been involved in. I have been one of the leaders for this through grade 12 and a member since grade 11. We have been able to accomplish quite a few things. For example we taught the children a few nursery songs, won a Yamaha keyboard for them, interacted with the children, started painting the murals at the playground (still in progress) and donated various books and items for their education. This community and service program has been a global issue and it has made us as leaders make ethical decisions as how to treat the children and what to do which would benefit them best. As an individual I have grown in how to show perseverance and commitment to this program, planned and initiated activities, worked collaboratively with others and developed new skills in how to be a good leader.  It has been a pleasure being one of the leaders for this service as it has taught me a lot throughout these last 2 years. I will probably be involved in something like this in the future as I love children and helping them.

Alzheimer’s: I took part in the walk for Alzheimer’s during 2011 in order to show perseverance to a global issue as I was making more people aware of this cause. I also considered ethical issues as to how this could help people in the community around me become more aware.

Action:

Football 2010 and 2012: When I first started football in 2010 I was just a beginner at it. This team sport has really helped me in accomplishing new skills, commitment, working collaboratively and strengthening skills. This is a sport I have really enjoyed apart from all the school work. For both years we were really close in becoming champions however it was a great experience!

Motocross:  This has been one of my hobbies since I was nine years old and I believe that by continuing this hobby I have strengthened my skills, learnt new skills and showed perseverance and commitment. It is something I really enjoy and it will be something that I will continue practicing in the future even though it is a dangerous sport. I am willing to take this risk in order to become a better driver.

Track and Field 2011: I thought that I would be able to do track and field again this year however, football and track & field were at the same time so I had to choose one. During 2011 I was able to show commitment to the sport and collaboration with the other team members throughout. I managed to beat my personal records as well improve previous skills.

Basketball: I tried out for this in 2011 however I was not able to travel which therefore meant that I couldn’t be on the team. This was a new sport that I tried out for and by doing this I showed how I undertook a new challenge and tried something new. I learnt a few skills but I still believe that I can strengthen these skills in the future if I want to play at some point.

Creativity:

Stage and set direction: For this after school activity I showed commitment and perseverance as I showed up to help paint the drop back for one of the primary productions. I developed new skills as well as strengthened old ones through painting. This activity helped me collaborate with other member of the activity in order to work as a team to finish the drop back.

Week Without Walls: During week without walls I was involved in painting the murals of one school in Hambantota during grade 11. This showed my creativity skills as I had to use old skills in order to paint the murals at the school. By doing this we brought a smile to the children at the school. I also initiated activities such as the design of the mural as I have always been a good artist.

Fashion Show: I undertook a new challenge by trying out for the fashion show which would be held at school in 2012. However, I did not make it but by trying at least I knew that I had done my best. This showed that I have areas to grow in when it comes to fashion shows. I liked it as long as it lasted.

Through this reflection it shows how much I have grown as an individual by undertaking all these different activities in the last 2 years. I think that it has really helped me in developing new skills and offered a wide range of activities which I have enjoyed. I will be continuing helping children in the future as well as my other hobbies such as motocross, football and track & field as I am a very athletic person. As this is the end of CAS for this year I believe that most of my goals have been achieved except for one which was to join a motocross race. However this can still be done in the future and I think it will be better off this way.  I have really enjoyed the CAS program at OSC and I hope it continues like this in the future as it has such a variety of activities to choose from!

Bethlehem Creche

For the last three weeks we have been going to the Creche to paint different designs on the murals at the children's playground. This has shown my skills in creativity as we had to paint different designs on the walls in order to make it look appealing and colorful for the children. We have not finished painting the mural and Maheshi and I will probably not be able to go to CAS anymore as our final IB exams are coming up very soon.

However, we have shown commitment to this global issue as we have made a difference to the children. We have made ethical decisions as to what to do with the children every time they have visited or when we have visited them.

This community and service program will probably not be continued next year as the children and the creche have already gotten a lot of help from us which has involved donations and learning different activities. Maheshi and I will probably go to the Creche one last time after exams in order to see how the murals turned out which will be the last time as we graduate this year.

END OF SAISA 2012

So we didn’t become the champions of SAISA football 2012, but we really kept on fighting till the end which is what matters. We have really grown as a team and worked really hard to get to where we are now. It was not easy but we showed perseverance and commitment throughout the season and to each game we played during the tournament.

I played attacker during the games which was not easy but I was able to dribble past players through developed skills during the season but it also meant that I had to plan and initiate with the other players in order to be able to pass to them later. Football needs a lot of communication as it is a team game which means everyone has to work collaboratively in order to make it work.

I think we were one of the most competitive teams during SAISA as we never really lost a game until finals by one penalty shot! It was sad that it had to come down to penalty shots in order to get one team to win. But I guess there always has to be one winner and this year it was Dhaka. On the other hand we won SPORTSMANSHIP! This was probably because we played fair, followed the rules of the game, respected the referees and officials and treated the opponents with respect. This is a really positive thing for a team as it shows we were really disciplined on the field and off field during the SAISA team as a whole.

I think the team has really come a long way from when we first started playing our first game, we grew from every game we played which made us stronger and more competitive. All the seniors including me played our hearts out the last game since this was officially the last SAISA and the last game for us as we will be graduating. However I think this season has ended great and that our coach Mr. Mueller should be grateful to where he has got the team as a whole. GOOD JOB everyone for making this last SAISA a great time!

Bethlehem Creche

In Bethlehem Creche we have been working on different designs for the murals which consist of animals, cartoons and things that small children would like. I have been initating what has to be done during the last two weeks since Maheshi the other CAS leader has been a bit busy with other work. This has helped me to preseverance and commitment towards an activity as I have always shown up ready to work.

We have given the Creche wall filler and paint so that they can prepare for us when we come to paint the murals. We planned to paint the mural last saturday however they were not ready painting the first layer which made us have to change plans. Now that this happened we are planning to go every thursday to start painting the murals bits by bits. This may take a while however this seems better since the Creche are not available during the weekend.

After the murals are done I think this CAS will not be continuing after due to different reasons which is sad because it has been a pleasure working with the children at the Creche as it has made their life a bit different from usual and one can see that we have put joy into their lifes by giving them new opportunities to learn and to play.

Football!

For the last few weeks I have been going to football practice on Tuesdays, Wednesday mornings, Fridays and Saturdays which has been quite challenging at times. The team has been finalized for the people who will actually be travelling to Dhaka from 14^th – 18^th March. At first I was unsure if I was going to be able to travel due to concerns from parents about school work, however it has been discussed that I can concentrate on both since it is something that I enjoy doing and it is also the last SAISA ever as a senior graduating.

We have been playing games against the middle school boys which has been quite hard due to the fact that we have to communicate between each other, plan where to pass the ball, work as a team, jockey to defend and to actually want the ball with all our energy! Due to football I have been able to work collaboratively with others by making sure that we play as a team because this is really important in this sport. It also requires a lot of development of new skills and previous skills. By adding to my strengths and weaknesses I have also been able to develop new skills. For example I have become more confident dribbling the ball and crossing over.

I think that our team needs to play against more schools in order to improve our techniques on the field as well as to see how a proper game actually works. As a senior I feel like we have a strong team however we really need to pull it together these last two weeks of practice in order to make it even stronger! Overall I am really looking forward to this last SAISA and I hope that it will be great and that we actually win this year!

Bethlehem Creche

Yesterday (February 2), we had our first meeting with the new members and we discussed the plans which are to be done before the end of this year. The goals are as follows:

1. Donate the Yamaha Keyboard which Maheshi and I won through a radio competition.
2. Paint the murals and the playground equiptment.
3. Teach them new nursery rhymes.

By doing this we will be able to fullfill the wishes from the Creche as that is what they want.

Below is a picture of the Yamaha keyboard which we are going to donate and all the memebers in the CAS.

Football!

Football has just started which is great as I am really looking forward to this season since it will be my last SAISA if I make the team!

For the first practice we met as a team to talk about drills, how to communicate, proper gear and how we have to collaborate in order to make the team work as a whole.

We started of with some stretching and then moved on to some easy passing. In the 30 last minutes we played a game and we used the whole field which was quite hard as we had 8 people on each team. Although new people are trying out for the team this year we were able to communicate quite well and pass the ball quite efficiently, however this does not mean that we do not need more practice. I really think that we all need to get quite fit in order to play our best and with full potential! Overall it went quite well for the first practice!

We will be having football every Tuesday, Fridays and Saturdays which should be enough to get a great team together, and if we do not think this is enough we can always add more practices!

Fashion Show

I tried out for the fashion show held by the community and service group called "Hope fore Kids" which meant that I undertook a new challenge as I have never done this before. However, I was unable to get into the 10 which were nominated for it. I tried my best which is what counts!

For creativity I will be joining the after school activity on Mondays as well as help design the poster for the Grade 12 art exhibition which will be held at the end of March!

Goals for the second semester.

For the new semester I am planning to do the following things:

1. Try out for the girls SAISA football as this will help me develop new skills as well as increase my awareness of my own strengths and areas for growth. I will also be able to show perseverance and commitment by taking part in this activity. I might also have to undertake new challenges that may arise while playing the game of football. Also as part of action I will be practicing motocross riding in order to improve my skills.

2. I will continue being one of the leaders for Bethlehem Creche while working collaboratively with Maheshi the other leader as well as with the students in the community service. I will also be planning and initiating activities such as painting the walls and playground equipment at the Creche!

3. For creativity I have planned to try out for the fashion show coming up in order to undertake a new challenge. However, if this does not work out I will be joining the after school activity on Monday for grade 12 where we get help to put out IB art portfolio together as well as take pictures of our art work.

I am looking forward to this semester as I will be able to show a lot of motivation before the end of our CAS program!

Bethlehem Crèche

By entering the radio competition Maheshi and I have been able to win a Yamaha keyboard for the Creche!! This was one of the things that the Creche wanted as they like music and instruments. We will be donating the Keyboard the third week after we come back from winter holidays which will be in February.

We will also be working collaboratively together to get the walls at the Creche painted before the end of February!

Bethlehem Crèche

We made another visit to the Bethlehem Crèche this week. We did several activities. We planned to teach them the alphabet, numbers and animal names in English using the books that were made for them last year. Some of the children knew them already and were able to say it well.

 

After this we changed to some drawing them, this is one of the activities they enjoy doing the most. During the visit Maheshi and I also went to the playground to take pictures of the playground so we can plan the painting session with the group after the winter break. The goal for the service group for this year is to completely repaint the playground walls and the playground equipment. Before starting the task has to be planned out clearly about what will be needed, resources, funds, transportation etc. Therefore, Maheshi and I have made sure that we will have everything organized.

Maheshi and I have also entered a radio competition where we can different items such as a Yamaha keyboard. By doing this we are hoping that we will win it for the Creche so that we can donate it to Sr. Florella and the kids!

Bethlehem Creche

For the past few weeks Maheshi and I have been working collaboratively together in order to plan activities for our service group. As a leader, i have been actively involved in the community and service project. We have been able to visit the children twice and they have been able to come to OSC.

When they came to OSC, Maheshi and I had organized with the Primary Music teacher to do some games and dance moves which was greatly appreciated by the children that came that time. We are planning to this again over the next month, so that we can undertake new challenges in teaching the children new english songs and dance moves. Our initial goal is to do as many activities with the children and introduce new environments to them to brighten their lives. I believe that we are doing a great job with this at the moment since the effort we put into planning can be really shown through how much the children enjoy us coming over.

Sadly, last week we were not able to go to their place since they were sick and had the measles. We were supposed to teach them a nursery rhyme (twinkle twinkle little star) and have them do some drawing. However this has now been moved till the next time we see them, which is hopefully soon!

Basket Ball

 I tried out for basketball from the third week of October since I thought I would be able to travel, however I have decided that I am not going to do this SAISA but instead I am going to do Girls Football or Track & Field.

During the few trainings that I went to I was able to show commitment to the sport, collaboration with others, and a undertake of a new challenge. I have never really done basketball before, but with the few trainings I went to I was able to develop some of the basic skills. These skills may help me in the future if I ever decide to try out for basketball another time, this way I can use the skills I have been learning to strengthen my weaknesses.

Motocross - Action

For the last month I have been training for motocross every Sunday afternoon in Kaluagala. This has been my goal from the beginning of the year and I have been able to stick to this. Overall my motocross skills have been improved by getting help from a motocross rider called Haren. He has given me small pointers which has helped me with improving my skills. For example he has said that I need to do some excercise apart from just driving in order to strengthen my stamina, I have therefore gone running a couple of times each week, however a lot of time is not needed, just approximately 30 minutes.

The track I have been practicing at consists of 6 jumps and i have been able to clear 5 out of 6 which is pretty good seeing can only go once a week. Below is a picture from the last time I went training. I will also be uploading a video next time in my blog.

I am aiming at clearing all the jumps before the December holidays, I think this can be possible if I really take it to the next level. My training has shown commitment and perseverance throughout the last month since I have been doing it every Sunday.

Some other hints that Haren gave me was that I need to work on my position while I am in the air during a jump, he said that i need to bend my back a little more and keep the motocross steady. Overall, my motocross riding skills are improving quite quickly and I am really enjoying the thrilling experience.

Pinhole Photography

Since the second block of after school activities have started, I am no longer doing Pinhole Photography as it is not offered any longer by Mr. Lockwood. However it was a great activity, which taught me new skills such as how much light the "camera" should be exposed to and how long it should be held there for. Below is one of the pictures I was able to take, which is of myself (it has been inverted):

I am quite proud of this photograph since i managed to get it quite focused. There are quite a lot of details in the photo which means the time I disposed the camera to light was quite efficient. This after school activity has been part of my creativity for CAS which means that now that it is over I have to come up with something new to do for creativity. I was thinking about maybe learning the basics of playing guitar, since this would be a development of new skills.

Goals and Involvement

What will I learn from the goals that I have set for the year?

1.       By taking part in a SAISA I will increase my awareness of my own strength and areas for growth, work collaboratively with others, show perseverance and commitment in the activity and develop new skills. I have decided that I will definitely do football this year again as I really enjoyed it last year. This way I can improve the skills I have already learnt.

2.       By practicing motocross riding I will be involved in action but also develop new skills and increase my awareness of my strengths as a rider.  I might also be able to develop new skills by practicing.

3.       As a leader in Bethlehem Crèche I am undertaking a new challenge since I have to help members in the CAS to understand what is going on. To do this I, along with the other leader have to work collaboratively with each other in order to plan and initiate activities for our CAS activity. Our community and service program is engaged with issues of global importance since we are helping out children less fortunate than us.

4.       I was going to practice playing the guitar but instead of doing this for creativity I have decided to join pinhole photography as I thought this would lead to undertaking a new challenge and showing perseverance and commitment in the activity.

So far for the year I have been involved in:

Bethlehem Crèche:  We have only had the community and service activity twice so far, but I and Maheshi have worked collaboratively with each other and planned and initiated activities. When we first met we discussed what the goals were for the whole year and they were as follows:

·         Paint the walls/equipment at the Creche

•   Make a garden for the school 
• Plan to raise money throughout the year if needed
• Have a Christmas party with the children
• Teach them some nursery songs and dance moves 
• Donate things that they might need at the Creche.

We have already raised some money from selling “spirit bags and ribbons” on sports day (September 7^th) which was a way of increasing awareness of our service program. We did this through planning and initiating what we had to do in order to get results. We sold ribbons in the house colors and bags which consisted of balloons, scrape paper, rope and ribbons. It was quite a success but we are going to sell the left over’s when the primary has their own sports day in order to increase spirit!

I have also been involved in Pinhole photography for the past 2 weeks which is held every Tuesday after school by Mr. Lockwood as our supervisor. We are only 5 members involved in this activity but we have already been able to work collaboratively with each other, undertaken a new challenge, and developed new skills. It is a great activity which helps us with photography as a whole. During the past two lessons we were able to take our own shots by using a can and exposing it to light towards an object or person or whatever we want. It is quite difficult to know how much time you have to expose the can to light; however this is something we will practice and learn as time comes. I managed to take quite a good shot of myself, I will upload a picture of it as soon as possible.

Sports Day

We had a school sports day on September 7th, and I, as a member of the Red house and a senior, tried to participate in all the sports that I enjoyed. I played football mainly. Of course, our main goal was to win the tournament to enjoy the tournament itself too.I personally interacted with everyone possible, not only within the red house, but also with inter-house members. I belive sports always bring people together much closely :)

Also during sports day Maheshi, Joyce and I were selling spirit bags for the primary students in order to make the day more cheerful. Below is a pictures of us preparing the bags for each house color. Each spirit bag contained balloons, ribbons, cloth and small length of rope. 

We didn't make a lot of profit but we will also be selling the spirit bags during the Primary Sports day which is coming up after December holidays sometime. The money will be used to help the children at the Bethlehem Creche. By doing these spirit bags I showed commitment to the community service I take part in

Grade 12 Begins!

Grade 12 has just begun and it is now time for all of us to make new goals for the year. My goals for this year are as follows:

1. Try out one of the following: Volleyball, Football or Track and Field. (Action)
2. Practice more motocross riding. (Action)
3. Participate in Bethlehem Creche on Thursdays as a leader. (Service)
4. Try learning to play guitar. (Creativity)

 

Creativity: “arts and other experience that involve creative thinking”

 

Action: “physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the Diploma Program”

 

Service: “an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected”

(from OSC Creativity Action & Service Handbook 2010-2012)

These are the aims I am sure I want to participate in, but there might be some more as the year progresses.

End of year reflection :)

Action:

Over the past months, I have been involved in the action which is actually my favorite since I love sports. By participating in SAISA football I was undertaking a new challenge by trying this new sport. Overall I was able to develop skills while also strengthening old skills.

I have loved running since I was small so by participating in track and field I was able to work collaboratively with the team and I was able to increase my awareness of my track and field skills.

Service:

I have been involved in service activity for the whole year starting of with DAWG where I was encouraged to work collaboratively not only with the group member but with different organizations. Most of my time involved fund raising which involved a lot of planning and initiating activities. By participating in Bethlehem Crèche I have also been engaged with issues of global importance. There are a number of children which get neglected from the society they are in if they don’t have a proper family or if their mother or father is in jail. Also as a leader for the Bethlehem Crèche I was able to undertake a new challenge since I have never actually been a leader for a service activity.

Creativity:

I have not been involved in a lot of creativity this year however I have developed previous skills and increased my awareness of my own skills such as painting on week without walls trip and painting the back drop for the primary production at the beginning of the year. I will be focusing more on creativity next year. For example I am planning to take part in pinhole photography or sewing.

Overall it has been a great year and I have learnt a lot of different things due to Service, Action and Creativity. It has made me grow as a student and to learn how to manage time properly.  I am looking forward to another year of CAS where I can show my strengths to my community. 

Key Club Meeting

Today during lunch at 12.30 in the SMPR, Key Club had an meeting with all the CAS leaders for each community and service project. During the meeting we collected the projected reports from the leaders. The President (Damien) also went ahead to tell everyone what we are going to do over the following month which are:


1. New Director- Harshini Karunarathne
2. Project Report should be given monthly to the Key Club from all Community and Service Projects
3. There will be a website set up and an appointed technical crew.
4. Hee Soo will control the overall website.


The leaders that attended today were: Maheshi, Charity, Hee Soo, Harini, Sky, Alex, Aparna, Terunaga, Damien, Uthpala, Avin, Conzi, Rasmus, Bharat, Camille, Antonia, Keisha, Mo, Uphanda, Harshini, Iain and me. 


As for me I now have to keep the club materials organized and these items on file:

• inventory of all key club property
• club bylaws
• key club guidebook
• district by laws
• minutes of all regular club meeting and board meetings
• names and addresses of present key club officers
• copies of current and past key club magazines and district publications
• collected committee reports from committee chairmen
• list of committee chairman and members
• clubs past achievement reports
• clubs past monthly reports

Due to the key club a I am now undertaking a new challenge  and showing commitment to the role I have to carry out.