Grade 12 Goals and Introduction to CAS

Grade 12 had begun  and its about time i created my CAS goals for this year. Leaving behind grade 11 where i think i had a successful CAS year, participating in different SAISA's and attending after school thursday CAS programs.
My goals for this year are as follows :) :

--> To ago to the gym at least twice a week (action) since i made a promise to my father that i would not participate in any SAISA's this year.

-->Participate in the Secondary School Drama Production. (action)

-->Get involved in at least one after school thursday CAS group (Service)

-->Try learning to play the 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)

Conclusion To my Year of CAS

My goals at the start of the school year were as followed below:
Goals / Aims
1)Try out for SAISA Swimming, Football and track & Field.
2) Perform at school directed show/musical.
3)Improve grades, in order to complete IB satisfied.
4) Continue swimming through the whole year, maintaining my fitness.

Throught the school year I have been involved in several SAISA's and have taken part in the school Alzimers project in order to raise awareness. Out of the four goals that I gave myself in the beggining of the year, i have managed to complete 3 of them. The only goal that I was not able to complete was to perform in a school musical production. The reason that I was not able to complete this was because of my participation in SAISA football at the time and my commitment with the team, since I would then miss many of the practises for the production. For the other three of my goals I was able to complete with satisfaction. My grades have improved since the beggining of the year.

I have not yet thought about my goals for the following year but have come up with a few ideas in order to help me become a more CAS oriented student.
one factor which i defently plan on working on next year in my concluding year in high school is to take part in more CAS groups throughout the year in order to have more service under my name, instead of all action based from SAISA's.
I worked on my creativity during a workshop that i took part in for Drama where we travelled to Indonesia, Jakarta and developed my skills as an actor.

Throughout the summer i have given myself a few goals which are as followed:

1) maintain fitness
2) Finish extended essay/TOK essay

SAISA Track & Field 2011 American Embassy School Delhi

SAISA Track & Field is one of my favorite SAISA's , its one that I have been doing since i was in grade 7 all the way till now. I enjoy this track and field because it challenges me to become better as an all rounded athlete, in endurance , stamina, speed and skill. This year it was in Delhi from the 24th-28th for the last time since they will be joining a new sports tournament that challenges their athletes more. This was then my second time traveling there. The events which I was supposed to participate in was
> High Jump
> Long Jump
>Shot Put
>800 Meters
>400 meters
> and both relays

Due to an ankle injury I gained after winning first place in High jump, i could not partake in any of the running events which would put to much stress on my ankle further damaging it. I took part on the last day on the shot put and long jump event, where I placed 6th in Long Jump.

this has been one of the most fun SAISA which i had taken part in. I was housed by two of my friends Michaela Durston , NIkita Durston , they used to go to OSC and moved to Australia so it has been a long time since ive seen them and being housed by them was allot of fun.

Through this SAISA i improved my athletics skills. I developed my high jump which was one of my favorite events. This SAISA challenged me on a fitness level since running isn't my specialty.
I completed all my goals i set for myself which has made me happy :)

SAISA boys Football February 10th - 14th 2011

The SAISA boys football tournament took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was my first time going to this school and therfore i was eve more exited. This year was the first year i have tried out for the boys football team and I made it. Usually I play football as a pass time activity and was encourages by my classmates in order to try out for the team. We traveled on the 10th of February 2011 and returned home on Monday 14th 2011.  Due to certain circumstances involving other players suspension from the school we only traveled with 12 of our players instead of 16 , this meaning that we would only have one subsitute if a player gets injured or tired throughout a game. All this led to the fact that we would be playing double the ammount of time as planned tirring us out even more. On the first day we played to games, winning both of them. On the second day we played 2 more games, Drawing against one of the toughest schools in the tournaments. American Embassy School of Delhi but then later on loosing to the school who later became Champions American School of Dhaka, the score being  5-3 , with us allowng them to score 2 goals on the last final 5 minutes. On the last day we proceeded to win our last game. Throughout this Tournament  have improved my football skills, made many new friends and became closer to my team members. I have also improved my endurance and stamina which was one goal i had in mind since the beginning of the football season. Even though we didn't come in the top 3, many school acknowledged our disadvantage in the number of players we had had received a reputation as one of the toughest schools to defeat gaining ourselves the title of the iron men.

Week Without Walls

This year the grade 11 went to Hanbantota, a city located on the southern tip of Sri Lanka. The trip lasted from the 24th-28th of January. On this trip our goal was to refurnish a local primary school and donate supplies to the children.

A few weeks before the trip, our group 11.1 or the "Cha-group" organized the groups to work on certain things like murals, painting, and playing with the children. The organization was made with everyone in our group having their say. 

Goals

1. Work with my group collaboratively

A. playing with Kids
B. Painting walls
C. Help others
2. Try Something new
A. Painting walls.
B. Interacting with little kids who don't speak my language
3. Bond with Class mates

Reflection on day 1

today our grade arrived at Hambantota after a long 6 hour drive in a clustered bus. This was going to be my last week without walls...

 During this 6 hours time I mainly worked on my third goal which was to bond with my class mates...the whole 6 hours.

We arrived at the hotel l ate in the afternoon and where given the privilege to use the swimming pools and at 6 o'clock, right before dinner we had a whole grade meeting where we planned and organized the next days events.

Day 2 Plan
1. Play with kids

• duck duck Goose
• ball games

2. Paint school walls

Reflection on Day 2

On day two, we arrived at the school fairly early in the morning in order to have a early start. The first task was to interact and play with the kids , which I found to be challenging since I didn't speak the language.
We played duck duck goose with them , the reason we chose to play this game is because it is simple and fun which doesn't requirre much explaining. After a short period of time the little kids starting to get the hang of it. After we finished playing duck duck goose , we braught out the balls and started playing ball throwing games with them, this game the seemed to enjoy and picked up the instant the ball was handed to them.

For the second part of the day I painted the inner walls of the school building in blue and pink colors. Which helped me work on my second goal trying something new. This is how i helped in the ISSUE OF GLLOBAL IMPORTANCE through my first day of week wiuthout walls.

The days events where filled with new things for me, painting the inner walls of the building and interacting with younger kids. which i think was a success.

Reflection on Day 3

Day 3 was last day for painting the school. We were still in the same groups however our assignments as the previous day, however our assignment has change since we have finished painting all the inside walls the previous day, we helped the mural group paint the mural.
We finished painting the murals outside the school, just in the nick of time. The challenge for the day was that it started raining and we had just finished the mural and we had to clean up the work site fast and where worried that the paint would run down due to the rain water.

At the end of the day we performed a few songs for the children of the school , putting on a mini concert for their parents as well.

Lay's Potato Chips Commercial

On December 22nd, I received a call from Bryce's mother, asking me if I would like to cast for a role in the Lay's chips commercial. The following day , on the 23rd we headed out to the casting office where photographs were taken and i auditioned for the role.

December 26th , i got call from the casting manager, that there would be a costume fitting tonight with all my cast members and a chance to meet the director before hand. A driver was send to our house to pick my mother and myself and drive us to the hotel in which the director and he crew was staying. They traveled from Pakistan and the other cast members traveled from Mumbai. Tried on my costume and had a chance to meet with the crew and director.

December 27th, the shooting day , the location for the shoot was on waters edge. We arrived there at 7 in the morning. The shoot lasted the whole day and we finally called it a wrap at 11 pm.
throughout the day I had to take dozens of different takes for scenes which i was in.
We wern't only shooting a story line for one commercial , but 3 commercials, like a series.
Between my shots, I was required to take still photographs of myself smiling and eating lays ships . these photographs would then be edited and placed on billboards in Pakistan and India in order to promote the new flavors for Lay's chips.

All which i have accomplished in the last days would go under service and action.

Throughout the whole day I was working in order to complete my goal in finishing this commercial proudly that i have given it my best. Dizens of different takes for the different scenes in which i was in, was stresful and tiring after 17 hours.
This was a service since i completed my goal in order to provide entertainment and promote the new flavors for the Lay's chips in Pakistan and India.

GOAL COMPLETED :)

 

SAISA Girls football - Event Crew

Girls SAISA football to place this weekend, in the home of the GECKOS ( Overseas School of Colombo). The schools started arriving on Wednesday 1st, with 8 different schools from Asia SAISA began on Friday 3rd and ended on Sunday 5th. Throughout these days, our girls football team played a variation of different teams and made it to the finals where they played of with AES (Delhi) the other underfeated team apart from them. In the final's our team lost 3-0. Our girls came out victorious since it was the first time in over 10 years in which OSC has made it to the finals in a Saisa.
Throughout the course of this weekend, I had signed up for the event crew along with a few of my class mates, we were all handed different jobs in which we would specify on.
My job required me to prepare the OSC auditorium for the Friday night social in which the girls from all the different teams would socialize and bond. We were then to prepare the auditorium for the Sunday night Ceremonial night. Through this course I also helped around the field in doing small jobs and helping other crew members complete their job.

Creativity, Action & Service


In order to prepare the auditorium for the Social on Friday night, I was required to carry around couches and high jump mats along with my other event crew members. We carried the heavy high jump mats around the school in order to place them in the auditorium. We then carried Sofas and small couches from different rooms around the school to the auditorium. Along with this we were required to prepare the play list of music for which would be playing throughout the night in the Social event.We organized the room in such a way that we could then fit two table tennis tables for entertainment. Our goal for Friday night was to create a Relaxed atmosphere in which the Saisa athletes could relax and socialize with their new/old friends.
On Saturday it was pouring with rain which then made it a challenge for us to remove the furniture which we had placed in the auditorium the previous day, so we then decided to do all the planning on Saturday so we could then go Straight to work on Sunday morning in removing the furniture and placing the tables and chairs for the ceremony.
This whole event was prepared by us the event crew in charged of the auditorium. We planned the auditorium in order for it o be set as a relaxed room while the other half of the auditorium was set with loud music and and disco lights for the athletes to dance. We planned this all in one day and were required to set it by ourselves and with some help from the OSC staff. With the award ceremony on Sunday we had a bit more time to think what we needed to do and we also had the help from the PTA ( parent teacher Association) to prepare.
The whole weekend was a success, we managed to overcome all our challenges and prepare the auditorium in time for Saisa athletes.