What's going on? (SIX) - A BIG Update

A lot has been going on, but finally I have time to write an update again!

Many projects have ended along with this school year and some changes were made with the fundraising project I had pursued with Sophie. I have taken on some little Creativity and Service projects here and there as well and my Action program is essentially complete. I'm anticipating my last 'big' Service project which I have planned for August. Below I have written a little bit about the outcomes and what progress I have made with recently finished activities.

CREATIVITY
1. Literary Magazine Contribution (5 hours)
I spent an evening walking around Paris to take several photographs for ISP's Literary Magazine with Kelly Verschuere (Grade 11). It was a surprisingly fulfilling activity because I was able to exhibit and share my love for photography with others. I also enjoyed exploring Paris on my own, something I normally would not have been able to set time for! Below are some of the shots which were published in the Literary Magazine:

ACTION (COMPLETE!)
My program for Action activities is finally complete with:
1. Football (in school) - 20 hours
2. Basketball (in school) - 20 hours &
3. Snowboarding (outside school) - 15 hours

SERVICE
1. Menotring Sophie Stretch & helping with her 'Pennies for Peace Project' (15 hours)
This has probably been one of the most time consuming and wonderful activity. Definitely one of my favourites. I spent the second half of the year meeting with Sophie (7th Grade) every Tuesday for several hours to make plans for the fundraising projects and getting to know her. We were able to raise more money than we had expected so we are in fact, very proud. However, there was a scandal about the 'Pennies for Peace' organization this year as it was discovered that the founder was not using the money appropriately. Here is a link to a news report on it: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7363068n. As a result, we have pulled out our promised contribution and transferred it to a new organization: Room to Read. This organization also helps build schools and collect books for children in South East Asia (where I am from, so I was very happy!) Both our parents are also a part of this organization, and is helping in the establishment of a branch in Paris as well. Here is a link to their website: http://www.roomtoread.org/. We are both really happy to have donated to a worthy cause and I am really happy to have been able to help Sophie and get to know her as I have.  :)

2. Documenting 'Creativity, Action and Service' at ISP (10 hours)
This I would say was not my most successful project. I had intended to write an article reporting on various CAS activities weekly, or at least every other week. However, this did not work out as I had planned - I had difficulties in managing time to interview, photograph, edit and write the article during the school week and the schoolwork had really began to pile up. This was not an easy activity to pursue but to make up for my inconsistency, I think I will make a packet of notes, ideas and my past articles to pass on to next year's Grade 11 so another group can continue the project. I think it would be very useful because it does count as CAS hours (obviously!) and it really is a great Service to other classmates. It is helpful because they can learn of new venues for activites (such as rowing or dancing) and it can inspire others to try new things. This is all important because it allows others to gain more from their CAS programs.

3. Student Council Open Meeting at ISP (1 hour)
Although my decision to attend the Student Council's open meeting at ISP was fairly spontaneous, I'm glad I went. Many relevant issues were brought up and it was great to see for myself what the student council was getting up to, I don't think many people know how active they really are. For that reason, I really encourage other students to attend the next open meeting. Even I made some contributions particularly concerning the students pursuing the IB Diploma. I suggested an earlier briefing on coursework so that students who are organized can take advantage and get a head start on them. Fewer people will be stressed and it won't feel like the work is piling up, as it did for me. There was also a discussion on the smoking policy at ISP and I thought that whatever rule they came up with for smokers, it should also apply for the teachers because students see them smoking too. As a student, I know that if they do pass a stricter policy on it, they will want to see it apply to everybody. There were other topics brought up too but those were the two that I felt I was able to give valuable responses to!

4. Assisting in Victor Narciso's Photo Shoot (3 hours)
I spent an afternoon helping Victor Narciso with his photo shoot for a bridal promotion for a gym in Manila, Philippines. I spent a lot of time setting up lights, and holding reflectors while he was shooting. but I enjoyed it anyway because I was exposed to a 'real' photography production. I like that I was able to make creative suggestions sometimes and I was able to give more than an extra set of hands.  :)

FUTURE PLANS!
From the 2nd until the 5th of August, I will be taking part in a humanitarian project with the organization Gawad Kalinga in one of the provinces of the Philippines. In the mornings, I will be teaching kids and in the afternoons I will be helping in the construction of a school there. I am looking forward to this experience particularly because I have never been able to help out directly at home. I will write a post on this mini-humanitarian trip after it has been completed. Visit the website: http://www.gk1world.com/.

After helping out Gawad Kalinga, I will have fulfilled the CAS requirements for the IB diploma program. Next year, in the early stages of Grade 12, I may take on smaller CAS projects but I will definitely be spending more time focusing on my studies.

I will soon post a full list of all the activities which I have completed this year so stay tuned!

That's all folks!  :)

What's going on? (FIVE) - Pennies for Peace

In March 2011, I was approached by a fellow school mate and neighbour, Sophie Stretch (7th Grade), who asked for help in putting into action her fundraising plans for the charity Pennies for Peace. Of course, I enthusiastically jumped at an opportunity to help a charity which supports people around the world. We meet for a couple of hours every Tuesday after school to plan events, or make posters. We make a point of meeting regularly so that we can discuss how things are going and what we can do to improve some aspects of the project. The Pennies for Peace fundraising will consist of the distribution of Penny Collection jars around school as well as nearby Delis and Bakeries & the organization of sales - bake sales, chocolate sales, ice cream sales etc. Awareness of the aims of the charity will be shared in school assemblies and posters. I am optimistic about this project as it is clear that Sophie has great dedication to the project, and I know I too, want to do anything to make it as successful as possible, for Sophie and for children's education in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Below, I have attached an email which I sent to inform the school of Sophie and I's goals for this year and also some links for your information on the charity itself:

Dear Mr Kerr,

I am writing on behalf of Sophie Stretch (Grade 7) and myself. We have been meeting every Tuesday after school, planning and organising a series of fund-raising activities which would run until the end of the year for the charity Pennies for Peace (www.penniesforpeace.org). This organisation has been very close to Sophie's heart and, apart from the fact that she is my neighbour, I've decided to help her make her project more successful. She already ran this project last year, and would like to continue it this year. She has set up a WikiSpace (www.ispennies4peace.wikispaces.com), if you would like to know more.

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 30th March, we will be putting out penny donation boxes in the library, as well as the B Building reception (if that is okay) which will remain there throughout the year. We are going to spread the word ourselves, in the form of posters and updates in our registration and homeroom classes.

We have planned to do several bake sales throughout the rest of the school year, and we would just like to confirm that this would be okay with you. Please let us know ASAP if there are any problems. Bake Sales, Chocolate Sales and Popsicle Sales will take place on the following Tuesdays:

April 4th, 2011
May 3rd, 2011
May 17th, 2011
May 31st, 2011
Throughout June (to be confirmed)

Other students who may be helping out at the food sales and preparations are Emily Bishko as well as other Grade 7 students.

We are both looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Thank you in advance for your support!

Isabella Borgers (Grade 11) & Sophie Stretch (Grade 7)

I believe that this is an important, long-term project for my CAS program as it is not a repetitive project. There is a lot of thought put into initiating the different tools which will determine the success of the fundraising project. There are various activities which make up the project as a whole, from baking to the creation of posters, to informing other students, to putting up posters and distributing donation jars and meeting with Sophie on a weekly basis. I believe that at the end of this project, it will amount to about 20 hours of Service as well as maybe a few hours of creativity or action as an outcome of the smaller activities within the Pennies for Peace project.

What's going on? (FOUR) - Basketball

In early March 2011, the ISP girl's basketball team travelled to Basel, Switzerland to compete at a tournament involving several other European international schools. This was essentially what our twice-a-week practices were building up to.

These practices passed with progress, but not much. Although we were very much excited to be travelling as a team elsewhere to compete, we really didn't have high hopes on 'winning' the tournament. However, the energy made it clear that every single member would truly give it their all.

During the two days of competition there, we played six games - losing two, and winning the rest which finally placed us in second place in the tournament overall!

It was a really important experience for us as a team, in my opinion, and we definitely grew from the way events unfolded during matches (and in between!) Our first game, we were obviously full of nerves but really were motivated to do well and the game finished with our team, the ISP Panthers, one point behind - one point, not one basket (equivalent two points)! On the first day of games, we had to play three matches, one after the other - as I said, we lost the first, won the second (which got our hopes really high!) but were later crushed as we lost our final game by a MILE. I think this was a combination of outside forces (we did not agree with the judges, and it was against the Home team which meant htat their entire school was supporting them and so our morale was low) and great exhaustion. The rest of our matches however, I'm happy to say, we won by a significant amount. :)

Basketball season is now coming to end but unfortunately I have not been able to play as much as before due to a back injury. Below are some photos from practices and the tournament.

Total 'Action' hours completed for Basketball? 20 hours (plus!)

SNOWBOARDING!!!

In the past, I have spent my February Ski Breaks inactive in Paris. This year, I travelled to Chamonix Mont-Blanc in the Alps to learn how to snowboard! I have never snowboarded (or skiied!) before so this 'winter sport' is one that is really new to me. With the help of a friend, he taught me how to snowboard during the week we spent there. I decided to count this aquiring a new skill as part of my CAS programme, under Action.

On the first day, we spent the afternoon on very small slopes so that I could understand how to maneouvre and steer the snowboard where I wanted to go, as well as break! - which of course was beneficial to me. After falling a few hundred times that day, I was able to finally do it on my own, slowly.

The next day, again in the afternoon, we returned to the same area but pursued the larger (real!) slopes and pistes. We descended very slowly, with my friend holding my hand as I was terrified that I would go too fast! This was good because I could see how others were doing it and try to reenact what they were doing. We tried several times until I was able to do a large portion of the piste by myself. I was then used to the steepness of the pistes.

The following day, we were able to meet with a few more friends who were in the same area, and we all agreed to go to Les Grands Montets, which was one of the largest skiing areas in the vicinity. We descended many slopes, stopping at intervals for a rest. We went down a couple of 'red' pistes (which are one of the hardest ones) which was a real challenge because they were very long with many curves and drops. I was managing very well, in my opinion, for keeping up with my friends who had done it for several weeks already until I had a pretty bad fall. While descending a slope which was practically vertical, I had gained too much speed, snow had collected on my board and I toppled over, hurting both my back and head. Before calling it a day because I was in so much pain, my friend and I snowboarded down a few easier slopes at a manageable pace (i.e. not very fast!) and then we rested the next day.

Before leaving, I returned to the large slopes (the same as I had snowboarded down on the second day!) for a few final runs.

Although I was not able to snowboard as much as I had wanted, I'm really proud of what I have achieved because I was able to learn how to snowboard fairly well in a matter of days. It was a really great, fun, new and painful learning experience but it was well-worth the trip and I would love to do it again in the future. Below are a few photos, in order of progress. :)

Total no. of hours completed for this activity? 10 hours. (Action)

CAS at ISP (Three)

My Documenting CAS at ISP activity is still progressing. Here is my latest article:

For over 8 years, Victoria Andre, (former) ISP student has attended weekly Ballet lessons. Proven to be extremely motivated, Victoria has grown and flourished through investing time to develop new skills and styles of dance. Most importantly, she feels she has learned how to overcome various difficulties (both technical and personal) in making this a part of her CAS experience.

Although allotted time for warm-up and practice are completed individually, the group pulls together and interacts when preparing for a performance. There are a variety of opportunities to exhibit the work of the dancers, including an annual performance organized by the company itself. These generally remain in the classical style (such as Swan Lake) but more modern shows also take place (such as The Magical Boutique). Victoria took part in both these recitals. Between these, she has also performed in many theatres, hospitals and homes.

There are many benefits to practicing ballet, in Victoria’s opinion. She enjoys the physical and mental challenges which she must face with each class. Ballet obviously requires a lot from the individual – including endurance, flexibility and perseverance. Apart from these fairly obvious demands, She has also been able to learn more about the history of dance in general, ballet and classical music so she feels she has become more cultured as an outcome of this exercise.

Victoria counts this activity for both Action and Creativity. She has been able to (and will) continue this, in her words: ‘therapeutic’ hobby where she lives. It is clear that there are many benefits to studying dance, whether it’s Ballet or not! ISP would like to congratulate Victoria on her commitment to this activity and encourages other students to find and take part in a dance class of their choice! – INB

CAS Update - Term 2

Completed CAS Activities:
I will work on getting the sign-off sheets for these projects filled this week by the appropriate supervisors.

CREATIVITY
1. Piano (20 hours)
Classes with Bonnie continue successfully and progressively. Took part in my first piano recital with her and have started practicing to possibly take part in the annual ISP Music Soiree (February 2011)

2. Yearbook (20 hours)
The yearbook is starting to come together and is looking good! However, as I will be starting Basketball on the same day, I will start to go on alternating weeks and continue work on the Yearbook at home. I have already started to do this and it is a system that still works well.

3. Ambassador for International Day 2010 - Nordic Countries stand (5 hours)
This was a fun task to take part in, I think I was helpful as I remained organized throughout the alloted time for preparation. Our stand ended up being awarded 5 stars at the end of the day!

ACTION
1. Football (20 hours)
This was a challenge for me as I am generally not a very athletic person, however being a part of a team and getting some exercise weekly was beneficial.

SERVICE
1. Christmas in Cambodia Donation Project (5 hours)
This project was definitely a success, and something I was very proud to have completed! I was able to send about 10 boxes of donations to the organisation, Objectif Cambodia. I will probably try to do this project again next Christmas.

TOTAL (so far): 72 hours

CAS Activities - in the process:
These are the projects which I feel I have not completed a substantial amount of hours and will be ongoing throughout the year. This includes the expected amount of CAS hours for each.

1. Documenting CAS (approx. 10 hours)
2. Classroom Assisting (approx. 10 hours)

Future CAS Activities:
I have already signed up for the following activities and will begin planning for projects this term. This includes the expected amount of CAS hours for each.

1. Basketball (approx. 20 hours)
2. Soup Kitchen (approx. 2 hours)
3. Creative Photography for the Literary Magazine (approx. 5 hours)
4. Art for Children of Ranelagh (approx. 20 hours)

PREDICTED TOTAL (by the official CAS Deadline): 130 hours