CAS(creativity, action, and service) is a key component of the IB program in which students partake in multiple different activities and projects to fill the requirements of each category. CAS provides an opportunity to get involved with many different groups in and out of school, and it is one that I am grateful for. I’ve always enjoyed doing afterschool/co-curricular activities, as I find it’s a great way to interact with and get to know other people that I otherwise might not talk to. Even without the CAS program, you would still find me doing all the different components of it out of my own free will, it’s something I genuinely enjoy.
I find that it’s important to have goals with almost anything, as it gives me a sense of where to go. Therefore, I’ve come up with these goals for the various CAS components, with the hope being that they can direct my efforts that I make.
Creativity – Concert Band
I come from a family of musicians, and music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Be it listening, playing an instrument, or singing(poorly), I love music. So naturally, when I heard that OSC had a concert band, it was only natural for me to sign up immediately. I’ve been playing the Euphonium/Baritone since the 5th grade(with a splash of Tuba in 10th) and was more than happy to join another band. My goals for myself are as follows:
- Improve my ability to sight read(play for the first time without rehearsal) more complex pieces of music
- Become more confident and play louder, even in parts of songs or songs that I don’t like
- Become a better section leader, so that I can help those around me if they’re not sure what to do at any point.
Activity – (SAISA) Swimming
While I’ve been playing the Baritone/Euphonium for a long time, I’ve been swimming for even longer. Maybe it was my Dad always talking about his glory days on his high school swim team, or watching my older brother start out when I was in the 2nd grade, but they got me hooked, and I’ve been doing competitive swim team since 4th grade. Again, like band, it was only natural for me to join seeing how there was a swim team here. However, there is one problem, that being that the season ends in October of this year. To counteract this, my plan is to do a club swim team once the SASIA season ends. After deliberation, I set the following as my goals
- Improve my butterfly greatly, make it my definite alternate to freestyle
- Fix my breaststroke kick so that I don’t get disqualified when I do it in competition(it’s been a problem since I started)
- Make my turns and dives better, faster and better technique
- Be better at supporting my teammates
Service – Gecko Network
Technology has always been something that has perked my interest and been something I’ve liked working with, but I’ve never had any experience in high quality video editing or recording. Still, when I was approached by some members of Gecko Network, I’ll admit I was hooked right off the bat. I like service, and the satisfaction I get from a job well done that also helps people is great. The way in which they pitched Gecko Network to me made it sound right up my alley, regardless of lack of ability in those fields. After our first few meetings, my goals were pretty apparent and necessary though.
- Learn how to professionally edit video, using advanced software
- Improve my ability to direct those around me(in a director’s position) and how to better lead a team in this sort of environment
- Get better at using the creative thinking part of my brain to overcome challenges(in editing and in recording)