CAS is an essential part of the DP program in which students take part in extra-curricular activities to make their daily lives more balanced. The CAS system is made up of three parts: Creativity, Activity and service. Every student participates in at least one activity of each segment. The CAS system is valuable not only to add balance into an academic-based education, but also because it allows us to develop more skills, try out new activities, step out of our comfort zones and of course to have fun. The following shows the CAS goals I set myself for the two upcoming years of school.
Creativity
Creativity involves art, music, and other activities related to the two. I play the trumpet and do a lot of art in my free time, ranging from photography to drawing. I started playing the trumpet five years ago and seem to increasingly enjoy it as I progress. I was in the orchestra in my previous school and continue playing here in the Concert Band. I plan to continue playing in the band for the next two years since I like the kind of music we are playing, and it gives me a chance to share music with others. I will also perform music with others outside of the concert at events and hope to play a solo piece some time. This is very new for me as I very rarely gave solo performances, but it provides me with a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone.
Activity
The activity component is very important to me since I enjoy sports and it is very helpful in giving balance to an academic-based education. I have been playing a wide variety of sports, but two types were in my focus over the last few years: tennis and volleyball. I played for my previous school’s teams for both sports and had the honor of being captain of the volleyball team. In addition to learning more about the sport, this helped me in improving my leadership and cooperation skills. I am currently taking part in the SAISA volleyball training and will be joining the team for the upcoming tournament in Nepal. For the next two years, I am planning to join the badminton and maybe also soccer SAISA training to try out new sports and keep my habit of playing a lot of sports, which helps me in being calm and mentally fit for school.
Service
Service is an important part in education as it widens our view of the world through experiences we gather by interacting with people who are less fortunate than we are. I am in the Hope for Kids service group which focuses on providing children in the Maharagama Cancer Hospital with distraction and fun in this difficult situation they are in. I really enjoy the service since I learn much about the children’s lives and how difficult such a situation is, not only for them but also for the people working with them, as well as because I feel we make a difference by providing them with distractions and fun when we visit them. I plan to stay in this service throughout the DP program, because I would like to share this valuable experience with others and hope they will get as much out of it as I do. This is one of my goals, as I think it is a responsibility to share this kind of education with other students. Another goal is that I would like to be service leader next year, so that I can learn even more about the hospital and cooperation with such an institution.