For some reason unlike all the other CAS posts that I have written, this was the most difficult to write and has taken me the longest complete. Maybe in someways I just didn’t want school to end. Currently with the impact COVID19 has had one our lives is more than I can express. Classes moved online, IB exams cancelled and most importantly all the fun plans that we had made as a grade to go on grad trips, graduation and all the parties that were were hoping to throw have all just stopped and the world has come to a still. I cannot belive that I am writing my LAST CAS blog, to me this is crazy. In the beginning CAS was something that we had to do and blog about it and to a certain extent it was annoying at first but I have grown to love my CAS blog so much and every activity and  event has been posted on this blog has a had a certain impact in my life in helping me grow as a person. Now as I write this CAS blog, I know that I can always go back and look at the memories and fun times I’ve had in this school. In my very first CAS post I said that these are the years that I will step out of my comfort zone and so things that make me uncomfortable in order to become more comfortable. 2 years gone by too soon is all I can say. And with school closing and knowing we may never see some teachers or students again. However, I like to thing of it as a new start or a new chapter in my life. But before We move on I would like to wrap up my awesome CAS experience and celebrate everything that I have achieved in the last 18 months in school.

THE LEARNING OUTCOMES 

1. Strength and Growth

In the beginning when I started DP on of my goals were to really step out of my comfort zone and try out new things I have never tried out. That is why I signed up to be the spirit coordinator at our school and become part of the student government association also known as the SGA. This job required me to be a good communicator and a risk taker. I was a very shy girl when I was in grade 10 but with the role I had to grow up and Seth, one of my classmates really helped me with this. He was by my side at assemblies and always encouraged me to do my best. In doing this I was able to figure out that I was good at this and in fact I was a people person and I am hoping to pursue my career in media and communications. This also applies to the action I did throughout my DP years. I did workouts and this was personal to me as well in many ways as I had goals but I became not only strong physically it really helped me grow as it kept me mentally strong as well throughout the two years.

2. Challenged and Skills

One of the biggest challenges was working out. I had to wake up early go to the gym and then come to school after. Some days it was tougher than other days but it was very good for me. It challenged my physically and mentally. I think in a way it my therapy and it helped me a lot. Whilst I was spirit coordinator I was challenged with many problems with events that we were planning and challenged to solve it. One big problem was sponsors, finding them was a very stressful process but I think as a committee we got through it, we found money and we were able to have an awesome event. This has helped improved my communication skills and my thinking skills. I’ve had to really step out of the box in some cases to come up with a solution.

3. Initiative and planning

I think one key concept that I have learnt in the last two years is that planning is important. One of the biggest planning events were oscars and the SAISA opening ceremony. These required a lot of planning ahead of and being a good communicator. For OSCARS we planned throughout the whole year and it required a lot of time and energy that was put into making sure it was the best OSCARS the school has ever had. And I think we were able to do a pretty impressive job. We worked tirelessly to make all of this possible, in some cases when work was not being done by the people that we had assigned other people had to take initiative and really work hard. I can say that by the end of that event we were exhausted but it was so much fun and I learnt so much. I really had to step out and communicate and honestly it was such a big risk that we took on and i think we were victorious in the end. Another one was the SAISA opening ceremony where you have to plan the seating, the speech, rooms for the teams and getting event crew all sorted and making sure everyone knows what roles they have. It was tough and those three days Anuda and I were at school till late and we worked together to make sure that everything went smoothly and Mr. Tuner said that other coaches complimented how hard we were working which made us really happy knowing that our service was of good use.

4. Working collaboratively with others

I think throughout the two years it was essential that we worked with other people collaboratively. Where it be in service, or SGA or even in the classroom, this was a very important skill that I was able to adapt at OSC. We need to collaborate with one another in order to do things and even make the world or the country a better place. I think a good collaborating tends to result in very good outcomes. I was a person who liked to things on my own but coming to OSC I learnt that working together is good and working together give you lessons for life. In the future when we are older and have jobs and companies of our own, we must learn to work in collaboration and trust and have hope in others. Being apart of the many events and occasions in school I have learnt how to properly communicate with one another.

5. Showing perseverance and commitment

In my two years at OSC I have made sure to always give my 100% in everything I do. I was a part of my service group girls for girl for 5 years. It is one of my favourite things to do and I have look forward to every service session on Thursday’s since we established our service in 2015. I was in the SGA doing OSCARS, 3 pep rallies and hosted the SAISA opening ceremony along with a founders day assembly. I have committed to my working out throughout the two years. I have take yearbook very seriously for the past 5 years. I think commitment and responsibility are two strong suits of mine. I don’t take it up if I know I cannot do it. I have been service leader for 2 years and I was chief editor of the yearbook club this year. I like to take innvative and I am in control when I am in charge. I like taking authority and getting my work done, sometimes I do require assistance but I think I am independent, responsible and committed to everything I do.

6. Global engagement

My service group girls for girls is a service group that works with helping women who are survivors of sexual abuse with reintegration back into society. We are as service group strive to help these girls come out of their comfort zones and learn to collaborate with us in order to make their transition a smooth and easy one. We hope that the skills we teach them and the time we spend with them will help the learn the importance of speech, communication and collboration. In a way we teach them to be risk takers when they come to our school and we teach them do different actives and how to talking to people that are not just in their center. We hope to empower them, give them hope and know that the world is not as bad it might seem. I have worked with girls with a variety of personalties, and later on once they have become successful I have seen them working in jobs and they have actually come up and spoken to me as well. Their success bring a smile on my face. I also have been part of beach clean up by an organization called Atlantis. They are striving to make sure that pollution on beaches end. There are monthly beach clean ups and they even sell shirts to raise money for other projects such as planting a 1000 trees. This organization is completely run by teenagers who are taking innative making sure that our island is clean, to making sur

e that our island has a future, to making sure that generations to come will be proud to call this island their home.

7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

I think that is important to always look at the ethical aspect of thing when doing anything. We need to always make sure that we are doing is right and just. Throughout the two years at OSC I learnt the importance of ethical rights and making sure that when you are doing a project or an assignments it is always good to look at ethical impacts. Maybe even see what you are doing ties with your morals and what you want to do. Our actions must always be ethical there is no questioning there. Mr. Lockwood always makes us question if what are doing is right and makes us think with a more open mind rather than a narrow mind. We need to think of how our actions impact other people and things when are doing something. I have learnt that if you do things in order and justly everything will fall right into place. Just like the beach clean up or the girls for girls service events. We make sure that what we do is just and right.

Overall, being at OSC these past 7 years has been the most amazing experience ever. I loved all the memories that I have made in this school, all the people, the teachers, the staff, the students and life long friendships that I have made. The values and the lessons taught that I will carry with me forever. OSC is my home and it has taught me more than I can imagine. Admist all the chatter and gossip in Sri Lanka OSC has always been a safe space for me and my siblings to grow up and I am forever thankful that. OSC has the DP program has really expanded my thoughts and helped me grow as a person. I am not the same little shy girl that joined in the 6th grade but I am grown up, with lots of knowledge and confidence. I hope to make OSC proud one day for the awesome lessons taught. I hope that I carry with me on how to be an all rounded student. I am so proud to be called a gecko. Like I said before it has taken me so long to write this because in some ways I did not want my schooling career to over, to linger on to those moments just for a little longer but I knew it was time I wrapped up this CAS blog.  A huge shout out to Mr. Lockwood for always encouraging me to write my CAS blog to the best of my ability and always talking about interesting my ideas were or how cool the activity was, Thank you Mr. Lockwood for all your support and the knowledge you have given me. And that’s it folks. This is the last CAS blog. Peace out OSC. Thank you for an amazing 7 years! SO much love for everyone.

Lots of Love ❤️

Savindi Jayasuriya