Thisali’s CAS Journey

I’ve made going to the gym on Saturdays an ongoing schedule over the last few months. My main goals I wanted to acheive were to strengthen my muscles and get better cardiovascular health. Looking back on my early efforts, I feel proud to say that I have made significant progress. I could hardly complete the easiest exercises at first, and my endurance has definitely increased. But despite this, my trainer always hyped me up and made sure I completed the exercises.

I’m determined to stick with this, and I’m excited for further developments in the upcoming months.

So far, in terms of recycling, we have continued to collect paper and cardboard and deliver it to the recycling center in exchange for money. However, as of last month, there was a slight deviation from our usual schedule. Sometimes we would have 2nd graders assisting us with our work and us helping with their compost for a short time. During this experience, we taught them about our service group and demonstrated what we do. Starting then, whenever we had some free time after collecting papers from classes, we would go meet the second graders and assist them with their compost. Usually during these rounds, we would go see the biogas plant as well as collect food waste from the canteen and staff kitchen to dump into the biogas plant. The Biogas plant converts the food waste into biogas (methane), but so far we have only used this gas to boil water and make popcorn.

For the past few days, a lot of paper has been piling up in the classrooms. This round we had around 2-4 boxes worth of paper and cardboard, which we had to organize into separate boxes to store in the recycling shed and took to the recycling center.

Lately, during the weekends, I’ve constantly found myself running out of activities and lying around at home the entire day, especially when I didn’t have work or finished everything I needed to do.  Which resulted in me feeling constantly tired, and having a lack of energy. Which I took it upon myself to go to the gym even if it’s the last thing on my mind, and turn into a better version of myself. I contacted people around, asking if they knew anyone who worked as a personal trainer in a gym nearby, and awaited an answer, to which I received one during October break, and started my first session. This was my first time going to the Gym, so I was extremely nervous as to what was to come.

During my first session, I was introduced to my trainer and reminded her that I wanted to do a workout to strengthen my upper body, As we went into the gym I was immediately intimidated by all the machines around me, and didn’t even know how any of them work. For each machine I did, my trainer had to demonstrate to me how to use the machines, and how my posture should be. After the first demonstration, she instructed me to copy after her and was baffled because I could not even lift the amount of weights she did, let alone budge it even a little bit.

So far in this year of Service,  we’ve continued to collect cardboard boxes, paper, and folders from around the school, all the primary, secondary, and admin buildings.  This year we went around with a new team of MYP students starting from 6th grade. When we go around collecting these recycled resources we leave them in the recycling shed near the buses, until our pickup truck arrives. Usually, when the pickup truck arrives at school we send around 2-4 students (one being a Sinhala speaker) to where the recycled resources get weighed and sold. So far as of this year, we have raised approximately 104,000 rupees, from paper sales alone. Usually during these rounds, we would go see the biogas plant as well as collect food waste from the canteen and staff kitchen to dump into the biogas plant. The plant converts the food waste into biogas (methane), so far we have only used this gas to boil water and make popcorn. But due to the Biogas plant not working as of now, we won’t be doing this for the time being.

Since we were unable to collect anything last week due to Thursday being 3WC, there has been a lot of paper piled up in all the classrooms which we had to clear out. This round we had around 5 boxes worth of paper and cardboard, which we had to organize into separate boxes to store in the recycling shed until we were able to sell them, which we are planning on doing next week.

As part of the yearbook group, my goal is to work together as a group to create this year’s yearbook which the students and teachers of OSC will enjoy. I will brainstorm ideas, and stylistic layouts that our group will add to the yearbook. For this year’s theme, we wanted it to be very different and stand out more than the other yearbooks from the past, and something that can be remembered. During our sessions, we all collectively brainstormed different ideas, with the main topic being “Who are we?” We included traits such as ‘risk-takers, curious, communicators, adaptable, critical thinkers, diverse, resilient, belonging, eco-friendly, creative, and inclusive’ and many others.

To create the yearbook we will use a software called ‘Adobe Indesign’ which is an application used to create books, magazines, brochures, as well as print digital publication. I had to do some extra practice because I’m very new to this software. During our sessions, we also chose the theme, colors, as well as font that will be used throughout to design the layout of the book. So far we have assigned tasks for each group member and discussed which sections of the book each member should be responsible for. We have also planned to have the students (primary and secondary) all in the field on the 17th of October and we were going to use a drone to take a picture of the students on the field for the cover of the yearbook, but unfortunately due to the past few days being rainy, we had to postpone it to a later date, which is still being decided.

As a member of the Recycling and Sustainability service group our goal is to: Reduce the ecological footprint of the school community through programs in weekly recycling, awareness building and active engagement with global environmental issues at a local level. Every thursday we meet together as a group and discuss which classes/blocks we need to collect paper from or which classes need a recycling box before splitting up into groups. Most days we would gather paper/cardboard from S/M block or Admin and somedays we would go to the primary section to collect paper.

During our last meeting we had small groups carry one box each and collect paper/cardboard from Admin, S/M block, primary, and the art classes, and took note of who needed box’s and who didn’t. After that we all met at the Recycling shed near the buses. There we had a truck waiting for us to load all the paper/cardboard on to deliver to the recycling centre. 3 other students and myself went along with a teacher to the recycling centre which was 2 minutes away from the campus and there unloaded all the paper off the truck. Based on the weight of the paper and cardboard altogether the shop owner would pay us money. Once we got back to campus we all met at Mr. Lockwoods classroom and began making/decorating box’s to the classrooms that needed a recycling box.

Creativity (Yearbook)

My goal is to is work together as a group to create this years yearbook which will be enjoyed by the students and teachers of OSC. I will attend weekly sessions, and brainstorm ideas, and  stylistic layouts that our group will add to the yearbook.

Learning Outcome:

(Awareness) Become more aware of one’s own strengths and areas for growth.

(Initiative) Discuss, evaluate and plan student-initiated activities.

(Challenge & New Skills) Undertake challenges that develop new skills

(Collaboration) Working collboratively with others.

Activity (Gym)

My goal is to strengthen the muscles around my knee and ankles to improve my physical health, as well as improve my cardiovascular health, by doing exercises that get my heart rate up.

Learning Outcomes:

(Awareness) Become more aware of one’s own stregnths and areas for growth.

(Challenge & New Skills) Undertake challenges that develop new skills.

(Perserverance) Perservere in action

Service (Recycling & Sustainability)

The Recycling & Sustainability service group works to reduce the ecological footprint of the school community through programs in weekly recycling, awareness building and active engagement with global environmental issues at a local level.

Learning Outcomes:

(Initiative) Discuss, evaluate and plan students-initiated activities.

(Challenge & New Skills) Undertake challenges that develop new skills.

(Collaboration) Working collaboratively with others.

(Global Value) Develop international-mindedness through global engagement, multilingualism and intercultural understanding.