A Year in the life of CAS - Ms Bell

The CAS element of IB is always approached with great enthusiasm by the students and this year has been no different. The IB group are extremely motivated, inventive and have taken part in a range of interesting experiences throughout the year. ​
As a school we support the IB students by offering a range of opportunities for them. We started 2015 by packing our bags and heading off to Northern Thailand for a week of activities and service. It is a very special week and I know the memories will stay with the students for a long time. I feel privileged to have spent the week with them. As a student body their conduct, enthusiasm and teamwork are reward enough for the extreme tiredness teachers feel (hopefully Mr. Burgman and Mr. Bogart agree) by the time we get home.  
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After getting back, the Year 12s begin to prepare to host the Junior Disco, which this year was successfully organized by Charlotte (aka Wonder Woman), Debasmita and Elisabeth. It was a fun evening and enjoyed by all.  The Big Day Out was another event supervised by Mr. Horton (many thanks for your support) and supported by Year 12s.  The end of the year brought the winter concert which was expertly handled by Clement, Tricia, Debasmita, Mao Lin and Kikinay with support from all of Year 12.  The concerts are always well received and enjoyed and this year was no different. A great deal of work goes into preparing the concerts, with (auditions and technical training, supported by Frederic) occurring months before. We are really looking forward to the summer concert.  

Along came 2016 and with it   the sponsored walk  when the whole of the international section leaves the classroom behind and heads up into the Tai Tam Country Park. Again, a great deal of preparation takes place for this to run smoothly. Many thanks to Luca, Estelle and David for their help with this.  One of the highlights of the year is the graduation ball which is organized by a small team of Year 12s and preparation for this starts some 10 months prior to the event. The grad ball team arrange everything from the venue to the sponsors to all the little things that make it so special for our graduating class.  It is a tough task and our IB students always rise to the challenge.  I would like to thank Wei Hua, Sofia, Mao Lin and Murial for taking on this rewarding experience this year and for doing such an excellent job. I am sure our great grad team from last year (Megan, Sophie and Melissa) wished you well.  

Alongside all of these events, we have had kindness week, bake sales, beach and trail clean ups. Individually, students have been involved in the following personal experiences: COP 21 Conference, tutoring, sailing, MUN, debating, World Scholars, piano, netball, marine conservation, rowing, read-a-thon, photography and dancing to name a few. Our students work extremely hard and many of them have excelled in their sports and activities. 

Fund Raising 2015 / 2016
​All the money raised by Year 12 this year has been divided up and donated to the following charities: Médecins Sans Frontières, Food Angels, Room to Read and Volunteers without Borders (which is affiliated to the Maekok River Village in Thailand). This year the donations have helped feed 500 people in Hong Kong through Food Angels and our donation to VWB has supplied musical equipment and a peripatetic teacher to a rural village school in Northern Thailand.  Thank you to all of Year 12 for being a great CAS group this year and for all your efforts. You have dealt with the challenges with maturity and good humor. It is also important to mention the graduating class of 2016 (some of whom are seen in the photo to your right) who all successfully completed their personal CAS programmes and did a fantastic job last year of organizing and supporting all the events. I wish you well for your futures and thank you for all your hard work.   
Ms Bell , CAS Coordinator for IBDP ​