International Baccalaureate Year 12 CAS Project

The CAS programme is an integral part of the International Baccalaureate, enabling students to participate in exciting and rewarding activities. Through creativity, activity, and service, students acquire valuable new skills while also gaining insight into the world.

In addition to general CAS activities, students must plan a “CAS project” which involves setting up a new initiative with a specific goal. This can be in any one of the three CAS strands, and students will work towards this goal over the course of a few months.

Recently, a group of students has been visiting Knightsbridge retirement village to connect with the residents. They have been running activities such as card games, board games, and quizzes, followed by afternoon tea, to get to know everyone. This has been a great opportunity to hear other people’s stories and their lives. One resident, aged 91 years old, said, “Talking with, and enjoying time with these splendid young people, gives me real hope for the future.”

The engaging activities have also been valuable for the residents who would not otherwise get to talk to many young people. Learning about other generations has been a rewarding experience for both the students and the residents involved. A big thank you to Mrs Brandt, Ms McRae, and Mr Murphy for helping to supervise. Furthermore, this project was made possible with the support of Michael Gifford and Carol Andrews from Knightsbridge. We look forward to connecting again with Knightsbridge in the future.

By 12IB Team Member Leilani Fair

As part of the IB Diploma Programme this term, two of my peers (Jolene and Skye) and I (Reina) created a CAS project which encourages students to plan and carry out an experience that involves collaboration, initiative and meaningful engagement with the community. We chose to promote the accordion and encourage more learners, particularly among the younger students, as it is a rare instrument to encounter in New Zealand today. Through giving performances around the North Shore area, we hope to build enough interest to eventually hold free workshops where people can have a hands-on experience with the instrument. 

More recently, we visited Murrays Bay Intermediate School to give a presentation and performance for an audience of around 500 students. The event included a short introduction to how the accordion works, followed by live demonstrations showing the instrument’s versatility and a Q&A at the end. The performance included a diverse range of music genres e.g. game, pop and classical music and many more. The atmosphere was lively and the students responded with great enthusiasm. Seeing so much interaction and energy from the audience made the visit especially rewarding after all the time we had spent preparing for it. This gave us hope not just for running workshops and spreading the joy of the accordion, but also for the instrument’s future, allowing our CAS project goals to truly come to fruition. 

By 12IB Team Member Reina Lin