On February 3, seniors from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme hosted this year’s exhibition displaying their Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) projects in Rawley Hall. Many projects were put on display for students and teachers of all programs to view.
“I feel proud to be able to present the work that I feel very passionate about, especially after spending over a year on it,” senior Emily Peng said.
The exhibition served as the payoff after a year of developing their individual projects. The IB seniors presented trifolds consisting of photos and descriptions highlighting all the activities they had conducted.
The exhibition covered a diverse array of projects, whether it be assisting underserved students through organizing STEM lessons or providing avenues for artistic expression through hosting art workshops.
As a required part of the IB Programme, CAS projects are intended for IB Diploma candidates to innovate ways to help members of their community through identifying local issues. Students initiate their own project either designed to improve themselves through new experiences or help others through enriching activities, fulfilling one of the three aspects of CAS.
“Everyone’s CAS projects say a lot about them,” senior Carrie Antler said. “Some people find their passions in exercise or crafting, and they use their CAS projects to help the community.”
For her CAS project, Antler along with senior Ryan Zheng tutored elementary students in Chinese for a local language learning program here on campus. Antler and Zheng were both previous students for this same program.
“We’ve been taking Mandarin classes since we were young, we gave back to a community that we are familiar with through these classes,” Antler said.
Along with academically centered projects, other students developed projects that provide accessible recreation for those in need.
To senior Chloe Pava, offering free sports lessons was a great way to provide this enrichment. Over the summer, Pava launched KickOffKids, a program teaching soccer to interested players ranging from 7 to 15 years old.
“My motive for creating KickOffKids was so that every kid has the opportunity to love soccer as much as I do,” Pava said. “As a child, the hobby you take interest in can stick with you your entire life, so I want to share it with others so that they can have options in their lifetime.”
Although CAS is designed to support all different types of communities, the amount of time and dedication the IB seniors have put in to complete their projects has benefited them as well, developing them into not just active community members, but leaders. Through pitching their own initiatives and meeting new people, the IB seniors have honed their skills in leadership and project management, skills vital even beyond graduation.
“Because IB itself is a very tight-knit community, I think being able to interact with other demographics of students allowed me to gain insight and valuable perspective as a community member,” Peng said. I had a lot of fun creating the different curriculums and forming connections with everyone I had the privilege of meeting.”
Serving the community through dedicated service is not just limited to the IB Programme. Anyone can make a difference in their community if they put in the time and effort behind a powerful first idea.
“The best place to start is with something you genuinely want to improve,” CAS Coordinator Cynthia Quintana said. “Once you identify an issue you care about, connect with organizations already doing the work. Volunteering builds experience, trust, and insight, and from there, students can develop their own meaningful solutions. Real service begins with authentic passion.”