CASthenix 2011

This year an amazing monumental event was planned by the students of IBDP Year 1 of Sharad Pawar International School, to organize a community service at an extremely large scale, which should not only help the community but also enhance their talents and skills. Keeping this in mind everyone enthusiastically started preparing for it.

After several discussions, meetings, and planning we come up with the title "CASthenix" which is going to be our program's name. Each one of us were divided into several groups to manage and decided the necessities of a particular section, like stage management, music, lights and sound, artists, models, performers and so on.

After going through all the requirements we calculated our budget for which we now need sponsors. Then all of us worked together to collect the required amount by contacting companies, organizations, agencies, committees who are interested in helping us in funding the event, and we did get positive results as well. Not only then but also are own school helped us a lot for it.

Finally it was decided that the event will take place on 12th February, 2011 at Ishanya Mall's Amphitheatre, Pune. There begins the printing of the invitations and tickets, their selling whereas we the students on the other hand began preparing for the event.

I was supposed to work in the music and art sections and was also have to gave a performance on the event. Therefore I started practicing for it and finally prepared one of my best song to perform.

On the day of the event the students who were selected for the stage management including myself reported at the venue at around 8 a.m. We began preparing and decorating the stage with huge banners and posters which we are supposed to draw and paint by ourself. This task seems to be quite daring and difficult but eventually with the help of our art teacher we did it and were successful too. And the stage looks awesome.

As the clock hits 6 o'clock in the evening the crowd of people starting gathering in the Amphitheatre and there began the program awaited since so long. The program started with a traditional welcome dance by a professional. Thereafter the students studying in village schools were given a chance to showcase their talent and they did it. They performed so well that the claps of the audience didn't stop for such a long time. After them we had a dance performance by a group of professional dancers, who too gathered a lot of appreciation from the audience. Finally after this it was time for my performance. I was all set and performed really well as can be seen by the audience's response. Finally the program end with a band performance after which everyone was directed for the dinner place, and hence the program comes to a successful end.

Therefore conducting, participating, and managing such a great program was indeed a really great experience. Not only we learned how to organize a program on a higher level but also learned how to be the role model for the society. I feel great pleasure when I saw the smiles on the faces of those students who never get such chance in their entire life to heighten their talents. But we made it possible too.

At the end all thanks goes to our CAS Co-Ordinater, our IBDP Co- Ordinater, Teachers, music staff, technicians, artists, stage management team, our sponsors, the venue owner, our school and our well wishers who made it possible. Last but not least a great thanks to the CAS, the fundamental part of the IB Diploma Programme who encourages students of doing such things for the society, for the school, and for ourself.


Reported by,

Aakash Gupta
IBDP- 1
Sharad Pawar International school,
Pune,
INDIA

CAS Week: KALASANGAM

The last week we the students of SPIS organised a large scale CAS activity whose motive was to encourage talents of kids from lower societies. We planned to organize a talent hunt for the less privileged students studying in Lohegaon village schools.

The mission started on 10th January, 2011. All the IBDP year 1 students were divided into six groups comprised by one IBDP teacher, whose work was to go to their assigned school in Lohegaon and conduct the competition as decided.

The very first day of our CAS week started on 10 January, my group comprised by Mr. Kaushik Majumdar was assigned a school named Panduram School, Lohegaon. We went to their school to conduct drawing competition in which not only us but the students of that school shows their active interest towards the competition. We distributed them the necessary things required like pencils, colors, drawing sheets, rubber, sharpener etc. By the afternoon we successfully completed our given task of drawing competition from which we selected six best drawings which was then sent for inter school competition.

On 11th January, 2011 we again went to the same school in the morning but with some different task which was Rangoli competition. We distributed them rangoli colors and as the competition ends we clicked the photographs of each rangoli, drawn by the students.

On 12th January, 2011 we organised poetry and essay writing competition. We left our school in the morning the materials to be distributed for this competition which were pens, pages etc. We distributed these to all of the students and also inspected them during the whole competition. Again by the afternoon we collected all the essays and poetries and returned back to school.

With this we successfully completed the above mentioned competitions but the major ones was still left and those were Dance, Singing, Drama and Elocution which were to be conducted in our school on 13th January, 2011.

On 12th January, after the school gets over one of my friend and me sticked all the drawings, which were collected on the day when drawing competition was held, on the big chart paper so as to showcase them on 13th January.

On the mourning of 13th January, 2011 we all gathered in the auditorium of our school and each one of us were assigned different tasks for the whole day. Firstly I have to stick all of the drawing charts on the wall of the entrance of the auditorium so as to showcase them to the people, students and other staff members of the schools coming in our school.

The participants and their school staff were given breakfast arranged by us and after that the different competitions were given green signals.

My two friends and me collected the medals to be given to the winners from our teacher, cut the school and kalasangam stickers in round shape, sticked them on the medals and finally arranged them properly.

As soon as our this task was over we helped in Dance and Drama competitions taking place in the auditorium. We collected the song CDs from the participants and played them when their chance comes. We also helped the students and their teachers and also interacts with them. During lunch we directed them to the basketball court which was the venue for lunch.

Finally when all the competitions were held successfully, our head of school were invited and requested to give away the medals and shield to the winners of all the competitions held till now starting from 10th January, 2011.

With this way we successfully completed one of the largest CAS activity held till now. Not only we enjoyed this task of giving support to the hidden talents but also learned how to organize such a big program, how to manage it, how to work as a team, and also to encourage others for these kind of noble activities. Nevertheless we the students of IBDP - 1 would like to thank all of our teachers who helped us in each and every step, our head of school for their support in organizing the competitions, the village school's teachers and students for their active participation in the competitions held and to all of them, which I forgot to mention, for their kind encouragement to make this event a grand success,

Thank You.

Reported by,
Aakash Gupta,
IBDP - 1