Creativity/Action/Service: Week Without Walls 2011

Class of 2012!

Day 1- Arrival Day

We left school the morning of January 24th for Week Without Walls, our destination Hambantota! We first stopped for snacks, then later on for lunch. After this we stopped at the Hambantota Harbor where we enjoyed a steady breeze and a view of the work that is being done collaboratively between the Chinese and the Sinhalese (85% Chinese to 15% Sinhalese). This harbor is projected to be complete by 2020. We then drove to where we would be staying for the next week, Hambantota Peacock Hotel. We were given some time to relax and settle in and then we all got together for a meeting to discuss what we hoped to get out of the following day and our plans for work at the kindergarten schools. After this we had dinner and then we got together once again to go over/rehearse the performances we would do for the concert at the kindergarten on Thursday.

Day 2- Kindergarten School

On Tuesday morning, 11.1 and 11.2 went to the two kindergarten schools to start the much-needed work. To start things off though, we introduced ourselves and then we played some games with the kids. Then we started really working, some of us on maintenance, some on murals and others playing with the children. By the end of the day we were quite happy with the results: freshly painted walls in bright colours for the inside of the school, a large nearly completed mural and a small mural at the front of the school, with much of the playground painted as well.

Day 3- Kindergarten School

On Wednesday morning we once again left for the schools. Once arrived we distributed colouring books and pencils to all the children and spent some time colouring with them. After this we got straight to work completing the finishing touches on the murals, the playground equipment and the various pillars that needed to be re-painted around the school. We even found time to paint another small mural with the help of Mr. Lockwood.

With our work done we got to enjoy a concert put on by children who had previously graduated from the kindergarten. They had obviously put quite a bit of effort into their performance with beautiful and imaginative costumes and well prepared dances. Then it was our turn to put on a little concert for them consisting of: a Sinhalese children’s song, a song by Camie and I with Skylar on guitar, a song sung by Camie (and the grade during the chorus) with Bharat on guitar, a song played together by Skylar and Bharat, and of course not to be forgotten ''Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes''. Overall a fun and productive two days where we worked collaboratively with others and got things done.

Day 4- Yala National Park

Today we woke up very very early and went to Yala National Park. We split up into groups of 6 per jeep and set out on our search for wildlife (hopefully leopards included). The following is a list of the wildlife we saw:

• Peacocks
• Elephants
• Monetor lizards
• A variety of birds
• A Jackal (eating a deer)
• Buffalos
• Crocodiles
• Deer
• Monkeys
• AND LEOPARDS! (:

Day 5- We Returned to OSC

Action: After-school activity with primary kids

Last semester, every Thursday afternoon Sascha and I helped out with an after-school activity led by Mrs. Shipley in which we organised and participated in active games for young elementary students (3rd-4th grade). We did several different types of games such as: capture the flag, freeze tag, dodgeball, etc…

Essentially, our job consisted of gathering all the kids together and quieting them down (no easy feat) and then asking them what games they would like to play. Most of the time a few different requests for games would come up and usually we would decide depending on the majority. Sometimes during one of the many games, one of the children would fall and have a minor injury, i.e. scraped knee, in this case we would have to calm him or her down and let them sit out for a little while till they felt better. We showed perseverance and commitment in this activity since we participated in it weekly and dealt with any of the problems that would arise.

Creativity: Guitar Lessons

For the last couple of weeks I have been taking beginner’s guitar as my after school activity. I chose guitar because I really enjoy music and it was a pleasant surprise to see an instrument being offered to learn at school. I also wanted to undertake a new challenge that I would need to regularly work at to show results. These lessons took place Monday afternoons in Ms. Skelly’s classroom and were offered to anyone from grades 6 through 12. Ms. Skelly gradually taught us several of the basic guitar chords all the while having us practice them by playing along to fun modern songs that she had picked out. Our only ‘’homework’’ after each class was to practice the guitar whenever we had the chance for the following week.

When I started beginner’s guitar I was uncertain as to whether this would be something I would want to continue in the future; I am happy to say that it most definitely is. I owe most to all of the reason I so enjoyed learning guitar to Ms. Skelly who was in every respect a fantastic teacher. Her enthusiasm and patience was never ending and for that I am truly grateful. In the end I am glad to say that I developed new skills in guitar that I never had before and will continue to work on improving.

Action/Service- Habitat For Humanity Build: My First Build

On the 25^th of September the community service group I’m in, Habitat For Humanity, set out on our monthly build. We were only a small group: Ms. Wolf, Ali, Sascha, Camie, Esfar and I but I think we were all very excited to get our hands dirty and really see how we would be making a difference. We left the school early Saturday morning and arrived in a small village about an hour and a half later. We soon found out that unlike on a previous build were the group laid the foundation for the not yet built house; this time we would be mixing and laying on cement to create the floor for the house. We first took a look at a few of the completed houses to get an idea of the size and overall look of the finished product, all the while taking pictures for later use in our CAS blogs, then we decided that it was about time we got to work! To start things off, we had to make the cement, the items needed to put this together are: pebbles, sand, cement powder and water. We formed a chain and starting off with the sand we passed it along to one another using an object that resembled a wok until it reached a designated open area where it could be dumped. We then did the same thing with the pebbles. Once this had been done two people carried the heavy cement powder bag to the mound of sand and pebbles and broke open the contents of the bag with a shovel. These three items were then mixed together with the aid of the shovels and hoes while water was thrown unto the pile, which would in the end, create the cement. We once again formed our chain and passed containers full of cement until it reached the mason who in turn laid it down and made a proper concrete floor for the house.

A little later in the day a large group of employees from a bank came to do some work with us. We all together went through the same steps as with the first house and quickly completed a second concrete floor. We had one last thing to do before we departed for the day, partake in a lunch the women from the village had prepared for us. With lunch finished we all got back into the van and returned to OSC, exhausted but pleased with our work.

What I hope to achieve in my 11th grade year in CAS

It's only been a couple weeks since we first started the IB DP but it's already quite clear that it involves A LOT of work! Free time is a thing of the past. That being said I'm excited to rise to the occasion in a course that is both challenging and rigorous. Therefore, to make the most out of the next two years I will set goals for myself that if reached I think will make for a more enjoyable IB experience.

Creativity: My goal is to reach a basic level of competence in a musical instrument I have never tried before.

So I have just started the after school activity, guitar. My goal in this activity is to visibly improve on a weekly basis.

Action: My goal is to stay fit and hopefully have fun at the same time, therefore I recently signed up with a trainer and will now be taking classes a couple times a week. I think this will be tough but might also be a bit of fun because the trainer will switch up my workout routines every once in a while so that it doesn't get boring. This, I think, will help me achieve my goal along with a steady diet.

Service: Last school year I joined the CAS group Habitat For Humanity, we did several fundraisers to raise money. This year though we will be going on builds one saturday a month to build houses for those who are less fortunate than ourselves.