Unlock your potential
The first CAS project exhibition of XLIS ended successfully
In October, the first XLIS CAS creativity, activity and service project exhibition came to a successful conclusion. This grand event is not only a brilliant display of the hard work and wisdom of DP2 students, but also a vivid portrayal of the seeds of consciousness sown into the community, sprouting, and bearing fruit in the fertile soils of XLIS.
This exhibition showcases 10 DP2 student team projects, each of which is centered on a specific topic ranging from environmental protection to community care, from cultural heritage to technological innovation. Each project embodies the wisdom and hard work of the team. In the small auditorium, students shared the origin, implementation process and learning goals of the project through wonderful speeches. Subsequently, in the corridor on the third floor, there were a wide variety of achievements: exquisite handmade products, video records, detailed data reports… Each piece of work was the best interpretation of the spirit of CAS.
Among the projects, Agnes and Sumin’s CAS projects stood out particularly. Agnes shared her experience of curating an art exhibition: “My CAS project is to curate an Art Exhibition at Nanjing, China. We incorporated various art genres such as stationery design, sculpture, and canvas to explore the theme of feminism. The biggest challenge for me would be reaching out to artists who share the goal of promoting gender equality and have distinct art styles to collaborate with us. Effective communication strategies are crucial for attracting more artists to get involved in the project. We need to find ways to present the exhibition’s cultural value and uniqueness to convince others. Therefore, the greatest lesson I’ve learned is to research successful art curation examples and learn how to showcase our strengths.”
Sumin recounted her communication and leadership challenges in her project: “The biggest challenge I faced was having to communicate with multiple people while balancing my schoolwork. It required a lot of time management and coordination. Through this experience, I learned valuable lessons in leadership, as I had to guide my team effectively while staying organized.”
When asked about the essential skills for CAS projects, Agnes emphasized: “Collaboration and time management are key. The CAS project provides an opportunity to work with others and create something meaningful. It is crucial to understand each other’s strengths and maximize them by distributing tasks effectively. For future DP students, my advice is to have strong time management skills. Since the CAS project spans over a month, balancing time between making progress on the project and completing academic tasks is essential. Avoid procrastination in submitting reflections for each stage and make effective use of the summer vacation to ensure the success of your CAS project.”
Sumin valued creativity and self-reflection: “Creativity and self-reflection are crucial skills. It’s important to understand what you want to achieve and how you can give back to your community within your limits, but through creative approaches that keep your activities diverse. My advice for future DP students would be to pursue something they genuinely want to do, as it makes the CAS journey more fulfilling.”
As the CAS Advisor for DP2 students, Mr.Tanapat shared his insights: “As a core component of the Diploma Program, CAS provides the opportunity for students to ask and answer the most profound questions in life: who am I? What do I want to do? How can I be of service to others? During this journey, students are guided by the CAS Coordinator, CAS Advisor, and CAS Supervisors. Through my experience as a CAS Advisor, I get to see my students identify their interests, pursue them, and learn from them. And through the CAS Exhibition, students showcase the fruits of their labor.”
“Serving as the CAS Advisor has allowed me to get to know my students at a more holistic level. Naturally, this has helped improve my teaching since, as we all know, the work of a teacher depends on the strength of the relationship they build with their students.”
No exhibition is successful without the presence of an engaged audience. Our M4-DP1 students and secondary teachers were in audience for the exhibition. They had some very meaningful conversations with the DP2 students to inquire about the thought process behind each project and their CAS stages. They also completed a feedback form that allowed our DP2 students to think of their final reflections. The DP1 students took back a lot of learning from this exhibition to prepare for the year ahead.
XLIS has always been committed to providing students with a diverse developmental platform, and the CAS Project Exhibition is a vivid manifestation of this philosophy. We believe that through the in-depth implementation of the CAS program, we can further stimulate students’ potential, cultivate their comprehensive qualities, and lay a solid foundation for them to become leaders with social responsibility, innovative spirit, and global competitiveness in the future. We look forward to the CAS project at XLIS shining even more brightly in the years to follow, continuing to unlock the potential of each student and build legacies for the future!
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Author:
Jasmin Sun (Secondary Chinese Language & Literature and Language Acquisition Teacher, CAS Coordinator)
