Yearbook: Picture-taking and page editing, ahoy!
The struggles Jess and I are facing this year are the same as I've written about in the past, and with all that experience behind us we're much better equipped to deal with these hardships. I needed dodgeball results from the student council, and so I buckled down and devoted myself to trying to get them; when they couldn't be found, I made the page work without them. Drama is a waste of time and energy; that's what I've learnt most through yearbook. Dig in and get things done instead of becoming overwhelmed by the task ahead; the results will be worth your effort.
Newspaper: Another month, another issue.
The romance edition was published on Valentine's Day, and we're planning a grab-bag final issue to be released at the start of June. If yearbook has taught me about the importance of hard work, I think what I've learned most through newspaper is the point where one should put perfectionism aside and just go with it. Yes, my buttons are going to be pushed when the last line of an article get cuts off and yes, a sentence shouldn't be ended with a preposition, but it's important that one does not focus so hard on the trees that they can't see the forest. It's important to work hard and do your best, but you'll never be content if you accept nothing less than perfection. Our effort has created a newspaper of which I'm proud to have been a part, and that there is the forest.
Junior Achievement: Business plan and the home stretch.
There's only a week or so left for Dechameleon, although I'd say it's a busy week ahead. We've planned a 50%-off closing sale that has generated quite a bit of interest, so if we're lucky, this business will end with a bang, not a whimper. Junior Achievement was the last CAS activity that I initiated, and I think that it really exemplifies how far I've come over these last two years. We faced a lot of hurdles - troubles with the marketing department, company members resigning until only three of us remained, cancellations of selling events and production delays, sales difficulties, pretty much every problem conceivable. In retrospect, I faced more challenges with JA then with any other of my CAS activities, except perhaps the great undertaking that is yearbook. But I've blogged about Junior Achievement the least, because in the times of these hardships, I don't feel overwhelmed or like they're immense obstacles. Through CAS I've expanded my horizons and my capabilities. New challenges? Bring them on!
I think those three are the main updates I wanted to write before I post my CAS conclusion. This entire blog is evidence of my growth over the CAS program, but the following entries in particular are those that I think best exemplify the eight CAS learning outcomes:
1. Increased their awareness of their own strengths and area for growth
Evidence: Confessions of a seriously out of shape teenager (Write-up, October 8, 2012)
2. Undertaken new challenges
Evidence: Letters to the editor (Article/write-up, November 8, 2013)
The eleventh hour (Write-up/pictures, July 23, 2013)
3. Planned and initiated activities
Evidence: It's not easy being in charge (Write-up, October 29, 2012)
The end of an era (Write-up/pictures/audio, May 26, 2013)
4. Worked collaboratively with others
Evidence: IB victorious (Write-up, December 6, 2012)
5. Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
Evidence: A greener garden (Write-up/pictures, October 18 2013)
21 - 44 (Write-up/pictures, June 29, 2013)
6. Engaged in issues of global importance
Evidence: The road so far (Opening speech for Model UN, May 2, 2013)
7. Considered the ethical implications of their actions
Evidence: A trip down memory lane, 13:00 - 15:58 (Video reflection, January 29, 2014)
8. Developed new skills
Evidence: Easy as E, F, G (Video, August 19, 2013)
While I hadn't necessarily known it when I began my yearbook journey (Happy new yearbook, October 23, 2012), it quickly became a huge part of my high school experience, a two-year endeavour that I have no difficulty calling my major CAS project. All my posts about this activity can be found using the yearbook search label.
It's so strange to find that my CAS experience is winding down. I'm beginning to start new projects outside of the framework of CAS -- a literature blog with a one-hundred-book challenge for 2014, a physics enrichment class, a position writing for a Canada-wide student issues site -- and it's odd to not have a yellow sheet to sign or a reflection to write. Before I started IB, I hadn't thought CAS would affect me much. I was already the girl involved in way too many extracurriculars; I didn't need a push to get involved. But over these two years I've found that CAS is so much more than just doing things. It's about reflecting on what you've done, and using those reflections to improve how you see the world and find solutions in the future.
I might not have any "I wouldn't have done that if it wasn't for CAS" memories, but this blog is full of things I wouldn't have realized if it wasn't for CAS. We learn by doing, but we learn more by reflecting on what we've done. If I had to choose, I'd say that's the most important lesson I've learned through Creativity, Action, and Service.
