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24
ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
Creativity,
Action,
Service
At the end of August, 40 Lower Sixth IB pupils
returned early from their summer holidays.
This large group (the biggest IB intake the
School has ever had) spent three days in a
beautiful conference centre near Monmouth.
The purpose of the trip was to learn about
CAS - creativity, activity and service - which
form a central part of the IB Diploma. They
braved a high ropes course at Head 4 Heights,
created unusual and rather striking Land Art
(pictured) inspired by the work of artists such
as Andy Goldsworthy and had a wonderful day
making films with the Young Film Academy.
Below are brief reports from some of the
pupils involved:
‘At Head 4 Heights, the first activity was
a simple game of Splat! This gave us the
opportunity to get to know each other before
we began the more challenging activities. Next
we were encouraged to climb poles of varying
heights. The aim of the climb was to touch the
top of the pole and collect points for our team.
We then moved on to the terrifyingly unstable
‘Jacob’s Ladder’. Our team got to about half
way up and then helped each other reach the
same level. Another activity included climbing
a stable metal pole, standing on a surface at
the top – and jumping down on the count of
three. The jump was thrilling and fortunately
safe thanks to a fan, tied to our ropes, which
slowed us down as we descended.’ Anamika
Pillai (
Sir James Henderson British School, Milan
).
‘On the third day, we worked with a
filmmaker representing the Young Film
Academy. He was really helpful in teaching
us how to handle our cameras to get the
emotional impact we desired through shots
like close ups, wide shots and mid shots.
After creating a three shot practice film to
familiarise ourselves with shooting we learnt
the key plot components of any good script.
Then we began making our ten shot silent
film, choosing our roles and making key
decisions about the film. I feel I made some
new friends and that we all contributed and
worked collaboratively. Overall it was a fun
day and it was a good experience.’ Aleks
Elezovic (
Fulham Prep
).
‘Our CAS trip was filled with lots of
exciting activities; whether it was film making,
high ropes, or team building activities, we
always had something to look forward to.
We were also given a very informative
presentation about the CAS part of IB, which
was very comforting as many of us were
slightly apprehensive about moving forward
into the next stage of our lives. One of the
best things about the trip was that everyone
on the IB trip got to bond - the new pupils got
to make friends, and even people who had
been at Teddies for a long time got to bond
with people who they didn’t usually speak to.
It was a really enjoyable trip, with lots of great
opportunities. We left with the IB cohort
feeling very supportive of each other and
looking forward to starting the course.’ Katy
MacCrindle (
Swanbourne House
).
Trading Places
Our time at Teddies was a period we
will remember forever. We made life-
long friends, saw amazing sights and
had the time of our lives; we could not
have asked for anything more from the
pupils, teachers, HMs and many more.
Our adventures took us from the JCR
to the London Eye, from the IB to a
Liverpool football game - and everything
in between. The experiences we enjoyed
– at Teddies and in England – are ones we
will always treasure. We look forward to
welcoming our exchange partners, Isabella
Watson (
St Swithun’s
) and Dan Brady (
The
Warriner
) when they come to Australia
in the summer. Emma Jackson and Sean
Olsen from Goulburn Valley Grammar
School in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia.