AS performance

This was the first time when 3 of my friends and I took music as our AS hence this was our creative activity.We started with the basics and then we started to learn a song although we had to change many songs because my friends and I are amateurs, therefore, we finally decided to sing “Stitches” by Shawn Mendez. We had to split the stanzas so that everybody gets a fair chance to sing hence we had to collaborate our efforts to sing the whole song properly.The strength that I developed by doing this  creative activity is, how to identify beats of a song.The first challenge that my friends and I faced was to perform on the stage as this the was the first we were performing a song and the second challenge was to develop coordination because all of us had difference in our voice pitch although we were able to overcome those challenges by practicing for months because everybody was committed to this creative activity but when we performed we were not good at the pitch of the song although we were good at following the rhythm, beats and we were able to cooperate properly. My friends and I will be continuing to learn music for the next year as well and work on our weakness.

 

 

 

 

 

Football Tournament Held In OGIS

Our school participated in an under 16 football tournament held in OGIOS school Ahmedabad.
This was the first time I was chosen to become the captain of the team although I did knew 4-5 players from my team hence this is the first time I will be leading the team, my first obstacle was knowing them and bringing coordination between all the players in my team and for that all the team members including
I needed to collaborate with the players.
Although some players were playing a football tournament for the first time, therefore, it resulted in many problems like increase of pressure on every player and increasing the risk of losing but we were committed to giving our best shot even if we loose.We had planned some strategies like playing more defensive-less offensive and every player should not keep the ball in their legs.We tried to use them during the game, while doing all this I have developed a new skill and it was leadership although I may not be a good leader because we lost the game but I tried my best for winning the game.game. Everybody in the team had worked collaboratively but we had some weaknesses like our strikers were not able to communicate properly  which lead us to defeat therefore we need to learn from our mistakes and become a better team.I Wish I could get the other opportunity to become the captain of this team because we I have practiced for 2 months for this tournament and my experience as captain was good as I developed a new skill which is leadership.

DP FEST ORGANISATION

Abhishek and I were chosen by the school to organise the DP fest aka The Xbox performance that takes place every academic year where we show our parents what we have learned throughout the year. It was very difficult at the start to imagine the outcome as there was shortage of time. This one big challenge we faced  as planning and execution of performances needed time . But even after that limitation the outcome turned out to be great.

Invitation card

Invitation card

As an organiser I had to be impartial and not let my personal attachment with anyone affect my decisions. I learned how to maintain that. Simultaneously I had to be humble and open minded while listening to everybody’s ideas about the fest. I never understood how ethics would fit in CAS but this project gave me an example. The teamwork between me and Abhishek was very important as well as the leadership we took. We had to coordinate and execute everything and divide the work so that the burden don’t go on one person with that we also had to be good leaders and keep everyone motivated and be strict with deadlines to complete the project. My skills were improved, I became better at time management and I experienced organising an event by myself for the first time in my life.

All the hard work paid off when after a successful event everyone applauded us including the head of school which felt amazing. It made me remind that I am capable of becoming an event manager which I further want to pursue as my career.

IB as a prison which changes to metamorphosis

IB as a prison which changes to metamorphosis

IB as a prison which changes to metamorphosis

IB as a prison which changes to metamorphosis

One of the appreciation :)

One of the appreciation 🙂

Football – Suboroto Cup State Championship

This football match experience was different and special to me because this time I was the goalkeeper of the team. I always played as strike and because our team’s goalkeeper denied playing football this time, I had to play as a goalkeeper. At first I decided not to participate but all my teammates motivated me as it was our last year to play under-17 Subroto in which earlier we have won state championship twice.

IMG_0527This experience was amazing as all my teammates supported me and appreciated me for any action that I did. I did not get a lot of time to practice for this position. I always used to think why goalkeepers miss such easy goals but while playing as one I understood the logic behind it . The efforts I had put to do my best as a goalkeeper benefitted everyone. I actually saved many goals in the finals which was surprising to me and for which my coach also appreciated me. Now I know that all players in the team have equal pressure on them. Moreover, now I IMG_0610am capable of playing as a striker and as a goalkeeper which makes me feel very proud. Although we didn’t go for nationals this year as we did the past two years, I learned a lot about my strengths and my weaknesses. I will always remember this state competition for the things I have achieved as a learner. I am in love with this position now and I am also looking forward to improve my goalkeeping skills and play this position in further games my team participates in.

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Bal Mela – Tug of war

Bal Mela is a fest in which we invite and entertain students from the local schools of Surat. My role in this fest was to make those children play tug of war along with my friend Shasvat. During this fest, I felt very energetic and fresh, maybe because I could connect myself with those students or as I was just pleased to see children laughing, dancing and enjoying all around.

The one thing I perceived from this activity is that even after losing in the game, the children got up with laughter and tried harder to achieve their goals. The children lost the first round but got up with fiery spirits which helped them win the second and third round. I first thought that this activity would be a waste of time in which I will have to just entertain a handful of children just for the sake of it, but later on, I realized that I was wrong because I understood the true meaning of this activity. It showed me that you can’t find happiness by purchasing a PSP or an iPhone. One gets happiness by playing with other children, by seeing happiness made by you all around.

There are many things I learned from this activity. Firstly, I learned the skill of planning and initiating an activity. I remember how I and Shasvat were planning strategies to control so many young children while remembering to make the have fun at the same time. This skill will help me in the future because I want to be an entrepreneur. Secondly, I learned the skill of being calm in tight situations such as fights or a crowd. Finally, I learned the skill of co-operating with others as I could not have done it alone. I had literary hoped nothing to achieve from the fest, but the truth is that I learned many things. There were times when all our planning is done previously failed and we had to come up with new plans on the spot due to the mass.

I did find myself out of my comfort zone of peace and laziness, which eventually made me feel  very happy and proud of myself for doing something new with my own free will. There are been many benefits I found out of me quitting my comfort zone, which are, a)I found myself more useful in the particular circumstances, b) I had a completely new experience which I doubt I couldn’t have experienced if I preferred to be in my comfort zone. I realized out that I need to improve my skills of controlling the mass, and the skill of communicating with small kids. There were times in which Shasvat and I were facing each other in the game itself dividing the team into 2 groups, Shasvat, and mine. Enchantments such as these made our time in this activity very cheerful and entertaining. This activity also had a global concern “equality” related to it. From performing this activity we showed that there is equality between the children from different castes and religion – because we did not judge any student or school by what clothes they were wearing or their skin type. We saw very child equal and we gave them an equal amount of attention and chances.

There were many difficulties I faced, but the main difficulty was controlling the huge numbers of children at a moment. In our planning we had planned that a couple of 50 – 60 kids will come in total, but we were so wrong, in fact, we had 50 – 60 kids in every chance of the game. Thus, all our planning was inappropriate, so we quickly changed our plan to that Shasvat will explain the game to the kids, where I will look at the center mark of the rope, and we decided to take help from the bhaiya’s to help organize those kids. We were able to complete this activity because we showed high amount of commitment and perseverance in this activity – otherwise, it could have been very easy for us to quit and leave the entire activity on bhaiya’s and the other students, but we decided that we will be committed to the work we were given and prove we are capable of controlling such a mass of children. Well, the one thing I learnt about me from this activity is that I am good in changing my plans at the last moment. My overall experience of this fest was amazing, and I think I did a pretty good job in organizing those kids and entertaining them to the fullest without any criticism. At the end of the activity, I was completely exhausted and my hand was  covered with bruises, but this activity was worth it.

 

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HMUN India – “It’s not a resolution, it’s a revolution.”

Suits, ties, skirts, shirts, that’s exactly how an MUN looks like. Only, HMUN wasn’t a group of 200-300 people, it was a whole lot 2000 people! HMUN or the Harvard Model United Nations was held in the city of Hyderabad from the 12th of August up till the 16th of August, 2015. I was participating as a delegate of South Sudan in SOCHUM for the agenda “Rights for the protection of journalists globally.” The difficulties began all the way from the month of April. After receiving our agendas, we had to thoroughly work and do in depth research for the topic for about four long months. There were times when it got really frustrating because there was so much to do and so much to understand, however I knew I could not give up because presenting conceptually correct ideas in the committee was imperative. Then eventually came the day of the mega conference. Stepping out of the comfort zones of our city and being exposed to a completely new environment filled with strangers made me apprehensive in the start, but that was not all. The discomforts and challenges only grew with passing time. I was frustrated when I was hardly allowed to speak for about five minutes over the course of four days. Our committee consisted of 250 people, each very talented and here to win. There were 5 established groups working on different resolutions, 3 major and 2 small ones. I was the leader of one of the small groups which consisted of me and 11 more people. At one point, I had understood that if I wanted to win, I had to abandon my group and merge with a bigger group that was ready to give me a higher position, but I decided to do it differently, and I took it up as a challenge to not strive to win but unite ideas and people, and make a whole lot of friends. This was not me because I always believed in winning, little did I know that winning was not only about the prize or the position but about winning people’s hearts and friends. The HMUN gave me an invaluable experience in dealing with global issues, made me realize my responsibility as a global citizen and made me understand the true value and meaning of a win.  

Evidence:

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“The only thing better than singing is more singing.” – Arts Fest (Duet Performance)

My excitement reached the 7th sky when I got to know I was selected to represent my house in the upcoming Duet Singing competition in school. I however knew I would be selected because of my consistency in passion towards singing and my growth in areas such as scale and tone. My AS Music classes helped me gain this type of expertise and confidence in singing. I was performing with one of my seniors who is a really great singer. However, due to unmatched timings and well, procrastination, we did not finalize on our song until the day before the competition! The nervousness only grew with passing time, confidence was never an issue for me, but working synergic-ally was. Had I been the only one, I would have figured something out, but working in a pair meant finding a song that both of us were very comfortable with and could perform with little practice. Being impatient, I quickly lost temper as I couldn’t narrow down even after about brainstorming for an hour. However, I soon realized that losing my temperament wasn’t going to do any better. Later in the evening, my partner and I sat down together with a fresher perspective, and did things in a more calm and organized manner. Within a short period of time, we were able to narrow down on the song! That was the moment I decided, that it was much more beneficial working together and helping each other, rather than minding one’s own business. Continuous practice throughout the night included pointing each others flaws in singing, helping one another and looking at the situation with utmost optimism. Our hard work and synergy gifted us with second position the competition! Though, that wasn’t all, the competition gave me more than a certificate, it opened my eyes to two very important lessons of life, believe in the strength of composedness and, don’t procrastinate! 

EVIDENCE:

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It never get’s easier, you just get better. BASKETBALL INTRA SCHOOL COMPETITION.

On my way to my first (out of school) basketball competition ever, I was ambivalent. I was never a fan of sports, so this competition held an emotional relevance to me, as it was my personal fight towards my disinterest in physical activities. It was difficult to stay calm, mostly because I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy nut to crack, nonetheless, I had some faith because we were very strong as far as team work was concerned. Turned out, both my claims were absolutely correct, it was a difficult first match but our coordination and skills helped us win.

I was hardly allowed to play in the second match because I was relatively a new player and our opponent team was last years champion. Observing the game for 30 mins made me realise a lot of things about me and the sport. I had always believed that sports were all about aggression and roughness, and that is what I felt when I wasn’t allowed to play for the entire match, I was angry and charged up to fight with the coach. However, turn of events and emotions took place within me when the best player in the team approached me in the half time and asked me areas the team had to improve in to better the score. This suddenly made me realise of the misconception I held throughout, sport was about calmness and strategy, I realised that in order to become a better player and a better teammate, I must not only practice the skills of the game, but also of being an observant and calm. So that’s what I did for the rest of the day, observed each game closely, reflected it to my teammates, created strategies, happily stayed as a substitute when required and gave my heart and soul in every minute I was in the game.

This experience taught me a lot about real teamwork and importance of knowing your strengths and weaknesses to best support your team. It not only made me physically fitter about also broke my paradigms about sports.

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Ride with Pride against breast cancer

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THE ORGANISERS

Ride with Pride against breast cancer was a cycling event organised to fight against breast cancer which has been consuming many lives. We organised this event as our CAS project and we specifically chose cycling because it’s one thing that we really enjoy. We planned to conduct the event at a very small scale but we never got to know when did it become so big, we had approximately 300 people who supported our cause and joined us early in the morning with their cycles. Right now the event feels like success and everything ended in joy, but the behind the scenes of the event weren’t this pleasant. We faced tonnes of problems since day one but we took them as a challenge and solved them.

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The organising committee

This entire event was a learning process, we failed and then strived to succeed, it was great and memorable. During this event we fulfilled all the learning outcomes for CAS:

Learning Outcome 1, I have always helped in organising events by being a part of the organising committee and just playing a small role and I’d never thought of organising such a big event, while doing the event I realised that it wasn’t really hard to communicate with people and I could really well explain them what we were doing and what we wanted from them, that was probably my strength and I did that quite well. In the last 2 days of the event we got our vent advertised by sending SMS and due to that I had to receive calls at all different times and I handled it quite well.

Learning Outcome 2, challenges were a part of the event all the time, they were either small or really big but they were always there, for instance, we just couldn’t name our event, we thought for maybe 3 days just about what would we call the event – this was a small challenge but soon we realised this is just the beginning. Soon, we had to go to different companies in the city to get sponsorship, that was the next challenge, to convince people so that they give us funds to run our event. We also needed permission from the government regarding this event which was tiring, we had to go to the commissioner’s office thrice just to get the permission letter signed and later going to different police stations explaining them what the entire event is all about. These were challenges that we knew we were about to face but the biggest that I faced was the fact that I could not balance school and the event, we had to skip school or leave early from school to get our work done, that did create an imbalance but we coped up.

The third learning outcome is anyway fulfilled as we pulled up this entire thing on our own and achieved what we wanted to.

Learning Outcome 4, this was probably the hardest – to commit to the activity once started and facing challenges that were least expected really drove me crazy, for 15 days I did not stay in home till 9-10 in the night just because I was busy with the event, and I was missing out on my revision, due to which I felt that I should give up on this. But, we all managed to keep it going and make it a huge success.

The 5th learning outcome was the most important one because it was the three of us who organised the event and definitely because we are different individuals and we think different there had to be differences of ideas, we faced a few conflicts but we finally thought that if we want our event to be conducted successfully we have to cooperate and compromise by considering everyone’s views.

Our event centered around the awareness of breast cancer which is a global issue faced by millions of women, we also will be donating our profits to cancer patients who cannot afford the treatment, this way we will be catering to the 6th learning outcome, also we need to be tight on our ethics by using the money in a good cause and not just use them for our own good, because we considered the ethics we also fulfilled the last learning outcome. We gave all the participants a paper which gave them information about breast cancer and how can they prevent it, this is how we could help people who were completely clueless or not well aware about the causes and treatment of breast cancer as well. 

 

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The cyclists are ready for the flag off

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After the cycle rally

 

 

Hindi divas

Hindi Divas was a fun event to celebrate the existence of the language For this event  we had to organize various activities. Swani and I  were the head of ‘Arre Bhai Kehna Kya Chahte Ho?’ For this which had two rounds: First was Dumb Charades (Songs) and second was Taboo (Movies). We planned the game, made rules and decided the rounds which were a fun process

We  worked together to decide  rules, movies, and songs.
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We got agitated  when the seniors claimed that we were biased to our grade as they got easier  movies/songs as compared to their grade. We were really upset when the doubting our integrity, However, we explained to them that we were ethical  as  before the game started we made the teams pick their own chits and hence we did not have any biases

While the event  took off  I was nervous, however, as time went by and I  saw  the enthusiasm of participants, the level of my anxiety reduced. I am that kind of a person who cannot speak in public, yet, it changed me in a way that it made me more confident about myself. The activity was small, but its effect was much big for me.

I wished we could get more time to organize the activity. so that we could make it more creative and engaging and also that we could enjoy other activities that took place

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