CAS Completion Form

Increased their awareness of his/her own strengths and areas of growth:
Boys Basketball 

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2012/03/as-journal-entry-2-boys-basketball.html

Boys Volleyball

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/10/reflection-isac-boys-volleyball-2011.html

MS/US Production

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2012/03/cs-journal-entry-1-msus-production.html

Boys Soccer

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/01/reflection-isac-boys-soccer.html
Undertaken New Challenges
Tzu Chi Medical Mission

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2010/11/reflection-tzu-chi-medical-mission.html

International Coastal Cleanup

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2010/10/reflection-international-coastal.html

MS/US Production

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2012/03/cs-journal-entry-1-msus-production.html
Planned and Initiated Activities

NHS Project

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2012/05/reflection-nhs.html

Agusuhin Basketball Court Construction Project

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/05/nhs-individual-project-agusuhin.html

International Coastal Cleanup

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2010/10/reflection-international-coastal.html
Worked Collaboratively with others

Boys Basketball

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/03/reflection-isac-boys-basketball.html

Boys Volleyball

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/10/reflection-isac-boys-volleyball-2011.html

Planning of International Coastal Cleanup

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/09/asgoals-before-sept-17-2011.html
Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities

Boys Volleyball

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/10/reflection-isac-boys-volleyball-2011.html

NHS

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/04/nhs.html

International Coastal Cleanup 2010-2011

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2010/10/reflection-international-coastal.html

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/09/reflection-international-coastal.html
Engaged with Issues of Global Importance
International Coastal Cleanup 2010-2011

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2010/10/reflection-international-coastal.html

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/09/reflection-international-coastal.html

Tzu Chi Medical Mission

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2010/11/reflection-tzu-chi-medical-mission.html

Agusuhin Basketball Court Construction Project

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/05/nhs-individual-project-agusuhin.html
Considered the Ethical Implications of their actions

International Coastal Cleanup 2010-2011

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2010/10/reflection-international-coastal.html

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2011/09/reflection-international-coastal.html

Tzu Chi Medical Mission

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2010/11/reflection-tzu-chi-medical-mission.html
Develop New Skills

Boys Basketball

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2012/02/as-journal-entry-1-boys-basketball.html

MS/US Production

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2012/04/reflection-msus-production.html

Tzu Chi Medical Mission

http://mandoscas.blogspot.com/2010/11/reflection-tzu-chi-medical-mission.html

CAS Final Essay

Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) has been a wonderful experience these past two years. It has definitely made me a more well rounded person and has gotten me involved with activities and events in and out of school. CAS has taught me how to work with other students and volunteers alike, as well as interact with new people from around the community. Risks had to be taken, and courage was needed when it came to sport competitions and school musicals. CAS taught me how to deal with frustration and loss and to convert negativity into something positive and helpful to other people. Lastly, CAS has taught me how to appreciate what I have and to be thankful, as other people have less than I do yet they are still grateful and positive about life.

CAS aims to teach us about the eight learning outcomes, all of which I believe I have touched based on someway or another, some more than others, throughout the two years of IB. The eight learning outcomes, taken directly from IB, are the following:

Increased awareness of his/her own strengths and areas of growth
Undertaken new challenges
Planned and Initiated Activities
Worked Collaboratively with others
Shown Perseverance and commitment in their activities
Engaged with issues of global importance
Considered ethical implications of their actions
Developed new skills

I believe taking a part of Varsity teams such as Basketball, Soccer, and Volleyball has increased my awareness of my strengths and weaknesses, as each week I had to assess my progress and to check if I was meeting my goals, and I'd say for the most part, I met my goals and improved where I wanted, whether it was the stability of my setting, my aggressiveness towards the hoop, or my stamina on the field.  Of course, there are also weaknesses or areas of growth that I recognized such as composure, or court vision which I gave my best effort to improve on during the practices.
I also believe that I did in fact take on new challenges, such as take on the role of captain in the varsity teams, or join the school play after a long time away from it, or leading a school wide activity in the beach clean-up. It took a lot of courage to do some of the things I did in the past two years, but it was all worth it in the end, and I'm glad I did it.
I did plan and initiate activities such as the International Coastal Cleanup Organizing Committee, and of course my yearly project with the NHS concerning the Agusuhin Village, and this year's POCCH activities.
And of course, and I would say, in all the activities relating to CAS in the past two years, I have constantly been working collaboratively with others in team sports, NHS activities, in the School Play, in the International Coastal Cleanup, Tzu Chi Medical Mission, and the list goes on. Working with others is always a pleasure, and it is always fun to share good memories with other people rather than just yourself.
I also feel that I have shown perseverance and commitment in my activities. I was  a part of the LS Soccer Club, which taught young kids the fundamentals of soccer every weekend, I also led the International Coastal Cleanup two years straight, I was always committed to my athletics and kept persevering in my NHS project even when things weren't going as planned. There are times where I felt like giving up or not participating, but I would always find a way to motivate myself and to keep myself focused towards my overall objective.
Being a part of the International Coastal Cleanup, and the Tzu Chi Medical Mission kept me engaged with issues of global importance. ICC kept me aware of the environment and how important it is for us to keep it clean and green, and Tzu Chi opened my eyes to the poor healthcare of this country, and how many poor people are sick but cannot afford medication. I am glad that somehow, I was able to make a difference towards the improvement of the environment and healthcare of some people.
One experience that stood out concerning the ethical implications of my actions was during my experience in the Tzu Chi Medical Mission where I was put in a difficult situation when I was in charge of letting people in and out of the clinic. There were people who had been falling in line for quite some time already, but then there was more than one instance where someone would ask me if they could go first, infront of everybody else who was waiting in line. I remember one time, where this woman was asking me to ask for her grandfather's medication first, since they really had to go somewhere already. I felt bad because the old man had a patch in his eye and he looked quite frail, so I hurried in and bugged one of the assistants to prioritize their medication first. Of course, this was unfair to those who've been in line for more than an hour, packed like sardines in a hot waiting area, but I felt like the old man, and some other few patients who asked for the same service, needed it more than the others. It was a hard decision for me, but with hindsight, I believe I did the right thing.
I surely developed new skills throughout my CAS endeavors, obvious in my athletic undertakings, my attempt in honing my lost skills in drama/acting, and my improved leadership and collaborative skills in my NHS activities, and other service events.

I honestly believe that throughout my two years of CAS, in the International Baccalaureate Program, I have experienced the 8 Learning Outcomes through a multitude of wide-ranging, yet balanced (Creativity, Action, Service) activities. Going through these undertakings, both positive and negative has made me a stronger person, able and willing to go through failures and frustrations, but also more emotional and reflective of my successes. CAS was truly a great opportunity and I am almost certain that the memories, as well as the values and virtues that I have developed from my experiences will stay with me forever.

Reflection: NHS

I have learned so much by being a part of the National Honors Society in the past 2 years. Although my initial project didn't quite work out as planned due to some undesirable circumstances and time pressure, my experiences with volunteers, teachers, students, adults and children from the Agusuhin Village and the POCCH center was a lot of times exciting and fun but was also serious and heartwarming at the same time. 

Throughout the 2 years I have been with NHS we have tried to keep in touch and continue helping the people, particularly the kids at the elementary school, at the Agusuhin Village. I've personally been there numerous times, every time, involved with different activities such as simple games and drama workshops for the kids to promote exercise, teaching them how to brush their teeth and wash their hands, and the list goes on. My personal project for NHS was to build a basketball court for the kids at the backyard of the school. Of course to initiate such a huge project, we needed funds. Throughout the school year 2010-2011, cookies were being sold, and other fundraisers were being done to raise funds not only for my project but for the other NHS members as well. Luckily, even if the amount of money allotted for my project wasn't enough, I was able to collect donations from a number of people around the school and the community to initiate my project. 

Rainy weather and different commitments of volunteers made it hard to meet more than once for the construction of my project, but in that one whole-day of mixing cement, and carrying wagons of gravel, and leveling the concrete with the few volunteers that could make it, construction experts from the school, and a few kids and adults from Agusuhin who offered to help, was unforgettable. We continued working even when the rain started pouring, and we managed to erect the backboard and the ring successfully by the end of the day and managed to pour 1/4 of the area with cement. I had a lot of fun working with the people from the school as well as the kids and adults in the village, and it seemed that they were really excited for us to finish the job so that they could play a game at the newly-constructed court. We were supposed to come back the following weekend to finish the rest of the cementing, but terrible weather conditions prevented us from doing so, as well as the lack of volunteers as students were leaving the country for summer break. 

In my second year with the NHS we continued to help the kids at Agusuhin, visited them a couple of times early in the year and interacted with them. We continued to raise funds for our projects, of which some were directed to the Agusuhin Village, including mine. However, unlike last year, many of the NHS projects were focused on our school and raising funds for a certain cause such as the protection of the environment, as compared to my first year with the NHS where all the projects were directed towards the betterment of the Agusuhin village. This year, my plan, initially, was to continue the construction of the court, provide the school with sports equipment, and to eventually start a small competition or tournament with the kids at the school.

However, as the year progressed and it was the time to initiate our projects, there was some terrible news. The people of the Agusuhin village were being forced out again as the land they were currently staying in was bought by someone else. They were told to evacuate and they had no place to reside except the streets. This was extremely sad to hear especially for me, since I had spent so much time with the people at the village. I had high hopes for the improvement of their village, but now all we could really do for them was to provide food and other necessities for them, as they did not have a home. Most of the remaining projects of the other NHS members were directed to raising funds for the Agusuhin village people. However, this also meant that I could not continue my plans for the Agusuhin Elementary School. 

Aside from the NHS, I have also been involved with the kids at the POCCH, which was an orphanage based around 30 minutes away from the school. I was involved with their visit a couple of times last year and even went there once. This year, some of my fellow NHS members' project was to inform them about personal hygiene, and provided all the kids there with a packet containing toothpaste, a toothbrush, a bar of soap and hand sanitizer. I was also a part of a drama workshop activity that continues to happen every Thursday, in which we would do different drama activities with the kids, eventually leading up to a performance day as a finale. I got to know the kids very well, and a lot of them recognize me when I visit, and know me by my name, "Kuya Armand". I feel like when I talk to them and play around with them, that I am their brother and that there is no age difference between them and myself. Eventually I found out  from my NHS advisor that POCCH needed to fix up their backyard and fence if they were to continue their service for the children. This caught my attention, and I realized that it would be best if I just used the funds that I earned on the construction of a new fence, and the leveling of the soil in their backyard. However, after talking with the head of the place, he suggested that the leveling of the soil is useless because when the rainy season comes, the dirt and soil will just wash away leaving holes on the ground, making our efforts futile. He did, however, support my idea of building a fence. Unfortunately, P12,000 pesos wouldn't be enough to get the job done, and he suggested that I just donated the money and he would combine it with the money that they've raised to sign a contractor to do the job for them. Although, I realized that this would not involve any physical input from me and whoever the volunteers may be which was something that I really wanted to push for my project, but I respected his decision. After consulting with Mr Barth, my NHS advisor, I decided that I will personally deliver him the money and make the donation, and if there is time left, our students will instead be involved with the painting of the fence. Things didn't work the way as planned, but I had to get over it somehow and still do something good for those in need which is what's most important in my opinion. Besides, what I enjoyed doing most was not really the physical work (although it was still a lot fun), but the interaction with the kids, both from Agusuhin and POCCH, seeing the smiles on their face when I offered them food and drinks, hearing them laugh at my jokes, hearing them talk about how much fun they had that day, and how fun it is to do something that I take for granted everyday such as play a simple game of elbow tag or to receive a bottle of hand sanitizer, and lastly seeing their sad but thankful faces every time we had to say goodbye and get in the bus to leave.

My time with NHS has been a long, but fun ride, and has taught me how to deal with frustrations, dissapointments, and bad news. Leading my project was tough, but taught me how organization is a must when initiating projects, and how communication is key to good management of people. Fundraising has definitely taught me the value of money, and how hard it is to earn it, and the value of service, and how hard it is to give it. My experiences have also taught me how to interact with people you've just met, from different age levels and socio-economic backgrounds, such as playing with the young kids from the Agusuhin Village or asking for donations from older, busy people from around the community. Just because I'm graduating does not mean that my involvement with these types of activities is over, rather it enhanced my desire to help people in need, and I will definitely join different clubs and groups in college with the same goals as NHS, and even continue to visit POCCH when I am in town as I think it will continue to help me grow as a person, and to appreciate what I have even more.