CAS Induction Trip

Just before the start of term, 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, they created unusual and sometimes rather striking Land Art inspired by the work of artists such as Andy Goldsworthy and they had a wonderful day making films with the Young Film Academy. Below are extracts from reports by Aleks Elezovic, Paul Beckers, Max Heil, Poppy Chancellor, Aaron Gruen and Katie McCrindle:

‘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.’

‘The IB class of 2017 departed St Edward’s on a rainy Sunday morning. The IB coordinators did not reveal what was awaiting us in the following three days. There was a lot of speculation about the trip and a surprising number of new faces around, which excited many of the longer-standing pupils.

Upon walking onto the bus I was welcomed by a roaring sound of friendly greetings and introductions. After an hour of traveling on the coach we arrived at our first stop: Head4Heights high ropes. This started to develop our team building skills as it turned out to be a rather challenging physical activity that required everyone to collaborate.

Another two hours on the bus took us to Caer Llan, our lodging situated in the middle of the countryside in Wales. The spectacular view immediately mesmerised everyone. Following this we organised ourselves into rooms and we chose a new pupil to help welcome him into the Teddies world.

After a good night sleep and a hearty, delicious breakfast the next morning, we were introduced to the IB CAS program. Our IB coordinators explained to us in great detail what CAS would involve, thus already giving us a head start on the program. In the afternoon we made some art and sculptures out of nature and then had a whole evening of socializing and catching up on all the holiday experiences (over many cups of tea).

One of the highlights of the trip was being instructed by a professional film maker, Ed, from the young film academy. In groups of five we made short silent films, which were inspired by Charlie Chaplain’s movies of the 1930s. The best parts, however, were both watching the final, entertaining products in the end and getting to know some of the new people better, who at this point were already part of our Teddies group.

When we left this beautiful, tranquil destination, our hearts were torn, yet ecstatic as we were about to embark on the enduring journey of the IB Diploma, knowing we would have friends to support us on our way.’

‘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 very enjoyable trip with lots of great opportunities and with the IB cohort feeling supportive of each other and looking forward to starting the course.’