Creativity Action Service

Habitat for Humanity - Round 2

Hi Everyone!

     As you may know, we are on Spring Break this week! Apart from relaxing and studying, Melissa and I decided to spend one of our days doing a CAS project. We have done this CAS activity, Habitat for Humanity, only one time before (we wrote a blog post about it). We thoroughly enjoyed it as it tested our construction skills. So, on Wednesday at 7:45am, we showed up to the site of the build in our jeans despite the excruciatingly humid weather.
   
     We started out by sweeping the floor of the partially built house. This was a time-taking assignment since there was trash everywhere. But once we finished, the house looked spick and span - on the inside at least. After cleaning the floor, we were tasked to lay down black felt paper. What this would do is protect the floor from paint or scratches whenever the sheet rock for the wall would be brought in. So, we had to measure the felt to fit each room, and duck tape it down. It was fun to do the hallway, because it was like rolling out a red carpet (except ours was less glamorous). After laying down the felt, Melissa and I were split up to do two different jobs. Mine was to use a foam gun to put insulation into the holes in the wall that were drilled for wires to pass through. Melissa's job was to caulk the outer edges of all of the windows. That job took us until lunchtime to complete. At lunch, there was no sink to wash our hands. Melissa and I had to use about 20 bottles of hand sanitizer instead! Afterwards, we had an unpleasant encounter with the Porta-Potties and got back to work. Our next job was to do touch-ups to the paint job on the side of the house. We got to balance our ladders in mud and reach the highest points, which was interesting to say the least. I felt a bit like Evel Knievel (the famous dare devil). The painting task was the last thing we did for the day!

     Well, that about sums up our day volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. It's an excellent organization that you should definitely consider joining. Here are a few pictures of us in action:

Inside of the house after laying down the felt

Painting the front of the house on a very tall ladder - eek!

Melissa painting the front of the house

Until next time!

- Sophie F.

Creativity Action Service

Soccer Coaching 

Hello everyone!

    I hope everyone is doing great since last week. As another CAS project I have decided to volunteer as an assent coach at my school. I'm currently helping with U-4 and will soon start helping with U-6.

    I've played competitive soccer for about 8 years, but I had never coached before. From past volunteering experiences I gained an understanding of what it was like to work with 4 - 5 year olds. However, a classroom environment is a lot different than when you're out on the field. Coaching little kids has been a lot of fun so far. Since they're still learning, it's always a challenge to explain activities. You never know what they know and what they don't know. On the other hand because you might be the first one to introduce them to a particular thing you should make sure your showing them the correct way. Otherwise, they will learn it the wrong way and in the future would have to be corrected.

    Coaching little kids is always interesting because they come up with crazy, random things. Instead of using cones as boundaries they turn them into targets. They go around picking flowers and at the end of practice give you a bouquet. In search for their own ball they get their hair stuck in the goal's net. They get uncomfortably close to your face when you tell them to listen and they try to balance on their ball when you ask them to put one foot on it. At the end, they close practice with high fives and hugs. I'm truly enjoying coaching these little kids and I hope you guys will try something something like this too. The image above is what your typical coach would carry around, however if you coach little kids all you need is a ball, some cleats and a loud voice!

Thanks for reading!

-Melissa S.

Creativity Action Service

Gym Coaching Update

Hi Everyone!

    This week I thought I'd share the progress of one of my CAS activities with you all! In case you didn't know, I teach  gymnastics to kids ages 5-7 every Saturday. Since I've been a gymnast for over 13 years, I am able to use the knowledge I have acquired from the sport to teach the girls.  From the last time I wrote about this project of mine, my class has grown considerably larger. I now have a group of 9 girls in my class, and two more are expected to join. Now that I have to teach so many girls at one time, I have watched several videos on different exercises that the girls could do to learn new skills. That way, I don't have to be watching them individually all of the time. I really enjoying this CAS project because it has allowed me to apply everything that I admire in my own coaches to my own teaching style! I also have a lot more respect for the effort and patience that goes into teaching gymnastics. Below is a picture of me helping some of the girls do chin-ups on the Uneven Bars to strengthen their upper body:

Let me know if you have any questions! 

- Sophie F.

Creativity Action Service

Habitat for Humanity

Hey guys!

     On Wednesday we started an exciting CAS project of ours: Habitat for Humanity. Giselle wrote a blog post about this project a few weeks ago, so you can go look that up to refresh your memory! Basically, we will be working with an organization to build houses for those in need. We got to the site of the build early Wednesday morning (around 7:45) and got briefed on precautionary measures that we had to follow. After that, we were tasked to cut boards that would be installed in the attic to keep insulation in! That didn't take us very long, so when we were done we went to get a  new assignment. Our next task was to install panels on the side of the house. This was called siding, In order to do so, we had to measure each panel to the appropriate size, cut it according to our measurements, and nail it to the wall. Although this wasn't my first time using a hammer, it got very tiring towards the end of the day because I had been using it non-stop. After one blister, a few bruises and very muddy jeans, we had finished one wall! We weren't the fastest workers, but we made sure to be very precise. It is someone's house, after all. Below you will find a picture of me cutting the panels:

- Sophie F.

Creativity Action Service

Habitat for Humanity

Hey guys!

     Good news! Our class just met with the Construction Coordinator for our local “Habitat for Humanity” program. Since we will be participating in this program as one of our CAS projects, Ms. Kristen has provided us with the registration forms necessary to begin working! 

     Before we get started, however, we had to learn a little about the program itself. 

     First of all, it’s international. People around the globe will be working for the same goals that we’re working towards. These goals include building housing (of course), providing low cost living with repayable loans (that always helps), and helping educate families about housing and life management skills (house maintenance and budgeting). Secondly, it's non-profit. That means that their workforce is made up of volunteers and almost all of the donations go into building materials and land purchase. 

     Near the end of the presentation, Ms. Kristen informed us about the requirements to own one of the Habitat houses:

Our first day on the building site is next week! Wish us luck!

- Giselle D.

Creativity Action Service

Musical Therapy 

Hello Everyone! 

     Giselle and I have recently been working on our musical therapy CAS project. From the last time we updated y'all we had a number of things to complete. We have been trying to go through the process of volunteering in a hospital but its quite long. I think because of all our other work we have made it even longer! We need to really focus on this in order to get it done and start playing.

      So far we went to the Baton Rouge General and got our tuberculosis test done. It was a very strange procedure. They inject something in your forearm that makes you get a little bump that resembles a mosquito bite. In the next 24 to 48 hours it should go away. However according to the nurse a lot can happen in 48 hours. Then after 2 days you go back to get your results read. You might think this process will take some time. In actuality, it only took about 2 min. The nurse literally felt our forearm for a bump. Once realizing that there was none she signed a paper and that was it. It was extremely fast! Giselle and I will go back on Monday to get our second TB test done. We will follow the same procedure next week.

      Once completing our lab work we must go to a volunteer orientation and then we can finally start playing in the hospital. On the bright side of our volunteer preparation taking a long time we have taken advantage of this time by practicing. We now feel more prepared and feel like our repertoire sound even better! We hope to start actually performing by mid February. Thanks for reading! 

- Melissa S.

Creativity Action Service

Musical Therapy 

Hello everyone!  

    As some of you may know from my previous post, one of my CAS projects for this year involves musical therapy. Giselle and I will be playing piano duets at the Baton Rouge General for different patients. Here's an update on our progress. 

• We've contacted the Musical Therapist coordinator
• Had a meeting with her 
• toured the hospital 
• played her a piece of music
• conversed about possible dates and locations 
• Filled out the necessary volunteering paper work 

From our meeting we realized there are a couple of things we need to do. Here is an up coming to do list: 

• Get lab work done 
• Send complete paper work 
• Practice individually 
• Practice together 

We're very excited because this project is running smoothly. We will hopefully start playing for children in oncology, waiting areas, hallways and other places at the Baton Rouge General mostly on the weekend. We hope to begin sometime this month or the beginning of next. Wish us luck! Here's a sneak peak of what we've been working on. I hope you guys like it! Feel free to tell us what you think! 

- Melissa S. 

Creativity Action Service

Gym Coaching

Hi Everyone!

     I've been wanting to introduce you to a very fun CAS project of mine, and I've finally come around to doing so. Some of you may know this, but I've been a competitive gymnast for many years. Gymnastics is a huge part of my life and I enjoy the passion I have for this sport. A couple months ago, I spoke with the manager of the gymnastics facility that I work out at about starting my own class that I could teach for a CAS project. I thought this would be a great way to spread the knowledge I have of the sport. I decided to start out small, by coaching a beginners class with girls aged 5-7. I would have loved to coach girls closer to my age group, but I new that as a new coach I did not have the means to do so. The class that I started with 5-7 year olds is going great, and some of the girls  coach have even improved to an intermediate level. It is so rewarding to see my coaching pay off and watch the delight on the girls faces as they accomplish new things.

Here is a picture of part of the gymnastics facility!

     A few weeks after I started the beginners class, my manager spoke to me about starting another class for 3-5 year old intermediate girls! I was ecstatic, as this showed me that my teaching style is well-liked and I was accomplishing my tasks as a coach as well. So, naturally, I accepted. This particular class is a little more difficult though, because 3-5 year olds are very excited little children that don't have a very long attention span. In the beginning, I was having trouble coping with a group of 7 of them on my own. But, as time progressed, I figured out how to keep them in control without sounding like a mean coach (I didn't want to destroy their spirit for the sport, after all). This project is a continuous one that I am enjoying immensely. If any of you would like to enter your child or a child that you know into this program or a similar one, please email me by clicking here!

- Sophie F.

Creativity Action Service

BRIS World Cup Quarterfinal 

Pictures

Hi Everyone!

     As promised, here is a slideshow of the pictures from our BRIS World Cup Quarterfinals round.

P.S. This is only available on a computer!

- Sophie F. and Melissa S. 

Creativity Action Service

BRIS World Cup Quarterfinals Results

Hi Everyone!

     As you may have read in Melissa's blog post, our BRIS World Cup CAS activity has commenced and the results are in! The following teams will advance to the Semi-finals

Tunica Team 2

- Sam A.

- Zachary A.

- Stephanie B.

- Connor D.

- Julian L.

- Juan R.

- Dayne S.

- Cameron R.

Natchez Team 1

- Kyra C. 

- Karim A.

- Isabel C.

- Calvinisha E.

- Aguma M.

- Sydney S.

- Luke R.

- Cedric L.

Choctaw Team 2

- Jackson B.

- Maggie B.

- Mailee B.

- Rina B.

- Andrea M.

- Daniel M.

- George M.

- William P.

- Katherine S.

Chitimacha Team 1

- Daniel C.

- Tess C.

- Sabine G.

- Isabella H.

- Zhao Yi L.

- Can Efe

- Ethan M.

- Madison M.

- Hannah N.

- Dayton R.

- Lauren S.

     The first game of the Semi-Finals will be between Natchez and Tunica. The second game of the Semi-Finals will be between Choctaw and Chitimacha. Congratulations to all of the students of the winning teams and good luck for your next games!

- Sophie F. and Melissa S. 

Creativity Action Service

Commencement of the BRIS World Cup

Hello everyone,  

      I hope you all are ready for the holidays! I know we are! Just last week we finally commenced our B.R.I.S World Cup. We had our very first games with Tunica and Natchez. The two tribes were separated into two teams and they played each other. It was necessary for us to divide the houses into 2 teams in order to make all the tribes as equal and fair as possible. 

     

      We started the Cup by explaining the rules of the game. We tried to make it as clear as possible that encouragement and good sportsmanship will be awarded as opposed to "one man" shows. Both of the games went well. The only conflict we faced was time management during the matches. However we were able to complete both games on time. One of the games even ended with penalty kicks. It was all very exciting! 

      This week we followed up with day 2 of the B.R.I.S World Cup. It was a bit crazy. We were once again short on time due to the Spanish Spelling Bee that was held around the same time. However we still managed to play both games and finish on time. We are finally ready to start the semifinals between the houses!We won't begin our next game until we come back from Christmas break. We can't wait to see who wins and we appreciate the enthusiasm we've been getting during the games from the side lines! Stay tuned for pictures!

Happy Holidays, 

- Melissa S.            

Creativity Action Service

Thanksgiving Day Helpers

Hi Everyone!

    Although it has been over a week since Thanksgiving, I thought I would share with you what I did on that special day. Melissa and I traveled downtown to volunteer on Thanksgiving, which included serving lunch to the homeless and needy people of our community. By 9 am, there were already over 100 volunteers ready to cater to the homeless, even though the event wasn't to start until 11 am. So during these two hours, everyone set up the dining hall by arranging the cutlery, place mats and condiments on each table. Everyone was then required to wear an apron and gloves as we were to be handling food. Once the guests started to pour in, Melissa and I greeted as many as we could. We then sat them at a table, served them a delicious meal complete with green beans, turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, gravy, carrots and beets. As they dug in to their meal, we both sat next to them and kept them company. It was amazing to sit down and speak with some of the less-fortunate people and find that despite their situation, they were still happy individuals that appreciated everything in their lives. This particular CAS activity (although it did not feel like one as it was entertaining) made us both feel very grateful for all of the opportunities in our life and encouraged me to do more activities like this one. What did you all do for Thanksgiving?

Melissa and I before the event started (It's a little blurry)!

P.S. I hope everyone will get the chance to complete an activity like this sometime in their life, or even make it a tradition! It is very eye-opening for any individual, and it really makes you re-evaluate everything you think is important in your life.

- Sophie F. 

Creativity Action Service

Our BRIS Mini Seminar

Hello everyone!

       I hope you all had a fantastic thanksgiving and enjoyed your break. During our Thanksgiving break, we all met up to discuss an upcoming mini seminar that we have planned. We will be presenting this to the students of our school. The topic of the seminar will be to discuss our life and experience at BRIS and inform the students about the benefits that a BRIS education will provide for them. We are firm believers in our school's philosophy and goal to become a world class IB school. Therefore, we saw it as important to inform the students about the school's potential and watch it prosper!We will be having this mini seminar with the students on Friday, December 5th. Wish us luck!

- Melissa S.

Creativity Action Service

 More Musical Therapy: A CAS Project Update

Hello Everyone!

     This week, Melissa and I have successfully contacted a couple of hospitals (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Baton Rouge General), attempting to begin our musical therapy sessions with patients of all ages. We have decided to play and memorize music that has already been formatted into duets. Trying to take a single song and split it two ways was too difficult! Anyway, the plan for the future is to meet the musical program directors of these hospitals and sign some paperwork for the hospital to allow us to play for their patients. Also, next week, the entire 11th grade is to meet with the CAS coordinator, Mr. Stephen Mohan, and the Dean of Secondary Education, Mr. John McCune,  to update them on our progress. Thankfully, we have been working consistently all year and have nothing to worry about!

- Giselle D.

Creativity Action Service

Musical Therapy in Hospitals

Hello everyone!

     Throughout the 2 years of IBDP, you are required to complete a certain number of CAS (Creativity Action Service) hours. You have the option to fulfill different projects individually or in groups to obtain these hours. As you all know from a previous blog post, Sophie and I are working on a CAS project together: the BRIS World Cup. My other CAS project is with Giselle. We are rehearsing piano duets to play for patients at different hospitals. We want to start going to different hospitals sometime in November. Last sunday was our first "official" practice. We were able to complete a song in on session and a couple of practices at school. Our next step is to learn more songs and contact the hospitals to set up a schedule. We will keep y'all posted!    

- Melissa S.

Creativity Action Service

BRIS World Cup Rules & Guidelines

A CAS Activity initiated by Sophie F. and Melissa S.

Hi Everyone!

Our BRIS World Cup is almost ready to start! In case there is any confusion on what it is and how it will take place, here is a little overview of the activity. Comment below and questions or concerns!

The BRIS World Cup is our school’s imitation of the FIFA World Cup that happened this past summer. The BRIS World Cup will involve every student in each house (excluding 11^th grade as they are initiating this project). Each house will be split into two equal teams by us. We are aware that each house has an uneven amount of members; however, we have worked it out to make sure that each team will have equal skill levels and number of players on the field at all times. For example, only 7 players will be allowed on the field at all times. For teams that have more than 7 players, we will rotate the substitutes and make sure that each player has the same amount of game play. There will be 4 rounds of competition over a 4 week period. These games will be held during homeroom time/activities period on Wednesdays. The BRIS World Cup will start on the 12^th of November

• 12th November (QUARTER FINALS) – On this day, 2 fifteen minute games will be held. Each game will be between the two teams from the same house. After this week, one team from each house will be eliminated. We have done this so that any student who is injured/unwilling to play can be replaced by other students of their house for future games. 

• 19^th November (QUARTER FINALS) – On this day, 2 fifteen minute games will be held. Each game will be between the two teams from the same house. We have done this so that any student who is injured/unwilling to play can be replaced by other students of their house for future games. 

• No games will be held on November 26^th as we are on Thanksgiving Break

• 3^rd December (SEMI-FINALS) – On this day, 2 fifteen minute games will be held. Each game will be between two teams from different houses. After each game, one team will be eliminated and there will be two teams left for the finals.

• 10^th December (FINALS) – On this day, one thirty minute game will be held. This game will consist of the two winners from the previous week.

• If a player has shown exceptional sportsmanship, an extra point may be awarded.

•  If a player is showing violent/unsportsmanlike behavior, they will immediately be sent off the field.

• If team members show encouragement and each student has contact with the ball for equal amounts of time, an extra point may be awarded.

•  If a player does not pass the ball/show communication prior to a goal, a point may not be awarded.

• Additional rules may be implemented before the start of the tournament. These guidelines will also be posted in the class of each house advisor.

- Sophie Fraser
If students are not required to play on a certain day, they are report to their homeroom/proceed to other activities planned for that day. The following rules have been implemented to ensure fair game play:

·      Each team will be able to select a country to represent during this tournament. These countries must be selected by Monday, October 27^th. Once this has been completed, a final schedule will be posted in the classes of each house adviser. Also, we have designed T-Shirts for this event. T-Shirt order forms will be sent home by Monday, October 27^th. Please keep in mind that since we are on a tight schedule, T-Shirt order forms will have to be returned ASAP. Late order forms will have an additional charge. Students that have purchased our T-Shirts will be able to wear them ALL DAY on the Wednesdays which the World Cup is being held (as well as with jeans on Fridays. Students who choose to not purchase a T-Shirt are required to dress in their BRIS PE uniforms for the duration of their game on Wednesdays. In the weeks leading up to this World Cup, each team is encouraged to make chants/posters/decorations to cheer on their team!As usual, the winning team will be awarded points to the house they represent, as well as a secret prize! The runner-up team will also receive house points.

Creativity Action Service

BRIS World Cup Update

Video Diary 1 - A CAS Activity Initiated by Sophie F. and Melissa S.

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the first ever video diary episode of the BRIS World Cup! In this particular series, we will do our best to upload behind the scenes footage of the creation of this CAS activity. We have just recently had the idea approved by a group of awesome teachers, so we are ready for phase 2 of our project! Follow along these videos for information about this project. Students - you all are welcome to comment any questions you have regarding this activity. Parents - stay tuned because footage of the actual cup will be posted here! This episode shows the presentation we gave on our activity in front of some teachers at our school. We cut out some parts of the video that we thought were less important...nonetheless, enjoy!

PS - sorry for the low quality, you may need earphones!

- Sophie Fraser