Final CAS Reflection

This is it, the final reflection of what have been two monumental years. Throughout these two years and my involvement with the CAS program during them, i have have come out with quite a few new things and a new sense of my own abilities. The CAS program has really helped me explore different aspects of my daily life and even though it was more of a compulsory activity in the beginning, it has grown to become almost an everyday feature of my daily life. The thing's I will take away from this program are the 8 learning outcomes which really changed the way I acted upon skills I already possessed or persevered to acquire. The learning outcomes really encompassed everything that make a person holistic and I am glad to say that I managed to fulfill all the requirements related to those 8 learning outcomes.

Firstly, the CAS program is about recognizing your own strengths and working with them to develop them. Throughout the two years I undertook activities that helped me build upon those skills. Sports and action are my strengths as a complete student. Football has always been my passion and I am lucky to possess a set of skills that help me stand out while partaking in activities. This skill I combined with another strong point of mine, my Leadership skills. I became the captain of my football team in the the 11th grade and was able to lead the team in 2 Saisa events. This really helped in 2 ways. Firstly i was obliged to set an example and therefore worked extra hard to stand out thereby improving on my own skill level. In 2011 I managed to score 3 fantastic goals and assist a few during our Saisa tournament in Dhaka and then in the next Saisa I played as goalkeeper and was able to make some good saves to help my team to a 4th place finish. For my performances in both tournaments in different positions, i was able to win consecutive 'most valuable player' awards. Secondly the captaincy helped me in working collaboratively with others. As a team captain and as a football team in general it is vital that everybody collaborates to achieve a good result. Captaincy helped me do this. It also made me in cases consider the ethical implications of my actions. On the football field sometimes, issues would arise as there would be spats with opposing team members or between teammates. As a captain it was my job to make sure I kept personal opinions aside sometimes and act in a way befitting my leadership position to help calm things down. Even off the field I had to take care how I acted as those actions would reflect on me and the way I set an example for others. Being passionate about football it was natural that I was persevering and committed throughout the two years. Up to date I have only missed a handful of training's due to injury or sickness. I also planned and initiated OSC's involvement in last years regional school competition in Colombo. This was the first instance that OSC had participated in such a tournament and it was down to me persisting on our school participating. Unfortunately for us, half the team was missing due to senior exams and Saisa track events and me getting injured in the quarter-final, however our makeshift team managed to end up in 4th place.

I have also shown perseverance in community service. In my first year I was part of the OSC recycling program and I attended almost every session missing only 2. I was able to learn about an issue of global importance.  In the latter part of the year I joined the Cleft Lip and Palate service program as I wanted to have a more meaningful contribution to the Sri Lankan community. I have been a part of the program ever since and have attended all sessions apart from 2 this year due to sickness. The Cleft-Lip and Palate program really helped me in gaining awareness of an issue of global importance. Visiting the hospital a few times and finding out more about the disease really made me feel for these kids and want to help them out. This year our group planned and initiated a charity concert called the "battle of the bands" in which we were able to raise more than 2000 dollars to help in the operation of children with the Cleft Lip and Palate deformity. Throughout the year and especially during the concert it was essential that we all worked collaboratively to have success. In all our meetings i also participated and collaborated  in coming up with new ideas for the group. I also had to consider the ethical implications of my actions. Visiting the hospitals I was conflicted by the thought that the parents of the infants would not approve of us observing their kids like a museum showpiece. Also, it was not right that we were so close to them as we could easily have given them some virus to which their system was not yet immune.

The CAS program is as much about learning new skills and undertaking new challenges as it is about developing the skills you posses. In my two years I have undertaken a variety of new challenges which I would otherwise not have done were it not for the CAS program. Firstly i started painting on my own (some of the pictures are present on the blog). I wasn't really good in the beginning but i gradually improved and now i am able to paint in a way that people can vaguely recognize the object i am trying to draw. Being hopeless with music, i also tried to learn to play the guitar. I had a mixed result there as I managed to learn a few basic chords, enough to play a few melodies, however it just didn't kick off for me. I have however starting teaching  myself how to drum and it is an activity which I am really enjoying. It is difficult for me to easily pick up beats, something that would come naturally to a musician, but since i am having fun doing it, I am persevering  and hope that I can improve. In football I also developed a new skill and expanded the skill set I already possessed. Having played striker, midfielder and defender, picking up new skills for each position on the way, I learnt a completely new skill, playing GK. Due to our usual goalkeeper being unable to travel I took up the responsibility of playing Goalkeeper even though my skills would have been needed upfront. I was able to drastically develop my skill as goalkeeper, my fast reflexes helping  me there, and hence i was able to contribute in my team finishing fourth at Saisa this year, making a couple of vital saves along the way. As a result of my performances i was awarded the 'most valuable player' award. I have also started scuba diving as I aim to acquire a skill completely new to me. I also took part in 2 plays during the last two years. This helped me develop new skills as during acting you take up roles unfamiliar to you. I also had to collaborate with the other actors to ensure the performances ran smoothly.

The CAS program has really helped in all aspects of extra-curricular and curricular life. It helped me balance out studies with sports and made sure i was always considering the implications of my actions. I learnt to participate in the community, dealing with issues of global importance and working collaboratively with others. It helped me undertake new challenges and develop new skills. Most importantly it made me realize all the different aspects of who I am, my strengths and weaknesses and how I can be a complete and holistic human being. 

Community Service and Creativity

Drumming


About a couple of months back, my younger brother started taking drumming lessons. Drumming is a skill that has always impressed me. When he was younger my uncle almost became a professional drummer and i was always impressed by his drumming. When my brother started taking drumming classes he began to improve and by the end of the first month he was part of the school choir that performed in front of the whole school. My involvement with music has always been minimal, i do not think that i am the musical type. Last year i vowed to learn how to play the guitar as part of my aims for 2011, i did not fully achieve that aim. With drumming however i took an immediate liking to the skill. As we rented a small practice drum set for my brother at home, i began to play it for fun and i had a great deal of fun drumming. I started out by asking my brother to show me a few simple beats and then looked up videos on YouTube to learn new things. Drumming really is a great way of releasing tension and also one of the most vital components of a song, especially in rock and jazz as it dictates the rhythm and the beat. My first few weeks drumming were extremely frustrating as it requires patience and lots of practice to get it right. Drumming is an art where hand-eye-foot co-ordination is very important. The first few weeks were spent in desperation trying to get my arms and legs to move at a different pace. It made me appreciate the art form, as it is not easy to drum. On the surface one might think drumming consists of only flailing your arms and hitting the drum with sticks, however once you try it you realize how much focus and determination it requires.

Drumming is a new skill for me and it is the first time that i really feel connected to music. It is a skill that does not just develop overnight although if you are a natural drummer it is probably easier. It does not come to me naturally as I fail to do things my brother succeeds at in the first attempt, however i aim to persevere and develop this skill slowly. Already i can keep a few simple beats and there is nothing more joyful then that sensation that you are playing an instrument right.

Cleft Lip and Palate

Recently, on visiting the hospital where babies with the Cleft Lip and Palate disease are being treated, we met up with Dr Romesh Gunasekra who advised us on the actions to be taken in regards to our community service program. He told us that the action we should be taking is to raise awareness about this issue of global importance. We also received a document that contained some general information about the disease and the efforts that were being made in Sri Lanka to combat it. The task was too create a brochure that could be distributed to companies. 

A slide from the power-point

However I showed initiative and suggested something visual that would be more effective: a power-point. I set about making this power-point using the information provided by the doctor. I really hope it helps raise greater awareness and more people donate towards the cause.

Scuba Diving


On February 18th I undertook a discover-scuba session at school led by the instructor Mr. Jurgen Hannak. Scuba diving is a completely new skill for me as i have never been underwater for more than 30 seconds. Scuba diving also fascinates me as it allows us to get a closer view of the aquatic habitat. I first received a short 30 minute lecture on the various precautionary measures while scuba diving as well as some instructions on what to do to use the scuba gear. I also learnt a few signs that are used under water to communicate. Afterwards i spent 45 minutes underwater in the deep end of the OSC pool. This was the longest amount of time that I have been underwater and it was quite an amazing experience. Scuba diving has really interested me and this summer I plan to persevere with it and get a full Scuba Diving licence that involves a month of diving and practicing.

Creativity

Since the beginning of February I have been meeting up with Rasmus, Skylord and Emily for the play that we performed on the 23rd of February. For his Drama class, Skylord has been directing the play called Play-writing 101: The Rooftop Lesson by Rich Orloff. The play is basically about the art of play-writing. It is a scene about a depressed individual (played by Rasmus) who wants to commit suicide and a good Samaritan (played by Emily), who is trying to dissuade him from jumping of a roof. During this conversation, a teacher (played by me) keeps rewinding and pausing the action, addressing the audience and giving his suggestions on what is good and bad playwriting. For my part, i had quite a few lines that i had to memorize. We regularly met with Skylord to have rehearsals and perfect the delivery and the choreography. It became evident how important team work is in drama. It is not really the fact that the actors directly collaborate, but rather the actions they take individually that helps the play function smoothly. For example it is vital that each actor knows his lines and delivers them correctly. That way the other actors can pick up on those lines and deliver their own performance. For everything to run smoothly, it is vital that we work together in that way. 

A few people have commented on my acting skills. Last year, when i performed in a similar play for a former 12th grader, people remarked that i should have taken drama. Acting is really fun for me as it allows me express words and actions that normally i wouldn't. Since i have no major issues regarding stage fright and speaking in front of audiences, it becomes easier to perform. This year, as Skylord directed, the character i was supposed to be, was that of a serious teacher, who is having an intellectual discussion with the audience every time he paused the action on stage. I however, changed the character and the lines slightly to make the performance  more about raw humor than a "fine behind the lines" type, which i felt those watching the play would not get. As a result i was able to perform on stage and entertain the people watching by acting and saying lines i usually wouldn't in real life. Our play went first on the line and was actually the most humorous of all plays as it got the most laughs. The performances of Rasmus and Emily were also great resulting in a cohesive performance in which everything went according to plan. 

Community Service

I have been regularly attending the Cleft Lip and Palate community service program. As mentioned before, this year my aim is to help the transition of the new members into the service program. In the process i would also like to be involved in a little bit more service for the kids with the Cleft Lip and Palate disease. On Thursday's when we meet, we discuss the ways in which we can go about helping these children. We had a great fundraiser, our "battle of the bands" concert, now it is time to take the next step: what is the group going to do in the future and how can we currently spread more awareness about this issue. The Cleft Lip and Palate disease is a global issue. Even though i will be done with Community Service by the end of next month, i do not want to abandon my efforts to help the children with the disease. Last year, as part of our program, we visited one of the hospitals, we did the same this year. Seeing these little helpless kids who have this disease which can cause such discomforts and eventually even lead to death is a very emotional sight. Being in Sri Lanka, i would like to be able to help the cause of helping these kids, giving something back to the community and also knowing that i have done something to save the life of an Innocent infant.

Last month, we again visited the hospital. Just like last year, it was a very emotional sight to see these infants, some of them as young as 8 days old. Being in the hospital ward made me really consider the ethical implications of my actions. Even though i feel strongly about the issue and would like to help the cause, is it ethical for me to be looking at these kids in a hospital ward as if they were a museum attraction? Being as young as they are, it is extremely perilous for people to be near these kids as they could catch even the slightest diseases which their immune system would not be able to withstand. Also, i doubt the parents of these kids would appreciate others looking at their babies like that. Since i did not feel it was ethical of me, i did not photograph any of the children as i feel that is something neither the parents of the children want, nor something that helps me in any way. The eerie feeling of being in the ward with the infants for a few seconds however was enough to further reinforce my desire to do something for them.

Later we met the doctor who treats these infants, Dr Romesh Gunasekera. He revealed his gratitude at our efforts to raise money for the operations for the kids. He also outlined some of the areas where we should be focusing our efforts in the future. The first step he said is to spread further awareness of the issue. He then also recommended we make some kind of brochure which can then be advertised, so that more people become aware of this issue. His ideas and recommendations are exactly the sort of thing we are planning to do this year. Awareness is a very important step. The concert last year, apart from raising the money for the operations for the kids, raised an immense amount of awareness as the story was even published in newspapers. This year it is important for us to help spread awareness. The first step we are planning to take is, to create a power point and a brochure as the doctor recommended. Visuals are always important when other people need to be convinced to help some cause. Just as visiting the hospital was important for me in having a view of this issue first hand, creating brochures and a power point will help spread awareness and make people who have no idea what the disease is, fully understand the extent of the issue.

As mentioned before it is important that we go about this task as a group. Collaboration and team work helped us achieve success through our concert, we do the same now. We have divided the group into four groups of four, each of which will be working on either a power point or a brochure. Collaboration makes it easier for the task to be completed so each member in the group will take responsibility for one aspect of the task in question. Collaboration also helps in new ideas and approaches being suggested. Every week during our discussions it is interesting and informative to discover the views of different people when they go about finding a solution or make suggestions for the group.

I plan on continuing all the efforts i have made for the group in the past. I have been with this group for around a year and it has really helped me interact with a global issue which concerns the local community. It is important that there are others who also care about the same problem, with whom i can collaboratively work in order to help the cause.

Community Football

I have been regularly attending the Saturday community football at OSC. Many children from different schools such as the British School, Elizabeth Moir school and the Asian international school come here to play football. This has really been an excellent way for me to interact with other members of the community and with many different types of people. We have at least people from 20 different nationalities taking part! It is important to treat this Saturday football as a way to learn new things and learn how to interact with others. Every week new teams are made and different players who like playing in different positions are put in one team. Being a senior and the captain of the OSC football team it is important for me to take up a leadership role and help the team i am in each week, to collaborate and function smoothly so we operate as a unit. I have learnt that it is not an easy job to get everyone to follow the ideas you are suggesting. Since no one is obliged to follow my instructions it becomes extra challenging for me to implement my leadership skills, however so far i have been very successful. I have also tried playing in a new position, that of striker, and i have been very successful so far scoring 21 goals in my last 6 games, of course the goals are slightly easier to score in community football. As i am representing my school in this activity it is also important that i consider the implications of my every action and maintain the image of the school. There were for example a few instances where i lost my cool and started yelling at some other players. This has however made me grow as a leader as i have come to realize my mistakes and it is these mistakes and the learning process from them that helps to prevent such incidents in the future. Saturday football is also about making new friends from different schools, from within and outside the local community. I have made a couple of Sri Lankan friends who share their views on each match and their general likes and dislikes. This helps me gain a better understanding of other people's views and ideas.

2012

It's the final stretch now. This is the last semester in which I am involved in CAS, however it will surely not be the end of my involvement with it. Along the course of the previous 2 years i have learnt a few very useful things during my involvement with the CAS program. CAS has enabled me to reflect on my actions and consider their implications. I have learnt how little deeds carried out by me or others can go a long way in helping others. Most importantly however i have learnt the importance of working as a team. Collaboration is the key to success, be it community service or a football tournament. Last year I was part of a very successful service project; our service group managed to organize the biggest charity fundraiser of the year. Our "battle of the bands" raised over R.S. 250k, meaning we will be able to sponsor over 20 operations for the children with the cleft lip and palate disease. I was also involved in my last Saisa football tournament, a tournament in which around 10 teams representing schools from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal participate. As captain of the team I led them to a fourth place finish, our best in recent history. During the tournament I was once again reminded of the importance of teamwork as we only started playing properly once our team had gelled together and become comfortable with the formation everyone else was playing in. Our striker Bharat Khosla led the team score sheet by scoring 7 goals, Yariq Captain, a Saisa veteran, clocked up the most assists, and all the rest of the players gave everything in trying to win the matches. I was rewarded the accolade of 'most valuable player' for my efforts in the goal during the tournament.

Even though my involvement with such aspects of CAS is unlikely to stop in the future, these moments were some of the best i have had. For the rest of the semester in 2012 i have set myself a few goals which i would like to accomplish.

• Firstly i would like to continue being part of the 'cleft lip and palate' community service program. After last years success we have had a number of people joining the service program. Although i am not the CAS leader, as a senior it would be mt responsibility to, along with the other seniors in our group, help the younger members fully grasp the importance of this aspect of CAS. At this stage it is important that the new members are made aware of their responsibilities and what their future contributions to the CAS will be. Last year when i joined the CAS, our group was left relatively directionless by our previous leaders. It was our group led by the CAS leaders that had decided on the action to be taken for the future of the CAS in a way that it best benefited the purpose we were trying to serve. This year my aim is to help the new members of the CAS find this transition period much easier. We have a good deal going after our success in 2011, now is the time to build on that success and lay out the groundwork for future accomplishments.
• I also plan on continuing my involvement in the action aspect of CAS. Last year was a high point in terms of action as i was involved in my last Saisa. This year, due to academic strains, i will have to reduce my involvement in this aspect. My initial plan was to take part in the Saisa basketball tournament that OSC is hosting this year, however, due to a muscle tear in my right shoulder i will be unable to contribute to the team in any way. Instead i plan on continuing football by taking part in the Saturday community football at OSC. This way i can continue to build on the skills i already possess along with having some fun.
• With all the academic stress and action, it is important to balance things out with some creativity. This has been a weak point so far in my involvement with CAS. This last semester i plan on working on developing some new skills that will help my build my creative capacity. As my brother is really interested in drumming, we rented a drum set to help him practice at home. This gives me an excellent opportunity to unleash those creative skills and learn something new. In February i will also be taking part in a small play directed by my friend Skylord for his Drama class. I have the lead role in the play and hope to deliver a good performance in front of the audience. I am also looking forward to try something completely new to me in all ways, scuba diving. I have never done snorkeling or scuba diving and i am looking forward to this exciting experience. 

SAISA - 2011 - Dhaka

The tournament finally came and went. Saisa was the culmination of the action aspect of my CAS programme.  I have been part of the OSC Saisa programme ever since i joined OSC. On the weekend of the 30th november - 3rd December, Saisa boys football took place in Dhaka. It was my last Saisa football and i was hoping for a good tournament. Throghout the season we had been practicing hard and trying to establish the style of play that suited us best. I attended every training session as i am strongly commited to football and made sure I led by example in every training session to maintain the level of intensity as i am also the captain of the football team.

Training

Before the tournament we had played a total of 8 training matches, out of which we had won 5, lost 1 and drawn 2. The matches were very important as they helped us develop a sense of team spirit and helped us figure out each others style of play. For me it was important as captain to help develop a sense of team spirit and make sure that everyone respects the contribution of each other on the pitch and remains calm and optimistic even when we are losing.

As i mentioned earlier, i was now playing in a new position, that of goalkeeper. This was totally new territory for me and i was going to Saisa with only 3 weeks of training under my belt. In my aims for Saisa i had also mentioned that i would like to really concentrate on my leadership role and also help my team in winning matches. As Goalkeeper is an extremely important job, a good performance from me would be very important in determining the outcome of our matches.

We left the school on the morning of the 30th. We had to wake up at 4:00 am to go to the airport. We were in the flight the whole day basically and arrived in Dhaka really tired. 31st was our first match of the tournament. Our first opponents were to be LAS, the team from the American International school of Lahore. This was going to be the most difficult match of the group for us as LAS were even then, considered the strongest team of the tournament, as they were a daunting outfit with almost the whole team in the 12th grade. As soon as we started playing, it became pretty clear that LAS was an overwhelming opponent. Despite that, the scoreline remained 0:0 at the end of the first half, an achievement i can be proud of as i had many shots on my goal and managed to keep them all out.

The second half however quickly turned into a rout for them as they scored 3 fantastic goals, which apart from the 3rd I could do little about. Still, we managed to not let in more goals. The first match in a way was an abrupt wake up call for us as it showed us the quality of teams we would have to beat in order to achieve a good position. Also the team was still very unsynchronised in the way we played when going forward. One of the things we really suffered due to was the fact that one of our main defenders had not been able to travel to Saisa due to personal issues with the school.

On the second day we had two matches. One against the American School of Bombay (ASB) and against the Karachi American School (KAS). The match did not start well for us at all as ASB went ahead due to a deflected strike. They then scored another from a speculative strike from the edge of the box that curled into the top corner leaving me helpless. The whole team was already fearing the worst as we were already picturing a scenario in which we would finish 4th in the group and be knocked out. The second half of the that game however was monumental in changing our tournament. Firstly during the half time team talk we motivated ourselves to go and play with our full potentail. Secondly we changed our team strategy from a 4-5-1 to a 4-4-2. The result was immediate. Although we lost the game 2:1, we absolutely dominated the second half and were close to drawing level. The next game was a must win game for us and we came out roaring. I made a couple of good saves but it was mainly our collective spirit while attacking that resulted in a 3:1 victory for us and a place in the quarter final.

The Quarter final was a match against the International school of Chennai. Last year Chennai had knocked us out of contention for 5/6th place, and this year we had an oppurtunity for payback. The Chennai game i can proudly say was "my game". I managed to save a whole multitude of shots that kept the scoreline to 1:0 to us and later at 1:1. In the end it was our efforts upfront and the team spirit that helped us through and we won the quarter final 2:1. It was a great moment for us as we had managed to reach the top 4 from a position where we were almost knocked out.

 Unfortunately our Semi-final was against LAS, the eventual champions, again. However we vowed to give our 100% for the game. This match was my best match in Saisa. Due to LAS's amazing strikeforce, i had a whole barrage of shots directed at my goal, only 2 of those that i could do nothing about. Due to the performance, even the LAS coach came up to me to congratulate me on my performance. We lost 2:0 and went out, but we played like a true team. We were the only team in Saisa who managed to concede only 2 goals in 1 match against LAS, an achievement i am proud of!

LAS players in blue, bemoaning another save :)

Our final game of the tournament was the game for the 3/4th place. Unfortunately we could not keep our winning streak going and lost on penalties, after a scintillating comeback led by Bharat had leveled the score at 3:3. Despite saving one penalty and being the only one out of 2 people to score for our team, we went out. Everyone who usually scored in practice, missed. However they cannot be blamed, as in a penalty shootout, luck can go either way. The match was a true test for me in terms of showing my leadership as i managed to console some of our junior players who had missed their penalties and keep the team's head held high despite losing in such a heartbreaking way. For our sportsmanship we won 2nd prize overall in sportsmanship and even though we didn't win this year, it was a great lesson for me on what teams can achieve if they stick together and persevere.

For my performances at the tournament i won the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award for the second successive year =) Saisa has been a great learning experience for me and i will forever cherish the memories of the two tournaments i played in with my friends.