CAS

Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS)

Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) provides a framework for experiential learning and is intended to provide experiences for students to develop selfconfidence and empathy, a willingness to help others and build on student’s experiences that complement, in some way, what students are learning in school. CAS activities contribute to student’s intellectual, social, cultural and emotional growth. They cater to a wide variety of needs and cultures within the school community and are used to forge links with the wider community. Our expectation is that all students become involved in some form of regular activity outside of lesson time for their general health and well-being. This allows students to explore their interests, express their passions and identify goals, develop strategies and determine further actions for personal growth. CAS complements a challenging academic school life, providing a much needed break from academia.

With MYP very much a part of KGV life now, we have continued the journey of embedding many of the philosophies embraced by CAS across the school. In particular, focusing of Service Learning, through developing a vision for taking Principled Action. The vision is: Creating sustainable partnerships that have reciprocal benefits within our community. Fostering the desire, confidence and ability to make a difference. Our aim is for students to become effective project managers, use design thinking to solve problems, embrace responsibility and appreciate the consequence of actions, develop the ability to empathise with others and be able to communicate and connect with others.

We are already finding that the students in Year 9 are embracing this challenge during the Community Project, with the first cohort producing 100+ excellent projects in the summer of 2020. This is a service learning project where students, working in small groups, developed awareness of needs in various communities leading them to take appropriate action. Students consolidated their learning from the MYP through the Community Project by engaging in sustained, in-depth inquiry leading to service as action in the community.

It would be wrong of me to not mention how KGV students have demonstrated courage and resilience in the way they have approached CAS during such challenging times of the last year. Whether this is the vast array of online CAS activities being launched at the start of the year, engaging with NGO’s through webinars or creating KGV’s own little Skillshare community, COVID has brought the best out in our students. Another product of the circumstances is taking the CAS Fair online with the immense new website: https://www.kgvcasactivities.com, where students were able to get excited about CAS and the year to come from the comfort of their own home.

These CAS activities add richness to the KGV learning experience. Without them, KGV would not be the vibrant school that it is. We are extremely grateful to the students and staff who give their time freely to make the CAS programme such a huge success.

Dean Beard CAS & Service Learning Coordinator