Creativity, Action and Service

Creativity, Action and Service are the three components of the CAS program at Oakridge International School. Each part of CAS has a special importance:  Creativity is meant to include a wide range of arts activities. Action can include participation in individual and team sports. The service includes community and social service activities.
The students of X B had a CAS activity on the 26th of July, 2013, performing service. Each of the kids brought a sapling to plant in the soil of the PP play area. Some brought small and delicate plants, while others brought tall plants with a rough bark.

At school, we told others about our choice of plants. Some were flowering plants, some would bear fruit in the future, and some were leafy such as the fragile tulsi plant.
The students along with their class teacher Suchismita and David (CAS in charge) headed towards the PP play area; Planting saplings, or any other manual service, was not something they had done before.
It was hard work digging a hole deep and wide enough for the plants to take root. Those who had decided to bring tall saplings found difficulty in shoveling the soil. Those with small plants finished their job and helped others. Finally, everyone’s plants were in the ground. The students firmly pushed the soil around the roots of their plants, and brought the hose to water them.
It is certainly very important to render service to society. When we take so much it is satisfying to give something back. The CAS project was not thought of as boring, or something that was mandatory for the kids to do, but as an enjoyable and fun activity.

The skills such as cooperation, empathy and self-management were flowing in large measures. So were the attributes of the learner profile such as risk-taker, caring and communicator .