Final CAS Reflection

Its been an eventful, action-packed and reward-full 2 years of CAS in the Diploma Program. I've been apart of multiple programs, sports tournaments, service activities, fundraisers and productions. Every single one being a new learning experience for me and has pushed me to new areas, well out of my comfort zone.

Here is a list of things I've been apart of;

SAISA Boys Basketball and Volleyball Tournaments (2013-2015) Held in Dhaka, Chennai, Nepal  and Colombo. 

Stage Manager for the Drama Production. 

Event Crew for SAISA Badminton (2014) Held in Colombo. 

Treasurer for the Student Government. 

Mother Tongue Service Project.

Gecko Inc. 

Being a Referee

Coach of the Development Girls Basketball Team.

Being a Judge on Gecko Factor.

Everything listed above has been closely linked to the following outcomes,

Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth

Sports has been the key area for thing outcome. SAISA in particular has made me aware of the areas i'm strong in and the areas I am not so strong in. Through perseverance and constant attempts I have pushed myself further in athleticism and skill and I've developed skills in mental stability and commitment.

Undertaken new challenges

Being a stage manager, Being a referee, a judge, a coach, teaching kids and being a member of student government have all been examples of new challenges that I've undertaken this year. These are things that I never thought I would do and I feel that these are experiences that I will use in the future as either a source of inspiration or just something to look back and laugh about.

Planned and initiated activities

Stage manager, Fundraisers, Oscars, Event crew and service projects (MT and Gecko Inc) have contributed to this outcome. I've grown immensely in my organization and planning skills. Organizing in Event crew was one of the most tantalizing tasks of the year for me and the amount of skill I have acquired from this experience is unmatched.

Worked collaboratively with others

SAISA, Coaching, Treasurer(SGA), Fundraiser and Event crew have all required me to work with peers and superiors in getting tasks done. Collaboration in a valuable skill in today's society and i'm glad i had a chance to acquire it. 


Shown perseverance and commitment in their activities

Sports again is a key focus here. I've gone through multiple injures that have ranged from weeks to months. Staying fit and picking myself up is something i'm sure i'll have to do in college and for the rest of my life.

Engaged with issues of global importance

In my 2 years of CAS this is the once learning outcome i feel i did not address or complete well enough. The mother tongue service project and being a referee (Ethics) are the closest I've come to being engaged with an issue of global importance. 

Considered the ethical implications of their actions

Ethics are a factor in almost all our daily activities and it ranges. Being a referee, a judge, a coach, a stage manager, a athletic and a treasurer has placed me in multiple ethical situations(Big and small). I've dealt with these situations and I expect to be in many more along the line. 

Developed new skills

The Kevin Fernando of 2 years ago would be absolutely unmatched to the person who is currently writing this final CAS reflection post. Skills; academic skills, athletic skills, social skills, writing skills and organizational skills. I've acquired all these skills through the Diploma CAS Program, and what initially seemed like a chore has evolved into a lifestyle.


Thanks,

Kevin Fernando

Oscars

The SGA organized the 2015 Oscars for March. As Co-Treasurer I was in-charge of  organizing and allocating funds for the event. The Oscars is the Final big event of the School Year and we usually use all the funds we raised over the year to make Oscars the most lucrative event. This year's theme was Candy-Land, it was pretty easy to fund as all we needed was the venue, the place and decor.

We decided to make our own decor. So one day we all stayed after school and got to work in the art room. I made a few donuts and a some mints :D 

Overall the night turned out to be a blast and SGA 2015 did an amazing job. 

                               OSCAR Awards and CandyLand themed chocolate fountain :D

Seniors Class of 2015

SAISA Basketball

The SAISA U19 Boys Basketball Tournament is steadily approaching.

This week we are finalizing the traveling team and so we expect a lot of paperwork in the upcoming days. The team is working well together and we are playing regular games on Friday. We have also started working on our new offense and it seems to be quite complicated. luckily, 5 years of Basketball experience comes in handy.

My body has been feeling pretty banged up and bruised recently. 4 times a week practice is quite difficult with my already injured muscles and bones. Over the past years I've had many injures; big and small, that always come back when my body is pushed to it's limits. However, I need to show a higher level of perseverance and be careful with how much I push myself. I tend to be quite injury prone, so I also need to take care when playing full games.

As a veteran player on the squad, I also need to be aware of the examples I set to the younger players. The new bunch seem to be quite immature and I need to make sure that their heads are in game-mode when SAISA comes around.

Gecko Factor Auditions

As the Treasurer of the SGA, I was one of the judges for the Gecko-Factor auditions. The Gecko-Factor is a talent show that mimics the TV. series X-factor. Being a judge is kind of interesting as you get to see people who you usually wouldn't expect to see singing or displaying their talent. It was also hard to be critical when you know the people who are auditioning and I feel this deals with an issue of Global importance in a sense. Being ethical in decision making and evaluating is an issue everyone deals with when put in a position of power; may it be as a manager, a university admissions board member or a judge.

The final list of participants for X-Factor will be released soon and as Treasurer I'll be in charge of funding the event.

SAISA Basketball

The SAISA Basketball season has started and training will commence on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

The team is full of amateurs and unpolished talent. We are aiming for a Top-3 place and are also aiming to train and the younger players to ensure the future of Gecko Basketball. 

I've been dealing with a few recurring injuries over the past SAISA seasons and they seem to be coming back due to the increased play. I'll need to be smart about when I choose to play or not. I'll need to show perseverance in icing and resting to ensure my 100% participation at SAISA in April. 

The team does have some veterans in Max, Joaquin and Olaf. We hope to acquire some new talent and be a contender for the gold. Being the Captain will also be a challenging task as we have an inexperienced team and it takes a lot to whip them into shape. 

Pictures to come!

Fun Basketball

Every Friday the school organizers a fun game of basketball on the outside court. The players are usually beginners who are there to learn. Every now and again you get a visit from a member of the Basketball team, makes the game more interesting. The reason I do "Fun Basketball" is mainly to get ready for the upcoming season. I've been out of shape recently and have had a long break from athletics since SAISA volleyball ended in October. Running around is actually pretty tiring but i'm showing perseverance to get back into form. Another reason I go to the game is to scout out talent, and help some students improve their skills. I teach them plays and give them advice on how to improve their skills. There is definitely some fresh talent at OSC and it makes me happy that our basketball program has a bright future.

Pictures to come!   

Being a Referee

For the past 3 weeks I've been a referee for the games the Girls Basketball team have every Friday. The games are scheduled at 3:30 and are against local schools. Being a referee is definitely a new skill for me. I have refereed a few games in the past and since i've played basketball for about 4 years i feel that i was quite accustomed to it. The perspective of the game however is quite different from being a player to being a referee. Referees need to be more unbiased in calls and need to look at each call with a calm, focused mind. I'm also dealing with a issue of ethics. As I am refereeing Gecko games, I am quite biased towards my team. However as a referee I need to be objective as it is my responsibility to officiate the game with the utmost level of fairness. Being a biased ref would not only be unfair to the local teams but would also be a show of disrespect to the home Geckos.