Welcoming newcomers to the Glen A. Wilson High School (GAWHS) International Baccalaureate (IB) family, GAWHS IB hosted its diploma program retreat on Sep. 14.
As an annual event aiming to inform and help 11th and 12th grade IB diploma students bond, the retreat kicked off with an informational session regarding the program’s Creativity-Activity-Service (CAS) and Extended Essay (EE) requirements and concluded the day with a picnic at Pepperbrook park. Accompanied by snacks, scavenger hunts, and engaging group discussions, GAWHS IB’s 2023 retreat combines productivity and fun in one go!
Ms. Rouw, the IB Coordinator, shares her most memorable moment from the retreat.
“There were two really memorable points for me: The first was our IB Learner Profile scavenger hunt. The students were able to identify profile traits of celebrities and successful people, and then learned that all of them are IB Diploma earners,” Ms. Rouw reflected. “The second memorable part was when [the students] saw that Kim Jong Un never got his IB Diploma because he failed CAS. They thought that was appropriate and funny!”
Moreover, faced with pandemic-related obstacles in the past four years, the 2023 IB Retreat is the program’s first return to its traditional in-person and full-day retreat. IB Core Teacher Mrs. Casey gives insight to the preparations leading up to this special retreat.
“Ms. Rouw, [the IB Coordinator], spent lots of time planning and preparing activities and lessons to create a retreat where IB students can [both] build a community and understand what is expected of diploma program students,” Mrs. Casey said.
Mrs. Casey also offers advice for current IB students and GAWHS underclassmen who are interested in the IB program.
“I encourage everyone to get to know each other and Ms. Rouw and all the IB teachers. Communication and open-mindedness is key to success in this program,” Mrs. Casey elaborated. “If you do not ask the questions, you will never know the answers. So get to know one another, step out of your comfort zone and explore new possibilities in anything in life, not just IB at Wilson.”
IB Year One Diploma student Taylor Hornell (11) shares her learnings from the retreat.
“The retreat really helped me understand what to do for CAS and EE and helped us get to meet with the experienced year two students of the diploma program,” Hornell commented. “ And coming up, I am looking forward to participating in the IB CAS club and getting to know my peers in the program even more.”
Looking into the upcoming fall and winter seasons, the IB program plans to provide GAWHS warmth in the cooling seasons with its upcoming Socktober fundraiser. Stay on the lookout, and support GAWHS IB!
