IB Diary

Four of our Year 12  IB students and one A Level student visited The Gambia this month as part of a joint IB trip with Plymouth College.  It was a truly memorable trip for all concerned.

They spent time teaching in two African village schools as part of their CAS work and in the evenings around a campfire they worked on their Theory of Knowledge studies.

‘The whole trip was amazing, but I think it was definitely the people out there that you meet, that made it so special and enjoyable. Everyone was so generous, kind and welcoming.'  Isobel Taylor

‘This was probably the highlight of my year so far. Obviously I have had a few that almost reach the bar, but there's nothing like wearing mini-shorts (under a purposefully concealing sarong) strolling along the sand, hand in hand with Samba Bah (my adopted nine year old) with the sun at 45 degrees warming you from head to toe. It was deliciously, delightfully superb.

We arrived in the village of Bissary to a grand welcoming on Tuesday night, and after being served mashed potato swimming in beans in a very large plastic bowl, we were given countless instructions about WHICH water container to drink from, and the crucial position of the tea-towel, and WHICH bowl to wash your hands in first, and WHAT the colours of the bowls meant, and WHEN you were allowed to wear your own clothes, and WHEN you were told to wear your sarong. It was highly intense and I found myself cracking under pressure, and willing the week to go as fast as humanely possible. But after the bean infested mash had been surreptitiously scraped into a willing and hungry fellow student's bowl, my malaria net had been strung up by many a helpful Gambian hand, and I had climbed into my sleeping bag, things didn't seem quite so bleak.

As part of the IB CAS work we taught at Bondali Basic Cycle School we taught Grade Eights, who were 14 -16 year olds, and after a long wait for A4 paper, we taught them how to make Chatterboxes. They loved it, and it was a good icebreaker. Feeling very smug, we thought we had succeeded, but then we were informed our lesson was an hour and a half, so we had to think on the spot, and Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes developed. Then a few brave pupils sang us a song they knew. Then when we were really scraping the barrel, I started a game of Hangman, which went down a storm.'              Extract from the writings of E Kemp

‘They have a different way of living and different time appreciation. It makes me realise that not all cultures have such a structured schedule throughout their days.'   Chloe Bray

On their return students will be delivering presentations on their trip and what they learnt about the culture, to Year 10 and 11 in Citizenship lessons.  It is hoped that we will be offering this trip to future IB students here at Callington.

IB VISITOR

In September 2009 a former IB student, James Symes, visited Callington Community College to talk to the IB students in their Theory of Knowledge class.

IB TASTER DAY FOR YEAR 11 STUDENTS 30th September 2009

A group of Year 11 students spent a day at the coast to give them a flavour of what the International Baccalaureate is all about.

IB CAS PILOT PROJECT July 2^nd and 3^rd, National Trust, Beach Head,  Wadebridge. 

Our International Baccalaureate students' first residential trip was part of a CAS (Creative Action and Service) pilot project organised by Nicole De St Croix to do some volunteering work for the National Trust.

As part of their course the IB students need to participate in a number of volunteering activities and so this trip had been designed to give them a taste of the kinds of things they can do for CAS. Huw Pring, the IB Geography teacher, worked with the students litter picking on the local beaches, and several bags of rubbish were collected.

Debs Kemp, IB Coordinator