Prva gimnazija Varaždin

What is CAS?

CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) is intended to be a collection of enjoyable and challenging experiences determined by our students to extend their abilities in Creativity, Activity, and Service.

Creativity is defined as exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance.  For example, students join a choir or theatre group, engage in fashion design or other projects that require creative thinking.

Activity is defined as physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle. Examples include taking up a new sport or extending one’s ability in an ongoing activity, going to the gym, taking dance, yoga or aerobics classes, biking, hiking etc.

Service is defined as collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need. By investigating and identifying community need, our students determine a plan of action that respects rights, dignity and autonomy of all involved, for example reading to the aged or advocating for a cause.

Why CAS?

Through CAS students can:

• have significant learning experiences outside the classroom
• extend what they learn in class to real-life situations
• choose their own learning experiences
• see what motivates them intrinsically
• face the level of responsibility they are willing to take
• include experiences they find enjoyable to their course of study
• show what more they can do besides having a great grade average

To many students, CAS seems like a collection of your extracurricular activities. While this is correct to some degree, there are some important features that make CAS distinct from regular extracurricular activities:

• the importance of Planning and Reflection

In CAS, thinking about what one learned, what they aim to achieve and why is equally important as participating in an activity.

•  Real, purposeful activities that pose a personal challenge

Repetitive, non-challenging activities and menial tasks are not CAS.

• the obligation of Recording student’s CAS experiences

Since CAS is not formally assessed, the Portfolio students compose is the proof of their successful competition of CAS programme and a requirement for competition of the Diploma Programme.

• the requirement of participating in at least one CAS Project

CAS project is a series of CAS experiences that requires your initiative and collaboration with others and last at least one month.

• Through their CAS experiences our students are to achieve the following Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify their own strengths and develop areas for personal growth
2. Demonstrate that they have undertaken challenges and developed new skills in the process
3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
4. Show commitment to and perseverance in their CAS experiences
5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
7. Recognize and consider the ethics of their own choices and actions