The ISH CAS Award is given to the student who best embodies the spirit of CAS, as determined by the IBO, through the two year activity programme they plan and implement for themselves.
There were a number of students who had excellent CAS programmes this year, dedicating many hours of their time to the betterment of our school and the world at large. They will be receiving ISH CAS certificates at Gold level. However difficult it may be to select one student’s achievements above another’s, this year’s recipient of the ISH CAS Award has demonstrated an exceptional amount of social engagement, active commitment for change and caring on a global level. Congratulations go to Giulia Moretti.
Giulia participated in a wide variety of in and out of school activities. She was a member of the Student Council, an MUN and MiniMUN Delegate, and a member of the Global Issues Network. She took part in the CAS expedition in Belgium, worked out in the gym, tutored a Year 7 student for French and helped as a member of the admin team for THIMUN 2008.
However, the activities that really made Giulia’s CAS programme stand out were those she did during her summer holidays. In the summer of 2007 Giulia travelled to India for the first time for one month. During her stay there she volunteered at an orphanage called Future Hope, which provides shelter, education and medical aid to the many street children of Calcutta. Giulia worked as an assistant teacher for a class with pupils who have learning difficulties and children who were deprived of any basic education. She taught English, Math, Social Studies and Geography.
Furthermore, during the summer of 2008 she returned to India where she voluntarily worked in the Auroville Earth Institute for eight weeks. She helped in the design and building of Auroville, which is to become 'a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities' . The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity. It is recognised as the first and only internationally endorsed ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation of consciousness, also concerned with - and practically researching into - sustainable living and the future cultural, environmental, social and spiritual needs of mankind.” Even after finishing her CAS programme, Giulia returned to Auroville during this summer (2009) as a volunteer.