Core Celebration 2023

“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one”
~ The Core Celebration; celebrating the IB Diploma Programme

Friday, 24th February, 2023

True wisdom is knowing you know nothing. Creativity is just associating things. Research is creating new knowledge and strengthening critical thinking. These three components are linked through a common purpose: to broaden students’ educational experiences and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills. In honour of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, an enlightening event, the ‘Core Celebration’ took place on at DPGA. The event was organised by the IB department and was anchored by Kaavya Aggarwal and Neil D’souza from IBDP 1.

The event began with the elucidation of the core components of IBDP. The IBDP 1 students interviewed their IBDP 2 seniors on the fascinating and innovative topic of the “Theory Of Knowledge,” learning from their experiences. The seniors shared their experiences at the exhibition held in which they were required to choose 3 objects, not pertaining to physicality, to explain the prompt that they chose. Furthermore, the seniors elaborated on the TOK essay that they wrote in the second year, choosing one topic out of six fascinating ones. The TOK supervisors, Ms. Deepti Sasikumar, and Ms. Sheli Paul were called on stage to discuss their experience with the current IBDP 2 batch and how the moments they shared motivated and encouraged not only the students but also the teachers. The teachers spoke on the challenges of shaking basic foundations of knowledge only to rebuild them in a way leaving the student more open-minded and knowledgeable.

Progressing forward, the second core element of the event, ‘CAS ‘(which stand for Creativity, Activity, and Service) included elements of creative expression, physical activity, and voluntary work as the focal point.

Students of IBDP 1 and 2 engaged in informative discussions about the CAS strand as they answered some of the most pressing questions one might have. For example, under the activity strand, they participated in inter-school events such as the DSO, Cascade, etc. They also took part in multifarious activities. Under the service strand, the IBDP 2 students assisted the Apollo Health Camp. They also helped prepare boxes of Diwali sweets for the Indian soldiers. For the creativity strand, each student took part in different creative and artistic activities. For the CAS project, the students initiated the inter-house “Plastic Bottle Recyclothon”, and a few took part in “Mental Health Awareness Month”. The IBDP 2 students used their experience to give the best possible suggestions for the upcoming batch. A nostalgia-filled video was then presented showcasing all the CAS activities, and the ups and downs the IBDP students went through, and it certainly brought back emotional memories for both the students and teachers. Subsequently, the CAS Supervisors, Ms. Simrit Jude, and Ms. Manasi Pai came up on the stage to share their experience with their students and their memories together. To acknowledge the students’ hard work, certificates were felicitated by our admirable principal, Mr. Prakash Nair.

Moving on, to the final element, ‘Extended Essay’ – the subject supervisors for the following subjects: BM, Psychology, Economics, Computer Science, and Physics came up on stage and introduced their students with whom they had worked closely. They presented their Research Questions and discussed the significance of the topic they had chosen to delve into. Each student presented their Extended Essays through a smartly planned presentation and took the audience through their journey of writing the EE, the ups and downs. Each presentation unlocked a new perspective and a new way to overcome challenges. The teachers were deeply moved and impressed after hearing their students’ affectionate words.

The event was concluded with Prakash Sir’s heart-warming words for the IBDP 2 students, followed by a ‘Question and Answer session’ for the students present in the audience. The answers provided by the students of IBDP will guide and support the younger students throughout their hardships, teaching them how to deal with problems in different ways. With that being said, the IBDP 2 students wished the IBDP 1 students the best of luck, and the event concluded after a small discussion between the two grades.

Author: Aayan Simmy and Yazhini Deshmukh- Grade 9