On the eighth of May 2017, the whole PYP gathered on the basketball court to watch the PYP Talent Show, in which students of different ages from across the PYP showcased their unique and varied talents. Not only was it a great experience to see all of the acts and the reactions from the audience, it was interesting to be part of the team that organised the show. It has been about a year since then but the experience of organising and witnessing the talent show is still a memorable experience that helped me learn a lot.
Organising an event was an unfamiliar experience for me, so it was good for me to step out of my comfort zone. I worked with the PYP student council and Ms. Charmaine, Ms. Shantimary, Ms. Devaki, and Ms. Jenifer, who all have expertise in different areas, which the students could be auditioning with. This way, we had multiple perspectives, which was especially important during the judging process for the auditions. Even though the show was simply a show and not a competition, we unfortunately had to have a judging process so we could choose the most creative and well prepared acts. Without this as we simply would not have enough time to showcase all the diverse talent present in the PYP. It was difficult to decide on the final acts, but with the help of the whole judging panel, we managed to create an interesting and diverse program.
Since the talent show was very close to my exams, I could not be as involved as I would have liked to be, especially in the final stages of organising the show. The PYP student council and teachers were extremely helpful and understanding and thanks to everyone involved, the final show ran smoothly. It went on longer than expected because there were so many exciting acts that we had to include. There was singing, dancing, musical instruments, magic and yoga among other things, so the program was very varied and interesting. It was great to see so much talent from the young children of the PYP.
Overall, the experience of organising the PYP Talent Show was unfamiliar but very interesting and helpful. I had to coordinate with multiple other people and we put in a group effort to make the talent show happen. This experience has taught me many skills in communication, planning and organising that can be applied to not just organising events but also my schoolwork and everyday life. It also opened my eyes to how much the PYP students are capable of. It has been a year since the PYP talent show but the lessons I learned still have an impact on me and will continue to have an impact on me. I am sure that the talent show was also a fun and meaningful experience for the children involved and I hope that both those who participated and those who didn’t make it into the final line up for the talent show continue to work on and share their talents.
By Anoosha Heyworth (DP 2)
Demonstration of a DP CAS Project: A creative engagement of students in the IB Diploma Programme is the experiential Creativity, Activity, and/or Service learning project. This authentic project-based-learning experience is one that best shows the stages of investigation, collaboration, preparation, action and demonstration.