IB Highlights: Literary Magazine & Health Care in South Africa

Three SGS seniors have used the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme to explore topics of particular interest to them -- an online literary magazine and the effects of US health policy on South Africa.

CAS Project Highlight:  Paul Darnall and Chaitanya Nalluri are working together on their CAS project of producing the SGS Literary Magazine.  "The Literary Magazine is a production created by Paul and I in order to bring various forms of literary writing to the school," says Chaitanya.  "The magazine will feature works of fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. Within these categories, the writers will get some flexibility to write funny, serious, relevant, and other types of articles.  There will also be illustrations.  The magazine will be primarily web-based, but we may end up printing it out and distributing it around the school.  We aim to get an issue out by the end of the semester.  We have a solid group of writers right now, but anyone is welcome to join." 

CAS Experiences Highlights:  CAS experiences for all Upper School students (in the US and China) this week included splitting wood, painting Nike shoes, Everlasting Envelopes letter making, Little Spokane River float, school workouts, biking excursions, hiking excursions, learning to hip hop dance, and taking a puppy for a walk.

EE Highlight:  Senior Addy Lennemann’s research question is "To what extent does the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy negatively affect access to health resources in South Africa?"  When asked what prompted her to choose this question, she said, "I chose my research question because I believe more people should be made aware of the changes the Trump Administration has made and the impacts they have.  I think policies that restrict important funding to the point that lives are being lost is a topic that should be written on.  Because it deals with abortion, my topic can be considered taboo, but it is that mentality that places the repressive policy on NGOs in the first place.  I strongly believe that when given the chance, one should advocate for themselves and their community, and this EE is my chance to do so."

IB Question of the Week:  How many schools worldwide offer the IB program?  
On 14 July 2020, there were 7,002 programs being offered worldwide, across 5,284 schools in 158 countries.  The IB publishes a range of statistics and information about its programs.  For more information, you can Follow This Link.

IB Overview:  The Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum for grades 11-12 is made up of six subject groups and the DP core, comprising Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) and the Extended Essay (EE).  Please refer to our IB webpage and to the IB Resources page in PowerSchool Learning for detailed IB information.