On Friday the 31rst of May ISD celebrated the excellence of its students in its high school awards ceremony. Mr. Boulestreau stepped up to award two students who demonstrated excellence in the CAS and SA programs. Mr. Boulestreau's speech displays the achievements of Hiromi Egusa, a student in the IB DP Programme.
Mr. Boulestreau’s Speech:
The CAS award honors a member of the Diploma program who has contributed significantly to the CAS program and has shown to be a well-rounded student, and who has demonstrated a good balance between the creative, the active and the service components.
This student also kept a well maintained CAS portfolio where the reflective process was clear and meaningful and where evidence was significant. Finally, the recipient has also demonstrated the qualities and skills necessary to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
A short list of 10 nominees are selected by the CAS coordinator was given to the school faculty who voted for this award.
The 2019 CAS award has been awarded this year to : HIROMI EGUSA
Hiromi has been involved in 10 different CAS experiences in the past 2 years but there was a common theme: a love and appreciation for her own culture and language.
In BIG, she helped two of our Japanese students on campus to acclimate to our school. As she said:
I hope I am being involved in helping the Japanese community at ISD, because I also faced similar struggles when I was transferred from Japanese school to English school. It is a time consuming process that cannot be achieved overnight, but I want these two children to enjoy their lives at school.
On Saturdays, she went to the Japanese school to teach typical Japanese dances. She also taught the same dance to the children at SOS village d’enfants. Hiromi wrote that:
I strongly believe that I developed a new skill through this CAS experience. I've never taught a Japanese fisherman dance to other children, and it was an entirely new experience to be a teacher and not the learner. In order to teach the choreography, I had to reassure myself with every move.
It was a learning process and Hiromi had to leave her comfort zone on many occasions. She also learned a lot from others. In basket-ball, Hiromi reflected on the impact one of her teammates had on her. Hiromi said:
When one of the girls was confused with their position on the court, my teammate suggested to her where to go for each rotation. Her leadership influenced me positively to look around for younger girls who need help.
Hiromi is leaving her mark at ISD and for our CAS program. As a student leader in the student council, as a community member teaching English to our staff on campus, as a children’s advocate and as a global citizen advocating for animals’ s rights with the Turtle village experience, Hiromi has demonstrated over and over her caring and empathetic attributes. For her own personal growth but also for our entire community, Hiromi has been a discrete model and mentor. Thank you Hiromi for bringing your positive , reflective and caring attitude wherever your future endeavors lead you. We are so proud of you.