Community, Action, and Service (CAS)

What is CAS?

Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) is part of the “Core” of the IB curriculum that emphasizes participation in meaningful experiences outside of the classroom. To be eligible for the IB Diploma, students must successfully complete the CAS program.

What Counts As “Creativity,” “Activity,” and “Service”?

• Creativity: exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance    
• Activity: physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle
• Service: collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need

*Some of your experiences will be a combination of two or all three of these CAS strands

CAS experiences may not contain any of the following:

• Academic credit
• Financial or material reward
• Religious proselytizing
• Family obligation (chores don’t count!)
• Attending a workshop, seminar, lecture, or summit

Contact

East Campus	West Campus
Chelsea Emerson cemerson@sturgischarterschool.org Bob Wojtowicz bwojtowicz@sturgischarterschool.org	Megan Briggs Magnant mbriggsmagnant@sturgischarterschool.org Matt D’Innocenzo mdinnocenzo@sturgischarterschool.org

More Information

The “Big 4” – The 4 CAS Completion Requirements

1. Show evidence of meeting all seven CAS Learning Outcomes through a balance of Creativity, Activity, and Service experiences.
2. Maintain regular involvement in CAS experiences, ideally on a weekly basis. 
3. Reflect regularly on personal growth (in written or audio reflections).

Participate in at least one “CAS Project.” Students undertake a CAS project of at least one month’s duration that challenges students to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Examples of CAS Projects:

• Creativity: A student is the stage manager or assistant director of a STAGE theater production.
• Creativity and Service: A student group plans, designs and creates a mural.
• Activity: A student is the captain of their sports team and initiates fundraising efforts, facilitates captains’ practices, and regularly demonstrates leadership during practices and games.
• Service and Creativity: A student sets up and conducts academic tutoring.
• Creativity and Activity: Students choreograph a dance piece and perform it publicly.
• Service and Activity: Students plan and participate in the planting and maintenance of a garden with members of the local community.
• Creativity and Service: Students rehearse and sing for residents at a community retirement home.
• Creativity and Service: Students identify that elementary school teachers at a local school need school supplies for their classrooms, so these CAS students fundraise, donate school supplies, and facilitate an art project with these teachers’ elementary school students.

The 7 CAS Learning Outcomes

In order to complete the CAS program, students must show evidence of meeting all 7 CAS Learning Outcomes. Therefore, students choose CAS experiences that will help them meet these Learning Outcomes and discuss in their CAS reflections how they’re going about achieving each of these Learning Outcomes.

1. Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
2. Demonstrate that new challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
4. Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

Grading

On every Progress Report and Report Card, you will receive an “S” (Satisfactory) or an “NI” (Needs Improvement) for your performance in CAS. Follow these instructions to receive an S.