Creativity. Activity. Service.
Joining an IB school means learning to care about and engage with the world around us, and at ISHR we believe it’s never too early for our students to make a difference. In an effort to foster the growth of compassionate, active world citizens, our students engage in creativity, activity, and service projects.
Creativity, Activity, Service at ISHR
In our Primary School, already our youngest learners participate in Service and Action projects such as visiting local nursing homes, raising awareness of the habitat loss faced by Bornean orangutans, or sponsoring school-wide donations for local families in need. Our Middle Years students (Grades 6-10) are to an even greater extent involved with Service and Action (SA) activities; they are required to participate in service in order to move to the next grade level. Middle Years students are encouraged to join any of the Service or Activity groups below or start their own.
Our Diploma Programme students (Grades 11-12) are required to complete creative, active, or service experiences on a weekly basis for 18 months as part of the IB curriculum, showing a good balance of these three elements.
he three strands of CAS are characterized as follows:
- Creativity – arts and other experiences that involve creative thinking.
- Activity – physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle.
- Service – an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student.
By engaging in creative, active, or service experiences, our students learn how to take initiative, design a project or experience, and reflect on the results of the experience. This helps them to develop their leadership skills, develop a service mindset, and encourages them to want to make a difference in the world.
ISHR offers many creative, active, or service experiences; for the most up-to-date and in-depth CAS information, please click here.
If your child is passionate about an issue or activity that isn’t listed, they are encouraged to plan their own activity. Some of our students have for example designed mountain bike courses, assisted with language lessons for refugees, and organised volunteer efforts for a local children’s hospital and the Special Olympics.
Our extra-curricular clubs have included:
- MUN (Model UN)
- Entrepreneurship Club
- Student Council
- Students Against Trafficking
- Satellite
- South Sudan Club – raising money to support a teacher training college in South Sudan
- PLAN – sponsoring children’s education in Lima, Peru
- Global Issues Network – local initiatives to address global issues
- Yearbook team
- Drama club
- Strategy Game Club (SGC)
- LAP (Learning Assistance Program)
- AIM (Action in Motion)
- Psychology Club
- Floorball
- German International School Sports Tournament
- Robotics
- GSA (Gay-Straight-Alliance)
- PRISM (People Rising In Support Of Multiculturalism)
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is a club where students simulate the debates that occur in the United Nations. Through these simulations, students learn about the politics, geography and history of countries they are representing by taking on the role of foreign diplomats working in the United Nations. In the process of creating resolutions to current international problems students develop an understanding of global issues, diplomacy and improve their communication skills.
Our students travel to The Hague and to Poland to meet with hundreds of their peers from other schools around the world, and have debated on issues such as human trafficking, the Israel-Palestine conflict, climate change and human rights violations.
ISHR Student Council
The Student Council consists of one elected class representatives from each class in the Secondary School.
Elections
Elections for class representatives take place at the beginning of each school year. All students are eligible for election as well as re-election. The election of President of the Student Council will take place within one week of Class Representatives being elected.
There are a number of responsibilities within the Student Council, but the main leadership positions are President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The leadership responsibilities are available to students already elected to the Student Council. Only students in Grade 10 upwards are eligible for the crucial leadership role of President. In addition, any student running for this position should have attended ISHR for at least one complete academic year. Elections for President and Vice President take place at the beginning of every school year; appointments for Treasurer, Secretary, and other responsibilities (e.g., Entertainment Officer) are made during the first Council meeting with the newly elected President.
The Role of the Student Council
Since ISHR’s establishment, nearly every year has seen a functioning Student Council. Because of their different schedules and concerns, Primary and Secondary Student Council meetings are held separately, with a Secondary Student Council representative acting as a liaison.
The Secondary Student Council is a group of students from Grades 6 through 12 who meet weekly to discuss issues of importance within the ISHR school community. Students elect one representative per homeroom class, so the Council consists of ten students from Grades 6 through 10, and eight students from Grades 11 and 12.
There are a number of responsibilities within the Student Council, but the main leadership positions are President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The leadership responsibilities are available to students already elected to the Student Council. Only students in Grade 10 upwards are eligible for the crucial leadership role of President. In addition, any student running for this position should have attended ISHR for at least one complete academic year. Elections for President and Vice President take place at the beginning of every school year; appointments for Treasurer, Secretary, and other responsibilities (e.g., Entertainment Officer) are made during the first Council meeting with the newly elected President.
In addition to the weekly lunch meeting, class representatives will likely also meet on their own time to support students, organize entertaining events, or raise awareness for a cause important to the community. A position as a class representative is a very rewarding job as it serves a large amount of people and helps the overall well-being of the student body. Representatives provide a channel of communication between their classmates and the Student Council, and act in the best interest of the students they represent and the school as a whole. Council members are expected to be a positive role model both at school and in the Hannover community.
