Opening of the clubs

Every year there is a presentation about the clubs in the school. We are all obliged to take part in at least one club but as an IB student I needed to have more in order to fully complete my CAS work. Every years there are new clubs which are more interesting and creative than the previous ones and offer new ways to develop yourself. The choice between so many clubs is quite difficult and I had to think about it for a while before choosing. Some of the cubs that impressed me were Comics club, Club United Nations, Club Applied arts, etc.. However, because of the lack of time I decided to choose less clubs – Applied arts club, Sports club, Club Tourism and Charity club “Hope and Love”.

International teachers day – poster

This year we decided again to prepare a surprise for our teachers for the International teachers day. We didn’t want to repeat the things from the last year and to make something new and original. However, we didn’t have many possibilities cause it was during the weekend and the only thing we could do was a poster. With my classmates Gerry and Velislav we decided to be more creative than usual and drew books with the idea to thank our teachers for everything they have done for us and for all the knowledge we have received from them. We also added some quotes about teachers with the idea to show them how important they are and to make them feel special. Late on the Friday afternoon we left it in the teacher’s room with the idea the teachers to see it on Monday morning and to feel joy and happiness.

Celebrating the Independence day

This is one of the most important celebrations in our country. In 1908 Ferdinad signed the manifest for the independence in Veliko Turnovo in St, Forty Martyrs Church. Every year there are big celebrations which starts early in the morning and continue the whole day. In the morning the events happened in the church where the manifest was signed and then moved to the Tsarevets forecast – the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. During the day there was a parade to the center of the town where wreaths and flowers were given to the monument of Mother Bulgaria and where there were concerts and performances. In the late afternoon there was an attempt for a record for the longest horo which was also a part of the application of Veliko Turnovo for European capital of culture for 2019. Me and some of my schoolmates decided to take part in this event and to support our town. The music was very popular and we all knew the dance except the foreign girls – Amy from the USA and Demy – from the UK. Although we didn’t manage to break the Guinness record we had a lot of fun together and had the opportunity to participate in this important for our town inciative.

First CAS meeting for third term

Again it was time for the trivial meeting at the beginning of each term. It is also the beginning of the year and we haven’t seen each other very often during the summer holiday so we were really excited and full of energy and creative ideas. As usually we made a rough plan what to do during this termin order to fullfill our CAS tasks. What is more, we had a lot of fun together trying to be as creative as possible with original ideas not already done things. I was very happy because I was together with my friends again.

Personal Planning Page - Term 3
Activities	Evidence	Hours	Total
Creativity	*Club Applied arts	18	27
	*Collecting herbs	3
	* Writing speach for the first dy of school	3
	*International teachers day – making poster	2
	*Karaoke Party	1
Action	* Club Tourism	10	36
	*Club Sports	16
	*Sports day – paintball, shooting, orientation, etc.	10
Service	*Charity club “Hope and Love”	23	49
	*Reading a speech for the first day of school	3
	*Organization of Halloween party	2
	*Campaign Young teacher	2
	*Karaoke party	3
	*Final conferention about BG membership in EU	16

                Local project: Club “Young Journalist”                    Total: 112

                     International project:  complete

First day of school

Twelve years ago it was one of the most exciting days in my life – a first day at school knowing no one and not to know what to expect. I remember how afraid I was than and now I was so excited again cause I knew that never again this day would repeat. Now I know almost everyone at the school but I was again afraid about what to expect when this s school year finishes and was also a little bit worried. I had to read my speech in front of the whole school including parents. My worry was maybe because I knew it was on of the last chances I can do something at this school and I wanted it to be perfect. When it was the turn of my speech my hand was shaking and I couldn’t read almost anything so I just closed the paper and said what I remember but from the bottom of my heart. Maybe it wasn’t perfect but I believe that these word said from the name of all students were special for the teachers and they would remember them. 

Writing speech for the first day of school

As it is the beginning of our last year at school it was the right time to say “Thank you” to our teachers for everything they have done for use for the past four years. In order to do this we decided to write a speech and read it in font of the teachers, our schoolmates and the parents who were there on the first day of school. As my classmates had other tasks I had to write this speech and afterwards read it without making it sound trivial and boring. I tried to find some ideas on the Internet but everything I found only things that have already been said and heard thousands of times. I wanted to be original so I wrote something and asked my parents to read it of course I wrote it again and again until it became something I liked. Finally I was really satisfied with what I did. 

International project: "We are citizens of Europe" eco-camp, Koprivshtitsa

The feeling to know that you have done something useful and made someone happy is wonderful. This is one of the main reasons why I was so excited about the prize we won with our project and set off for this camp full of energy waiting for new friendships and experience.

Early in the morning was the beginning of our journey to Koprivshtica – an renaissance Bulgarian village. There was no direct transport to this historic place and that is why we had first to travel to the capital – Sofia. There we spent a few hours full of fun eating unhealthy fast food and shopping. After that it was time together with the other participants to catch our bus to Koprivshtica. There were too many new people and we were all excited because we had no idea what was going to happen.

When we arrived there first we were separated into different houses where to sleep because there are no big hotels in this historic place. After a short break was our first group meeting during which our main aim was to present ourselves as well as our school and the project with which we participate in this camp. This task was very easy and pleasant after the long travel. Later during the day we had to do something inspirational– we had to plant some flowers and trees. This is not only useful but also a way to make this wonderful place even more beautiful. Our group was responsible for the plants in the house of Todor Kableshkov – a Bulgarian revolutionary.

The next day was also very intriguing because in the morning we had the opportunity to find out more about the Bulgarian participation in the European Union as well as some new ways for studying. We also exchanged some experience how to improve our extracurricular activities and the charity work in our schools In the evening we had a lot of fun having karaoke night in which we also participated.

One of the most interesting parts of the camp – workshops was on the third day. In the morning the first two workshops were bakery house and interactive house. In the bakery house we had to make a bread in a special form on our owns and then to make a story about the perfect country. In the second workshop we had again to make a story but this time about our dreams based on cards with pictures on them. This was a big challenge but was also very interesting.  During the second part of the day we reincarnated ourselves into actors as we took part in few short plays which had the aim to show the rights of the European citizens. I think that it was a fun and very interesting ways to find out some new things about this organization.

The last day was also full of fun because we had the opportunity to visit all the museums with a guide who managed to involve you in the history and make you feel the atmosphere century ago. For me it was really interesting to hear stories and legends known only by the local people. I was happy that there were such courageous and patriotic people in my country.

This camp gave me the opportunity to learn a lot of new things and to have a great time together with my friends. 

Swimming

One of the best sports in my opinion is the swimming. It gives you the opportunity to relax and have fun while training and at the same time finding coolness in the hot summer days. This time the pool wasn’t with mineral water and it was too small and shallow to make competitions and jump in it but it was enough just to stay their chatting and having fun. We even managed to create some games compactable to the size of the pool. Although it wasn’t the finest pool I have ever seen it was good enough in order to give us enough possibilities for more moments of joy. When we weren’t swimming we were having fun improvising a football game. The nets were too small and we didn’t follow many rules but we were laughing too much and spent a nice time.

Summer camp –collecting herbs

A few days before our  camp it was one of the Bulgarian celebrations – Eniov den or also called Midsummer day. It is also the patron day of our school and in order to celebrate it we decided to follow some of the traditions and to make wreaths from herb. There is a Bulgarian believe that there are 77 and a half herbs – each herb a cure for every disease and one for the disease that doesn’t have name. Another believe is that herbs are most curable early in the morning. We were trying to have a rest during this trip so we didn’t wake up very early but later during the day we went again on a walk trying to collect some herbs although we didn’t know much about them. However, we managed to collect some herbs and the easier part was to make wreaths which became very beautiful.

Summer camp – hiking

At the end of the year we went on a camp in Emen- a small village in the Balkan near Veliko Turnovo. This journey was on the one hand trip and on the other hand a way to finish our Group 4 project. During the time spent there we went on a long walk along the Emen Canyon where there was an amazing view over the village and the river. Although the way was difficult and some of the paths were too steep at the end we managed to reach a very beautiful place – a waterfall with a lake. It was one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. What is more, in the hot and sunny day after a long time walking it was nice to wade in the cool water and find some freshness. It was one of the coolest walks in the mountain I have ever had.

Movie for the graduation

In our school it is a tradition the eleventh graders to organize the graduation ceremony of the seniors at school. This year it was our turn an as most of our friends weren’t in a good relationship with the bigger students our class became responsible for this important task. We didn’t want to make the already done things and had the idea to do something original. This is why with my classmates we decided to make a special surprise for them – a magnet with a message and a DVD disk with a video with wishes from the teachers. It wasn’t very easy but we wanted it to be perfect because it was their last day at school. The message of the magnets was inspired by a Bulgarian movie called “Lubimets 13” (Favourite 13) which was also a kind of fun for them cause they are the Class of 2013. We also wanted they to have à memory from the teachers because they might not meet again soon and this is a way to have memories from the best years in their life. It was a little bit difficult to find all the teachers and make them say a wish for the students but we managed to succeed. I was really satisfied with the results and I hope they enjoyed it and it would be one of their unforgettable moments. What is more, we had to prepare a special ceremony and write a script for it. We have already wrote a few scripts so now we were professionals in how to make it fast and interesting for the audience.

Swimming competition

While you are in the water, you feel calm and relaxed. For me swimming alone is the timewhen I can think about my problems and try to find a solution but when I am in the water surrounded with friends I try to have fun and create unforgettable moments. Some wonderful memories in the water I created during our trip to Chiflika. It is a place full of SPA centers because there are plenty of mineral water sources there. In the hotel where we stayed, there was a swimming pool with hot mineral water and although there was still snow in the mountain, we decided to make a swimming competition. I am not very good at swimming but I decided to join this activity. When the competition was over we had a lot of fun playing different games and talking. It was one of the best experiences during this trp.

Drawing landscapes.

One of the other outdoor activities we did during the trip to Chiflica was drawing a landscape. For this aim we went in the forest where there were no houses and only a small chapel, a bench and an old forgotten Trabant. Some of us sat on the bench, others on the Trabant. Me with our Arts teacher and some of my schoolmates sat on the river bank and made an attempt to draw the waterfall nearby. It wasn’t very successful but at least I tried to do something that gives me pleasure and joy. 

Making collage My face

As a part of our creativity work during our stay in Chiflika we had to make a collage with a topic “My face”. Everyone made something crazy and creative that wasn’t realistic but original. That was the main reason why I decided instead of being like the others to make a realistic collage of myself including some things that I would like to change into my appearance. For example I made my eyes blue like the vas ocean because it is one of my favourite colours and I have ever wanted to have blue eyes. What is more, on the collage my hair is red because of my idea to dye my hair red when I graduate. Although not being very realistic my collage was the most realistic of all but it was also one of the ugliest and I didn’t  like it at all.

Mountain hiking and creative photo shooting

We couldn’t only stay inside and make different things in these sunny spring days. We were also supposed to have some fun outside that’s why we went on a long walk during which we took thousands of photos some of which were really creative and interesting. Most of my friends left us on the half way because they were tired and didn’t enjoy walking for too long.  The ones who left missed the most interesting part because upstream the village it was really beautiful and the branches of the trees were hanging over the river in a unique way. We also had a lot of fun acting like children and laughing. However after all this fun we were tired and needed some rest.

Making Eco folk costumes

 Another creative task during or trip was to make eco folk costumes. In order to achieve this aim we had to transform two plastic bags and a lot of paper into something original which to be as close as possible to the traditional Bulgarian costumes. We were separated into teams again and it was very easy to choose the models – Memo and Evani. They were the most beautiful ones and it was easy to transform them into old traditional Bulgarians. They were in my opinion rich Bulgarians not ordinary peasants. Evani had a dress and a special French hat while memo was with trousers, shirt and vest and as an accessory he had a special pipe. They might not be very traditional but at least they were really chick and we won the competition. 

Eco adventure in search for eco materials

During the second day of our stay we were exhausted of staying inside so we decided to go for a walk and try to find some materials to use later during our work. The nature in this region is unique – there is a forest with large and pines and a small river passing through it. We might not found many materials but at least we hade a great time together. What is more we had the opportunity to meet some local people and talk with them about the history of the village and their lifestyle. At the end we took thousand of photos on different and very interesting places like wooden and rope beaches some rocks and trees.

Making collage for International Earth Day

It is an annual event, which take place on 22^nd April. The main aim of this celebration is to demonstrate a support for environmental perseverance. We decided to celebrate this date by showing the important role of the nature for the world by making collages. We were again separated into teams and the idea of our team was to make a collage of the globe and the continent by using pictures of the nature taken by some old and useless newspapers and magazines. The idea was  to show that without nature the mankind would be lost. In my opinion, this is an original way to rise awareness about the growing problem for the future of our planet. What is more, the final results were really satisfying and I was pleased with it.

Presenting the collages and giving awards

 We haven’t seen the results of the collage of the other team and the evening was the right time to present our collages to each other and see the final results. The teachers had to choose who made better collage and to give the awards and the prizes. In my opinion it wasn’t easy for them to choose because both pieces of art were unique and beautiful. However during dinner they managed to take their final decision and our team won the first prize again. We also had certificates and lollipops as present for our hard work.

Playing game “Who is who”

During the first night of our trip we were a little bit tired so we didn’t have any plans for the night. During dinner we spontaneously took the decision to play the game “Who is who?” For this aim we had to separate into team which would also be the teams for the activities during the next few days. To be fair we made small pieces of paper with numbers 1 and 2 and everyone had to choose a piece of paper. When we were finally ready we could star the game. There were pieces of paper with different jobs and a person from the tea had to explain it without using verbal communication while the aim of the others was to guess it. In this game again the winner was our team. Not the victory was important but the fact that we could do something funny together.

Sports cub - Shooting

A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency (accuracy and speed) using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns(see archery for more information on shooting sports that make use of bows and arrows). Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting livepheasants was an Olympic event (albeit only once, in 1900). The shooting sports are categorized by the type of firearm, targets, and distances at which the targets are shot from. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_sport) In our school we are not training that professional but just for fun. However, some of us are very good at it and might have success in future

Open doors day at school

In our country every town has a patron day – the patron day of Veliko Turnovo is 22^nd March which is also the first day of the spring. In order to celebrate it in our school we organize an Open doors day so that people can come and see what we do in our school and what it offers. Everyone was taking part in different activity. This year I decided to try something different so I was busy in the laboratory making biological experiments. Also there were chemistry experiments and at one time no one was doing the chemistry experiments while there were too many people doing biology. Although, I am not studying chemistry I decided using the teacher’s instructions to make an attempt to do some experiments. For my surprise they were all successful and I felt really proud with myself. Another thing I did was to decorate a small vase by painting it and using the technique of decoupage.

Visiting Chris Norman’s concert

Today is the patron day of our town – First Day of Spring 22^nd March. This is the reason why yesterday the great rock singer Chris Norman was invited to have a concert in our town. I was really excited cause I had the opportunity to visit a concert of one of the greatest singers of all times who was also a lead singer in the British rock group Smokie.  It was one of the best concerts I have ever visited because every detail was perfect and I could feel how my parents used to feel when they were my age. We had two wonderful hours full with rock and on of the best songs from 80s until nowadays.

Organizing trip to Chiflika and Troyan

After a short break it was time for a trip again. This time the main aim of this trip was to have fun and express our creativity. We were going to have different activities every day and for this aim we were supposed to prepare them in advance. What is more we had to prepare materials for our creative tasks. Together with our teachers we decided to combine the creative tasks with some action. They chose the tasks during the day and we were supposed to find recycled materials cause it was going to be eco camp. Later in the days we offered to go for walks or to do something outside. We also found out that there is a swimming pool with hot mineral water which made us think of an appropriate games and competitions to do there. Fortunately this time we didn’t have to write scripts but instead we had to choose different games for every night. Although we had a lot of things to do for this organization we also had  a lot of fun .

Sports club - Volleyball

Today we had the usual meeting of the sports club in school and as we were enough people we decided to play volleyball. It is one of the most popular games in our school and most of us are very good in it so it became a nice and interesting game. I enjoy volleyball because it is a team sports and teaches you how to work with others and cooperate with them. What is more, it gives you the opportunity to train your body while having fun with friends.

Participating in Zonta club’s competition

Zonta club is an international organization found in the beginning of the XX century in Buffalo, New York along the lines of Rotary club. It is a service organization the aim of which is to advance the status of women worldwide. Each year there is a competition organized by Zonta for girls and the winner in it wins a scholarship or an award. In order to participate in this competition you have to be chosen by the members of your district and then to write a personal statement including details about yourself, a few essays and two references from teachers. I gave my best for this application but unfortunately I didn’t manage to win on national level – maybe there were better applications than mine. I hope the chosen girl would do good enough and win on international level. However this event gave me experience which would be really useful when applying to university later on. 

Celebrating Baba Marta

This year in order to celebrate one of our national holidays Baba Marta we decided to organize a surprise for the old people at the Local Resident Home “Veneta Boteva”. Together with my classmates and some other students we prepared a special show for the people in the home which included songs and poetry that are related to this celebration. What is more, in order to make them feel even more special we gave each of them traditional matrenitsa. They were all very happy, in their opinion this show was too short, and they wanted us to extend it. We weren’t prepared for such reaction but we managed to react on time and made our program longer. For me it was a great pleasure to see so much old people smiling and being happy  because of us. I felt that I made something very special that day.

Visitng Wax Figures Museum

In our town recently a new museum opened doors – Wax figures museum which is unique not only for Bulgaria but for the whole Balkan Peninsula. There isn’t another such museum in the region. Its aim is to represent the life of the Medieval Societies in Bulgaria during the rule of tsar Kaloyan in particular. We visited this museum as a part of our History classes with the idea to find out more about the Bulgarian history and see it in a more realistic way. We had the opportunity to see ancient homes of boyars, artillery, different guns and ancient handicrafts. In my opinion the most interesting part was the last one – figures of warriors with traditional armors and scenes of fights. I was amazed that something so impressive was done in our country.

St. Valentine's Day Campaign

Every year our town has a campaign for St Valentine’s Day, which is called Veliko Turnovo – Love and Romantic. It also takes part in the national competition for the longest love letter and for the past several years Veliko Turnovo was a winner. Our school supports this campaign every year. This year we decided to give a part of the Love pebbles to the people who are working at the District Administration of Veliko Turnovo. When we went there we first met the governor who showed us his office and talked with us about the education on other important topics. When all members of the staff came we gave each of them a pebble and wished them to love each other and become a little bit better.

Newspaper for St. Valentine’s Day

As a part of our local project – Club Young Journalist, we were supposed to make special editions of the school newspaper dedicated to St. Valentine’s day. We decide to make it look like a small card, which might also be given as a present. On the first two pages there were tips and thoughts about love with some cute and funny pictures while on the last two pages there was a picture and on the back of it free space to write a wish for someone you love. Making something like this is not easy to achieve because you want the person who receive it to feel special and loved and you give your best to make this possible.

There are thousands of thoughts about love which made it difficult to select the best ones and to include them in our paper. Despite the setbacks we finally managed to select twenty, the best of which is: “The sweetest joy, the wildest woe is love.” by Pearl Bailey. However the thoughts were not the only problem – we also had to find black and white pictures which best to  express this feeling that runs the world. And still it wasn’t the most difficult part- the design had to be something inspiring and beautiful which isn’t easy to achieve. I spent hours trying to place everything in a way that when printed to be readable and look good. I wasn’t satisfied until it was printed and I saw it whit all its glory. This was the most inspiring thing I have ever done.

First CAS meeting for the second term

The meetings at the beginning of every term might seem boring and pointless for us but without them we would be unable to finish our CAS work. During this meeting we made a draft of our Personal Planning Page and Attendance Sheets  and pointed the most important activities we are planning to do. We also shared our ideas how to become more successful and how to improve the quantity and quality of our work and the life outside school. We also were able to share our experience and plans for new activities during this term. Now a few mounts later I already know what the IB program requires and I have found out that one of the most exciting parts of it is CAS.

Personal Planning Page - Term 2
Activities	Evidence	Hours	Total
Creativity	*Club Applied arts	40	54
	*Visiting Wax Figures museum	2
	* Participating in Zonta Club’s competion	3
	*Visiting Chris Norman’s concert	3
	*Visiting Ishtar’s concert	3
	*Karaoke night	3
Action	* Club Tourism	15	37
	*Club Sports	11
	*Swimming competition	5
	*Celebrating the School’s patron day: Eco green day	6
Service	*Charity club “Hope and Love”	35	53
	*St. Valentine’s Day at Veliko Turnovo District Administration	3
	*Celebrating Baba Marta at the Local Residential Home for Old Persons	3
	*EU year for solidarity between generations – planting trees	6
	*Hosting “Teacher of the year” and “Oskarius awards”ceremonies	6

                Local project: Club “Young Journalist”                    Total: 144

                   International project:  European year of the citizens

St. Valentine's workshop "Love pebbles"

 Again it was time for Applied arts club and the St Valentine's pebbles.

Most of the pebbles were having hearths and the words Love You in English, Japanese and other languages except Bulgarian on them. In my opinion we should not forget our language because it is what keeps  the customs alive and this was the reason to write it in our mother tongue Обичам те! What is more, I stared drawing lips which had to represent kisses as well as birds – sign of freedom and the achieved dreams. I also used my imagination and drew locks with keys and others which are very popular sign of love nowadays.

When we finished with the drawings and the pebbles were finally dry we had to pack each of them which couldn’t be done by only one person..I was satisfied with the final result and in my opinion everyone enjoyed receiving one of our work of art.

St. Valentine's workshop "Love pebbles"

Every year our school has its own campaign for St. Valentine’s Day which is a main part of the campaign of our town. This year we decided to make pebbles decorated with love wishes and pack them as a present which later on to be sold or given as a present.

In order to make them had to use special glitters to write on the small pebbles, which wasn’t an easy task. The glitters were letting too much of the paint out and made the whole stones covered with paint. This is why I found a very small brush and started painting with it. Although this experience tested my patience at the end the pebbles looked very attractive and everyone liked them a lot