LearnServe Alum Jake Sorrells (Rockville), LearnServe Advisor and IB Coordinator Deborah Wilchek (Rockville), and Scott Rechler offered a new take on the International Baccalaureate’s “CAS” requirement at the Mid-Atlantic IB Conference in Annapolis, MD on August 11.
The IB program encourages students to explore life beyond scholarship through activities that blend creativity, action, and service — known as CAS projects. During their junior and senior years, IB students should be involved in at least one project involving teamwork that integrates two or more of these areas.
Jake shared how his venture, Young Changemakers, challenges teams of high school students to design their own social action campaigns — bringing the core elements of LearnServe’s Fellows Program further into the school. Deborah highlighted how Rockville High School’s participation in Young Changemakers and the LearnServe Fellows Program reinforces the values of the IB Program’s CAS requirement, offering students team leadership experience and fostering a more vibrant, community-oriented school culture. For more information, contact info@learn-serve.org.