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Reach a Student is a website established to give students direct communication access to student mentors in various grade levels. Students will be able to reach out to other students and ask any questions they have regarding student and campus life. The site will also stream videos of students sharing their experiences at Windermere Prep as well as activities around campus. Find Out More
What are
some tips you have for students that are on the fence about doing IB diploma
due to Theory of Knowledge (TOK)?
There should no reason for students to be on the fence because
half the week is a study hall and you will still have opportunities to get work
done for your other classes and also the course is not hard. There is a a lot
of reasons why one should be on the fence about doing diploma and taking TOK
should not be one of them. It is also fun to be in the class, the good thing is
that instructors can do whatever they want with the material of the class. So I
try to choose fun activities and I think that the topics in the class are very
interesting.
Could you
give a brief summary of the TOK course?
TOK is about growing as a knower and putting together pieces of
what you learn in your other IB classes. It is also about synthesizing
knowledge.
And for
students that are taking TOK, what are some tips for succeeding
in the course?
To have an open mind and to be inquisitive.
Also what
do you think would be better taking the online course or the actual class? And
why?
I think the actual class is better because a big part of the
course is discussions. And the online course lacks that. There is a lot of
things you could do with the online course and you could still have discussions
but the responses online would not be as thoughtful or as instantaneous as our
live in class discussions.
With the new addition of the Cypress Center and the brand new
theatre, there has been a lot of speculation of the theatre programs, including
the addition of IB theatre - what does this all mean? I am able to participate
in most theatre functions and have a large understanding of how the performing
arts programs run daily, as well as all the opportunities available for
students.
Thespians
It's called "Thespians" for short, however it is the International
Thespian Society. This is a club that revolves around theatre in general, as
well as going to theatre competitions. Students practice scenes, monologues,
songs, and technical events like costume design and playwriting, and
participate in a festival for a few days in our district whilst being judged,
and if they get a high enough score, can take a trip to the Florida state
festival and take workshops and classes from the very best as well as
performing. However, thespians has multiple other events for those who do not
get into districts- this includes Improv. Night, The Haunted House, Shakespeare
Night, and many new events such as Miscast and W factor (in which boys perform
female numbers and vise versa), and school events like the homecoming parade.
However, this club forms a community and even if you do not participate on
stage or backstage but enjoy the art form, then it is to learn about and
celebrate everything theatre has to offer.
WHAT THESPIANS REQUIRE
Meetings every Friday
Energy whenever we meet or participate!
Watch or participate in other theatrical events/shows
Go to districts and if possible state
Spread the word of theatre around WPS!
OFFICER LIFE
The Officers are very involved in running thespians - our sponsor
helps us, however organization of events is all us. We make plans for all the
meetings, send emails, and decide what to do throughout the year. We have to be
leaders of the troupe and help critique district pieces, have separate
meetings, go to club events, find ways to raise money, etc. It is very busy,
almost like a job as well have to do something everyday, but very rewarding.
School Shows
With the opening of the cypress center came a plethora of new
school shows for students to participate in - both offstage and onstage. These
include the current "Peter Pan" All School, the high school play "Steel
Magnolias", the HS/MS musical of "Addams Family", as well as the Lower Schoolers
"Cinderella" and the MS Broadway review. There will also be a summer camp show
of "Les Miserables" in which anyone in the community can participate in. This
means that it is a fulfilling year for both technical and theatrical students,
but it is also a lot of work.
The Students must research the show and prepare songs and sides before auditions
Auditions and callbacks last approximately a week, with students getting tried for multiple rows and learning new material throughout the week until the roles are chosen
Once roles are given out, students must learn their lines as quickly as possible - once the scene has been blocked it should be memorized and not revisited until cleaning.
Depending on the role, students must be present for long hours after school and for multiple days in the week. For example in peter pan, I have rehearsal 4-5 days a week until 6pm. If not in a scene, students would be memorizing lines or doing homework.
Many techies have to shadow performers and come to rehearsals in order to see how the show runs and to practice moving sets/lightning/finding props
There will be weekend rehearsals for both set building and for full runs of the show, which can be long and detailed and tiring.
Tech week is the busiest time for a production- students spend long amounts of time in the theatre working the show, usually until 7-9 at night. Juggling this and school work as well as other extracurricular activities can be very difficult, and the rehearsals take a lot of time and effort in order to make sure as the pieces of the puzzle (the set, music, blocking, and other technical effects) fit together.
Show week is the time in which the months of preparation are worth it- students work hard in order to show everyone what they had been working on. It is tiring, but rewarding to see the positive comments and to have an audience. There is usually more time to do other work as well.
After the final show, students are rewarded with an after party in which they get to relax and celebrate their work. It can be quite sad to close a show because of all the effort put into it and the memories made, but soon students get excited for the next and will take what they have learnt from the past show with them.
Classes
The performance sets are very difficult to maintain, therefore
many students take classes in and outside of school in order to keep and
improve their skills. A lot of theatre students take dance classes in order to
keep with the demand of movement in shows, as well as musical theatre which can
contain high intensity dancing in multiple styles. They also take choir or
chorus, to learn the proper technique of singing, the different variations, and
how to be united in a group. Both of these classes also give the benefit of
making the student a triple threat, something desired in the community because
of the versatility of the student that allows them to perform roles with
multiple requirements (for example a character that can sing opera, or Tap
dances). Some students even take music classes to learn or understand musical
instruments and how to read music- there are many shows that now require actors
to play instruments and the business is very competitive. These music students
also have an opportunity to play in the orchestra of a show.
However, the most important part is acting or theatrical classes.
It is the backbone of musical theatre - performance is about expressing
yourself, which is what this class does. There is so much variation in acting
and an actor can always improve in each style and in each style and needs
constant direction in order to be as close to perfect as possible. This helps
abstract theatre, speech, script work, directing and critiquing others, and
being able to learn about techniques.
Technical theatre is also expanding at our school, through the use
of the art classes. WPS is beginning to make its own sets, and creative minds
are needed for this. Students that take art classes are creative, problem
solvers, able to view the full picture and see what compliments, and bring new
ideas to the table.
It is important to take these fine and performing art classes
because it keeps the students in a creative mindset, allows them to expand and
grow, and can bring it to their multiple projects.
Volunteering
Many students find their volunteer hours through the performing
arts. Many of the lower school and middle school shows invite HS and MS
students to tech backstage or stage manager, as well as help the children, and
the high school shows have a tech team that consists of high school students-
for example, many high school students are "fly crew" in Peter Pan, which is a
very big job. Not only does it create leadership and organizational skills, but
it gives students many CAS and volunteer hours. Thespians tech at both W factor
and Mr. Windermere Prep, and students usually help the performing arts teachers
in tasks.
Taking 4 HLs is pretty much the most difficult schedule you could possibly have at Windermere prep. These 4 HLs, with 2 more SLs and an elective, create the most rigorous schedule possible. All of these hard classes on top of the other things required by the IB Diploma make for an extremely difficult week. However, there are some things you can do in order to make the week a little easier. Yes, it will require some effort and doing some extra work when you need to, but it looks really good on your transcript and thus will give you the edge over other students in the IB Diploma program.
Planning
Each weekend, you have both Saturday and Sunday to plan your week out ahead of you. The best way to do this is to look on the canvas and check what each of your teachers has scheduled for you and when. You will want to pay attention to what is summative, as this will take up the majority of your time. However, this is not to say that formatives are not important, but summative assessments are definitely something that you should focus more of your time on. Once you figure out what summatives you have, you will want to check if they are tests or projects, and then figure out how much time each assignment will take you. Is studying for the chemistry test going to take you a whole day? Then do your other assignments on different days and leave a whole day for chemistry. This is easily the best way to look ahead. It's critical that you do this on Saturday so that you can plan ahead and get as much work done as possible on Sunday.
Studying
You want to make sure you leave yourself a good amount of time to study for any test given to you. Sometimes it might be an easy test, in which case you don't need to leave yourself a lot of time. However, when you get the time to study, you will want to use it wisely, and not waste the time on your phone or doing other stuff. I find that the best ways to study are to watch youtube videos, read the textbook chapter for the class you are in, and doing practice IB questions that you can find online at ibdocuments.com or that your teacher has given to you. These are the easiest ways to study for me, but everyone has different methods. However, it is crucial that you use your time wisely.
Time Management
This is the single most important element in making sure you don't struggle in IB classes. You need to effectively manage your time so that you are able to devote a good amount of time to each classes assignments. Falling behind in one class is not something that you want, as this can cause further issues in the long run. Thus, you will want to make sure you allocate your time effectively in order to maximize your time. If you have extra time, you can use it to do other stuff. I find it effective to make sure I have all my work done for the day before I start giving in todistractions. I think that going back and forth between your phone and your work makes the whole process take longer. Overall, time management is more of a personal thing on how you decide to manage your time, but finding the way that works for you is crucial.
Extracurricular's
While taking 4 HLs on top of the other rigorous things IB requires is hard, it doesn't mean that you have no opportunities to do other things. Currently, I'm able to work a part-time job, play guitar, and hang out with friends while still being able to excel in my courses. You want to make sure you give yourself a healthy balance rather than make your entire life be about school. Take a break every now and then and allot some time to just chill out and relax. The IB curriculum is stressful, so it is only healthy to take some time to yourself. Naturally, school should come first. However, a healthy lifestyle should be a close second. Getting enough sleep and being social is crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Hopefully, if you manage your time well enough, you will be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle while still excelling in your courses.
Windermere Prep offers a wide variety
of choices in their Fine Arts department - you can focus on traditional art,
dance, drama, or band and orchestra music. I know that sounds daunting,
especially if you're first entering high school. It can be hard to choose,
especially if you think that you're not particularly good at any of these. But
I'm here to tell you that innate talent should not guide you in your decisions,
at least in the art program.
High school is the time when people
really start to learn more about themselves. They learn what they want, what
they're good at, and how to become more independent. They also learn to
challenge themselves, and to try and learn new things that they've never done
before.
Many of the students you see that blow
you away with their sheer talent in art? It didn't come to them just like that.
They dedicated time to practice and work on their skills because they genuinely
wanted to learn. That's why the teachers are there: to help you learn and
practice. They don't look at a student and think, "oh, they're good at dancing,
I'm only taking them in my class." They look at a student and consider their
potential.
There's no real way I can help you
choose what you want to do in the Fine Arts program; that's all up to you.
Think about what you want. Consider these questions:
Do you want to try something different and new?
Do you have a passion for something in the arts department? Do you want to stick with it
Do you want to challenge yourself?
Answering these questions will make it
easier to make the decision, and hopefully it will leave you satisfied with
whatever choice you make.
Our goal at Reach a Student is to help the students at Windermere as much as possible by providing tips and help from a student's perspective. Answering questions is a great way for students to connect and share with one another, however, the knowledge shared is limited by the questions asked. Blogging allows students to share their thoughts more freely and anyone can provide their peers with whatever information they think would be beneficial.
Since I believe that every student has some kind of insight that could be useful to others at WPS, anyone can contribute their own personal entries to the blog. I can even make your entry anonymous if you choose to. I also believe that the WPS teachers have valuable experience from when they were students (for example, how they faced and overcame an obstacle that a student might be facing today), so I reach out to all WPS faculty and hope you will contribute to our blog.
In the IB Diploma program,
I am taking Psychology at the HL level. This course fully revolves around
real-life events, and there is a focus on biological, cognitive, and
sociocultural levels of analysis. In addition to learning about these aspects,
we need to know and understand many studies - which could be experiments,
observations, correlations, and etc. These complex studies are used for short
answer questions (SAQ) and Essays. Although a SAQ requires one study and an
essay requires three (most of the time), students need to know much more to be
fully prepared for an exam. From my experience, here are some of the things
that I think are helpful.
Understanding will help you memorize: This course requires a high degree of knowledge on the material taught. In order to know such a multitude of background information and those "studies," I have to start studying one to two weeks ahead of time. In this way, I would retain (and understand) the information for a much longer time and I would be more confident about it. This is also a way for me to have questions in mind to ask the teacher. Usually, cramming might help you for a one-day exam, but it won't help in the long-run.
Outlines: For the SAQ's AND Essays, writing an outline for each prompt (or most of them) is highly recommended. In this way, the format is easier to remember, especially since the organization is a big part of the writing requirement.
Making Connections: Try to connect levels of analysis to your daily life. Psychology is all around us, and comparing what you learn to your personal experiences will help you understand the material even better.
Talking to the Teacher: Asking questions to the teacher and reviewing over certain sections can be very helpful. Ms. Isley is very kind and is always happy to help:)
Review: It is important to know that the IB Exam in May of your senior year is a cumulative exam. I would recommend reviewing previous material from time to time, especially since lots of material can be forgotten with the breaks.
Having effective study habits can reduce time and stress that
comes with schoolwork. Here are some way that can make your life easier:
#1- Learn
the Way You Learn
Everyone is individual with the way
that they learn. Auditory, visual, and kinesthetic are the three different ways
of learning. Knowing what type of learner you are lets you study the
information in a better way. You will find better results when you personalize
the way that you study.
#2-
Deadlines and More
After receiving an
assignment, creating a schedule including deadlines and extracurriculars will
help you prioritize tasks. With less procrastination more sleep and less stress
will come. Having everything in the same place, like planner or calendar will
make life much easier.
#3- Teachers
Learning
how to talk to your teachers can be very beneficial. Most teachers are more
than happy to provide extra help. Not only will this help you on your further
assignments and tests, it also shows that you care about your academics. Some
grades are given though work ethic so talking with your teachers can also a
major grade booster.
#4- Studying
for the Test
When studying try not to think of
everything thing that has ever been said in class, this will add even more
stress. When you start to study, focus on the most important topics. Once you
have those topics and are confident with them, if there's still time before the
test, you can then move on to the smaller details.
#5-
Distractions Vs. the Quiet
When studying it is
easy to turn on the T.V or your phone and get off topic quickly. Doing this
however breaks your concentration and makes it harder to focus. With less
distractions, more studying can be done and the amount of time it takes to
study is cut down. If there is no place that you can study quietly, consider
studying at the library. Distractions also come from getting up and getting
things that you need to continue studying. Once you sit down to study, make
sure you have everything you need.
#6-Night
Before a Test
It is tempting to
hold off studying until the night before. You might tell yourself that it is
easier to learn more closer to the test in order to remember more. Create a
schedule for a couple days before the test. Take some time review your notes
and re-read important things in the textbooks. It might seem that that is a lot
to do, but that lets the information sink into your brain in a way more natural
way. Sleep is also very, very important. If you are tempted to pull an
all-nighter you will only be hurting your chances of getting an A. With a
proper amount of sleep, your brain will be in good shape on test day.
#7- Stay
Positive!
Positive reinforcement is a very important and
powerful thing. After finishing something for school, reward yourself. Whether
that be taking a break from studying to get some food, or watching some
Netflix, rewards are important. Breaks also can help improve studying, your
brain can only take so much hard work at a time. It will keep your stress
levels down and the information will also have a chance to sink in. With this
new mindset implemented, procrastination can be cut down!
1. Don't
write down any reminders or set any alarms about when the assignment is due.
Does a recently received assignment
seem too difficult or tedious? Simply don't put any measure in place to remind
yourself about it. Out of sight, out of mind! This is an important first step
to procrastination, as it allows you to remove the assignment from your present
conscious and reduce the current amount of stress in your life.
2. Take
frequent and lengthy breaks from your work.
Once you've settled in to your desk or other preferred
workspace after school, feel free to play a few rounds of 2048, browse the
internet, or check social media. After all, if you never took breaks, you would
quickly become overworked and your work quality would suffer. Take breaks
whenever you don't feel motivated to work: you need them!
3. Don't set
aside time dedicated solely to working.
It would truly be a shame if your work
was regimented in constricting blocks of time. Your workflow is arrhythmic, and
trying to 'plan' motivation would make you even less motivated than you already
were. Therefore, don't make any schedules or timetables. In this way, you'll
never have to work on an assignment until you truly want too. The inspiration
will strike you when you're ready!
4. Do less
challenging assignments (and complete other obligations) first.
If you don't want to start that 4-page essay, you can easily
put it out of your mind by doing simpler work first. Complete small assignments
and do chores so that you aren't forced to cope with the difficulty of writing
the essay, At least you're doing something productive, right? The essay can
wait until tomorrow while you do this work.
5. Fulfill
every requirement for you to work optimally.
If you find that the assignment you're working on is becoming
dull and your quality of work is suffering, it's most likely because something
is preventing you from working well. Perhaps it's because your room is unclean—the
aura simply isn't right. To put yourself back in the right frame of mind, clean
your room for now and work on the assignment later. While you're up from your
desk, be sure to make your bed, eat a snack, watch some TV, and play a few
games of table tennis. Once you've gotten all of that out of your system,
you'll certainly be able to work much more efficiently on your assignment.
6. The
assignment is due 8:00AM tomorrow and it's 10:00PM? Take an all-nighter.
Plenty of people, from mathematicians to musicians, write
out their most influential proof or greatest opus in one long, uninterrupted,
feverish session. What separates you from them? You need to get this assignment
done somehow, even if it costs a few hours of sleep. Why not work through the
night and ensure the assignment gets done.
(Bonus!) 7.
Turn in the assignment late—or don't turn it in at all!
If you're truly opposed to doing this
assignment, you don't have to finish it before the deadline—or at all! For the
former, it's easy to postpone working on an assignment if a teacher only takes
off 2% for each day late, or better yet, doesn't deduct points at all if you
turn it in shortly after the deadline. For the latter, there's no easier way to
procrastinate an assignment than if you never actually do it. So omit summative
work that's difficult yet takes up a small percentage of your grade, and omit
formative work entirely.
Conclusion:
As you may have guessed while reading through the above
list, I don't actually advocate that anyone procrastinate. Procrastinating is
an unhealthy and unsatisfactory habit, but it's one that is remarkably easy to
slip into. Because of this, everyone procrastinates to some extent. In fact, I
procrastinated writing this very blog post. Since many people procrastinate,
it's important to note some of the factors and justifications that contribute
to procrastination. As such, the "How to Procrastinate" list is an exercise in
looking at some negative actions we take so that we may see what not to do.
Instead of tackling the difficult assignment, which requires effort and focus, many
of us would rather resort to doing something from the list. However, it's
critical that you recognize the true stress that procrastinating generates, and
avoid the items on this list as you see fit. I find that in general, it's
beneficial to take the opposite actions of those on this list, and the quality
of your work will increase while the amount of work-related stress will
decrease. Take all of this with a grain of salt though, as something that works
for me may not work you, and vice versa. But no matter how you conquer
procrastination, doing so is certainly advantageous
