IB News February

Everyone has heard the term senioritis. Whether you a are junior, a senior, or even a parent of a kid in IB; everyone struggles with feelings related to senioritis. So what is senioritis exactly? In simple terms it's a degradation of motivation, a decline in motivation that can impact grades, test scores, performance in sports, or even relationships. The causes for this decline in motivation are seldom addressed and many choose not to believe senioritis is real.

"Just go to school. I used to walk 5 miles there and back every day, and you cannot be bothered to go to school?" This is something my grandfather said to me and while cliche, I am sure many students have heard some iteration of this from their parents or grandparents as well. While I am grateful for my education and the opportunities I have, the idea that the situation can be fixed by simply pulling yourself up from your bootstraps is a concept that is vastly oversimplified. So, here is some advice I found helpful for myself and could maybe benefit you.

In tackling senioritis or any feelings related to a lack of motivation, I found the best solution for me was to "find my why". What I mean by this is find the reason you are pursuing whatever it is you are doing. Many times I would do things for the sake of getting them done, not understanding the reason behind why I was studying, working on a project, going to after school sports, etc. Everyone's motivations for pursuing something are different, some may want to go to college, others to help their family, but as a baseline however; understanding the implications your actions will have in the future will motivate you.

In a world in which gratification occurs instantaneously, many people, including myself, often get stuck in looking at only the present. So, I urge you to embrace delayed gratification with the understanding that while it may seem pointless now, your efforts will be rewarded eventually.

With the aforementioned piece about senioritis in mind, we know many seniors forget about important assignments. So, here is the calendar for diploma related assignments in the month of February.

The three strands of CAS, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows:

• Creativity – arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking.
• Activity – physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the DP.
• Service – an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected.

In order to demonstrate these concepts, students are required to undertake a CAS project. The project challenges students to:

• show initiative
• demonstrate perseverance
• develop skills such as collaboration, problem solving and decision making.

CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development by learning through experience.

It provides opportunities for self-determination and collaboration with others, fostering a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment from their work.

At the same time, CAS is an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the DP.

Below, we are celebrating notable CAS projects.

Westerner Peer Mediation Program

The new peer mediation organization at Lubbock high trains students in the process of peer mediation, which is a student led initiative designed to help students resolve conflict in a non-violent and collaborative manner. Students trained in the process receive their titles as mediators and proceed to mediate the referrals that come in. This organization aims to promote a positive school environment. The organization is still growing, but currently includes Akhil Gorparthi, Nick Lafon, Zaid Kharrat, Maia Freeman, Mona Sabouni, Emma Hail, and Noah Herrera.

IB students Silas, Matthew, and Steven are hosting a pickleball tournament at the end of February to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Lubbock. The tournament is for doubles only and is open to all ages. Go support our students and the Boys and Girls Club of Lubbock by playing with a friend or spouse.

Further information can be found here: https://www.thepicklepals.org/

Each month, students send in pieces of their personal writing they wish to be published in the IB Newsletter. Submissions can be done anonymously, or with a name included if the student so chooses. Writing pieces can be submitted using the following form: https://forms.gle/L6n5YeTMuZpY5Acs7

I was riding home from school one day in my mother’s white Honda Pilot,

Staring out the window as I drowned out whatever “old people” music she was blasting,

The slow chords and archaic soundings drums, crackling with the speakers,

When we were about 20 blocks from my house, I couldn’t take it anymore,

I turned the volume off. “I hate Tom Petty.”

My mother slammed on her brakes in the middle of the road, jolting me and my backpack forward,

“Get out.” She made me walk the rest of the way home, taking my sister home,

While I begrudgingly walked through the cold,

From the on, I grew up on the hum of guitars in the air,
The pulse of a drumbeat that felt everywhere.
Classic rock was my cradle, the rhythm, my guide,
With Led Zeppelin whispers and The Stones by my side.

The crackle of vinyl, the magic of sound,
I’d sit with the speakers, letting it drown.
Queen sang of champions, and Springsteen was king,
The music was freedom, and I learned how to sing.

The Eagles would soar through the night’s quiet hum,
While Fleetwood Mac’s echoes made my heart drum.
From Hendrix’s fire to the Who’s wild embrace,
I was raised on the anthems, the pulse of the chase.

I remember the roads that I’d travel so far,

With "Born to Run" playing beneath every star.
The clash of the chords, the rawness of voice,
It taught me to dream, to shout, to rejoice.

Those songs still linger in every step I take,
A timeless connection I’ll never forsake.
For I grew up on rock, and in its rebel sound,
I found my own voice, unshaken, unbound.

Maybe Tom Petty wasn’t so bad after all.