Creativity, Action, Service Curriculum

Creativity, action, service (CAS) is at the heart of Newman School’s IB Diploma Program. It is one of the three core courses in every student’s Diploma Program experience.

The course involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Program. The three strands of the course, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows:

• Creativity: Arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking


• Action: Physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the Diploma Program


• 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

Development of Character, Mind and Body

Creativity, Action and Service enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning. At the same time, it provides an important counterbalance to the academic pressures of the rest of the Diploma Program. Both challenging and enjoyable, the program is a personal journey of student self discovery. Each individual student has a different starting point, and therefore different goals and needs, but for many their CAS activities include experiences that are profound and life changing.

For Student Development to Occur, CAS Should Involve:

• Real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes


• A personal challenge—tasks must extend the student and be achievable in scope


• Thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, reporting


• Reflection on outcomes and personal learning.

All proposed CAS activities must meet these four criteria.