The first semester of the 2020-2021 school year is almost already over, and Christmas is nearly here! Streets are getting filled up with lights, trees are getting decorated, and advent calendars are being bought. Though this year’s Christmas must be celebrated in a corona-safe way, that certainly does not take away the joy of the holiday that only comes once a year!

The 11th grade students have been busy these past few weeks getting ready to wrap up their very first semester in the IB Diploma Programme. In the midst of midterm exams, some of us have also been working on our CAS projects. CAS is a part of the DP curriculum which stands for creativity, activity, and service, and it is highly similar to the Service and Action in the MYP. The CAS project is an opportunity for students to initiate and complete a challenging project on one of these categories with their classmates. These projects could range from designing a video game to starting a recycling campaign. 

For my CAS project this year, a couple of my classmates and I are collecting Christmas gifts from students at SIS and donating them to students at the hospital school in Astrid Lindgren’s Hospital. This hospital is a part of the Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, and it is one of the largest children’s hospitals in Northern Europe. 

The children in the hospital school are aged between 7 to 18 years, and they are students just like us at SIS. However, they are unable to attend ordinary school and enjoy the same privileges as us due to their illnesses. This year, especially due to the coronavirus pandemic, they are unable to celebrate Christmas in their homes with their friends and families. 

We have decided to collect and donate small gifts such as books, puzzles, and board games in hopes of making their Christmas a little more enjoyable. These gifts do not have to be expensive and could be bought at prices under 300 SEK. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the hospital has requested for all gifts to be brand new and wrapped in their original packaging. So for instance, if a board game comes in a plastic wrap, it must not be removed. The hospital staff will wrap and allocate the gift themselves, so there is no need to worry about the wrapping or distribution amongst age groups. 

Last week, my CAS group visited the MYP classrooms to share about our project. We have put up posters and set up boxes for donations in the main building, annexe B, and annexe C. We are collecting the gifts until December 11th, so if any student, parent, teacher, or staff member of the SIS community would like to donate by then, it would be highly appreciated! 

We believe that these gifts will allow the students at SIS and the hospital school to connect and celebrate the happiness of Christmas together, despite challenging times. If you are interested, please join us and participate! Don’t hesitate to contact us through the emails below if you have any questions:

Jiyoon: [email protected]

Lisa: [email protected] 

Lara: [email protected]