Personal Projects Impress SIS Community, Once Again!

The MYP 5 Personal Project exhibition was back in-person this year, after being hosted online in 2021. The grade 10 students have spent the past months researching a topic of interest, creating a product, and writing a 15-page report on the process. There were a range of subjects explored, from research on light pollution (Annalena B) and creative writing (Anna D) to music composition (Gaelle B) and making hand creams (Fanni V). From setting up in the morning to wrapping up only later in the evening, the students presented their projects to the whole SIS community including students, teachers, and parents.

Varunika J. reconnected with her heritage by learning traditional Indian Bharatanatyam choreography. She says the energy required to dance and learn new choreography was difficult, but she appreciated getting a chance to reconnect with her culture.

Niklas L. pursued an interest in videography and teaching to create informative YouTube videos and a guide on how to start a channel. He says the project took a lot of effort with numerous steps and hours put into a single video. The process started off with learning thoroughly about the topics to be discussed, followed by planning out the video, recording, and finally editing and publishing. He says the recording was the hardest part due to perfectionism, with a single 15-minute video taking 2-3 hours to film. Editing was his favorite part, in condensing the footage and getting the finished product of something to share with others. He encourages others to start a channel too; right now is the best possible time!

With few restrictions on what students could pursue, many took the opportunity to learn about a topic of interest outside of the school curriculum. Research projects were presented on various topics, such as pollution in the Baltic Sea (Nina L), space travel (Anika S), sustainable fashion (Chloe B), and airplane winglet efficiency (Sahil C). These were assembled into a variety of formats such as posters, slideshows, websites, and booklets.

Many students pointed out that one of the main challenges of the Personal Project was balancing it with their other MYP classes and extracurricular activities. Time management and meeting deadlines with the written report were difficult, as well as actually getting started and picking up the pace. Nonetheless, many said they felt the internal deadlines helped them stay on track and that it was good preparation for skills crucial for the Diploma Programme.

 

Overall, the exhibition was a lively wrapup to the grade 10 Personal Project and the students’ MYP experience. Good luck to those continuing on to the Diploma Programme!