Last term, 15 Lomond School International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) pupils worked together to raise money for the Helensburgh Foodbank with the main fundraising initiative being a ‘Just Dance’ competition that took place at the Christmas Fair.
The event proved popular among those attending the fair and the group of S5 pupils raised a fantastic £115 for the foodbank. Members of the group visited the charity earlier this month to deliver the donation and meet some of the volunteers.
The undertaking of service or charitable projects is a fundamental part of the IDBP (part of the Creativity, Activity and Service module) and one of those projects must be done as part of a team, providing pupils with the opportunity to hone skills outside of their areas of study.
S5 pupil, Toby, reflected: “I’ve developed skills such as teamwork and budgeting and I have enjoyed getting involved in the CAS project and working on core skills that set you up for life.”
S6 IB pupils also chose to support Helensburgh Foodbank with their Service projects, and successfully coordinated food donations from the school, which resulted in two full trollies being delivered to the charity before Christmas.
S6 pupil, Neve, commented: “I’m always looking for ways to help others when I can. I’ve watched the Lomond School community donate to our local food bank over the years, so me and my friend and fellow classmate, Taylor, decided to volunteer ourselves to coordinate project this year. I believe it really helps our local community, which is important to me. I was overjoyed the project was such a success with the number of donations we received.”
As well as supporting local charities, pupils have worked with the Glasgow charity, Refuweegee, to create welcome packs for refugees arriving in Glasgow. Further donations of food, books, clothes and toys were given from across the school, to help support individuals and families fleeing their homes to make a new life in Scotland. Year groups lower down the school also supported the initiative by creating colourful welcome cards to add to the packs.
Lomond School pupils have the choice of two International Baccalaureate (IB) Programmes – the IB Diploma Programme and the IB Career-related Programme – as well as existing SQA courses.
The IB offers specialism as well as breadth and pupils that choose to study the IB have a passion to succeed and the determination to make a positive impact on the world.
Johanna Urquhart, Lomond School Principal, concluded: “Within all IB programmes, the skills young people develop for life beyond school are valued just as much as the grades on their certificates. Many of our pupils work hard to support our local and global communities, and I am sure these values will continue to flourish and evolve as our pupils do, shaping them as proactive, compassionate, and responsible global citizens.